"We are each other's keeper"

Day 10 in Ghana...

Ghana? Yes, Ghana. So I’m in West Africa? Yes... finally?

This is how my mind has been working lately. I am here: I see the people, smell the smells, taste the food, and see the array of incredible things there are to see... but what do I feel? That’s been an interesting concept; I think I will come back to that in another blog post.

While it’s been less than 2 weeks since I’ve blogged, a lot has happened! Just that things are finally happening is an excitement in itself! We’ve been waiting so long for arrival in country, and here we are! But what have we been up to? Rather than just list events, I have found myself casually recording intriguing quotes by key persons over the past week and a half, so I will “reflect” with them.

“We are each other’s keeper”

~Mark, our awesome cultural and language trainer (who is also a pastor)

Ghana is so culturally different from the US: People smile and greet people. You feel safe around people you’ve just met. You are comfortable asking anyone for help, because they will help you. Kids run around the streets because other parents are watching them. Goats are frequent...

But really, people care about each other. They want us to feel at home. They offer up generous yet not overbearing services and kindness to welcome us. They care for each other in genuine and visible ways. I already can tell I will love the people here, which is great because people are what make cultural and international experiences so incredible!

 “YƐ frƐ me Akosua, me firi Pennsylvania wƆ Amerika.”

~Me, introducing myself in Twi; translated: My name is Akosua, I am from Pennsylvania in America.

We have been learning Twi, the predominant language in Ghana and you can BET I am SUPER EXCITED to use it to incorporate with the people! It really is not that difficult of a language so far, with only 2 unique letters and a few non-phonetic spellings. We had 3 intense days of training and I will definitely be learning from my host family shortly...

Oh, and Akosua is not Allison in Twi. Here, people take a general, gender-specific name that reflects the day of the week you were born. I was born on a Sunday and I am a female, so I am Akosua (along with 1/7^th of all Ghanaian women).

“4-H is a concept, it can be used for any organization”

~Regional 4-H director, giving training on how to start a 4-H club in an area

I found this to be a humbling ideal for development work – we don’t need to brand everything. 4-H is doing great things. When we get to our communities and have the opportunity to add 4-H esque concepts to an existing youth organization, we should do it!

AgriCorps is officially collaborating with 4-H Ghana for our year or service. This is pretty exciting, as 4-H Ghana is doing a fabulous job so far at creating positive change. However, they are only working in 2 of the 10 regions (provinces/states) of the country. We are focusing on one of the existing regions to further the reach of the current, “hub,” programs to surrounding rural communities. Given their strong foundation, we will be able to make a more sustainable impact than in Liberia, where all that we would have done would have been new and exciting, yet perhaps not as acceptable to the post-conflict culture. (P.S. keep praying for Liberia, it’s bad.)

We will be working with existing club advisers and 4-H enterprise gardens to improve practices, develop the youth leadership components of the clubs, and reach out to the homes with improved home entrepreneurial projects. More of this to come...

“What you do is just build on what they have – that’s where the magic is.”

and

“If we see you as part of us, it is easier for us to get what you have.”

~Eric, Eastern Region Public Relations Officer for the Ghana Education Service, speaking about the standards used for teaching and working in schools in Ghana

I will leave you to pick through these quotes yourself, and I will use them to dig into the entire concept of our being here and what my year will actually look like!

Ghana is actually a hub for development organizations. As one of the more developed West African countries, the development work seems to have been paying off. With that said, Ghanaians are still incredibly excited to see us, invite us in, and have us help them. Recently, an agricultural extension director from another district actually seemed upset that none of us would be placed in her district. In my mind, development is a positive thing, but feeling as though you need it and actively seeking out an oboruni (“foreigner” in Twi) to help you is not something I would expect. Then again, Ghanaians do not have the sort of American pride I am accustomed to. So, it has been refreshing to feel so “desired.” Nonetheless, I need to keep humbling myself with the truth that I do not have all the answers, for many of them already lie in the mind of these wonderful people with whom I will work. All I must do is “shut up and listen” (another quote, this one from a Ted talk we watched during reflections last week).

Well, there has been some more exciting news with all of this training and preparation. We finally learned where we will be stationed!!!!!

I will be living in the small town of Oseim, located in the Eastern Region of Ghana. This town is about 40 minutes north of Koforidua, the capitol of the region and headquarters for 4-H Ghana. I am going to be working with a decently large and developed 4-H program in the Savior Junior High School, a 3-year school of about 250 students.

The most exciting piece of my entire time in Ghana so far is that I got to SEE my town and school already! Part of our training included a visit to a local program and “4-H meeting” and it just happened to be mine! We even chilled out at my host family home for an hour before the 4-H meeting as we waited for the downpour of rain to stop (something that prevents much from happening here).

I am really pumped. But still a little “bleh” overall – I am not sure what to feel. We have seen awesome things so far. Last week, when we arrived, we toured some cool areas in the capital city of Accra. Then we got to stay in a pretty nice hostel in Koforidua for training. Now we are in another town for agricultural training. Next week we get to do a 4-5 day “site visit” to gather data about our towns and move in. Then, after a few days reflection, we begin. We begin? Hmmm, what does that mean? I am still not sure, and I am still figuring out how to feel about it. Nonetheless, I am content with where I am and I am learning new things daily.

"Life is now, and so it shall continue to be as it goes on. I will continue to embrace it as it comes."

Akyire yƐbƐhyia (pronounced “eh-sheer-ey yeh-bey-shia”)!

See you later! 

(sorry for lack of photos - the internet is prohibiting that kind of data upload right now... hopefully soon!)