Damn Dog

No not my dog but a neighborhood dog. I came home from a long day of field sitting and then a bit of time with the beads ladies to see this dog running away with a chick in its mouth. I exclaimed with surprise and the kids were like “what in the world is she doing” (I can just tell from their weird looks in my direction). I rushed to set my stuff down and went back outside to see if the dog was gone. I had mixed emotion about what I saw and what to do next but the kids had effectively stopped the dog from hurting the chick too much and it had ran away. Now there is a hurt baby chick in the grass. I had no idea what to do but Jemima was picking it up and was not being very careful. The chick was freakin out, I mean I would be too if in the first few days of my life I was picked up and carried from my mom and played with by an animal that was planning on eating me. The bad part was that I had no idea where it had come from and it had incurred a head injury.  So now what? I had these kids holding a bleeding hurt baby chick and no idea what was the normal thing to do so I do the normal thing for me. I rushed into the house and grabbed some water cloth and a box from my room.  I proceeded to wash off the dirt and little bit of blood then wrapped it up and put it in the box. This whole time Rachel was watching and rolling her eyes at me but I think its worth it.  What kind of example would I have set if I did nothing and just let the chick probably get eaten by the dog that would have come back tonight. I think the kids need to see somebody actually take care of an animal rather than tossing it some food for a while before killing and eating it.  This is why there is a baby chicken in a box, in my room tonight. I hope the dog did not hurt it too badly and it survives. I don’t know how to take care of a chick but hopefully I get to learn.

Moving Forward One Day At A Time

January 18, 2012

So this past week and some has been quite a ride. I am coming to understand that each day is a force to be reckoned with and the only way to handle it is to take one day at a time. The end of last week had me kinda in an odd place, I haven’t done much of anything the whole week and felt bad about it. That Friday I met up with my supervisor and had a little chat. We discussed what my role is supposed to be with the NGO and the community but of course its still a lot-a-bit hazy. You see the NGO is putting up a training facility about a kilometer down the road and there is a lot to be done with designing the animal pens and how the office is going to run, so they day I will be very busy…soon.  But right now sitting at home or going to the field just to watch chicken coops be built really isn’t my style so I wanted to see what I could be doing right now.  It turns out that its not much. My counterpart is extremely busy with the farmers and moving his family from his village to Nkurakan where he is in the process of building not to mention taking care of his farm with over 300 chickens and sending his children off to school for another term (side note he’s also a church leader in his village so he goes back every weekend).  It tires me out just thinking about all he does. Back to me, I needed something to do, anything, even busy work just to make me feel like I’m contributing something.

So the plan was to go to the beads office on Monday. I liked this idea, I had wanted to get over to the beads ladies for a while now but it didn’t seem right going without Rachel who’s finger and stomach have been really hurting her lately. She is now doing better and is coming to work so I headed over there to find something to do. The last PCV they had worked there so I figured they could at least find me something to do for a little bit. I was new to the office so it was like stepping into a whirlwind of beads. I met the ladies stringing the beads and got a little tour of the building which is basically three rooms and a bathroom. Then I was set to work I got the mindless task of winding the bracelets and putting tags on. There is an order to be sent out soon so they are trying to finish up but ran out of plastic bags (something I never thought I would say) which is holding up production for the time being, that and Rachels hurt finger.  I have a lot to learn about how the office is run and how I can help in little ways to improve it.

I went out to the field to check on the farmers for the next few days which was actually semi-productive except that one of the communities was not ready for us which was disappointing.  I have to be very careful on days I go to the field. Ghanaians or at least the ones I work with do not eat lunch or snack really they just have a huge breakfast and wait to eat until 3 or so. That’s not how I work. So I have started to learn from my mistakes and take snacks with me. This helps my blood sugar levels and my attitude for the most part but I still have to be conscious of how I am acting. It’s hard to pay attention and even just act like you know what’s going on (Im becoming a very good actress).  The second day I had the task of taking pictures of coops and a meeting in one of the communities which kept me more engaged but sometimes the heat and just sitting really gets to me and I totally space out.  I think the best thing for me is to just keep going out there and pack more snacks.

So one day at a time I am slowly figuring out my place here in Nkurakan. It is going to be a complex mix of farmers, animals, beads, kids, and me trying to be me. Things are getting easier. Kids are learning my name. I’m trying more foods. I’m still excited to be here. 

Live in Love 

Settled!

January 11, 2011

         Settled. I’m sorry that I have not posted anything for quite some time and I’d like to say that its because I have been busy but I haven’t been. For the past 3 almost four weeks I have been trying to figure out what living in Nkurakan is going to be like but I think that’s going to take a much longer time to find an answer. Somethings I did do however is set up my kitchen I now have a table for cooking and a shelf unit to store all my food and supplies. Having things made is very expensive so I waited until I got paid in January to have the carpenter build me a shelf for my room. I had wanted to make these things myself because I can but there were more obstacles than paths so I decided to take the easy way. I am very happy with my two shelves, they are nothing fancy but they give my stuff a place that’s not the ground or my bags. Oh I also procured a desk and chair after trying not to offend the family here but getting something I need. I know the world does not revolve around me but when I came to site I expected a little more help to settle in but the onset of the whole family being here delayed that to a grinding hault. It also made it awkward to bring anything home that I had got at market to in Kof because it was almost like I was flaunting the little money I have here, and the fact that they wanted to see everything I had bought was a little off putting.  

             Now that I have made a space for myself and am satisfied for the most part with my rooms (there are always places for improvement) I can focus on what I am supposed to be doing here.  I have been out to the farming villages we are working with a couple times in the past two weeks to help… well observe chicken pens being constructed. I am still struggling with the language, as in I haven’t learned anything yet, so participating even if they would let me would be really hard. Im looking forward to knowing what a project is about from start to finish and running my own trainings because right now the farmers do not see me contributing anything. This chicken pen construction is going to last the rest of January but then there will be a bee training in February that I hope to be more involved in.  School has started for the first time since I’ve been at site so I will hopefully get a chance to meet with some teachers and seeing if they are open to let me do some projects with the students.

         Im sorry this is kinda just a blob of information but soon I hope to be able to update regularly like a real blog.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays!

December 27^th

                I want to take a second or two to thank everybody for a wonderful year. I have been able to do many things but only because I had a lot of help! The last year of college, lots of ups and downs and confusion about the future. Graduation, somehow I made it happen! I had a great summer full of adventures and seeing everyone I love.  Joining the Peace Corps. Leaving for Ghana to live and learn from some of the most friendly people in the world. None of this would have happened without the support and love of my family and friends. Thank you.

                I thought leaving for Peace Corps in October would be a wonderful time to leave, school started, summers over, but then it’s the holiday season right off the bat. It’s a bit difficult to be so far from home and so early on in this process knowing that the holidays continue back home. I love calling home and saying hi to everybody congregated at my home or grandma’s house but it’s hard because I can remember what it’s like to be there myself surrounded by my family and enjoying good food. I think part of what makes it a little difficult is that I have not been able to settle in, call a place my own, which is something that is fairly important to me. I feel comfortable here, I can handle myself here, but I haven’t had the time to settle into my site. The holiday has only made it worse, banks are closed, markets are packed, my counterpart is busy and there are a bunch of extra people staying at my house. I cant say enough how much I love my site, my counterpart, my site mother, but guys I need a table chair and desk! At the moment Im sitting on the floor on my yoga mat with two legs that have completely fallen asleep, not really comfy.

                I was able to do one thing that has definitely made me feel much more at home. I painted my room with a “Christmas tree” and ocean!  It’s a Christmas tree because I did it on Christmas day to help fill my time. It’s probably exactly what you expect from me, a tree with flowers and an ocean with sea stars and a fish. I want to add a heart and a quote in the corner I just haven’t picked the right one yet (I’m starting a poll). The family was amazed by the painting, the little ones sat and watched for a good hour… I’m actually starting to get used to the watching. Painting really released a lot of stress for me. I’m beginning to realize how much the small art project I do really help me balance my life. For three months I didn’t do much at all, I definitely needed a little craft time!  I’m really happy with how it turned out although I couldn’t figure out how to make purple, it’s a lot harder than you think! I hope to continue this outlet of creativity once I get a desk/table/ way to organize my thoughts, I want to get my hands on a chalk board but I don’t know how possible that is going to be.