almost time to say obruni bye bye.

Well, my time here is winding down, 9 weeks and 3 days to be exact, but who’s counting. Certainly not me.

So although I don’t know this for sure, I’m almost positive that the couple of days before I leave my town will be like hell. People wanting this, demanding I give them that, wait… you really want my old musty socks? Ones trash is truly another’s treasure; I of all people should understand this… I love goodwill after all.
I guess the whole thing that I’m put off by is the fact that these people will demand things from me rather than me decided that I would like to give it to them. After two years I shouldn’t be surprised. Why shouldn’t I give them these things, why shouldn’t they demand them of me. I am after all, one of them, family.

To some degree. Sure I still get cheated at the market, I still don’t quite understand why after a year you still love to stare at me as if I’m some foreign species, I can’t eat fufu like it’s a bacon wrapped wiener (oh man, I can’t wait for those!) but these people have cared for me, fed me, and treated me not like a stranger, but as a sister.

This reminds me of a time that I was out of money and on the football field with a whole bunch of kids. I really wanted a pocky (frozen ice pop). I saw some kid playing with 10 pesewa, flipping it up and catching it. For a long time I argued in my head about asking this kid for his money. Finally my craving for pocky made the part of me that wanted to ask him punch the lights out of the part that didn’t. I called the boy over and asked him for his 10 pesewa. The boy didn’t even hesitate with his money; he just gave it to me. Like the boy, I didn’t hesitate and I took it, and went straight to buy pocky. I gave the boy back his change of 5 pesewa to which he also bought a pocky. While I was enjoying this pocky all by myself, the boy who gave me his money was also sharing his pocky with 5 other small boys that came around. I wish I had the generosity to share my pocky, but I’m not as sharing and generous. (Not to mention all the germs that those small boys carry around; after a 7 months of being giardia free I’m not about to start again.) And to make sure you leave this entry not seeing me as a totally horrible person, I found the boy the next day thanked him for his generosity and paid him back with interest.

Anyways, that concept of extended family and sharing everything that you have has been somewhat difficult for me. ( after all, I’m the only girl and the youngest of three) And I’m not just talking about grandparents, and uncles and aunts; I’m talking my second cousin, cousin’s wife, brother’s daughter needs to go to school. So since I’m in a better position to help, I help. To the extent where I could be seen as this girls father. But no, I’m just somewhere related. Yet, family. Thus, I must help take care of the family.

So while I may not have been able to accomplish what I had thought I would, I did gain one big family here in Ghana… and for that I am forever grateful, and will try my best to do all that I can, no matter how far away I may be, to forever help my new family.

And with that said, I can’t wait to see my family. The one that lives on a little rock in the middle of the pacific.

support fair trade! these women in the upper east, weave these beautiful baskets! they are now sold at whole foods!

not going to lie... i think donkeys are my new favorite animals.

sirigu, upper east.

known for traditional pottery, architecture, and wall designs. super awesome.

these kids tried to sell me their bird for 10 cedis. and that bird cage was so awesome that i almost bought it. always hustlin.

pito. the beverage of choice in the northern regions of ghana.

pretty nasty if you asked me.

Sometimes things need to fall apart to be put properly back together.

… or so I keep telling myself.

So things kind of fell apart. I partially blame myself. After things were working well, I left for about two weeks. We had a conference at an uber nice hotel (air condition, hot water, meat with every meal, swimming pool, hot water) to reconnect with other volunteers and learn more about HIV activities and things that we can do in our towns to educate people about it. It was nice to be with volunteers, hearing their stories and talking about future events to collaborate on.

And well, when I came back I found the visitor centre closed. I heard that it was maybe open for three days and then after that they just put a sign on the door. Its hard to be mad, I mean the people that are working on this project are volunteering their time. So they have other jobs, jobs that earn them an income, to attend to and can’t make this their first priority, but there are at least five of them where they could have worked something out. They could have talked to one of their nieces or nephews who are probably out roaming the streets because they have nothing better to do. Maybe even talked to the men and women who just sit at their house all day long. But instead, it was just closed. With a sign saying to call a guide. No good. At all.

On top of that, the Ministry of Tourism is just causing more problems than solving or helping. We have been fighting with them since November for the right to manage the facility. Sending them letters, seeing them in person, calling them on the phone, fighting, fighting, and fighting. But no deuce. They say they’ll call us back in a week after their meeting. No call. I visit them in Accra to see whats up and voice what I think needs to be done to make this project work successfully for Ntonso and you. They say they’ll talk it over and call me. I wait. No call. I call them. They are still discussing it. They say they’ll call me. Still no call. UGH. You build this beautiful building for what?!

Then out of nowhere this company, Ghana Tourism Development Company Ltd comes to Ntonso. They say that the MOT has requested that they manage the facility in Ntonso so they’ve come to introduce themselves and talk with the main stakeholders. Although I’m not happy about the idea that another company will come to manage the facility, I am hopeful. I think the members of the TMT can take the experience that they have had with FM24 and use it as guidance for their interactions with GTDC.

So I am hopeful. I feel that GTDC has the money to help finance things that would be beneficial for Ntonso to improve as a tourist destination. I am hopeful that they will work out a better deal for the people who will work for the project. I feel that if this doesn’t work out, then the tourism project will never work.

I guess now we will just wait and see. Either it blows up and everyone loses. Or they work out a good deal and Ntonso won’t know what to do with all the damn tourist and all that damn money.


Oh yea, on a side and happy note.
I finally, after 22 months, have gotten… wait for it… electricity. And its so so so amazing. As I am walking towards my house I find myself smiling like a little girl in a candy shop. I will miss my candle lit dinners and bucket baths in the dark, but I think it won’t be hard for me to adjust.


I love my life so much that another year here wouldn’t be so bad.

twi word of the day: awradE (oh god!)

shots shot shot shots shots shots shots!!

everrrybodyyy.... love shots shots shots shots shots shots!

Easter weekend wouldn't be complete without a full on jesus walk. through the streets. and the grand finale of hammering him to the cross. with blood. INTENSE.

so the best thing about all these jams (aka street parties) is that there was an endless supply of kebab stands. sausage. chicken. gizzard. goat. suuuuper awesome. there was also some new drink called waikiki. it was cocopine and kinda tasted like malibu.

me and my man eddie getting ready to go. we did a little dance and then ran to jump jump jump off the cliff!

I finally did it... i made it upp upp upppppp in the air.

i went to visit my friend in the upper west. this was her market, it was pretty insane. it was fried food day for her. we ate all sorts of fried goodness. fried yams, koose (fried bean cake), and soya kebabas. it was yummm. but at the market there was all sorts of chop. i think they are pounding fufu. but i've never seen so many people pounding fufu before. dizam.

so, i'm not a huge spam fan, but i have eaten half a can of spam by myself with about half a cup of rice in one sitting. (yes, i'm a fatter ass than before) but funny thing about this is that my parents haven't sent me spam, nor has anyone else from home. i've collected spam from other volunteers whose parents send it to them as a joke. they never eat it, so figure since i'm from hawaii i would eat it. and so i graciously accept their kind offer. and boy is it delicious!!!

the new visitor centre. i will be posting better pictures soon, hopefully with the fully built demonstration centre that we've been hoping for since... forever. but kakra kakra. (:

went to farm with my friend akida (he spells it aqueeda, but i like to say akida.) it was a small town maybe like an hour away from ntonso. the guy that was looking after his farm lived in this mud house. the door on the right served as his kitchen and chicken coop. the one of the left was his room. i bet that his room is 1240358430852 times cooler than mines. (as in temperature. and now that i think about it... in looks too.)

so this embassy worker had two freezers. this one was just full of swiss rolls and reeses. the other one was filled with frozen pizza, frozen deli meat, frozen bacon, and other frozen goodness. we were in shock. and in awe. and yes, i took pictures. we are deprived! hahaha. jk.

the finishing touches. not bad right?

and scene. (: miss you all. xoxo.

kakra kakra

I think that just might be my favorite word here in Ghana, kakra kakra. It means small, small.  Like meti twi kakra. I know a how to speak a little twi. Or medi kakra.  I eat a little.  But ask me how the work is going here in Ntonso and I will say, kakra kakra. We are moving forward kakra kakra.  (about damn time right?)

 

Anyways, I’m finally a bit excited and happy about the way things are going with the project here.  It’s about the beginning of tourist season and we are going kakra kakra towards the directions of making this destination a five-star stop! (okay, we are still a long way… but a girl can exaggerate to make herself feel better.)  Step one toward making it five-star… actually being OPEN! Check.  We’ve been opened for just about a month now and have received about 65 visitors! I have a feeling now that we have been in contact with some tour guides and started passing out our brochures (Thank you Cal Lu Printing Services! You guys are awesome!) that more will start to come.  Step two, bring artisans to come and work at the visitor centre… half-check.  We have got a calabash carver to come and work at the visitor centre about a couple times a week and upon request when tourist come.  We have kente looms and I think I’m going to start weaving soon! (usually only men weave, but I figure I have plenty free time, so I should weave too!)  We are working on getting others to move, but no luck yet. The only downer part of this whole thing is that we are opened every day because I make sure we are open (not very sustainable, since I will be leaving at the end of the year… and for a month in june, but we’ll see how it goes).  But I do think now that people within the Tourism Management Team see the potential that this place has to generate money for the community they are more committed to making it work. With that being said, we still have a lot of things to work out, but like I said kakra, kakra.

 

(can I get a hoorah!)

 

Mmm, so the other weekend was Easter weekend and although there was no Ho Easter (sad) Easter just might be my favorite time here in Ghana.  Just for the fact that it always includes good friends, good food, and something exciting.  This Easter it was something legen… wait for it… dary! (haha, sorry I’m like obsessed it everything Barney) Anyways, the Ghana Tourist Board puts on a festival in the Eastern Region for the Easter holiday which includes street jams, paragliding, lots of kebabs, and crazyness.  (although, being here has decreased my crazyness… one night there was this music festival that started at 8 pm that we all wanted to attend, but when the time came around we were passed out.  I woke up at like 9 trying to get people to go, but no one wanted to, so I just went back to sleep. I know, I’m uber lame now. Happy dad?)  Anyways, back to the story… so I went paragliding!!! I jumped off a cliff and went up, up, and wayyy up in the air!! I was up there for so damn long that I felt sick at the end. Haha. But it was totally awesome and worth it. 

 

I guess that’s about all for now, we are going to have an all-volunteer conference at the end of the month at an uber nice hotel. (wifi and pool for a week!) There is suppose to be a talent show (I was thinking about playing the harmonica) and a PROM!  So all in all, I’m finally really happy with every day here… so happy that I’ve submitted a request to extend for a third year!!

 

(april fools… or maybe not. It would seem like a pretty good deal though, a year more I get to go home free for a month during the holidays and I get like 10G after I finish! JK, I can’t wait to come home and eat delicious food and go to Vegas! Oh and I guess get a job. And find my Honda! Oh and I guess hang out with all my family and friends!)

 

Okay well, miss you all tons back home… hope everything is going extra fabulous!!

 

 

Also why I kinda love being here… so today I  was walking along and I see a group of kids with tin cans searching in the bush.  They were all on the hunt for something, telling one kid who was under a log about where something was.  I figured that they were finding those flying bugs so they could attach it to a string and play with it.  So I continued on, went to talk to my friend and then started headed back in their direction, but they were off to a new place, looking under a tree… and so I’m really curious now as to what they are doing.  So I peak into their cans and what do I find… lots of snails. So pumba and timon… sometimes I’m a bit jealous of the fact that they LOVE snails.

 

 

 

 

 

ps. internet is being stupid. so i guess i'll upload pictures later. and on another sad sad note... i have a fricken mouse again. and guess what it fricken ate... my blackberry track ball!!!! stupid stupid mouse. but i will get the last laugh.

i'm getting better at being faithful... sorta.

hmmm, so whats new?

lots of stuff, but i really don't feel like typing... and we all know you hate to read. so pictures it is! (: 

i started my world map project at my local market. basically you paint a map of the world on the wall to help increase geography literacy.  i figured the market would be a good location to do it because a lot of people frequent the place to buy their groceries. (and by groceries i mean, onions and tomatoes.  because thats all you can buy there. jk. but majority of it is onions and tomatoes.) but anyways, i decided to get the children involved thinking itd be a good idea. well, ha, baaad idea... well, first off. if you want an accurate map, you should only get adults with some what of a knowledge of the world to help.  if you want new countries and seas to exist, your local children are good at that.

basically, at the end of day two of map work we had the united states of mexico annnd chargentina! also, the black sea became a country and so did some huge lake in canada. among other mistakes that i've found along the way. way to go children! 

but on a positive note, the reason why i'm doing the map is so that they know that the united states does not extend to the east side of mexico, and so forth. and its somewhat working. today i was painting with a boy and playing wheres that country! he now knows where japan, china, russia, egypt, there is not an extended piece of land on the east side of mexico. 

annnd, now that i've finished it my friend tells me that she sees all the children looking at it after they finish from school. wooot. success!

i've started feeding children. hahaha. 

the kid that gave me skin diseases. no joke. i helped this small boy clean his hands... and after i finished he pointed to his hands and said something in his language that i didn't understand but i figured he was telling me about the disease that he had on his hands. annnd, now. i have those same bumps on my hands. ): last time i play with dirty small children. ps. we slept on the roof, behind. it was pretty damn awesome. 

awesome signboard in tamale... thats right kids, it retards development!! fight, fight, fight!

ps. no matter where i seem to move electricity hates me ): i seriously am literally juuust outside from where there is electricity. it sucks. i have this beautiful house and the shack (literally a shack) that like 5 feet from my house has electricity. 

twi word of the day: wo hu nu bruni won ka se bruni

(when you see a white person, don't say obruni.)

helloooo. hellloooo.

hello faithful followers:

i apologize for my lack of blogging. i could give you a million excuses but i wont. i think i'll just show you pictures. i'm alive and well. and realized that i could live my whole life without running water and electricity and bacon (who wouldve thunk!) as long as i had a toilet to sit on. 

 so i finally moved from this little shindig. i miss these girls. a bit. but what i don't miss is their screaming, crying, and singing at 5am. 

i wanted to be among. 

there was a camp, i taught business and we made them run one. they sold juuuuice! it was a hit.

okay, internet won't let me upload any more.

more to come later. i'll be more faithful to you. 

xoxo.