Day 53 (tuesday)

My breakfast (I had the bananas and salad for lunch).

A cool figurine I bought a couple days ago.

 

Good morning, typical wake up before 6 then back to rest for an hour or so. I went to the kitchen to fix some breakfast and there was already a tray full of goodness. Maureen was setting off for campus again and had prepared a nice breakfast including a salad, some pancakes and bananas. I also included a cup of coffee and some cinnamon porridge, quite delightful. I checked out some more reruns and started writing a little bit. Not really sure what today will hold for me but today is going to be a good day. So the day was good, albeit slow. I didn't leave the house today except the few minutes I left to get credits for internet usage. I had to spray my room with some bug spray (the flys, nats, and mosquitos and little ants can be a little overwhelming). I warmed up some beans and stew for dinner and just spent the rest of the time in and out of my room. Nothing exciting today.

Day 52 (monday) Last day/week of observations

My last place of observations.

Me and the head of the shoe making area (also a former resident).

A shot of some of their livestock and washroom.

A shot from outside of their wood shop.

A look inside one of the resident halls.

A closer look into one of the washrooms.

 

I woke up around 6 this morning but felt pretty good. I went to bed a little later than normal last night because I was waiting around to chat with my brother. I wasn't able to connect with him and went to bed around midnight because my eyes were getting too heavy. I had noodles and coffee for breakfast again and then listened to music and watched episodes of things I've already seen. Kwadwo called to make sure everything was alright and to make sure Ernest was going to get me. Today is the last day of observations, therefore the last facility that I will go to and it's kind of bittersweet. I got ready for the day and was ready to go. I was messing around on the computer and Ernest called to let me know he had arrived. We set off for Edwenase and it was business as usual. We made it to our transfer station and Ernest asked around about the place (Kumasi Cheshire Home) but no one knew what we were talking about so I decided that we should just take a tro tro to the rehabilitation center for persons with disabilities that we had visited and find out from there where we needed to go. We were approaching the place and just as we were passing by, I noticed that the Cheshire Home was on the same road. We got out and approached the place. I wasn't really sure what the home was before I came but as we approached, I learned that it was a home for persons with mental illnesses. I was looking forward to it. We made our way to the director's office and he was aware that we were coming and welcomed us into his office. He excused the other people in his office and spoke with us exclusively. I conducted my interview and it was a good experience. Midway through, a group of medical students from one of the universities stopped by unexpectedly and he had one of his interns take the students on a tour while he was talking to us. Then we toured the facility and it was also a pretty neat experience. Some of the residents partake in various trades (i.e. basket/bag making, shoe making, dress making etc...) and I like to support that and found a cool shoulder bag for only 3 cedis (unreal, that's about 1 dollar and 50 cents, they should be charging at least 5 times that much) and they should totally be charging at least 5 times that much. It was interesting to see the facility but a little more fascinating to hear the people talk about what mental illness was (which was very limiting). We finished our tour and said our goodbyes and made our way towards the vocational rehabilitation center to look at more of their bead work. From there, we caught a taxi towards home but as we approached our junction we noticed that traffic was at a standstill so we got out and looked around. I noticed that we were close to the DSW so I asked Ernest if we could visit Priscilla. She was so happy that I had sought her out and gave me a big hug. We chatted for a little while and then began making our way to the place where we needed to catch a tro tro to tech junction. I stopped at a store and bought a cool little statue (carved out of wood) and then we wandered to our spot. In the meantime, I noticed that it was unusually busy and learned that a famous footballer was driving through and people were literally coming out of the woodwork to catch a glimpse of this guy. There was quite the entourage and line of really nice cars being escorted by the police. They got stopped in the heavy traffic too (which I thought was pretty comical) but we passed them, heading in a different direction. We got to our destination and then headed to gates where I bought a couple things. Ernest was heading to campus so I just told him I would walk home and he could just head across the street to campus (he kept telling me that it was too far to walk and insisted that he come with, not knowing that I walk that route almost everyday, sometimes more). I made it home and took a much needed shower and then fixed some lunch. I took a nap and then got up feeling pretty refreshed and wrote for a little bit and watched more reruns. I'm doing ok with staying healthy and the mosquitoes, for the most part (at least on everything above the knees), but my poor feet and the lower portions of my legs are getting torn up, very itchy. I'm not too concerned about it but it sure is annoying the s#*% out of me. Going to spend some time talking with two of the closest people in my life tonight and am looking very forward to seeing them, home is where the heart is. I got to reach out to them, with a few hiccups, but it was absolutely amazing, they mean more than the world to me. Maureen got to meet Des and Alex and it was so pleasant, she was so happy to meet them. I exhausted my credits and checked in with my ma. I laid down and finally shut my computer off around a quarter after 11.

Day 51 (sunday)

Woke up around 5 for the bathroom and then laid back down until around 7. Maureen was setting off for church and I decided to watch a movie (wanderlust). I had breakfast (noodles and coffee, interesting combination, I know) and then came back to the room and got ready for the day and took a shower. I put on my bug repellant and was ready (Cookie said that we might go a little early) but then 12:30 rolled around and I hadn't heard from her and then the skies opened up, crazy loud and very heavy. No luck on the soccer match today and i'm just about out of credits for the internet so i'll have to figure something out (which means I'll have to get soaking wet and walk for a couple blocks) or go without (which is fine too). Now it's just music and movies (all of which I have seen) and writing. That was pretty much the flow for the rest of the day. I warmed up some lunch (I was super hungry from all the sitting around I was doing) and then I went for a walk to buy some credits (the lady close by wasn't around today) and then decided to walk a bit more and get some bread and a couple other things. I came back and Maureen was seeing off one of her friends (Gladys) off and was wondering where I went. A couple hours later, Celine showed up with a friend to join us for dinner (Maureen had prepared jollof rice and a couple other things the night before so we just had that. Celine brought some drinks but I just had water. I began watching the Italy v England match and it was a doozy but checked in with Celine and Maureen throughout. It was kind of a bummer having to say goodbye because I may not see her ever again and she's good people. I finished watching the match and then came to my room, downloaded some music and laid down. Here's to hoping that choir boy next door keeps to himself a bit more tonight.

Day 50 (saturday)

Me and the sweetest little girl (I've forgotten her name) in a tro tro on my way to the wedding.

The cathedral where the wedding was.

During the ceremony.

The bride and groom...pretty sure the groom was thinking who the f*&# is this guy (I was the only obruni).

Me and Celine just after the wedding.

My dinner.

 

Woke up at a decent time but didn't sleep much. The manager kid was up singing and shouting and then playing music beyond the time I laid down, incredibly frustrating. I slept for a few hours though. I did my usual routine with oatmeal and coffee and watched the news. Kind of crazy to see news about Utah on Aljazeera, that fire must be pretty bad. I watched battleground and then thought it might be nice to get ready for the day. It's 9:30 now and I'm not sure what the day has in store for us. Maureen was doing some laundry and was talking about going to a wedding or reception and then maybe going into town. Guess we'll see. Maureen came knocking and was ready to go (I still wasn't sure exactly what we were doing) and was dressed nicely, which meant we were going to a wedding. I felt a little out of place (again, aside from the obvious) as I only was wearing jeans and a t-shirt but she assured me it was ok. We got to the place and it was a beautiful building, I was still a bit out of sorts but we sat in the back as the ceremony had already started. It was a long church like procession more than a “typical” wedding. There was a big choir and some guardsmen with swords and fancy hats and a section of men playing horns and trumpets and that didn't even account for the family and friends in the pew. There was lots of sitting and standing and praying and then the service was over. We hadn't seen Celine yet and Maureen suggested that she probably didn't come (I told her that would be kind of crazy to invite us and miss out on her own brother's wedding). We were walking out of the cathedral and sure enough, Celine came over to us, happy to see us. We spent some time with her and took some more pictures and discussed what the rest of our day would look like (I also invited her for dinner tomorrow as she will be heading to the UK on monday and I won't see her again). Maureen and I made our way into town as I wanted to look around at things and fabrics especially. I needed money and didn't make it to the atm on campus but figured I would be ok. We walked around for quite some time and visited several atm's with no luck but finally found one that worked. We made our way around to a couple of shops and I veered off course and bought a pepsi and some noodles and then marched through kejetia looking at all of the different fabrics (it was incredibly overwhelming). On our way through the big market, at one of the outlying storefronts, a lady was interested enough to marry me (I couldn't really understand anything the lady's were saying but Maureen informed me, needless to say, it was a little awkward). I grabbed a few things (met up with some of my old “chums” that wanted to sell me paintings and other artifacts) then went through the market for some food items. We finally made our way back to the house and Maureen made dinner (salad, pasta, and plantanes). I watched the Spain v France match and then Cookie came in (apologizing for not being around to go out and watch the soccer match somewhere besides the house) and told me that there was a celebrity type soccer match at the stadium tomorrow and that we could go around 1. Mommy and daddy and the girls surprised us by stopping by and it was so nice to see them again. I entertained the little ones for a few minutes and then spoke to mommy and daddy. I'm exhausted but not sure if i'll be able to sleep (it's warm and humid).

Day 49 (friday)

Woke up this morning and Maureen was set on making pancakes so I walked to the kitchen and she was still around. Apparently the flour she was using was no good so she was making some maize porridge instead. She insisted that I have a bowl (i'm not the biggest fan but I ate it anyway) so I took some. She set off for campus and to organize her work and I hung around and played with the computer some more. I started to get a little hungry and was going to head to her room to warm up some food but she must have accidentally taken the key with her so I will figure out some other options (there are a few so it's not a big deal). I watched some more bad movies and have taken it easy so far but it's only noon so the day is young. I took some stuff to the kitchen to throw away because the power has gone off again and my computer was just about out of battery. I heard the phone ringing and knew that I couldn't get to it but then Maureen picked it up. I was sort of surprised by it, to say the least, and then found out that she had actually been home for a few hours. With the power being out, my options were increasingly limited so I settled for a can of beans in tomato sauce and went back to chat with Maureen for a bit and as I was talking to her, the power came back on and so it goes. More bad movies and good music followed by more time watching Zoe do her thing, I love that I get to watch clips of her. I spent a good hour or so with Cookie in the common room and she was telling me how bored she has been lately (imagine how I feel sometimes) and then started talking about soccer and was updating me on the match. The power went off again and it was really dark outside so with the exception of a few places, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. It went on and so I burned some more movies from Cookie and watched 21 jump street. The power came on just as the movie finished but it was too late to visit Maureen's room to warm up any food but I remembered that there was some bread left for a pb&j so I went to the kitchen...low and behold, there was absolutely nothing but spices left. Wasn't all that tired so I decided to take a shower and now it's on to trying to make myself tired (it's a quarter past midnight now and this is a couple hours beyond when I am usually laying down, bummer). I count my blessings though, if that is the only thing I have to complain about then I think i'll be just fine. Good night.....I hope.

Day 48 (thursday)

Me and the twins (from Maureen's family).

Me and Amanda (she took a special liking to me).

Me and one of the other cousins (whose name escapes me).

Me and Jr.

The pool.

Totally delicious pizza.

This is Tina from Wisconsin...very sweet.

 

So I finally got back to sleep and was in the middle of a cool dream and Maureen woke me up to let me know that she was leaving for campus and to run some errands. I suppose it's time to get up and going. I had some breakfast and coffee and watched an old Liverpool match (it was against Chelsea so it was good because they were up 4-1 when I turned it off) and then headed back to my room. I felt like I needed to get some exercise so after I finished Happy Go Lucky, I started stretching and doing a few things in the house. I have been asking Maureen to take me to the gym since shortly before I got here and that still hasn't happened so I decided that I would go for a walk. I walked almost all the way to tech junction (not ted as was previously given to me) and stopped at the KNUST gym. It looked pretty dead but I walked up to the facility anyway. I sat on a bench just outside to cool off for a bit and then looked through the windows but still didn't see anybody but did spot some equipment. I saw that one of the doors was open so I decided to walk in (there was this really eery vibe, sort of like a horror movie) and look around. There was a couple of racket/handball courts, some ping pong tables, some treadmills, and some other equipment. I walked all throughout the facility to try and find somebody to ask whether or not I could use the facility, upstairs and down, various offices and bathrooms and I still saw no one but I did hear a toilet flush. Well I thought it was kind of a bust so I decided to leave and walk a bit further to the poolside. I walked up and around and found a place to look in but there wasn't many people there so I decided, after a few minutes, that I was going to leave. I started to leave and saw some other abrafo's going towards the pool, one girl stuck out in particular, so I decided to just go back to the pool and enter and just kind of hang out. I was listening to music for a few minutes and that same girl approached me and said hello. The ensuing conversation was absolutely wonderful and she was so kind and sweet. Turns out that she is leaving Kumasi tomorrow, which is unfortunate, but we exchanged email addresses and I'm happy about that. Thanks for the breath of fresh air, Tina from Wisconsin. I ordered a pizza and spent some more time at the pool and then made my way back home. The sun was starting to come out a bit but I was determined to walk all the way home. I stopped at the supermarket at gates to get some water and then finished my journey home. As soon as I got home, I jumped in the shower and then took a much needed nap. Maureen started making some ground nut soup and I was ready to eat it by the time it was finished. It was delightful and i'm looking forward to having some tomorrow for lunch. As I was finishing up my bowl, she knocked and wanted to go back across the street (I had suggested we do that as two of the girls were flying out to New Jersey in the morning) to say hello to the family again. We ended up spending a couple of hours over there and it was nice. The girls ask a lot of questions but were so sweet and genuine. It was starting to get late and we were tired so we left for home and crashed shortly thereafter. Maureen was excited to make pancakes and told me again that she was going to make them in the morning but that they would be ready when I woke up (she didn't want to wake me up from my dreams).

Day 47 (wednesday)

Woke up at the usual time today, took some time getting up but made my way to the kitchen and had some breakfast. I took the news in for a few minutes and then came back to my room to watch some tv. I poked around the internerd for a little while and then had a little early lunch (pasta and tomato sauce). I came back to the computer to sort things out and fuss with the blog for a bit. I also spent a bit of time watching the 12 second video of my dog (Zoe's got me crazy). My back has been bothering me quite a bit lately but I don't really mention it to Maureen because she will automatically feel bad. I really have been taking it easy. I did decide to go for a walk and went to gates again to grab some soap and so forth and then walked back being jovial and saying hello to the people looking at me (which is, of course, almost everybody), especially the kids because they get such a kick out of it. I got back, soaking wet as usual, and took some time under the fans in the common room to cool off. From there I was in and out of my room just trying to keep my mind occupied, watching tv, movies, and some football. I had a few snacks throughout the evening and eventually spoke to Maureen (she had been busy doing work in her room and I didn't want to interrupt her). She was about to head to the market but at the last minute decided not to because she thought it might rain. I broke down and asked Maureen to walk on my back and she gladly did and insisted on using this balm as well, needless to say, it felt pretty good. I'll continue to stretch and try to take care of it. A short while later, my sweet housemate decided to bring me a plate of sliced vegetables, formed as a salad with some beans and bread with jam, deluxe. She was also right in calling out the fact that it was going to rain, it is absolutely pouring out there and it is so loud. I woke up at 3 and heard that my team lost and am now having a hard time sleeping. It didn't help that the roosters were hollering at 4.

Day 46 (tuesday)

Did the usual again today. Breakfast, coffee, news for a brief time and then back to the room to lay back down for a little while. I wrote for awhile and then sat down to some more tv and episodes of lie to me. I had pasta for lunch and then decided to spend some time in the bathroom shaving my neck (it gets out of hand pretty quick). I went to campus to walk around a bit and go to the atm. As I was walking around, I noticed that there were several other foreign caucasian people around but I never stopped to ask what they were in town for. I made my way to gates and grabbed a couple things and the proceeded down the road and stopped at the supermarket to get a box of water then packed it all in and finished the walk home. I started relaxing and Maureen informed me she was going out to get a light bulb (the second one we put in also blew out) so I joined her. I'm glad I did because we visited some people she refers to as family and they were absolutely wonderful people (it was the first time meeting them and the first time Maureen has visited with them since i've been here and they only live a couple hundred yards away). I finished lie to me and then started the second season...good night.

Day 45 (monday)

Her mom wasn't around at the time and she was simply emotionless (she agreed to the picture though).

This poor set of twins...the one being held has developed pneumonia (the other one is healthy).

This little guy was about the size of a football and was having breathing and heart problems.

This sweet boy stole my heart...when asked for a picture, he looked at me as if to say yes.  He is 6 years old and was horribly malnourished and has some form of cancer and will likely not make it past the next month.

This lady was struggling to get to the hospital but it's normal for her and not too uncommon to see others like her.

 

I woke up at about 6 to take care of business and then spent the next two hours writing about my observations from the Edwenase rehabilitation center. It was a nice reminder of where I had been (I totally plan on going back at least once to visit before I come home). Now for some breakfast and waiting for my journey to the hospital. Ernest arrived when he said he would and wasn't in a rush this time. We departed and eventually made our way to KATH. I was originally under the impression that we were going to have to travel for a bit but it was relatively close. I learned that it was a teaching hospital as opposed to a psychiatric clinic like I originally thought. We had conflicting information on the original letter and had to ask several people (most of which had no real idea where anything was) and eventually made our way to the social welfare office. We made our way to the right office as the secretary was aware of receiving the letter. The lady we needed to see was on rounds so we waited for a long time to meet with our contact. We spoke with Ms. Lucy, who is the head of social welfare division. After speaking to her about her job and the role her office plays in the hospital, we joined one of the social workers and visited the children's unit. There were children quite literally on their death beds, from bloating, various surgeries, pneumonia, heart problems, and more. The conditions were less than desirable to say the least. I was given permission at first to snap some pictures but then later asked to put it away, I obliged but I also got some powerful pictures. We came back and spoke with Ms. Lucy again for a few minutes and were accompanied by a young man (I had asked to see some of the other areas) and visited the psychiatry unit (there was currently only one patient (male) who was hit by a car, isn't able to speak towards any recognition of family members). We walked through a couple other units and everything was very busy and hectic and there were several patients in beds in lobbies and many people who had no means of transportation to get home and some were waiting for family members to come get them and square up with the bills (as you can imagine, many take long amounts of time, try to bail out, or just don't show up at all). We finally headed home and I was very tired. I made lunch and watched tv episodes of lie to me. I had to spend credits watching part of the first half of the Italy v Republic of Ireland match. It was wasting too much of my credits so I just had to read about it (I absolutely love their fans). Most of the rest of the evening was spent laying around, Maureen's leg was still hurting and my back has been a pain in the...back, I guess. I touched base with a few people and then just called it a night.

Day 44 (sunday) Happy Father's Day!

I woke up today feeling a bit empty. Now, I stuck to my normal routine of food and coffee, but something was different today. I realized that I was missing the old man (his birthday and now father's day). Today has completed the relaxed weekend with much of the same activities as the prior days. More terrible movies and food when I can. I got out of the room in the afternoon and Maureen had just woken up from a much needed sleep and I warmed up some food for lunch. I was planning on maybe going for a walk or to one of the supermarkets to buy a couple things but it started raining really hard, then the power went out and my computer was out of battery so I couldn't write or do anything related to work. I had set out all of my notes and was ready to go and then lost motivation when the power came back on (I worked on it though). I made sure my plans were in place for tomorrow. Still going a few days without any of the big soccer games being played on tv, it's a bummer I suppose but i'm making due with other things to occupy my time and attention. Tomorrow we will visit a hospital aimed at housing “people with mental problems”, or the psychiatry unit. Getting ready for some supper now and finishing some writing here. I ate my oatmeal and was able to get a hold of my dad (I saw his hat) and spoke to my parents for a bit. As soon as my mom answered the phone, Zoe came running down the stairs as she heard my voice and got totally mad when I wasn't there (she still hasn't figured out that i'm inside the computer, haha). I finished my food and was taking my dishes to the kitchen and low and behold, a soccer match was on so i'll get to finish watching the Portugal match. Yet again another excuse to procrastinate on what I originally intended to do. I finished the match and came back to my room, watched another terrible movie with the Rock and went to bed.

Day 43 (saturday)

What used to be a barber shop, unfortunately not the one I went to.

Sometimes people like to take extra precautions for safety.

 

Did the usual again today: coffee, cerevita, and the news. Maureen had done some laundry before she left and let the clothes dry in her room (no surprise that it was raining when she picked up the clothes) so today I decided to iron my clothes. No matter how I stand or sit to iron my clothes, my back ends up hurting pretty bad. I suppose I need a taller ironing board (go figure, out of all the things that I do, ironing causes most of the pain.). Laid down for a rest and contemplated what the rest of my day was going to look like. I will make some headway on my observations and listen to the audio a few times (the interview was outside and although the recorder was right in front of us, it picked up most of the traffic noise from the background so it is hard to decipher what the warden was saying [his voice was already pretty soft]). There were two separate recordings and the second one was as we were being shown around and the phone was in my pocket. I watched some more things on the computer and walked around for a bit and decided to walk to gates just for fun and to say hello to Takafo and grab a bottle of water and a small snack and then head back. I snagged some roasted corn on the way back (it's a nice little source of energy for the walk) and headed back. People are slowly coming out of their shells and saying hello to me, amongst other things. A few locals stopped and tried to talk to me, mostly about my tattoos (they point to me and then their arms) and I have to just smile and say I don't understand (sometimes I try to break it down as best as I can) and continue walking away with a courteous wave. I walk by some interesting buildings and structures and since I have spoken of getting a trim, I decided to take a picture of a small joint that apparently used to be a barber shop (not the one I went to). I made my way home finally and sat in the common room for awhile to try and cool down. I watched tv and had my snack (small can of pringles) and finally cooled off enough to go back to my room (there was nothing on tv either). I fooled around online for a bit and was listening to music and just about to fall asleep and Maureen called to tell me that she was at the front gate and didn't have her keys so I had to roll out of bed and let her in. It was a welcoming site to see her again. I've enjoyed being solo but it was nice to know she was safe. I gave her the phone and went to bed.

Day 42 (friday)

Woke up in the night as usual and had a hard time going back to sleep (I turned the fan off to give it a break but had to turn it back on). I got up and had breakfast and coffee and watched the news. I Came back to the room to write a little and started watching street fighter (these are the only movies I have to choose from). I started watching Harold and Kumar something or other from Guantanamo Bay (nope, this one also only in french) so it was back to street fighter. Today is totally a movie day (I've never really done that and it was ok) then I had some lunch then tried to watch avatar (also only french) but instead watched a couple of dance movies (slim pickens) and an episode of so you think you can dance, mind you it started pouring so writing and thinking were what I was left with and loved every minute of it. Being able to rediscover myself has been tough but this is exactly where I need to be. It's easy to experience things that are comfortable and thus make judgements when you're on the outside looking in....ah, the times, they are a'changin and I'm seeing that, in the end, “traveling is better than arriving!”

Day 41 (thursday)

Woke up this morning feeling pretty good so I decided to change it up just a little bit and had coffee and noodles (similar to the cheap ramen but so much better). I watched France 24 for my usual checkup and watched the live speech by Aung??? which was very motivating (the speech was great but the motivation and the passion were beyond that. She was also receiving a Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded 20+ years earlier. Perseverance is a powerful tool!). A short time later, Lisa called to make sure that my journey went safely and to check that all was well. She is still feeling a bit sick and didn't sleep well, fortunately she was able to stay close to work this time. I wrote a little bit (this writing I speak of usually pertains to this blog and sometimes to my observations) and had some lunch (bean stew and rice). Gladys let me borrow an external hard drive that had some movies on it but initially the only one I could find was Harry Potter and the half blood prince (not too bad, brought out some of my inner geek). I wanted to get out for a bit so I went to gates to get some cerevita and another loaf of bread. I really love the walk so I walked both ways but before I left the gates area, I went in for another trim (not to worry, Alex, no beards were harmed in this trim).  On my way, I also had a beautiful experience, a mother goat and two babies were wandering along the street and one of the babies strayed.  It began crying and the mother and second baby stopped and listened to the crying (they were only separated by some bushes) and immediately turned around and ran to the other baby.  I just thought it was wonderful to see (I videotaped it but it cut out just before the mother turned around).  I got home and decided to try and make pancakes similar to the ones Maureen made the other day, nope, epic failure...I ate it all but , well let's just say it wasn't quite the same. There wasn't really anything on tv and overall it has been a pretty low key day. Tomorrow I will think about my options and look at maybe going to the gym on campus (which I just sort of found out about). There are no soccer games on today (it's really hit and miss with what they play and kind of a bummer). I was killing some time by surfing and listening to music and will listen to more of my book. Scratch that, I ate another combination of beans and rice and cozied up and watched Zombie land, touched base with a few people, and listened to more music.

Day 40 (wednesday)...half way there!

Just a small pile of lawn mowers.

Kweku, waking up as I gave him my sandwich.

A sweet little girl observing me as I was doing the same of her at the junction just before I got home.

 

Woke up this morning at a decent hour, right around 5, and had to get up so I could get ready and realized that the power was off, just in mine and Maureen's room, meaning that the manager had to get more credits for power. Although it started raining, I was absolutely ready to visit Bekwai again. I waited for some time (I began to assume that Lisa wasn't going to come because it started to get late. The previous time she came before 7 and now it was well after that. Apparently she thought she informed me that she would be later when she called last night but that must have been after her credits expired in the middle of our conversation). I was preparing to lay back down and get some rest and just as I was getting comfortable, Lisa called and was ready to meet up. I packed some food and water and set off (Maureen insisted that she help flag down a tro tro for me to make sure I got to the right place). I met Lisa at a hospital nearby as it was closer to her place and on the way. I waited for a little while with no real way to get a hold of her (my phone was out of credits) but enjoyed this new part of town and just observing the surroundings. I saw a street kid (homeless youth) eating some food that had been spilled on the street (keep in mind it's mostly dirt and loose gravel). There were several flies on this child and his clothes were dirty, torn, and literally hanging by a thread and he was just crawling around some bushes in the middle of this intersection (like a round-about) and it was almost as if he didn't exist. I waited for Lisa and then a tro tro pulled up and the guy hissed at me and waved me on, I declined and then Lisa poked her head out so I boarded and we started the adventure. It was a terribly exhausting journey to get there, it was long and the roads were rough (we had to take several side streets as the main roads were jammed) and the space was crammed (she does it 2 times a day 5 times a week but now has a place close to work). We finally arrived and we were both very exhausted and could have used a rest but we set our things down and started making the rounds. I observed her facility and monitored some students taking a practice exam which comprised of fairly simple questions and essays. It was interesting to see the improper use of grammar in some of these questions (I know, mine isn't great here either) that the teachers were using as examples (the teachers aren't entirely qualified and are sometimes leading them in the wrong direction (they take tests in English so they are required to practice that way). A short time later I decided to visit the infirmary but couldn't find Rahaman (I was going to inquire about helping out around the facility and to check the progress on the painting of the buildings). I walked down and visited with Kweku, he was super happy to see me and screamed out my name (just abruni) so I went to his quarters and we both sat down on some unstable benches (he couldn't speak english so I just sat with him for awhile...we just seemed to understand each other) and I gathered he was hungry (this wasn't similar to having someone begging). I learned Lisa was staying in Bekwai for the night so I would have to make the journey alone (which ended up being interesting and very time consuming), I was getting pretty hungry but just before I left I decided to visit Kweku one more time and give him my sandwich (he was sleeping and woke right up when I called his name, he tried to get up but I suggested he didn't need to...he was soooo happy, it was really nice) and he said thank you and good bye. I made the journey home and a man on the first leg spoke to me during the trip (I bought him a bag of water and he was very thankful) and he helped me get a car to campus (it was much nicer to take a taxi rather than a tro tro so I didn't mind spending a few extra pesoas). I walked around for a bit thinking that things looked familiar (I realized the campus is bigger than I thought) and realized that I wasn't sure which direction to go. I had to ask a couple people how to get to where I needed to go (originally the person I asked pointed me in the wrong direction) but eventually made it to where I needed to go. I was super exhausted but walked across the campus to the soccer field and waited again for a car (I wasn't up for walking this time, I found the perfect amount of change sitting on the bench to hire a taxi home). I got home, ate, talked with Gladys (a friend of Maureen's and staying in her room for a couple nights) who was over to prepare for an exam being held on friday. She headed to campus and I headed to bed.

Day 39 (tuesday)

The showers (falling out of the wall) at the facility.

I can't always post "good" pictures...this is one of the toilets that the females use (it's safer for them to squat because of various infections they are more prone to).  Pretty sad.

Me and Modesto, the warden, in the room that they've designated as the cooking room...their stove is on the ground (they're able to maintain the flame without firewood but rather surrounding the pot with saw dust).

The stove...it's a pretty cool system.

They get to use current equipment.

Me with some of the girls making beaded jewelry.

 

Woke up feeling refreshed, which was a nice change of pace as of late. The sleep aid works for me I guess. I woke up once in the middle of the night, as I usually do, and then back to sleep and up before 7. I made some coffee and watched the news and some old soccer matches and Maureen made some pancakes (they were more like crepes) but they were actually really nice (sort of bland but a wonderful change of tastes in the morning). Yesterday Ernest said he would be picking me up and would be at the house between 830 and 900 which, according to previous encounters, means probably just after 9. I was still watching tv at 8 and thought about getting ready and out of nowhere I hear Ernest. He came ready to go just after 8 telling me we needed to leave so I hurried to the bathroom and took a quick shower and had to hurry and get ready. When I asked him about the timeframe he specified the previous day, he just said “oh, I did?” and then said that he called the phone (still not sure I buy it entirely) and that he got some message. We left and Maureen joined us as she was going to the campus for some work and eventually worked our way there, taking a different route than yesterday but one that took a little bit longer. We arrived right at 10 (which is the time that we all agreed on so it turns out, Ernest being early was a good thing) and the Warden was sitting out under a tree awaiting our arrival. We spoke for quite some time doing the typical Q and A, he was very informative and elaborated on the questions quite a bit. After just over an hour of speaking with him he took us on a tour of the facility and I absolutely fell in love with the facility (it had more than its fair share of bad conditions though). I was surprised to find a man so passionate about persons with disabilities and, as I learned, one of a very rare breed that cares at all about them (this population is definitely where my heart is). I got a great chance to meet a lot of the residents and observe them in their trades (shoe making, bead making, dress making etc) and I also got to see the conditions with which they live. I also met some of the staff and they were all very gracious and welcoming. I bought a little something and was prepared to get a little more but then it started pouring rain so I helped them clean up their things and pack up to go back inside. We grabbed a tro tro without having to wait too long but I got stuck in the middle of a seat (let's just say they aren't made for tall people) and a woman got on and kept moving over and giving me stern glares when I couldn't move. The adventure continued and my knees felt every bump in the road. As a random tidbit of information, I stated previously that there is no legitimate waste management service nor is there any recycling per se. Most of the garbage, as i've noticed in my travels, ends up in the streams or are pooled into big piles and burned (the smell is pretty overwhelming) and really good for the environment (as are the vehicles with no types of emission checks...black, billowing smoke all over the place). Before we got to our intended destination, traffic was at a standstill and so we got off and decided to walk. Every couple of minutes we would take refuge under a canopy from a storefront. We made it home finally and Maureen was asleep (all the while forgetting to do the things she intended to do and still hasn't fixed her phone [which has now been out of commission for over 2 weeks] and many people have apparently been trying to reach her) so I would wait to eat. I decided to take a ride to a part of campus so I could withdraw money and then stop to get a few things from the store including a box of water. As I was approaching my destination I still hadn't gotten my change, although it wasn't much the cashier on the tro tro was trying to cheat me and when I asked about the fare, the guy just pretended not to understand me but when I was more stern with him and simplified it to “you owe me 5 pesoas!” he smirked and gave me my change (I won't be cheated again or try my best not to be). I walked back to the house and watched some kids playing soccer in a dirt field behind a school and by the time I made it home, Maureen was in and out of the kitchen. She had been preparing a few dishes to last throughout the week (again, she is leaving for Accra tomorrow and won't be back until sunday evening). It will be sort of lonely around the house but I will make the most of my time for sure. Tomorrow I will be revisiting Bekwai and spending the entire day with Lisa. Dinner (fried rice) was good and my bed looked comfy...sort of. Hope I can get some sleep because tomorrow is going to be a long day.

Day 38 (monday) aka the old man's birthday. Love you pops!

Hard time sleeping again and my back hurts, i'm not entirely sure what the plan is today other than I know I'm going to Edwenase to the rehabilitation center. I'm not sure what time someone is going to pick me up or who is (Maureen said that Kwadwo was trying to get in touch with someone else, other than Ernest [as he had an interview for graduate school] to take me. I had suggested that the time in the day that we went wasn't a big deal and that the last time I went, the warden wasn't even up yet but none of that registered with her.). I listen to books on tape and am now not even grasping the message but a good sleep is hard to come by these days (i'm not entirely sure why, perhaps its the temperatures or something else). I got up for coffee and for one of the first times, there was no hot water prepared (not a big deal at all, just kind of surprising) so I will make a sandwich and have some water. A small kink in my neck and a moderate headache and decent back ache won't deter me from my adventures today, I'm 100% ready and dedicated to do what I came here to do, I can complain about those ailments when I get home, there's not enough time to do that here (and, I know, people suffer through worse everyday). I watched France 24 to catch up on world news and then helped Maureen with her internship applications to UNICEF. There were some minor corrections that I suggested but overall the application was pretty good (makes me think that I need to be doing a lot more). I got ready shortly before 10 as that was the time Ernest would be done and stopping by to get me. I laid down for a bit and was chatting with Maureen and then I decided to grab the phone (it was dead) to see if anyone had called. A short time later, Kwadwo called and asked if I was in Edwenase, haha, then he suggested that Ernest would come by and get me to take me there (that was the plan already), I was thinking that I would just go tomorrow. We set off for Edwenase and it was quite the adventure. We went through kejetia market to find a connecting vehicle and it was chaos all around (as per usual) and then finding a vehicle that was going where we needed it to go was tough and even when we found one people were fighting each other off to get on so we waited. We got to the rehabilitation center and I saw the warden sitting out in the same place talking with a couple of other people. We approached him and he wasn't too excited to see us (and not prepared). He suggested that we were disrespectful last time by just leaving and because we didn't call to let him know (even though our schedule said we were to be there this week) he wasn't prepared to meet with us. He didn't seem to want to comply at all but I was able to calm him a bit and agreed to meet him tomorrow, at his convenience. We will be heading there tomorrow morning and plan to be there no later than 10. Sort of a wasted trip but i'm absolutely glad that I can still get the information. As for now, I am completely exhausted and my headache persists quite strongly. Started watching the England v France match and the power went out just after England scored...I told Kukuah that we were going to miss France scoring (sure enough, they did!). The lights came back on a while later and we got to watch the rest of the match. It started raining pretty hard and we thought that the power would go out again (it flickered a couple of times but stayed on). Maureen had to catch up with some friends so I didn't have access to the internet for the rest of the night (I was able to see my dad today to tell him happy bday, so glad that this is possible). The next match wasn't being shown on tv so I had to check with Cookie because she was following it on the internet and listening to it on the radio (I couldn't really follow it because all the stations were being broadcast in twi). For the next couple of hours I just listened to some music and another book (this time it is: To the Lighthouse.). I was pretty tired but restless again so I decided to use some help in sleeping.

Day 37 (sunday)

Got up a couple times and out of bed shortly after 7. Also realizing that the roosters from next door start their morning calls at around 5 in the morning...sometimes ok but mostly annoying. Maureen was setting off for church, I decided not to join her this time. I had my oatmeal and coffee and finished up with some of my observation writing. I began watching some TED talks which were very informative and beneficial and took notes on them. Maureen returned a short time later and prepared a nice salad and we ate it while we watched tv. We went back to our rooms and I listened to my book. It's becoming common, and comical, to hear Amofa belting out the tunes (he's always in the common room or his own room which is right next to mine [window to window anyhow]) and I don't mind it but it sounds like sick birds chirping hysterically. A while later we decided to eat a late lunch and I watched some of the Euro (Spain v Italy) match. Originally Amofa looked only at one station which wasn't playing so I went to my room for a few but when he left, I bolted to the common room and checked the other station which was playing it so I watched the remainder (most of the first half I had to use credits from the internet to watch it online so i'll have to recharge it tomorrow) of the match on tv. The next match wasn't being played on any of the stations so I was kind of bummed about it but I was a trooper and watched Adventure 2 (yeah, starring the Rock) but it was really the only choice...better luck next time. I took the lightbulb from our shower and put it in my room (we were told that the uncle was out of town [convenient, no doubt] and that we are responsible to replace it because there weren't any on the premises and the uncle usually buys them in bulk. I feel like it should be the responsibility of the property manager to take care of those things...Maureen sided with me and we decided not to buy a new one based on principle [not to mention it was too late and a sunday]).

Day 36 (saturday)

Woke up a couple times again, this time probably because I had a hard time falling asleep because of the smoke smell in my room. Went to use the restroom in the middle of the night and realized that the water is off, got out of bed just before 7 and it still wasn't on...I have to go soooo bad, it's starting to hurt. The coffee and hot porridge aren't helping either. It's ok, everything turned out fine, I woke up the property manager (Amofa) and he switched the tanks and turned the water back on, SUCCESS! For the most part of the day I was reading (listening to books) and relaxing. I got up and went into the common room and saw that Ghana was playing their second World Cup qualifying match against Zambia. It was a pretty unmotivated effort by Ghana and they lost 1 – 0 (Zambia is the current African champion). I came back to my room for a short time and decided to make some more food (bored hunger is a killer) so I boiled some water so I cold finish the cerevita. I used a towel to hold the pot while I stirred it around a bit and was bummed when then cereal smelled burnt. It turns out the burning smell wasn't the cereal at all, it was, in fact, the towel that had lit on fire. I swirled it around and the flame didn't go out (duh!) so I quickly put it under the faucet (glad the water was on). I'm so good in the kitchen. Most of the rest of the evening I spent to myself as no one else was around and Maureen was crying a bit (when I inquired about it she didn't really respond and needed to be alone for a bit...then she stated that she just has a lot on her mind and her leg hurts). Just before I was going to set off for bed, her light bulb burned out as she was preparing to read so I took mine out and put it in her room. I was a bit restless but eventually worked my way to sleep.

Day 35 (friday)

Just my brunch...so tasty and pretty healthy too!

Some interesting "knock offs" I saw at the store.

Woke up a couple times in the night but finally got up around 7 (seems kind of late) to fix some breakfast. Coffee and cerevita and I felt like a champ. Maureen was up marking the rest of her papers and then prepared a nice little breakfast plate with a salad and some bread, very tasty. I spoke with Lisa this morning to ask whether I could accompany her for a day in Bekwai to visit and offer some assistance to the places I visited last week. She happened to be not going in today and was buying some materials for the students so we agreed that I would join her next week. I listened to more of the book and just sort of relaxed, wrote a bit and was preparing to go to town in the afternoon. We left for town to take Maureen's phone in to get fixed (the screen is broken) and she's been putting it off for a couple weeks now. When we got there she was informed that she needed to charge her phone before the guy would work on it (why he couldn't do it is still beyond me) so she would need to bring it back another time. Afterwards we visited the place where I originally bought my modem so I could learn how to “bundle” with their service (turns out that you can only do that in 15 and 30 cedi increments). They tried to get me to buy the 45 cedi package (good for one month so long as you're not downloading anything, he says) and I told him that i've been here for just over 30 days and i've spent 80+ cedis and have only had just under 2 weeks of service. I've had them recharge it and still don't have service and i've added some...they couldn't explain anything to me (I also later found out from an off duty employee that their internet service is actually not the best...glad I know that now) other than buying the 45 cedi package and bundling it (Maureen was with me to make sure I was understanding everything) and telling me that I had paid too much (no s*&$). We walked around some shops and ran into some familiar people/vendors from before. Nothing was really jumping out at me so we moved along. We walked around town for a bit and Maureen insisted on showing me another store that I hadn't seen, I obliged, and it was like a new D.I. and an old sears meshed together. I also wanted to point out some slight differences in brands, for example, they are MAN trucks not MACK trucks and it is Sammy the Sailor and not Cap'n Crunch...just thought it was kind of funny.  We grabbed a couple food items and began the journey back through town and trying to find a tro tro back to one junction and then to ted junction. We stopped and grabbed some of the ground nut candy from before and then headed home. We grabbed some red plantanes just before home and then got in. I was pretty exhausted so I laid down and listened to my book for a bit. Maureen took a much needed rest while I watched the Poland v Greece football match. Jellof rice tonight and tomato stew was a nice end to the day. I sat and listened to the rest of my audio from last week and took some notes and will refine the rest this weekend. Maureen insisted that she light some mosquito papers for my room (my legs are riddled with little red bumps, in fact, i'm trying to figure out what I could make out of connect the dots with the mosquito bites) and it was a bit overwhelming and kind of gave me a headache. She came back a few minutes later and turned off my fan and said that the smoke was really pretty bad and then said that she hadn't tried it before and probably wouldn't try it again (I was an experiment today).

Day 34 (thursday) June 7th LIVE TO INSPIRE!

Back at the children's home...Maureen and Samira holding one of the little guys.

Really like this sign of solidarity...meant to catch the whole shot but like this one a lot!

One of the little guys that followed us around...he was having fun playing with rocks and a coke bottle.

This guy (his name escapes me) was so happy that I came back around.

 

Made sure I woke up at some point in the middle of the night so I could post to my facebook account on the one year anniversary of the blessing and passing of one of the most beautiful and inspirational people I have never met. Her father was online and I knew exactly what I was going to say...it was wonderful. I will surely hold my own moment of silence today in honor of Brynn. I laid back down for a couple of hours to a knock on my door, we were planning on going to the market early in the morning and Elom was packing the rest of her things so she could leave the house by 7 a.m. I began helping her and one of the bags I took sort of started to fall apart and the handles broke off in my hand and a hole ripped in the top, I guess that's what I get for helping. I made a little sandwich and waited for Maureen. 7 o'clock rolled around and I was wondering why she wasn't out and about and I asked Elom and she said that Maureen had left earlier but didn't say where she was going. This apparent miscommunication (although I can't make myself more clear) is frustrating because I was planning on accompanying her and just wanted to get out of the house, maybe she just needed her own time but I just wish she would tell that to me (see comment from previous posts about not wanting to disappoint anyone and risk doing so by non-effective communication). She came back a while later, said she knocked several times but I was awake around the same time to see Elom off so we must have just missed one another. It doesn't help that her knocks (in order of trying to be nice) are more like scratches. Now i'm just having the cerevita (hot cereal) and coffee and learning to take a back seat to myself and just reflecting on more important things. I was able to see Zoe today and it totally lifted my spirits. There were some comments about Brynn online today and an absolutely beautiful video that helped me reflect on the experience and brought with it a nice wave of emotion. It felt nice to reconnect with that side of me but was bittersweet at the same time. I made sure to tell those close to me that I loved them and then I laid my weary little head to rest for a bit. I collected myself and began preparing some food (not really, just making a sandwich to tide me over for a little while). Maureen was back and had been in the kitchen for a good portion of the rest of the afternoon preparing all sorts of food items for the week. I was watching Ghost Rider (super lame) because it was the only thing on tv that was either on the correct station or wasn't a commercial for something (daytime tv sucks already but it's maybe a little less than desirable here) and eating some bean stew and fried rice and then went back to my room. Maureen finished cleaning up (she didn't want my help, I asked). She rested for a bit (i'll admit that I am absolutely exhausted, mostly emotionally, and could very easily rest too) and then we set off for the children's home. Many of the kids were in their rooms when we got there but there were a handful of kids playing soccer and some younger ones roaming around so we just sat with Samira for a bit and played around with some of the kids and enjoyed being with them. It started getting dark and we still had to stop at ted junction to get a few things before we went home. We got home and Maureen started marking some papers and I had some food and laid down with my ipod playing The Sound and the Fury. Good night! Continually inspired and continually living to inspire! Although I think about her often, this day is especially dedicated to Brynn Barton (Brynnstrong!)

Day 33 (wednesday)

Just a little something I found...It's nice to drink something other than water and coffee every once in awhile.

 

Got up around 5:30 today and couldn't really lay back down comfortably. Coffee and oatmeal followed by some serious laying around. I got up and going and started writing up my observations. I really got into it a little bit later and put my headphones on and just zoned out and the writing just flowed, it was really pretty inspiring to relive the moments I had. I did a little bit of cleaning around the house while Maureen was gone and then laid down to rest for a short while because I was going to prepare to go back to the children's home. I got up and showered and was awaiting Maureen's return so we could depart but 2:30 rolled around (she was planning on coming back for me just before 2) and she hadn't returned so I decided that I would make a quick trip to the supermarket and just as I was leaving, she returned. She took some time telling me all about her day and that ultimately she was really tired but never could just say that she wasn't wanting to go to the children's home today (it's amazing how important it is for the people I've met here to not disappoint anyone...so much so that they will agree to something if they think it's what you want but in doing so they often neglect to communicate their dispositions effectively...I'm very grateful for sure!). I informed the housemates that I was going for a walk and that I would be heading to gates to the supermarket. I picked a few things up and a big bag of rice and walked home. I've been enjoying grilled corn so I stopped at one of the street vendors and got some to eat on the walk home. I passed by a school and stopped to watch some kids playing soccer in the field and then came home (soaking wet). The temperatures have been really nice for the past few days with the rains cooling it down but it is still very humid. I got back and made a few things to eat and had another cup of coffee and watched some tv with Elom (she is still around but is actually leaving tomorrow morning, bus ticket in hand) and chatted for a bit. Another slow day but by no means lacking of good energy. Maureen's cousin came around and was chatting with her for some time and then left. We spoke for a little while and I was watching tv (nothing on that I could understand (mostly terrible series shows in spanish with English dubbed in) before some the rice was done. We ate and were talking with Elom. I have come to find out that just a few nights ago that a woman was robbed just outside of our hostel and within the last couple of weeks people have been stealing laptops and one was taken at gunpoint (I still feel pretty safe but it's crazy that stuff like that is happening so close to home) so needless to say, I will continue spending money on credits to use the internet and will certainly not take my laptop out of the house.