Monday, March 25, 2013

Shopping Day at the Market.

The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.
Got Onions !
One of the shoe sections of the Bend Down Boutique

I live a 15 minute taxi ride (50 cents) from the largest outdoor produce market in Ghana.  This is the center of the rich and productive farm land of the Brong Ahafo Region.   I went shopping last Friday, the day after the peak market day for buyers from Burkina Faso to the North, Cote D' Ivoire to the West, Togo to the East and from all over Ghana.  You can buy a single onion or a truck load.  Today I bought some onions (bag, half the size of a volley ball, 25 cents) and dried black beans (2 cups, 50 cents) for my dinner of black beans and rice.  

 
Besides produce, the market offers many other items for the shopper.  The "Bend Down Boutique"  can dress you from head to toes in a variety of styles.   Very popular is the wide selection of sports wear, mostly team gear from European football (soccer), but also U.S. hockey, basketball, base ball and some American football shirts.  



 Most items are sold from mats on the ground or from portable kiosks. In addition to the many vegetables and fruits; kitchen ware, woven baskets, dried fish from Lake Volta and the Atlantic, wooden furniture,  a barrel full of assorted remote controls, cell phones, hard ware, beauty aids, toilet articles,  farm tools, palm oil, cloth of all colors and types,  a section of traditional religion stuff (bones, beads, feathers, etc) and much, much more.   This day I even had one offer of marriage.   All prices are negotiable and bargaining is expected .

Tool Man

One of the few shops where all items are marked with the price is this place that sells plywood, nails, screws, glue and a few tools.  During my stay in Ghana, I have purchased many items here.  "Tool man" has taken a real interest in my project to repair school furniture and has become a friend that I stop to visit when I go to the market, even when I don't need anything.   I love walking around a hardware store, but his shop takes no more than 10 seconds.  Still can not help picking up a hammer to feel the weight or looking at his assortment of nails.   His wife took our  picture, the first time she had ever held a camera. She was thrilled.

The twenty two months here has not diminished or dulled the many sensations of walking into this intriguing place of business.  


 

Friday, March 8, 2013

Not to be Forgotten !

The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.

Twenty one of the twenty seven months of my Peace Corps service in Ghana, West Africa have been completed and some thoughts of returning home are beginning to slip into my day.  I do not want to get too far out front,  as plenty of work remains;  half of my second academic year at the Junior High School, marking and posting final grades and turning over my site to a replacement Volunteer or shutting it down.   Many memories of these special times will go back with me, but some of them will likely fade as time goes by. Here are a few of the memories I would not want to forget:     

I will not forget the day of reporting to Peace Corps, Washington D.C. and the anxiety of waiting with 71 other Trainees, most a third of my age, for our 10 hours, non stop flight to Accra, Ghana.    
I will not forget the scope (this is how you will take your bucket bath) and intensity (you will be tested on your language skills) of the 12 weeks of training and the relief of being sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer by the US Ambassador to Ghana.   


Lunch at the Castle with fellow Volunteers


I will not forget our  piece of history by becoming Volunteers on the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps' very first deployment of Volunteers arriving at its first county site,  Ghana.   To commemorate the event we enjoyed an invitation to have lunch with the President of Ghana, His Excellency John Atta Mills at the Presidential Office and Residence, The Castle.  


I will not forget the place where I taught Mathematics and computer skills  for two yeas.

The Junior High School Building











I will not forget my students; curious, chaotic, energetic, loud, and full of promise for the future.
 
A short US History lesson, July 4th.




My host family coming home from Church







  I will not forget the caretaker of the home where I lived and the children she took care of so generously.  
In the teachers' office and lounge
                                                                       







I will not forget my fellow teachers and the excellent leadership of the school's Headmaster.  









The real Champions

Visiting the Village Chief on Boxing Day









Schools over, let's go home

I will not forget the school's girls soccer Team.  Although they lost in the tournament, they played with more determination and passion for the game than any of the other teams.   They are winners!











I will not forget the children







I will not forget the love and support from my three children which allows me the opportunity to have this unique experience.