Adjusting

To follow up on my last post:

We've been here three and half weeks. In most ways, it feels like it's been about three months. But it's a drop in the buck for how many weeks are left. It's been a mix of excitement, fear, and a constant state of discomfort. I'm happy to say, I'm easing my way into it. I severely overlooked the prospect of being in a developing country. So many things are shocking but at the same time, everything is stories I've heard before, pictures i've seen before, and problems there aren't yet solutions for. It's always easier to watch than think. Though it does feel like it's been longer than three and a half weeks, I still haven't 'experienced' that much of living here.

A brief on the events so far-

Staging (in DC):

This was basically a get-to-know-you- sort of function. It’s a pretty big group and everyone is really nice. They are a lot different than my class from last year. Everyone here is on the more practical side of the spectrum, but I guess with a group of Peace Corps volunteers, that goes without saying. I am much less out of my league than I thought I would be. Though I’ve been really impressed with the knowledge and experience of most, especially the ones in my sector. But to talk about staging- the exciting part was that the director of the Peace Corps, Aaron Williams, came to speak and was really amazing; quite the well-spoken African American, with the plus of being a returned Peace Corps Volunteer. PC has been in Ghana for 50 years now, and he said a lot of Ghana’s political and government leaders have worked with Peace Corps volunteers at some point when they were younger, granted, these were mostly teachers, but meaningful nonetheless. The rest of the time at staging was mostly just a what-to-expect session. We were given a yellow fever shot on day two and took a bus to the airport later that day.

Week #1: (Accra/Valley View College)

On day three, we were scheduled to go in groups of three into the capital city of Accra. They showed us skits, told us of the horrible things that could go wrong. During the night before, I don’t think I have ever been more panicked in my life. It was like being in a bubble of happy PCVs, and going into a seemingly structure-less but dense city- less structure than a bubble. The list of things to be afraid of is endless, and it isn’t like I had a clear idea of what to do if things go south, aside from the blanket reassurances from different PCV trainers and staff that “Ghanaians are really nice” and that we shouldn’t create an opportunity for a criminal. With this is mind we left the training site to go into the capital city, Accra. It was a severe wake up call. Everything I saw throughout the day was this weird mix of things I had heard about before, but of course hadn’t actually seen or experienced. The most striking being transportation, probably because it was the only part I actually interacted with.

The biggest eye opener that's come my way so far has been public transportation; the only real part of the Ghanaian society I've interacted with. There really aren't many ways to get from point A to point B, and the mode you opt to take, be it for comfort or economy, says a lot about you no matter what society you're in. So I think this is a good place to start. I'm thankful it was the first part of Ghanaian culture that I've interacted with.

The most common forms of public transportation is the tro-tro. It's a van that seats 12+ people and primarily goes from one town's station to another. I'm serious about the + too, and it's all encompassing. Be it luggage, two children, goats, and your two white friends--they will all fit. It is very cheap to take them, but being at one of the bigger stations is intimidating. The mates-a guy that rides in the tro-tro to take trip fares and recruit passengers. If you just say the name of the town you are going to, someone will show/pull you to that tro-tro or where you need to wait for it. The name of your destination is the only aspect of it all that doesn't change from day to day. The transportation system has developed organically and lacks what we know to be the most fundamental thing: street signs. Literally there are no street signs and the roads have no names. The public transportation system on the whole is limited by this, and the driving is fearless.

Week #2: (Vision Quest)

The second week of training was spent on “vision quest”. As cheesy as it sounds, we even had a worksheet to complete and spent five days with a current PCV. I went to the Eastern Region and visited a science teacher. It was relatively cold compared to Accra, because the town was at a pretty high elevation. It was an incredibly beautiful area; lush vegetation everywhere. Getting to stay with a volunteer ‘in the wild’ was really helpful. She had electricity, but no running water-which is what I will have on site. Her room/house (1 large room separated into a bedroom and living room/kitchen by sheets) was really well decorated and clean. She even had a gravity sink—exactly what it sounds like—which I want to make when I get to my site.

Week #3: (Homestay)

Well, the New York Times was right about the funerals. Ghanaian funerals do last for days and put any American party to shame. It literally goes for three to four days- 24 hours a day. A full night of sleep is impossible to come; obscene heat, no fan, obnoxious pygmy goats, roosters with absolutely no sense of time, bug bites, psychoactive malaria prevention medication (the dream thing is true), and ill-fitting mosquito net (however, I did just upgrade to a double wide). The funerals are just an added bonus, though they are Ghanaian culture at its best-my appreciation will come with time. There has been at least one every weekend, and by weekend I mean college party weekend- Thursday to Sunday.