Amanda's Adventures

No more tears...

2011-11-19T13:54:00.001Z

Today I am reflecting on the amazing ways in which God orchestrates all of our lives. I feel like the last four years of my life could be described as 'living in transition'. There have been moments when I've had clarity, stability, and certainty, but for the most part these words would not describe these last years of my life. Because of this, I have had to find ways to cope with the uncertainty. In my Bible study group we just finished a series called "Everything is Possible with God", and through it I've learned so much about how to have healthy coping mechanisms... things, thought processes, and actions that bring me closer to God, to understanding His will for my life, and bring peace deep within my spirit. I've tried many things in order to bring joy and contentment to my life in the midst of the chaos that would describe my life, but the only thing that truly has brought me this joy and contentment is by resting in the fact that God is in control of my life. With this ingrained in my heart and mind, every day I am alert... looking and waiting in anticipation for what God is going to do. Some days I only catch a small glimpse of how God is working, but other days I find myself having huge revelations into how God is forming me and molding me so that I can do the work He is calling me to do.
One week ago today, was a day of huge revelation. It was the day before I was scheduled to fly back to Canada. I had arranged a meeting with a lady who runs one of Ghana's most innovative organization addressing human trafficking and gender based violence. We were supposed to meet to discuss a proposal for how we would work together on a jewelry project for girls living in a shelter after they have been rescued from a situation of human trafficking. This lady called an hour before our scheduled time and said she had just been called about a case of human trafficking and that she needed to go and check it out. She asked if I wanted to come and see how the organization is responding to these types of situations. Of course I jumped at the idea, and before you know it we are on our way. I won't get into all the details for the sake of protecting everyone that is involved, but what I will tell you that after 8 hours of discussions involving the police and all the parties involved we were able to help bring 4 little girls to a safe shelter where they will be loved and cared for, and the suspect is still behind bars.
I cannot even begin to describe how it feels to sit in a car next to a little girl, who is fighting back crocodile tears. I don't know what to say. Even if I do, we don't speak a common language. All I can do is give her a hug and tell her she is safe... praying that she will understand. I now see a bigger picture for why I've been going through what I have been... in order to be equipped for this new work God is leading me towards. God knew I needed to learn how to combine compassion for the weak, with a hardness to cope with what I would be seeing and experiencing.
So now when I feel sad, or want to cry for a lack of stability in my own life, I just think back to that little girl... I know I am being prepared so that I can fight for more children like her.

Healthier Pancakes- quick and delicious

2011-11-06T11:46:00.004Z

This week I've been short on time and cash, a combination that means I wanted to cook fast meals and use up ingredients I already had in the house. One of the most feasible options that fit this criteria was PANCAKES! I had been meaning to try out a new recipe that I found on one of my favorite cooking blogs "Mint Green Apron". I'm also a firm believer in cooking and baking in bulk since I really don't think it adds that much time, so I decided I would quadruple the recipe. So I had my bowl for the pancakes I would eat that day, and then three plastic bags that I filled with each dry ingredient as well. Now when I'm ready for another quick meal, I just have to add the wet ingredients and voila... I'm eating pancakes. I love the fact that when it comes to eating pancakes you can create a completely different taste based on what kind of toppings you use. For these ones I used canned peaches (a staple for me in Ghana when I want a little taste of Canada), and some freshly grated coconut that I prepared myself using a cheese grater. (BTW, I put the left-over coconut in the freezer, ready for the next time I make muffins or cookies.)
Here's a few photos of my pancakes... and check out the recipe here: Mint Green Apron- Healthier Pancake Mix

Dry Ingredients- my bowl and the three bags for later

Looks a little grainy, but surprisingly they taste light and fluffy

Bags of dry ingredients- ready for my next quick meal


Delicious pancakes with peaches and freshly grated coconut

Dealing with Conflict and Difficulties

2011-11-01T08:14:00.000Z

Check out this brilliant blog post about dealing with conflict and tension in relationships... Femme Fuel I love this quote from 1 Corinthians (the message) "You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain."
Today, in my time of distress (not really with regard to relationships but with my housing situation), I am clinging to the reality that perhaps this experience is just God's way of bringing me closer to Him.

Flooding in Accra

2011-10-31T18:48:00.002Z

Last week we had some serious rain, which lead to flooding in many low-lying parts of Accra. Where I live we had the rain, but thankfully there is a proper drainage system throughout our area and so we didn't experience any flooding here. The photos posted below are of the not-so lucky areas, such as downtown Accra. It is unfortunate that the people often hit the hardest by a crisis like this are those who are already struggling... the unemployed, urban poor. Many people come from their villages to Accra looking for a job, since there is not much work to be found in rural areas aside from subsistence agriculture. When these people come, they are often in for a harsh reality check, as they usually cannot find work and suitable accommodation. So without money and a job, they tend to settle in slum like settings, often times in places that are unsafe to build (like low lying areas prone to flooding). You might ask yourself why wouldn't these people just go home and return to their villages? While some people might feel that they don't feel like they have anything to go back there for, beyond that there is a lot of pressure on people that go to the city, to come back to the villages with something to show for it. That means that if you don't have something to show for yourself upon your return, you will be ridiculed and embarrassed... I don't know what is worse, to live in horrible conditions in a huge, lonely city, or go back to your village and face ridicule. I guess unless we are in that situation it is difficult to judge, but I often think that the reasons people will not go back are based on pride. I can't help but think how many times my pride has prevented me from doing what is right: asking forgiveness from someone... admitting that I need help with something... seeing clearly what is the just thing to do... My prayer today is that God would reveal to each one of us the pride that is preventing us from living the life He has called us to live. The good news is that God's grace and forgiveness is enough, and if we ask for it and then turn from our ways, He can redeem any situation and make good come out of it.

Notice the doorway on the house on the left is built up quite high... one preventative measure that many homeowners include in the construction of their houses to prevent serious flooding if/when it comes.

The wall these kids are sitting on is probably 4 feet tall, so the water is about 3 feet deep.

One of the car dealerships.

Today's Random Happenings

2011-10-30T22:24:00.002Z

Jeremiah got the morning off work so I was able to take him to the church I've been going to... I love to worship next to him :)
At church I went to wash my hands... lathered up the soap, turned on the tap... and... no water! went to the second tap... no water! went to the third tap... thankfully there was WATER! I don't even know what I would have done if there wasn't any water in that third tap... maybe opened up the back of the toilet to rinse off the soap? Anyone have any experience with this sort of incident can offer a suggestion just in case it happens again?
Today I moved rooms for the 13 time in three months! It was such a blessing that Jeremiah, Raya, and Richard were around to help, so it wasn't too bad... and Merinda made us a delicious lunch afterward, so that was an extra-special blessing!
Watched the sun setting over the hills of Accra at Afia Beach Resort with Raya (roommate from Sunyani), & Richard, Merinda, and Jenissa (Canadian friends from the guest house). Was a little disconcerted by the amount of waste on the beach today. Last week we had some serious flooding in Accra, so must have been because of that.
Had a lovely supper with Raya, my roommate from Sunyani that is in Accra on her way to a conference in Kenya tomorrow. I really miss living with her... :(

Well that was my Sunday... phew, I'm tired! Off to bed now! What did you do this weekend?

Accra Friends

2011-10-29T19:44:00.000Z

While my last two posts have dwelt more on the difficult aspects of my move to Accra, I want to introduce you to some of the wonderful people that I have met since coming here. Getting to know them has been an absolute joy and I look forward to many more wonderful times together. The photos are of two different events. The first was called a "South African Ladies Tea" which was a fundraiser for an organization here in Ghana. The second was a baby shower for a friend from South Africa, Lisa. It was my friend Benita who invited me to these events, and I met her in my weekly life group (kinda like a Bible study). Next to my Mum, I've never known someone with such a passion and flair for planning parties... hmmmm... I think her and I could have a pretty fun business! If I stay in Accra beyond January, I think I'll talk to her seriously about that. :) Okay, now for the photos...

South African Ladies Tea- Fundraiser for Foundation Onyame

All the ladies at my table: 2 Americans, 3 South Africans, & Me :)

My friends from Church (LtoR) Christina and Benita

This artist was painting the scene of the event. At the very end they auctioned off the painting.


One side of the garden... in all there were about 120 ladies there.

Lisa's Baby Shower

They strung a clothesline from one side to the other to hang all the gifts on as they were opened... such a great idea!

LtoR: Christina, Hilda, Lisa, and Me

Can you believe all this delicious food?

The road less traveled

2011-10-28T08:31:00.000Z

Well, I made a decision last week that I would begin blogging regularly... so here I am two days in a row! Slightly in the same theme as yesterdays post, today I want to concentrate more on what it is like to feel as though you are crazy. :) Sounds like fun eh?!?!

Throughout my whole life I've often been on the road less traveled... beating to the sound of my own drum so to speak. As a young kid I had a paradox of interests and pastimes. The other day I was looking at pictures of when we lived on our sailboat in the Caribbean and in my stateroom you can see these awesome Calgary Flames posters hanging by my bed... but in the forefront was a tiny hammock that held my precious stuffed animals and most importantly my baby doll "Samantha", named after my cousin, who looked like a real baby and I cared for her as if she was truly alive. My mum even tells stories of when she was publicly scolded by strangers for letting me, such a small girl, carry a newborn baby. You can imagine their surprise to realize she was just a doll.

My middle school years in Kelowna I remember being bullied by the girls because they were jealous that I got to spend lunch hour with the boys... playing hockey! Somehow they didn't get the same attention as I did when all they could do was stand and watch. I only thank God that I didn't become hardened because of that bullying, but was able to maintain composure and compassion.

When we moved back to Red Deer, I was once again immersed into my parent's entrepreneurial endeavors and over the coming years I developed a love for business and a passion for helping people to live healthy and active lives. So when I was 18, it seemed 'normal' for me to go get a bank loan in order to purchase my first business. And at 20, to buy a house seemed like the natural thing to do at that time. Many of my classmates in university thought I was crazy to go to Ghana for the first time... and then for a second time. Again, I was just following a natural path that was laid out for me. For the most part, the decision to stay in Ghana was also just a natural progression for me... it would seem more unnatural to have returned to Canada.

Well, for me all these things were natural and normal to me... and lots of the time I feel as though I am crazy. Don't interpret this to mean that I don't feel supported in my endeavors, because that is the farthest thing from the truth. Were it not for the support I have, I would definitely have not done most of these (and more) things, so to me they are actually not connected. I don't know if any amount of support will ever take away the feelings one has when they are living a life that doesn't fit a 'formula'. But I wouldn't have it any other way. You can't imagine the sense of FREEDOM that I have, to know that if my trust is in the Lord, and I am following His lead, then whatever I do is in accordance to His will. I used to think a lot about what other people would think, but now I don't. I recognize that spending a lot of time in a different culture in some ways has provided me that liberty to evaluate my life, look at what I liked about my 'old, Canadian' life, and decide which of that, do I actually want to keep in my 'new' life? Even if you do not have the opportunity to go to a different country to facilitate this type of reflection, I would encourage you to try... to look at your calendar, your schedule, and your bank statements and ask yourself what are you doing and spending money on that gives you life, and that allows you to have the freedom to follow God's call on your life.

Questions to ponder:

Do you feel as though you are living your life to fit in or to follow a formula for how your life is "supposed" to be?
Is there any changes to your schedule or spending habits that you would like to make that will help you live in greater freedom?
If you can relate to my story in any way, about living a life on the road less traveled, I would love to have you comment and share your experience, and in particular I would love to know what are some of the factors and/or coping strategies that have helped you to continue on your path. Next week I'd love to have a post just about these factors and strategies and I'd love to include your thoughts.

Lastly, here's a video about a girl I can relate to...

Living out God's dream for my life... it isn't to be comfortable.

2011-10-27T13:15:00.000Z

I know it has been a long while since I actually wrote something with substance... beyond posting pictures of what I've been doing. Today I want to take the time to go deep, beyond what I'm doing, to truly how I am doing. Perhaps the reason that I haven't done this in a while is that when you are in the middle of a storm it is hard to have clarity of mind and spirit to process what is going on. Yes, I said 'middle of a storm'. For a while now I have felt a serious inner and spiritual battle over what my life should be like. Coming to Accra has been fun... it is a place with everything you need and even things you don't need. Sunyani is like a little village in comparison! As much as the amenities in Accra are nice, my personal journey coming here has been very difficult. Being surrounded by so many foreigners and exposed to the drastic extremes between the rich and the poor has made it clear to me the ways in which I have changed since I came to Ghana 4 years ago... and I'm not talking just about menial things such as the clothes I like to wear and the food I like to eat. I'm talking about world view, values and morals, and lifestyle. I've been working from home essentially for the last year and in Sunyani that was nice... but coming to Accra I have seriously struggled since I live in such a 'sheltered' environment... that seems fake. Many days I don't feel like I am in Ghana anymore. And I miss my old life, my old routines... and what does that make me feel like doing? RUNNING! Some days I just want to run away, somewhere, anywhere but here. It also hasn't helped that I have not had stable accommodations since I came in July. Within the same guest house, I have moved 12 different times in 3 months... TWELVE TIMES! And I'm not just talking about packing up a little suitcase and moving across the hall... when I made the initial arrangements to come to stay at this guest house, I was told that I would have a small apartment to myself, so I brought with me everything I needed to fill a small apartment! However, in all of this, God has revealed many things to me, the most important being the way in which He cares for me and always provides. You can imagine what a blessing it was when I had packed up all my things to move and had 10 friends (other people staying at the guest house) show up to help move everything... it only took 8 minutes!!!

Coming to Accra has not been cheap! I went from paying under $200 a month to share a spacious 4 bedroom house, to paying 3 times that for a single bedroom room and a kitchen that is shared with 2 other rooms. The one room beside me had a Ghanaian man that is very nice, except for the fact that he likes to come into the kitchen wearing only tight boxers and his beer belly hanging out. YUK! :( The other room was vacant for nightly guest house visitors and nearly every night there was different people staying in it. You can imagine how unsettling it can be to transition from having so much room and freedom, to coming home to find people eating your food, using your things, and not cleaning up after themselves. ESH! Well, I lived like that for several weeks, until the blessing of the century came along. Some Canadian friends of mine are also staying at the same guest house and they went back to Canada for a month and asked me to house sit. So not only did I have an entire 2 bedroom apartment to myself, I didn't have to pay a cent! WOW! And miraculously the day they were coming back, a Korean guy who lives here left for 10 days and said I could stay in his apartment. So that is where I am now, but as of Sunday I am supposed to go back to the other room. Even if I could handle the shared space again, it is also unfortunate that the price quoted to me before I moved here has been increased to be $150 more and is way beyond my meager earnings since I'm not really getting a salary from Freedom Stones right now. I'm doing my best not to be bitter about how things have turned out and focusing on the lessons that I believe God has been teaching me during this time. I have so much evidence of how faithful God is and I know He will provide for me... whether it be financially so that I can stay here, or with a new place to move to.

So getting back to the title of this post "Living out God's dream for my life..." I feel like I am not living the life I dreamed of/signed up for. I struggle when I think back nearly 10 years about my 'old life'... when I was comfortable. When I had so many things... nice car. my own house. disposable income to buy anything I wanted. But before I get too far yearning for those days again, my mind brings me to the reality of what happened when I got so wrapped up in those material possessions... when I got so far into debt. I was living a lie. I really didn't have the money, but yet I had all those things. For a while I could manage, but then it became too much and I realized I couldn't continue the lie any more. By God's amazing grace I was able to overcome my addiction to shopping and paid off the debt over a couple of years. After that experience I decided I needed to live an authentic life... one based not on debt and layover plans. Aside from my student loan from my masters, I have no debt. But I also don't have very much income, so I don't have the material things I used to. While it can be tough sometimes, I have learned that I don't need to "buy" (pun intended) into the lie any longer that North American culture teaches that the #1 priority in life should be to be comfortable and if you aren't comfortable then something must be wrong with you and you should do everything you can to become comfortable. It has been in the past few years of being relatively 'uncomfortable' that I have learned the value in actually working for your money and the possessions that money can buy. So now, even in my 'poverty', I actually feel richer because I know the things I have, I worked hard to get. I also realized I don't actually need that much in order to live and my priorities have shifted in that regard. And when it comes to accommodations, there is something about moving 12 times in 3 months that really teaches you about feeling and being settled. I will never, EVER, take for granted the luxury of having my own house, my own space, that I can truly make my own. I don't know when that day will come again for me to have that, but I know that when it does I will cherish it and use it to bless others in whatever way I can.
Questions to ponder:
Have you ever been in situations of financial struggles? What did you learn during those times? How did those times affect how you live your life/spend your money today?
Have you been blessed with your own place to live? Is there anyone you can bless today with the gift of hospitality?

Wedding bells are ringing...

2011-10-01T17:22:00.000Z

One of Jeremiah's colleagues from the army was getting married, so we had a fun-filled, yet hectic weekend of wedding festivities. It was a really lovely way to experience a typical military wedding in Ghana... yes, I was taking notes :)

The Engagement Ceremony

All the visitors got a large array of gifts. Here's Jeremiah with his boxes of matches.

The Bride and Groom

The Actual Wedding

My friend Tara (from Australia) who came to the wedding with me.

Goodbye Sunyani, Hello Accra

2011-08-17T21:31:00.001Z

As some of you may or may not know, I've just moved to Accra- the capital of Ghana. Jeremiah has been transferred here for work until January and so I was thrilled to leave Sunyani for a while and experience life in the 'big city'. I knew I wanted to live at a guesthouse that I usually stay at when I am in Accra, but it also turned out that the rent was too expensive for my meager earnings. So I hatched a plan that I would offer my consulting services to them, in exchange for subsidized rent. The good news is that they loved the idea... the bad news is that since the place is so small (only 11 rooms), it will take several weeks before we can clear the bookings so that I can stay in the same room continuously. So yesterday I just moved to my fourth room in three weeks, so you can imagine that I'm not feeling too settled yet. It has also proved to be quite interesting balancing the my work with Freedom Stones, admin work that I'm doing for my dad's company, consulting for the guest house, and then writing my sections of the book that I'm working on with some former classmates from my masters programme. Oh and that doesn't include that my social events with friends or church related activities. I'm sure in the coming days I will get into a routine... but for now I'm just allowing myself this time to settle in.
And now for some photos of my last dinner party in Sunyani for a while...

Maa Grace coming home from the market with our chicken for supper! Yes, it is still alive!

Maa Grace with our chicken.

Aaron- our chef on the right explaining the menu

Check out our cakes in the container on the far right... yummy!

Aaron's chef hat

My friend Theresa!

Two long years... reading thousands of pages, responding to hundreds of discussions, writing countless papers... and now another degree to show for all the hard work!

2011-08-14T21:32:00.000Z

Well I know it has been a long time since I've posted. My apologies to everyone who thought I fell of the face off the earth! It has been quite a year... or two for me. In many ways the time I used to spend writing my blog was transferred into working on a masters degree. The good news is that this past May I graduated with a Master of Arts in International Development from Eastern University. Through that programme I had the opportunity to meet some incredible people... fellow students and professors who have inspired me in so many ways. When I went to South Africa in 2009 for my first, three-week residency, I quickly felt that if I didn't learn one thing from the programme but all I got was the contact information for my classmates then it was all worth it. It was one of the first times I was surrounded by people that I could relate to in the sense that many of them had left their home countries, family and friends to go to a 'foreign' land to address issues of injustice and poverty. When I am with my classmates, I don't feel like I am crazy for wanting to live in Ghana. And beyond that, if it were not for that programme, I would never have met the founder of Freedom Stones, the organization I now work with. So all in all, it has been an incredible experience and I want to close by sharing a few photos, but first I want to thank my classmates and professors for your inspiration and friendship... you have all taught me so much not only about international development but so much more. I'd also like to thank my parents, sister, grandparents, aunts and uncles for your support and encouragement, my beloved Jeremiah for the way you always encourage me to pursue my goals and dreams, and to my friends both near and far that have been cheering me on. Well before this turns into an acceptance speech for an Academy Award, I'll get on with the photos...

Year One (2009)- Residency in South Africa

The early days of life-long friendships...

All the ladies...

Enjoying a presentation by Luke during our Social Entrepreneurship class

Year Two (2010)- Residency in Uganda

Loving the informal connections outside the classroom with Craig

My classmates with one of my favorite professor's Francois... Three cheers for Disaster Relief and Mitigation!

All first and second year students

Love these girls!!!

And finally... Graduation!!! (2011)- Pennsylvania

Our celebration dinner at Dr. Beth's

Freedom Stones in Cambodia: Event calls for end to human trafficking

2011-02-07T13:07:00.002Z

Here is a great article about my Freedom Stones counterparts in Cambodia which provides a really good overview to how we operate. Enjoy!

Allison Louie gathers with a group of children for a photo in a slum in Pattaya, Thailand, during a visit to the area as part of her work with Freedom Stones. Families living in slums are one population at risk of being trafficked as they’re hard-pressed to find work.

- UnCut: Love Rescues: A Valentine's open mike, presented by The Restoration Project in support of Freedom Stones, Feb. 12, at The Summit, 1095 Churchill Cres., North Vancouver, at 7 p.m. By donation. Info: www.therestorationproject.ca.

Breaking the chains of poverty and injustice to prevent human trafficking: that's the daily mission of a 23-year-old North Vancouver resident currently working in Poipet, Cambodia.
Allison Louie travelled to the Southeast Asian country in the fall to work with Freedom Stones, a Texas-based non-profit organization committed to eliminating and preventing human trafficking. Louie was introduced to the agency through Kevin Fryatt, a seasoned development worker and a friend. "Though Freedom Stones is a relatively new organization in the NGO world, he was impressed with its vision and model of implementation," she says, via email from Cambodia.
Efforts focus on prevention as well as the reintegration of those who've been trafficked. In partnership with local organizations, Freedom Stones provides holistic skills training and income-generation projects in Ghana and Thailand and is expanding into Cambodia. For example, representatives sell fair trade jewelry in North America, handcrafted by at-risk or formerly trafficked artisans.
Louie's currently working as the organization's self-funded Southeast Asia intern and is helping set up an income generation project in Poipet with partner organization Cambodia Hope Organization. "Poipet sits on the Cambodia-Thai border and is a porous border crossing, which unfortunately makes it a hub for both human and drug trafficking," she says. Most tourists pass through Poipet headed to more popular destinations, such as Siem Reap (home of Angkor Wat) or Phnom Penh, so the local economy doesn't have the benefit of tourism and is struggling. "Poverty is widespread and pervasive in Cambodia, making it a popular supply and transit country for human trafficking," she says.
"A viable economic alternative is crucial to preventing and combating human trafficking. Freedom Stones is working in conjunction with Cambodia Hope Organization to provide opportunities to individuals who would otherwise likely be trapped in a cycle of impoverishment and exploitation," she adds.
Louie plans to return to Canada in November after spending a year with Freedom Stones. Interested in supporting her efforts, The Restoration Project, a North Vancouver faith community that Louie's a member of, are presenting UnCut: Love Rescues, a Valentine's open mike, Feb. 12 at The Summit. "We thought what better way to support (Allison) and what she's doing than to put on a fundraiser and raise some awareness," says Stevan Mirkovich, pastor.
Supporting Louie was an easy decision for project members, who as much as possible try to be involved in local and international issues. Previous open mike nights have supported disaster relief in Haiti and Pakistan. The upcoming event will feature a love-themed photo booth, food and the sale of Freedom Stones jewelry. Interested performers of all styles are welcome.
"If you love art, music, a chilled out environment and social justice with a creative edge, this is the event for you," says Louie. "Please come out to support, speak out, or simply enjoy."
For more information on Freedom Stones, visit www.freedomstones.ws.

I don't care what the world throws at me now

2010-11-28T16:30:00.004Z

The past week I've been struck by the reality of my life... and I have seen that my life isn't really about where I am or what I am doing, but more importantly it is about the person that I am. This realization has come as I've pondered the fact that I have essentially been living out of a suitcase for the last six months; in various homes, hotels, and guest houses in Ghana, Uganda, and Canada. Aside from where I have been geographically, I have been doing different types of work; ranging from my studies for school, to fashion and jewelry designing, to administrative tasks, to tour guide and cultural adviser for Ghanaians new to Canada, to at times wondering if my life had any 'real' purpose at all. What I've come to see in all of this is that no matter what I am physically doing or located, my life is about the person I am... living my life to the fullness in the light of who I am. A favorite song that has encouraged me in this revelation journey is called "Salvation is Here" by Hillsong United. My favorite lyrics from the song are:

God above all the world in motion
God above all my hopes and fears
I don't care what the world throws at me now
It's gonna be alright

I just love experiencing the peace that surpasses all understanding when I can rest knowing that God is the Head of everything in the world, the Head of my life, and no matter where I am or what I am doing, what matters most is that I am a child of God and He is taking care of me and the sometimes crazy world that we live in.

Finding hope at the Village of Hope

2010-10-21T21:51:00.006Z

I can't even begin to describe what that last week and a half has been like since arriving back in Ghana. I was immediately swept into a Freedom Stones hurricane, as I arrived just in time to help with the preparation and shipment of our first big jewelry order. It was great to get right into the work, to have something to focus on aside from the strange feelings I have been having. This time I have experienced perhaps the worst adjustment back to Ghana that I've ever had, experiencing roller-coaster emotions that seemed to just spout (quite literally) from nowhere. I am feeling pretty good now, so that is good, but I'm still processing the last while to see if I can glean any insights into the real causes of such a transition. I don't want to say it has been a bad transition, because I am learning a lot about myself through it, but it sure has been a challenge. Then, this morning I woke up feeling horrible... really dizzy, tired, and with an upset stomach. I can't remember the last time I've puked like that, (where I haven't been in a Ghanaian bus), but after some rest and a lot of prayer I seemed to recover pretty good and was able to continue on my day. That was a very good thing, because I was wrapping up my time visiting one of our partners just outside of Accra.
This organization is called Village of Hope, which is a technical training school for street kids, orphans, and other youth in need of training and employment. Freedom Stones has been able to provide this organization with the opportunity to make some of our jewelry and it was my job to go and check on how they were doing. The most memorable experiences I had was getting to connect with some of the students one-on-one, when I could hear a bit more about the journey they have been on in life which has now brought them to Village of Hope. For some, like Chad*, he came from a rural area in the Volta Region where there really isn’t anything to do but subsistence farming. His older brother Harry* had gone to the big city, to Accra to look for work with their other older brother. For a while they sold children’s storybooks on the side of the road to cars passing by, until one day when they learned about Village of Hope. So Harry went back to his home village to get Chad, and they both went to Village of Hope. They have been training there since March, learning batik making, kente weaving, sewing, and now because of Freedom Stones, they have learned jewelry production. It was so exciting to hear about these young boy’s dreams for the future, to take their newly learned trade back to their village, where they will train other youth to do the same thing with them. All the while, they hope this will reduce the number of youth from their village going to the cities looking for their big break, but rather they would have the opportunity to stay at home and still have something very worthwhile to do that earns themselves a significant income. The stories could keep coming, but that’s all for now. More to come…

*Names have been changed.

These are artisans from Sun Trade, another partner that I was visiting last week.

I Love Technology!!

2010-10-17T17:43:00.001Z

Today I'm just so excited to have technology available! I was able to watch a live feed of the worship service from CrossRoads Church, Skype call with my Grandparents, and connect with Jeremiah and my precious friend Pamela who is back in Sunyani on the phone. I definitely don't understand how people living away from family and friends could have survived back in the day without such technology and only relying on snail mail. I guess they would just be less connected, and at times maybe that isn't such a bad thing, but for myself I am just so grateful to stay connected and be able to show and receive care and love even across the distances, no matter how short or far.

I made it back to Ghana!!

2010-10-13T23:02:00.001Z

I’ve arrived in Accra, Ghana! It was a long journey, quite uneventful from Calgary to London, but the transfer in London proved to be rather interesting. I usually fly through Frankfurt or Amsterdam, and I have to admit those airports are definitely a bit more passenger friendly, particularly when you have a short connection like I did. (1.15 hours), If it weren’t for my plane being delayed, I would have missed my flight onward to Ghana. Of course on the screens around the airport they didn’t say the plane was late, so as I rushed from Gate A to B, I’m sure I nearly bowled a few people over as I walk/ran to get there. After the big rush of arriving at the gate, only to find the plane has been delayed, I don’t think I have ever been so thirsty in all my life. Of course I didn’t have any Euro or Pounds for the vending machine, and the security between my arrival gate and this departure gate had confiscated my orange juice, so I just had to wait it out. We were stationary on the ground in the plane for about one hour before taking off, apparently because France was doing something in their airspace and therefore everyone had to fly around France, which caused all these delays. Finally we took off and after dinner I watched a couple of movies and then fell asleep for a while. I woke up as we were just descending into Accra, and I was amazed at the size of the city that was glowing from down below. It is always fascinating to look at something from a different perspective, and in this case I began pondering the few rich Ghanaians that do live in cities in houses with electricity, as compared to the millions of rural dwellers that only rely on kerosene lanterns at night. What must that be like, to live without electricity? For me the closest comparison is to camping, when we intentionally deprive ourselves of such a luxury of electricity. So what happens when we go camping once the sun goes down? We generally sit around a campfire… talking, laughing, some strum a guitar or pounding a drum… it really can be more of a social event, as compared to life in our homes with much more to occupy ourselves with at night. I remember back to days living in Sunyani at the hostel, when the power would go out as it often would before or during a huge rainstorm, and my favorite pastime would be to read. I read so many books during those long nights, and now that I am in school again, part of me wishes I still had such motivation to read… but I think it is different when you are forced to read things for school, versus leisure. Speaking of school, the last month or so it really has been a chore for me to sit down and do my readings and assignments. I’m sure that being in Canada for the last three months has contributed to that, since there have been so many interesting and exciting places to go and people to see. I’m hoping that is the biggest contributor to my inability to focus and concentrate on school, and that now I’m in Ghana I’ll have more passion for my school work.
I’m excited to get back into a routine here in Ghana… but in many ways it will be a fresh start. For the first month I will be living in Accra, sharing a house with a Bulgarian girl and a Canadian guy. It is a beautiful place, and while I have the tendency to feel guilty about how nice it is, I keep telling myself that even one month there would make up for four years of living in a university hostel with 400 loud students and I should just enjoy it. I’ll be working about 20 hours a week for Freedom Stones for the first month, doing a variety of different things as needed. I’ll spend some time this week doing a bit of a refresher on where the organization is at, and where it is going, and then write a bit more detailed update on that end of things. So for now I’m just working out of Accra, starting right into things tomorrow by visiting one of our partners to check on how the artisans are doing who are trying to fill a big order of bracelets to be shipped to the US by Monday. I’m so excited to get into things here again!
Tonight I was supposed to be going out with my friend Raya, an American, married to a German that works for the German development organization. Raya lives in Sunyani and while she arrived not long before I left, we’ve had many enjoyable afternoons at the poolside, playing tennis, and having BBQs. It will be great to see her again and catch up on all the events of the last three months. Unfortunately I’ve learned the harsh reality of living in the neighborhood that I do, evening rush-hour traffic was too much for her to come my way, so we’ve postponed our get-together until Saturday when she comes back to Accra.
My afternoon today was another harsh reality of what life is like in Ghana. Many times people ask me what I like most about living in Ghana, or why I live in Ghana, and my answer often leads to the explanation of a love/hate relationship with the way things work over here. The short explanation is that life here seems like one huge spontaneous adventure… not because you don’t plan, but because your plans often have a mind of their own and get re-arranged and/or cancelled and/or are simply un-attainable. So today there were three things I wanted to do today… 1) buy a bed frame 2) buy a mattress… strangely #1 and #2 cannot be done at the same location, 3) pick up some items at the guest house I used to stay at. On the way to do those things, I was planning to stop by my new house (I stayed the night at a guesthouse since I didn’t have a bed yet). However, the taxi driver I had arranged to pick me had to go out of town unexpectedly, and therefore had sent another driver. He unfortunately got lost going to my new house, so we ended up on the highway to town, so therefore we kept going to town to begin our shopping. The shopping actually went quite uneventful… there are about 20 different carpenters that make the type of furniture that I like, it is all made from sugar cane, bamboo, or sea grass. These carpenters all work on the roadside of one street, so we started at one end stopping to look at what everyone is making and decide what exactly I would like to buy. After much consideration about the size, materials, and style, I finally found a really nice design. Most carpenters only have a few items on display to buy ready made, and rely primarily on special orders. Thankfully, I was able to find a bed that was at least ½ finished, and he promises to have it ready by tomorrow afternoon for me to pick up. One other interesting aspect about life in Ghana is the bargaining system, something that when Lea and I were in Ghana the second time I had come, we learned early on that this bargaining system is one that should not be taken too seriously. What we found was that when you bargain it is most beneficial to make a joke, and/or laugh about how outrageous the price is. That gets the seller in a good mood, they usually will laugh along with you, and then the fun begins as you go back and forth naming the price you want to pay/be paid. It is often time consuming, and to get the best prices, I know the best thing to do is walk away and come back another time… or when you start walking away the seller will often call you back wanting to make a deal.
Anyways, after negotiating for the bed, we then went to find a mattress. We drove around and around for what seemed like a really long time which made me wonder whether Ishmael my driver for the day really knew where he was going. Well, he didn’t disappoint me and sooner or later we came across a little hole-in-the-wall store selling mattresses. Typical to Ghana, at the first store they didn’t have the queen size, so the guy took us to another store that he knew would have it. The purchase went pretty well, but what took most of our time was trying to tie the mattress to the roof of the station wagon… but before long we were on our way to our last stop to the guest house that I normally stayed at in the past. It was really nice to be back there again, to see one of the managers who is a really nice lady and best of all I got to see her new baby. She was in the office when I arrived and it was fascinating to see a crib beside her chair for baby Henry. In Ghana, many employers are quite lenient about allowing mothers to take their children to work with them. In many regards, if this option weren’t available, they probably would not be able to afford to work, because the cost of day-care is usually outrageous. The lucky families in Ghana often rely on extended family to care for their kids during the day, but that is not always the case.
After the reunion with Naana and Henry, I also stopped by the room of a Canadian couple that are staying at the guesthouse for the next 2 years. They are really friendly and they were so excited to see me… that was a nice feeling to see their excitement as I stood at their doorway knocking. I’m hoping I can have them over one of these days for a dinner or something, since I missed a Thanksgiving dinner that I was invited to on Monday but was not yet in the country.
After all that running around, I finally arrived at my new home… met up my friend/colleague/roommate Marcel, and one of Freedom Stones’ directors that is here from the US, and had a nice evening unpacking and catching up. I’m so excited to have a ‘real’ home… but don’t worry, it still suffers from a few of the unfortunate realities about life in Ghana… tonight we ran out of water. Apparently the main connection has been off for 2 weeks for some reason, and the huge tanks on the roof have just now emptied. So first thing tomorrow I get to try and arrange for a water truck to come and fill the tanks… here’s hoping we can get some water soon, or else I’ll be bathing in our swimming pool tomorrow morning before going to work. And the adventures continue…

Visit to UNHCR and ACDI/VOCA (USAID Food for Peace) Distribution Centre in Uganda

2010-07-08T11:54:00.006Z

My classmates and I took a field trip yesterday to two different places yesterday. The first stop was at UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) to meet with some leaders there to discuss the refugee services the UN provides. It was an interesting meeting, primarily because two different individuals were present and spoke. The first was a lady from the United States government, who essentially helps to fund the United Nations efforts and spoke from the perspective of a donor. Then a lady actually working for UNHCR spoke and I noticed a tension between the two of them. If nothing else, this experience has reinforced in my mind how complicated and confusing it often can be to help people who truly need it, when the people trying to help may have some of their own agendas. For now my conclusion is that help they are providing is doing some good for a lot of people, who desperately need care and support, that would probably die if nothing were done.
The second stop was at ACDI/VOCA, a cooperative organization that has received a large grant from USAID's "Food for Peace" programme, where they provide food for people in Uganda that are affected by HIV/AIDS. On the surface it seems like they are doing some amazing work, providing thousands of people either directly with food or the support to develop their own agricultural products, but upon closer examination, I had several issues with the work they are do. To begin, the food aid that is distributed comes from the United States, and is primarily the surplus from subsidized farmers there that they cannot sell. There are several products that they distribute, a cornmeal and soy blend (a flour-like consistency) that is mixed with water and eaten, vegetable oil, and a product called "plumpy nut", which is for children and is a very good source of protein. With the exception of the Plumpy Nut, which actually was not coming from USAID funding, but rather the Bill Clinton Foundation, the other goods are actually not the most healthy foods for people to eat, and they are definitely not what a local Ugandan would enjoy. I found it quite funny how the boxes say "USA, From the American People", but based on my experience, the boxes would be more appropriately labeled "For the American People". Now, please do not take this to be an insult to the American people, but just an example of how many times foreign aid is given to advance certain political or trade priorities for the donor country. This is something that everyone should be aware of, to think twice when we hear about all the good things that different people are doing around the world in the name of 'development'... at the end of the day, we must answer the question who is developing the most as a result of certain efforts. If the answer is the donor, than we must think twice about how beneficial these efforts actually are and whether we should think of them in a positive or negative light. Check out their website for more information about what this organization is doing around the world. www.acdivoca.org

Residency in Uganda

2010-07-08T08:40:00.006Z

My classmate Cindie and our prof from last year, Chrissy. Check out Chrissy's new book, "Into the Mud"

The whole group... first and second year students and profs.

Connecting again with old friends!

My class, with our amazing prof, Francois who works for World Vision International's Rapid Response Team.

I've recently flown to Uganda, East Africa to join my classmates from around the world to start our next five classes for our masters programme in International Development.
So far we have come through three classes "Applied Research and Evaluation", Cross-Cultural Communication and Understanding", and my favorite so far "Relief and Mitigation for Disasters and Complex Humanitarian Emergencies". Now we're on to "Intro to Microfinance" and will end with "Advocacy and Human Rights".
It has been so great to connect again with all my classmates, meet new first year students, and new professors. There is so much more I could say, but lets stop here for now and I promise there will be more to come. :)

Fun in Paradise

2010-06-03T11:40:00.003Z

And the rains came down!

Enjoying a special treat from Uncle Kelly!

Enjoying Paradise!!

2010-06-02T17:11:00.001Z

The sound of crashing waves has soothed my soul the past two days at Safari Beach Lodge in the western region of Ghana. It has been way too long since a ‘real’ update from me has come, and part of me feels like I should apologize to all of you, my faithful readers and supporters. However, the other day I realized that the reason I write should be first and foremost to feed my own intrinsic needs, and for the last year at least, I guess those needs have been met through things aside from writing.
The primary reason for my lack of writing, or should I say blogging, has been that I’ve been occupied reading and writing for the masters degree program that I embarked upon one year ago. I have learned so much during the five courses that I just completed (HURRAY!!), and I am so excited for the next year of courses that I’ve already started. Perhaps more accurately I should say that I am supposed to have started, but have delayed because of the insurgence of fifteen Canadian students and professors who have come to Ghana to work with our project. In addition to the Canadian team we have about twenty Ghanaian team members, all of who I am supposed to be coordinating their daily research and community based activities. We had a month of what I would call organized chaos, that for the most part went extremely well, but when most of them got on their flight a few days ago I was thrilled to have some peace and quiet. My name is no longer spoken as the beginning of a question, which I must have heard at least 50 times a day while our team was together.
So now back to the crashing waves… two of the staff members from the university in Canada have stayed in Ghana, Andrew and Aggie, and Aggie’s mum arrived on the day the others flew out. The four of us are now taking a much-needed holiday, and Aggie and I are also using the time to lay the foundation for a study tour that we hope to lead next year with Canadian and Ghanaian students, which will focus on tourism in Ghana. To say that I was burnt out before coming here would be the understatement of the year, in the last three weeks I think I hit the wall at least 10 times and was barely able to get up and limp my way to where I needed to go. Before you start feeling too sorry for me, I’m happy to now report that I am tucked away in a little beach front hut with nothing to do but read, journal, and play in the sun, sand, and fortunately or unfortunately, depending how you look at it- rain. Every day I’ve woken up to the peaceful sound of rain pitter-pattering on the palm leaves outside my window. While I’m not sure if I can stand another rainy day tomorrow, I have been so thankful for the excuse just to hide away in my cozy bed, only to stir when my stomach growls loud enough for me to dash to the restaurant for a quick meal before resuming my position in bed with my book and/or notepad and pen. Best of all, I have not had to give any student instructions about what to do or not do and I hope to keep it like that for a long time.
As many of you know or do not know, over the last year I have sensed that it was time to go into a different line of work than the project I had been working for over the last few years. Therefore, I am happy to announce that my current contract is now finished and will soon officially start the next chapter of my life. While nothing has been confirmed yet, over the next few weeks I will be exploring the possibility of going into business with a friend of mine here in Ghana that has a clothing, jewelry and furniture design company. She already has been running the business for about three years now, and has asked me to become a business partner. The vision I would hope to bring to the business would be to provide economic and skill development opportunities for people that otherwise would be forced to go into prostitution and/or having ‘sugar daddies’ to cater for their needs, or dangerous types of labor, etc. The business model combines holistic skill development and training for workers in addition to their job making innovative handicrafts, clothing, jewelry, and furniture. In addition to the store in Ghana, I would also want to start a company in Canada through which we would import the products. I am just in awe of the way God has been working to orchestrate all the details thus far, and the ways He has brought confirmation that this is in fact, the new path I am to walk on. I’m looking forward to telling you more about the details of that later, but for now I want to sort through some pictures of my glorious beach vacation in paradise so that I can post them. Stay tuned!!!

Jeremiah's Mum and Me

2010-05-30T18:54:00.001Z

I've been spending quite a bit of time with Jeremiah's Mum, and here's a nice shot of us together.

Community Educational Campaigns

2010-05-22T11:23:00.002Z

Here's a few shots from the community educational campaigns that we have been hosting, focusing on handwashing demonstrations, waste management clean-up, and HIV/AIDS education.

A group shot of our team at Sunyani Zongo Community

Handwashing demonstration

This was a family that captured my heart when we were in the community.

During the HIV/AIDS education, some of us took the little kids to play... have you ever had hundreds of little eyes looking up at you waiting for you to entertain them? I think the favorite of the day was singing "The Hokey Pokie".

Mole National Park

2010-05-16T19:05:00.000Z

Some of the amazing sights at Mole National Park, in the Northern Region of Ghana.

Sunday lunch with friends

2010-03-27T14:38:00.003Z

After church one Sunday Jeremiah and Me had our friends Sam and Andrea over for lunch. Andrea is a fellow Canadian from Ontario and Sam is a student at the Forestry School where I work and we've become good friends over the last few years.

Garden Party at Ines'

2010-03-15T12:00:00.003Z

My sweet friend Linus.

This is Sister Kathleen, a very sweet friend of mine that is also living in Sunyani.

Me and Jeremiah

My great friend Laurin.

My friend Ines' is fast becoming the queen of garden parties... How can you go wrong when you have such great friends and delicious food.

Happy Birthday Jeremiah!!!

2010-03-11T11:34:00.003Z

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-15T23:49:00.005Z

This year, Christmas was celebrated at a variety of events... ranging from a bake-a-thon on the 21st, to Christmas Day at Jeremiah's place with his Mum and brother and some colleagues, to a Boxing Day bash at my German friend's place, and if that wasn't enough fun... we rang in the New Year at a garden party at my friend Ines' home and had a pool party the day after. All in all, it was quite a great time indeed! Check out more pics at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=375733&id=855290180&l=6dfbd1a9f0

Face to face and heart to heart: where real learning takes place

2009-11-21T21:09:00.001Z

This is an article I wrote for an online magazine called "Voices in Dialogue"... enjoy!

Face to face and heart to heart: where real learning takes place
By Amanda Moore

“I used to have a huge family, with so many relatives that I was close to. As a result of the genocide, there were only two of us left. My father was a pastor and when he died I picked up where he left and have continued his work. Through the local church I support the formation of savings groups that help people raise funds to create a better future for them and their family. The amazing thing about these groups is that many consist of both widows whose husbands were killed in the genocide, and women whose husbands are in prison for the murders. These women have come together, forgiven each other, and are supporting each other in any way they can. This is the most beautiful example of grace and reconciliation I have ever seen.”
~ Woman from Rwanda, genocide survivor

I find myself among a group of leaders attending a workshop on dialogue education. On the first day we learned about different domains of learning, considering cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. While they all have value I was particularly interested in learning more about facilitating learning to the affective domain, as I have often found it the most challenging to do. What I did not expect was to come face to face with the profound implications of affective learning through interactions with another participant. Let me explain further. One exercise in the workshop was to share with a partner about a time in your adult life when you changed your behavior, and explain how you were able to do that. I shared with my partner about how I used to be quite stubborn and had a hard time giving up control of something. Basically I was selfish and I always wanted things to go the way I thought they should go. My transformation to giving up control was gradual for the last 5 years, and more dramatic as I moved from Canada to Ghana and experienced how it is next to impossible to control anything about your life in the environment I find myself. There are just so many external factors that affect you here. You have to believe that while things may not happen as you plan or expect them to, that is still okay. While I know my journey of transformation has been instrumental in shaping me into the person I am today, when it came time for one of the other participants to share about the transformational journey she has been on, my example seemed so trivial and almost pathetic.
This beautiful lady shared about overcoming extreme resentment and grief as a result of living through the genocide in her country of Rwanda. She told us that before the genocide she had a huge family. Tragically, only two of her family members also lived through the horrendous experience. Now when I hear an African talking about having a huge family that most likely means several hundreds of people from her family alone were killed in this attempt of ethnic cleansing.
Later at lunch, she shared with me a story of how after the genocide the school system was changed to English instead of French. As she herself struggles for the English words to explain more, my mind swirls in wonder of all the other changes that genocide brought to the people of her small country, Rwanda. For her the genocide brought incredible grief and resentment as she grappled with the questions of why they had to kill her family? How could God allow that to happen to her? Beyond that, I imagine she wondered why He spared her. Why couldn’t she die with them so that she did not have to deal with such pain and despair? While her journey of reconciliation will likely never be accounted with full accuracy due to the intense emotions that surround the entire situation, that day I was given a small glimpse of her process towards forgiveness and grace and the way she is working with other people to also overcome the terrible things of the past.
It is one thing to hear the facts and figures about the genocide, but to come face to face with someone who has lived through such pain and suffering, and developed the resolve to forgive is extremely powerful. It touches the heart in a way that has the profound ability to transform ones thoughts, attitudes and behaviours. While I have not had to grapple with forgiveness on the same magnitude as this strong lady, she taught me that forgiveness is a choice that one has to make. It is through this learning that I must change my attitude towards people and situations that have caused me pain, in order to bring healing and reconciliation. I know this level of understanding would not have come if I had simply been told that forgiveness and reconciliation were important, providing just one example supporting the value of affective teaching and learning.

Through their eyes…

2009-10-23T17:04:00.001Z

I find myself in a workshop on dialogue education, a four-day training session designed to equip leaders to facilitate relevant training sessions on enterprise development and micro-finance. Most of the participants are church leaders who run micro-enterprise and business development programmes through their local churches. These leaders have come from near and far to Ghana for this training… some as near as the church down the road, but others from far off lands such as the Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Cote d’Ivoire. For me this workshop is more than just learning more about how to conduct a relevant workshop on say, jewelry making to a group of women… something I will soon be doing with my new part-time job for Freedom Stones, or teaching farmers how to plant a green belt of fruit trees around their land to prevent bushfires from ravaging their crops… something I am involved with in the Sunyani project, but it is also about seeing the reality of life through the eyes of my fellow course participants. The other day I watched the movie “Blood Diamond”. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that four days later I would be sitting here writing this, with a man from Sierra Leone studying behind me. He is now the name and face I have to the seemingly far-fetched story in “Blood Diamond”. He has lived through the horror and terror of war and seen in his own eyes some of the horrible things humans beings can do to one another. But in his eyes I don’t see pain and suffering, rather I see hope for a better tomorrow. I know that this hope is not something that comes quickly or easily, but it has come first of all through the grace of God and second of all through a determination to “be the change” he wishes to see in his world of Sierra Leone. This is a man dedicated to the local church… to fulfill the mission of Jesus to love the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, and mind, and to love his neighbor as himself. To him this means not just being concerned about someone’s spiritual needs, but also someone’s physical needs. I recently read a quote that said “if you give a man religion, he will starve to death praying for a fish”. Well this man, like many others at this workshop realize that people need to be able to provide the necessities of life for themselves and their families, and that the church is called to help equip and empower people to do just that. They do not work helping people get rich, but rather they work with the poorest of the poor to start micro-businesses and mobilize savings so that they can have dignity, respect, and the tools they need to make decisions leading to a better tomorrow.

One exercise in the workshop was to share with a partner about a time in your adult life when you changed your behavior, and explain how you were able to do that. I shared with my partner about how I used to be quite stubborn and had a hard time giving up control of something. Basically I was selfish and I always wanted things to go the way I thought they should go. My transformation to giving up control was gradual for the last 5 years, and more dramatic as I moved to Ghana and experienced how it is next to impossible to control anything about your life in this country. There are just so many external factors that affect you here, you really have to let things flow naturally and believe that whatever is supposed to happen will happen and be okay with that. You have to believe that while things may not happen as you plan or expect them to, that is still okay. While I know my journey of transformation has been instrumental in shaping me into the person I am today, when it came time for one of the other participants to share about the transformational journey she has been on, my example seemed so trivial and almost pathetic.
Our fellow participant shared about overcoming extreme resentment and grief. She went on to describe the horrendous experience of living through the genocide in her country of Rwanda. Others in her family, like her father and husband, were not as lucky as she was… they were killed in this attempt of ethnic cleansing.

Later at lunch, she shares with me a simple story of how after the genocide the school system was changed to English instead of French. As she herself struggles for the English words to explain more, my mind swirls in wonder of all the other changes that genocide brought to the people of her small country, Rwanda. For her the genocide brought incredible grief and resentment as she grappled with the questions of why they had to kill her father? Why was her husband killed? How could God allow that to happen to her? Beyond that, I imagine she wondered why He spared her. Why couldn’t she die with them so that she did not have to deal with such pain and despair? While her journey of reconciliation will never be accounted with full accuracy due to the intense feelings that surround the entire situation, today I was given a small glimpse of her process towards forgiveness and grace. It started with recognizing that every human being in made in the likeness of God, and through that identity there is a battle not against “flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). As such, she attests she has been able to forgive, but I wonder how you really move on after going through such an experience. In her own way, I can see that she is living in the freedom that comes through forgiveness and grace. Because we are made in the imagine of God and through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ we can be transformed to be the hands and feet of our Saviour. Marie-Jeanne is just one Rwandan choosing to make a difference in the lives of her fellow citizens. She is working with people who want to create a better future for themselves and helping them utilize the resources they have through savings mobilization groups.

It is by hearing these stories and seeing life through their eyes that I am empowered, not to become caught up in controlling my life, but to accept that God will use every situation in my life for His ultimate purpose if only I let him. No matter how challenging, menial, or frustrating my life can be, I know that everything does happen for a reason and that God is the ultimate redeemer, and His love, grace, and gift of life can make any situation perfect in His sight.

Video of the week by Jacqueline Novogratz: A third way to think about aid

2009-10-14T16:59:00.002Z

http://www.ted.com/talks/jacqueline_novogratz_a_third_way_to_think_about_aid.html

Article of the week: Africa as the "Bright Continent"

2009-08-12T16:07:00.000Z

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/books/review/Kristof-t.html

Bye Bye Ghana!!!

2009-07-22T01:48:00.002Z

Groggily I wake up, aware that a flight attendant is tapping me on the foot saying it is time to sit up, we’re landing now. I can’t believe how blessed I was… to have a whole row to stretch out and sleep on the red-eye flight from Ghana to Amsterdam. Now I’m in the Amsterdam airport for 10 hours, awaiting my connection to Minneapolis and then Vancouver. From the time I arrived at the airport in Ghana to the precious reunion ahead of me with my mom and Auntie Marj in Vancouver, I will have been traveling for 32 hours. Esh, I am just so thankful that I had a good rest on the plane, and while I’m a bit groggy, I feel surprising good so far. Beyond that, it is a good thing I just had four days in Accra to recover from the whirlwind time in South Africa.

My time in South Africa was amazing... whether it be the encouragement of the professors and my fellow students, the thought-provoking discussions in class, or having three weeks of delicious food, I have to say this grad school is one of the most exciting things I have embarked upon. It definitely has not been easy so far, as I had hundreds of pages of articles and books to read, plus papers to write relating to the readings, before I even went to South Africa. Once I got there, the readings and assignments continued and also had lectures and discussions for each of the five courses. It wasn’t long before I wondered if my brain could handle any more information, but I am counting on the fact that I can probably find the information somewhere in my notes if it isn’t in my head. As for the country of South Africa, well I can’t really say I got to experience it at all… most of my time was spent in a four kilometer radius between the hostel, our classrooms, and the restaurants. The only time I left that bubble was when we went to “Learn to Earn”, which I wrote about earlier.

There are three specific people that I really connected with, that I would like to share a bit about. On our first day as we went around the classroom introducing ourselves, I was thrilled to learn of a second year student, Leah, whose passion in life is to free children caught in various forms of slavery. Now for many of us in North America, it is often difficult to really comprehend the layers and layers associated with such an issue as child slavery, otherwise called human trafficking. One could just look at the outward situation; say in Cambodia whereby there is a huge number of children, mostly girls who are trafficked into the sex trade, often by their very own parents. Now some would ask what kind of a person would sell their child to become a prostitute, and while I don’t know all the answers I can say that when people are faced with matters of meeting their basic needs, they would do almost anything to get food on their table. Now the reason I am so happy to meet Leah is because she has recently started working in Ghana, through her organization called “Freedom Stones”. Freedom Stones is a non-profit organization that comes alongside organizations who are working to free people from slavery and provides the opportunity for teenagers and adults to make jewelry. It serves two purposes for the individuals: they are able to learn a new skill that provides them income, and exploring their artistic abilities can be very therapeutic to healing their broken spirits. The jewelry is sold in boutiques and home parties around the US, and the profits go towards the artisans. In Ghana it was revealed a number of years ago that children are sold to fishing masters who have them work on their boats on Lake Volta. It is easy for the children with their small hands to mend broken nets, and they are also used to swim underneath the boats if the nets get caught. They are often on the lake as early as 3 am and are often only given one meal a day. The sad thing is that many of these children would get less food had they still lived in their home, so for parents who have sold their children it could be argued that they are doing what they think is best for the child. It is hard to comprehend what it is like to be in a situation whereby you can’t get food on the table and as a result you sell your child to get money to feed yourself and the other children. It is a very complex issue, and I hope that when I go back to Ghana in October I can visit where Freedom Stones is working, to meet some of the people who are making jewelry, and explore how I could support this work.

The other interesting individuals that I met are an American couple, Steve and Cassandra who are working in Mozambique for a missionary organization. They work with widows and orphans and as a means to create some revenue for the organization and the widows and orphans; they have just opened a café and craft shop. Coincidently enough, this is the exact idea that some of my friends and I are pursuing in Ghana right now. We would like to open a café and craft shop in Sunyani, with the majority of profits going towards our friend’s children’s home.

I am just so excited at the possibilities that await my return to Ghana. Of course I’d have to say I am most excited to return to Ghana because Jeremiah will be back by October, and I’m also thrilled to announce that my Mom, (and hopefully Dad) will be coming to visit me then at the tail end of their own adventure related to their work with ‘The Water School’ (www.thewaterschool.org) . They will leave in September and travel to Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon, and finally end in Ghana around the 3 of October.

Looking ahead at the next few months of activities in Canada, my plans are finally coming together. I’ll be starting my visiting in BC, probably bouncing between Victoria and Nanaimo, and then will fly to Alberta on the 5 of August. I’ll enjoy over one month there before I go back to Nanaimo and prepare for the arrival of my Ghanaian colleagues. Through our project, we have annual visits by two lecturers and this year we have fundraised to have two students come as well. They all have specific interests related to what they study/teach and will be busy conducting their research and doing some sightseeing for a period of one month. I had the pleasure of being apart of this study tour three years ago with two different lecturers and I am just so excited to have a few of my colleagues come to Canada, to see what life is like there and on a personal note it will be so nice to have a few more of my colleagues meet my family and friends.

For those of you in Canada, I can’t wait to see you soon!!!

Learn to Earn

2009-07-07T14:58:00.013Z

As I stepped out of the vehicle I could hear the sound of beautiful voices singing coming from inside the building. I glanced at the sign outside the door that said “Glory be to God”, and I assumed they were holding a worship service.

My classmates and I stood waiting in the small parking lot waiting for the coordinator of the organization to meet us. All I knew was that we had driven into the heart one of the largest townships in South Africa whose people experience a 30-70% unemployment rate and a 30% HIV/AIDS prevalence rate. We had come to visit an organization called “Learn to Earn” and I was soon about to discover what it was all about. Starting twenty years ago teaching a few ladies how to sew on two old machines, they have now blossomed into a skill and business development training centre that offers educational opportunities to people not just in sewing, but also beadwork, woodworking and furniture making, art through the medium of mosaic, computer and graphic design, and construction. As we walked through the different training rooms I heard the voices singing again, but as I got closer to the doorway I could hear another sound… the steady whirr of many machines. I entered the room to see about twenty men and women singing together as they practiced sewing straight lines on beige clothe. These people have just started the sewing course and they were so happy to have a new lease on life through this opportunity that has been given to them to ‘learn to earn’. As we went further through the buildings and saw the furniture, the mosaic mirrors and candle holders, and my personal favorite- the purses and bags, I felt my heart leap as I thought about a dream I have to start something similar to this in Ghana.

New students taking the sewing course.

Me and my new purse… with the ladies who made it.

The shop at Learn to Earn.

A brief trip to the beach with my classmates.

I’m now in South Africa for the residency of my masters programme and I am in awe of all the people I am meeting, and the things I am learning. There are forty students here in total from all over the world, and 15 in my class also doing the Master of Arts in International Development. The other students are doing either an MBA in International Economic Development, or a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership. The diverse working environments and experience that all the students have makes for an extremely rich learning experience. Whether it is learning about one student’s career with World Vision coordinating their Disaster Relief efforts around the world, hearing about the missionary working with widows in Mozambique, or the Ugandan lawyer working for the International Justice Mission, I cannot help thinking how blessed I am for the opportunity to be enrolled in this program. It sure isn’t easy doing all the readings and assignments for five different courses, they have organized this residency so that we have 2.5 days for each course where we meet our professor and have a blend of lectures, class discussions, and field trips. Today was the last day for our first course, so I am happy to say I we have 1 down and 4 more to go in the next two weeks. I am learning so much about international development, global issues, all through the lens of Biblical teaching and following Jesus. I have never been exposed to such perspectives in this context and it is so exciting to discuss these issues in the way that we are. The class we just finished was called the Theology of Poverty and our first assignment was to write a case study of an example in our life where we were in a difficult situation relating to international development or global issues that caused us to questioned God and/or the role of the Church in the world. It was incredible to hear about my classmates experiences and challenges, many of which I also experience in Ghana, and then have opportunity to discuss the issues and in many cases come to new understandings about what could be some solutions to the situation. I shared about a situation we have in our project in Ghana where we teach about HIV/AIDS to young children and the question that I struggle with is related to what kind of information is appropriate for what age of child. It was so great to have my classmate’s comments and suggestions and what I am most excited about is that we still have four more courses left, of subject matter that I am most looking forward to in relation to this last course.

My classmates and me at our orientation class.

It has been a shock to live in a country with many more amenities and services than Ghana, and I really cannot complain about the hot water showers, delicious food like real cheese, olives, lasagna, and chai lattes, but the weather sure has been cold. South Africa is very different from Ghana, and the town I am in called Stellenbosch reminds me of Victoria, British Columbia. The history of the country has been interesting to learn, although you might be shocked to know that while the apartheid has officially ended, the segregation based on fear and resentment from all people to forgive each other is still very much alive. We are at a predominantly white university and the buildings are huge imposing edifices, somehow beautiful but yet somehow I did not expect such structures when I went to Africa. This is all just another reminder to me that I should not have any preconceived ideas about what Africa as a whole is supposed to be like, because predictability is definitely not something I would consider EVER exists anywhere on this continent.
Hope you’re all doing well and if you live anywhere in the Western hemisphere, know that I am very excited to see you in just about 3 weeks.

These excellent photos were taken by my classmate Tim Salmonson. Check out their ministry at www.ignonline.org

25 Years Young!!

2009-06-01T09:26:00.009Z

It was an exciting day to have some friends over to celebrate my birthday. Since I have a few circles of friends and colleagues, it was a really nice time to being most of them together for the evening. I am so blessed to have so many great people that contribute to my enjoyment and well being in Ghana. Thanks to everyone for all your best wishes! My day was made complete by the special delivery of a package from Jeremiah who is still in Liberia. Check out some photos below...

Cutting the cake! It was so yummy... thanks Sabrina, you're a great chef!!

Yummy food!!

Atta sharing a funny joke! :)

Me with Jeremiah's Mom (Salomey) and Brother (John)

Sabrina and Me

Me and our newly arrived Canadians from the University of Guelph, Kerri and her son Adrian.

See more photos here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=279546&id=855290180&l=3af6899b83

Escape to Green Turtle Lodge

2009-05-30T13:19:00.004Z

After most of the Canadians left, two of the remaining students and myself took a much needed escape to Green Turtle Lodge. If you've been following my updates over the last year, you'll know this place as become my second home as this was my 4th time there. As usual we had an excellent relaxing time, and the best part of our time happened on our last night. We had all just gotten into bed around midnight and one of our friends that we had met there came knocking on our door asking if we wanted to come see a turtle. I jumped out of bed so fast and was thrilled to have my first glimpse of a turtle in Ghana. Hope you enjoy the pics!

Checkin out the beach.

Heading back to the water... it moved much faster than I expected.

Almost to the sea again.

Off to do some swimming.

Invaded by Canadians

2009-05-30T13:17:00.001Z

To begin I don’t even think I could go back and explain all that is happening here as an attempt to rationalize why I haven’t written in almost two months. It is terrible really, first of to have not taken the time to journal and write about what is happening, and I also miss the encouraging messages I often get from you all in response to my emails/blog. While it is often overwhelming to check my inbox for a few days following my email update and see often 10-15 messages, it means so much to me that you take the time to share a bit of what is going on in your lives, which is very encouraging. It is coming up to 9 months since I’ve left Canada and I have to say I am more than ready to come back for a visit. The last month I have had the privilege of hosting the Vancouver Island University study tour with a team of 5 students and 4 professors who came to work on our project. It was a tiresome month as we prepared for their arrival and exhausted is a better word to describe my energy level the month they were here. For the entire month it was almost like every day was governed by the same emotions a child gets on Christmas morning in anticipation for opening the presents under the tree… except that feeling/buzz/excitement didn’t go away until all but two students left a few days ago. Often a foreigners impact in another country can only seen as tiny ripples on the water, at the very least our Ghanaian colleagues including myself now know that nine people in Canada care about us so much that they would take their time, energy and money to work together for a better quality of life in Ghana. It would be impossible to describe all the impacts that were made with our full team consisting of 10 Canadians and 20 Ghanaians (also a combination of professors and students), there were so many successes to be excited about. Our large team was separated into three theme teams that planned activities to educate community members about issues related to the environment, health, and how eco-tourism can be used as a mechanism for environmental education. The overlying focus of our project is based on a quote from Muhammad Yunus that says: “if a university is a repository for knowledge, then some of this knowledge should spill over to the neighbouring community. A university must not be an island where academics reach out to higher and higher levels of knowledge without sharing any of their findings.” So considering this, and also consider that our project is not in its 3rd year with only 2 years remaining, we have decided to formalize our partnerships as universities and have created an NGO called the Brong Ahafo Research and Extension Centre (BAREC). The vision for BAREC is to be a centre of excellence for research and extension services, contributing to community development, resource management, and knowledge transfer. While we still have to sort out some of the funding logistics of BAREC, they have asked me to work as a coordinator for the Centre starting in September. This means that I will continue to work in Ghana with the same project, and will also have the opportunity to support other projects, universities, and individuals in Ghana to do similar work. Starting right away we have a new project to work on that is what they call a research alliance and is a partnership of universities and colleges in Ghana, Tanzania, and Canada that looks at National Parks and their impacts on conservation and communities. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this new opportunity is that the Centre has also hired an Executive Director that I will work, meaning that I am no longer the only other person working full time on our project activities, which has often been challenging over the last while. Beyond my new position, I have also just started the “pre-residency” stage of my masters program in preparation of my residency in South Africa next month. Right now I have hundreds of pages of articles and books to read and then assignments about the readings using examples from my work experience. While I haven’t spent much time on this yet, I have skimmed the course outlines and am so excited about the opportunity to reflect on the work we have been doing in Ghana over the last three years and document what has worked, what hasn’t worked, and how we can develop strategies to work more effectively. To here’s a little schedule of the next few months of my life.

June 22 to July 16- I will be in Stellenbosch South Africa to participate in the residency period of my Masters program.
July 18ish- Travel to NANAIMO/VICTORIA!!!!!
July 26ish- Travel to ALBERTA!!!!!
September 9ish- Travel back to NANAIMO to host four of our Ghanaian colleagues (2 students, 2 professors)
October 9ish- Travel back to GHANA!!!

It is with great excitement that I prepare to come back to Canada and see everyone there again. I have to say that in the future I hope I am not away from Canada for almost one year, although I am also very happy to live in Ghana. It will be a nice few months to enjoy Canada again, and the most exciting thing about coming back to Ghana in October is that Jeremiah will be back from Liberia by then. The future is bright!!!

What a Life!

2009-03-27T19:25:00.001Z

I just sat down after having a busy day getting settled again in Sunyani after a great long-weekend to the Volta Region with our Ecotourism students. We had a really great time, but I’ll get to that in a minute. First I thought I would shed a little light on what my day was like today. Since I was working all weekend, I took today off from going to the office. My friend Thekla (from Germany) and I went to town and got some fabric for some clothes that we are getting made from our tailor. In our expedition the oddest sight was watching a old frail man pull a goat out of the trunk of a taxi and then proceed to kick it through the traffic to the meat market. After going to a fabric shop run by an older German man who has lived in Ghana for years, and setting up a tennis match for Sunday afternoon with him and his friends, we went to two different tailors to get a few things made. We also ran into our friend Mariette who runs the Children’s Home. She is just building a new house for the volunteers to stay that come to work at the Children’s Home, and she has given us the task of getting curtains made for the windows. We made arrangements to do that either Wednesday or Thursday. Then I made it home just in time for a man to deliver vegetables to me that he grows organically. Just a few minutes later I heard a quiet voice calling at my door, “sister Amanda?!?!?” and I knew it was this little boy Joseph who sells me bananas. I can’t quite describe how nice it is to have fresh fruit and vegetables delivered right to my door instead of struggling in the intense heat of the day in the market to get what I need. The rest of the evening I have spent delivering a few treats from our trip to some friends around the hostel and catching up on what I have missed over the weekend. All in all, its been a good day, but I’m tired. Now, I’ll get to the story of what has made me so tired.
On Saturday we embarked on a journey with our ecotourism students to the Volta Region. We had thirteen students, three of us lecturers, our bus driver, and his helper. While I had been to the Volta Region in November with my Dutch friend Lida, it is definitely a different experience going with students and other lecturers. I love getting the students outside of the classroom and into the field to actually see how ecotourism practices either succeed, or don’t succeed at various sites around Ghana. Technically, ecotourism means that tourism is designed to meet the tourist’s needs, while conserving the environment, and also benefiting the surrounding communities either financially or otherwise. While lots of sites use the marketing strategy of offering ecotourism, rarely do sites actually accomplish the three objectives. In total we visited five sites this weekend. The first being a waterfall, with additional attractions being a treacherous hike to see a rock shaped like an umbrella, and a three-in-one stemmed palm tree. I should have known as we arrived in the parking lot and saw three school buses and numerous private vehicles that we were in for more of an adventure than we had anticipated. To begin we followed a deceivingly casual trail, that turned into a full-fledged hike, often times requiring that you use all fours to maneuver yourself along. What added to the excitement was the entourage of children following us, about 30 children a few as young as 2 years, all accompanied by just two overwhelmed young adults. I was very impressed with our students who ended up carrying some of the small ones, and helping them all along. The funniest thing to watch was how they all ended up taking their sandals off and did the entire hike barefoot… now those are some tough soles!! The other dangerous aspect of the hike was that a huge amount of plastic bags from ice-cream and water was scattered along the trail, which could have had a banana peel effect if you had stepped on one. After about 30 minutes of hiking, the trail flattened out and we exited the tree line only to be scorched by the sun as we wandered the rest of the way to the umbrella rock formation. It was quite strange to see this big rock, randomly sitting in the middle of some farmer’s field. Beyond the rock formation, another trail led through the community’s cemetery and ended in front of two people’s houses. There, amidst the people’s livestock and laundry drying lines stood a three-in-one stemmed palm tree. They had this bamboo ladder that you could pay 20 cents to climb to where the tree branches into three and get your photo taken. While the attractions were interesting to see, I couldn’t quite decide what to think about the experience, especially the journey from the umbrella rock formation to the three-in-one palm tree.
To walk through a cemetery, with the trail literally running in-between two of the six mounds, was somehow disturbing. Beyond that, the proximity of the palm tree to the people’s house really makes me wonder if they really benefit enough from the attraction to warrant such an invasion of privacy. After the equally exhausting journey back to the parking lot, we took the concrete staircase to the base of the falls. There we were bombarded with at least a hundred school children, a cycling team, and some white people sunbathing … all adding up to an interesting time!
There was another waterfall just down the road from the first one, and so with dark rainclouds and thunder threatening above us, we made the short journey to the site of the other falls.
Our second sight was to the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary. I just love seeing monkeys and I wasn’t disappointed. This time, I even got to see a little baby monkey feeding from its mom really close up. Most of the monkeys are really animated and they really put on a good show for us.

We also climbed what is believed to be the tallest mountain in Ghana, Mount Afadjato. After a somewhat grueling hike for about one hour, we were blessed with a breathtaking view of Ghana to the east and neighboring country Togo to the west. It is really beautiful to see the villages from the rooftops, and it is hopeful when you see so much of the forest still intact in the area.

The next site is also what I would say is perhaps one of my most favorite places in the entire world to visit, Wli (pronounced Vlee) Waterfalls. The falls are the highest in West Africa, and my most favorite part is the fact that you can stand right under the falls and experience the water pounding so beautifully down on your head. If you move a few feet away and look up it is just a magnificent view, one that can only be witnessed to truly understand how beautiful it is.

While our journey to our final destination at the falls took us two days, we decided to drive straight back to Sunyani from there in one day. I’m not quite sure what the rationale was behind that, other than the fact that no one could really be gone any longer from Sunyani, but it really was a crazy idea. After leaving our homestay at the base of the falls at 6:00 am, we trudged along and finally arrived back home at 10:00 pm. The only break we had was a short break to stop at a Cedi Beads… a tourist site whereby visitors can see firsthand the art of glass bead making.
I have to say that traveling for four days ending with 16 hours of driving is enough to make someone deserve at least a few days off from work and so I will do just that.

NEW PHOTOS!!!!

2009-03-18T16:55:00.003Z

I have just posted some photos of the latest activities in Sunyani, including some evenings at my German friend's place, as well as Jeremiah's birthday... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=230409&id=855290180&l=c79d8f6eb8

Trading denial, fear, and anger for joy, peace, and contentment

2009-03-15T13:22:00.002Z

It is hard to believe I have been away from Canada now for six months. I think one of the hardest aspects of living in another country is learning in what ways you need to adapt in order to thrive in your new environment, while still remaining who you are at your core. It is necessary to adjust, change your mind to be okay with the uncertainty, and unpredictability that life in another country provides, but this is something counter-culture to instinct. It seems we feel happiest and most satisfied when we feel ‘comfortable’ and we can predict and control what our life will hold and when things don’t go as planned, as humans we tend to become rigid and there is often an inner battle based around denial, anger, and fear. We deny that life can unfold in ways we didn’t expect, in ways we didn’t choose and in those moments we can become blinded by the beautiful ways God is working in our lives. To work through this, what I’ve learned is most important is to establish who I am at the core of my being, and from that I can freely adapt to the environment and situations I find myself in, while bypassing the stages of denial, anger, or fear and move straight to joy, peace, and contentment. While we cannot always control the situations we find ourselves in, what we can control is what kind of person you are going to be amidst the challenges and uncertainty. So for me, my movements and thoughts revolve around building a strong foundation based on the values and principles I believe in and deciding what kind of person I want to be, whether I live in Ghana, Canada, or China for that matter. So when I talk about adapting, initially you could talk to me and look at me and ponder how I have developed such a funny accent and vocabulary because of the international population I am exposed to, but deep down there are also many adaptations not visible to the eye that have taken place in me. I have done research on cultural adaptations and I come to the conclusion that while we all have cultural tendencies developed from the environments that we are exposed to, I believe that everyone has the power to develop his/her own personal culture based on what kind of person he/she wants to be. While often this initially leads to us having more questions than answers, if we can find contentment in the process and trust that we are in the Potter’s hand, being formed for His glory then I believe the journey will be worth it.

When a little girl dreams of meeting Prince Charming, she doesn’t really consider that it is possible the work he is called to do could take him away from the castle for weeks and months on end. So when this happened to me almost one year ago when I met Jeremiah, I didn’t really know how to react, how to adjust to the situation. Initially it was easier to cope because we didn’t really have much time to settle into a routine of being together, and the time we were apart from May to September last year was full of great excitement as I travelled from Ghana back to Canada to graduate with my degree from university and had some great times with my friends and family. Then as I returned to Ghana in September to my town called Sunyani, with Jeremiah still in the capital of Accra, the reality of our situation really sunk in. While it definitely has not been easy, and will continue to be challenging, God has worked in my heart in some incredible ways and I am so at peace and content with our situation. Today, I say goodbye to Jeremiah again. This time he is leaving me in the country, off for peacekeeping with the UN in Liberia. While of course I feel sad and wish he wasn’t leaving, it would be selfish to dwell on my negative emotions and so I focus on how excited I am for the experience he is about to have: to learn; be challenged; to give; and to blossom more and more into the man God is calling him to be. While most of you haven’t had the opportunity to meet him yet, I assure you that the time will come and you will see for yourselves how blessed I am to have such a wonderful man in my life.

Perhaps what gives me the most encouragement about our situation is the fact that I will not just be sitting in Ghana waiting for him to return. I am excitedly planning to start my Masters program this year, and I am scheduled to go to South Africa around 22 June to 22 July for my residency. While I know it seems strange considering that I already live in Ghana, but I am a bit apprehensive about going to South Africa. I have to say that I am so blessed for the peace and long-term stability that exists in Ghana and I am just praying that my time in South Africa will be fine. What eases my mind more then anything is the fact that a friend of mine from Red Deer happens to be working in South Africa, just one hour’s drive from the town I will be in. And beyond that, she just happens to be on a break for a few days before I start my residency, so I will go a few days early, and she will show me the sights around Cape Town. God is so good!!
After one month in South Africa, my adventure continues back to Canada where I’m hoping to spend a few months connecting again with everyone there. One of the aspects of my project’s work in Ghana is that we bring two professors from Ghana to Canada every September. This year I plan to end my time in Canada in Nanaimo with my Ghanaian colleagues and then I will fly back to Ghana with them, and conveniently that will be just around the time when Jeremiah gets back from Liberia. I am already looking forward to that reunion.

Now back to the present situation, I know it has been a really long time since I’ve sent a real update, especially one that talks about my work and for that I apologize. I am always amazed at how things tend to progress here in term of work, initially wondering what you are actually doing, but then once things start happening clarity comes and everything starts to make sense and fall into place. I have been working with a committee of professors from our two partnered institutions and the relationships that have developed and deepened are perhaps one of the greatest successes of our project. I am very happy to report that our ecotourism management plan for the Wildlife Sanctuary is almost finished. While our vision has stayed relatively the same throughout the whole process, I have a renewed passion to implement our plan. It all started a month or so ago when a guy named Xenius was here. He is another Canadian who came for two weeks to work with us on the project, with his focus being bushfire management. In one of our many conversations, we started thinking about why we are passionate about protecting the environment… how the passion was lit in our own lives. For both of us it developed as we began to play in the natural environment, which instilled a love and respect for nature because we knew that if we didn’t protect the environment we could no longer play in it. Beyond this, all through school and at home we were taught about the environment, the four R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle, and reject), etc. I still remember when I was little and my Dad taught me about what kinds of things could be recycled, and also made a conscious effort not to buy things in packaging that could not either be reused or recycled. I also remember visiting my Uncle Rick’s classroom where he taught and seeing the composting bins and garden that they built at his school. So the common thread for my learning came as I consistently learned about the environment when I was growing up, and spending time in the natural environment during my leisure and recreation time. So to translate this discovery to my work here in Ghana, two things are now very clear to me. Unless the children and youth here are educated to protect and conserve the environment while they are still young, they will continue following the same behaviour as their elders, and unless people of all ages can spend time enjoying the natural environment as it is, through leisure or recreational opportunities, and experience the positive byproducts on their physical, mental and spiritual health, they will only continue to see the forest and the natural environment as a resource to be extracted for financial gain or survival.
I think that thanks in part to Grandpa Moore and his work with the city of Red Deer, they have done a great job at providing vantage points around the city whereby people can spend time in the natural environment without having to go far from home. So my first vision for my work here is to establish an Environmental Education Centre at the Wildlife Sanctuary where Ghanaian school children will come to experience the natural environment and then learn about how they can protect the natural resources in their community. For those of you from Red Deer, we are basically creating a “Kerry Wood Nature Centre” here in Ghana. The only difference will be that our animal specimens on display would include an elephant ear, foot and tusk, and a preserved cobra instead of deer and tiny grass snakes. The centre will be called the Sunyani Eco-Park. Beyond that, I would love to see how our project could be instrumental in providing more opportunities in vantage points around Sunyani for people to play and relax in the environment.

In addition to this, another possibility I am currently looking into is related to one of our topic areas, plastic waste management. I learned of a company in the US who takes plastic milk jugs, melts the plastic and makes playgrounds out of the recycled materials. Wouldn’t it be amazing if there could be mini processing plants around Ghana, all of Africa for that matter that would use the endless mounds of plastic waste and create fun, exciting playgrounds for children either at their school or community park. In Ghana they are currently exploring how plastic waste can be turned into energy, but until that happens, or even once that happens I can’t think of a better way to reuse the waste to improve the quality of life for children.

I’ve lately been listening to a podcast series from a faith community called Mosaic in LA, and I’ve been inspired by the concept that God didn’t make us to consume, but rather to create beautiful things on the canvas of our lives using the paintbrush of our giftings, talents and experiences. On that note I leave you as I dream about the ways in which I can create a beautiful masterpiece and give all the glory to my Creator.

I love you all and on this day I wish you much grace, love and peace.

5 MONTHS ALREADY!!!

2009-02-10T09:07:00.001Z

I’ve just returned from yet another amazing weekend at Green Turtle Lodge in the Western Region. This time there were 10 of us again, but from Australia, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Denmark, Holland, Ghana and as usual I was the lone Canadian. While it always seems like such a long journey to get there and back (this time going there took 9 ½ hours, and coming back took 12 hours), I always have such a great time. This trip I had the opportunity to take two of my Ghanaian friends who are students at the Forestry School and that provided some additional excitement. Both had never spent more then a few minutes walking on the beach, and so spending four days on the beach and swimming in the sea was quite the opportunity. We swam in the sea, played card games, had a tournament on the beach playing Swedish Viking, went on a canoe ride up the mangrove forest, and enjoyed some delicious food. It was a fabulous time, and now it’s back to life in Sunyani for a while.
Now that I’m thinking about how long it has been since I’ve written, I don’t think I’ve mentioned that Jeremiah has gone back to Accra for some training in the bush for the next few weeks. While it is sad to be apart again, I am getting used to it, and enjoying some time to get back into some old hobbies like sewing, making movies, establishing a fitness routine with my German friend Thekla, and I’ve been putting some of the finishing touches on my home. After five months I’ve finally got around to hanging some pictures on the wall, which helps me to remember how much fun I’ve had throughout my life and what great friends and family I have. While I love life in Ghana, I do really miss you all dearly, and most especially I am sad to think of all that I am missing in your lives. I know that life is never static and so I look forward to the next adventures that come my way, hopefully including travelling to Canada regularly.
On another topic, I’ve decided to accept the offer to the Masters program, for the Master of Arts in International Development through Eastern University. It is a two-year program, from a university in Pennsylvania, but I will do most of it here in Ghana. I’ll have a residency in South Africa for three weeks, and this year I will be there from 26 June to 22 July. When I am there I will meet all the other students who are also working around Africa, and the professors who come from the US. We’ll have some lectures there, receive our books and get all the assignments that I’ll come back to Ghana to complete alongside my regular work. I am especially excited to learn more about the academic side of the work that I have been doing over the last few years.
The courses I’ll be taking are:
• Leadership and Empowerment
• Economic Development in Developing Countries
• Theology of Poverty
• Community Development
• Social Entrepreneurship, Planning and Marketing
While the thought of going back to school is a bit annoying, I am just so thrilled for this opportunity to continue working in Ghana while I do it and I am pretty sure I will not regret this decision.

Hope all is well, wherever you find yourself!

Some more pictures from the last month are posted at...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=219469&id=855290180&l=7281e
and
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=219485&id=855290180&l=4d0aa

My First Ghanaian Christmas

2009-01-12T18:36:00.002Z

It’s been a great and varied Christmas week of celebrations. On Tuesday I was invited to the home of a missionary couple for a Christmas dinner- American style. Their son just came from the US to visit for Christmas and joining him for the journey were some staple Christmas ingredients including yams with marshmallows and delicious ham. There is another American family with four kids staying in a town about 1 hours drive from Sunyani, and I was a satisfied guinea pig to try the kid’s latest home-economics experiment- cheesecake! Now you must wonder whether cream cheese is something commonly found in Ghana, and the answer would be no. However, the mother of this family is an experimenter in the kitchen and has learned how to make her own cheese… cream cheese, feta, and she’s trying to perfect the mozzarella as we speak. She has kindly offered me lessons, so in the New Year I will be visiting them to learn the art of cheese making. We had a really nice visit with about 14 people who are all living in and around Sunyani. I think I have mentioned this before, but it is worth repeating. Sometimes when I go days without seeing another foreigner, it is very refreshing to connect with other people who are working and living in the area, and somehow it doesn’t make me feel crazy for living in Ghana.
On Christmas Eve I visited Jeremiah’s brother and their neighbour (Lucy) who has a delightful 5-month-old baby. Any visit to Lucy brings the hard reality of life as a military man’s wife. Her husband is currently in Congo with the United Nations, and has been gone for one year. He was able to come back and visit once during his time, unfortunately returning back to Congo just days before his baby was born. He returns to Ghana this January, and I am sure that is going to be one tearful reunion as he meets his beautiful baby girl for the first time. While it is quite sad, the strength of family and friends keeps her going during the tough times. When I think about the possibility of that happening to Jeremiah and me one day, I know that by our own strength we might now be able to survive, but only through the power of “Christ who strengthens us”.
On Christmas day a friend of mine from Holland invited me to Christmas Dinner at the Children’s Home that she runs with her Ghanaian husband. Somehow I was not prepared for what I experienced that evening. I don’t even know if words can express how special it was to see so many children getting dressed in their new Christmas outfits, enjoying a delicious meal, opening their gift, and dancing together under the stars. With every child I met and held, behind those beautiful eyes you glimpse the possibly of a heart-wrenching story of neglect, abuse, abandonment, and/or poverty. While life in the children’s home is very adequate, and they are extremely well cared for, one can’t help but experience sadness thinking about how often innocent children are the victims of our world’s deeply rooted issues. My prayer for those children is just that they can experience the Father’s love, that they can rest knowing that, He knows their name, and the number of hairs on their head. While I cannot even begin to contemplate why God would allow things like that to happen to innocent children, I do believe that He is faithful and while He doesn’t promise us that life will be easy, He does promise to enter into our problems with us, and for that I am extremely thankful. I have never shared Christmas dinner around tables with 40 some-odd little black faces, and it was an incredible experience.
Christmas day ended on a great note, being able to connect with my family through the internet on Skype. I began talking with my Grandma’s house in Victoria, where my Grandma, Mom, Dad, Sister and Uncle were, and then we managed to arrange a conference call with my Grandparent’s in Red Deer, who were there with my 92-year- old Great-Grandma. It was pretty amazing to have four generations from my Mom’s side, and five generations from my Dad’s side, nine of us in three different locations all wishing each other a Merry Christmas. It will definitely be a sacred moment I will always remember, and hopefully we can replicate it as often as possible. I can’t imagine what it was like for Great-Grandma Jean who was a young girl when telephones were invented, and now we can talk and see each other on that strange contraption called a computer from one continent to another.
I spent Boxing Day morning entertaining John (Jeremiah’s brother), Lucy (their neighbour), Keryn (the baby), Grace (Lucy’s sister), and Fred (Lucy’s husband’s brother), at my house. It was great to have them over, and was nice to serve them, instead of always being the one served at their homes.
On the 27th it was swimming lesson time… for my friends’ Ken and Juliana’s two boys who are 6 and 8 years old. For their first time in the water, the boys did very well and we had a great time. When we were getting out of the pool, the youngest boy Kofi says, “wow, swimming is really beautiful!” Too cute! Unlike in Canada where most children begin swimming as a baby or toddler, swimming pools have not existed for very long in Ghana, and natural bodies of water usually contain strange bugs and animals like hippos and crocodiles. This being the case, most interested Ghanaians are learning to swim later in their childhood, or even in adulthood. I must say that it is often difficult to teach Ghanaians how to swim, mostly because they tend to have a high muscle mass that causes them to ‘sink like a stone’. However, once they learn to float a little bit, their swimming tends to look more like drowning as they thrash about with their arms flailing. There has been more then one occasion where I’ve been watching someone trying to swim and have rushed to the edge of the pool ready to jump in fully clothed to save someone, only to realize that they actually are somewhat in control. That being said, it was a scary experience yesterday when a group of young Ghanaians was at the pool and they pushed one girl into the deep end to share a life ring with another guy. Inevitably, they both began to sink. I was in the water at this point helping the boys swim, and so was torn about what to do. Of course, there wasn’t a lifeguard around, so it was up to us to figure out what to do. Thankfully, the couple was not too far from the edge and so one of their friend’s on the pool deck managed to pull the girl from the water, and not wanting to get too close to the guy in fear that he would pull me under too, I threw him the life ring that I had which he managed to hang onto. It was definitely a scary moment, and I am thankful everything turned out okay, and especially glad that it didn’t scare the boys from ever wanting to swim again.

United Nations Christmas Party

2008-12-19T18:13:00.001Z

Never did I think when I sent out a text message two weeks ago that I would have 21 obrunis from almost as many countries at my home for a Christmas Party. Some coming as far as 1 and ½ hours away, it was a great celebration as we met friends old and new last Sunday afternoon. I’ll try and list our countries: Canada; USA; Japan; Australia; England; Germany; Austria; Sweden; Italy; Denmark. Some new friends that didn’t come to Green Turtle were a Roman Catholic Sister and Father, architect, French teacher, and a brave mother of a 2 year old and 2 month old (who was delivered in Ghana). We had such a nice time and I look forward to our upcoming party in the New Year.
Photos are at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=194991&l=56b5d&id=855290180

Adventures with Lida!!!

2008-12-10T19:22:00.007Z

Ko-Sa Beach Resort- Elmina and Cape Coast
We departed Green Turtle Lodge on Sunday morning, and the group dropped Lida and me along the coast at a place called Ko-Sa Beach Resort, ready to start our new adventure for the next six days. This resort is run by two delightful Dutch couples, who bought the resort about 1 ½ years ago. The food was incredible, rooms very nice, and the beach is protected by some rocks about 20 meters from shore, making it perhaps the best swimming beach even in all of Ghana. Everywhere else, the waves are so big, and the current so strong, that swimming can and has proven for some to be quite dangerous. This being the case, I really think Ko-Sa is an excellent place especially for families to visit and still enjoy playing in the sea. We had two nights there, were able to visit the Elmina Castle, and visit my batik friends where we did a batik workshop. By the way Lea, they LOVED the photos we gave them!!! Our driver/guide appropriately named Wisdom, arrived in a luxurious Mercedes Benz, and his excitement and knowledge about Ghana made for an absolutely excellent experience.

Our driver, Wisdom.

Me with all my batik friends.

Enjoying the view at Ko-Sa Beach Resort.

Aylo’s Bay- Akosumbo Dam
Today was a traveling day from Cape Coast to Akosumbo, the gateway to the Volta Region. On the way we stopped at a Cedi Beads, a great little operation whereby they create beautiful beads from recycled glass. We got the full tour, learning all about the bead making process. For those who know me well, it was a fabulous experience to actually see how beads are made and I especially enjoyed visiting the showroom to get a few gifts and souvenirs. We arrived at our hotel for the night, a beautiful setting right on the River Volta. The dining areas have been built right on the water, a perfect place to sit and watch the birds and dugout canoes.

Mount Afadjato- Volta Region
After driving a few hours into the mountainous Volta Region, we arrived at the site for our next adventure… climbing Mount Afadjato which is the tallest mountain in Ghana. Although a challenging hike for me (probably because of my recent malaria), once at the top the panoramic view was incredible. To the east we could see some buildings in the neighboring country of Togo, and South, West and North was just a fantastic view of Ghana from above.

Wli Waterfalls- Volta Region
The following day we took a nature walk to the longest waterfall in Ghana, Wli Waterfalls (pronounced Vlee). While I have been to waterfalls before, I have never quite seen anything more spectacular than this one. It is absolutely breathtaking. We got to swim in the chilly water, and go right underneath the massive wall of water. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open enough to see where I was going without losing my contact lenses. These waterfalls rank in my top ten of the most beautiful experiences I have had.

Wli Waterfalls

Enjoying some palm wine!

Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary

Kente Village!

Back to Sunyani
Our adventures ended as we traveled through the most southeasterly corner of Ghana, visiting a Kente Village, seeing where the ‘sea ate the land’, and a health farm and spa. Kente is a type of traditional weaving of vibrantly coloured thread, woven into long strips. It is a fascinating process to watch, and even more exciting and fun to try it yourself. I spent one night in Accra, before leaving Lida at the guesthouse and heading back to Sunyani at 5 am the next day. I was quite exhausted, and didn’t really feel like traveling back so soon, I needed to get back to Sunyani in time to hibernate during the election period which was starting the following day. So there are two options for taking public transport from Accra to Sunyani. One bus company runs on a schedule leaving Accra at 5 am, but you need to buy your ticket the night before. Since that wasn’t possible, I opted for the second option with the company OA Travel and Tours. They don’t operate on a schedule, but rather the bus leaves when it is full of passengers. I left the guesthouse at 5:30 am, knowing that I would likely be quite early. Another interesting aspect of this method of transportation, is that when you buy your ticket, they are numbered 1-44 and they correspond to your seat inside the bus. The last time I have traveled with them, I was number 11, and due to the sway and movement of the bus I almost vomited on numerous occasions. Leaving the guesthouse earlier this time allowed me to get ticket number 4, front row on the bus… but also means that I have to sit and wait for 40 more people to arrive before we could leave. At 8:00 the bus finally left Accra. They are currently still constructing a new roadway that spans from Accra to about 20 kms along the road to Kumasi, and it is very slow going through there. About an hour after we departed we came across an accident… a fuel tanker had flipped on its side and was leaking fuel. In Canada we know what kind of emergency precautions that would be taken in this type of situation, but here unfortunately they just had a fire truck with about four fire fighters, one police officer, and two military officers. While the fire fighters were watching the fuel tanker, the police and military were focused on keeping the flow of traffic. The gap between the fuel tanker’s tires and the fire truck parked next to it was not big enough for the semi trucks to pass, so they were all pulled over on the side of the road, and so the smaller vehicles were trying to pass through. When it was time for our big bus (size of a greyhound bus) to go, the mirrors were scraping the tires of the flipped truck, and the fire truck. This should possibly have been an indication that we maybe were too big, but we somehow managed to make it by. By that was the easy part. Now for the next hour we crawled along what should have been a free lane going our direction, but unfortunately some other vehicles coming the other way decided that they should take our lane and see if they can make it through faster that way. Needless to say, it was an entertaining situation to see the about twenty civilians, police and military officers trying to direct the vehicles and just when they would get the lane cleared, someone from way down the line of cars would take up the free lane again, and then the process would start again trying to edge all the vehicles a bit further ahead to get the cheating vehicle to pull over. We finally made it through and the adventure continued when I had to go to the bathroom so badly after being in traffic for so long. I knew that we always stop at a place not far, and while I managed to wait until then, for some reason our delightful driver decided we shouldn't stop. UGG! Now what? As I am almost in pain at the this point, thankfully a lady behind me kindly asked if we could stop. At first only two of us got off the bus to try and find a sheltered spot at the side of the road, and pretty soon we were followed by about 10 other ladies who also couldn't stand it any longer. We found this little side road to go down, but unfortunately I was suffering from pee paralysis and a bit of stage fright with all these other ladies and the occasional taxi driving by staring at the obruni trying to pee. I finally managed to go, but now without wetting my pant leg and foot. By the time I realised I hadn't considered the angle properly of the slight hill we were on, it was too late and only one other lady was still near me... the others had already returned to the bus. So here I am, the first one off the bus, becomes the last one back, with a wet pant leg and my foot was now stained red from the dirt that was attracted by the moisture on my foot. Oh, at least I can laugh about it! I finally made it to Sunyani exhausted, but happy to be home after such a long journey.

Photos are posted:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=191620&l=16238&id=855290180
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=191651&l=17c82&id=855290180

Green Turtle Lodge- Western Region

2008-12-10T16:42:00.004Z

I have just returned from an exciting, exhilarating, exhausting, yet energizing week. It all started months ago when I began meeting some fellow obrunis (foreigners), and someone suggested it was time to go on a tour and see some new sights of Ghana. We made plans to travel to the Western Region, to a place called Green Turtle Lodge. Earlier this year, Lea and I spent several days there, and I really fell in love with the place and knew my friends would also love it. Given the late notice, we were only able to reserve tent accommodations, but that didn’t stop us from making the 10-hour journey. About a week prior to leaving, I also met a girl from Holland (named Lida) who was doing some medical ministry around Sunyani and was planning to tour around Ghana for some time before leaving Ghana. We invited her to come along with us to the Western Region, and then I somehow invited myself to join her tour to the Volta Region. So last Friday, three of us left Sunyani at 5 am, bound to Kumasi where we met up with our other seven friends and then continued for another 8 hours to Green Turtle. I must say that the combination of people was quite incredible… 10 of us, from 9 different countries, ranging from 18-64 years old… some are students, and others a dietitian, doctor, retired school principal, and a model scout, just to name a few. I cannot even begin to describe how interesting it was to get to know so many people from such different backgrounds, and we all got along very well. While there were a few bumps along the way, quite literally as the last 10 kms of the road to the Lodge could be described as ‘rough’, something our hired vehicle’s driver and helper were not anticipating and at one point stopped and would not continue driving until we had agreed to give them more money. Needless to say we are all learning lessons in cross-cultural problem solving.
While sleeping in the tents on the beach, with the roar of the ocean thundering all night sounds quite nice, the glamour somehow was lost as we were squished three to a tent, sweltering hot, had sand everywhere, and the thin mattresses revealed every rock/bump under you. The first night I slept well, probably due to the fact that the previous night I only had 4 hours of sleep because I had to finish some work before leaving, and I lucked out and had a thick mattress, which made things more comfortable. The second night was not so good, and at 2 am I crawled out of the tent with Lida and went to sleep under the stars on the beach. Again, sounds delightful except for the fact that there were so many mosquitoes and it felt as though all my blood was being sucked out in a matter of minutes. I managed to get some sleep, although when I woke up in the morning and realized that I had been sleeping in front of the early risers who were eating breakfast somehow made me a bit uncomfortable. We spent our days wandering the beach for seashells, playing in the massive ocean waves, having a very serious game of volleyball, reading and eating some delicious meals. We also went on a turtle walk one evening in search of turtles laying their eggs, but unfortunately we didn’t say eyes on one. Ironically enough though, the morning after sleeping on the beach I noticed that the owner’s dog was digging in the sand just steps away from where we had slept that night, and he had been eating some turtle eggs that had just been laid. We don’t know if they were laid that night, or previously but there is nothing like feeling a bit disappointed that the turtle could have been right under our noses. Beyond that, it was also a bit disconcerting that a Lodge who prides itself on conserving the turtles could be guilty of their own dog eating the turtle eggs. Even though the elusive turtles escaped us this time, we all still had a great time… one I will never forget.

Sea Turtles and Waterfalls

2008-11-27T22:49:00.000Z

I am just preparing to leave tomorrow morning on a much needed break and adventure into the known, and unknown parts of Ghana. As I’ve told you before, I have met quite a few other foreigners, and we decided to go for a little tour this weekend. After those plans were made I ended up meeting another girl from Holland, who was here doing some medical ministry, and was planning to tour around the following week. So I’ve decided it was time to see more of Ghana, and after the weekend adventures in the Western Region at Green Turtle Lodge, we will be heading to the Volta Region… a mountainous area with some apparently beautiful waterfalls. In total this weekend there will be 12 of us, from I think 8 different countries. It should prove to be quite a good time I am sure… There is always bound to be excitement with that many people around. Stay tuned hopefully for updates along the way, but if not, around the 6th of December I will be back in Sunyani.

http://www.greenturtlelodge.com/

Pure Joy!!

2008-11-15T22:46:00.000Z

Tonight I am exhausted, but the tiredness cannot subdue the joy I am feeling right now. I feel like I am in a sweet spot, whereby challenges have been blown apart by God’s grace and some hard work, and project activities are really progressing. Today was our first committee meeting that lecturers invited their students to attend, and I am always excited seeing the students involved. We are well underway writing an ecotourism management plan for the Wildlife Sanctuary, which is basically an outline of how the site can be developed to turn it into an Environmental Education centre for Ghanaian school children to come and learn about how they can protect the environment. It is so exciting when I think of the impact this site could have on the community, considering that the school children will go home, and then educate their parents on what they learned, and hopefully spread the news about being environmentally friendly. Today’s meeting began with me giving a presentation to the committee of lecturers and students about what we have done so far, and then with direction as to where we are heading. I know I shouldn’t always be as shocked as I am, when God shows up and works in amazing ways, but I am. I went into the presentation feeling confident about what I was to present, but uneasy considering the group dynamics now that the students are involved. Before we started I just prayed, “okay God, this is your time, please speak”, and did He ever speak well today. Often when I make presentations, the time goes by in a blur and I can’t even remember what I said, but based on the feedback from the committee, the presentation really accomplished its aims. After the presentation, the committee was separated into sub-committees who will take care of different elements of the management plans based on their areas of expertise and education, and then it was time to head to the site to conduct what we call a Full Site Diagnostic. Each sub-committee had a list of at least 20 questions that they were going to search for the answers for as we toured the Wildlife Sanctuary. Aside from some nasty spiders and their webs that currently dominate the sanctuary, it is a beautiful place in the middle of the city that has so much potential. While we are all learning as we go, God is proving to be so faithful guiding us as we move forward and I am extremely excited at what this next month holds for the Project.
One very exciting answer to prayer came today as the hospitality and catering committee members from SPoly brought a delightful lady who is here from Japan for the next two years as a volunteer. Just this morning I had been praying about how I was missing having Lea around, and praying for a girl to really connect with, and here comes Yuki, a bubbling sweet girl that was so excited to meet another foreigner as well. She was even more excited to learn about a random gathering that has somehow come together between a number of foreigners every Sunday at the poolside as Eusbett hotel. It started a few weeks ago when I met four people; two ladies from Sweden, one guy from Australia, one girl from Denmark, and then also met an American lady the next week, and this past Sunday we all happened to gather again, minus the Swedes, but with two more Americans, into what I think is going to be a weekly event. I’ve started calling it the United Nations group, and now that we have Yuki from Japan, we have every continent represented. We are all doing some kind of teaching, either primary school, or university, and so you can imagine the stories, advice, and conversations that come up throughout the day as we swim, and for most of us it is a great opportunity to enjoy some ‘western’ foods. After hearing their stories, I usually feel rather good about my living situation, as some of them have some rather interesting situations whereby fufu and fish heads are commonly served to them for breakfast, they never have running water, and live with some creepy housemates. Regardless of our individual situations, we are having quite the adventure in Ghana, and it is nice to share it with other foreigners once in a while. Very enjoyable times!!!
Now that I am 97% recovered from malaria, just a bit tired still, I am feeling great about living and working in Ghana. Life is good because God is good!

An adventure into the unknown and miserable land of MALARIA!

2008-11-06T16:26:00.001Z

WHAT A JOURNEY!! Starting last Monday I was quite tired, but contributed it just to the pace I have been moving lately and kept at my regular routine. I thought I could be getting sick, but never did I expect what the last week has held for me.

On Friday afternoon, I had a stressful meeting and headed to the pool for a quick swim before dark to unwind. From there I headed back to the hostel, with my hair dripping wet, famished and ready for supper. As I remove my two containers of stew and yam from the fridge and attempt to balance them on top of each other to carry to the kitchen, they fall… spilling tomato-based stew all over the fridge and floor. Great! I finally manage to get what I didn’t spill to the kitchen, and head back to my bedroom to clean up the mess. Ugg. By this time, my hair is still dripping wet, I’ve had to change my shirt twice already, and now I’ve wrapped my hair on the top of my head with cloth… looking slightly Egyptian. I’m on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor, when I hear a knock on the kitchen door. I look out the window and shriek with delight… there smiling at me was a beautiful man named Jeremiah, having just arrived from Accra. I forget the spilled stew, rip of the Egyptian turban from my head and run to greet him at the door. All I can say is that as that weekend and this week as unfolded, it was such a blessing to have him around during this time.

On Saturday evening/night, I started feeling really sick with a splitting headache, fever of 38.9 yet chills and shivering, vomiting... Malaria symptoms. I took what they call an emergency treatment of 4 Malarone. On Sunday I felt pretty good during the day. The headache had subsided, but I still had very little energy. I consulted Dr. Heyford, Jeremiah’s friend who was in Congo with him and now works in Ghana as the resident doctor at one of the gold mines here, who then prescribed a combination treatment of two different drugs, necessary to fight the different strains of malaria parasite. Sunday was a terrible night, with my temperature up to 39.4 and I basically shivered the entire night, while sweating profusely- a horrible feeling. Dr. Heyford then advised to go for a variety of lab tests to really determine if I had malaria since the fever wasn’t subsiding. So on Monday I went to the Lab, and the results showed positive for malaria. They rank malaria in a degree of positives, either +, ++, or +++. I tested at one + positive, and Dr. Heyford believes it was probably higher then that considering I already had 3 rounds of strong treatment. I have spent the last few days resting, and hosting a few well-wishing friends and colleagues. Everyone is very concerned about me, and as typical of Ghanaian hospitality they are taking good care of me. I believe I may have contracted it from the internet café at the hostel here, where I have spent several evenings, and noticed mosquitoes around. Otherwise, I am not out in the evening, and sleep with a net, so I am not sure how else I could have gotten it. That being said, I will definitely take more precautions to prevent going through this nasty experience again. I will be on the medication until Saturday, and am not working in the office this week to make sure I have enough time to recuperate.

I said goodbye to Jeremiah on Wednesday, as he heads back to Accra to face reality again in the form of 50 some new soldiers that he gets to help train to defend this beautiful nation. Of course there are mixed feelings saying goodbye yet again: sadness to be apart; but also joy filled, happy memories of our time spent together; and an overwhelming sense of pride for the dedication and commitment he has to serving his people. It isn’t every 26-year-old Lieutenant that is given the responsibilities that he has, and that makes the present and future very exciting.

All in all, I’m now feeling a better except for a nagging headache that I can’t seem to shake. I am still resting, and hope by the end of the weekend I’ll be 100% and back to normal. I must be honest thought and admit that I am actually really enjoying the excuse to sit in bed and read, watch movies, and catch up on some computer work. Thank you Lord, for your provision of exactly what I need.

The Reality of Life in Ghana

2008-10-27T09:30:00.001Z

Phew, I cannot even begin to describe how tired I am right now. It seems like each week I have been in Sunyani has been full of its adventures, usually un-anticipated ones. I know it has been too long since my last update, but this was seriously the first time in weeks I have been able to site down and document my thoughts and feelings about living and working in Ghana.
In general it feels like I have been here forever, that I didn’t actually leave for Canada in May, and that things have just carried on since Lea and I arrived here in February. In the first few weeks I spent in Sunyani, it was a challenge to adjust to the fact that I was here alone… no Lea to explore the market for fabric, or rely on for support, or to sneak away from the office early for a swim at Eusbett Hotel. Amidst the struggle, the resounding conclusion is that God is so faithful. Often I would head to the pool out of necessity to cool down, but being not so excited to swim alone, and I would come across someone else who had also come to swim alone, to share in the experience with. Perhaps one of the biggest blessings to date is that my good friend Aaron, who I have worked with for the past two years on the project, has returned to the Forestry School to do his National Service after having completed his diploma earlier this year. So Aaron is here, also working for the project, and has been a great companion over the last month or so.
Another challenge I have been adjusting to is the length of time domestic duties take in Ghana. While you are all at home, using washing machines, dishwashers, microwaves, and have one-stop shopping at Superstore, I am blessed with the opportunity of hand-washing my clothes (have you ever tried hand washing jeans? I dare you to try it, just to see how much fun it is), and visiting at least three stores and two different markets to get enough food for the week. Most of the time that is a four-hour episode. Thankfully though, a few blessings have come along to make my life a bit easier…

Two small boys, Michael and Joseph (aged 7 & 5), come to the hostel every night selling bananas and peanuts. In Ghana parents often give their children a name determined by the day of the week they were born on. Since I was born on a Friday, my name is Afia, and I often use that name when I meet kids. Most days when I come back from campus in the afternoon, Michael and Joseph are usually there asking, “Sister Afia, would you like ba-na-na today?” It is just too cute!
One student, named Prince, has started a small business in his room selling yam, and so I get yam delivered to my door every week. This is especially exciting, since yam in Ghana, is not the same as what we have in Canada. Yam here comes in tubers at least 1 ½ feet long, and can be as thick as your arm, and lets just say it is usually a less then graceful event to get them from the market stall, to the taxi park where I get a taxi to my hostel, and then carry them from the roadside at least 500 metres to the hostel, along with everything else that I’ve bought that day.
The supermarket at the hostel has blossomed into one of the best in town, now selling the majority of non-perishable foods that I eat (bran flakes, crackers, oil, margarine, tomato paste, pasta, frozen chicken and turkey). I can’t even begin to describe how nice it is to walk downstairs and get almost everything I need. The owner of the store is one of the professors from the university, and his wife, who are so good to me. Last week I was in the store inquiring about the cost to get a package of 10 toilet paper, instead of just buying them one at a time, and the next day I went in there they gave me the 10 pack for free. Sometimes I wonder how I can ever repay the Ghanaians for the wonderful hospitality that they shower me with.
Saving the best blessing for last is a guy named Kwabinah. He is the one you may have seen in a photo on facebook carrying my refrigerator on his head to my room for me. When Lea and I were here he would help us out with various things on occasion, and since my return it is no different, except that he has now been hired to work at the hostel’s supermarket. This means that he is around all the time, and always comes running to carry my things as I return from town, or shop at the store.

Project Activities
So what, you may be asking yourself, have I been doing since I arrived? Taking seven lecturers from both the Forestry School and the Polytechnic, we have created an “Ecotourism Development Committee”. On this committee there are faculty members from various departments: Tourism and hospitality management; business and management studies; agriculture; ecotourism; and forest management. In addition to the lecturers, there is Aaron, serving as a National Service Personnel, a man named Emmanuel from a conservation-based NGO called “Green Shepherd Ghana”, and me. I must say it is a very diverse group of people, of all ages, experience, and expertise, but that is perhaps one of the most exciting things about our project. Not only does the project aim to bring people together from different departments, but also from the two universities. These are people that live in the same town, often teach similar subjects, but have never met, let alone collaborate together to serve their community and country.
It is my belief that one of the key issues in our world today, is that we live in a world of unequal distribution of resources. I would define resources as money, tangible objects, but often an overlooked resource is knowledge and information. There is a saying that knowledge brings power, and when a few elite educated people have all the power that leaves the rest of the world in the dark struggling to survive any way that they can. Looking at how we often help others in the world, we often focus on building structural capacity in the form of buildings, but perhaps the emphasis should more be on building the human capacity of the citizens of this world. Even in Ghana, a collectivist society, there are so many opportunities to collaborate with other people and institutions to redistribute knowledge, but they are overlooked. I think the reason for this is that often times, working with people (collaborating) is difficult, challenging, and uncomfortable. Even for me in this process of developing the committee and facilitating three meetings was frustrating enough to make me want to fly back to Canada at times. Collaborating requires people to work in groups, and the dynamics that creates can be difficult to manage.
Group dynamics in Ghana are very interesting right now because they are in a stage of transition. In the past, there has been an incredibly strict hierarchy of respect for elders, whereby traditionally, the oldest people in a group, must be allowed to speak before anyone younger can. Over the years that is slowly changing, but in my experience the older generations still struggle with letting go of that power. Now add me into the equation, a young, white, female, who is facilitating activities for our committee, and things get interesting. I have to say though, that I am always shown the utmost respect, arguably even more than the elder committee members, again providing for interesting group dynamics whereby the group always wants to make sure I am in agreement with what is being said. Throughout this experience I just continually reminded myself that the entire purpose of this committee, is for them to learn the process of what it is like to do community extension work. It is not as important to ‘get something done’ as it is for them to ‘learn how to do it’. For someone who has grown up in a task orientated ‘get things done’ culture, I have to remind myself of our main priority. I am very thankful that I have had my previous experiences doing similar work in Canada, Uganda and here, to prepare me for this time when I am challenged so greatly. While it isn’t easy, this quest to ‘redistribute knowledge’ from lecturers, to students, to the community, is one of great importance and is what motivates me to wake up every morning with excitement for what is to come.
Ecotourism Site Evaluations
Today was a beautiful day, and not just in terms of the blue sky and bright sunshine, but because of the relationships that were formed and deepened in the last eight hours. Our newly formed committee left the air-conditioned office for the first time together, and set out to evaluate four different potential ecotourism sites that we are considering to work with, to write an ‘ecotourism management plan’.
Three of the sites I have visited in previous visits to Ghana, with two sites being my third time. The committee members had never been to three of the four sites, and so they didn’t really know what to expect. One of the challenges working with a large group of different people is trying to arrange ten different schedules to all be free at the same time. As a result we left the campus two hours later then planned. Unfortunately then, we felt slightly rushed at a few sites, but all in all, it was a great experience for us. Perhaps the most exciting element of this experience for me was seeing lecturers getting out of the classroom, and experiencing what is happening in the real world. It is one thing to read about theory in a book and teach your students that, but to go out and see what is happening on the ground can be a totally different learning experience. In addition to just observing what is happening, it also provided these ‘academics’ the opportunity to interact with those working in their field, what we call ‘practitioners’.
Sites we visited:
The Tano River at Chiraa
It is a peaceful river that provides visitors the opportunity to see sacred fish and perhaps even a crocodile hiding in the flora that drapes over the banks of the river. Stemming from ancient tribal beliefs, the local community members believe that by eating the fish you will be subject to very nasty health issues, and so they conserve and protect them. They also believe that if you take a goat, dead or alive, across the bridge, you will die. Before we are allowed to see the fish, elders from the village come with Schnapps and pour libations to the gods. While colonialism brought an exuberant form of Christianity to Ghanaians, there are still some very deeply engrained traditional belief systems that are active today.
In addition to the sacred fish, there is also a very large pineapple plantation nearby that we got to visit. I don’t think the Ghanaians were as impressed as I was to see how pineapple grows, but they sure enjoyed the sample we were given. Talk about fresh fruit!!!
In the journey to see sacred fish, I witnessed what I would call a ‘sacred moment’, an interaction between the professor of Agricultural Studies and the owner of the pineapple plantation, discussing potential opportunities for selling the pineapple. One issue the plantation has is waste from pineapple that spoils before it gets to market, so they were discussing the possibility of juicing the pineapple to sell and market as juice. Then the professor from Business and Management entered the conversation about working with the farmer to write a business plan. There is something about seeing local Ghanaians advising, supporting, and ‘transferring knowledge’ to one another that just excites me.
WASA Cultural Tourism Site
This site could be developed to offer workshops for visitors on soap and batik making, they could also observe gari and cornmeal processing and even practice organic farming and traditional Ghanaian cooking. Currently, the site belongs to an NGO called WASA (Women’s Action Solidarity Aid), which basically uses a variety of methods to empower and encourage women to live healthy, self-sustaining lives.
The team wasn’t too impressed to visit this site, as unfortunately there weren’t any women around to talk to about they what they do, but I think it was still beneficial for the committee to visit. While this site would require funding that we currently don’t have, if there was an ecotourism management plan, it would be a great resource that the NGO could use to seek funding.
FFRT (Forestry School) Wildlife Sanctuary
On the campus at the forestry school, there is a protected area that has been designated a wildlife sanctuary. Currently it is a large fenced area, home to three antelope, many bird species, and lush vegetation and trees. They are hoping to turn it into an educational and training centre for primary and secondary school students to learn about environmental protection, and for university students to have a place for research and practical application of the theory they learn in class. It could also be developed into a regional training centre for ecotourism development whereby communities interested in developing an ecotourism site could come and learn many different skills such as tour guiding, interpretive signage, site development, marketing, hospitality, and catering.
Pottery and Brick Making at Tanoso
This site could be developed in the future to demonstrate clay extraction and give the tourists the opportunity to see the artisans creating various clay products. On one side of a river there are workshops where artisans make clay pots for eating and drinking, and on the other side of the river there is a brick factory. While the artisans who make clay pots had already left for the day, we did get to see their workshops. We were more fortunate at the brick factory, in that they were still in operation. I think the team was impressed with this site, as it is fascinating to see how clay from the ground can be turned into something so useful.
It was a great day for our committee, to explore together and I am looking forward to our next meeting where we will share our evaluation of each site with the group and hopefully select the first site we will work with.

Ecotourism Class Lectures and Tour
In addition to coordinating the activities for the Ecotourism Development Committee, I have also been assisting with the ecotourism class at the forestry school. It has been a really good experience to work with the students and my contributions have been to incorporate the practical aspects of their learning through case studies, real-life examples from my experiences, and a field trip that we took to the Western region of Ghana two weeks ago. At the forestry school they have a Bachelor of Science degree program, in which their first two years of studies are all the same, and then in the third year students can specialize into five different streams: Wildlife Management; Fisheries; Land Reclamation; Wood Processing, and our students will major in Ecotourism and Forest Recreation. It is a very new program, which at times can be frustrating, but is also good because there is a lot of freedom to design the course structures creatively, and we only have 13 students. Since the students have been studying Forest Resources for the last two years, they readily grasp the ecotourism concepts around biological conservation, but lack in the tourism, and community-based aspects of ecotourism, which happen to be more in line with my experience, education, and passion. The students are so eager to learn, and are especially excited about the practical aspects of the program that we are incorporating. Once the Ecotourism Development Committee has selected the first site it will be working in, we will be bring the students on board and they will be involved in the planning process, something that is extremely rare for students in Ghana. I am just so happy to be involved in such exciting things.
Eesh! Now that this has turned into a mini-essay, I will close now by saying thanks to everyone for staying in touch and all your support. I’d like to send out a special thank you to Lea and Tiffany for the care packages that arrived last week… THANK YOU!! It is taking all that I have in me, not to devour the skittles and m&ms in one sitting. I’d also like to wish my beloved sister a very Happy 26th Birthday today! Wow, you sure are getting old! ☺

More Photos Are Up!

2008-10-09T21:26:00.000Z

More photos are posted now!!! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=161173&l=55b86&id=855290180

In The News

2008-10-09T21:21:00.003Z

While I really believe the title should read, "Canadians and Ghanaians working together to change Lives in Ghana", it is a pretty good article. While my internet connection is too slow to watch the video, I trust that it will provide some insights into what we've been doing over here. Check it out... http://e.viu.ca/october/ghana-project

A Month Already?

2008-10-06T12:54:00.000Z

Unbelievable!!! It is exactly one month since I left Canada, and it feels like I’ve been gone maybe a week. I should start by apologizing for not having written in a while, but if you’ve been following my journey’s in the past, it seems that when I first arrive and get settled it takes me a while to get back to writing. At first it seemed like not much was happening around Sunyani, but now things are in motion and I am picking up speed. While I am not yet settled in what will actually be my room at the hostel, they are working on getting it prepared (waiting for the carpenter, electrician, and plumber to come and do some minor repairs). At least for now I have the kitchen all organized and as you will see from my photos, I’ve been able to prepare some very delicious meals so far. Thanks to some direction from Vincent, Aaron, the market ladies, and my new friend Lucy (who lives next door to Jeremiah with her husband and 2 month old baby named ‘Promise’) I am learning the tricks of cooking with Ghanaian ingredients and really enjoy experimenting with different things. Good thing Jeremiah, Vincent, and Aaron are such good sports for eating my concoctions. So far so good. One day I really hope to have my own garden here so that I can grow my own vegetables, but for now I get to visit the market regularly, which always tends to be an adventure. I’m happy to say that all my market ladies are still around, remember Lea and I, and I can be sure I get nice things for the ‘real’ price. Sometimes, people will try to charge a bit extra for us obrunis (white people), but because they no know me, and the minute I speak their language, they realize they probably will not get away with anything. I have been gathering a few things for my new room, including some curtains and fabric for a room divider to separate my bed from the living area… now I just have to visit my tailor, Julianna, who will sew some minor adjustments to them. And of course, Julianna is currently working on two new skirts for me. I think my second career is going to be fashion design.
I currently find myself in Accra for the weekend to visit Jeremiah, who is still here teaching at the Military Academy until December. While things have been busy for Jeremiah, we have had some great time together. I am beginning to learn the reality of military life, that your time is not your own, but God is granting us patience and teaching us to cherish the time we do have together and make every second count. Sometimes that means we get to talk on the phone for 3 minutes, but at times we are blessed with hours on end, and I am thankful for it all. We are trusting that when December comes he’ll be back in Sunyani and have a bit more of a ‘normal’ life. We know that God is good and in control and will work everything out how it is supposed to. He has not failed me before.
He has a friend from his peacekeeping mission in DR of Congo that is a doctor in the Western Region of Ghana for one of the mining companies, but he keeps a place in Accra and has let me stay here for the weekend. The place is rather old, but very nice and clean and a great location to lots of activity in town. It is on a street of contrasts… home to everything from the former US Embassy, the ‘under construction’ Swedish High Commission, big estate houses, and then shacks made from corrugated tin that have signs out front saying “This property is not available for sale or lease”. There are some big supermarkets where I’ve been able to get some tastes of home including granola, mint aero chocolate bar, Silk soy milk (even the same brand that I drink in Canada!), brown sugar, whole wheat crackers and flour, and yummy yogurt. I was also pleasantly surprised to see a shop called “Global Mamas” just down the street that I have been to in Cape Coast who operate as an NGO that Lea and I did our batiking classes with. I’ll be heading there later today and am hoping to find a few treasures. Unfortunately when I left Canada I ran out of room and had to leave most of my Ghanaian clothes behind, so ‘unfortunately’ I am on the hunt to replace a few of them… it really is too bad that I have to do more shopping! ☺ Anyways, it has been so great to be here, to see Jeremiah, do some shopping, and get caught up on some reading.
Phew, I really think I should stop now… but hope you all feel caught up to the happenings in Ghana as I continue living this crazy adventure called L-I-F-E! Love you all and miss you greatly!

What do I do you ask??

2008-10-04T12:53:00.000Z

By now I am sure all of you are wondering specifically what I am doing over here, so here is the 30 second version of the story… I am here with the same project that has brought me to Ghana in 2007, and this year in February. The project is a partnership of Vancouver Island University and two universities in Sunyani, Ghana… the Forestry School known as FFRT, and the Sunyani Polytechnic. The purpose is to equip the two Ghanaian universities with the capacity to do extension work that will benefit their surrounding communities. The extension work can consist of an unlimited number of things, and to begin with we have been focusing on doing ‘environmental education’ around the following topics: Bushfire Management, Plastic Waste Management, HIV/AIDS, and developing ecotourism. It is really about educating the community about how their individual behavior is negatively affecting the environment, and then providing alternatives for them to make wiser, more sustainable decisions on a daily basis.
My purpose for returning to Ghana is to work on the ecotourism aspects of the project activities. When we have visited ecotourism sites in the surrounding communities, the community leaders and operators have expressed that they often struggle with knowing how to manage and develop their site, and a few have asked that we help them. Thus, the birth of an idea to provide a link between three groups of people: local communities, ecotourism site operators, and the institutions of FFRT and Sunyani Polytechnic. The purpose of forming this partnership is to provide local ecotourism sites and communities with support from the institutions to adequately manage and develop their ecotourism site and its products, while also providing lecturers and students from the institutions with an opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge and gain experience in a real-life setting. The tangible outcome of the extension work is for local tourism sites to have a practical management plan that will guide them to effectively manage and develop the sites. So I am here to coordinate all of this. Since I have arrived, my focus has been on assisting the ecotourism lecturer to develop the course content for this semester to involve the ‘extension’ activities. Beyond that, I have begun to develop relationships with different lecturers from other departments who will be involved. These include: business and management studies, hospitality & catering, agriculture, and forest management. Now that is almost complete, I am connecting with two different organizations that are involved with a variety of ecotourism sites in the area. Once all these contacts are made, we will all meet together and decide how we will move forward. It is our hope that by December, we will be able to write the ecotourism management plans for two different sites. It has taken a little while to become immersed in the work, but because of spending the time here earlier this year, I am able to make contacts with people that would otherwise take months to track down. All in all, I am amazed at how things are falling together in terms of finding the right people to be involved, etc. God is so good!

I have a mailing address... just in case anyone is interested!

2008-09-19T20:06:00.004Z

Amanda Moore
C/O Mr. Samuel Obour
SUNYANI POLYTECHNIC
P. O. BOX 206
SUNYANI, GHANA

Photos are up!

2008-09-19T20:06:00.003Z

There aren't many yet, but here's a start to the photo collection...
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=161173&l=55b86&id=855290180

Finally in Sunyani!!!!

2008-09-19T20:06:00.002Z

Phew, I can’t even believe it has only been 2 days since I arrived in Sunyani! There is so much excitement about the project around both campuses, and I feel like we are all more then ready to start moving forward on something really tangible. I know so many of you have been wondering what I have been doing in the past, and what I am going to be doing this time in Ghana, and I finally feel like I have some clarity. To go back to last year, what we really have been doing is building a strong foundation of students, professors, and community members, who we can all work with to assist and impact the surrounding community with needs that they have. Both Universities here have good reputations in the community, and the fact that they have students and professors who are willing to go into the community is amazing and so exciting to see. Now that I’ve arrived, I feel like I’ve already been swept up in a nice breeze that is blowing in from the coast... a breeze that has taken two years, but has finally come. The past few visits to Ghana it felt like we all (Ghanaians and Canadians) had to do a lot of ‘blowing’, but now the momentum is going and I can tell there are going to be some great success stories come out of this project. My purpose for being in Ghana this time is to provide a link between three groups of people: local communities, tourism operators, and the institutions of the Forestry School and Sunyani Polytechnic. The purpose of forming these partnerships is to provide local tourism sites and communities with support from the institutions to adequately manage and develop their ecotourism site and its products, while also providing lecturers and students from the institutions with an opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge and gain experience in a real-life setting. The tangible outcome of the extension work is for local tourism sites to have a practical management plan that will guide them to effectively manage and develop the sites. This is the first step in equipping and preparing both institutions to continue in this sort of work for years to come. As part of my work I will also be assisting to lecture in the ecotourism department at the Forestry School, and doing some guest lecturing in various departments at the Polytechnic.

I’ve spent the last two days jumping back and forth to both campuses, meeting with various people, getting up to speed on what has been happening since I’ve left, and discussing what I am now here to do. The response from everyone has been great, and I feel so glad to be back here. Now that I’m in Sunyani, it seems like I never even left. There have been some small changes to each campus, but all in all, everyone is still the same, but even more welcoming towards me this time. Many students didn’t know I was coming back, so there have been some priceless expressions as I have run into old friends. For those of you who have been here before, know that everyone asks about you all the time, and wonders when you are going to come back. I’ve included some quotes below of some of my favorite expressions from people over the last few days. I am not trying to toot my own horn, I just want to share the love and support that I have here.

“Our great mommy is here!” ~ Justin, a student.
“Our professor is back!” ~ Faith, a student.
“This is Amanda, she’s one of us.” ~ Daniel, a student introducing me to his friends.
“I never thought you would return.” ~Cucua, the librarians 9 year old daughter.
“You know, Amanda… she’s basically a sister now.” ~ Kas, Project member.

And then some funny things pertaining to my apparent weight gain that occurred when I as in Canada.

"Oh, Amanda... your Mommy must take very good care of you and feeding you so well!"
"You are looking very soft... you must eat more vegetables in Canada?"
"Wow, you are strong!"

Culturally, it is actually a compliment for you to gain weight, and I'm used to it so I don't take offense. After all, I am very aware of what I was eating when I was in Canada, and know it won't take long for me to be back in good shape.

I am currently staying at the FFRT hostel again, and after searching out a few other options, it seems there is a different room here, tucked away in a corner that will be suitable for me. They are just in the process of cleaning it up, as apparently this room was the last one the painters got to and thought they should splatter paint all over the floor to use up the last in the can. It isn’t really that bad, and is going to be so nice to finally start getting settled into a more permanent room, probably on Monday. The offices on campus have been refurbished, so I have requested an old desk and table for my room, so that is going to be very nice. In the end, I will have a room, with bathroom attached, and then also a kitchen to use for myself right next door. Oh, I am so excited for that, and also glad to be staying at the hostel, because aside from how loud it can get, it is a very positive environment, very safe and secure. I think it would be impossible to get lonely staying here because there are always people around if I want to visit. I am just praying that this new room will be quieter, otherwise it is likely I will have to find someplace else, but that will not be easy I am afraid. I am optimistic this will work out though.

Imported Foods in Accra

2008-09-16T23:15:00.003Z

Today I took an adventure to the nearest supermarket in search of some foods I cannot get in Sunyani, as well as a table-top water purifier. While they had many foods I would have liked to get, they charge an exorbitant amount of money for the imported goods. Here's an example of some of the prices...

Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix- $14.50 per box
Activa Yogurt- $19.50 for a snack pack of 4. (my favorite kind of yogurt by the way!)
Silk Soy Milk- $3.69 per small carton (also my favorite, and I am currently debating whether it is worth the cost)
Canned Dole fruit- $8.00 per can
Frosted Flakes- $12.00 for a small box
Canada Dry Ginger Ale- $14.50 for 2L bottle
Ice cream drumsticks- $3.50 each
Smuckers Peanut Butter- $8.50 small jar

Apparently there are enough foreigners here that are will to pay those prices, but I sure couldn't justify it. Maybe if I lived here for 6 years straight and was craving something badly enough, I might shell out the money, but I am not that desperate yet. I left with just a few items including babybell cheese that was on sale, dried oregano and dill, brown rice, and a new mosquito net.

Day 4 of Dusty, Dirty Accra

2008-09-13T22:42:00.000Z

Wow, I can't even believe how much I really detest this huge city of Accra. I moved yesterday from my friend's hotel to a guest house that I heard about from some people in Red Deer who have stayed here before. Jeremiah drove me to the new guest house... it was only about 20 kms, but it took 1 hour to travel through the hot, dusty, traffic jammed streets. Oh, I can't wait to get to Sunyani, where it is so much nicer... I am just not a fan of the big city. My new guest house is a really pretty place, on beautiful grounds in one of the ritzy parts of Accra right near the airport. It's just a few doors down from the Korean High Commission and a few blocks from the crazy monstrosity of the US High Commission. I can't believe the US think it is important to have a palace bigger then the Victoria parliament buildings in Ghana... hard to think they have that much interest in this country, but I guess you never know. Anyways, the guest house is a nice place, and I have a kitchen which makes it an affordable place to stay and nice that I don't have to go out for meals. There was a group of 18 missionaries staying here from the US that I met yesterday and went out for supper with them last night, and then spent the morning today with them at a craft market and out for lunch. They were such a neat bunch of people of all ages and walks of life, and very encouraging to be around. I really enjoyed connecting with them, and it was interesting to hear about their trip to the northern region to work in a small village. At the place we were for lunch I ran into three girls from Ontario who just arrived on Monday and are here working on a CIDA project through Bow Valley College in Calgary. The strangest thing about this run-in is the fact that when Lea and I were here earlier this year, we met one of the supervisors of their project, and we have been looking for ways to collaborate with them for our project. These girls are going to a few different villages around Ghana, one being fairly close to Sunyani so I might be able to catch up with them once in a while. What a small world we live in!

I spent the afternoon with Jeremiah and now am just catching up on some emails before heading to bed. I'm slightly afraid to sleep tonight, as I think the new malaria medication I am on is giving me some really wonky dreams... for example last night I dreamed that I was outside walking my parent's puppy and all of a sudden she turned into gumby, you know that green animal from some childhood tv show whose legs can twist and bend all over the place... and so LuLu was trying to manuver her way down the street but her legs kept getting all twisted up and eventually her legs started bleeding... and well, it was distrurbing and I'm really hoping that I won't have any more crazy dreams. My back is getting better... slowly... the swimming at the hotel really helped, and now I'm just trying to stretch it out because it is really tight. All I can say is that I am extremely glad I had planned to stay this long in Accra, because there is no way I could handle the 8 hour drive to Sunyani with my back the way it is.
I think that's about all for now.

I MADE IT!!!

2008-09-11T11:47:00.002Z

Oh, how exciting!!! After what seems like days and days of planning and preparing, I finally made it!!! The trip was pretty good considering it was 23 hours of traveling... with my only solace coming in the form of Advil to mask the pain in my back. Surprisingly, it is feeling a bit better today, and hopefully will continue to improve over the next few days. I'll be spending one week in the capital of Ghana, Accra. During this time, I will have several meetings with George, the man who helped initiate our project. Jeremiah is also in Accra right now teaching at the military academy, so I am so excited to have some time with him while I get over jet-lag, and adjust to things here once again. I will be heading to Sunayni on the 17th.

Saved by Grace

2008-09-08T11:26:00.000Z

Phew, I must say that every time I prepare to go away I tell myself that this time it is going to be different… that I will plan ahead and not run around like a chaotic psycho trying to get everything done that I need to before I leave. While preparing for this departure started out okay, things went downhill rather fast as I packed in Alberta, and then unpacked in BC, only to pack again… and of course, something to add to my chaos is returning from my camping trip to Tofino with a horribly sore back. I spent today trying to determine whether I would be able to have time to go to the chiropractor and for a massage, and arrange how to get it all done while sharing the van with Tiffany, as she bustles around to school and then work. Unfortunately I didn’t end up getting an appointment with the chiropractor or my massage therapist, but settled on a relaxation massage at a spa. It was definitely better then nothing, but my back is still killing me. I am wondering how I am going to manage 23 hours of straight traveling tomorrow, most of that time sitting smushed into a tiny seat on the airplane. If you’ve traveled lately, you will know those seats are not getting any bigger. I am only praying that after a good sleep in Vancouver I will be much better tomorrow.
Now to the title of this story… “Saved by Grace”. Because of the chaos of my back, and getting the van to Tiffany at work, I ended up running behind to the ferry. My friend Sam, who is originally from Ghana, graciously drove me to the ferry. It turned out to be more of an adventure then we anticipated. Knowing we were running behind, I ran to the ticket seller, only to learn that they already closed the doors. I’m not sure if it was the look on my face, or Sam’s, but the lady decided to call down and see if they could let me on. They said yes!! They wanted me to go down this elevator and then walk on the driving deck, but what they didn’t know was that I had 1 huge Rubbermaid bin, 2 roller bags, a backpack and a purse. Thankfully, they allowed Sam to run with me down there, carrying everything, and we made it just in time. Now this is when it just gets even better. There were 5 strong men with big hearts there willing to help me out. At this time they send Sam away cause we were about to sail off, and there I was, with all these bags strewn about the car deck amidst the huge semi trucks. All I can imagine is trying to haul all these bags up three flights of stairs to the passenger deck, and trying to find a place to sit, and then trying to get them off at the other side. That’s when the big hearts opened even wider and they decide my bags should go to the van where the bags would have gone if I was on time, the only problem is that van is parked at the front of the boat. So one guy picks up the 70 pound Rubbermaid bin, and has to go upstairs and then downstairs cause he can’t fit past all the semi trucks, and then another guy and I roll the other bags through the narrow opening between the semi trucks, with the poor guys vest getting snagged on the back of every truck we pass, and I’m not even thinking about what my sweater looks like now. Anyways, we get to the front, they call down the van driver to open the door, and I get rid of the two biggest bags. All in all, I can’t even begin to say how thankful I am for Sam for running with me with all those bags, and for the kind people of BC Ferries for making an exception and letting me on. Oh what a blessing! So now I am off, to Vancouver tonight to stay with Auntie Marj and I will be at the airport tomorrow at to fly out at noon. I fly through Detroit and Amsterdam, with a few hours stop in between to stretch my back and arrive in Ghana at 6:20 pm on the 10th of September. I am so excited to go back, and finally the wait is over!!!!

Goodbye Red Deer...

2008-08-25T22:35:00.002Z

I have just spent three days with my parents and Lu-Lu (their new puppy) in an SUV with U-Haul trailer leaving Red Deer, traveling through two states to see my parent’s new 5th wheel trailer in Washington, only experiencing a few minor incidents involving a visit to the Spokane court house to clear the title on the 5th wheel, one 911 call to report a hitch hiker in the middle of the road that we narrowly missed running over at midnight, one large dent in the vehicle due to a slight memory lapse that we were towing a trailer that happened at 1 am, and the result we have is three extremely tired and grumpy people and one stir crazy puppy! Wow, what fun, do you think we can do it again?
So now that we’ve gone through that, we are spending the next few days in the Nanaimo area sailing on our boat. Yesterday we awoke to a disgusting sight of rain and gloom, so we spent the day provisioning for our upcoming few days at sea… or more accurately, anchored in a secluded bay somewhere. It is slightly strange to be back in Nanaimo, and instead of preparing to go back to University, I get to prepare for my upcoming departure to Ghana on September 9th. Part of me wishes I had left for Ghana months ago, as I am desperately missing my second home, and everyone there, but I am glad to have this time with my family and friends here. Throughout the next few weeks I will be celebrating my Grandma’s birthday, going surfing at Long Beach with my Uncles, and visiting with my sister, Lea and hopefully seeing a precious Ghanaian family that lives in Nanaimo- the Agyekum’s. I’ll also be focused on eating everything and anything that I cannot get to eat in Ghana that in a few months I will be madly craving. Stay tuned for details of these upcoming adventures...

What a Whirlwind!!

2008-06-22T22:43:00.000Z

I currently sit aboard a massive cruise ship, the water waves breaking as we sail along the shores of Alaska. Four weeks ago I never would have imagined I would be on a cruise in Alaska with my Grandma. As I reflect on the past few weeks since I have arrived in Canada I am in awe of what has transpired. Overall, I am feeling pretty good about being back in Canada. In contrast to my transition last year coming back from Ghana and Uganda, I haven’t had any anxiety attacks in the supermarket, or at the mall, so that is a very good thing. Perhaps it is because of the knowledge I will not be in Canada for long, but my transition to life in Canada has been relatively smooth. I arrived off the plane exhausted after 33 hours of traveling, but excited for what was to come. I spent the first few nights with my Grandma and strangely it felt like I had been gone for only a few weeks. What I was most excited about was the fact my sister, Tiffany had returned from Uganda in order to be here for my birthday and convocation ceremony. She arrived to Victoria with my parents just in time to begin my birthday celebrations. We went to Shawnagan Lake for the weekend to stay at a cabin with my grandma’s friend… and there we had an exciting time playing games, swimming in the freezing lake, having a watermelon eating contest between Dad, Tiffany and I, and getting to know my new baby sister- a 10 week old puppy named LuLu (after Honolulu). After a great weekend we headed to Nanaimo for my convocation ceremony... hard to believe after all that hard work I am now a University graduate. I didn't have much time to prepare myself for what that would feel like, but as I crossed that stage in that silly looking outfit and was reminded that I am now among the 1% of people in this world that has a university degree, I felt pretty good. While I know that piece of paper doesn't really mean much, when I think about the incredible experiences I have been able to have as a result of my education it is pretty amazing. Who would have thought that in a period of four years I could travel to Costa Rica, Ghana twice, and Uganda... all for school? Those are the experiences that have really added to my education in ways that sitting in a classroom really couldn't do. I would really like to thank all of you in my life who have made it possible for me to get to where I have gotten... who have believed in me and encouraged me to just go for it. I know some of you laugh when you think of when I was little and would say that I would get married at age 20, and by 30 have 6 kids... and wow, did God have other plans for me. While getting married and having kids is still a desire I have, I have come to see that God also has other plans for my life. With that being said, I don't have a ten year plan or even a five year plan, I am okay with that... I don't feel like I need one. I know that one day at a time, the Lord will guide my path and when those years come and pass I will be in exactly the place He wants me to be. The reason I am living this way is because in the past when I have had a plan, it was too easy to put my faith in that plan, rather then in God Himself. All the time I hear about how important it is to have goals and objectives for life, and while I think that is important, I believe it is more important to have goals about who I want to be, rather then goals about what I desire to be doing. I know who I am, and so no matter what I am called to do, I will be prepared and ready for whatever I am supposed to do in order to accomplish His purposes on earth.

For photos of my time in Alaska, click on the following links...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=128041&l=91700&id=855290180
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130139&l=96c12&id=855290180

Beaches, obrunis and self-composting toilets...

2008-05-20T12:14:00.000Z

Once again, I am shocked at how fast the time is flying by. Last Thursday Lea and I left Cape Coast and traveled to the Western Region to stay at a place called ‘Green Turtle Lodge’. After traveling about 3 hours along some good, and then not so good roads, we arrive at this little piece of heaven on earth out in the middle of nowhere. The attraction for us to ‘Turtle’ was the incredible environmentally friendly practices they have built the business on. Everything runs on solar energy, all the toilets are self-composting outhouses, the tap and shower water are used to water flowers and plants, and all the structures are made from natural materials like wood, shells, bamboo, and palm trees. While the owners are from England, they hire all local people are provide employment for over 30 staff. In order to provide additional employment, they also offer hiking and canoe tours in the area that are guided by the local youth. As their name implies, the lodge is situated in a major turtle habitat. The turtle meat and eggs are worth a lot of money, and often they get caught accidentally in the fishing nets from the nearby village. As a result, in the past the fishermen have sold the turtle for meat and have been angry because the turtles usually ruin their nets, but now that the lodge has been built, they will trade the fishermen for his damaged net and turtle and give him a new net. They will then release the turtle back into the ocean. In order for the local population to believe these conservation efforts are worth it to them, the lodge has also set up a community fund whereby a portion of the lodge profits go into a ‘community fund’ that a committee of local community members decide how it will best be spent. I learned they have recently been able to purchase the wood and necessary equipment to run power down to this village of 2000 people. By Ghanaian standards, this is a remarkable expenditure that this community would never have been able to afford without this community fund. This is an example of how ecotourism can work to benefit a local community, while conserving the turtles, and providing tourists with a nice experience. I will admit it took me a while to settle into life at the ‘Turtle’… mostly because of the overabundance of obrunis (white people) that I am not used to seeing and interacting with. I have forgotten how to speak to white people. Depending on who you are talking to, even speaking English to Ghanaians can be interesting and we have adopted a special way of speaking that is definitely not the same as at home. I’m sure once we get back you will all experience what I am talking about and I will apologize in advance if you do not understand me. Our time reacquainting ourselves with other obrunis was probably a great transition for me to prepare for arriving back in Canada next week. After a few days I began to settle in and must say I haven’t relaxed like that in what arguably could be years. There was really nothing to do except read, write, walk on the beach, sleep, and we did do a canoe tour on a mangrove one morning. It was glorious, and I was especially excited to read more books in 5 days then I have all year. It was a soul-searching time as I really had time to consider what the next chapter of my life will look like. I read, journaled, prayed, read some more, contemplated different alternatives, prayed some more, and while I still do not know whether my path will go as I have planned in my head right now, but my first step in knowing the path is applying for a Masters program that I would do over two years in Africa. I know I have mentioned this before, and believe it would be a very good step for my future plans since I also have the opportunity to return to Ghana in a few months to continue the project work through the university. The only challenge to returning to the Ghana for the project is that since I would no longer be a Malaspina student it might be difficult for me to get funding to provide for my needs while here. There will still need to be many discussions when I return to Nanaimo about what I would actually be doing when I come back to Ghana, but regardless of what I will be doing, the momentum that is going is very exciting. When I think even for a second about the connections I have made with the people this project is impacting, it doesn’t take long for me to realize this is what I am supposed to be doing. It has been a challenging decision as I really consider what a life in Ghana means compared to that in Canada and the most difficult consideration is when I think about being away from my family and friends back there and missing out on being apart of daily life there. With that in mind, I consider what I could do when I am back in Canada and nothing really excites me like this opportunity in Ghana does. That is not to say I couldn’t find something in Canada I would be passionate about, but it hasn’t passed my way yet and I don’t think I will pursue anything anyways. When I think about what I will miss the most I realize that I have so many happy memories with everyone, but realize that the reality of what life would be like if I were back in Canada would not be how it was before. Anyways, I hope that gives you a glimpse of what is happening for me right now as time moves ahead and the path I am to walk on becomes clear. Ultimately I know that what God has for me will come to pass as each day goes on and I follow His lead. I once listened to a speaker that said sometimes people have a tendency to sit around and wait to see if something is God’s will or not, and his suggestion was to “Go, unless God says no”. I realize that is typically what I have done in my life, and see that things have worked out generally quite well so that continues to be a principle that I live by. While I know I will be returning to Ghana in a few months, the realization that hit me last night that I am leaving on Monday somehow isn’t sitting too well with me. Of course the saddest thing is to be saying goodbye to the people I have grown to love so dearly, but I am encouraged by the fact that I will see them again soon. Going back to Canada will be exciting though for a variety of reasons.

I will be having my graduation ceremony on June 2^nd which will be a great celebration of the last few years of all my hard work towards my degree.
Something I wasn’t anticipating, but am incredibly excited about going back to Canada for is to see my sister again who will be arriving just days before me from Uganda. Oh what a reunion that will be!
For a birthday and graduation present, my grandma is taking me on an Alaskan cruise for a week right when I get back, I am so excited to spend some one-on-one time with her!!!!!

All in all, while sad to go, it will be great to be back on familiar soil for a while before embarking on my next adventure.

Moving onward...

2008-05-14T22:06:00.000Z

Wow…where to even begin? It seems like just yesterday Lea and I were arriving in Sunyani and getting settled into our new home at the FFRT hostel. Hard to believe three plus months can fly by so fast and we would be relaxing at Cape Coast for our final two weeks in Ghana. It has been an incredible journey, full of ups and downs both for the project and personally, but I am so pleased to say how excited I feel after it all. I have fully recovered from the car accident, with only a few small scars to take home, that my Ghanaian friends like to call my African tattoos. During my recovery I have never quite experienced the kind of love and care that I did, in fact it was almost too overwhelming. I find it interesting how trying times can really bring people together. We survived the three week whirl wind with the other Canadians and some great progress was made in terms of building some solid relationships with people and organizations that will keep the project work going now that we have left.

I am particularly excited about the ecotourism project activities that I was involved with. The key to ecotourism is to ensure that at an attraction, tourists that visit are satisfied, the natural habitat is protected, and that the local community members benefit from having a tourist site in their backyard. As a group of students and faculty members from Canada and Ghana we visited nine sites to do an analysis of the sites to look at the strengths and weaknesses, potential opportunities for the future, and also consider possible threats that could limit the site from being most effective. Our project aim is to help the local communities who run the tourist sites to develop them in a long term sustainable way. This will require a huge commitment by the project to ensure that the sites are supported on a long term basis, not just for a few years and then leave the communities to fend for themselves. What I have learned is that tourism is a very delicate industry when we consider the local communities that are affected by having visitors passing through on a regular basis. I am sure we have all seen examples of tourism gone wrong and it is our aim to be proactive and help Ghana to learn from the mistakes of many other countries in order to ensure long term benefits exist for the communities, tourists, animals and biodiversity.

Now back to the present… when I am currently trying to decide whether to go for a swim or run on the beach, or head to town and get one or two things done. Lea and I said goodbye to the other Canadians who flew home and we have been staying for the last 6 nights at a beautiful oceanside resort and tomorrow we plan to work our way west along to coast to do some more exploring. We have just over a week and a half left in Ghana before heading back to the familiar land of Canada on May 27. I leave with mixed feelings… happy to be seeing my friends and family very soon, but also sad to be leaving my newfound home and people I love so dearly. After seeing the response from the other Canadians it is safe to say I am not alone in believing that Ghanaians are literally among the kindest, most generous people I have ever met. To give an example I will tell a short story of what happened to me one day a month ago.

The Day of Blessings

I woke up like it was any other day, but it didn’t take long for me to realize this would be a special day. I took a taxi to town to meet my newly arrived professor and his wife, Rick and Anne, to give them an introduction to the town of Sunyani and particularly the market. As always, when I get into a taxi I speak the little Twi that I know and see that the other passengers and driver are impressed… We have a nice little conversation together before I alight at the corner and try to pay the driver. He refuses to take my money. I learn the man in the front seat has paid for me. A 35 cent blessing that warmed my heart. I meet Rick and Anne and we head to the market to my usual ladies for the vegetables and fruits that we want. As we are walking along I notice a woman running up behind me, calling for me to stop. She is panting as she has come a long way down the lane, with a bill of 5 Ghana cedis, (about $5.00). She saw me drop it up the lane and chased me down to return it. For the life of me I don’t know if it was actually mine, so for her efforts I ask her to keep it. She is blessed. A while later I part ways from Rick and Anne and head to a cell phone shop to get my phone repaired. The shopkeeper Afia, is a friend, we see each other regularly as the tailor who sews my clothes is next door. Since we share our Ghanaian name (Afia, meaning we were both born on a Friday), we have a good connection. I learn she is 24, and the small girl in the shop is her daughter, Mamaya who would be between six and eight years old. Afia had her when she was very young, but somehow was still able to finish high school. Her dream is to attend University and get a degree in business. She is a good businesswoman. I silently pray she will get to University so she can have a shop of her own, but deep down I know that probably won’t happen. They don’t have much money, and beyond that, it is common for University acceptances to be determined by who you know. Afia’s brother comes by to visit, and gives his niece Mamaya one Ghana cedi bill. (about $1.00) She is excited and runs away to show her friends who are now crowding around the store’s entrance. My presence is drawing some curious bystanders. Mamaya returns and starts to talk to me. We talk about Canada, snow, she asks if I am from London. She then asks me how I get home. I tell her that I take a taxi. Then this small girl does something I will never forget… she hands me the bill her uncle gave her and says “this is for you to get home”. I am stunned and ask why she would want to give me her money and she quietly says that she wants me to have more money then she does. I thank her over and over again, and praise her for thinking of my needs before her own, but kindly decline her offer. We sit quietly next to each other for a few moments, contemplating this interaction. I am encouraged by this act of love and care from such a small girl. I have hope for this world. I am reminded what I value in life and what is important to me, and go home that day feeling more blessed then I ever have in my entire life.

An Unexpected Adventure...

2008-04-29T11:21:00.001Z

It was April 25 at about 9:30. My friend Jeremiah called and invited me out to a restaurant just a block away from my hostel. He was coming from town, so I was to join him in the taxi at the roadside and continue along to the restaurant. He arrives and I climb in the backseat behind the driver and off we go. It is customary in Ghana to always greet people when you join a new group of people, so I greet the taxi driver in the local language, Twi, much to his delight. He then proceeds to speak in Twi, asking my name and where I come from, and again is impressed when I can answer him. Meanwhile, I realize my phone is ringing from within my purse that is in between Jeremiah and I. As I fumble about trying to find my phone amidst all my other junk, I remember my hand finding it just as I hear a crash and was jostled about it in the car. My next memory is staggering out of the car after Jeremiah, and wondering why there is so much blood on my hand where I just touched my face. I sit on the curb of someone’s driveway, and am immediately surrounded by people, some calling my name, obviously fellow students who knew me. Someone brings a bucket of water to clean me… I refuse it… I don’t want an infection from whatever could be in there. Someone gets me my hankie from my purse instead so I can put pressure of my face. My phone rings again… it is Lea calling again… for a second time. When the phone rang in the car, I somehow answered the call and she heard the crash… dogs barking… then silence. I cry when I hear her voice this time. “Lea, come now… there was an accident… I’m okay, but I’m bleeding.” The crowd around me continues to grow… I can see Jeremiah talking to the drivers and trying to figure out what happened… I want him by me, but I also want to know what happened… I can’t stop asking what happened. It all happened so fast. People start commenting on the blood and at the mention of the word ‘hospital’ I get worried. Am I really in that bad of shape? Jeremiah pushes through the crowd and calms everyone down. He makes room for me to stretch out my leg… my knee is killing me. I look up and see a familiar looking belt… hanging wide open from the skinny waist of my good friend Vincent. He pushes through… Lea is right behind him… oh I am so happy to see them. They came so fast… good thing the hostel is so close. They decide I need to go to the hospital. Vincent disappears. Lea helps me up and we want a taxi. I see the car I was in… we were t-boned on the drivers side… my side… the other car hit right in the middle of the car… the strongest point right? Wow… a bit more in either direction, and… NO. don’t think about that. I see the driver of my car and realize he must be hurt too… thankfully just a gash on his head. He looks more worried then in pain. I feel bad for him. Vincent arrives again with a taxi. We drive towards the hospital, passing the hostel Maggie, the nursing lecturer here with us from Canada is running towards us. Lea had called her. She climbs in next to me… Vincent is on the other side. Jeremiah in the front seat. Lea waits for our friend Aaron, who was called by someone else and was on his way. They will follow us. The drive takes forever… every bump and my knee throbs even more. Maggie is rubbing my back and it hurts… there’s glass between my shirt, digging into my skin. We pick more glass from my arms, I am bleeding but it doesn’t hurt. My face and knee are all that hurt. We arrive at the hospital… the presence of my entourage of my five friend is comforting. I sit in the waiting room and cry. People are staring… I look worse then it is. Blood is all over. I can’t believe this is happening. Part of me was so angry it was happening, the other part of me was so grateful that I am even alive. I cope by laughing. I always have. My nervous giggle. I feel better for a minute or two. Then I am lead to the doctor… I can’t even make it through the doorway, not because of my own pain, but because of the condition of the other patients inside. I won’t go into detail, but I almost puked. I wonder why there is not a curtain around these people. Where is the dignity? I give Maggie my glasses so I cannot see the details. I sit in a chair while the doctor looks at my face, then at my knee… that is all. They want an x-ray of my knee, but no one is around for that tonight. I will come back tomorrow for that. Vincent introduces me to his friend… an anesthetist. He is a nice man. He takes me to the ‘theater’ to clean me up. I lay on a table. They search for remaining glass in my skin. Eesh! What a gross feeling. They say it isn’t too bad. Phew. Thank you Lord. No stitches are needed. They suggest an injection for the pain, but that was promptly refused. No thanks. I’m not in that much pain. After everything I was going through, the last thing I want is an injection. I leave the hospital and get back to the hospital with my entourage in tow. I hobble up the four flights of stairs to my room. I clean up and we all sit around and talk. We don’t discuss what happened. I think we are all in shock. I start re-living what happened in my head… uggg. I wonder how long the flashbacks will last. I call my parents and am surprisingly calm. I am still nervously laughing to cope. I feel so much love and peace from my friends and family. We then talk about what actually happened. At first I was feeling so guilty that I had distracted the driver cause I was speaking Twi to him, but I learn that our driver was not at fault. We were on our course and a taxi towards us swerved to avoid hitting a dog that had run onto the road and ran right into the side of our car. Our car spun around in a 180 and skidded a short ways. We tell stories to keep the mood light. I learn Aaron busted his zipper putting on his pants in such a rush to come to the scene. Lea and Vincent had both arrived half dresses. Maggie heard the bang from her room and wondered if there had been an accident. A few minutes later Lea called her to confirm her suspisions. The others leave and Jeremiah and I sing together and pray. I feel like he understands what I am going through. I can’t believe he didn’t even have a scratch. I am so thankful he was okay… I couldn’t imagine if he was hurt too. It is now 2 am and I am exhausted but doubt I will be able to sleep. Jeremiah leaves and then I really cry. More tears of joy then of pain. I am so thankful to be alive. There are so many factors that could have caused a much different story.
1. My phone ringing caused my head to be turned so only the left side of my face was affected.
2. I was wearing my glasses which protected my eye from being cut… only my eye lid was cut.
3. The car was hit at its strongest point.
4. We were close to the hostel so people could come quickly.
Overall, I am so thankful to be alive and I feel a renewed sense of passion for living each day to its fullest. Physically I am healing very well. I went the next day for the x-ray and nothing was broken in my leg. I am sure the cuts on my face will heal fast, and at this point I am not bothered by the though of a scar. Psychologically I still have flashbacks, and traveling by car is a bit nerve racking still. I imagine it will only take time before that ends. Since it happened I have had between 1 and 6 visitors each night, wishing me a speedy recover and praying for me. This experience has shown me deep in my core the extreme value Ghanaians have of their family and friends, and the sense of responsibility that each one has to make sure the people around them are okay. In this rough time I feel blessed to the core. I know everything will be fine.

Good times in Sunyani and beyond...

2008-03-29T19:54:00.000Z

The last few days have been filled with birthday celebrations for Lea…a pool party on Sunday and then cake with the team on Wednesday night, and a celebratory team supper on Thursday evening marking the successful completion of our three radio programs earlier in the week. It has been an exciting yet slightly stressful time as the team begins to bond and we accomplish our first goal. I was also asked to give a lecture on Thursday to students at FFRT in the Ecotourism degree program about Cross-Cultural Awareness. It was a great experience to utilize a lot of the research I have been doing over the last six months on the topic, and this was my first time presenting to a group of people from a different culture. I am happy to report that the lecture was a definite success, with the students and lecturer really catching on to the concepts and I have even been asked to do a follow-up lecture in a week or so. I also gave a similar presentation to our project team on Friday morning, and think it was equally good, and coming at the perfect time since more Canadians are about to invade Sunyani. Lea and I are currently on our was to Accra, the capital city to meet Rick, our instructor, and his wife Anne at the airport. They arrive on Monday, so on Friday we began the journey there, making time for a three night layover in Kumasi before we head on to Accra on Monday. Last evening we stayed at the parent’s home of our Ghanaian friend, Sam who lives in Nanaimo. It is so hard to believe that this world can be so small that we could meet someone in Nanaimo whose parents live thousands of miles away, in the country we are visiting. It was great to meet them, learn more about their family, and we enjoyed their hospitality immensely. They are really delightful people, full of vigor and life! I sure hope I am that energetic in my old age! One thing that I am constantly fascinated by is the extended family connections that exist in many of the friends we have here. Shortly after we arrived, a nephew showed as usual to stay the weekend, as he is in Kumasi schooling and his wife and children live quite far away. Additionally, their two granddaughters live with them, although we didn’t really see them very much as they were usually working away in the kitchen. Unfortunately I seem to have picked up another tummy bug along the way, so that has been a little interesting to say the least. I’m hoping that I’m through the worst of it, and that I’ll be fine tomorrow.

Today we spent the day with Sylvia, one of the lecturers involved in the project, and her delightful family. She is married to Mr. George and they have three children. The oldest is George Jr, then we have Ebinezer, and lastly is Teresa, aged 7, 5, and 3. When we first arrived at their home, they were incredibly quiet and played shy, but I could tell by the look in their eye it wouldn’t take long for us all to become great friends. For the first few minutes I sat talking to Teresa, as she nodded yes, or no to a variety of questions that I couldn’t quite determine if she understood or not. We were then served a meal at the table, but an interesting thing here is that often you do not eat with your hosts, but in this case, the children were not going to eat with us. Apparently as Teresa was lead to the kitchen to eat by herself she began crying and said, “Mommy, I want to eat with the English!”. She is so cute! After our meal, we traveled a short while to a nearby lake to do some swimming. In the beginning, the children were not going to be allowed to swim with Lea and I, but it didn’t take long before they were stripping down to join us in the boiling hot water. I can’t even begin to describe how hot it was, but I would say it was at least 20 degrees Celsius, and unfortunately was not that refreshing under the hot sun. The kids were definitely not afraid of the water and it was all we could do to keep them from pulling us deeper and deeper. I am fascinated that the kids love the water so much, and yet this was their very first time to the lake, which was only a 30-minute drive from their home. I guess it is similar at home, that sometimes the only time I visit some places is when I have guests that I want to take. We had a delicious snacky picnic under a mango tree as I tried not to pass out due to heat exhaustion. All in all, it was a great day and know I am going to sleep well tonight. We are going to be spending the next two nights with Madam Sylvia and Mr. George and then will be picked up by the driver from the University in Sunyani that is heading to the airport to get Rick and Anne in Accra. We’ll be spending two nights in Accra, and then head towards Cape Coast. Lea and I are hoping to partake in a batik making workshop put on by a local NGO while Rick and Anne tour the slave castles that Lea and I already visited last month. It has been nice to get out of Sunyani, the loudness of hostel life that is to be expected when you live with 400 students, and have a change in the routine. All in all, life in Ghana is fabulous… hot, but fabulous!

Happy Easter!!!

2008-03-24T14:33:00.000Z

Happy Easter!! Oh, what I would do for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings around the family table right about now!! It’s been a strange Easter, being that we somehow got lost getting to church yesterday and arrived in time for the Pastor’s closing remarks, and have so much school work to do that we have barely left the room all weekend. We have two weeks left to finish all the regular course work that needs to be sent to Canada, so the crunch is on to get that all completed. It will be great when it is finished, because that means we can concentrate fully on the project work.
I can’t believe it’s been almost two weeks since my last update… so sorry everyone! I’ve been settling into life here and to be honest, things have been pretty normal around here. We did have some excitement on Friday when we traveled with our friend and project team member Vincent to his home town of Kumasi for the day which is about a two hour drive from Sunyani. We were there to visit a woman from Calgary who is involved in a project through Bow Valley College, the Canadian Government and the Ghanaian Education System. It was a great meeting to connect with someone from home, learn about what their project is doing in Ghana and look at how we could potentially collaborate on our current project, or perhaps one in the future. Bow Valley College has two other projects in Namibia and South Africa and so Ghana was her last stop on a three-week tour of Africa. I am particularly intrigued by their projects in Namibia and South Africa as they involve entrepreneurial training and business facilitation… a larger scale concept similar to what I was doing in Uganda last summer. In addition to meeting Cassandra, the meeting was also a success in terms of involving Vincent and having him share how the project has impacted his educational and personal learning for the past two years that he has been involved. The projects at Bow Valley do not involve any students, from Canada or Ghana, and so the fact that Lea, Vincent and I were sitting there as students was a great testimony to how a project can successfully involve students, something that her college is wanting to pursue, but slightly unsure of how to do it. There are so many occasions here where I have to stop what I am doing and remind myself how blessed I am to have a university that believed in Lea and I to send us here… it has been an incredible learning opportunity on so many levels. I don’t think my patience level has ever been tested so much as it has here, and I am really learning not to create expectations in my head of how a situation is ‘supposed’ to go, because in Ghana, let me tell you, things NEVER go as planned. In a way, that is a good thing, because things usually turn out better when your plans take a few twists and turns along the way, and not to mention the things you learn as you move forward towards something.
After our meeting with Cassandra, Vincent took us to three of his relatives homes for a visit and we got a first hand look at Ghanaian hospitality. I was aware that whenever you visit someone in their home, it is customary that they serve you something to eat or drink, but I wasn’t prepared for the feast that was put before us at every home. Also considering that I ate a HUGE plate of rice at our previous meeting, we arrived at Vincent’s cousins an hour later just in time to be served a big bowl of rice, spaghetti, stew, frozen yogurt, and water. We then traveled to another home where a table full of food was waiting for us… two kinds of rice, fish stew, curry stew, coleslaw, fried plantain, spaghetti, oranges, water and soda… and she didn’t want us to leave before every bowl was empty! We tried our best, but unfortunately we couldn’t do it, as this was now our third large meal in three hours. Something that I’m not used to yet, is that at both of these meals, our hosts didn’t eat with us, but rather just sat and watched tv until we were finished. We really could have used their help! After this meal, we went to visit Vincent’s mom and sister at their place. We didn’t have a good chance to visit them, as it was starting to get late and we were still going to travel back to Sunyani that evening, but it was still nice to meet them and have a short visit. We will be going back to Kumasi this coming weekend with Vincent and Aaron to spend two nights sightseeing and meeting some more people, so Friday was just the introduction. In regards to the city itself… dusty, dirty and well, a large African city full of crazy drivers, smelly open sewers, and blistering heat in the concrete jungle.
A few funny stories:

The sidewalk was so treacherous that I could barely look around for fear of falling on my face… which almost happened walking down this skinny street as I tripped over a piece of cement that was lying in the middle of the walk-way, but managed to regain control and came away unscathed.

Lea and I have this mean joke we play on each other every once in a while, that involves thinking of something from Canada that we really miss and talking about how we should just go and pick that up on our way home. For example, “Hey Lea, I was thinking that maybe today on the way home we could pick up some Chinese food for dinner cause I don’t feel like cooking”, or as we are rushing out the door without breakfast in the morning, “oh, lets just get the driver to pass by Tim Horton’s for a breakfast sandwich and an English toffee”. So, as we were waiting in a disgustingly hot tro tro (mini-bus) waiting for more passengers to take us back to Sunyani, I had to go to the washroom so badly so I told her I was just going to the McDonald’s around the corner to use the facilities and wondered if she wanted a big mac and fries while I was there. HA… if only there was such conveniences! I had to wait for three hours, as there just wasn’t anywhere to go, and as for the food… well, we couldn’t possibly put anything in our mouths after all that we’d eaten that day.

Depending on the moment I think about this story, I actually don’t find it funny… We were walking down a street and some little kids were in front of a shop playing and as they saw us they started calling to us. Usually the kids are so cute and say “obruni (white man), how are you?” but this time they said, “hey, fat woman… fattie… hey fattie” and did a gesture putting both arms in front and flexed their muscles. Vincent tells me that they just think I am strong, and how they call that here is ‘fat’, but I still, I will admit I was a little offended. I did have a similar experience one day in Sunyani as well, but at least these people called me strong, which I would take as a compliment, especially since I started working out again at a local gym here.

In regards to the project, things are moving along very well and this coming week is going to be a huge week for us.. We’ve spent the last five weeks building our team of students and lecturers from the two universities, and have developed three different radio programs to educate the community about our three topic areas; plastic waste management, bushfire management, and HIV/AIDS. We are going on air next week, with the team I am on (HIV/AIDS) going first on Tuesday and the other groups on the following two days. It’s been pretty exciting to see all our hard work coming together to something tangible, and we have been so pleased with how the momentum is building and the team members are really taking ownership of the project. In addition to educating the community, the radio programs have also served as a great ‘excuse’ for all of us team members to become mini-experts in our topic area.
In addition to the radio programs this week, it is also Lea’s birthday on Tuesday and if she doesn’t find out about all the surprises that we have for her in advance, it will be a great time of celebration. We are also having a celebration dinner on Thursday evening to celebrate the success of the radio programs as a team. As I mentioned earlier, this weekend we’ll be heading to Kumasi from Friday to Monday, and then Lea and I will be moving on to Accra, about four hours past Kumasi where we will arrive just in time to greet our professor Rick and his wife Anne at the airport. It will be great to see them again, to see George and Sandra, and spend some time in the city. We will spend a few days in Accra, and then move on the Cape Coast for a day or two, (where the castles are that we visited a few weeks ago), so that Rick and Anne can check that out. I don’t think Lea and I will visit the castle again, but there is an organization in the town that is called “Women in Progress” and they offer an educational/cultural tourist experience whereby we can have lessons on how to make batik clothe, have a drumming lesson, and learn Ghanaian cooking. We’re pretty excited about that! The only thing I am struggle with right now is that Rick and Anne’s arrival mark the half-way mark of our time here in Ghana, and I don’t quite know if I am ready for that yet. Sometimes it feels like the time has been dragging on, and other days it feels like we just arrived. I am really trying to just live in the moment and not think too much about that, but it is hard. Part of the difficulty also relates to the fact that I should start planning what I am going to do once I return to Canada, but I’m sure that will come together when the timing is right.
Until next time…

Happy 51st Birthday Ghana!!!

2008-03-06T14:07:00.003Z

What a fun day! Today we went to the square in town to be apart of Ghana’s Independence Day Celebration. We didn’t make it for the whole ceremony, but when we arrived there was a HUGE number of people all over, and many, many school and other groups marching around the square. There was everyone from tiny tots in their school uniforms, to Cub Scouts, to the Red Cross, and also groups from various other secondary schools and colleges in the area. It was such a great time to see so many people out to celebrate the freedom that they all have in Ghana and I am so happy to be able to take part. Perhaps the best sight of the day was seeing little tiny kids pretending to march like the older kids, practicing for the day they will actually get to take part for real. So cute!
In the afternoon, Lea, Vincent, Aaron and I went to the Eusbett Hotel for some swimming. It is the only real formal hotel in the area, and always provides for some good times and laughs around the pool. We never know what to expect at the poolside… sometimes it is packed with other Obrunis (white people), usually Europeans, with men who have a tendency to wear some pretty nasty tight shorts that give us quite a laugh, or today we arrived to a chaotic scene of about 40 primary school boys and in the beginning Lea and I were the only Obrunis to be found out of the 60 some odd people that were around. We started the day with some swimming lessons for all the boys (Aaron, Vincent, and then all the school boys)… they all wanted to learn how to float, paddle, kick, and their favorite was when I tried to show them how to do a somersault and a handstand. Swimming is something quite new for Ghanaians, considering there are not many pools around, and most of the natural bodies of water are filled with crocodiles, hippos and other animals that probably wouldn’t like you to invade their swimming hole. As a result, only a few people actually know how to swim. We had a glorious day, basking in the sun, and enjoying the cool water. Can’t get any better then that… (By the way… they also have soft-serve ice cream that was just the cherry-on-top of an already great day!)

For some photos check out this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=99941&l=a459d&id=855290180

What is Freedom??

2008-03-01T18:29:00.003Z

This past weekend, Lea, Vincent, Aaron and I had a great trip on Saturday to Kakum National Park, Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle. We joined a student trip planned by the student’s association, and there were about 40 of us… Lea and I being the token white people, and aside from us there were only 3 other girls. Given that it is a forestry school there are way more guys in general on campus and this trip reflected that as well. As Lea and I stumbled onto the bus at 3 am we were wondering if we missed the memo that we were supposed to bring our own musical instruments. Guys had metal noisemakers, one guy had a plastic kazoo, a couple guys had traditional drums, and last but not least, the guy sitting next to me brought his beloved whistle. We pulled away at 3:30 am and I felt like we were on a traveling circus. The musical episode lasted basically the whole six hour drive and lets just say there were moments when that whistle blew right in my ear that I almost lost it. This is all confirming the reality that Ghanaians really don’t value their sleep as much as we do, but all in all I survived.
It was a very interesting and long day… we stayed on the coast until about 5:30 pm and arrived back in Sunyani after midnight. I literally think that was the longest day OF MY LIFE!
At Kakum they have a canopy walk of six skinny bridges that you walk along from tree-top to tree-top. I don’t know the vertical height you are up, but high enough to make me a bit scared at first, but after a few steps I got used to the movement of the canopy and as long as Lea didn’t start jumping like an idiot trying to add some extra excitement to it all, I managed to make it across with ease. An exciting adventure!
The castles were a sobering experience. These two castles were where the majority of African slaves were kept and then shipped to various countries. I have never EVER felt so ashamed to be white, and I felt very embarrassed. I do not even know how to describe the feeling of standing in a dark room where over 400 blacks were ‘stored’, and looking into the eyes of our friends as we are hearing and picturing what was done to their ancestors by people of my color. It was awful and an emotional experience for both Lea and I. I spoke with some of our friends about it, explaining how I was feeling and apologizing to them for the atrocities that took place for so many years ago, by people that I don’t know but yet feel connected to by race. The response from our friends was one of grace and love, recognizing that we weren’t actually involved directly, even by our country (throughout the years, the castles were run at various times by the Dutch, Portuguese, and British), and to hear them say they have forgiven us was incredibly healing. I don’t think I will ever forget that experience and in all that I do here, I am so aware of the power we have being white and the humbleness that MUST go along with that as we see how so many times in history the whites have literally RUINED so many lives in the process of ‘helping’ the African people. It was a sobering reminder of the disgraceful actions that has been done to human kind and I am in awe that Africans are actually moving past those horrible times and allowing us into their country amidst it all. I don’t know if I could be so gracious if I was in their shoes. While it was a sad experience, I recognize the healing that it brought and really hope that we can all continue to mend the past hurts that we have all either indirectly or directly caused to our fellow human beings. I am so grateful for the freedom we have been blessed with and I will do what I can to stand up for my fellow citizens of this world and pray that something like the slave trade could never occur again in this world.
For some pictures check out this link... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=99932&l=c0220&id=855290180

Passing the two week mark...

2008-02-27T11:15:00.003Z

Greetings from Sunyani
It is hard to believe we have been in Sunyani almost two weeks now. Amazing how time flies when you are having a great time. It didn’t take long for us to get settled into the hostel, and I am extremely happy to announce that I have been feeling much better and haven’t had much of a stomach problem since those first few days. We’ve even been eating out at some of the restaurants and Vincent has cooked for us as well and everything has been fine. I am also happy to report that I am starting to get used to the fishy taste in everything and hope that over time I may even be able to stomach a whole fish myself. We’ve been able to have a good mix of Ghanaian and more western foods since got our own fridge and burners to cook in our room. We found cheese yesterday that was a real surprise and Lea made the most delicious grilled cheese ever! Most days I usually do the cooking because I really love to, and Lea doesn’t mind doing the dishes so I think we have a good system going there. So far I’ve been making pasta sauces, corn chowder/stew, porridge, avocado/tomatoe salad, corned beef stew (yes, the corned beef does come out of a can, but for now that has to do cause we haven’t found a ‘cold store’ yet to buy some frozen meat and there is no way I am going to the market to get a slice of beef from the carcass that has been hanging in the sun for weeks with flies all over it. Not really my thing!) If any of you have any good recipes using canned corned beef, feel free to pass them along and I’ll see what I can whip up. We’ve started going into town on our own a bit and I’ve been feeling very comfortable about it, and we're happy to be getting connected in the community here outside of the university circles. We have some ladies at the market where we usually buy our tomatoes that really enjoy chatting with us… them speaking the little English they know, and us attempting to speak their local language. I am happy to report that we are learning general words and even if we mess up the pronunciation, people love it! In Ghana they often name their children after whatever day of the week they were born on, so that gives Lea and I our very own Ghanaian names that is also fun to use sometimes. Lea was born on a Tuesday and her name sounds like Aqueea and I was born on a Friday so my name sounds like Afea. It is especially exciting for those we meet that have the same name as us!
Last week we went to the big market that happens every Wednesday with one of our student teammates, Vivian, on the search for some African fabrics. We found some very nice prints and chose about nine different ones that we liked. Vivian then took us to her friend that is a tailor and we have having some skirts and a dress each made for us. It is unbelievable how reasonable it is to buy fabrics here (2 yards for a skirt is about $2.00 and then to get it made is about $3.00). Everything will be made on Thursday so we are so excited to have some new additions to our wardrobe.
We’ve been having our team meetings, usually about twice a week so far and I really think we are moving along nicely. Since we have students and faculty from two different universities involved it has proven to be slightly difficult to arrange 16 different people’s schedule to find meeting times, but we are confident since we have so much time here, that even if not everyone can make it to the meetings we will still be able to move forward. We have split the larger team into three groups, who each have a special topic area they are concentrating on. The three topics are plastic waste management, bushfire management, and HIV/AIDS awareness. I am in the HIV/AIDS group and while that is not really my educational specialty, it is definitely an area that I am personally interested in and furthermore my role in the group is more about facilitating learning opportunities for the others in the group. To begin, our project will focus on developing a radio presentation that each team will go on air to discuss the issues relating to our topic. Since HIV/AIDS is predominantly affecting the youth and young adults in this region, we will be going on the university campus radio stations that each university has. While to me in Canada it seems like radio would not be the most effective way to education the community about a particular topic, here in Sunyani it is recognized as one of the most effective ways because most people have a radio and listen to various programs on a regular basis. It is an easy way to share information and I am really looking forward to seeing how it turns out. These next few weeks we are going to various organizations in the community to gain as much information we can about our topics and from there will be developing the questions for the radio shows. In order to target the highest number of people in the communities, the shows will likely be in the local language and so Lea and I might not be speaking, but that will provide our Ghanaian team members the opportunity to step up and really go for it. My HIV/AIDS team had our first meeting yesterday with the Ghana AIDS Commission, the organization who is in charge of overseeing all of the education/awareness and treatment options that are available to the people of Ghana. The man in charge was an incredible resource person and really provided some great insights into what the underlying issues of this disease are in this region. It is quite sad that the majority of the given causes are all related to a lack of resources/money and so women then work the streets in order to feed their families. Additionally, since there is a lack of adequate education for girls especially here, they are not able to get formal jobs. Combine this with the fact that Sunyani is on a trucking route that has many, many drivers who stop along the way and request the 'services' of these girls. I read once in a book that the spread of AIDS in Africa can be seen on a map spreading from the major trucking routes outward to other more remote areas and what I am seeing and hearing here in Ghana is that is definitely the case. So you basically have these young girls who maybe have up to a grade 4 education, many of them are orphans or do not have a strong family structure and are seeking love and acceptance from wherever they can get it, and this is where the truckers enter the equation. So sad.
After the two weeks of preparation for the shows, and two weeks of putting on the shows, we will begin down a new path that will involve educating school children on the same three issues. We are calling this a pilot program, to determine what is the most effective way to teach the young children about how their behavior affects the environment and people around them. This will happen in four different schools, one in Sunyani and the other three schools are in neighboring communities very close to Sunyani. The majority of this piece of the project will occur when the larger team of 9 more students and faculty arrive from Nanaimo in April, but we are going to begin setting everything up by making contacts in each community and the schools so that when everyone else arrives, we are ready to go. Well, I sure hope that gives some insight into what I am actually doing here on a regular basis.
I’ve just come from a lovely shopping expedition with my own personal chauffeur… a forty passenger bus all to myself. We have an arrangement for the university where we are staying to take us wherever we need to go, which is a very nice service. In the first few weeks we have had an assortment of vehicles stemming from one of the lecturers vehicles, to the University dean’s posh SUV, to my person favorite an older model Nissan Patrol. The Nissan Patrol was supposed to be our regular ride, but this morning I witnessed a sad sight of five guys trying to push start it but to no avail. So now we are left with the big bus… usually just for Lea and I. Let’s just say it is a little embarrassing, having just the two of us taking this huge bus everywhere we go. Anyways, back to the shopping… I was on the hunt for stationary supplies, specifically some thumb tacks, tape, notebooks, address labels and computer paper. I discovered early on that the names I am familiar with for these items is not what they use here, which led to an interesting conversation with the employee at the shop, my new friend Teresa. Unfortunately the closest thing they had to address labels was a post-it-note, so that will have to wait until the rest of the team comes from Canada I guess. As with many shopping experiences I’ve had so far, I am always amazed at the employees who insist on carrying my items to the car, or up the four flights of stairs to the hostel with my items balanced oh so carefully on their heads. Perhaps one day I will learn that skill too, but for now I just watch in awe as they easily carry my items!
Until next time...
By the way, I would love to hear how you’re all doing!
Pictures can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=93568&l=937f2&id=855290180

THE HAMATAN

2008-02-21T13:41:00.000Z

It is a northerly wind that marks the beginning of dry season carries dust particles from the Sahara, making the sky turn brown and turning almost everything a rusty muddy colour. Apparantly this is the second occurance of the hamatan in Ghana this year, and shouldn't last much longer as the rains should be coming soon. I am wishing I was black right now, so that my skin colour can hide the fact that I am usually contantly dirty. Here's to hoping that one day my feet will return to their usual colour, which is NOT red-ish brown.

The Excitement Builds...

2008-02-19T12:01:00.000Z

Today is the third day we are trying to access the internet… a lack of stable internet connection, coupled with random power outages, we haven’t had much luck here in Sunyani. We have an office on the Polytechnic campus with a really nice set-up, but unfortunately we have not been very successful with the network. My apologies for the delay in responding to you as a result.
Sunday… Church… Long nap… Football!!
On Sunday we went to church on campus at FFRT. (The campus we are staying at). It was a nice service, full of the typical African dancing and my personal favorite is when they start twirling handkerchiefs in the air as they dance around in a que (line-up or circle). The pastor had a good message… for the first ½ hour, but after another hour and a half it was all we could do to keep our eyes open. I’m not used to such a long message, but all in all it was a nice experience. After church we went back to the hostel for a nice long nap… delightful. We’ve been experiencing a slight issue sleeping here, as it appears many students actually only sleep for a few hours a night, or possibly even not at all. At midnight the music usually starts from the room next door… always quite an assortment ranging from praise and worship gospel to gangster rap. It usually lasts until 1:30 in the morning and then starts up again at about 5:30 am. We’re looking to possibly move rooms away from this guy, but we’ll have to see. I can usually sleep through almost anything so it doesn’t bother me as much, but since Lea is right next to him it is much worst in her room. The night before last the power went out for the whole night, and while everyone else was complaining, we were celebrating because that meant NO MUSIC. Too bad it didn’t last longer. After our long nap, Lea, Vincent, Aaron, and Yan (a German exchange student who is studying here) went to the football stadium for a match against the Ashanti regions team, and Sunyani. It was a great game… although I was rather disappointed that not many goals were scored and they don’t rip off their shirts and run around celebrating like I see on TV. That’s usually my favorite part of the whole game, but there was enough to keep me entertained… like three little kids that sat in front of us, turning around every few seconds to smile, raise their eyebrows at me, and then burst into giggles when I copy them back. Too cute!
Our First Team Meeting
Yesterday we had our first team meeting with students and faculty from both institutions, missing just a few participants that will be joining us later in the week. We had a great time of ice-breaker games to get to know everyone a little bit. It is very interesting to see the dynamics between students from the two institutions. Even though both Universities are in the same town, there is little contact between to two and this project has been very effective at bringing some students and faculty together that have vast educational experience and interests which leads to some fascinating learning among us all.
An African Water Hauling Experience
Although the hostel has indoor plumbing, the water has not been flowing since we arrived due to a problem with the power. This has led to a rather interesting situation every few days whereby Lea and I haul water in a bucket over ½ a km. We don’t know who laughs harder… us or the other students watching us struggle with these buckets of water sloshing around. By the time we make the trek from the main campus on a dirt trail past the football (soccer) field, across the road, parking lot and then up four flights of stairs, we’ve usually lost at least ¼ of the water on the way, and then have to use another ¼ of the water to wash our feet that have become muddy and gross from the mud trail we’ve made along the way. On several occasions, we’ve had random guys help us that have been so kind as to carry one of the buckets, often on their heads I might add, but I must say I have enjoyed getting some exercise when they haven’t offered. While bucket showers have added to the whole experience the last five days, there was a great celebration last night when I discovered water running in the toilet and flowing from the taps. Hurray!

Excitement in Sunyani…

2008-02-14T16:11:00.001Z

Yesterday we survived the 450 km drive to Sunyani that was only 9 hours long, leaving in African style two hours late. Despite the long and bumpy drive, we drove in high class, one of the University’s air-conditioned vans with a row of seats for each of us. We ate coconuts from the roadside, a taste of home in the form of cheesies that Sanda gave us when we left Accra, but that is about all as we wanted to avoid a long stop which would result in arriving to Sunyani in the dark. One thing I have learned about Africa is that unless you eat roadside food, a stop in a restaurant usually takes at least one to two hours. We settled in to our new home at the FFRT (Faculty of Forest Resource Technology University) campus dorms. We had no idea what to expect as all we were told was there was a new hostel we could stay at that looked like an apartment. I met my old friends from last year Vincent and Aaron and they made us feel right at home. We’re on the fourth floor of the apartment that is one big square with a big courtyard in the centre. The hostel is very new and we are the first people to stay in our rooms. There are workers madly trying to complete a basketball court in the centre of the courtyard that I will likely be taking advantage of. We ran into slight difficulty last night because we did not have any fans. While some of you that are freezing to death right now might be wondering what is the big deal about a fan, but let me tell you… I have a temperature gauge on my alarm clock (Thanks Dad) that was registering 34.7 degrees Celsius. While the courtyard is a nice arrangement, the concrete creates one huge megaphone and the noise did not die down last night until 1:00 am and began again at 6 this morning. We are also arriving at the same time as all the other students who have just been on a few month’s break… so the day has been full of hooting and hollering as students re-unite, excited for another semester together.
Now I am laying on my bed, exhausted after an eventful morning in town purchasing all the necessities of life here… like a fan, fridge, cooking burners, pots, pans, eating utensils, towels, and of course some of the most delicious fruits and vegetables. Perhaps the best part was paying $4.50 for three avocados, two passion fruits, four apples, and mini bananas. Now some of you may be asking yourselves, why aren’t they going to eat out? When you can get a full meal for $3.00 in a restaurant, but bother cooking in the horrendous heat? Well, the answer to that lies in my current condition… a terrible ‘running tummy’. We ate out last night and it tasted great… some chicken and rice, and I didn’t even eat the salad, but as soon as I got home it was all I could do to make it to the toilet in time. Since then, it has gotten considerably worse and I am not going far from the facilities cause every once in a while my tummy starts rumbling and… well, you know… it’s not pretty. The only thing I could think of is that when I had my minor surgery before leaving I was taking a minor antibiotic to prevent infection and I have a feeling that killed anything in my belly and so I don’t have enough in me to combat these new foods/germs, etc. So anyways, I’m laying low for a little while, hoping this will be over soon.

Around Accra

2008-02-12T21:48:00.000Z

Today we went on a journey to see George and Sandra's new house that is being built... one of their construction workers was wearing a winter hat with earflaps! We traveled to Akosombo Dam, the source of all of Ghana's power. It was quite the site... Lea and I wanted to test it out as a 'slip and slide' waterslide, but we probably wouldn't live through it, so decided against it. The air looks really cloudy, but that is just the dust that is blowing through from the Sahara desert. YUK! Tomorrow we head to Sunyani... yay!
Check out this link for some photos...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=93568&l=937f2&id=855290180

A Slight Change of Plans

2008-02-12T03:22:00.000Z

This morning we were supposed to be picked up in Accra and embark on the 8 hour (only a few hundred kilometer) drive to Sunyani where we would begin to really settle in to life here in Ghana. Getting ready for our 9 am pickup, I hear Lea rolling her suitcase down the hall, only to get stopped by Sandra who says, “You might not need that for a few days.” One of our partner University’s in Sunyani was going to send someone to pick us up, making a special trip just to get us, but now there are two people from the University in Accra for a course until Wednesday that they would like us to travel with instead… leaving just a few days later. All of a sudden I am reminded of what life is like in Africa. While my first reaction was disappointment, as I was really excited to leave the city, after thinking about it further, this may be really good for us. We had a great talk with George last night about the project and some specific things we could actually do in the communities to educate the people about our three topic areas: reducing plastic waste management, wildfire management, and HIV/AIDS awareness. A secondary topic is how ecotourism could be developed in the area. It is all very exciting and I can’t wait to get to Sunyani to meet our Ghanaian team and see who we’ll be working with this year.

Amsterdam and beyond...

2008-02-08T05:06:00.000Z

As I sit here in Amsterdam, looking out the hotel window at a boring parking lot below, I’m wondering who is more shocked right now… you, possibly hearing for the first time that I am going back to Ghana, or me, wondering how I’ve ever managed to arrange to complete my final term of University while working on the Ghana project. I am still in awe of how it has all happened… stemming from an idea that came up in October when I spent some time really pondering and talking with more people about the project in Ghana. From what I experienced in Ghana for just a few weeks last April, it became very apparent that in order to have the most successful collaborative project (with 2 universities in Ghana), the Canadian’s time in Ghana should be longer then three weeks. Upon taking this idea to the project coordinator, and our department chair, they were extremely optimistic that we could make this happen. I knew I didn’t want to go alone… so who else to convince into coming but my partner in everything at school… LEA. I think it was last year we came up with a name for ourselves TEAM L.A. (Lea and Amanda). We’ve been working together on numerous projects over the past two years, and I could not imagine anyone else I’d rather be going with. Now while this is sounding quite simple right now, I will explain some of the drama that’s been going on in my life since deciding to go. First of all, was the task of arranging how we will still get our course credit for the four remaining courses we have left to take… but with an open mind, our professors were more then accommodating and I believe we have come to a good arrangement where will be able to tie in a lot of what we are doing in Ghana to the courses we are taking. It is a bit hard to be leaving, right when I feel like I’ve been getting to know my fellow students and faculty and that makes me a bit sad to be missing out on the last term. Other then arranging our schoolwork, it has been an interesting time for me personally in the last few months. Since my sister got married in Uganda and stayed there with her husband, I was left with a condo to myself… again and I realized after only a few days how much I really do not flourish when I live alone. I decided to move out of the condo, and found myself renting a room (right next to the 2 year old’s room) for the last few months with a great family. That has been such a blessing for me, to have people home when I am finished school… and not just anyone either, two cute little boys (aged 2 and 9 months) to play with and who brought me a lot of joy over the past little while. I must admit, it is definitely a good thing I am a heavy sleeper, but even those rare occasions when the baby was up in the night, it makes me feel not so alone. I was very sad to be leaving that home and family. Aside from that, I have had a slight medical issue pertaining to a spot on my back. I had it removed last week and am still awaiting the test results but I am optimistic that everything is okay. I got the five stitches out the day before we left, and now I am much more comfortable because my skin was reacting poorly to the stitches in the last few days. So now I think I’ve brought you up to speed on the happening for the last few months, and now it’s time to look ahead. We’ve arrived safely in Amsterdam… only an 8.5 hour flight crammed into a painfully tight seat, with only a slight amount of turbulence. I must admit, in the time I’ve been home from my last journey to Africa I’ve developed a weird sort of paranoia to things… such as flying and boating. Considering I survived the ferry from Nanaimo, and the flight here, I’m sure we’ll get to Accra, the capital of Ghana tomorrow evening with no problem. We’ll be met by George and Sandra... George is from Ghana and was a student at Malaspina University in Nanaimo a number of years ago, and is now living back in Ghana with his Canadian wife (Sandra) and is involved in our project. I met them last April in Ghana and it will be nice to see them again. We’ll be staying with them for a few nights in Accra, before heading to the town of Sunyani where we’ll be living for the next four months on a University campus, one of our partner schools in Sunyani. I’m so excited to be going back… to see all my old friends from last time, and make some new ones I’m sure. The Adventure Continues…

Lea and our Airplane

Soaring High in the Sky!!

Leaving Canada

2008-02-06T21:15:00.000Z

In the news...

2007-11-06T01:52:00.001Z

Beyond the classroom - Mal-U student lectures on experiences in Uganda

Amanda Moore (right) on tour of a new dairy farm project with the head teacher and her daughter for the Ainembabazi Children's Project in Uganda, Africa.

It’s not hard to figure out where Amanda Moore inherited her sense of adventure and compassion. At age 11, her parents sold everything they owned, pulled Moore and her older sister out of elementary school, and lived on a sailboat for eight months in the Caribbean.

“I realized the world was a lot bigger than I thought,” said Moore. “It was my first experience overseas, and seeing poverty and inequality at the grass roots level.”

Now a 23-year-old Malaspina University-College student in the Tourism and Recreation Management degree program, Moore is a champion for equality and human rights. She will be giving her first public lecture Thursday, November 8 at Malaspina’s Nanaimo campus about her recent internship experience in Uganda, Africa.

Moore worked for a non-governmental organization called Ainembabazi Children’s Project (ACP). Her role was to develop a framework for a micro-enterprise project that will provide rural women with small loans to expand existing businesses or start new ones. She also developed a business plan for a craft and coffee shop that ACP will operate so women from rural villages have an urban venue to sell their crafts, and fill a niche market in the local tourism industry. “The goal was to teach and empower people to create a better future for themselves,” she explained. “Even a small loan of $25 or $30 will change their lives in a big way.”

Born and raised in Alberta, Moore is still in awe over her international learning experiences since transferring to Malaspina from Red Deer College two years ago to pursue a degree in Tourism and Recreation. Last spring, she was one of four Malaspina students selected for a five-week field school in Sunyani, Ghana as part of a five-year project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to help alleviate poverty in the region.

Two weeks before leaving for Ghana, Moore applied for the internship opportunity in Uganda through Malaspina Tourism professor Dr. Nicole Vaugeois.

“My sister, who lives in Edmonton, is the president of the ACP in Uganda and the Executive Director of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights in Edmonton,” explained Vaugeois. “I remembered Amanda from one of my community development classes. Like so many students who enrol at Malaspina, she was interested in community development work, and was out to change the world. She was a natural choice for the internship.”

With assistance from Malaspina’s Study Abroad coordinator, Audrey Hansen, Moore submitted a proposal to CIDA, and received a $10,000 grant to cover travel and living expenses while in Uganda. “It all came together so quickly,” said Moore. “I took this as a sign that this was something I was supposed to do.”

Moore traveled alone to Uganda, where she met Obed Aharinta, Project Director for the ACP. “I was scared but excited at the same time," she recalled. In the remote village of Mbarara, Moore began her community development work. and met a local tourism operator, who over time, became a good friend. “I became part of his family, and attended weddings, funerals and family reunions,” said Moore. “It was an enriching experience, and gave me a true sense of the culture and community in that part of the world.”

Moore plans to return to Africa in February with Malaspina student Lea Thuot to continue work in Ghana in preparation for Malaspina's next field school in April. “We’ll work with communities, meet the chiefs and generally make Malaspina’s presence known,” said Moore. “It will be an independent studies course so I’ll earn credit towards my degree and still be able to graduate in June.”

Moore also hopes to return to Uganda and pursue her passion of helping people in that part of the world. “This comes from my sense of responsibility," she explained. "We’re so fortunate living here in Canada and have so much freedom and abundance simply because of where we were born. Eighty percent of the people in the world don’t live the way we do through no fault of their own. I feel it’s important to do my small part to counter that inequality.”

Moore’s free public lecture takes place at 7 pm, Thursday, November 8, at Malaspina’s Nanaimo campus, Building 200, Room 203. Renee Vaugeois, Director of the ACP, will also be speaking. For more information about Moore’s experiences in Uganda, visit www.amandasafricanadventures.blogspot.com and www.ainembabazi.org.

Monday, November 05, 2007
http://www.mala.ca/mainly/page.asp?Story=&ID=1300

You're Invited!!!

2007-10-31T17:49:00.001Z

A Contemplative Moment... the real needs of my life.

2007-10-02T05:06:00.000Z

I sit here in awe of the beauty of our creation looking at a breathtakingly misty/rainy scene of the west coast from inside a cozy seaside bed and breakfast in the quaint little town of Ucluelet near Tofino. I arrived yesterday with two faculty visitors from Ghana that we worked with there on our project who are spending three weeks with us in Nanaimo to experience all that Canadian life has to offer. I have mixed emotions about their visit that range from excitement in seeing them, to embarrassment of the inequality in our lives. I am ashamed at the way we can live in such comfort, always having the best of everything, in contrast to the African way where sacrifice is a part of life and almost an expected reality of just the way things are. While I do believe everyone should have the basic needs of life, the excess in my own life beyond the fundamental food, clothing and shelter is overwhelming. One of the first things that happened when I arrived back to Nanaimo from Africa was have an anxiety attack when dressing for the first day of school, and this has continued on a few subsequent days since. In years past I would have gone shopping for a new school outfit, weeks in advance, so there has never been any question of what to wear, but this year I had deemed that unnecessary because of the vast selection I already had. This however, lead to a rather interesting experience that I really wasn’t prepared for as I went ashamedly, from one closet to the other, unable to chose anything to wear because I was just too overwhelmed. I was reminded of something my friend Joel Krogman talks about regarding human needs. When it comes to the basic need of clothing, it really is simple- I have one body… so on a daily basis I really only need a shirt, pants, shoes, and that pretty much covers it. But then here is where it all falls apart for me… sometimes it is nice to have a variety of things to wear, depending on the occasion and for the sake of others around us, wearing outing appropriate and clean clothes is probably best thing to do. So for myself I got thinking, if we are talking in terms of a need for clothing, my essential need is for about five shirts/sweaters, one pair of jeans, one pair of dress pants, a skirt and dress, a few pairs of shoes and one coat (and a few additional workout/exercise specific items). This gives me enough options to be fully covered no matter what the situation is. With that in mind, I look at my closet and what do I see… about 9 times my ideal number of each item. So back to the brilliant thoughts of Joel… if I feel I ‘need’ more then what I have now determined is my ideal number of each item, what is the need I am actually fulfilling? It definitely is no longer a physical need of clothing, but perhaps an emotional or self- esteem fulfillment. When I look back on the journey that lead to having two full closets of clothes, (and anyone can tell you I have already downsized from where I used to be!), I can see how I was trying to meet my real needs in search of greater meaning and acceptance in my life through what?... clothes! Thinking about it now seems like such a shallow and empty search, but all too quickly upon my return from Africa do I hear those same voices in my head as I am out shopping that I really do ‘need’ another black shirt, especially since it is on sale! Oh the rationalization I can come up with, all too easily to justify a new purchase. After the first anxiety attack on the first day of school I have since gone through everything and now have 3 garbage bags of clothes ready to find a new home, hopefully to become part of an essential wardrobe for someone. This journey still leaves me with more questions then answers… like how does self-esteem fit into all this? And how do I find the balance between feeling put together in a way that is respectable to society but not obsessive about the way I look. The way I look and dress should not determine my success in this world, but all too often I hear the line ”dressing to impress”. When I think about the last few days on campus I have had meetings with our visitors from Ghana, with faculty members and the dean of my program. I have been pretty scattered lately, (which is a whole other story) but before these meetings I have not intentionally dressed up, and as a result have felt a little underdressed. When I ask myself why, I am puzzled as to what I should do, because I do know that in this world, appearances are important to others and as much as we try to hide/avoid it, our appearances can be directly related to how much someone respects you. I catch myself often seeing someone dressed down, but not necessarily grungy, and wonder if they really are that put together. Should the way I look determine how smart and respectable people think I am? In Uganda, the term people would say to compliment your appearance was ‘you look smart’, and as I think about that further, I think I have been taught that is what you do… dress so that you look a certain way in order to portray whatever impression you would like people to have of you, and as a result a very basic need such as having crucial body parts covered become a huge ordeal that really affects so many other aspects of life. I am still unsure where to go from here, but for now the question I ask myself as I make daily decisions is what need am I really trying to fulfill and from that and exploring the deeper meaning of the choices I want to make.

Back to reality...

2007-09-02T06:40:00.000Z

I know it has been quite some time that I've written, but my last few weeks in Uganda turned out a little more interesting then expected, and I think I have finally caught my breath. It is with some sadness, but much excitement that I write this on the plane going back to Nanaimo to start my final year of undergraduate school. I am sad to have first left my summer home of Africa, and also my most recent home of Red Deer where I’ve been for the last week, but lately the concept of home has become fluid for me, always changing based upon my geographical location. As I get older, I’ve grown accustomed to dealing with changes to my environment and moving, but I find that no matter how many times I move or wherever I travel, saying goodbye is always hard. Leaving Uganda was quite an interesting episode. In my final days there I was offered an opportunity to live with an incredible missionary family until January, helping out in their home with their four children, and essentially expand my Ugandan exposure that much more, and really focus on my own spiritual growth. As the hours before my scheduled flight drew close, and my parents somewhere between the Massai Mara and the coast of Kenya, and me turning into an emotional wreck, it just became clear I wasn’t in a position to stay. I didn’t feel right making a decision without consulting my parents, not because I need to ask their permission for any decisions I make, but because my staying would require they continue managing my housing, business and other responsibilities that I have. Considering this would not be an easy conversation, just after my sister’s wedding and her staying in Uganda, I wanted to speak to them in person. Over the next few hours I pondered and prayed and I really sensed I was supposed to stay. Not for the sole reason of the position that was offered, because to be honest there were a lot more opportunities offered throughout my time in Uganda that would have been a better career move, but to take advantage of some incredible personal growth opportunities that would have been part of my everyday life at the family’s retreat centre that they run. While most days would have consisted of preparing meals, helping with home school, and changing diapers, their family environment is so healthy and would have been conducive to so much learning about parenting and motherhood, being a wife, and living in Uganda as a white more permanently among other things. I cannot be sure, because only God knows what the future really holds for me, but as of now I am leaving open any doors that might lead me back to Uganda and I think that living there for an even longer period of time would have really been an interesting test to see if that really would be the place for me in the future. All that to say, a flight to meet my parents was not available once I arrived in Nairobi so I did end up coming to my Canadian home and I am happy to be here. I still wasn’t feeling peaceful about the decision to head back, but peace came in the Nairobi airport staging area where I was the only white, bawling and talking on the phone with Evans and Tiffany, only minutes away from taking off toward Canada (via Ghana, but that is a whole other story that will come later). As soon as Tiff and Evans started praying for me, I felt a calmness wash over me, (which was a really good thing cause the bawling was starting to draw some concerned looks), and I felt fine and excited to be going back to Canada. While I am unsure if I really was supposed to be coming back to Canada or not, I really did have the biggest lesson of my time traveling reinforced by about 5000%- the need to SIMPLIFY!!! This value needs to be applied in so many areas of my life in order for me to be in a position to travel for longer periods of time, and to be free enough from commitments that I have the freedom to make perhaps a spur-of-the-moment decision if I feel a calling towards something. I’ve moved past dwelling on the fact that at the moment I do wish I was still in Uganda, and now take that whole experience as something I needed to go through for God to get my attention in a big way to show me some changes He would like me to make in my life. While some of these changes are rather small things, there are some bigger decisions that I will be making over the next few months in order to free myself from the endless commitments I seem to find myself in. Overall, I had a pretty good trip home… although it was extremely long. Since I had planned on traveling to Ghana before I knew about the Ugandan opportunity, my flight home had to be through Ghana. The unfortunate thing was the flights from Ghana to Germany were booked solid until the middle of September, so I arrived in Ghana intending to wait at the airport on standby for an available seat. The first day arriving in Ghana there wasn’t any room for me, so I spent the night at my favorite Ghanaian hotel, “The Dutchotel”… where I stayed for about 9 days before heading to Uganda, so it was a great reunion with some old friends. It was actually rather nice to spend one last day remembering what Ghana was like, since it had been so long since I was there last. Before I had arrived in Africa this April, I thought all African counties would be pretty similar, but after arriving in Uganda I quickly realized the obvious and sometimes, not-so-obvious differences that are apparent between most countries. I enjoyed my last day in Africa wandering through the neighboring village, visiting a tailor to have an authentic outfit custom made in just under 2 hours, and resisted the urge to buy numerous wooden carvings from the local carver who quickly became my new friend. After a rather slow day mingling about, I headed to the airport, not sure if I was entirely ready to say goodbye to Africa for good, but praying I would get on the flight because I was excited to get back to Canada. After a few hours of waiting and praying I ended up getting the last seat on the flight to Frankfurt, and then on to Vancouver and finally Edmonton. I didn’t have a flight booked from Vancouver to Alberta because I didn’t know when I would get there from Ghana, so I ended up getting there having to use up the whole value of a credit that was about to expire to fly first class in order to get home that night. It was slightly ironic that after 30 hours in the air, I finally got some leg room and special treatment for the last 45 minute flight. By the time I arrived I was absolutely exhausted, but was so happy to get settled on the ground for at least a few days. I had a really good time visiting my family and a few friends in Red Deer, although it really wasn't long enough to see everyone I wanted to. I have been adjusting relatively well to life back in Canada, although it really will take some time before I can really process everything that I went through in Africa and how that all relates to my life. It will be an interesting and potentially never-ending journey, but I am just praying that over time some clarity will come to make sense of the mess of confusion and chaos that is going on inside me right now. I am really looking forward to starting school again and finish off my degree by April. I know the time will absolutely fly by as it did last year, which is exciting, but at the same time a little frightening because with graduation comes the question... what next? While I have no answer to that question as of yet, I know with time the path will become clear and in the meantime, I am going to enjoy life on the Island, but lets just hope we don't have 3 months of straight rain or else I am pretty sure the answer to that question will not include Vancouver Island. Until next time...

Do I Have to Come Home???

2007-08-13T15:08:00.000Z

The last week went by in an absolute blur of wedding plans. I keep looking back at the pictures to reassure myself that it actually happened. Before leaving Canada the last thing I expected was to be attending my sister’s wedding only 1 week before leaving Uganda. The excitement has been great for me, to distract me from the fact that I am actually leaving Uganda in just over 1 week. I honestly cannot believe how fast the time has flown by, and how Uganda feels so much like my home now. I know I can’t avoid the inevitable, but I’m still in denial that it is now time to start saying goodbye to my family in Mbarara. Initially, my sister and I were going to spend a few days together in Nairobi, Kenya while our parents did a safari, but since Tiffany is now staying in Uganda, I will likely spend a few days longer is Uganda with Evans’ brother and his friends on a safari of our own, and then meet Mom and Dad in Malindi to stay at a time-share for a week. I am scared to go back to Canada, because I know how much I have changed and I don’t think I will fit in anymore. While I do love Canada so much, and more especially my friends and family there, I have developed a strong distaste for so much of what our society boasts and lives for, and I honestly don’t think I want to fit into that anymore. I know that my soul dies in Canada… gets lost in the demands and pressure of who I feel I need to be, doing the things I feel I need to… for what? My professor, Ken Hammer, that I went to Ghana with sent me a quote the other day, which I have voiced many times while here in Uganda in different words, that really just sums up my experience.

"I can understand the pull and sway that Africa has on people. I understand now why people come here and end up staying here or making it a priority to come back. By putting my life in perspective, Africa has a way of simply making me want to be better: more thankful, more patient, more carefree, happier, generous, accountable...Africa ripped me out of my Westernized, cushy haze and into the lucid reality of active generosity and hope."

I ask you for your prayers as I leave Uganda around the 21^st of August and head to Kenya, and then on to Canada. I am incredibly excited for all that is in store for me when I get back, but that anticipation is also coupled with apprehension… I don’t think I will know how to cope, even with the smallest things, like the 9 hour time change, to actually shopping in a supermarket bigger then the grocery section at a 7-11 where all you can get is canned corn, baked beans, mushrooms, and tomato paste, tea, peanut butter, pasta and rice, to being the majority again based on skin colour, pressured to be on time… where meeting at 1:00 doesn’t actually mean meeting sometime between 1:00 and 1:59, cause that is still 1ish… etc. etc… the list could go on and on. Things are just so different in this world that I will have known for 4 and ½ months… a world not always better then Canada, or worse for that matter… just different. My prayer is that I don’t see one place as being better then the other, that one way of life is better, but be able to discern what I want to take from this experience and see how that can fit into my life in Nanaimo… and form that into the true reality that I desire my life to be based on the calling of God. What an exciting and scary time!!!

Adventures in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

2007-07-18T14:46:00.000Z

I purchased some handcarved cups from this woman who gave us a banana wine making presentation at her home as part of a village walk we went on.

These are pygmies who shared a cultural dance with us about how their life has changed for the good since they left living in the forest once it became a National Park.

Supper at our camp! From left to right: Amanda, Patsy (a teacher from Edmonton working on the project with us), Vivien (from Vancouver working in Mbarara with a different organization) and Tiffany (my sister, also working with us on the project).

The bandas at our camp!

The pathway to the wash house at the camp!

TRACKING GORILLAS IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

2007-07-17T13:51:00.000Z

Tiff and I are ready!!

The first gorillas we saw... a mom and baby! And what??? I started crying!! They are the most amazing creatures I have ever seen in my entire life!!

A protective mom

The silverback! This was my second encounter with him... the first we were still in the forest and I was following our 2 guides when the silverback came out of the thick bushes right next to us and started growling... ARH!!! ARH!!! ARH!!! I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DIE!!!

Our tracking ended on the road, right where we started from, and even though our hour with them was up, we got some bonus time since they were blocking our path back to the camp. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. The only downside to this adventure is that I am now suffering from horrible ant bites all over my legs, and can barely stand it! There are massive safari ants that crawled up inside my pants and even though I killed them, the stinger/poison stayed there and now I have a horribly itchy bumpy rash all over my knees and calves. Needless to say, it is really annoying and I hope they go away soon!

Nshenyi Adventures- Milking Long-horned Ankole Cows

2007-07-16T13:50:00.000Z

Nshenyi Adventures- Traditional Dancing Night 2

2007-07-16T13:30:00.002Z

Tonight was our last night dancing under the African stars. It was a different tribe then last night, so it was a different style of music and dancing. I had brought some glow-stick bracelets for some reason from home, and they were a huge hit tonight.

Everyone getting their bracelets

Viv and me dancing

Traditional Cultural Dancing at Evans' Village (Nshenyi)

2007-07-16T13:30:00.001Z

Amanda shows the matoke (banana) tree who's boss!

2007-07-16T12:36:00.000Z

Nshenyi Adventures- Cutting Matoke (Bananas)

2007-07-16T12:35:00.000Z

The main staple food here is matoke which is basically green bananas that are peeled, steamed and mashed into a gooey, mashed potato like consistency. It is rather bitter and sometimes dry, but I like eating it with beans or some kind of sauce and then it is pretty good.

Marg peeling the matoke

Nshenyi Adventures- Making Butter

2007-07-16T12:31:00.000Z

Step 1: Shake the milk

Step 2: Spin the gourd so the solids sink to the bottom

Step 3: Pour off the liquid, (which then is left for a few days and prepared into a pudding which is a delicacy), and the solids are prepared as butter.