3 Positive Things that Happened Today

A few days ago I ran across a great Ted Talk discussing that when we say, I will be happy when I receive a promotion, then receive the promotion and say, I will be happy when I receive the next promotion- that we are putting happiness at work out of arms reach because there will always be that “next promotion.” (http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html#.TzXHFEI87v1.facebook )

His idea on being happy at work was based not on letting successes that become harder to attain be the source of one’s happiness but instead be happy and it will show in your work. The ways he outlined doing this were: exercise, random acts of kindness, meditation, journaling and recognizing 3 happy things that happened that day- so you look at the world through the good things that happened.

Then, this afternoon, I realized how easy it is to write a negative blog. I spoke with another volunteer who agreed, writing becomes easiest when you’re most excited- rants come easy as do posts from inspiration but just regular great things that happened and then subsided, don’t come to the front of one’s mind to share. While I am all for sharing one’s thoughts and ideas, I recognize that if all of my blogs are rants, then it looks to the outsider like either I’m a negative person, this is a negative place or I’m having a terrible time.

None of those are true. While working in Ghana is hard, I came here for the challenge and haven’t been homesick. I feel I am just as happy here as I would be elsewhere. The only place I have day dreamed about is Costa Rica and the beaches of Playa Samara, but I dreamt about those beaches all the time in the US so it’s life as usual :) So, in combining the 3 good things and journaling- I will work to blog the best parts of my day- with the occasional rant included as needed :)

1. Facebook’s rapidly exploding new meme starting these past few days have been the posts that compare what one thinks they do in their career compared to how others see them. It’s funny and a creative way to debunk stereotypes and my favorite, is I get to see how others feel they are being viewed. Like the one I saw titled: Gay Man. As a straight female, I have no idea what it’s like to be a gay man or how they view with all the perceptions and while the creator recognized that it was just his opinion, I liked getting to see someone else’s perspective. Here is a link with a collection of What I do posters: http://twistedsifter.com/2012/02/top-10-what-my-friends-think-i-do-vs-what-i-actually-do-posters/ Great thought- imagine what this would look for international volunteers!

2. I finally got the okra stew I’ve been craving! If I had it my way, I would eat banku and okra stew a few times a week but I had gone two or three weeks since my last serving so it was a treat to get to have my favorite food again! Not only did I have some this afternoon for lunch but I also had some a few days ago for lunch as well- I’m getting back on track!

3. Not too long after I arrived to work this morning I began designing a handout with information for volunteer’s safety in Northern Ghana. It took me until lunch to get everything to fit and look somewhat like I had wanted but is now more reader friendly and will provide future volunteers with something to skim through so that hopefully they can avoid getting the all too common malaria and theft that recently happened to another volunteer. I’m happy that there is a document that really explains to volunteers what to look for specifically in Northern Ghana and is catchy so most of it will be read (and remembered!).

The Wedding Party... Half the Fun is Getting There

Adventure #5 from this week:

Saturday evening, Mona and I got together to head to a party being held for a coworker who married over the holidays. There was a map of how to get there- so armed with the image of the map, we hopped in a taxi. (This is already starting to irritate me :) We go on the right road and were supposed to call a number once we reached the gas filling station. We went by something that looked to be in construction that we dismissed and then the taxi driver drove like a grandpa because he knew we’d only seen a map (but I still have no idea why going slow was going to make us change our minds... FYI it didn't).

Finally we found a petrol station and when we got there Mona called the number and I in the backseat told the driver to go ahead and turn around since we were supposed to turn on the road right before the gas station. He sat there- I told him 5 times and he blatantly ignored me- want to infuriate me- ignore me! Mona got off the phone and told him to do exactly as I had said and he kindly obliged her. He turned, started heading down a dirt road and it led to some houses and just ended. The man on the phone said he was on his way so we just tried to pay and get out.

Paying taxi drivers sucks! It flat sucks! So, unethical taxi driver, seeing two white girls says 6 cedi. I know immediately that is b.s. From the backseat I say I refuse to pay more than 4 cedi total. He finally agreed (I later found out it should have been 2 cedi, do Ghanaian’s have any idea that by trying to rip off/steal from the white people that they are giving their entire country a bad image, let alone themselves- I’m so tired of being given the Salminga (local word for white person) price. Granted I'm assuming one should think about something other than the right now and oneself.) Once the taxi was gone, I was much happier- I would rather be in the middle of nowhere than with that rude and racist jerk. (Yes, charging me more because of the color of my skin is racist).

So Mona gets a hold of the person who is supposed to pick us up and he says he is at the filling station. We are by a set of houses so we start cutting through a small field that is empty from bush burning toward the gas station. We get there and realize, the person we are supposed to meet isn’t there. We went much further than we were supposed to go. So Mona and I start walking along the side of the road as he is heading to come get us. I’m actually quite enjoying myself, the dust is down today and the heat has subsided- it’s a nice cool evening. Normally, it’s not a good idea to walk around after dark alone, and while not something we practice much, I felt pretty safe. While I stay firm that criminals are stupid, they at least know to converge where there is a decent population of white targets.

Being far enough out of town, I had a feeling the locals around us were going about their own lives and that this was not a hotspot for robbery. When the guy appeared, he was on his motobike, which only fits one other person. Mona offered to give me her stuff. I would be dropped offer first and he could pick her up afterwards. At that point I was feeling calm and safe and wanted to spare Mona who had been robbed the week before of walking along a street in the middle of nowhere. So I kept her cell phone to use the built-in light and she hopped on the back of the motobike.

So there I was, in the only shoes I had brought to Tamale (ankle-high hiking books- can’t say enough good things about them), with a little cash in my pocket and the light on the cell turned on. I kept up my fast American walking pace and really enjoyed the walk. It was very comfortable in the cool evening to walk around without being hot (a rarity), see the stars in their fullness (I spotted Orion’s belt) and be reminded of high school. When you live in a town of 668, it’s easy for all streets outside of city limits to be classified as ‘the middle of nowhere’ when in reality there are farms, houses and livestock all around and of course you know what belongs to whom. Oddly, I felt at home. A handful of vehicles, motobikes and bicycles went by no body really seemed to care. Once, someone said ‘good evening’ as I kept walking and they kept cycling- much less attention than when walking in town.

After a bit our friend returned and I hopped on the motobike- glad everyone was getting around safely. Right as we were to turn onto the dirt road toward the party, I saw to the left that we were elevated and that you could see Tamale below with it’s lights glowing. I was at the ‘Cemetery Hill’ of Tamale, maybe even a little higher.

We went for awhile down the dirt road and showed up at the party, which was obvious by all of the vehicles and motobikes parked outside. I got off the bike and started saying hi to other coworkers. The set up was quite nice. There was a little compound of around 3 houses with a courtyard in the middle, where tables and chairs had been set up. My boss had spent her evening and day cooking for the event and I kid you not- that was the best chicken I have had in Ghana! It was tender and juicy, two things I’ve learned not to expect when I order chicken. The mean of chicken, rice, cold slaw and a tomatoes salad was served. Because one has to be wary of fresh vegetables with skins, I haven’t had salad in Ghana, making the cold slaw taste even that much better!

We hung around for a few hours, ate, chatted with coworkers and danced to a few songs before heading out. I had taken an afternoon nap, which left me feeling sleepy so I had the group drop me off at my hotel on their way to a Lebanese restaurant and bar.

5 Adventures This Week

I just had a great ‘meaning making’ session with a fellow volunteer. There are a lot of random and various experiences working in another country and having those near you to help vent, relate to and make meaning of the experiences helps enrich the experience and in some situations, make it a little more bearable.

There are so many things to type about, those that have happened recently, experiences I have since reflected upon, things that happened months ago but are amazing stories that should be shared (like the elephants in Mole or the driver ants and treehouse in Kakum). My idea was to make this a combination blog by putting in 5 "adventures" I've had this week. As you will see, "adventures" is loosely defined as those events, experiences or thoughts I've had throughout the week. Some include me going to new places and others are just those random events that happen during my everyday life in Ghana.

NOTE: The first entry ended up being quite lengthy so #2-5 are listed here and #1 is it's own post. Happy Reading!

2. Fine Dining in Tamale. I’ve posted on the intricacies of easting in Ghana, mainly Tamale. Well Friday Mona and I decided to have a proper lunch- our first real lunch ever in Tamale! We decided to try a local restaurant we had each been to before. We had a terrific and filling lunch that left us with the expected afternoon drowsies. Generally we eat supper right after work in an attempt to be home before it’s completely dark, but between the time it takes to get through the dinner process and the sun setting around 6:30 p.m., we haven’t made it back with light left yet. Having finished lunch at 3 p.m., Mona had a snack for supper and while I too wanted something light, there wasn’t much in my room.

I kept getting side tracked with stuff on the internet and when I finally ventured out to get something it was about 9:30. The shop right outside my hotel was closed but the food place seemed to be open. I went up and she just said ‘it’s finished’ (as in all of the food has been consumed, which I translated as ‘We’re closed’ but not wanting to be too honest, said that all of the food was gone… even though I could see some through the window).

So I headed across the street to the gas station that was still open. I looked around and finally left with a large carton of mixed fruit juice, a Coca Cola, a package of biscuits/cookies and a little bread. I ended up having some juice and the sweet bread- I don’t know the last time I had a meal that came 100% from a gas station. I guess over break in the US I had some breakfast pizza’s in the morning, but I feel like breakfast is the most common meal to get at a gas station.

3. Baby sheep! From the looks of things, we are in lambing season in Tamale right about now. There are so many uber pregnant sheep and goats walking around. This week, traveling to and fro work I noticed many fresh baby sheep- so small and clean and cute! But what makes this worth posting about?

I first started to notice these very pregnant ruminants when one goat, who had to be carrying multiples, was waddling down the road. I kept walking and watching it sluggishly dodge the motobike traffic until it crossed the road. (Goats are normally super jumpy and fast with traffic, this one was too pregnant for that).

So I instinctively go straight to lambing/kidding mindset and think- she should be birthing any day soon. Then, without really consciously doing so, I looked over and "wow that ovula is swollen!" No doubt she would be kidding shortly, but not wanting to go into too much detail, she would not be kidding within the next few hours.

Oh the random thoughts that go through my head- for all the sheep and goats roaming around this town, how many Westerner’s do you think check a sheep/goat for signs of birthing? You can sell of the sheep and take the girl off the farm, but…

4. The Western Store. Saturday morning, Mona and I got together for lunch then headed off to town for her to introduce me to the stores that had Western food items. We went to three stores, the second of which, Zeus’s, was the best! Another volunteer had told us about this find and together we remembered what it was called and found it relatively easy. I bought Snapple, instant mac and cheese, spaghetti noodles and a can of Heinz meat sauce, milk, Kellog’s Cornflakes, Snickers bars, the local version of ramon noodles and a week’s worth (5) small sweet breads in the shape of hearts! I also bought a bowl and a spoon :)

Most of the food items were purchased to be eaten for lunch at work- all this past week I kept saying things would be better once I had bought some food I could prepare at work so I look forward to eating, what I now see as mostly pasta, for this week’s lunch. While I spent about 80 cedis/$50 of food- there are 2-3 weeks worth of lunches for work and stay at home cereal that I can eat for breakfast, dinner or whenever I want really :) While it is pricey by local standards- It will still average out to me spending $1-2/meal- not too shabby (Snapples and Snickers don’t apply)!

5. (Not So) Dangerous Motobikers! Monday, as I left work and started walking to Luxury to eat the usual after work dinner, I was still fuming at my friend having been mugged by men on motobikes. So walking to work that morning I couldn’t help but have bad thoughts whenever I saw a man on a motobike (which is probably the most common sight in Tamale!). The only exception was if the man had on a helmet, which happens so rarely that you know this is a person of a different caliber- at least safety is a thought. So here I was fuming in my head about all these terrible motobikers, then would see one with a helmet and concede- fine, you must not be that bad- plus the thieves weren’t wearing a helmet so you’re okay I guess.

Tangent: Recently, I found out many will buy a bike brand new and then remove the rearview mirrors because they are ‘old fashioned.’ How do you respond to that? Although, I feel this gives a nod to the impact the poor education in the North has on its citizens. Oh, and most people with motobikes don’t have license so it’s not like they really even know the rules of the road- but that assumes anyone would follow them even if they knew them. Police could care less here about following the law, it’s only important if they’re getting their bribe. (End of tangent.)

During work, my ire at motobikers somewhat subsided. Then, on the walk to the restaurant for dinner, a motobike had the audacity to stop next to me!

On my guard and ready to tell Mr. Motobike off once he started with whatever nonsense I knew was going to come out of his mouth, I looked over with a scowl on my face, looked through the yellow helmet at the face inside and instantly smiled and said, ‘Hi!’ I wasn’t being hassled by an evil motobiker- a coworker was offering to drop me off at the restaurant so I didn’t have to walk! (My other coworkers laughed when I told them how mad I was and then it ended up being someone we all know and trust and wasn’t out to “get me” :)

Regardless of this comical situation, I still have a heightened distrust of others, which in reality is how it should be- in the US we are blessed to feel safe and secure and that’s just not how it is around the world. I, as many other volunteers I have noticed, am guilty of having a false sense of security in a place where it’s not warranted. I learned in college it’s a common mistake for Westerns to make and I can attest that it is difficult to constantly be wary of one's surroundings, especially when you’re not used to it. And as some coworkers are now telling us, even as locals they don’t get too close to others since you never really know who you can trust. While it’s sad it has to be that way, it does help a little to know that it’s not just me, everyone regardless of if this is their hometown or not has to keep their guard up.

The Ghanaian Diet

It’s easy to lose weight in Ghana. I haven’t gone on an intentional diet but it takes less to feel full and I’m losing weight- no effort required!

The Ghanaian Diet is based on the following principles:

-Too sick to be hungry. Illness such as food poisoning, malaria and typhoid are common, which leave you feeling sick with a loss of appetite- hard to eat when you don’t feel well.

-It won’t stay. Then there is common traveler’s diarrhea where even if you are eating regularly, it goes through you quicker than you can absorb all it has to offer.

Sickness aside,

Food is not easily accessible. This takes many faces.

-Restaurants aren’t near the office so travel time to get to food can take awhile.

-Fast food is not common, nor are restaurants that prepare food quickly. Right now I have been waiting for more than hour for a cheese burger and fries- it doesn’t seem to be arriving any time soon either. Hence I started this evening by reading a USAID report and due to the sun going down, was forced to find another means of self-entertainment.

-The sun goes down. In Ghana, it gets dark early and it gets dark fast. Generally, if I eat out, I go straight after work when it is still light and generally get a taxi back to my hotel because it has been dark for hours by the time the meal is finished. If one waits too long, is walking around alone at night worth the risk? Nah, I’ll just eat a granola bar.

-Eat with your hands. Many local dishes (that are quite delicious) are meant to be eaten with your hands. If you try to eat them with silverware, it begins to take quite a while and the hassle of trying to cut a piece of bone-in goat meat with a knife and fork instead of just picking the meat up and chewing a piece of with your teeth, is so time consuming that you eventually give up for not wanting to spend you day eating.

-If you can’t stand the heat- sometimes the food is so hot or it is so hot outside (enclosed restaurants are few and far between) and I have found, I don’t like to work up a sweat eating so I just quit eating.

-Eating with others. When eating abroad, if you have someone to sit and chat with, the stories are usually endless so getting absorbed in conversation, compounded with heat or a difficult to eat dish, causes the act of actually eating the meal to be cut short.

-Time is Money. Even in Accra, where I am surrounded by restaurants, I know it will take them forever to prepare my food, then I will eat it and wait at least 15 minutes if not more just waiting for someone to bring me a bill- and that of course is after I ask for it- those things just don’t show up on their own. So instead of enjoying my 30-minute American lunch alone, I’m stuck for over an hour and I really don’t like taking my work with me to lunch- dinner, okay, but not lunch.

-Neon Lights. In the U.S. it’s easy to take for granted the golden arches, Taco Bell or Burger King signs that glow for miles- alerting travelers of food nearby. And while Ghana only has one fast food “chain” restaurant (there is one KFC located in Accra), there are no glowing signs to indicate a restaurant. I hear there are a handful of restaurants near the office but I only know of a few and those were shown to me by others- nothing of my own discovery.

-Lack of variety. Don’t get me wrong- look at a menu in most any restaurant and the options are endless- dishes made of beef, chicken, pasta, rice, local staples such as fufu, banku and T.Z. (pronounced tea-zet. Tastes a lot like banku) to name a few. BUT don’t expect variety at breakfast.

I am a diehard breakfast fan:

1. It is the most important meal of the day and

2. I get queezy my mid-morning if I don’t eat.

But after you stay in hotels where they provide the same fried egg and toast, every morning for breakfast- it starts to become too much. I’m going to go to a store this week and buy milk and cereal just to have something, anything to mix up the monotony of that egg. Also, hens aren’t fed as well as U.S. chickens, they kind of fend for themselves so the yolks are not a rich, yellow color- instead they are a slight gray color if anything. This morning, I fantasized about eating a grilled cheese sandwich.

-Cleanliness is next to Godliness. When food is easily accessible, it’s because someone is selling it from a container of some sorts they have been carrying on their head all day or they have started a fire on the side of the road and set up their cooking pot- yes it’s convenient, but is it sanitary? If running water or access to a toilet is considered sanitary- then no.

-Kitchen’s Closed. Most hotels have kitchens and those kitchens close around 3 p.m. so if you want dinner, you must order around 8 a.m. before you leave for work- hopefully you’re thinking that far in advance. Also, it’s hard to extract information in Ghana. No one’s really willingly provides information- if you want to know something, you must ask and hopefully, you ask the right questions. I have been in situations where I was at a hotel and told them I would want to eat later, could I order food. They say sure, but when I try, the kitchen is closed. Not just closed for business but the cook has locked it up and went home with the key so getting bread isn’t even an option. By this time the situation is compounded by darkness, new location, not knowing where restaurants are and being located at the end of a windy dirt road that will take a 10 min walk to get to a main road with taxis so it’s safer to stay inside and eat the peanut butter I’ve been toting around. I’ve discovered I can eat about two tablespoons of straight peanut butter before I’m back to not caring about eating any more.

So with all of these points to consider when thinking about eating, sometimes it just doesn’t all seem worth it so you skip it. I do not condone skipping meals but must admit, I’ve skipped more in my few months here than possible all of the years combined proceeding my trip to Ghana. But I’m not saying that is necessarily a bad thing because:

-My stomach has shrunk so I fill up faster, minimizing overeating and weight gain

-We are supposed to eat lots of little meals instead of a few big ones so eating a miniature Snickers and Jolly Ranchers throughout the day is acceptable- right?

-I just eat one big meal a day now and while lunch is the preferred big meal according to the diet gurus, I rather like the traditional heavy dinner American’s enjoy because eating the same fried egg every morning makes eating breakfast hard sometimes.

As you may have noticed, while true, a majority of this article is my attempt at rationalizing why I now regularly skip meals. Excuses, excuses, excuses :)

Okra Stew in Wa

It's quite nice to have an evening where I've enjoyed a delightful meal with a fellow volunteer and arrived home (a.k.a. my hotel) with a few hours to relax, read some research for a project I am working on, maybe squeeze in a little pleasure reading and of course, watch an episode of Big Bang Theory before bed.

So far, my time here in Ghana has had more travels than it really seems. When I touched down on Sunday January 8th, I had just one day in Accra before leaving on January 10th for Wa where I gave my writing and photo workshop to the last office. It was quite enjoyable. Wa is the capital of the Upper West Region and the consensus among coworkers was that it has a population of about 12,000 people, and that's when the University of Development Studies (UDS) is in session, which draws about 6,000 people to town. While it was small in number it was quite spread out. The last training went well and was the best practice photo session of all- we were able to go to one of our actors to shoot photos of them using a tractor and mechanized sheller on a small communities corn harvest.

But the real highlight of my first weekend back in Ghana (and one of my best memories so far) was that, Eva, an employee in the Wa office invited me to her house to make my and her favorite local dish: banku with okra stew!

She picked me up Saturday around 11 a.m. and we went to the market in town where we bought the ingredients we would need. It was nice having a true market experience (I'm not sure if there's even a grocery store in Wa that sells all the items we would need). Watching the butcher take your order then whack at the goat carcass, severing the bone, and be right at the one pound mark, just by eyeing the piece of meat! Once we had bought all of the ingredients, we hopped in a taxi and headed back to her place.

It was interesting going with her to get water (okay so she got the water and I took photos) before rinsing out the dishes. Also, she had just moved into the house so it was her first time cooking in her new place. Before anything really started, we removed the stove top from the box, set it on two concrete blocks and attached it to the propane tank. It was a three burner stove top, less than 5 inches tall. It reminded me of a stove top I would expect to see in a camper.

Once the stove was ready and the dishes washed, she cut up the ingredients including: fresh okra, white egg plant (or garden eggs as they call them in Ghana), goat meat, tomatoes, chili peppers, and lots of onions (we both enjoy onions!). (Please don't use this as a recipe as I'm just going from memory- I will have to email her for the real deal).

She cooked the goat meat with lots of spices then began the process of making okra stew and banku. For the banku, she bought a premade bag of banku (which is made from maize that has been soaked in water for about 3 days, which is then pounded and heated. It has the look and texture of bread dough and a flavor that is hard to describe (kind of salty, with a bite but when eaten with okra stew, it's like you're adding a spice that adds to the meal and the two complement each other wonderfully).

We didn't end up eating until about 6 p.m. and I was hungry. She gave me a large bowl with a big portion of okra stew and lots of goat meat. It was the best okra stew I have had in Ghana. Yes, while the experience no doubt added to the taste and the day of cooking and anticipation added to the excitement, it was truly delicious! This is a meal I have had several times over and I like the way she cooks it and the spices she uses. It was so much I couldn't bare to finish but did my best to eat as much of the amazing food she had prepared for me as possible.

Oh, one thing I forgot to add, was how to eat okra stew. Okra stew is best when eaten the traditional, Ghanaian way- not the Western way. To eat okra stew, you first wash your right hand with soap and water, then using your fingers on your right hand (I use the middle three), you tear a piece of banku (bread dough texture) off and use it as additional leverage to grab some okra stew up. I learned while cooking the importance of making sure you have enough okra to make the dish as sticky as it needs to be. The sticky of the banku and the sticky of the okra stew help the dish be eaten with your three fingers.

Like many meals, it is best with just the right combination of banku, okra stew and goat meat. So you can start with the banku and okra but normally it's easier for me to grab a piece of goat meat, chew off a piece then put the goat meat back in the stew and grab some banku with okra. Once finished, you rinse your hands with soap and water and are on your way! The first few times I tried to eat this dish with a spoon and while it is possible, it takes forever and isn't nearly as good (although the restaurant I used the silverware at was too 'fancy' to 1. have a sink in the dining room or even 2. bring a large bowl of water and soap to rinse your hand with.

While half the fun is how you eat the dish, I really do enjoy banku and okra stew- don't be surprised if I have it multiple times a week (like for example I had it Monday and Tuesday of this week- I'm starting to even figure out what restaurants have the best stew!). And it's just a rule- if you eat it with anything besides goat meat, it's just not going to taste the same or as good. I went to a different fancy restaurant (that provides soap and a bowl of water) to eat okra stew but the only options are chicken or guinea fowl (a delicacy in Ghana) but it's just not the same.

I can't thank Eva enough for the wonderfully warm hospitality of inviting me to her home to not only see how my (I mean our) favorite dish is made, but to taste my first homemade meal in Ghana. I spent 2.5 months in Ghana the first time and was never afforded such a luxury. Yes, Wa may be our most remote office and in a small town, but the staff is wonderful, there are some great farmers to work with and harmattan was rolling in so it was cool out- about 75-80 degrees (quite cold for the locals but wonderful to a girl who just returned from Christmas Missouri).

Good Treats, Eats and Reads

Having heard so many references to my blog lately, I can’t help but feel compelled to… well… blog of course!

The MUST read for anyone spending much time in Ghana: The Imported Ghanaian by Alba Kunadu Sumprim.

Saturday I decided to explore a new part of Ghana, well to me anyways- Osu. It’s quite popular for shopping, dining and whatnot and while I wasn’t really in the shopping mood, I felt compelled to experience Accra while I had time left- don’t want to have any regrets once I return.

As I walked toward the main strip to catch a tro-tro (12-16+ passenger van that serves as public transport), I decided to stop and buy a bottle of water as I didn’t know how long this journey would take.

Ducking into a store to grab some water, I bumped into a woman who teaches at the American school that I have known since my first few weeks in Ghana. We chatted about my break to the US and her trip to Togo and when I was telling tales of my week, she suggested that I read ‘The Imported Ghanaian.’ Her rave reviews had me sold! She also showed me where to buy delicious juices and her favorite juice was back in stock now, no longer ‘finished.’

So naturally, I grabbed a small juice box and large, chilled water. As I got on the tro-tro, I elected to sit in the back to watch everything unravel and take it all in. As I sat there, I drank my juice box, feeling like an elementary student who just boarded the bus, headed for school.

There was a transfer of tro-tros and of course I went the wrong way! I started to head into the Military 37 (the stop was 37 Light) and asking guards and military personnel where the tro-tro was. They pointed me in the other direction and found a woman headed that way to match me up with. Maria was polite and made sure I safely crossed the street with her. She was a military nurse and ensured I arrived at my proper destination before letting me out of sight- such a sweet woman!

As we arrived to Osu, I got off at Koala Hotel, as also suggested by my friend at the store. I found the store she had talked about: Global Mama’s. They are a fair trade group with the cutest clothes that are quite transferable to wear in the US without much eyebrow raising at all! Without really planning on it, I spent most of my money in one spot, which was quite alright :) Of the three dresses I got, the main reason I purchased one, was because the labels have written on them the names of the women that sewed the garment and the dress I selected was sewn by Julia (a little conceited) and Adwoa (the name of one of my “boss’s” and one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met). Having a dress that can also represent the deliverables Adwoa and I produce on a regular basis and benefit women with the same names, is kind of nice.

So three dresses and a necklace later, I do my duty to continue walking. Shortly, I stumble upon the sole, SOLE fastfood restaurant in Ghana. That’s right my friends, KFC. (FYI the most popular fastfood restaurant in China- KFC, why? It was the first! Smart, smart company, I see how they operate :) So I got some French fries (no mashed potatoes here) and two pieces of spicy chicken. Quite funny, as I was walking in, a “teenage” chick (not a baby but not a hen) was a bit lost a roaming around… outside of the KFC. So needless to say when the security man opened the door- I told him one got away! (That is so something my mother would say…)

Afterwards, I headed back on the street and passing a household goods stand saw the glow of the greatly wanted: adapter! Don’t get me wrong, the office had given me an adapter, but when the 3^rd prong broke (it’s made of plastic and basically flips the trigger that allows the other two ends to go in and transfer electricity) so for months, I had to carry an ink pen with me that I could use the lid to stick into the 3^rd prong (plastic of course, it was grounded anyways but not worth being risky over) and would have to slyly flip the trigger with the pen lid, push the other two ends in and get my hand out of the way in time for the trigger to be flipped and the two prongs to go in. When he quoted me 2 cedi (~$1.50) each, I bought two!

Walking a little more I decided it was time to go back. I finally caught a tro-tro and at one stop, a random man on the sidewalk stuck his head in the side back window and said “something something tro-tro.,” to me. Most of those in the vehicle turned to look at the man and then at me and I just sat there- while I think it might have been meant to offend, it’s hard to offend someone when they have no idea what you just said :)

Eventually I made it back, quite satisfied with my day out.

The next day I purchased “The Imported Ghanaian” and started to read it this evening drinking a Gulder beer as I waited for my Redred with fried plantain and goat meat to arrive. It is awesome! The author was born in Ghana but at a young age her parents moved to the UK, which greatly influenced her. Planning to return to Ghana and fit right in, her upbringing in the UK defies the easy transition but is extremely relatable to an American, even though I understand there are still differences in her experiences and mine. Every few pages I had a huge grin on my face and sometimes even laughed out loud- it is that good, that true, that believable and allows me a humorous release that no, it’s not just me. I can’t thank the woman who recommended it to me enough, but I bought both of the authors books on good faith and being quite satisfied will read it quickly and pass it on to another deserving and needing foreign volunteer like myself.

Relaxation through Visualization

Yes, this is my first post since my return to Ghana. While this great revelation occurred before I left, it's been one of those weeks where I needed to draw upon visualization for relaxation.

I've heard that when you are stressed, it's good to visualize something to focus your mind and calm your nerves. This reminds me of meditation where one can repeat a mantra, focus on breathing or visualize something. While I hope to become better at drawing upon visualization as a way to manage stress, when it usually comes to me, I'm in great need and so far, it has worked each time I've tried.

After being halfway through my Friday after work beer and still feeling stressed, I wondered what it would take for me to finally relax and visualization dawned on me- and it worked again!

A few months ago, after a frustrating afternoon, all the little things were starting to get to me. As I sat in the truck driving from point A to point B, I was getting really worked up and didn't see an end to the stress in sight. Then, I saw a cow walking across a military shooting range.

In Ghana, shooting sports isn't like the U.S., so practice for accuracy and is viewed as a military activity. While no one was at the shooting range, I saw this cow walking from one side to another, as if it were walking in the line of fire of all the potential shooters. This struck me as odd and grabbed my attention. I've been to shooting ranges, but never saw a cow at one before, yet wasn't too surprising because cows, goats, sheep and swine often roam freely, fending for themselves where food is concerned.

All of a sudden, I imagined myself at a shooting range back in Missouri (no cows or other critters included).

When I need help relaxing because of STRESS and choose to visualize, my thoughts don't go to the beaches of Costa Rica, the Swiss Alps or even the coral reefs in Thailand, but instead, I go to a shooting range in Missouri.

Shooting requires one's full attention, concentration and body. Physically, you must control your form, grip, aim and breath. Mentally, you must concentrate on the target and outside factors. To pull the trigger, you need complete absorption into the activity.

A gun is a humbling piece of metal. It contains so much force and potential that knowing you are handling a tool like this in just your hands, leads to (what I hope is) an extreme appreciation and cautiousness when using.

In order to even think of pulling the trigger, one must be reassured that the gun is being properly handled from using the safety lock, to loading, pointing (whether loaded or not) and that everyone at the range is in consensus of when to move and when to stay put- safety is first.

Range shooting requires complete focus, both mentally and physically, all while remaining humble at the tool in your hand. When it's actually time to shoot, so many things have already gone through one's mind and the moment you are about to pull the trigger, knowing you are already in the proper stance, take a deep breath, aim the gun at the bulls eye of the target, slowly exhale and as your whole body is in sync, pull the trigger, already prepared for the recoil.

With that much concentration, it's not possible for me to hold on to all of the stresses and issues floating in the air above my head because I have just put my entire body, mind and humility into one single act. Just thinking about aiming at a little circle on a sheet of paper, and all of the focus required, has a calming effect, even if I am thousands of miles and months away from being on a range.