The End - For Now

So my (first) stint in Ghana is coming to a close and I thought I'd let you all know how/what I'm feeling.

But first let me briefly update since I have been horrendous at doing so of late:

1) Eli visited for a week which was incredible. We hiked and I showed him the University/Accra. The definite highlight though was spending the night in a town that surrounding a monkey sanctuary. The people who live there, the Tafi, had long had the belief that the monkeys living in the forest near them were sacred and therefore there was a severe taboo against killing them. However, as traditional religions were eroded by missionaries and the introduction of Christianity, the Tafi began killing the monkeys for their meat. That is, until the Peace Corps intervened and helped the Tafi turn their town and the surrounding forests into a sanctuary. This was quite incredible for the people of Tafi Atome because the Peace Corps introduced a new way to make money (ie tourism) as well as built a school in the town. Even still, Tafi Atome is still a perfect example of the typical rural village with houses built of mud and palm leaves and wells for water. So Eli got to see a little of small town life and I got to learn about yet another language here in Ghana. Tafi is spoken by 4 interconnected villages in the Volta Region of Ghana. Remarkably, they've maintained the language even though all surrounding people speak Ewe. This is one of the many incredible things about African people: most, if not all Africans, are bi- or tri-lingual. I meet people daily who not only speak English but speak both their parents' dialects (many couples are made of two people from different tribes). For instance, my taxi driver just the other day had one parent who was Ewe (the people of the Volta and Eastern Region who can also be found in great numbers in Togo) and one who was Ga (the original people of Accra). Therefore he spoke both of these languages as well as English and Twi (the language spoken by most people in Accra and the Ashanti region - ie the majority group in Ghana). I quite often meet people just like him. It makes all of us Americans feel like idiots for barely speaking anything more than English. But I digress...At the monkey sanctuary, Eli and I woke up at 5:45 am and went on a guided walk. When we got to the edge of the forest our guide began making strange noises. All of a sudden, we heard some rustling in the trees and out jump 5 or 6 small monkeys. Two bigger ones and a few more small ones followed. Our guide handed us each a banana and told us to hold it firmly at the top and lean down while extending our hands. The monkeys slowly walked up to us one by one and stretched out their arms to our bananas. They ripped back the peel and started grabbing handfuls of bananas, stuffing it in their mouths. One little one even jumped up on Eli's arm and pried the banana out from behind. It was fabulous =).

2) Mona and I went to Togo for two days. For those of you less well versed in African geography, Togo is a sliver of a country located on the Eastern border of Ghana, just 3 1/2 hours from Accra. After a very cramped tro-tro ride in which my head kept getting smacked against the ceiling, we arrived in Aflao, the Ghanaian town that borders Togo. From there we literally walked across the border. It was the strangest immigration experience of my life, as well as the most terrifying. Everything was completely disorganized and the corruption was both obvious and rampant. I've rarely been so disgusted by government officials and Mona later told me that it made her feel literally nauseous. All West Africans have a passport that should allow them to pass West African country borders easily and for no cost, much like members of the EU can do in Europe. The reality of immigration here however is far from how it should be. While the Togolese officials were stamping our passports in what can only be described as an artistic manner, we witnessed another immigration officer arbitrarily separating the African travelers into two lines. One line was allowed to pass through with only a little pushing and the other was forced under a small roof where they would be poked and smacked with a stick until they forked over one or two Cedi (which could easily buy a small meal of rice and chicken for those who live hand to mouth). They seemed completely happy to strike whomever they chose be it a young man or a pregnant woman. If the person couldn't pay the officer she would be sent back and told to try again later. The worst thing about it all is that the people being abused seemed to almost expect it. They joked and laughed nervously when the officer struck or poked them. It was highly disturbing and yet this type of low level corruption is all too common in West African nations. Once we were through the terrifying process however, the fun began. Mona speaks perfect French (having gone to a French- English primary school) and I understood mostly everything but could only sometimes respond thanks to vocabulary blanks. We quickly hopped on the back of some taxi-motos (little motorcycles which are the main mode of transportation in Togo) and sped along the beach toward Lome, the capital of Togo. It was incredibly strange because it was clearly a city, unlike Accra which is more like a sprawling town with the odd ghetto here and there. It even had quite a French flair having been controlled France until it's independence. Mona and I spent the rest of the day exploring the city and found some fondue for dinner (so delicious). The next morning we went to see a little artisans village where we saw many of the same crafts that can be found in Ghana, with the exception of one particular craft: soapstone carving. They make beautiful bowls and other items carved completely and intricately out of stone. The previous night we'd made friends with a nice man named Martin who drives a taxi-moto and he offered to help us get around the city and see things, while making sure we didn't get ripped off. He took us to Togo-ville, a small run-down town across a river where there is a beautiful German Catholic church and where voodoo is strong and widely used. Unlike Ghana where Christians are mostly protestant, pentecostal, or evangelical, Togo is largely Catholic due to the French influence. Before the French controlled Togo it was known as German Togoland and was in the control of the Germans. Togo-ville even still flies the German flag. While we were there, Martin took us to meet the chief of the village. Unfortunately, he was ill so we met the Prince instead. He showed us the small museum (just a room full of ancient relics) and told us a bit about the local people. It is said that they came all the way from Egypt and that the mysticism and voodoo that is so pervasive in their society because of the Egyptian blood. Of course, he told us all this in French, so I missed a few details but overall it was really interesting. After that we took Martin out for dinner and a beer and then hopped a tro-tro back home.

3) My work at the camp went really well. For a few weeks I went around to all the classes above 7th year and did a self-esteem exercise that I wrote taking into special consideration that the students are refugees. It was the first therapeutic program I've ever written and I was quite proud of it. We also drew up budgets to start an agriculture and rabbit raising program so that the students would learn real, useful life skills while raising food that the students could eat at lunch time. Normally, a number of the students would come to class hungry, having not eaten in up to 48 hours. The students can't concentrate and I've watched many simply fall asleep because they are too weak to stay awake. Not only would the feeding/farming program solve this problem but more parents might be inclined to send their children to school if they could be fed there. The money that would normally be saved for food could be spent on school fees and the simple enticement of their children being fed might be enough for them to see the importance of school. The church where my mom is a very active partitioner has already discussed helping me raise money to start this program and I'm going to approach my sorority on campus about helping as well. If any of those reading are interested in donating, we'd happily welcome it. Just send a check to me and I will put it with the other money we raise. Like they say, any small amount helps. I also rounded up all of the things that my fellow international students were leaving behind and brought them to the camp. After bringing bags full of pots, pans, food, clothing, and first aid items and discussing the feeding/ farming program with the principle, I saw literal tears of gratitude brimming his eyes as he shook my hand goodbye. I can't even begin to explain how good it felt to help the kids and this man who has remained in the camp for the sole reason that he feels a responsibility to the refugee children.

So I leave in two days and I have incredibly mixed feelings about it. First off I'm just insanely excited to see my family and to see East Africa. But I'm going to miss Ghana in so many ways. I'm not sure exactly how to explain it all so I'll just give a few lists to give examples:

Things I'm going to miss about Ghana
That laid back attitude so many Ghanaians have
Hearing Twi and other African languages everywhere
The Refugee Community School, the students and the principle
Being able to get frozen chocolate milk in a bag nearly anywhere
Seeing African women walking gracefully with fruit on their heads and a baby bouncing on their back
Being surprised by new and different things around each corner
The people I've met
Exploring on the weekends
Faltering in African languages
The way food and other items are sold to you right through the car's window
The way time works (GMT: Ghana Maybe Time)
Just the feeling of being here - I can't explain it

Things I'm not going to miss
The heat
Actually being able to feel the heat roll off me when I step under the freezing water of the shower
Hearing one of three pop songs wherever I go
Insanely slow internet
Water running out
Power going out

Things I can't wait to get back to
Family and Friends
WASHERS AND DRYERS (Oh my god, I can't wait to not wash my clothes by hand - they NEVER get clean)
Salad
Television and film (I know, I know, but being away has been hard for a media junkie like me)
New York City!!!!
Bucknell

So goodbye Ghana or rather Ye beshyia-bio (see you again)