A Simple Life

Ever since I came here I have been discovering new things that I never thought I would miss.  There are the obvious ones like hot showers and washing machines.  Things like the creature comforts of American food in general, and cheese specifically.  Then there is the great comfort that I've grudgingly admitted to missing.  With a mix of resignation and a little shame, I'll admit I miss my t.v.  Yes that giant box of wasteful electricity that contributes nothing but the oh so welcome opportunity to shut off my brain for a while.  My inner environmentalist hates me, but he'll get over it.  This whole adjustment has made me re-examine the guilty pleasures.  Things like driving and watching television may be wasteful, but they are so darn nice it's really hard not to miss them.
When I first came here I was really excited to declutter my life and live on a more environmentally sustainable level.  It still brings me pride when I look around my room and realize that I was able to reduce all my stuff into two checked bags and a carry on.  However, it has also shown me that I like my stuff.  There are a few items that I brought with me that make me smile simply because I own them and they are nice.  Living out here has shown me the true value things.  Not just the important immaterial ones, but the less important material comforts too.  The weird thing that comes with the realization of missing my stuff or the ability to get more stuff, is the acceptance of this.  Maybe I'm a little more desirous of the consumer culture than I thought.  I really miss amazon.  Everything I could possibly want was a click away.  Now, well, the market is nothing if not more interactive.  Basically, I've learned that I do miss the things that made my life easier on a substantial level.  Once I get back to civilization I will appreciate those things more and I think that's a good. 
All my romantic notions of living a simple life have come face to face with the reality of living in a small undeveloped farming community.  Life out here is rough.  What makes it harder sometimes is that they know it.  Ghanians know that there is a better (or easier) way to do things and they want a piece of the pie.  Who are we to say that they shouldn't have it?  It would be entirely hypocritical of me to say to a Ghanian, Well you can't have a t.v. because it's bad for the environment, but I'm too used it by now so I need one".  Growing up in the rich suburbs of Boston makes it easy to see the wasteful side of development.  However, as a Peace Corps Volunteer I've lost the luxury of being jaded.  Here, they need development and it would be a good thing.  We have the opportunity to start at the ground level and do it right.  We need to develop a mentality of conservation before habits of excess consumption start taking hold.  Furthermore, it could be argued that it is up to the developed countries to find a better way to have all our conveniences.  You can't tell an American to throw out their washing machine and wash their clothes by hand, anymore than you can tell a Ghanian to stop dreaming about one.  Conveniences are not necessarily bad in and of themselves, but we need to smart about them.  Americans always find a way to have their cake and eat it too, so this shouldn't be any different.
While Ghana's technology may be behind, the modern culture of consumerism is in full force.  Every purchase whether at a roadside veggie stand or in a store, comes with a black plastic bag.  The majority of these end up tossed on the ground.  The only means of disposal is sweeping up the trash and burning it.  While this certainly hurts the atmosphere, I can't say for certain whether filling up landfills is a better option in the long run.  Burn it now, or let it sit in a hole for eternity.  There has to be a better way out there. 
A lot of Ghanains looks to America as a country that has it all.  When I talk to some of them, it's like I'm on Ellis Island talking to immigrants who came to America to find a better life.  To them, America is still the land of opportunity.  While we may scoff at the reality, it's still a testament to the image that the United States has in the rest of the world.  The spirit that brought our ancestors to settle America is still alive.  While the phrase "Living the dream" is often accompanied with a sardonic grin among my friends, the fact is that, in America, we are living the dream.  It might be a Ghanian's dream, but it's a dream nonetheless.  It really makes me appreciate the fact that when I go back, I'm going to have it made.  That's a powerful realization.  In a way, Ghanains have taught me to dream again.  They are still dreaming despite the harsh realities they face everyday.  It keeps them going.  That's what dreams are supposed to do, and I'm incredibly lucky that I get to live them out.

The Tallest of the Small Boys

First and foremost, a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I had the odd pleasure of spending Christmas time in the 80 degree savanna where it was completely devoid of snow, cold, shopping malls, commercials, Santa and all other things a New Englander relates to Christmas.  However, I was not pining too much as mother was kind enough to send me a miniature Christmas tree and an elf nutcracker.  The Ghanians found this a source of great amusement and dubbed the elf "my baby".  Best of all the decorations came with an entire box shipped from home full of Christmas presents.  Not to mention home made brownies (baked with love) which were a delight to me and my compatriots.  It took all the self control I have but I managed to hold off opening the presents until the 25th, and it was well worth the wait. 
Despite the decorations, it still didn't feel like Christmas.  The fact that on Christmas Eve Day I was able to take a hike and climb a tree was enjoyable, yet very, very odd.  Worst of all was the lack of family and pangs of homesickness really hit me.  More than ever I felt lost in a culture and place that was absolutely foreign.  However, I soon realized that I did have a family in Ghana.  There was a whole group of people willing to accept me simply because I was one of them.  Thus, Christmas day found me traveling to the Peace Corps sub-office in Tamale.  The journey there provided a wonderful opportunity to replace my homesickness with an entirely new set of troubles.
One of the main forms of transportation in Ghana is through the use of tro-tros.  Vans in various states of disrepair are crammed full of passengers and cargo and briskly transported to their desired location.  Thus, what would be a 12 passenger van in the U.S. becomes a 21 passenger van (with the tro-tro collection agent hanging out the sliding door) plus a handful of small children.  Needless to say, they're cheap. 
The tro I picked up to Tamale was loaded with 50 kilo bags of maize (corn) and a few people strategically crushed in amongst them.  I was given the seat of honor up front next to the driver.  The tro took off and much to my unsurprised the right rear wheel was having some issues.  It might have been the shocks too, since upon swerving around every pot hole (trust me, there are a few) I could hear the comforting sound of metal grinding against metal.  Just like sleigh bells.  The whole tro rocked back and forth causing a surge of . . . excitement to course through me. Eventually the tire blew (surprise, surprise) after a particularly rough stretch or road.  So out hopped the driver with a jack and he threw on the spare.  As we were clamoring aboard, I heard a gentleman behind me exclaim, "White Man, Merry X-Mas!"  Upon turning to discover the user of such a contextually peculiar phrase, I was faced with a smile and a bottle of black anise schnapps.  "Drink" extolled the friendly Ghanian.  Upon briefly considering the ride the ride I had just experienced, I gladly took a swig.  Hopping back into the front seat I felt slightly more fortified for what was to come.  Blowing the tire ended up being a good thing, as the ride markedly improved.  However, upon stopping to let a passenger out, the tro proceeded to roll backwards once the driver left the van.  This issue was solved by the passenger sitting next to me as he reached his foot over onto the brake.  How the driver actually parks his tro, I haven't the foggiest.  Eventually we all made it one piece to Tamale.  It was truly a Christmas miracle.  Here would be a good place to apologize to my mother for the next two years of even more anxiety, but that story is way to good to keep hidden for that long.
Anyways, I found my way to the sub-office, donned my home-made reindeer costume and had a lovely time.  We swapped two yards (colorfully printed fabric popular across Ghana) ate lots of food, sang Christmas carols at the neighboring houses and had a general good time.  It was nice to have that mutual, unspoken understanding between the volunteers who understand what it's like to be so far away from the familiar. 
I spent New Year back in Toronyilli.  My counterpart (the Ghanian who acts as a local guide and close advisor) provided me with a bottle of pito (a beverage made out of fermented millet).  After weighing out bags of maize (never done that on New Year) Yusif (my cp) and I sat down to enjoy our beverage and I thought we were going to have a nice night counting down the New Year together.  However, he left me at 10:30.
I sat in my room in near darkness, finding the mood rather depressing.  Soon, I heard the voice of Yusif talking to the other men outside.  I realized that I could either sulk in my room, or make the most of it.  Since I didn't want to celebrate alone, and I certainly didn't want to drink alone, I brought the rest of my libation out to the group who were much amused and thankful.  Even so, they all retired before midnight leaving me to count down the last seconds of 2012 with a chicken as my closest companion.  The comfortably cool night air was filled with the sounds of goats, ducks, chickens, insects and people settling down to sleep.  I could almost see the spirits of my ancestors standing in the clumps of tall, pale grass in the fields.  As much as I was alone, I was surrounded by life.  This energy filled me with an undeniable sense of how fitting this moment was.  I will be isolated during my time out here, but that will chisel out a more independent nature.  My perceptions and results of my experience here depend entirely on me.  All the tools I need are around me and inside of me.  When I am stuck, I can always reach out to the villagers and the PC support network
My rumination upon the present surroundings eventually turned towards anticipation of the future; what the village needs and how I will help them.  I thought about the fields I had worked in the past week and how, come sunset, Yusif would send me home with the "small boys", the group of elementary school aged children that went out with us to the farm.  Those twilight walks came back to me as I watched the moon and stars rotate their way towards a new year.  I realized that I am in a lot of ways a child in this new country.  I have much to learn about its people and land.  Like an infant, I am learning the language through listening.  My tongue fumbles and stutters over unfamiliar letters as I parrot what enters my ears.  Like a child, the best is yet to come, and the answers that I seek will be revealed in good time.  The wonder and excitement of exploring a new environment and diverse culture renews sophomoric curiosity.  I count down the last seconds to midnight and rise to face the new year; the tallest of the small boys.

They have internet in Ghana too

So lot's to update on and I'm sure I'm going to miss stuff but I shall try.  This is the first time I have gotten on the internet in two months.  I feel like I'm in middle school again.  First and foremost, I'm in Ghana.  Woohoo!  Everyday the realization that I'm living on a different continent populated by a different culture that speaks a wholly unfamiliar language slowly sinks in.  I have had many 'Welcome to Africa' moments.  From that cold shower on the first morning, to playing frisbee with my host aunt while she had a baby tied to her back with a piece of cloth, to lying in a three foot pile of corn in the middle of my mud brick compound gazing up at the stars, all have served to illustrate that Kansas is indeed very, very far away.
I know many people (especially my brother) have been wondering what I have been eating.  First off, I should say that in Ghanaian culture it is thought that one is is a bad host if their guest has to ask for more food.  Thus, despite my mother's concerns I have been eating lot's and lot's of food.  Many volunteers have been told to "Eat all!  It will make you strong!".  At first my host family would express dismay when I couldn't finish the 5 pounds of rice they gave me, but after I assured them that I was satisfied, they relented.  Overall, the food has been pretty good.  Their staple crops are yams, cassava, corn (maize), rice, beans, peanuts (groundnuts), plantains, bananas, oranges, chicken, and guinea fowl.  Not to mention fish.  They put them in everything.  From little fried fish that I ate whole (bones and all) to canned fish (bones and all).  Ghanaians eat everything from the skin to the bones.  I had crab one day and was instructed to eat every part of the legs including the shell.  Crab is not supposed to be that crunchy.  Anyways, one of the main food preparation techniques consists of pounding the food using a long wooden mallet of sorts.  Maize is pounded into banku, and yam or cassava or both becomes fufu.  They both have a doughy consistency and when eating them you dip a bit of the dough into a soup and swallow it whole.  It takes a little while to get used to. Everything is pretty spicy because they like to put spicy peppers into everything.  Like I said, overall I have enjoyed it.
Most of the past two months have been spent listening to various lectures about medical, cultural and agricultural information.  Some of the technical training has been more hands on and we visited various farms and animal rearing places to see how they did it.  We learned about beekeeping, rabbit rearing, maize, cashew, and shea farming.  Needless to say I think I will have enough to do for the next two years.  My community is very excited to have me working with them so I hope I will be able to help them out.
I spent three days at my site and was able to get a better picture of what I will actually be doing in Ghana.  My village is called Toronyilli and it is about an hour south of Tomale.  There are about 300 people in it but I will be working with the surrounding villages as well.  The only way to get to my village from the paved main road is an 8 mile trip down a dirt road.  Since the Peace Corps won't let me ride motorbikes it looks like the only option is to ride a bicycle.  I guess I'm going to be in better shape by the end of this.  The village itself looks like a classic African village.  There are small compounds where each family lives with 8 or 9 round houses with red mud walls and thatched roofs.  The surrounding land is full of tall grasses, termite mounds, a few trees, and local farms.  There is even a local herd of cattle that moved from area to area.  Additionally, there are goats, guinea fowls and chickens that run wild around the village.  I will be living in a compound with my counterpart and his family in a cement room with a zinc roof.  My counterpart acts as a local guide and helped introduce me to all the important people I will need to work with.  Not to mention he knows a lot more Dagbani then I do.  He introduced me to the chief, the elders, the local farmers and the district assembly man.  He is young and full of energy and has really high expectations for me.  I hope I can deliver on them.  My village has no running water or electricity, but the solar charger I brought with me should come in handy.  Plus, Tomale is a big city so I should be able to get everything I need (including the internet) there.  Overall, I'm really excited about everything and can't wait to finish training and settle in to my village.  They greeted me with open arms and a welcoming ceremony where they danced for me and made formal introductions.  They seem excited about having me in their village.  When my chief asked me what I was hoping to get out of my time here I responded that I wanted "Teach the village what I know, and learn from them what they know".  The foundation has been set for what should be a fruitful and important experience for not just me, but the village as well.

Ghana be Going

Wow.  Tomorrow marks the first day of what will be a truly life changing experience for me.  After talking about this for a year it seems to have snuck up on me.  I am filled with a vortex of emotions; nervous, excited, hopeful, anxious, relieved.  Most of all I feel ready to face the challenges ahead of me.  Once I get there I will finally be able to see what I'm actually going to be doing on a physical level and not just the goals of service.  My training provided by the Peace Corps will arm me with the skills I need to be successful.  A combination of support from back home and my personal life philosophy will help get me through everything else.  I can't wait to meet the 24 other Agriculture volunteers.  I have the sense that our collective experiences will draw us very close together and that we will support each other because at the end of the day we are in it together.  My one major concern is learning a new language, but I know that once I start the classes I will be fine.  This past week has been filled with friends, family, food, fires, and frequent encouragements and congratulations.  Not to mention a decent amount of good, ol' 'Merican beer.
I figured that it would be a good idea to get a serious haircut before I left.  Upon discussing it with my Dad, he said that I should "Have some fun with it, and shave my head for a charity."  So, I raised $1,000 towards the International Children's Fund, an organization that works with countries across Africa including Ghana.  Most impressively, only %2 of monetary donations go towards administrative costs.  The support I received from my friends and family was awesome!  With their help I was able to double my goal of $500.  That should give me a little good karma to get things started.
Lastly, I want to post my packing list.  I spent months researching everything that I would need for the next two years so I would like to show it off. 

Clothing

·         4 Button down short-sleeve dress shirts

·         Polo shirt

·         3 long sleeve UV 30 sun shirts

·         Long sleeve bug-repellent shirt

·         1 pair athletic shorts

·         1 pair normal shorts

·         Bathing suit

·         2 pairs lightweight khakis

·         1 pair work pants

·         7 T-shirts (including one Patriots shirt. I have to support my team somehow)

·         1 pair black dress pants

·         Dressy black t-shirt (for funerals)

·         1 pair pajama pants

·         Bug-repellent baseball cap

·         Wide brimmed hat

·         3 bandannas (1 anti-bug treated)

·         4 pairs long boot socks

·         1 pair normal socks

·         Eagle Creek money belt

·         belt

·         3 undershirts

·         Fleece jacket

·         Raincoat

 

Shoes

·         Chacos Unaweep 2 sandals

·         Merrel barefoot shoes

·         Redhead hiking boots (They are indestructible)

o   Extra boot laces

o   Mink oil

 

Luggage

·         Kelty Santa Fe 4000 Backpack

o   Rain cover

·         Redhead Duffel bag

·         Clik Elite Obscura 30 photography backpack

 

Electronics

·         Black Diamond Icon headlamp

·         Black Diamond Orbit lantern

·         Ipod (Gamestop Refurbished)

o   2 charging cables

o   Bose in-ear headphones

·         Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel (Pretty powerful and takes all sorts of inputs)

·         7 AA rechargeable batteries

·         4 AAA rechargeable batteries

·         Universal electric outlet adaptor

·         500GB external hard drive

·         Toshiba Laptop

o   Wireless mouse

o   Aqua Quest waterproof laptop sleeve

·         Kaito KA 1101 shortwave AM/FM radio

·         Mini-Max II portable speaker (Really loud and really small)

·         Kindle (thanks Mom and Dad)

·         Electric beard trimmer

·         3 2GB USB drives

·         Transcend memory card reader (If I have files larger than 2GB I can use it turn my memory cards into USB drives)

·         Surge protector (it seems like some places can unpredictable outlets)

·         Watch

o   4 extra batteries

·         Nikon D3100 DSLR

o   Storm Jacket rain cover

o   2 32GB memory cards

o   8GB memory card (back-up)

o   Extra battery

o   Various cleaning supplies (it’s really dusty)

 

Cooking Supplies

·         MSR non-stick frying pan

·         MSR 1.1 liter stowaway pot

·         MSR Dragonfly cooking stove (I know I don’t need one but I would like to do some camping)

o   Maintenance kit

·         MSR folding spatula

·         Italian Seasoning, Chili Powder, Red Pepper, and Cumin

·         Set of Orikaso folding plate, bowl and cup (Flat, plastic dishes that you literally fold into shape)

·         Tin cup (From Old Sturbridge Village)

·         2 cooking knives

·         Pot scraper

·         Light My Fire Titanium spork

·         Liqui Solutions plastic insulated water bottle with built-in tea infuser

o   Various teas

 

Outdoor Accessories

·         Gerber multitool

·         Small sewing kit

·         Tent repair kit

·         Hennessey Hammock Ultralite Backpacker Zip with Poncho Rainfly

o   Small brush and dustpan for sweeping out hammock

·         Emergency blanket

·         Pack Towl Large personal towel

·         Towel that stays wet and cool for hours

·         Hard plastic water bottle

·         Platypus Big Zip 3L drinking reservoir (my camera backpack has a hydration sleeve)

o   Platypus cleaning kit

·         Small bottle Ben’s insect repellent

·         Avon insect repellent

·         Mosquito head-net

·         Sleeping bag

·         Thermarest sleeping pad

·         Sealine 20L dry bag (it rains a lot)

·         2 pairs sunglasses

o   hard case for sunglasses

·         Nite Ize light up Frisbee

o   4 extra batteries

·         Pocketdisk (small Frisbee made of cloth)

·         Various straps, cords, carabiners, and tie-downs (I’m sure I will use them at some point)

 

Office Supplies

·         7 pocket expanding file

·         4 folders

·         Day-timer

·         4 legal pads

·         Legal pad holder

·         Composition notebook

·         Large Moleskine journal

·         Small Moleskine notebook

·         250 busines cards (so that friends and business contacts can get my information)

·         Pencils and pencil holder

 

·         Toiletries

·         Concord safety razor

·         100 razor blades (not sure how may I will go through and they don’t take up much room or weight)

·         Shaving kit (brush, soap and soap dish)

·         Aftershave lotion

·         Q-Tips

·         Nail clippers

·         Tweezers

·         Allergy pills

·         Migraine pills

·         2 tubes Burt’s Bees lip balm

·         Toothpicks

·         Blister pads

·         Antibiotic cream

·         Anti-itch cream

·         Gold Bond powder

·         Hand sanitizer

·         Comb

·         Aloe Vera

·         Tooth brush

·         Anti frizz hair cream

·         Deodorant salt stick

·         Toothpaste

·         Floss

·         Shampoo bar

·         Eagle Creek Wallaby toiletry bag
 

Other Sundries

·         2 rolls duct-tape

·         Roll of electrical tape

·         2 bottles of sunscreen

·         Settlers of Catan portable board game

·         2 sets of cards

·         Cribbage board

·         Under the shoulder waterproof document case

·         Bike multitool

·         Star guidebook

·         Harmonica

·         Hemp cord and beads

·         Set of earplugs

·         2 TSA baggage locks

·         Scissors

·         Knife sharpener

·         Bedsheets

·         Laundry bag

·         Host Family gifts

o   Nerf Football

o   Various candies

o   Locally produced coffee (Red Barn)

·         Small Flathead screwdriver

·         Small Phillips head screwdriver

·         Photo album of friends and family

·         Grateful Dead Tapestry (I may have no hair, but I'm still a bit of a hippie)