November 9, 2009

Another week. I know that I seem to always start these updates with that comment, but I can’t tell you how amazed I always am to find myself starting a new week. This will be my fifth week. When I was counting up the weeks that I would be here, it was about 13. That means that within the next couple of weeks will mark the middle of my internship. Where IS the time going?

This week, as I think is just on schedule, was an up and down one. I described the mid-week events to Razak as a bad country song: I was broke, sick, and my bike was stolen. However, I also had some fantastic days mixed in there, to give me a general positive reflection on the week, as with all of the others up to this point. Ghana always seems to be able to realize when I’m getting a little down and throws a little something in the mix to cheer me right up.

As for the bad: in order to get money here I need to use my Visa at an ATM and get a cash advance. Visa, however, kindly sent me off to West Africa, without a code. I had brought about $300USD with me when I came, and I was able to change it to cedis without a problem on my first days, so while waiting for Visa to mail the letter with my actual Visa code to my parents in Canada I lived off of that money. Yet as the money got down and the letter didn’t come some panic set in… meals were getting scarcer and I was starting to have nightmares about no money for food (the Malarone intensifies into dreams anything I’ve been thinking or slightly worrying about when conscious). When I was down to my last 5 cedis, my parents came through with a Western Union wire. I must say however that the irony (if it is indeed irony) of my being broke in West Africa was by no means lost on me. I had a conversation with Razak a week or two ago about Ghana, and how with the system of extended family here those employed in the formal sector have a responsibility to provide for so many people, we also discussed some realities of Ghana, the lengths some students find themselves having to go to in order to cover tuition fees, and methods of survival. I know that for all my worries about money, in the back of my mind I always knew that it was there, I just had to find a way to access it. Most people here don’t have the safety net of parents and Western Union to pull them out of a jam. It was a very humbling experience.

On the other parts, I was ill Thursday night, but have completely recovered. I have never, however, seen my stomach swelled up to the size of a watermelon before. A dose of Cipro later, and things are all functioning at normal. Not really an experience I would like to repeat at any point over the next two months though. In a slight, kick her while she’s down turn of events my bicycle was then stolen on Friday. Razak took me out over the week-end to purchase a replacement (name still being decided on), but I can’t afford to buy a new bicycle every month so I also invested in a lock that I plan to use. Razak has taken the whole situation much more seriously than I have. I assured him that it could have happened anywhere, and actually probably would have been more likely in Canada. He has told me that from now on I should park my bicycle either with the security guards in the HND Block, or in the hallway beside his office. I think I will just plan to be more diligent with my bike lock. I was able to strike the same deal with the bicycle salesman at Musbab’s that when I leave I can return THIS bicycle for a partial refund. Upon departure, I told him that I hoped the next time I see him will be to return this bicycle, since I can’t buy a new bicycle from him each month, this got me a good chuckle.

Saturday, to contrast the week, offered me one of my best days in Ghana. It was the matriculation ceremony, to induct the new students to the Polytechnic. One thing which people keep talking about is the concept of “Africa Time,” and to add at least an hour to the time anything is supposed to start, to get the actual start time. When Razak picked me up at 9:30 he told me on the drive that the ceremony was scheduled to start at 8:30. By the time we parked in front of the Administration Bloc and walked over to HND Bloc where the ceremony was to take place it was about 10:00, and we could not have timed it more perfectly! They were just lining up for the procession as we arrived. I was a little confused at first, until I came to realize that Razak was lining me up with the other Administration and Instructors to be part of the procession! He told me that after the procession I would go sit to the side with the regular instructors, while the Heads of Departments and other senior officials of the Polytechnic would sit at the ‘Head Table’ (the stage with wooden seats on it). However, after the procession when I was taking my seat Razak ran over to say that Dr. Kheni, the Acting Rector, had told him I was to sit at the Head Table as well! I scurried to be as inconspicuous as possible, and was able to grab a seat in the back row. After a prayer (opened with a Christian prayer from the Chaplain, and closed with a Muslim prayer from the Imam—a nice mixture to see, for certain, which I’m told is standard in Ghana), and a few jokes from Registrar, Dr. Kheni was introduced to give a quick Welcome Address. To my surprise and embarrassment I was singled out by Dr. Kheni as a very special guest. (I did not think  my role as an intern nearly deserving of such acknowledgement) I was also again introduced as those sitting on the stage were introduced one by one, however Registrar had troubles saying my name so it became a slight production. (Razak and I discussed after how it would be some small publicity for the Developing Rural Entrepreneurs Project (DREP), as the media outlets were filming.) After that was a cultural performance! A traditional drumming and dancing troupe took centre court to perform. It was wonderful. The enthusiasm and optimism of the Ghanaian people, as I’ve been able to witness it over the past month, is really expressed in their traditional dance and music. I was able to capture a video of it.   After a few more official portions of the ceremony, another cultural performance and a performance by the Polytechnic choir (which most of the new students got up to dance to!) the ceremony ended. It was then off to the different locations for refreshments. New HND students to one building, convocating students to another, and those at the senior table over to the old Rector’s compound. After a quick snack of guinea fowl, and something that tasted EXACTLY like plain Tim Horton’s timbits, Razak dropped me off at Musbab’s to pick up my new bicycle which I cycled home.

I’ve become rather good friends with the German Julias who live in the rooms next to me. ‘Young Julia’ is here with the German cooperation agency (similar to CIDA, I think) and is doing some research about dams, comparing and contrasting a series of dams built by the Work for Food Programme (these dams were repaired by the local people in the villages where they were located, and they were paid in maize), to those which were repaired by contractors hired by the Ghanaian government. So far it seems that her data is showing that those built by the Work for Food Programme are in much better shape these ten years later, for the most part because with the local people making the initial repairs they learned how to repair the dams and have been continuing with the upkeep, whereas those repaired by the contractors have continued to wear down again, with no-one to fix them. I can only think of the terms ‘local ownership’ and ‘sustainability’. ‘Older Julia’ is here with an exchange program to work for a month as a local journalist, and when she finishes her counterpart she is working with here will go to Germany for a month to work as a local journalist there. She is doing a series of portraits of local women—both those in positions of importance, and with general everyday women of Tamale. She was able to suggest Madam Kate, whose shop is down the road from TICCS (my guesthouse) as a seamstress. I’m hoping to have a few things made out of batik while I’m here. Both for myself, and perhaps as some gifts.

Other than learning about the different projects and exchanges they’re working on, discussions with the Julias have been wonderful as well. Saturday night we went to the Jungle Bar for a Star and snack. After visiting some more and saying our good-byes to the wonderful Danish couple who have been here the last month (who helped me in the airport), we walked down to sit in front of our rooms. Deciding none of us have had enough protein over our time here, we broke out the groundnuts (peanuts), and while shelling them had some thought provoking talk about the healing power of tears, age differences, double standards, our placements and our thoughts around development (although interestingly enough not ever actually using the word).

Sunday brought some relaxation, laundry and a rowdy football/soccer game. A few years ago the Chelsea team visited Tamale, and that cemented their Ghanaian fan base. Yesterday was a televised match between Chelsea and Manchester United. We went down to the Alhassan Hotel to watch the match on TV for a little bit, it was a sea of blue (for Chelsea)! While neither Young Julia or I stayed overly long (Julia couldn’t even see the TV it was so full, and the heat of so many people got to be a bit much after a bit), it was a sight not to be missed. We ended up taking a walk over to the art market to do some browsing and a little shopping, and then purchased a mess of fresh fruit from some vendors beside the central taxi rank. We ended the evening in our deck chairs with a bottle of Star and bellies full of apples, oranges, watermelons and pineapples.

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