I have been here in Sandema a short while now and I am in love with the place.  The beauty is so amazing and non-fleeting.  But as Wallace says, it is not always this beautiful in the dry season, everything is actually dead.  But it’s a metaphor it seems for the changing of seasons.  What is so different is the life: one quickly comes to appreciate and see a life that is so close to nature.  The goats, cows and sheep walk the roads and roam freely. Boys Sheppard their herds and life looks to be very simple.  What is funny is that it seems they roam to freely, I can’t believe I hit a goat with my bicycle the other day, what a dumb animal, the good thing is that I didn’t flip over my bike – just hurt the goat real bad.

One thing that is also interesting is the farming.  We were talking to some people working on Pastor’s farm and they were saying they come in the morning to work and plant, to be able to harvest in a few months.  People here come to help one another with their planting as they are all within the same community.  It is interesting seeing people growing their own food, seeing that as their provision to live off of.  What I find amazing is the simplicity of life, food is what is important and other things come as needed.  I was taking a walk early in the morning a few days ago, and Pastor introduced me to a few people.  Seeing their mud huts, made with straw, just showed me how people have come to make life here.  Life is just about living with what you have and what you need.

The big frustration has been with the absent teachers who are here. The incentives are just not there, and you see the type of things that are affecting a rural place like this.  You see how the issues of excessive drinking and so forth are creeping here.  Margie also mentions the early pregnancy as another issue.  What is also interesting is the electricity and how it has come now, but the issue is the utilization, by who and whose benefit.  The prices have just gone up now by 89%.

I started to take some initiative and attend the remedial classes at FISTRAD.  Since I have a backround in Math and Economics I thought I would go to the class.  Well, not much of a surprise to myself the teacher didn’t show up for an hour.  Thus, I ended up being pushed to teach without realizing it.  What was funny was when the teacher arrived, he looked at me as if I should continue, which to that I kind of jokingly said, “but you’re the one being paid”.  It seems the sad thing to me that teachers don’t have an incentive to come on time.  David, the librarian was saying this has been a big issue, and that is why they have had to change teachers so much in the past few years.  The sad thing is that the teachers receive a low salary and that is an issue.  But what is funny is that many of these people teach in the public system, and thus take for granted the way things work there.  The way things work is that you get your salary at the end of the month even if you don’t show up.  I brought this up to management to say you have to pay by attendance.  The irony is that David takes attendance to show who shows up.  However, it seems the administrative process in paying salary just doesn’t want to consider that adjustment.  One of the things I have thought to do is to go over past examination questions the students have.  I know this is the most effective way to prepare, instead of just going over the theory of each topic.  I hope this will be able to help the students.  I was remarking to David, that it is sad to me to see the teachers not show up.  For many of these students, they don’t get the extra assistance we get back home with private tutors, test preps etc, and for me I know they can be the future to help change the country in a positive direction, especially coming from the north.  The irony though is that so many young students I meet going to University of Legon or wherever are taking economics or business, why I ask. To get jobs in finance and other lucrative jobs, just like what has happened in America. I think to myself can you blame them.

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