May 25th

On Friday Patrick and I sort of had our first day. We got picked up at 9 am and went to the regional office for the Ghana Education Service (GES) and met a few people including one of the women who works in the Girls Education Unit. There is a very small office with 2 desks for the 2 people in the girls education unit and it seems like Patrick and I are going to work in there with them. It is going to be a tight squeeze. Then Akwasi (the coordinator for WUSC) took us to meet some bigwig in the GES who had stayed home ill with what was thought to be malaria. I say what was thought to be, because everyone going into the hospital is basically treated for malaria and people say it is the most over diagnosed disease going. They prescribed him some antibiotics and sent him home. I felt so rude barging into his house, but he was nice.

There was a volunteer house that we were supposed to be able to live in, and it would’ve been perfect. It was close to the office, and the new football stadium which was built for the 2008 African Cup of Nations (Ghana was the host). Unfortunately, the last volunteer who lived there trashed the place and made it basically unlivable. Apparently she had lot of cats and never cleaned up after them and was just terrible. We were supposed to be able to go in and look at the house, but no one could track down the keys. Everyone was shocked that a volunteer could come somewhere under the pretense of cooperation and show such disrespect to the people she worked for and what they have given her. So it’s really too bad that this didn’t work out. We are going to be guest house jumping for the next 9 days, and then at the TICCS guesthouse we’re at now there is a permanent residence called the White House and a room is becoming available on June 2 so we’re supposed to live there. So at least I’ll be able to say I lived in the White House for 2 months! I am really looking forward to being settled in and I really hope we have access to a kitchen. We did in Accra, but not at this guest house. And it’s getting hard eating restaurant food all the time. We all just want to make some food for ourselves.

The other day I walked down the street and bought a pineapple and a mango for breakfast which was delicious and fresh.

I don’t know exactly how hot it gets here, but in room, we had a thermometer for s bit, and it was 32 degrees out of the sun. And the air conditioners here are usually set between 28-30 degrees and it feels so cold compared to the air. Yikes!

Yesterday we went down to a leather tannery in the southern part of the city, which was really neat. We paid the guys there a few cedis and they took us around and showed us all the different steps to make the leather. They dry it and soak it and take the hair off and then soak it and stretch it a few more times and then dye it and soak it and stretch it some more. They had it quite well set up for tourists actually. There was a guide that would explain to us all the different steps and then at each stage they had a piece of leather at that stage that they could show us on. There was this mixture of water and cabbage and some other plants that when you soak the skin in it, the hair just scrapes right off. It smelled kind of funky, and I know a few people were feeling a little queasy and turned off, but I always like to know where things are coming from. At the tannery, they make some really beautiful sandals so we are all getting some made which we will pick up on Tuesday.

It has rained 2 nights in a row now, which is nice because the weather is much cooler when it rains. This weekend is a long weekend because it is Africa Day on Monday. Not all countries in Africa celebrate it, but Ghana does and so Patrick and I will officially start work on Tuesday.

The development industry is VERY obvious here. There are signs everywhere for cooperatives and development agencies and tons of cars are branded by the organization they have been donated by. There are quite a few westerners as well. And we’ve seen a surprising amount of support groups for disabled people, either for employment or just for support. I was pretty impressed with that.

May 26

Today Patrick and I went and bought a hotplate, some cutlery and some pots so we can finally start cooking for ourselves! It’s nice because we have been eating out at restaurants the whole time, which is expensive and kind of a pain. We just made some soup and it was sooooo satisfying! I’m excited to start work tomorrow. Our office is a 35 minute walk from our guest house, so it’s convenient enough.