A PLACE I CALL HOME

This past week has been a long one for me.  For me, it’s been the most challenging week of my year yet. On Monday I was dropped off on an unknown Island, cut off from the rest of the main Ada land. Days before coming, I was restless, finally realizing that I was about to embark on a crazy adventure. I was restless because I couldn't back out and wouldn't be able to anticipate my reactions to things, and interactions with people and the environment. I have been here for 8 days and have endured the really warm nights in a mosquito net. I have no choice since the insects here bite with a menacing vengeance, and the thatched roof does little to ease my current sufferings from the heat.

The first two days were particularly hard. I felt very isolated and lonely with no one to talk to. My host family is great but even the constant chatter of the host kids did nothing to soothe me. I had forgotten that I needed to allow myself to get acquainted with my new experience. I was still two days behind in time, wanting to take a nice long shower in the morning instead of an untreated bucket shower from the river, wanting to wake up and do whatever I wanted with my day, turning on the fan all day in my room and most of all using power whenever and however I wanted. These past few days have taught me differently and no matter how much I would want to cry during those days, I have finally learned to appreciate simplicity, orderliness and chaos side by side; loneliness and friendly chatter from a person I just met and most importantly, contentment. At night I sit outside with nothing to do because it is dark everywhere, then I watch the stars up in the sky and soak up the moonlight. Nothing beats being able to do that every night in all the calm and cool breeze all around me.

I live with a host family in a compound with two mud house which have thatched straw roofs. There is spacing between the roof and the wall which means insects can come in and out whenever they please. I have my own room, something I am very grateful for. Almost everything is done for me by my host family.  My house is a 2 minute walk to the beach but most of the riverbank is covered with a tree which means less beach space. There are several communities here on the island (I never seem to remember the names. Mine is called Kpetupanya. The main occupation here is oyster mining and fishing. There are oyster shells everywhere, heaps and heaps of them and they are also used for paths and walk ways. I tried some this past week but still getting used to it. My host family kids take me around the island. I have seen about 80% of it, hopefully by the end of this week I will be able to see all of it.

For the past week, I have been interning at the Pediatorkope Basic School on the island. It also serves some of the other islands that do not have schools. I help out as a Teacher’s Assistant in the kindergarten class. My class has a lot of children and most of the class activities are conducted in Ga- Adangme which is the prominent local language here. I don’t understand Adangme as I only speak Twi. This makes interaction very hard for me because the children know little or no English and most children in class 1 and 2 still can’t speak English.  It’s taken me a while to get adjusted with the school and the children. I remember most of their names now and can tell them apart. Now the kids know me as “Madam” or “Teacher”. I wish I was J . Most of them are very slow and have difficulty grasping basic concepts, even ABCD’s; they still can’t write it out. The teacher I work with is great and we get along really well. I hope when I start the research part of my internship in a few weeks, I will be able to have time to still help out at the school.

School starts at 7.30am and closes at 1.50pm, and then I walk home with the children, down by the beach so I can see the calm water moving quietly along the river bank before I get home. No traffic, no congestion, no pollution, just lots of slow and reflective time.  I know my way around now and even though I am still regarded as a stranger, I am getting to know the community more and more. And the coconuts, simply delicious, I have never had such delicious coconuts before in my life. I told my host kids that I am not eating anymore coconuts. They asked me why? I told them that if you eat too many coconuts you will grow fat. They seem to think that it was the most ridiculous and funniest thing ever. I got a good laugh at my expense; even my host mother seemed to think it was ridiculous and joined in as well….OH!! The simple things!!

Things I have learned this past week

1.      People are welcomed here with coconuts, not coffee or Tea

2.      Everybody knows everybody (I get interrogated every time I leave the house: who are you, where you are from; what are you doing here. The questions never end).

3.      Electricity and running water is a privilege here

4.      If you have an opportunity to do something positively different, never say no.

5.      There is always a smile waiting to be shared somewhere around you.  Share it back

On the lighter side…

One guy was shaving another grown man’s armpit at the beach, as I was taking a canoe back to the Island from Big Ada on Saturday afternoon. He seemed very excited and fascinated about having it done with a razor. He kept giggling - am guessing that this was his first time. He had both shaved, and then he touched it and smiled… (TIGO). THIS IS GHANA OH!!