My name is Jimmy, and I am one of the 2012 Junior Fellows from the University of Waterloo Engineers Without Borders Chapter. For the next few months I will be working on a project called Sustainable Land and Water Management under the Agricultural Extensions team in Northern Ghana. Below are recent thoughts and observations from my life overseas.
I have a home! After a few weeks of consternation I have a place to set down stakes for the next three months. It’s a welcome change from moving around every few days. I have pretty reliable electricity, clean well water nearby, a roof over my head, and TZ (local dish made from boiled maize flour) every night! It’s great to be here and begin to establish connections, however there was more than a little consternation in the past weeks as I agonized over where to live. More than a little fear came in to play as I visited several places a day. The more places I saw the more factors I needed to weigh, and the more confusing it become. Will I be healthy in a compound? Will I be isolated in a single room? Will I be able to get to work? As excessive worry and thought is prone to cause, I spun many things out of proportion, to the point of frustration and fear. However, once the choice was made things quickly became more real.
In my first few hours I was greeted with an exceptionally warm welcome from my host parents. It was all I needed to begin to relax. Soon after I made quick friends with some of the older children, and felt much more at home. While I’m still settling in, I’m very comfortable here. I still need to escape from the relentless onslaught of children often, but I have a door and lock, so it is not too hard.
As is customary in Ghana, a stranger cannot stay in someone’s house without meeting the brothers of the head of the house. A few days after my arrival, I met my host father’s seven brothers. The eldest brother performed a quick ceremony to ask the ancestors for my health and safety while in their household. We shared small glasses of ginger gin, peto (a strong beer made from millet), and kola nut. The latter was probably the most disagreeable thing I have ever voluntarily ingested. It is dry and incredibly bitter. The taste and the texture scream “DON’T EAT ME”, but with the warmth of the gin and a desire not to offend I braved a few small mouthfuls while trying not to gag or grimace.
After the ceremony, I had arranged to hike in the hills with a local – Nicholas – who I had met a few days earlier. I sat and waited while feeling awkward under the gazes of all the children in the compound. Eventually Nicholas came and to my surprise and frustration, all the kids decided to come as well. In the moment I really felt like hiking alone or at most with the company of one or two. To have at least a dozen children from six to twelve follow was not what I had in mind and made me a little grumpy. We trouped through the foothills and approached the massive piles of red granitie boulders that made up the Tongo Hills.
The hills are full of shrines, so we had to be careful not to accident stumble on one, as they are best left undisturbed. We met several locals who were adamant that we must pay to see the hills. Nicholas called their bluff, and we carried on. As we approached the top, we found a massive stack of boulders. Each ranging from house to car sized. We had blast climbing over these and jumping from rock to rock, making our way to the top of the pile. It was an amazing time, and I felt my earlier frustration be replaced with the first signs of friendship as we helped each other scramble over the rocks.
We met a small group of guys who lived close to the hills than us, and so knew a lot about these piles. They led us through some pretty gnarly caves and crevices between the massive boulders.
One strange thing about Northern Ghana is a frantic obsession with this huge rodent called a grasscutter. At the mere sight of the creature, even the most poised Ghanaian will tear off after it with a stick or stone. Such an event occurred while we were resting on some boulders. With little notice I hear “GRASSCUTTAH!!!!!@#@#” and people begin recklessly flying off of boulders and racing across fields to harass this ugly rat-like thing about the size of a large cat. It was very strange, but also hilarious.
As the day ended, we wound our way back down the foothills, and I was surprised to feel a little less like an outsider in this group. I could even tolerate the kids again. It felt good, and I guess I learned that sometimes you can grow to find comfort in even the things that seem least appealing.
I am settling down quickly into my new community and I’m less of a novelty and more of a person sharing living conditions. It is nice to see the transformation as trust and relationships are built. However, office life in Ghana is more of a difficult transition. The project I am working on is facing bureaucratic and resource roadblocks. What was intended as a field job is looking more and more like an office job as I type, read, and consider facts and figures. It is not ideal, but hopefully things can be resolved and field work will begin shortly. Furthermore, Ghanaian offices are very different than Canadian ones, in ways that are difficult to see and deal with.
However, things get done in their own time, all that is left for me is patience. At least I can lay an iron foundation in my knowledge of the project before field work begins.
Whatever frustrations I encounter at the office are generally quickly brushed away as I walk back home. There is always something entertaining going on in Tongo. Without TV or internet, people entertain themselves in some pretty unique and amazing ways.
This weekend I will be on my village stay. This is a short trip to a rural village, where I am to live and work with the family members. The situation will be not that different from my current one, except I will likely not have electricity, and fewer people will speak English. Should be interesting, and I’m going into it with a lot of questions about family and farm dynamics!
Peace, love and happy trails!
Want to read more? Check out my blog for many more thoughts and updates at:
thelongertrail.wordpress.com
More information on the Junior Fellowship program and Engineers Without Borders can be found at:
www.ewb.ca
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