Monday, May 28, 2012

Mam woom ya! (I hear you!)

Everywhere I go, everyday, I hear children shouting, "SOLIMI!!  SOLIMI!! SOLIMI!!" (which means "white person" here in the north; in the south they yell "obroni" at you).  I wish I could say I'm used to it, but its one thing I'll never really get used to, and it'll never get less annoying.  But its just a fact of life here.  Somedays I handle it better than others.  But now I just use my favorite frafra/nab't phrase:  "Mam woom ya!" 
It all started one day when I biked to Zanlerigu with Alice a few months ago.  We went to the market and then visited her family house there.  I'm always nervous to enter villages I've never been to before, because the attention I get from everyone- men, women and children- will be at an intolerable level.  But yet I always endure it.  So as we were riding past the school to get to the market, a bunch of schoolchildren were yelling, "SOLIMI! SOLIMI! SOLIMI!"  So I waved to them, assuming they would stop yelling at me if I acknowledged them.  Well, they just kept on yelling.  I was so fed up with all the yelling, I yelled right back, "MAM WOOM YA!"  It did the trick, they shut up.
Well Alice thought this was the most hilarious thing ever.  When we got to Kongo she started to tell everyone about what happened, and it made us both laugh.  It eventually got to the point where I would meet friends and they would yell "solimi" or "kongbon" over and over just so that I would yell "mam woom ya" back at them.  Everyone finds it hilarious.  It gives me a good laugh too.  So now this is my catchphrase in Kongo.  Even the children in my village know the story so they will yell at me to get me to say it, and then they'll giggle.  Its kind of cute, even though the origin of the story is not so cute. 
Its also a very useful phrase in Bolga when you here Ghanaians talking about you, and you catch them by surprise by saying "Mam woom ya."  The expression on their faces is priceless everytime, and usually it does the trick and shuts them up.

Quotes

The journal I'm writing in has some great traveling quotes in it that apply very well to Ghana and my situation here.

"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there in no path and leave a trail."  Ralph Waldo Emerson
-Many of the places I go here in Ghana and Kongo have no real paths, so really I have no choice but to make the path myself.  And I guess this applies to both physical footpaths as well as volunteering and working in this community.

"I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." Caskie Skinnett
-There really is no routine here, although I'm not always traveling.  Everyday is an adventure, everyday I'm required to be spontaneous.  The planning part of me is taking the back seat for now.  But with my aunt and uncle's visit, I was once again reminded my I love to travel and see and do new things.

"My favorite thing is to go where I have never gone." Diane Arbus
-Although I'm becoming much more familiar with Kongo and the Upper East and Ghana as a whole everyday, I'm still always going to places I've never been, seeing little things I hadn't seen before.  Whether planned or not, new places pop up in front of me all the time.

"It is not down on any map; true places never are." Herman Melville
-Yes, Kongo is on a lot of maps, probably because of the big mission here, but I've been to many other volunteer's sites that are way out in the bush, definitely not on any maps.  But in those places you probably can't get closer to the truth- of those people, of Ghana, of Africa.  

"The only way of catching a train I have ever discovered is to miss the train before."  G.K. Hesterton
-I really wish missing tros here in Ghana was half as exciting as this sounds...missing tros only leads to frustration.  But maybe just once in a while missig a tro leads to unexpected adventures.

"Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey."  Babs Hoffman
-I know this is supposed to be a metaphor, but clearly this person has never traveled in Ghana before.  But I'll still try to keep this in mind.

"When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable.  It is designed to make its own people comfortable."  Clifton Fadiman
-I think this is one of the best quotes about traveling in general, but yet I still question everyday how the heck certain things, like the tro system, make anyone comfortable here.  But again I remind myself, its not about me, its about how Ghanaians and Ghana work.

"Tip the world over on its side, and everything loose will land in Los Angeles."  Frank Lloyd Wright
-This doesn't have anything to do with Ghana, and I'm not sure its meant to be funny, but it makes me chuckle.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving."  Lao-Tzu
-This is the definition of traveling in Ghana and the tro system- you are prevented from making plans of any sort and many times you don't arrive.  If only the planning, on-time part of me could except this more often, then I wouldn't be so frustrated with traveling. 

"If you actually look like your passport photo, you aren't well enough to travel."  Sir Vivian Fuchs
-I don't look like my passport photo (taken at 16), I don't look like my pocket sized photos taken for Peace Corps (taken right before I left the U.S.), I don't look like my CA driver's license photo (taken right before I left), I don't look like any of the pics I have up here on my wall in my room and now I don;t even look like the photo on my Peace Corps ID taken during homestay...I hope this all means that I'm extremely "well."

Saturday, May 26, 2012

A Visit from Family

My aunt and uncle from London came for a few day visit last week!  It was a quick one-week trip, but I think I was able to show them as much of Ghana, the Upper East and my site as possible.  I was spoiled for a few days with their private car (A/C, seat belts, no shoving to get on a tro, no waiting for a tro for hours on end, no crying babies next to you spilling food on you...ahhh it was the life).  But really, if you want to get anywhere in Ghana in a certain amount of time, you must have a private car.  It was lovely.
On Monday they arrived in Bolga midday and I got to show them around the market, showed them tro station and my market car, we sat at the blue bar for a while talking with some other PCVs- one of our fave activites on market day!  Then we drove up to the Burkina Faso border (40 km NW of Bolga), passed through Navrongo and Paga, then we came back to Kongo for a bit.  I introduced them to Christopher at the favorite pito spot, where else?, and they had their first try of pito and saw how its brewed.  We had dinner at Hilltop Spot (between Kongo and Bolga, in Zuarungu) with the driver, Emmanuel.  He and I took banku with tomato stew and chicken, while my aunt and uncle had plain rice with stew and chicken.  I was hoping the man who cooks up delish chicken would be here, but just like many other plans I had, they fell through.  (For instance, my aunt and uncle were going to stay at the mission in Kongo, a two-minute walk from my house.  I asked Christopher months in advance if this would be ok, he said it would be fine.  So a week before their arrival, I told Chris to go reserve a room; someone at the mission said to come a day or two before the arrival to get the room.  Ok...so the day before, Christopher comes to my house at 4 PM and tells me a big group of people are coming to the mission to pray and stay for the week, and there are no extra rooms for my aunt and uncle.  REALLY?  ARE YOU JOKING??  The mission in never filled up, so of course when family comes, it will be booked the exact dates of their visit.  I should have seen it coming though.  Oh Ghana.  So, plan b, find a hotel in Bolga.)
The following morning, we took kwokwo in the market square where I always buy porridge from my kwokwo lady.  (I planned on getting egg sandwiches in the market square, but there were no eggs.  Of course.  Strike three Ghana.)  We then went to Pelungu for their market day, saw Ran at Kongo Senior High on the way, then met up with Melissa and she took us around the market, I bought fresh okra for Esther to prepare for us the next evening.  We had lunch at the red barn where I always get food with Cletus, its always decent.  Today we all had the jollof rice with meat.  Then it was back to Kongo to take more pito with Cletus and Christopher.  We needed to get a guinea fowl for the meal the next day, so we all went to Bongo, which is a town just north of Kongo.  But we had no such luck, all the guinea fowl were bought up.  So it was back to the lodge in Bolga for a nice dinner.
On the last day full day up here in the Upper East, I took my aunt and uncle to Kong-Gorug primary, where I've been doing most of my work so far.  We walked through Kongo so they could see more of the village and surrounding landscape.  They brought children's books for the school, so I was glad to show them where the books where going.  Afterwards, we returned to my compound, and had a spontaneous meeting with the bisnabaa, manga zea and their advisors, from Go-nseung.  I was surprised that Christopher organized them so quickly, but considering my family was in town, maybe I should have expected something to happen this quickly.  But I was glad my aunt and uncle got to be a part of the short meeting; they welcomed me to Kongo and offered me two guinea fowl and 25 guinea fowl eggs-yum!  One guinea fowl went to dinner that night, the other stayed in my compound for another day...
After the meeting, we had a drink at the lodge, then drove back up to Navrongo to see a 100-year-old cathedral.  I had no clue something like that existed up here.  I felt like I was a tourist in Europe for the few minutes we were there- weird.  By then it was time to go back to Kongo for dinner at Christopher's family compound.  I planned the meal with Esther a few days before- tzed, okra soup with groundnut paste and guinea fowl.  Esther prepared the soup, and then when we arrived at the house, I stirred the tzed and fried the guinea fowl.  It was all delicious!  My aunt and uncle even ate with their hands, the Ghanaian way!  By that time it was time to say goodbye since they had to leave for Kumasi early the next morning.  One last beer in town and they were off!
The visit was much needed- seeing familiar faces was comforting and getting their opinions/perspectives on what's happening in my village was very helpful.  Everyone in Kongo was so happy to meet them, and I think they showed them just how welcoming they have been to me.  I think the trip was a real success, and now I know better how to plan for the next time I have visitors from home!

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Conversations

I have come to accept that the Peace Corps experience is more about cultural exchange than actually making any visual difference in the community.  Just like other volunteers, I can in with this notion that I would bring all this change to my community and help them in every way I can.  But things don't quite work like that.  Its a constant struggle to change your expectations and deal with the implications, change your perspective.  I have so many ideas of what I want to do in the community, but the thing is is that it takes time.  Lots of it.  Things move very, very, very slow here.  Although I was warned of it coming into this, it still doesn't quite hit you until you're here, actually in it.  And since I still have not had a community meeting yet, I'm just focusing on the cultural aspect of being a volunteer, which do comprise the second and third goal of Peace Corps anyways.  Only one of the three Peace Corps goals has to do with building your community's capacity.  So instead of sitting around thinking of all the projects I could do and how far away I am from accomplishing any of those things, I go out, greet people, go drink some pito, play with some children, and answer great questions people are always asking about America.   
But none of this is necessarily a bad thing, I think that in lots of ways the cultural exchange is more important than any project I could do.  I always believed in the importance of cultural exchange; if you don't try to learn about how people live, talk to them, listen to tehm, put yourself in their shoes, them you will never understand why they do what they do and why they make certain decisions.  Different countries, different environments, different languages and cultures creates different perspectives on life, different opinions, different ways of living.  And of course, there are still times when I just do not get Ghana, just like there are times I don't get or like America.  I've gotten used to things, like waiting for hours for a tro to leave, public urination (and defecation), I'm much less bothered by being dirty or being yelled at, but there are still times I get frustrated.  There are lots of things I don't like, but I get a glimpse into what life is like here, why people do certain things, why things work the way they do here, and so I'm able to see life from a different perspective, whether I like it or not.  And that's what I think matters most about this experience.  The diary I'm writing in has quotes from famous authors about traveling.  One quote stuck out as a perfect way to describe frustrations about traveling and foreign countries:
So here are a few of the interesting and/or funny conversations I've had with my Ghanaian friends:

-One day Alice, Cletus' wife, was telling me how I need to have children.  Usually I am very annoyed with this question, but I love Alice, so I decided to joke with her and said, "I'm too small to get pregnant.  If I did, I'd get too fat and fall over."  She had a surprised look on her face.  She said, " When you get pregnant, your stomach gets fat too?"  Me: " Of course Alice, we all get pregnant the same way, white or black.  Where did you think I would get pregnant, my butt?"  She shrugged her shoulders, and I said "Yes, we are all the same."

- I was wathcing the American movie "Unknown" with Cletus's neighbor, Imah, one day.  I don't know how he had the movie, or why, but I could not complain at all because Ghanaian movies frankly, well, are shit.  Anyways, it was a good movie, or it could have been that my standards have plummeted so far that I just thought it was good.  Normally I wouldn't like that kind of suspenseful/violent movie, but I was thoroughly entertained, purely because it was not Ghanaian.  So. We were watching the car chase scene, and Imah turns to me to ask me how they do that.  I told him it was all fake; that they film the real actors and the car chasing separately, and then they edit it to put it all together.  He was SHOCKED by my answer, he did not believe me.  I said they were not goign to risk the actors' safety, who they pay millions of dollars, and they need professional drivers to do that kind of driving.  Then he said, "But look, you can see the actors in the car."  ME: "Well, what they do is put the actors in a fake car and film them as if they are driving, and then on a separate set they film the professional drivers doing the dangerous stuff."  I still don't think Imah believed what I was saying, but his reaction didn't surprise me.  Ghanaians believe in magic and special powers, and supernatural things.  One time Dawn told me she was watching "Twilight" with a Ghanaian, and he seriously asked her if there were werewolves and vampires in America and if there were schools for magic.  Hm.

-Cletus asked me one day if everyone in America rides motorcycles.  I really don't like answering questions that begin with "Do ALL Americans...."  but for usually Ghanaians don't grasp how HUGE the U.S. is and that people from different states, let alone different cities in the same area are completely different.  Anyways, I told him that in the U.S. it is quite dangerous to ride motorcycles because of all the cars and the speed that people drive at (not that people don't drive fast or recklessly here).  Then I said that most people drive cars because in many places that is the most practical means of transportation, although I don't like that that is the truth in many places.  Cletus responded, "Then you all must be rich."  Another day, his wife, Alice, asked me if everyone in America uses charcoal stoves.  I said the closest thing we have to a charcoal stove is how we barbeque food, but I said most people have gas stoves (close enough).  Then she said, "You must all be rich."  That's unfortunately what most people think about Americans, and I usually don't modify my answers to America questions so they don't say this, I want to be truthful.  No matter how much money I do not have, and how much money I do not spend, and how much money I am not just giving to the community, they still think we all have money flowing out of our pockets.  Its a stereotype that probably will never change, its sad.  Fact:  All white people have money, and they want to give it to you.

-At first I was nervous about talking openly about religion because of the kinds of negative things people would say, but I've come to realize I don't care what people think, just like at home.  There was a period of time when it was just assumed that I was Christian, so people would say that I need to go to church, but I would always wiggle out of it some way or another.  Then one day I was finally asked what I actually believed in, instead of people assuming.  So now, as close to the truth as I can get, I tell people I'm Buddist.  People have taken it well, they don't badger me, certainly better than if I were to say I don't believe in anything, people who say that usually get an earfull.  Many Ghanaians really only think that three religions exist:  Christianity, Islam and traditionalist.  There are the only religions they are exposed to in school, so they tend to be very religious tolerant, but only to those religions.  So I have been telling people who ask me about my religious beliefs that in American there are more religions than I can even count on my hands.  One day I was waiting on the tro to Tamale, and a crazy guy came onto the tro to talk/yell at me.  I was stuck on the tro without a way out, so I just sat and dealt with it.  He started preaching to me, then asked if I was Christian.  I said no.  "Muslim?"  "No, I'm Buddist."  Then he said, "Oh, ok, fine, fine," and left me alone.  I've had several conversations about religion and my beliefs with Imah, so one day he surprised me when he said that maybe if a really convincing preacher came along that I would cahne my thinking.  I just had to laugh.  I told him I've very confident in my beliefs, and I'm very happy how I am, and I'm very strong in my opinions and what I think is true.  So I'm not looking for someone to change my mind, I'm not looking to find a preacher that will change my way of thinking, I am content where I am.  Imah liked that answer, but then again I also don't think he's used to seeing strong, independent, free-thinking women.  I tell him and people in my community what I think, and I don't apologize.  They tell me how they think it should be, and I push them right back and tell them how I think it should be.

-I was once asked if houses in America were built with mud or cement bricks, like they are here in Ghana.  I told them they were built out of wood, since it was the least complicated response I could come up with.

-Every once and a while, Cletus talks about his imaginary trip to America that he will make after Ran and I return home from Ghana.  I actually think it would be cool to have him visit; it would be amazing to show him things he never has imagined, and see the look on his face.  The questions he asks are already priceless enough, to actually have him see anything in America would be amazing.  It would be a strange, interesting adventure.  Whether it will ever happen, whether its even possible, I don't know.  But its fun to think about.  So one day he brings it up, and I tell him, "Cletus, you know there is no fufu, or banku, or tzed, or rice balls in America."  (Someone once told me this is a great way to get Ghanaians to stop demanding that you take them to America, and it works, so I like throwing it out there once in a while.)  Then Cletus said, "Oh, but there is light soup in America, I will eat that."  I just laugh.  I always wonder what his reaction, or any Ghanaian's, reaction to eating a burrito or hamburger or steak would be.  And then as I'm wondering what the reaction would be, I start craving these foods and start drooling and get really hungry.  Damn.