Monday, July 03, 2006
"2 Days" and "My Life in Color"
2 Days!!! and "My Life in Color" Email from Jenell on 6/20/2006
Where to begin?… it's been too long. "Beraii," (literally meaning "two days") friends greet me when they haven't seen me in a while. One uses this greeting whenever it feels like too long, whether it’s been two days or two years since you've seen them. I love this greeting because it infers that friends and family should see each other at least every other day. Also, you find out who expects/has become accustom to seeing you around. These people (my "friends") are popping up more and more in Jirapa. Here someone is easily considered a friend after only a few minutes. For example, there is a woman in the market with a 3 foot diameter straw hat who will sometimes have avocados or cabbage hidden between the mountains of dried maize, rice, and smoked fish that the other women are selling. Market is only once a week but the handful of times I've stopped to buy from her, she greets me "Beraii," and dashes me a few extra.
While sitting at an egg, bread, and tea kiosk one morning while waiting for my tro-tro to fill, a student asked me, "how will you describe Ghana to your people?" my first response was "colorful." Everything is so vibrant... the music, dancing, colorful clothes....
My Life In Color
RED- Bright red flower petals from the flame tree in front of my house litter my courtyard whenever the wind blows. A frequent occurrence now that it is rainy season.
- the brick red mud puddles in which I taught the neighbourhood kids how to make a really big splash.
ORANGE – My fingers (right hand) and corners of my mouth are stained orange after eating Light soup (palm oil, tomatoes, peppe, garlic, onions, ginger) and fufu with the 16 year old girl, Julaalia*, who lives across the road/path. I am finally eating from the same bowl as friends. A fairly big deal… this means I'm no longer a guest but family.
YELLOW – an 11 y.o. boy wearing worn, yellow plastic sandals just started running with me the other day. Feeling somewhat like Forest Gump, I asked, "Can you run 5k?" "Maybe," The only thing said to me for the next half an hour. About half way it became understood that this was a race… it even ended with a 200m dash where my long legs, days of practice, and seniority were only able to carry me a few paces ahead of him. He now smiles extra big when he sees me and greets me, "Beraii."
GREEN – I suspect that dark olive green bean leaves are wedged between my teeth every Sunday as I go through market and greet. On market day, I go to the same Kosi (fried bean cake) woman and eat a huge 10 cent bowl of kosi, bean leaves, tomatoes, onion, and spices while sitting on a wood bench in her smoky lean-to and people watch.
BLUE – My knees have reoccurring big blue bruises from playing (and coaching) volleyball every afternoon with a group of guys my age and younger. They are a mixture of Secondary School graduates who are waiting around for the next year to hear back from a university, farmers, and part-time teachers. They all have a lot of time on their hands (especially during dry season when they don't farm), so I am trying to keep them occupied with volleyball (to keep them out of trouble). They don't know it yet, but next week I'm bringing condoms to practice and will be talking about HIV prevention. Aside from being a Peace Corps project, these guys have become my friends. Last week they told me I was a man. They meant it as a compliment because of my volleyball skills, but really this just confirms my theory that being a white woman here is like being a strange middle gender.
PURPLE – I saw my first birth! The baby was Lavender when it came out, and made for some interesting contrast with the Fuchsia lipstick worn by the sassy Cuban doctor who was also wearing heels and a jean skirt in the delivery room.
BLACK – "C'mon Ghana Black Stars! We're goin' straight to victory! Victory!" the song plays over and over during the football match. It is in my head constantly… my nightly lullaby. Every time Ghana scores there is cheering in the streets and horns honking. When the Black Stars are playing, every television in the country is tuned to football. I can't imagine what Kumasi and Accra are like during the matches. There is so much excitement in the air here. The men of Jirapa gather in the street to celebrate, make predictions, and give unsolicited coaching advice to "our boys" (the common reference to the players). I'll be travelling to Wa to watch USA vs. Ghana match with other volunteers from the Upper West… this Thursday at 2pm (GMT)! If Ghana wins, there is a good chance they will be advancing to the next round. A major achievement being their first trip to World Cup. Go Black Stars!! Wooohoooo!
*Julaalia – her hair is cut down to a few cm as required by schools. Her hands are large and rough from cleaning and farming. her smile is favoured by the right side her mouth and accents her front tooth with a large diagonal chip missing. She almost died last month. They were able to save her in the Wa hospital by completely removing her uterus. In a place where a woman's primary function is to make babies and food, she has given up all hope to ever marry. I've yet to see her cry. She just accepts the fact that she will become a nun. I continue to stress education with her. Today is her first day back to school after the surgery, so starting tonight I will be trying to help her catch up. I don't know when it happened but she has become a faithful companion and a friend. She invites me to eat with her family and I teach her to cook strange foreign food. Last night she was completely fascinated with the concept of potholders and cookbooks when I was teaching her to make Chinese fried rice. The way I see it, Ghanaian women have super powers… they grab hot metal pots right off the coals and never measure their ingredients.
UPDATE BY LHS BASED ON JULY 2 PHONE CONVERSATION: The BlackStars beat the US 2-1 to advance in the WorldCup but then lost to Brazil. Jenell is doing well (I go to visit her in the beginning of August- yippee!). Her friend Julaalia, however, is in the hospital with an infection and very ill. Keep her in your prayers... Lisa HS
Where to begin?… it's been too long. "Beraii," (literally meaning "two days") friends greet me when they haven't seen me in a while. One uses this greeting whenever it feels like too long, whether it’s been two days or two years since you've seen them. I love this greeting because it infers that friends and family should see each other at least every other day. Also, you find out who expects/has become accustom to seeing you around. These people (my "friends") are popping up more and more in Jirapa. Here someone is easily considered a friend after only a few minutes. For example, there is a woman in the market with a 3 foot diameter straw hat who will sometimes have avocados or cabbage hidden between the mountains of dried maize, rice, and smoked fish that the other women are selling. Market is only once a week but the handful of times I've stopped to buy from her, she greets me "Beraii," and dashes me a few extra.
While sitting at an egg, bread, and tea kiosk one morning while waiting for my tro-tro to fill, a student asked me, "how will you describe Ghana to your people?" my first response was "colorful." Everything is so vibrant... the music, dancing, colorful clothes....
My Life In Color
RED- Bright red flower petals from the flame tree in front of my house litter my courtyard whenever the wind blows. A frequent occurrence now that it is rainy season.
- the brick red mud puddles in which I taught the neighbourhood kids how to make a really big splash.
ORANGE – My fingers (right hand) and corners of my mouth are stained orange after eating Light soup (palm oil, tomatoes, peppe, garlic, onions, ginger) and fufu with the 16 year old girl, Julaalia*, who lives across the road/path. I am finally eating from the same bowl as friends. A fairly big deal… this means I'm no longer a guest but family.
YELLOW – an 11 y.o. boy wearing worn, yellow plastic sandals just started running with me the other day. Feeling somewhat like Forest Gump, I asked, "Can you run 5k?" "Maybe," The only thing said to me for the next half an hour. About half way it became understood that this was a race… it even ended with a 200m dash where my long legs, days of practice, and seniority were only able to carry me a few paces ahead of him. He now smiles extra big when he sees me and greets me, "Beraii."
GREEN – I suspect that dark olive green bean leaves are wedged between my teeth every Sunday as I go through market and greet. On market day, I go to the same Kosi (fried bean cake) woman and eat a huge 10 cent bowl of kosi, bean leaves, tomatoes, onion, and spices while sitting on a wood bench in her smoky lean-to and people watch.
BLUE – My knees have reoccurring big blue bruises from playing (and coaching) volleyball every afternoon with a group of guys my age and younger. They are a mixture of Secondary School graduates who are waiting around for the next year to hear back from a university, farmers, and part-time teachers. They all have a lot of time on their hands (especially during dry season when they don't farm), so I am trying to keep them occupied with volleyball (to keep them out of trouble). They don't know it yet, but next week I'm bringing condoms to practice and will be talking about HIV prevention. Aside from being a Peace Corps project, these guys have become my friends. Last week they told me I was a man. They meant it as a compliment because of my volleyball skills, but really this just confirms my theory that being a white woman here is like being a strange middle gender.
PURPLE – I saw my first birth! The baby was Lavender when it came out, and made for some interesting contrast with the Fuchsia lipstick worn by the sassy Cuban doctor who was also wearing heels and a jean skirt in the delivery room.
BLACK – "C'mon Ghana Black Stars! We're goin' straight to victory! Victory!" the song plays over and over during the football match. It is in my head constantly… my nightly lullaby. Every time Ghana scores there is cheering in the streets and horns honking. When the Black Stars are playing, every television in the country is tuned to football. I can't imagine what Kumasi and Accra are like during the matches. There is so much excitement in the air here. The men of Jirapa gather in the street to celebrate, make predictions, and give unsolicited coaching advice to "our boys" (the common reference to the players). I'll be travelling to Wa to watch USA vs. Ghana match with other volunteers from the Upper West… this Thursday at 2pm (GMT)! If Ghana wins, there is a good chance they will be advancing to the next round. A major achievement being their first trip to World Cup. Go Black Stars!! Wooohoooo!
*Julaalia – her hair is cut down to a few cm as required by schools. Her hands are large and rough from cleaning and farming. her smile is favoured by the right side her mouth and accents her front tooth with a large diagonal chip missing. She almost died last month. They were able to save her in the Wa hospital by completely removing her uterus. In a place where a woman's primary function is to make babies and food, she has given up all hope to ever marry. I've yet to see her cry. She just accepts the fact that she will become a nun. I continue to stress education with her. Today is her first day back to school after the surgery, so starting tonight I will be trying to help her catch up. I don't know when it happened but she has become a faithful companion and a friend. She invites me to eat with her family and I teach her to cook strange foreign food. Last night she was completely fascinated with the concept of potholders and cookbooks when I was teaching her to make Chinese fried rice. The way I see it, Ghanaian women have super powers… they grab hot metal pots right off the coals and never measure their ingredients.
UPDATE BY LHS BASED ON JULY 2 PHONE CONVERSATION: The BlackStars beat the US 2-1 to advance in the WorldCup but then lost to Brazil. Jenell is doing well (I go to visit her in the beginning of August- yippee!). Her friend Julaalia, however, is in the hospital with an infection and very ill. Keep her in your prayers... Lisa HS
