“Saboba…”

“Saboba…”

Well at first I thought it was rain. I have moved to the Saboba/Cherponi District temporarily to visit some of the stakeholders here and compare with what is happening in the West Mamprusi District. Saboba is in the eastern part of the country and very near the Togo border. Compared to Wale Wale it is quite small. The town is really just one intersection however I am finding that I like this small town environment more and more. I was staying at the District Assemblies guest house which is at the edge of town. I would have much rather preferred to stay at place closer to the town centre but it was difficult to refuse their accommodations as they were allowing us to stay there without charge. The building was nice but rather secluded. Right after night fall I heard what I thought was the sound of rain falling on the tin roof. Oddly enough it didn’t seem any cooler as it usually does right before it rains. Also I didn’t hear any thunder or see any lightning. I thought I would go out and check this “rain” out. First I drew back the curtains and looked through the window only to take a quick step back and shut the drapes. It was like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Birds or that killer bee movie in the eighties, there were thousands of bugs flying around the windows apparently trying to get in. What at one point I thought was the sound of rain falling was in fact the impact of hundreds of bugs up against the tin roof and windows. The bugs were so thick that it was actually difficult to see out into the night. After the initial heebie-jeebies I figured I have to go out and figure this out.

So out through the back door I went. I was glad to discover that these “bugs” were in fact termites and didn’t bite. They were about as thick as a pencil and about 2 cm long. There wings were huge and the hum of them buzzing through the air was kind of spooky. I can’t emphasize enough the shear number as there were literally tens of thousands of the creatures. I later discovered that this usually happens during the beginning of the rainy season as the termites grow wings and find new places to eat wood I guess. This was really one of those “wow I am actually in Africa” moments. The bugs carried on buzzing about for a few hours. Soon they dropped their wings and there were now thousands of wings on the ground everywhere you looked and bugs crawling around. I imagine the many lizards must have loved this time of year and were filling their bellies. The morning was even weirder as nearly every actual termite was no where to be seen however they left a river of expelled wings where they once were. If it were not for the sound of the “rain” it would be really interesting to try and figure out where these piles of insect wings had come from. During the day I made contact with some NGOs working on the project and set up some appointments to meet with them and visit some communities for next week. As for now I am back to Tamale to enjoy the week and prepare for another hectic week in the “field” to visit communities.

Take Care and God Bless,

Jason


Oh yeah I must apologize for not getting back to all the comments everyone has made to my blog. It is difficult for me to get internet time so please be patient. I do read them all it just takes very long for pages to update so I couldn’t respond to them. I will try and figure out a way to reply. Please know that I do read and appreciate each comment. Feel free to let me know what you would like to “see”.

“Bicycles and …”

Well I nearly got flattened by a bicycle today.

When I say flatten I mean flattened, crushed or squashed. It wouldn’t have been because of the speed, most bicycles only have one gear and anyways it is too hot to exert too much energy on speed. Nor would the weight of the driver have been the issue he couldn’t have weighed more than 140 pounds. What would have done the job was the 16 foot plank of lumber the young man was balancing on his head as he weaved his cycle through traffic and pedestrians down the street. I imagine he was off to some construction project bringing the much awaited 2” x 8” x 16 foot piece of wood required. I should have been more aware but luckily he swerved and was on his way without missing a beat. I know I have mentioned the plethora of bicycles in Tamale however I have neglected to add that these are not simply modes of travel but also a means of transport. I’ll try and recall everything I’ve seen atop a bicycle. First though most bikes have both a front and rear basket in order to carry goods on.

So here we go:

Bicycle + driver

Bicycle + driver + one passenger sitting side saddle on back rack

Bicycle + driver + one passenger on back rack + one passenger on seat

Bicycle + driver + 16 foot piece of wood on head

Bicycle + driver + 8 foot long bundle of wood strapped perpendicular to direction of travel on back rack

Bicycle + driver + one goat

Bicycle + driver + a chicken in the front basket

Bicycle + driver + a full cow hide draped over the back rack

Bicycle + driver + bail of thatching straw

Bicycle + driver + two younger goats in a basket on rear rack

I will add to the list as I can remember and see new combinations. Hopefully I could even capture some if this on film. We’ll see.

Take care and God Bless,
Jason

“Wale Wale…”

The last five days I spent in Wale Wale the capital of the West Mamprusi district. I visited the local NGOs working on the project, the Districts Water and Sanitation Team (DWST), the District Assembly, the area mechanic and with several villages in the area. It really helped to gain a total picture of how the project has progressed up to this point and highlighted some area for project improvement. It was interesting to see the different stakeholders and determine what their motivation was to work on the project. Sometimes the motivation was quite shocking.

Going to the villages was a huge wake up call. Rural poverty was no longer an abstract concept or something viewed through the television screen. Most children had on clothing that by all appearance must be either their only piece of clothing as it was thoroughly worn through or one of only a few pieces. Most of the clothing was of western origin. I assume they acquire it through aid or the markets. In the market western clothing is referred to as “Obruni-wowoo” which is “dead-white man clothing” because they assume the original owner must have died that is why they have given away perfectly good clothing. Some younger children were either naked or wore only a string of beads around their waste. Although they were clearly poor western standards the lack of material goods did not hamper their spirits. They were very proud of their accomplishments and showed us their latrines and water sources. They also showed us some of the tools that they make themselves. It is really remarkable that they have the ingenuity to live in what by all accounts appears to be the middle of nowhere. This people are truly remarkable. As it is now the beginning of the rainy season many of the villages were out in their fields getting their crops ready. Some of their fields were very far from the village itself and would probably take an hour to walk to before they could start work. I don’t think I can really capture in words all the things that hit you when going into this experience. One village we went to had yet to have a safe water source. Their only source of water was a river that was 7 kilometers away! That is like a 3 hour hike with all your pots and water carrying jugs to and from the community. Sometimes it takes them a day to walk there and back. I still have trouble believing it. Oh yeah and this 7 kilometer walk is to a water source that is practically unsafe to drink from but is the only option. There are guinea worm, hook worm and a whole bunch of other nasty things that can get you sick. One year half the village came down with guinea worm and was unable to help during the rainy season with the crops. I can’t believe that we can’t help everyone get safe water and why we (i.e. the so called developed world) have not helped those who want it. Although it was a very trying experience there still is a ton of joy in the village.

Everyone really got a kick out of my attempt at Dagbani. So far I can do the greetings and a bit of an intro. My latest is “N Paga beila Canada” or my wife is in Canada which usually gets a laugh and the offer of someone saying I should get a Ghanaian wife. Making a real attempt to learn the local language has become very important and a key in gaining trust I think. The kids in the village were great. They loved the digital camera. When they saw themselves on the screen they went into hysterics and jockeyed to get into viewing position. It also made them eager to get into every shot or “snap” as they say and made it a bit difficult to take some needed technical pictures. The best method I have found so far is to take one of them then another of the exact image I need. I am going to try and get approval to spend a few days in a village soon to better understand the issues they face especially during the rainy season when there is so much work to do. Hopefully I can get a better knowledge of the challenges that they face and it will help in the joint solution.

Take Care and God Bless,
Jason

“Room and Board…”

Well I have been here a week and some of you may be wondering where I am living and what I am eating.

Well let me introduce you to my friend Renee. Before I begin, let me first say that it is very difficult to find a place to live in Tamale. Actually it wouldn’t be that difficult if you had lots of money (and were not concerned about integration and a bunch of other issues). When I say lots of money I really mean around 200,000 Cedis/night (about $27 Canadian) would get you an air-conditioned room with a full bath, breakfast in the morning, a caretaker to do your laundry and ironing and you would be within a compound with 24 hour security. It really is not that expensive but then again you are not really getting into the community. Most of the development workers around spend their several hundred dollar a day stipend on exotic living arrangements and fancy meals. EWB takes care of this decision for us volunteers by giving us a $10/day stipend in which to find a place to live, eat, get to and from work, get water and any other necessities we may need. So therefore we typically need to find a family to live with. Also most houses are built to accommodate the family that lives in it. That is they build to suit their needs, not to have 3 extra bed rooms. So it makes it a bit difficult to find a place to live. Well now enter Renee. I was introduced to Renee through a colleague at work. I have been living with him since Saturday afternoon. So as I write this it has only been about 24 hours. I think he is about 40 years old, about 5’7” and must weigh no more than 110lbs. He also has a really thin mustache which I think is kind of funny. Renee is really nice and tries very hard to make me feel welcome. He is a true ambassador of Ghanaian hospitality. He has had several expatriates live with him before. I believe that I am the fifth volunteer to spend my time in Ghana at his house. He has had 2 French, 1 Canadian and a German stay with him over the years. He is also a “Proud Rotarian” and brings it up often which is nice because he understands volunteerism. We live on the outskirts of Tamale. In an area referred to as SNNIT Flats, which I believe are government subsidized housing units, for those of you who know the city. It is nice to live out of the town centre as it is much quieter. The place is kind of like a Canadian town-house complex with many adjoining units. It is a single level building and much cooler than my previous residence. The house has two bedrooms, a living room and a small kitchen. Of course it has the usual bathroom situation: one room with a toilet, one room with a shower and a sink in the hall. The total apartment is probably 30’ x 30’, just big enough. Renee has plenty of people over and they are all real friendly. The location is great as there are a lot of families around in the neighborhood so I get to interact with people of all ages. The kids are the best and like to follow me around and play. I went for a run this evening and had a group of 11 year olds join in. Others just call out “Siminga! Siminga!” which means “white man! white man!” in Dagbani. Usually I just stop and look around really quickly behind me until I “figure out” that I am the Siminga and point at myself. The kids usually laugh and come up and ask my name and if they can be my friend. They are really pretty cute. Another cool thing is that one of the neighbours has a pet monkey named Joe. He is in a cage at their house and is real cute and small. Joe has a small mustache too I kind of think he looks like Renee but won’t bring that up just yet. Renee has also given me my first piece of Ghanaian attire a nice shirt that I plan to wear next Sunday. He says that is will help me blend in a bit. Overall, the living arrangement is quite comfortable thus far however we will see how things develop. Next week I will be out in the field visiting villages so I won’t be in Tamale.

As for food it has been a pretty interesting experience overall. Once again if you wanted and had the money you could easily practically eat the same diet that you do back home in Canada. There are plenty of restaurants catering to ex-pats and they serve the typical “westerner” food (i.e. pizza, pasta, sandwiches, etc.). Our supervisor at the office suggested that we go to get lunch at a place near work the first day. Upon arrival I realized that this was a “westerner” stop and was one way out of my price range and not what I was looking for. If I want to experience a pizza or club sandwich I can wait till I get beck home. I definitely will not be going back there. After that experience, I Now typically eat where the local workers eat which is usually a street vendor of sorts, common reffered to as a “chop bar”. The street vendors are women who set up a both along the side of the road and prepare their specialty on site.

My favourite meal thus far is “watchee” which is a mixture of rice and beans. I usually have it with garri, a hardboiled egg and either meat sauce or a tomatoe based sauce or both. Gari is made from fresh cassava, which is grated and the excess liquid is then squeezed out. The remaining cassava is then fried with over an open fire, on a broad metal pan that has been greased with a little oil, could be palm oil or other vegetable fat. The result product is crisp and crunchy to taste and adds a nice texture to the watche. The key ingredient is the meat or tomatoe based sauce and this is really what adds the flavour I think. It is pretty spicy and tastes great. I think that I could eat watche for every meal while here. One interesting by product is that practically every bowl I have had thus far is more accurately watchee and stones. That is there is typically a small additition of rocks mixed in with the rice so while eating one must take care not to bite down too aggressively. I am used to the stones though and overall it is my favourite dish. All this is a pretty big meal and at first I couldn’t finish even the smallest portion but my appetite is growing. I still only get the smallest amount and spend less than a dollar on breakfast. One note on the “meat”, basically meat means that it at one point was part of an animal not necessarily a recognizable part but every part is used. I have had skin, intestine, and a jaw bone thus far in the stew portion. The best idea is to just put it in and start chewing and not really think of what part it is.

Right up there with watchee is Tuo Zafi (T-Zed) in my opinion. It is a millet or maize based porridge that I think. It is similar to fufu in that it is a bit doey and comes in a ball and is served with a soup/stew. It is eaten with the hands and what you do is pull of a chunk that you can easily swallow dip it into the stew a bit more and swallow it whole. It is really quite good. I also really enjoy banku which is similar to TZ in that it is a fermented maize meal and is served in a similar stew and eaten with the hands. The funny thing about all the meals here is they are heavily starched based and nearly everything kind of reminds me of mashed potatoes. So much for the not liking potatoe thing.
It is also mangoe season right now. So I try and get a few mangoes to satisfy my sweet tooth. They are much smaller than the mangoes available in Canada but I think they are much more flavourful. I also usually get a few oranges during the day to suck out the juice. During the evening there are street vendors that peel the oranges and slice off the top for you to suck the juice through. There are also plenty of vendors serving fried plantains or yam chips. The yam chips are similar to French fries. The fried plantains are also a nice snack every once in a while. So far I have been pretty lucky with all the street food IU have eaten and have yet to get sick from anything. My rule of thumb is just to watch with vendors have the best traffic and stick to one that I have had good luck with before. I think that is all for now in the food department.

Take care and God Bless,
Jason

“Tamale after 4 days….”

Dasiba,

I have been in Tamale for four days so far and overall it had been great. I have a few up and down moments but trying to take it all in stride.

The first two nights I stayed in the “Al Hassan” hotel. It was an interesting place right in the centre of town. I immediately igured out why there are not any taller buildings. It’s because it is just too HOT. I am on the second floor and it is crazy hot inside the room. During the day the sun beats down on the flat roof eating up the concrete and driving up the temperature inside. During the evening when it is reasonable outside the hot walls radiate all the heat back into the room making it even more uncomfortable. The weak fan on blows the hot air around and makes a lot of noise. I guess the heat is something to get used to. The shared washroom facilities were on the other side of the floor and the doors of the toilet and two showers barely closed and wouldn’t stay shut. This made it interesting when one had to do ones business. Also only the toilet had a working light so showers at night were done in the dark. Although it was unbaribly hot and at a price I could not afford in the long term the Al Hassan did have some excellent features. It was located in the centre of town which allowed for easy exploration of the market and downtown facilities. It also had a flat roof with a ladder leading up to it. Not too sure if I was allowed to go up there but I did anyways. It was a good view of the city and provided an excellent view of the sky at night. The sky here seems so big. You can see from horizon to horizon with nothing impeding your view. The stars also really jump out at you and seem like they are closer.

On Tuesday I was searching about the market when all of a sudden a huge wind storm came out of the north. It was nice at first because it was a very cooling wind but it soon intensified and picked up sand and dust and made it difficult to see. All the locals and vendors were either quickly moving along their way or packing up their stands. I took this as a que that a storm was coming and made it back the hotel. I thought that the cool breeze was very welcoming so I made it back up onto the roof to see around. It was about 6pm so it was rapidly getting darker. On the horizon I could see the storm traveling across the savannah. It was a breath taking site to watch it move along the plains with bolts of lightning illuminating the clouds above and a small section below. It was really quite a big storm. Unfortunately the wind died down and the storm passed the city to the North and immediately the heat came back. That same night we had dinner with the Canadian High Commisioner to Ghana. There were around 16 Canadians from the Tamale area with 6 of them from EWB.

So what am I doing here anyways? I am working with the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) on the Northern Region Water and Sanitation Project (NORWASP) which is funded by CIDA. The project has been running since 1999 and its goal is to improve the health of those living in the Eastern corridor of the northern region. It hopes to accomplish this by facilitating the provision of potable water, sanitation facilities and hygiene education. I have spent the past four days reviewing the project progression over the years and meeting some key players in the CWSA team. The NORWASP project is headed by a Canadian, Nancy Cosway, also known as my boss. She has been very helpful thus far. Next week I will be going out to the field to meet the field staff in the West Mamprusi district. It should be a great chance to try and see the actual outcomes of the project on the ground. All the communities that NORWASP approaches are less than 2000 people and some have fewer than 70. It will really be an eye opener to see life in these villages. Hopefullly I can retain as much as possible and figure out where I can fit into this project to make an actual contribution. One great thing about Nancy is she is eager to get me out to the field and meet everyone and really get oriented so I can figure out where I think I can contribute. Of course in the mean time I am gathering information for her and the project but it is great that she really is pushing the “you have to see what is happening on the ground before you can understand and move forward” idea.

More about Tamale: Nearly every car in the town is a taxi. I bet that 80-90% of the cars are taxis. Every other vehicle is an NGO vehicle or owned by a worker of an NGO. However the huge thing that hits me is the number of bikes and motorcycles. They say that Holland has a lot of biclycles but I think that here people are born on them. They are everywhere. You really have to be aware of your surroundings to not get run over as most bikes do not have breaks or bells. Also there are nearly as many motorcycles as taxis. They drive on the road the side walk and anywhere else they think they can get by. It is really something.

I have been struck by the over all level of honesty and good will exhibited by Ghanaians. I feel very safe all the time even at night and really do think that most really are just interested and have only good intentions. For example when night I took a taxi back the place that I was staying at and I forgot a loaf of bread on the dash, twenty minutes later the driver was back with the loaf of bread. He must have driven nearly right into town by the time he noticed it and turned to bring it back. He could have easily kept it as I was the one that forgot it and odds are would see him again as there are a ton of taxis in town.

As I will be out in the field next week I probably wont update the blog until next weekend of early next week. Let me know if how you are doing or if you want to know anything in particular.

Take Care and God Bless,
Jason

“There’s hot and then there’s just ridiculous….”

In order to get the 8 am bus to Tamale we got up early to head to the bus station. I got my first opportunity to haggle with a cab driver for the fare to the station. As I had no idea what it should cost I basically just offered about half of what the driver asked for and worked from there. We got a rate of 25,000 cedis (about $3.50 CDN) for all four of us which was ok I think. At the bus station I had some rice and beans with some spice added to it. So 8 am rolled around and our bus was yet to arrive. Louie informed us that they never leave on time so this was nothing out of the ordinary. The bus was only and hour and a half late and we quickly loaded our bags. The bus was similar of a yellow school bus with an extra fold down seat that went in the aisle. Luckily for me the seat across the aisle was broken so no one was sitting beside me. When I say broken I do not mean removed for repairs. I mean broken as in no longer welded to the floor and free to slide around as the bus moved. No one else seemed to think this was a big deal so when in Rome. Well as the bus pulled out it was apparent that the bus driver was intent on making up lost time. He quickly got up to speed and began weaving his was out of the city. Any time the bus would slow down or spot a rush of women would come up the bus window with produce on their heads trying to sell everything from mangoes to frozen yogurt to toothbrushes. One interesting thing is that nearly everyone drinks out of these 500 ml water sachets termed pure water. It is kind of like a small milk bag with water in it that you bite the corner off of and suck the water out. It is a convenient source of relatively safe water. I do wonder though how they manage to keep them cool.

Oh yeah by the way it is really hot. I mean really HOT. Like 38 to 40 degrees Celsius. The crazy thing is I see lots of people wearing toques with really big pompoms on top. I don’t understand. Don’t get me wrong I think pompoms on toques is a great idea and should really be brought back to main stream toque wearers everywhere. But toques in 40 degree weather that’s just wrong.

The only stop or slow down the bus makes is to either avoid a car or to not hit one of the goats or chickens that seem to be roaming around everywhere. There are literally goats everywhere you turn to. I want to know who owns these goats and how they keep track. Or maybe it is the goats keep track of who their owners are? Who knows anyways there are lots of goats here.

Eventually the bus makes it out of the city and now the driver really tries to make up lost time. He is passing on the shoulder, passing over hills, on curves in the road basically constantly. I thought I had an interesting bus ride in Jamaica but this one puts it to shame. The bus stopped a few times along the way and had some maintenance done in Kumasi where I had my first encounter with fufu. Fufu is basically cassava root (think tapioca) that is boiled that pounded until it is of doughy consistency. It is really doughy like uncooked bread dough. You eat it with your hands so it gets a bit messy. It was served in a big ball in a peanut soup. If it wasn’t for the good soup I’m not sure if I would have gotten through it. I think it is a bit of an acquired taste. Overall it was pretty good though.

One thing along the ride that surprised me was the greenery. Ghana is really green. Lots of palms and baobab trees and grassy undergrowth not the typical desolate picture of Africa. Although it did die down a bit as we headed further north. The bus ride was a total of 12 hours which was kind of intense. When we arrived in Tamale we made our way to the guest house we had reservations at only to find out that they did not keep them. Luckily another place in town was free so we stayed there. Tomorrow I start work with Community Water and Sanitation Agency.

Take care and God Bless,
Jason

“Under the cover of darkness…”

We flew into Accra under the cover of darkness. As the plane descended on the city I looked through the porthole that was the plane window and thought to myself that the city didn’t look that different from any other Canadian city. It had lots of flickering lights in the distance although a bit dim perhaps. One immediately apparent difference was the lack of tall buildings that chop up the Canadian skyline, which could be nice I thought.

However, I soon found that the darkness can be deceiving thing indeed and hid much more.

After getting through customs and immigration and exiting the airport it was very clear this was a new place. The bustling of people and taxis drivers calling to get in their cab “my brother where are you going?” was a bit overwhelming at first. Luckily Louie, Katie, Tom and Melissa (long term EWB OVs) were awaiting us at the airport and they coordinated cabs to get us to our hostel. I immediately thought of the other short-term volunteers that had no one awaiting them and wished them the best as I counted my blessings. As the cab made its way through the city I got my first glimpse and a small picture of Ghana. Open sewers and lots of people and vehicles everywhere made it interesting for negotiating the fully loaded cab through the city. The cab driver seemed to have no problems and with many horn honks along the way we arrived at the hostel “Expo 67”.

After we dropped the bags off we left in search of some food. At this point we had been traveling for about 21 hours with only a bit of airplane food and what little sleep could be found on the plane. Oh I forgot to mention that we flew KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The best part was drinks were included so I had a few Heinekens along the way only to help me sleep of course. We also had a lay-over in Amsterdam so I got a chance to stretch my legs walking around the city. The city was pretty much still asleep as it was 7am on a Sunday morning when we got out of the plane.

Now back to Accra:

However the hunger drive and eagerness to see a bit of the city overcame the urge to sleep. So my first tro-tro experience began after being in country for less than 3 hours. We walked down the street to the tro-tro station to await a ride. Although it was dark, the litter on the street and in the sewers was apparent and impressive in quantity. Accra is a bit of a dirty city. For those of you who are unfamiliar with tro-tro travel as I was up to this point I will go into a little bit of a description. A tro-tro is pretty much any vehicle that is not a bus or taxi that Ghanaians think they can make some money with by driving people across town. The tro-tro realm ranges from only slightly crowded minibuses to customized covered trucks with extra fold out seating to cram as many people in as possible, an aura of sweet in the air and virtual no view and no personal space. That aside it is an interesting experience and the cheapest was to get around town. Also tro-tros typically wait at a stop until they are full before they proceed on their route. So any hope in getting into a half full one will only mean you are going to wait longer at the stop until more people cram in. So the idea is just to get into the fullest one. Anyways we were lucky and got into an only relatively full tro-tro and made our way to “37” were we could get some food and cash out some Cedis.


At the bank the idea is to cash out the maximum amount in order to avoid banking charges. So I pushed the 800,000 cedis button and about 30 seconds later the machine spit out about and inch and half tall stack of 20,000 cedis bills. At “37” we had some mangoes which are the greatest mangoes I have ever tasted. They are much smaller than the ones available in Canada but much sweeter with a richer flavour. One problem was that it is difficult to buy 1000 cedis worth of mangoes with a 20,000 dollar bill. Everyone apparently doesn’t have any change. Anyway after the mangoes and some other foods which I was unsure of their origin we headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. Tomorrow the trip continues to Tamale.

God Bless and take care,
Jason

“Turn on the fire-hydrant and start drinking…”

Well pre-departure training is pretty much over and I leave toronto in about 5 hours. Wow I can't belive that this is really happening.

The whole pre-departure training was an eye opener. I was definitely glad to see that many of the other volunteers were facing the same issues and questions that I had. We started the days at 9am with some lectures and team building workshops then moved on to some goals from EWB and our hopes and fears. We played some interesting communications games, a scavenger hunt, and further developed the “Ghanaian” fertility dance. This is definitely a dance move that is going to get a few interested onlookers if you plan on busting it out at your local night club.

Training was intense and we sometimes continued well into the night. The head office staff was amazing and I found that they really made a connection with everyone. I am definetely indebt to them for there commitment and support. Information was coming at you fast and furious and in the words of Russ “it will be like trying to drink out of a fire-hydrant just try and get as much info down as possible”. It has started out as a great experience to make some good connections with the other overseas volunteers (OVs) and really focus on the challenge ahead. It was humbling to be in the same room with some truly incredible people and I feel really priviledges to have met and learned so much from all of them.

Last night we had a going away BBQ and we sent our temporary good byes to everyone. I look forward to hearing from everyone and seeing them when they get back.

I guess my next post will be from Ghana. I hope everyone is well, take care and God Bless,

Jason