Post 8: Final Thoughts

To all my wonderful readers,

     It is hard to believe the eight months has just about come and gone. It has been truly an unforgettable experience. I'd thank you all for your support before, during and hopefully after this experience.

     I will be honest that as much as I am excited to come home in a month's time (I am doing a euro trip prior to returning home) I am as well incredibly nervous. A lot has changed in my life and I am anxious to see how it translates back home and what life has in store for me next. I know whatever it is it will be great but I may need a bit of time to readjust.

     I've been thinking about how I wanted to end off this blog for a while because there is a whole trip to sum up. I then thought about what I would say to myself eight months ago and I came up with an idea of making a letter that I wished I had received eight months ago advising me on life here in Ghana.

October 2015

Dear Kurtis,

       I know that it may be tough to think about the next eight months when the Blue Jays are still in the playoffs, the Liberals have won the election and you just spent an amazing weekend with friends and family celebrating Kev's birthday; however, I need you to pay attention for a few minutes because you are about to walk into something, by going to Ghana, that you honestly have no idea about, even though you'd like to believe you do. You have heard bits of information about Ghana and how it hosts some of the friendliest people in all of Africa. You were also informed that Ghana is the golden child of all of West Africa and is "Africa for beginners". A big first piece of advice- Don't put so much trust into anything you learn before coming. While based on reality, articles and videos can only tell you very little about life here.

      Looking back today, I feel it is important to tell you that you make it throughout your entire eight month adventure in Ghana! It is an accomplishment and an undertaking like you have never done before. While I do not want to spoil too much for you, let me explain a general outline of the things to come.

     What you hope to do is to make a difference and to  try and understand the realities of African livelihood. You set out to Ghana from Brussels on a Wednesday morning where you, while on the plane, have your first realization, while looking around you, that things are about to get very different.  You arrive to Accra clean cut, skin as pale as a ghost and a smile that tells people that you think that eight months is going to pass by as quick as a finger snap.

     Looking back on the trip I will admit it feels partly like that now; however, this trip was far from being a walk in the park.

     Fast forward a month later when you are about to leave Accra and move to your new home Tamale (sorry to spoil the surprise). The first month brings many twists and turns, including living life in the loudest neighbourhood you may ever live in (thank the consistent line of funerals for that), your first experiences with electricity rationing (aka dumsor) and your first month ever living somewhere where you are a visible minority. You will still be in good spirits as the project seems to be moving forward and the road ahead seem bright. Still adjusting to the living in Ghana, you will move to a place which is considered off the traveled path. This is when the real challenge begins.

     I cannot express to you enough that living in Tamale is not an immediate love but an acquired taste. Your first three months, while you are open to new opportunities, will not go the way you wish and this takes its toll on you quite a bit. The culture becomes difficult to deal with, life outside of work is the complete opposite to what you are used to and you feel every week that you finished it as a failure. Some days, you will live through the travel horror stories many have told you about before. Other days, you will question why you ever came to Ghana at all. You will deal with heartache, anger, emptiness, sadness, confusion and so many other emotions at the same time. Some emotions that you will feel are for the first time in years. It is not your or anyone else's fault that you feel these things but it is just life. It is just reality and the quicker you accept that the easier it gets.

    There will come a point in time where, with one click of a mouse, the trip will be over.  You believe that it will be for the best to leave. Don't let your trip end there. Believe me, from where I sit now, I promise you that it will be one of the biggest regrets you will ever make.

    From that point on your trip changes. You begin to meet and get to know many one of a kind individuals. Silent nights turn into unforgettable memories. The hub opens and you begin to work one-on-one with Ghanaian youth to help to a better future. You will travel to all ends of the country and, before you know it, Ghana begins to grow on you. As your trip draws closer and closer to an end, you begin to wonder how the first four months got away from you.

     As I sit here today, I thought I'd share with you one last thing before I head out. I am down to my last day in Tamale. Below are two pictures. The first of course is the person you came as when you arrived to Ghana and the second is the person you are leaving as (I forgot to mention earlier about the beard- Definitely a good decision) . You body will change massively- You will lose all your muscle and gain weight. You will be darker and look older than you'll ever have before; however, be proud of this new you because this person is leaving Ghana happy. There's always time when you get home to get back in shape. There's always time to try and look younger or fix all the things that you want to be changed. Forget these things. Through hardship and struggle, you do something incredible... You find a way to be happy and at peace. 

    In June 2015, you had just dropped you masters and was clueless where life was going to take you. I can tell you now, prior to hopping on that plane out of Sarnia, that your life is about to dramatically change forever. The man you will become is much different than the boy you are arriving as. Beginning to truly understand what it means to live a life in poverty, while you live nowhere near as tough as the average Ghanaian, impacts you to the core of your heart. The everyday struggle of completing tasks which are simpler back home teaches you to be even more humble and grateful for being a Canadian. Your dream will be fulfilled Kurtis of living in Africa. I can't promise you that it will be easy but it will 100 percent be worth the sweat, stress, anger, and tears that will come because of it.  

Keep your head up always and the best of luck you.

    

Post 7: Hub Updates and Recent Travels

Where does the time go?

I cannot seem to keep track of time anymore as I am heading into the final month of my time here in Tamale. This last month has been nothing short of fantastic! Since the last time I wrote, I've been on many adventures, collected countless memories, and have really begun to embrace Tamale as being a place I can call home. The city has really grown on me. In this blog post, I am going to share with you all a bit about what has been going on with the project  and where I've been traveling to.

Project Updates:

I am proud to announce that the first class has graduated! After a nine-week course and a lot of hard work, our students are ready and have been active on the Tamale job market. Last week we hosted a graduation ceremony for the students which included the EQWIP Hubs Deputy Director from Ottawa. It was a great event! I was as well informed last week that our first student got a great job as a sales person! Over the last several weeks, Esmond and I have been working hard to customize each of the students' CVs and interviewing skills. I had been working with this particular student for weeks prior to prepare for his interview and it makes me thrilled to see the impact of our work taking form. I look forward to hearing many more stories such as this going forward.

After the completion of the first group, we are now working our way into teaching our second cohort. It has been interesting to work with such a different group than the first but it is exciting as well.

So where have I been traveling?

Except for the Northern parts of Ghana past Tamale, I am happy to say I have seen quite a good deal of this beautiful country. My first big trip in quite a while was to my first African safari: Mole National Park. Boasting images of Africa I was used to seeing before arriving in Ghana, Mole is not as packed with wildlife as one would see in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa; however, its main animal is the elephant! There are antelopes, warthogs, monkeys, and even baboons that call Mole home. With a group of 15 other expats, I went to a place which has a pool view of the safari I cannot even begin to describe (I hope my pictures will help paint the picture). The first is my most recent visit (last weekend) during the rain season and the second is from my first visit during the dry season in March (quite a difference).

Some of the highlights of this trip included having to stop two baboons from breaking into my room, being less than 10 meters away from two baby elephants playing in a pound, riding in the back of a truck through the safari and getting to know many individuals on this trip that became great friends upon returning.

                

Great way to end off a safari. Going beside two baby elephants playing in a pond.

A month later, during the Easter weekend, I embarked on a second road trip, along with four friends of mine, to the second largest city in Ghana Kumasi. Known as the Ashanti capital of Ghana (a tribe Ghana is well known for), Kumasi is a mixture of the modernized madness of Accra and the village-like mentality of Tamale. The gem of Kumasi is its central market, which is the largest open market in West Africa. With other 11,000 vendors and 44,000 people working in the market, I can honestly tell you entering and going through the Kejetia market was one of the craziest experience of my life! Literally, everything is sold there! It is an unorganized mayhem which boasts some of the most spectacular sights if you find your way on top of the market.

                

Not even half of this absolutely massive market from above

From Kumasi, we went down an hour southeast to a place called Lake Bosomtwi. Made from a crater impact millenniums  ago, the lake boasts the "cottage country" type living in Ghana. We stayed at a ranch just on the edge of the lake which was an absolute blast. There was great company around us, a lot of swimming in this rare clean fresh water lake, hiking trails, horseback riding and a lot of card games played. Since motorized boats are not allowed on the water, Ghanaians have a log boat they like to use in the water. For us at the ranch, the challenge was to learn to stand on top of it and balance. I am happy to say by the end of the weekend I was a pro!

              

The view of Lake Bosomtwi from my room

My most recent trip was at the end of April. A few friends and I decided to escape down to the west coast of Ghana to go to several beach locations. These are the spots of Ghana which, if people look to travel to Ghana, they will likely visit as it is on the coast and in a more developed region of the country.  This included going to the popular beach locations in Busua, Elmina, and Cape Three Points. In regards to Cape Three Points, the most southern part of Ghana, a  hidden ecolodge gem hides within its rainforest. Escape Three points, run by a Canadian, is by far one of the best atmospheres for a resort I have ever seen. With extremely friendly staff, countless activities and found within a slice of heaven, this place is by far my favourite place I have visited in Ghana.

Just a small glimpse of the beach at Escape Three Points

While Busua was a nice visit, including visiting a former Dutch fortress, Elmina, similar to Cape Coast, took the prize home for best sight visited on this adventure. The Elmina castle, which is just a binocular's view away from Cape Coast castle, hosted what was once the larger slave trade castle of the two. The two castles varied in regards to former clientele (especially women slaves) within the castles and how each one was physically constructed was very different; however, the history of the castles remain to be similar and gruesome. To have had this opportunity to learn more about this colonial mistake of the past has been an eye opener, especially when one realizes how much it changed Ghanaian society.

View of the town of Elmina from its castle

As I begin to prepare to wrap up my adventure I will be writing one last post on the day or two prior to leaving Tamale (June 17th). While it will be different than the other posts have been, I hope that you all take the chance to read it- I hope to throw together a summary of what this trip has really meant to me in my life. It is hard to believe the end is near but I am as well really excited to go because I feel I have learned all I can learn in Ghana. The final week of my trip will be down in the South on vacation with a trip to Togo being planned. From there, on June 27th, I will be flying to the UK to see Sam and spending July touring Europe. I will then make my way back home to Sarnia on Sunday, July 24th, and be reunited with my family (who, just as much as I , have been waiting for this day for a long time).

Post 6: The Hub is Opened!

On February 28th, I officially passed the halfway mark of my time here in Ghana!

I cannot really describe how I feel about accomplishing this feat. At one end, where has four months gone? On the other, I feel like a year has happened within four months. I think the main thing I can say is that perseverance and hard work pays off . Now that I got five months under my belt, I feel another three will be no problem.

The hub is up and running!

Current EQWIP HUB Team!

Finally, after months of preparing and waiting, EQWIP HUB Tamale has now started its first training course for Ghanaian youth! It's a brand new ball game here as my coworkers and I try and begin pioneering what will hopefully be the services that the hub will offer young people. Already there has a been a lot of trial and error, test runs and adjustments to what we hope to offer youth; however, this was even before we began to work with them and thus only a base for improvement.

So when did things start taking off?

As I came into work in mid-January there was literally nothing within the physical space of the hub that had changed. The walls were still the same sunlight yellow, the floors still with thick layers of dust on them and the space empty without a purpose. While it was not for a lack of trying, we, the Canadian volunteers, were blocked from getting work done without budget approvals. There was no rush as well to get/ hire Ghanaian staff  in Tamale which made progress stall. This made work life quite frustrating for a person like myself who is driven and motivated by doing work.

On a personal level, I was dealing with several issues. The main one concerned the health of a fellow Canadian. Originally I had two of Canadian volunteers with me; however, an unfortunate case of malaria had occurred to one of them. We (the volunteers, doctors, and EQWIP staff) thought in December that her original case of the illness would be her last as she received what was considered by locals as the right treatment; however, this type of malaria was one which was immune to many sorts of vaccinations and, because the right vaccine was not given to her the first time, she became her very sick again in January. Because Tamale does not have as advanced of facilities as Accra has, the two volunteers were asked to return to Accra to get her further treatment. The sick volunteer , unfortunately, had to leave Ghana for this reason while the other returned a week later for her final few weeks until her contract was up.

For this reason and others, I can easily say January was the toughest month of my trip so far. It is tough to see a friend suffer the way she did, especially not in the comfort of her home. I can only say that taking her to the hospital one evening was the first time I felt homesick/severe and immediate culture shock, not just for me but I felt it for her as well. It is an experience I will never forget and I will never take for granted the great healthcare system we have in Canada after this experience. I am happy to report now though that, upon returning home to Canada, she was able to get the care she needed and she is now malaria-free.

At this point, it became very tough to believe that things were going to change or improve.  I was as well the only staff member left in Tamale since the girls were in Accra. It made going to work each day tough and many nights even tougher. Luckily, my boss arrived in late January. With her, she brought the ability to finally start a budget to begin building the hub! With this came new personal hope for change and I began to  try and forget the prior months of no work. While we aimed ambitiously for several goals to be met, again, we were dealing with the reality of Ghanaian time.

The original hub- This is what it remained from November until February

The tides begin to turn

The hub first began to change in early February. With a goal to unofficially open the hub to youth at the end of the month (EQWIP globally wants to officially launch all at once) , a lot of pieces of the puzzle had to be put together. First was the floor/design plan.

Below this is a video tour of what our hub currently looks like (since photos can't do it justice) and what the aim of each area is. In short, we have an office, a reception area, a technology/work area and a classroom area. The walls dividing each room have the ability to fold up to make one giant room during larger events. There are still a lot of items/furniture that needs to be added to the hub space; however, as we are dealing with other vendors, we are at the point of just hoping for good luck most times. 

As the physical space began to be constructed, the process of preparing for the program needed to begin as well. First was holding a baseline survey.  The necessity of a baseline cannot be overemphasized in development work. Baseline studies, commonly done through surveys, allow program designers to know key demographics and potential assumptions that are important for implementing the course. For example, by having our survey done on computers, we were able to observe the computer literacy and knowledge levels of our participants. While it is only a sample of the overall population we plan on targeting, we found computer literacy levels to be quite low for varying reasons. We would not have known this fact (and it is important for our program as we train students at points using laptops) if the baseline had never been conducted. The baseline process took a week and over 90 individuals were interviewed. It was a great success.

                

From there began the advertising front of our program. We now needed to share with local youth that this program is recruiting and is beginning in the middle of March. With computer literacy levels varying among the youth, there were several different methods we used to recruit.  First was word of mouth. By talking with local youth and organizations, we were able to mobilize the message that EQWIP HUBs was looking to open. We began to post posters and advertisements around the city. Since our partner organization works with youth (the National Service Scheme), we tapped into their database to contact youth to apply. Finally, we held a youth open day (our unofficial opening of the hub). We invited youth from across the region to come to our hub to get first-hand information about what our hub looks to do and accomplish. The event was a great success which led to many applications being handed in.

Youth Open Day Q&A on Entrepreneurial Track

The first days of classes

                

Upon receiving applications, the interview process began to build up the first group of participants. Since this was the first class, we wanted a gender equal class with students varying from all different backgrounds. This would give us a better idea if what we are teaching benefits the students or not for future class qualifications and standards. Some may be overqualified and some may not. It is not to turn away students but instead to understand certain realities, such as if we need to change the curriculum to better suit the students or if we need to focus on having certain types of students for a particular class. Some students own small businesses already. Others have searched for over a year for their first job and have not been able to find one. Some students have a strong grasp of the English language while others do not. By knowing the backgrounds of the students in the class, we have been able to start adapting and understanding the realities of Tamale youth. The group we created for the first class is quite unique for this reason instead of being chosen at random as it will hopefully be going forward.

                

Our first day of classes began on the 21st of March. It has now been two weeks into our course and things are going well. I share facilitating responsibilities, alongside my Ghanaian colleague Esmond, and we have split the days of which we teach to allow us to make proper preparations.  I began to practice speaking slower for the classroom setting a month prior as there are many non-native English speakers in the class. My first class alone was last Thursday which ended up going quite successful . In the first weeks, there have already been a few key lessons we have learned including the following two:

1.       The need for simplistic language- While we had Ghanaians assist the American curriculum developers in making our teaching material, the first weeks showed us the differences between Ghanaian and North American English that we could not catch in planning. What we did not know as well was how these differences could affect certain course activities. We conducted an origami activity one afternoon where participants were divided into four groups to make a paper bird.  The first group listened to a staff member read instructions on how to make the bird, the second was shown how to make a bird by a staff member step by step, the third was given visual and written instructions to them  and the fourth were given the already made bird and told to figure it out with no instruction. Which way would you find easiest to learn to make the bird? In the test trial, it was those who were given paper instructions to read and see made the best birds; however, in the classroom, they did the worst. Students complained they did not understand the words in the instruction thus making it difficult to complete. It is hard to tell what information Ghanaian youth do/do not understand prior to teaching; however, now that we are learning that the vocabulary of the book is too difficult, the curriculum will need changes.

2.       How to change students from working on Ghanaian time- In our first session, we predicted that there would be many students late due to the naturalness of Ghanaian time; however, since we have a lot to cover in the course and since many participants cannot get off work earlier to compensate for Ghanaian time, it has been a challenge to figure out how we would get people here on time. If I were back in Canada, I would do a "punishment" system where students would have to do a silly/embarrassing task to compensate for their lateness; however, in Ghana, people have such strong pride for themselves that even making them do loud animal noises in public makes them embarrassed and at points feel disrespected. We do not aim to punish by kicking students out of the program; however, we as well need a way to get students to come to class and not allow them to come as they please. As a result, we have tried doing little punishment games but starting at the lowest and considerably less embarrassing level that we could. Each week we try to increase the level of the punishment a little bit as a means for students to come to class on time and it seems to be working.

First day of teaching

_____________________________________________________________

As the classes continue, I look forward to sharing more about what I have learned from the students and how the hub is progressing. Most of January/February I have not traveled outside of Tamale due to my need most times to remain. March though has been a different month. In my next post, I hope to share a bit about my recent adventure, including my first safari!

Post 5: Holiday Festivities

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a great holiday season and that many of you are adjusting well back into the everyday routine. I personally have been taking some time as well to enjoy the holiday season to relax and prepare myself for the upcoming year. I hope to share in this blog what I've done since the last time I've written and what I hope to write about going forward.

"So how was Christmas?"

This is a question I've been getting asked by many people. Christmas here was a unique experience which I really enjoyed. The holiday is not normally celebrated here in Tamale due to the majority Muslim population. Not once throughout December did I see any Christmas trees or decorations ornaments or Santa Clauses. Only at the few churches in town and Christian ran restaurants was there any recognition of Christmas.

This year, for Christmas, my Belgian roommates Michiel and Merel and I wanted to give our host family a Christmas they would always remember. It began with selecting what we should get them for gifts. For Arafat, we got him a full Chelsea uniform with soccer socks. For Iba, we got here jeans, lip-gloss, nail polish and a t-shirt. For Nafisa, better known as Mamma, we wanted to get her something really special. Knowing Mamma enjoys keeping in touch with her host kids after leaving Ghana, we decided to give her a smartphone with a big enough screen that she can now video chat instead of only calling.  The second step was Christmas eve. Mamma was to make a spaghetti meal she loves to make for her host kids to give them "a taste of home". In the meanwhile, my host brother Michiel thought of the amazing idea of making our own homemade movie theatre! Doing this would allow us to have friends and family over to celebrate Christmas in style. So, after getting a project, speakers, a big enough white board to project on, popcorn and drinks, we made a movie theatre in our own backyard!

Our Homemade Movie Theatre! (Was quite dark so this evening sorry for the bad quality!)

On the night of Christmas eve the magic began. Starting with a wonderful meal, we decided after to give the family their gifts. This is where I learned yet again, as I do at least once per Christmas, the true meaning of the day. Whether it was the pure shock of the family when they opened their gifts or learning this was the first Christmas they ever celebrated, it was truly something else. After cleaning up, our guests began to arrive to watch Toy Story and we had the "world premiere" of the not-yet in theatres (by one day) The Hateful Eight. The night is one I will never forget.

The Host Family (left to right, Iba, Mamma (Nafisa) and Arafat

As for Christmas day, except for dinner with the family and lunch with other volunteers, it was a quiet day; however, there was something that happened which I want to make note of... For those involved in my Christmas gift, which was a video from back home of season's greetings from many individuals I know and love, thank you so much! Not only did it do accomplish its goal in making me smile but I had no chance at holding back tears. It has not been easy living over here, especially during a time like the holiday season; however, to receive holiday greetings from all of you made it honestly the greatest Christmas gift I have ever received. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

New Years

On the 26th I received an email from my boss indicating I had the rest of the year off for holidays. Upon receiving this news, I quickly decided that I was in much need of a vacation! With my holiday time, I decided to go back to Cape Coast for the New Years! While I did much of the same as I did last time (relaxing), I went canopy walking in the rainforests of Kakum National Park which was quite a view! While I thought it was quite pretty, I as well felt sad that the animals were too scared to come out. In the forest resides animals such as forest elephants, leopards and many types of birds.

Kakum Canopy Walk!

On New Year's Eve, the resort I was at hosted the town's largest New Year's Eve party! Throughout the day, staff worked hard to prepare what was shaping to be a legendary night, which it was! Starting with a buffet dinner, the night then consisted of an acrobatics show which got people energized to dance. When the New Year arrived, it began for me on the beach. All the resort's amps were turned towards the beach and the dance party turned into a large beach party! Fireworks went off for hours, large bonfires blazed and wowed and late night swimming in the ocean commenced. The party went all night!

While I would have stayed up all night, I had another important event happening on New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve, I was presented with the opportunity to go hiking up in the Eastern Region of Ghana (near the city Ho Hoe) and go camping on top of one of Ghana's highest mountains. Intrigued by this, I signed onto the trip and I do not regret it for a second! The mesmerizing scenery of emerald green everywhere from the variety of trees, waking up to the sun rising while looking over Ghana from the top of a mountain and experiencing Canadian fall temperatures at nights for sleeping was amazing! Some of the main highlights included climbing Ghana's highest mountain Afadjato, visiting Wli falls (the highest waterfalls in West African and the coldest water I have been in second to Gander Lake!), meeting expats from across the world, visiting a monkey sanctuary and rock climbing into caves. I will never forget the trip!

A Few Snapshots for your enjoyment!

View from my tent 

The Campsite near the Smmit of the Mountain (Summit is on other side)

The other side of the mountain! 

On top of Ghana's highest peak Mount Afadjato!

Wli Waterfalls (You can ever tell I am freezing!)

So What Comes Next?

As I touched upon earlier, December was a tough month. Common within long-term travel,  a lot of difficult situations arose in December which made writing at points very difficult for me to do; however, I have hope that with a new year comes a new me! I am hoping in my next few blogs to elaborate a bit more about these experiences as I feel they're important to share and will give a better context into my experience here thus far.  I am hoping to get back on schedule and keep you wonderful people up to date! Until next time have a great week :)