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).