Greetings from Week #6 of Training Hell. Now there's only 5 weeks left and one of those is devoted to visiting my placement site and future home for the next two years. Time is jetting past. Training is tough, mostly due to the demands of learning a new language and the general schedule M-S, 8-5. Hey, this is work! The training is designed for 20-somethings and less so for mid-lifers interested in other facets of living, such as reflections and explortion. I do know that time is coming.

Last week the Business group went on a fieldtrip to the northern portion of the country. Twenty of us visited Kintampo waterfalls (a 30 and 90 ft falls), Mole National Park (home of elephants, baboons and warthogs) and Tamale, which is the largest urban center in the northern third of Ghana. The north is hot and dry, winds from the Sahel filter south during their "winter" and deposit sands nearly to Ghana's coast. Our fieldtrip was a nice change of pace and we focused on the challenges of ecotourism and business in a developing economy. As the upper 1/2 of Ghana is also largely Moslim and it's Ramadan, we heard lots of prayers. Ghanains discovered really big speakers and they're now everywhere. Guess what I think of that??!!

Returning to my host family after those hot, dry days on the road was a treat. They missed me so much that they prepared my favorite dinner--red red, which is fried ripe plantain with bean stew (mostly beans, onions, tomatoes mashed together). The college-aged girls are returned to their schools next week and I'm certain to miss them.

I also came home with a weird eye condition. I look like someone popped me a good one in the right eye, it is all red and puffy. The PC nurse says it will heal with some cream--ok, wounds heal very slowly here, the heat and humidity.... So, I'm looking odd.

There's so much I want to write, but time always seems short here at the internet cafe. It's slow, it's only slightly better than dial-up, but at least it is something. What else? Soooo, much more to say. This week I bought some fabric for skirts and my host mother is taking me to her seamstress. When other trainees have had clothes made they strangely look unlike what they ordered. I'm concerned.

I'm skinnier. I hate all the starches here--rice, rice, white rice, yams (not like sweet potatoes) and more white rice--protein is in short supply, although they have peanuts (they call them ground nuts). Vegetables are in short supply here. I'm sure glad that I brought vegetable seeds from home, another reason to be excited about my new home.

Weather? We're now intereing the dry/hot season and that will extend into March, although my site is located in the rainforest, so I may be getting rain year-round.

Many, amy kudos to Mary for organizing a package drop--I'm savoring everything, especially all those words which surround my heart. Nice treats from Carole and the birding gang (Bob, Gordon, Becky and Larry). Miss you all more than I can possibly surround with words. Thanks too for reader comments.

Special greetings to Jen and Grandma. More soon...xoxox...d

ps. News gets here in weird fits and starts, sad to hear about Rosa Parks (1sr woman to lie in state??)
bird count up to 63, green sunbird yesterday

Greetings from lovely Ghana!!

I've made back to the internet cafe, although today's keyboard is not quite right, some keys are in odd places or don't work at all, so bear with me. The drive over here via taxi is always an adventure, well taxis here are definitely an adventure. The cars are old and rattly, then often filled with goods and people, no chickens yet, but it won't be long. The roads are rough and clogged with, yes you guessed it--chickens, goats and people carrying loads on their heads. More on that later. Regardless, the half hour ride here is past beautiful subsistence farms--maize, beans, cocoa, plantains (they look like palm trees), cashew trees, cassava bushes, etc. It is all green.

Training is still moving along. Y'day I got a rabies shot and a first of several hepatitus shots. Finally, late in the day we received our site assignments. I'll be spending the next two years at Kakum National Park. I couldn't be more excited. From both what I've heard and read, the park is a nat'l treasure and a birdwatcher's dream.\ Next month I'll visit the site, plus get to see my house, which according to the description is "pink." Hmmm, it wasn't my first choice.\\ When they inspected the house a month ago the toilet wasn't installed. I'm hopeful that in another month that might be done.\
My host family continues to treat me very well. I left this a.m. for language class and they were all busy cleaning. Laundry is all done by hand here and yes, they do sweep dirt yards clean (more on that later). Did I mention that they have bananas and oranges growing in the yard?? It's currently the "little rainy season" here and that essentially means that they have a second crop of anything. Given the daily rain, everything is growing.

With my site confirmed, I'm now learning another language. Fanti is the language of the Ashanti people, widely spoken in the southern parts of Ghana. It sounds harmonic to me. I hope to supercede my present comedic status, although it is somehow comforting to have everyone laughing at me....

Thanks to all the correspondents out there, it means more than you know to hear from home.
love ya...d

Greetings, or ackwaaba!! I've moved to a different computer in the cafe and now I can post, so disregard the earlier post about frustration.
I'm writing in an internet cafe operated by some Dutch folks who run a home for "retarded" children (political correctness has not arrived in Ghana). The "cafe" is in a small town, Nkronanza, which is renown for growing maize--I feel right at home amidst the corn stalks, nevermind that all the farming here is done by hand. This place is aabout 20 miles from our training town, Techiman. Even though techiman is much larger, the internet facility is pitiful there. So my host-family brother STephen has driven us here today. He had some work to do on the computer, so I lucked out.

The training process is composed of two basic parts: technical training on Ghana business and ecotourism and language. If ya'all remember by past foreign language experiences, you'll have an idea about this one (urgh!!). Nonetheless, I persist, mostly making the children laugh uncontrollably.

I'm now living with a Ghanain host family and they are lovely--warm, friendly and fun. They are very affluent by Ghanain standards with a large house, household help, electronics and cars. Papa is a judge, Mama is a nurse and their are three college age children in and about and they all want to practice english. Describing "typical" households here would take another day, not to mention building practices (lots of mud and straw). Compared to many of the other trainees, I'm in hog heaven (some of them don't even have electricity, much less running h20). I have my own room, bed, desk, mosquito net and now, a pc-issued trek bike. Like is good...

Sadly, I haven't been birdwatching, there just hasn't been enough time. The training and settling-in schedule has been hectic. I hopeful that this week will be a bit slower. Speaking of this week, on Thurs the trainers will be making site-announcements, which means I'll find out where I'll be for the next two years plus what project I'll be working on. I'm hopeful for an interesting and challenging site, plus electricity and running h20.

One other quick note, last week our training group was asked to visit the local chief and I was asked to speak to the chief/chiefs as the "elder" of our group. "Elder"??? The chiefs had traditional drummers and dancers, whoopla and those beautiful cloth robes. Wish ya'll could have seen it.

So, that's my thumbnail. Writing letters will definitely be easier than getting here. So, please write, I'd love to hear everyday stuff. If you'd like to send treats (hint, hint), gum, hard candy, ground coffee, whatever, would be great. I've been told that padded envelopes get less charges than boxes, fyi. Also, that the US Postal service is better for most things than any delivery service.

Hugs to all, love you all and miss you...
xoxo...d

Ok, here's the weird information, so don't flip-out about this. Evidently, people make off with lots of personal information here--from envelopes, intercepting e-mails etc. Under no circumstances send money, etc to anyone contacting you about me. Really, I mean it!! I've now heard several stories where friends and family are notified with horror stories (ie. she's in the hospital and needs something, etc). So, don't do it. You'll know it's me contacting you, which currently is the PCT address, Perhaps later, I'll establish a different address, but I'll certainly let everyone know.

xoxo...for now...

ps. training resumes next Tuesday and great new bird: Pied Crow, like our crow, but wearing a white tux jacket