I have just arrived in Tamale, a large city in the north of Ghana. I will be here volunteering at a clinic, who serves a large Christmas dinner for those who aren't able to do it for themselves for whatever reason.
The clinic serves upwards of 300 people I'm told.
Its strange to think that its Christmas when I'm still wearing shorts and tank tops and sweating, but lo and behold, its 3 days away :).
Leaving the village was much harder than I orginally thought it would be. I really grew to love my family and the community and very much felt like I was a part of both.
Leaving the village marks a couple of weeks of travel time where I will go to explore some other regions in Ghana before beginning my work placement in the New Year!
For right now, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and I will report in when I can :)
Lots of love!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Ghana puts the fun in 'Funeral'
Funerals in Ghana are much different than those I've ever witnessed or heard about in Canada. Firstly, they last for a minimum of three days. Typically the funeral will start on Friday and end on Sunday. There is a whole series of events that transpire between the Friday and the Sunday, which I will attempt to explain.
On the Friday, the body is brought in from the mortuary. In the case of my first Ghanaian funeral, the body had been kept in the mortuary for over a month, I'm told its because of monetary reasons. This day is fairly similar to a wake, where people come and visit the body and the family and to say prayers. This day is often the most dramatic in terms of the emotion displayed. Usually, it is filled with wailing as a means to sympathize with the family. People stand over the body and just wail and sob. Going hand in with the wailing is a lot of drinking. By the afternoon on Friday, some earlier than others will begin to drink...a lot. People will begin mid day and many will continue straight through until Saturday night with little to no sleep.
Saturday was the day the woman was buried in Tiawiah. People continued to drink, though now by this time it became more of a celebration than mourning. After the burial, people who came to attend the funeral from out of town will head to someone's compound for refreshments. It turns out that my compound was one such place. My (normally) fairly quiet compound save for the children, goats and chickens was filled to the brim with intoxicated people dressed in their finest clothes. Funeral attire is pretty specific. One is to wear only red and black, and it is very formal. Some of the outfits/ensembles that passed by were stunning. Shortly after the refreshments begins the dancing! This is also done as a bit of a fundraiser. People donate money to the family and then can dedicate a song for someone. Naturally, I was the recipient of one such dedication, which meant I had to join the dancing :)
The dancing/partying goes on well into the night leading into the final day. The Final da is the day where people will attend Church and finish with another round of donations to the family followed by the kind of dance I've only ever experienced at weddings mixed with a night a club. The music continued to play well into the night.
That essentially is the schedule for the funeral that happened in my village. It is generally accepted schedule with some modifications here and there.
The other interesting thing surrounding this funeral is the circumstance for the woman's death. Yes. I am aware that I will now sound like the nosey neighbour and to an extent that's what I've become, but I can't help it that the family came and gathered for refreshments in my compound. I can't help that one of my sisters, who is my age and works in another town happened to come home that weekend and fill me in on the gossip while everyone was hanging aournd the compound...!
The story is that this woman had a fight with another woman who was having an affair with he husband. After the encounter, the 'concubine' as my sister called her, went to the River God and placed a curse on this woman.
The doctors did an autopsy on the woman and found nothing to be wrong so everyone assumes that it is as a result of the River God's curse.
What makes it better (or worse?) is that the husband, before his second wife was even buried went back to his first wife, and the concubine has just been left knowing that she killed someone. People are pretty convinced that there were some lesser Gods/deities at work.
I found this to be especially interesting because religiton permeates every aspect of culture here in Ghana, yet most people are of the Christian faith, with many Muslims, as well. When I asked my host sister if she believed this was the case with this woman, she, who is a good believing and practising Christian exclaimed "what else could it be?!"
That is one of the more interesting cultural dichotomies one encounters in Ghana.
I attended my second funeral on over my last weekend in the village. This time we only went for one day to sympathize with my host mother's good friend. In this case, it was a funeral for two people; a father and his daughter. Needless to say there were a lot of people there. When we arrived, we walked up to a canopied tent, monitored by security guards. AT first, we weren't going to be let in, then the security guard saw me and let us in. At the time, I assumed we were going to greet the family. Upon entry to the tent, the smell of moth balls as well as the sound of wailing hit me in the face. I had entered the tent where the two bodies had been kept. I think it goes without saying that I felt a little awkward, but we thankfully didn't spend that much time there.
As different as funerals are, there are some aspects which should perhaps make their way West.
The outpouring of emotion and the acceptance and even encouragement of those who are grieving, as sometimes we can be too stoic. Secondly, the moments of true celebrations of the person's life. IN addition to the the dancing/drinking, the family made t-shirts for people to wear with the woman's photo, date of birth and an inspirational saying on the back followed by "rest in peace". I'm not sure how I feel about the t-shirts yet, but there's something intriguing about the n'est-ce pa?
Finally, who doesn't love a dance party?
On the Friday, the body is brought in from the mortuary. In the case of my first Ghanaian funeral, the body had been kept in the mortuary for over a month, I'm told its because of monetary reasons. This day is fairly similar to a wake, where people come and visit the body and the family and to say prayers. This day is often the most dramatic in terms of the emotion displayed. Usually, it is filled with wailing as a means to sympathize with the family. People stand over the body and just wail and sob. Going hand in with the wailing is a lot of drinking. By the afternoon on Friday, some earlier than others will begin to drink...a lot. People will begin mid day and many will continue straight through until Saturday night with little to no sleep.
Saturday was the day the woman was buried in Tiawiah. People continued to drink, though now by this time it became more of a celebration than mourning. After the burial, people who came to attend the funeral from out of town will head to someone's compound for refreshments. It turns out that my compound was one such place. My (normally) fairly quiet compound save for the children, goats and chickens was filled to the brim with intoxicated people dressed in their finest clothes. Funeral attire is pretty specific. One is to wear only red and black, and it is very formal. Some of the outfits/ensembles that passed by were stunning. Shortly after the refreshments begins the dancing! This is also done as a bit of a fundraiser. People donate money to the family and then can dedicate a song for someone. Naturally, I was the recipient of one such dedication, which meant I had to join the dancing :)
The dancing/partying goes on well into the night leading into the final day. The Final da is the day where people will attend Church and finish with another round of donations to the family followed by the kind of dance I've only ever experienced at weddings mixed with a night a club. The music continued to play well into the night.
That essentially is the schedule for the funeral that happened in my village. It is generally accepted schedule with some modifications here and there.
The other interesting thing surrounding this funeral is the circumstance for the woman's death. Yes. I am aware that I will now sound like the nosey neighbour and to an extent that's what I've become, but I can't help it that the family came and gathered for refreshments in my compound. I can't help that one of my sisters, who is my age and works in another town happened to come home that weekend and fill me in on the gossip while everyone was hanging aournd the compound...!
The story is that this woman had a fight with another woman who was having an affair with he husband. After the encounter, the 'concubine' as my sister called her, went to the River God and placed a curse on this woman.
The doctors did an autopsy on the woman and found nothing to be wrong so everyone assumes that it is as a result of the River God's curse.
What makes it better (or worse?) is that the husband, before his second wife was even buried went back to his first wife, and the concubine has just been left knowing that she killed someone. People are pretty convinced that there were some lesser Gods/deities at work.
I found this to be especially interesting because religiton permeates every aspect of culture here in Ghana, yet most people are of the Christian faith, with many Muslims, as well. When I asked my host sister if she believed this was the case with this woman, she, who is a good believing and practising Christian exclaimed "what else could it be?!"
That is one of the more interesting cultural dichotomies one encounters in Ghana.
I attended my second funeral on over my last weekend in the village. This time we only went for one day to sympathize with my host mother's good friend. In this case, it was a funeral for two people; a father and his daughter. Needless to say there were a lot of people there. When we arrived, we walked up to a canopied tent, monitored by security guards. AT first, we weren't going to be let in, then the security guard saw me and let us in. At the time, I assumed we were going to greet the family. Upon entry to the tent, the smell of moth balls as well as the sound of wailing hit me in the face. I had entered the tent where the two bodies had been kept. I think it goes without saying that I felt a little awkward, but we thankfully didn't spend that much time there.
As different as funerals are, there are some aspects which should perhaps make their way West.
The outpouring of emotion and the acceptance and even encouragement of those who are grieving, as sometimes we can be too stoic. Secondly, the moments of true celebrations of the person's life. IN addition to the the dancing/drinking, the family made t-shirts for people to wear with the woman's photo, date of birth and an inspirational saying on the back followed by "rest in peace". I'm not sure how I feel about the t-shirts yet, but there's something intriguing about the n'est-ce pa?
Finally, who doesn't love a dance party?
Friday, November 19, 2010
A New Day Has Come!
*disclaimer*
The first section of this blog was written before leaving for our village, the second section comes 2 weeks after living in my village and returning to Nkawkaw for a retreat!
When the day came to leave Accra, we boarded a trotro (a big van which serves as a bus) to make the three hour trek to Nkawkaw. Driving out of Accra, one starts to see the distinct plastic texture of the leaves of the plaintain trees become much more plentiful. The road between Accra and Nkawkaw is a bit precarious at the moment due to construction and just general Ghanaian highway maintenance. That being said, we still made it in about 3 hours where we were greeted by our host Monsignor Paul and another parishoner, Ansong. The 6 of us piled uinto Msgr Paul's pick up and off we went to the parish where we will stay for two weeks before heading to our villages.
Our days in Nkawkaw have been spent attempting to learn Twi, the language that is spoken widely throughout Ghana and especially in our villages. We had about 4 hours of Twi lessons each day, which I'm enjoying. Our instructor Father Andy, is a priest here at the parish. He is a great teacher who is patient, understanding and funny. We have gone out on a couple of little 'excursions' to practise our vocabulary. We have visited the hospital, been to school and went to the market.
The fathers and others at the parish are really great! I feel very welcomed and have had some wonderful times with them (who knew I'd say that about a group of priests?!). As it turns out, many people I've encountered love Celine Dion (hence the title of this blog), so some of my time at the Mission House has been spent singing along with Celine Dion and various other easy-listening and pop songs that have certainly passed their prime in North America.
The more time that I spend in Nkawkaw, the more excited I get for the village stay. It is so lush and beautiful that I feel especially lucky to be able to spend the next 2 months in a place as gorgeous as this. We don't yet know where our villages will be, but we do know that they are out of town leading further into the bush, a fact that really excites me!
----------------------------
Our villages were decided completely randomly. Msgr Paul wrote the village names on small pieces of paper, crumpled them up and threw them on the ground and we each picked different villages. From there, we got into the truck and got dropped off at our different villages.
I feel especially lucky to be in my village because I have really loved my time there so far! My village is called Teawiah (basically it sounds exactly as it is written!). Its basically in the foothills of a mountain outside of Nkawkaw. My family is great! My mother owns a store, my father works in Accra as a driver and I have two younger sisters who live with me in Teawiah and two other sisters who are away at school and working. In addition to owning the store, my mother also farms cocoa, plaintain, yam, banana and orange. She only sells the cocoa, the rest is used to feed the family.
As it stands now, my mornings are spent going to farm cocoa, where my job is to break the cocoa pods. I didn't know very much about cocoa before arriving in Ghana, so will assume that you have the same level of knowledge as me!
Cocoa grows on trees, in pods. My mother, Georgina, hires a person to go around and pluck the cocoa pod, one person to go and gather all of the pods and one person to break the pod and take out the beans.
Its really hard work! I went out, armed with a cutlass and was busting open cocoa pods, it definitely took a while to feel comfortable hacking away at the cocoa pod which is only a fraction bigger than my hand! After 6 hours the first day, I feel like I've got a grasp on how to do it and keep the man-eating ants away. The part-time labourers that Georgina employs act as my bug bodyguards, as every now and then I'll hear them yell something in Twi (my Twi is not quite as good as theirs....) and then one will be over picking a bunch of ants off of me :).
I spend the afternoons with my mother at the store, just sitting and talking with her and any others who may come in. People are generally always pleased when they greet me in Twi and I respond, its kind of a big deal! When my sisters come home from school we will go fetch water, which I now carry (almost without spilling!) on my head and then will start to make dinner.
We arrived in Nkawkaw on Monday, where we've come on retreat to learn about African Traditional Religion and how that impacts many Ghanaian's lives. Its interesting to be here and have Msgr talking about various aspects of Ghanaian culture that have roots in traditional religion despite the influence of Christianity and Islam. The lessons with Msgr Paul have been really helpful in gaining a more in depth understanding of somethings that I have seen in the village.
We head back to our village on Monday, where I will stay for the next 5 weeks before leaving for 2 weeks of travel time.
To keep your interest, I will return to write about funerals, which are 3 day long events, more in-depth stories of village life and more general updates!
I'll talk to you in a month!
Also, I left my address book in Canada, so send me your address if you want some snail mail!
The first section of this blog was written before leaving for our village, the second section comes 2 weeks after living in my village and returning to Nkawkaw for a retreat!
When the day came to leave Accra, we boarded a trotro (a big van which serves as a bus) to make the three hour trek to Nkawkaw. Driving out of Accra, one starts to see the distinct plastic texture of the leaves of the plaintain trees become much more plentiful. The road between Accra and Nkawkaw is a bit precarious at the moment due to construction and just general Ghanaian highway maintenance. That being said, we still made it in about 3 hours where we were greeted by our host Monsignor Paul and another parishoner, Ansong. The 6 of us piled uinto Msgr Paul's pick up and off we went to the parish where we will stay for two weeks before heading to our villages.
Our days in Nkawkaw have been spent attempting to learn Twi, the language that is spoken widely throughout Ghana and especially in our villages. We had about 4 hours of Twi lessons each day, which I'm enjoying. Our instructor Father Andy, is a priest here at the parish. He is a great teacher who is patient, understanding and funny. We have gone out on a couple of little 'excursions' to practise our vocabulary. We have visited the hospital, been to school and went to the market.
The fathers and others at the parish are really great! I feel very welcomed and have had some wonderful times with them (who knew I'd say that about a group of priests?!). As it turns out, many people I've encountered love Celine Dion (hence the title of this blog), so some of my time at the Mission House has been spent singing along with Celine Dion and various other easy-listening and pop songs that have certainly passed their prime in North America.
The more time that I spend in Nkawkaw, the more excited I get for the village stay. It is so lush and beautiful that I feel especially lucky to be able to spend the next 2 months in a place as gorgeous as this. We don't yet know where our villages will be, but we do know that they are out of town leading further into the bush, a fact that really excites me!
----------------------------
Our villages were decided completely randomly. Msgr Paul wrote the village names on small pieces of paper, crumpled them up and threw them on the ground and we each picked different villages. From there, we got into the truck and got dropped off at our different villages.
I feel especially lucky to be in my village because I have really loved my time there so far! My village is called Teawiah (basically it sounds exactly as it is written!). Its basically in the foothills of a mountain outside of Nkawkaw. My family is great! My mother owns a store, my father works in Accra as a driver and I have two younger sisters who live with me in Teawiah and two other sisters who are away at school and working. In addition to owning the store, my mother also farms cocoa, plaintain, yam, banana and orange. She only sells the cocoa, the rest is used to feed the family.
As it stands now, my mornings are spent going to farm cocoa, where my job is to break the cocoa pods. I didn't know very much about cocoa before arriving in Ghana, so will assume that you have the same level of knowledge as me!
Cocoa grows on trees, in pods. My mother, Georgina, hires a person to go around and pluck the cocoa pod, one person to go and gather all of the pods and one person to break the pod and take out the beans.
Its really hard work! I went out, armed with a cutlass and was busting open cocoa pods, it definitely took a while to feel comfortable hacking away at the cocoa pod which is only a fraction bigger than my hand! After 6 hours the first day, I feel like I've got a grasp on how to do it and keep the man-eating ants away. The part-time labourers that Georgina employs act as my bug bodyguards, as every now and then I'll hear them yell something in Twi (my Twi is not quite as good as theirs....) and then one will be over picking a bunch of ants off of me :).
I spend the afternoons with my mother at the store, just sitting and talking with her and any others who may come in. People are generally always pleased when they greet me in Twi and I respond, its kind of a big deal! When my sisters come home from school we will go fetch water, which I now carry (almost without spilling!) on my head and then will start to make dinner.
We arrived in Nkawkaw on Monday, where we've come on retreat to learn about African Traditional Religion and how that impacts many Ghanaian's lives. Its interesting to be here and have Msgr talking about various aspects of Ghanaian culture that have roots in traditional religion despite the influence of Christianity and Islam. The lessons with Msgr Paul have been really helpful in gaining a more in depth understanding of somethings that I have seen in the village.
We head back to our village on Monday, where I will stay for the next 5 weeks before leaving for 2 weeks of travel time.
To keep your interest, I will return to write about funerals, which are 3 day long events, more in-depth stories of village life and more general updates!
I'll talk to you in a month!
Also, I left my address book in Canada, so send me your address if you want some snail mail!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
DO NOT URINATE HERE!
Day 3 in Accra and I feel almost able to give you my first impressions. I was worried about it just being another crowded city with people hissing to get your attention, taxis and trotros (large vans used as buses) driving so close to pedestrians on the side of the road that you're lucky if the side mirror is the only thing to hit you on its way by. I feared the endless calls of Abruuni (not sure how you spell it, but it means "white person") and "come into my shop". There's the issue of garbage lining the side of the road, as people toss their empty bags of water and food to the side of the road. That's the other issue, we drink water from 500 mL bags and when you order food on the street it comes in a bag! I also wondered about a city that feels the need to put up large signs instructing people not to urinate in certain areas.
Seriously, I was dodging a taxi the other day and nearly crashed into a man who was peeing on the corner.
Beyond all that, Accra could really grow on someone. I am continually amazed at the way that women and young girls carry massive amounts on their head while walking with the utmost of grace, aside from the hissing, people are very willing to help out if they can. With one sentence of "please, can you tell me how to get here" you are given direction and sometimes shown the way. If you're reading this, you're more than likely a friend who is all too aware of how clumsy I am and can understand how I managed to fall up the stairs at a market only to be caught and rescued by a few Ghanaians...NOT EVEN MY OWN GROUP! haha! As a total side note, I'm told by groupmates who watch the Amazing Race, that this particular market we visited (Kaneshie Market) was featured on the Amazing Race :). There there's those food bags, I don't know what it is but sometimes there's also something strangely satisfying and enjoyable about biting off a small corner and eating out of a bag.
Today, we went down to the beach and the 'cultural centre'. The cultural centre is basically a large market selling things that are part of the Ghanaian culture. Immediately upon arriving at the centre, we were greeted by some young fellows who were drum makers and each of us were ushered into a different drum shop, where we were given some lessons about drum making and then actual drum lessons. We told them up front that we weren't there to buy drums and had not money/intention of buying anything and the response (still not sure I believe it) was "its not about the money, let's have some fun!".
While sitting in the drum shop, we heard a lot of screams and saw a bunch of people take off running. I knew immediately what was happening and felt a little sick. My first version of Ghana's mob justice. I had seen/heard of this one other time while travelling, but have heard that its much more common in Ghana. Basically, if someone robs you and you yell or make some kind of fuss, the crowd around you will chase after this thief and beat him/her, sometimes until bloody or even to death. It can be for taking something as simple as a notebook, or something much more serious - it doesn't really matter. The guys in the drum shop were making some interesting comments and justifications for why people do it, saying that "we don't want tourists to go home and say that Ghana is full of thieves".
Those would be my first impressions of Accra, crowded, noisy, joyful, exuberant, friendly and vast.
We are leaving Accra for Nkawkaw tomorrow to begin our language lessons and following that, our village stays with our families. Its nice to know that while I'm excited to get out of the city and start learning the language that will certainly help me upon my return to Accra, I'm still excited to come back to this city and to begin exploring things that I only caught glimpses of over the past few days.
The sad news is that mangoes aren't in season for another month or so. I am anxiously awaiting my first bite! The bananas, pineapples and oranges are flavourful enough to hold me over until then :).
I will be able to write before heading to my village, so until then!
Seriously, I was dodging a taxi the other day and nearly crashed into a man who was peeing on the corner.
Beyond all that, Accra could really grow on someone. I am continually amazed at the way that women and young girls carry massive amounts on their head while walking with the utmost of grace, aside from the hissing, people are very willing to help out if they can. With one sentence of "please, can you tell me how to get here" you are given direction and sometimes shown the way. If you're reading this, you're more than likely a friend who is all too aware of how clumsy I am and can understand how I managed to fall up the stairs at a market only to be caught and rescued by a few Ghanaians...NOT EVEN MY OWN GROUP! haha! As a total side note, I'm told by groupmates who watch the Amazing Race, that this particular market we visited (Kaneshie Market) was featured on the Amazing Race :). There there's those food bags, I don't know what it is but sometimes there's also something strangely satisfying and enjoyable about biting off a small corner and eating out of a bag.
Today, we went down to the beach and the 'cultural centre'. The cultural centre is basically a large market selling things that are part of the Ghanaian culture. Immediately upon arriving at the centre, we were greeted by some young fellows who were drum makers and each of us were ushered into a different drum shop, where we were given some lessons about drum making and then actual drum lessons. We told them up front that we weren't there to buy drums and had not money/intention of buying anything and the response (still not sure I believe it) was "its not about the money, let's have some fun!".
While sitting in the drum shop, we heard a lot of screams and saw a bunch of people take off running. I knew immediately what was happening and felt a little sick. My first version of Ghana's mob justice. I had seen/heard of this one other time while travelling, but have heard that its much more common in Ghana. Basically, if someone robs you and you yell or make some kind of fuss, the crowd around you will chase after this thief and beat him/her, sometimes until bloody or even to death. It can be for taking something as simple as a notebook, or something much more serious - it doesn't really matter. The guys in the drum shop were making some interesting comments and justifications for why people do it, saying that "we don't want tourists to go home and say that Ghana is full of thieves".
Those would be my first impressions of Accra, crowded, noisy, joyful, exuberant, friendly and vast.
We are leaving Accra for Nkawkaw tomorrow to begin our language lessons and following that, our village stays with our families. Its nice to know that while I'm excited to get out of the city and start learning the language that will certainly help me upon my return to Accra, I'm still excited to come back to this city and to begin exploring things that I only caught glimpses of over the past few days.
The sad news is that mangoes aren't in season for another month or so. I am anxiously awaiting my first bite! The bananas, pineapples and oranges are flavourful enough to hold me over until then :).
I will be able to write before heading to my village, so until then!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Get Me Some Mangoooooes!!
After two sleepless flights, a few movies and episodes of tv shows later, we arrived in Accra!!
Our flight landed earlier than expected. When the plane door opened and I walked out, the hot, humid air hit me like a slap in the face! It was wonderful!
My first thought upon landing?
Where are the Mangoooooes???
Some friends picked us up at the airport and it was glorious to have some familiar faces waiting for us.
Piling into two taxis, we headed out to our hostel where we'll stay for the next few days.
Arriving at night is always a bit more of a challenge and we didn't really do much last night other than grab a small bite to eat, unpack and take a quick walk around with the promise of new day just a sleep away.
Today was a day of 'the necessities': cashing traveller's cheques, checking in with the Canadian High commission, getting some kind of sense of the city and figuring out how/where to get food and manoeuvre the trotro (bus) system.
Accra, at first impression seems to be a place that I think I will really come to appreciate. We stand out for sure, walking down the street in single file like we're herded sheep. Hopefully that will only last a short time longer until we're more acquainted with the city and all its happenings.
Food report:
So far so good! Deliciously spicy! About to get some dinner now!
Nothing really to update, as it has only been 48 hours since leaving Canada!
We are leaving on Thursday for our villages, so I will hopefully be able to give a better idea of what's going on/impressions then!
Cheers
PS. Please email me your mailing addresses should you want some snail mail!
Our flight landed earlier than expected. When the plane door opened and I walked out, the hot, humid air hit me like a slap in the face! It was wonderful!
My first thought upon landing?
Where are the Mangoooooes???
Some friends picked us up at the airport and it was glorious to have some familiar faces waiting for us.
Piling into two taxis, we headed out to our hostel where we'll stay for the next few days.
Arriving at night is always a bit more of a challenge and we didn't really do much last night other than grab a small bite to eat, unpack and take a quick walk around with the promise of new day just a sleep away.
Today was a day of 'the necessities': cashing traveller's cheques, checking in with the Canadian High commission, getting some kind of sense of the city and figuring out how/where to get food and manoeuvre the trotro (bus) system.
Accra, at first impression seems to be a place that I think I will really come to appreciate. We stand out for sure, walking down the street in single file like we're herded sheep. Hopefully that will only last a short time longer until we're more acquainted with the city and all its happenings.
Food report:
So far so good! Deliciously spicy! About to get some dinner now!
Nothing really to update, as it has only been 48 hours since leaving Canada!
We are leaving on Thursday for our villages, so I will hopefully be able to give a better idea of what's going on/impressions then!
Cheers
PS. Please email me your mailing addresses should you want some snail mail!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Join the Movement!
October. This year, October means a couple of things for me. One of them is that my flight to Ghana is a mere four days away. The other is that GuluWalk activities are in full swing right now!
There are still walks happening in many cities around the world so I encourage you to check out www.guluwalk.com to find a walk or event close to you.
For those in the Toronto area, there are lots of cool events that will be happening over the next couple of weeks, so you should definitely check it out.
I also invite you to take a peek at these mini documentaries to give you a sense of what life in Gulu is like today.
http://www.guluwalk.com/footsteps/
This will be my first year not directly involved in the planning and undertaking of a GuluWalk event, so I'm relying on you all to take in one for me!
Join the movement!
There are still walks happening in many cities around the world so I encourage you to check out www.guluwalk.com to find a walk or event close to you.
For those in the Toronto area, there are lots of cool events that will be happening over the next couple of weeks, so you should definitely check it out.
I also invite you to take a peek at these mini documentaries to give you a sense of what life in Gulu is like today.
http://www.guluwalk.com/footsteps/
This will be my first year not directly involved in the planning and undertaking of a GuluWalk event, so I'm relying on you all to take in one for me!
Join the movement!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Jumping in my Shoes of Peace!
With less than a week before boarding the plane for my next adventure, I sit here and go over my mental list of what needs to get done, packed, who needs to be seen and the ever important question of 'to blog or not to blog'. After much deliberation, blogging it is, then.
During our last week of prep month, while we were staying at a lovely cottage in Southampton, I was inspired with the blog name. A groupmate was recounting a dream she had and mentioned that her defense against her predator in this dream was to put on her 'Armour of God'. But, in the heat of the moment in the dream, all she could remember were her 'shoes of peace'. While this explanation does not do justice to the hilarity of the actual moment, it did lead me to think about what it means to wear 'shoes of peace'. To me, and for purposes of my upcoming trip to Ghana, shoes of peace are an important thing to be both packed and worn.
For those who are unfamiliar with this trip, allow me to explain. The first part of my stay in Ghana will be with a host family in the cocoa region, where I will will live simply and in solidarity with my family and the cocoa farmers in the region. Following my village stay, I will then make the move to the capital, Accra to work with the Centre for Popular Education on Human Rights Ghana (CEPHERG).
Part of our preparation as a group was to create a group myth, which sparked debates on proper punctuation, that's how seriously we took it. Ultimately, we decided on a group myth of jump.
I won't get into the details of the reasons, other than to sum it up that jumping - to us - symbolizes immersing ourselves fully, enjoying our time and being present, and remembering to jump again.
Shoes of peace, jumping and Ghana. Here we go. Here I go. What does it mean to jump into something? What does it mean to walk with shoes of peace? It means change. Change of environment, of people, culture, everything. It means that I will walk humbly, openly and with acceptance. It also means excitement! Looking back on the times I've jumped; whether it be in a puddle, into a lake, off a cliff, its exciting.
So, once again, I'm packing my privilege in my backpack, wearing my shoes of peace and ready to jump into a new adventure.
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