I've spent the last few days contemplating letters, post cards, skypeouts, and other means of communication with those of you stuck in that bitter cold wasteland that is The States (or those of you pour souls simply trapped on the left coast).
Anti-Malarial drugs are kinda neat, Malaria itself not so bad. Haven't had much of the bad symptoms, and except for neck and joint paint and some mild dizziness I really can't complain. I get dizzy from standing up too quickly, and I immediately sit down, then my neck hurts later on. Not entirely dissimilar from a good roller coaster. It has however made me rest a bit and read, which is never a bad thing.
Cicero's On the Good Life, what Roman and Greek histories I can find, some bits of The Bible, and random biology and computing articles online. I'm happy to be reading again it is not something I have done of my own volition in many years. Though a few writer friends of mine had been pushing me as long as I knew them.
I've finally gotten our internet connection to something manageable, so I have been able to upload pictures. Although I was in a rush just to see if it would work and haven't labeled or organized them yet.
Here you go: http://picasaweb.google.com/evandt/Ghana
There will be more to come, hopefully categorized, captioned, cropped, and rotated. There aren't many for the last few weeks because I haven't found any good batteries I want the ones that cost more than 12 cents for my camera, the others last about 2 minutes in such a device.
You can see my room in Accra when I stayed with John and Nana, the pool, the vendor lined streets, and the state of suburban sprawl in Legon. Then there are a few pictures from Ghana University, Legon with Toon, Yaw, the driver and John, followed by some of Yaw and I in Tema, the port city, getting our equipment. There there is the school and it's cultural event day planned partially for some American Tourists who came to visit, along with Toon and the children in the schoolyard.
Toon is at ICYE (www.icye.org) volunteer. He is about 24 has a teaching degree, and was a European History major from Belgium. Pretty easy for me to get along with based on these few things alone. My only complaints about him are that he is entirely too helpful, nice, polite, well-mannered, and doesn't drink beer.
He came with a group of mostly European volunteers, all of whom, excepting him, are female and under 21. They all take trips on weekends to various towns or each other's different projects. Sometimes I join them, sometimes they come here, sometimes their parents come to visit them. All in all it is nice to have some westerners close to my own age to talk to.
The differences between us are more pronounced than similarities to me. I do not consider myself a "volunteer" like they do. Most volunteers pay about 5000 dollars to come and volunteer for 6 months to a year. They go through an organization and are placed at host sites, usually with host families.
I came because I was asked, I have family nearly as close as my own brother here. I am not much one for being a tourist in this great country. When I see how Ghana runs things I think of how I wish the west were more like that, rather than how "strange" it may seem. I've really experienced very little in Ghana that I haven't experienced in Boston. Plantains, peanut soup, hip hop, bureaucracy, bribes, mild corruption, dangerous driving and traffic. The only real differences I see are a lack of infrastructure, and less cosmopolitan ways of thinking. But no idea I have seen or heard here is at all new to me, and I have never felt more "free" in my life.
Unlike my European compatriots I am staying for over a year, and if all goes well I've committed to returning once a year (or as needed) for the next 5 years. And because of my own political and philosophical beliefs I simply could not come to this country and do this type of work without committing fully to such a project who's main requirement is that we put together a maintainable, easily managed, remotely manageable network and an upgradeable infrastructure.
I need some semblance of a lasting permanence, otherwise I would be very disappointed to have spent a year here for everything to fall apart when I leave. Basically, if the school is willing and we have the ability, I am not leaving until I feel I am truly "done."
Life is good here, though I think I could use a change of scenery, haven't left the school or it's immediate surrounding areas in some time. The dry season hasn't been as harsh as I had been warned, actually nothing has been as bad as I had been warned, but it has been more humid than expected. I really can't complain, I suppose, though I miss the torrential downpours there were truly spectacular and quite refreshing.
I hope to hear more of the goings on in Boston, I would rather get second hand information about local news than actually read that rag The Boston Globe, but should I have to resort to such desperate measures I may. Oh I take back any nice things I said about Deval Patrick as he put a Microsoft Shill on the MA Tech Advisory board, the only person on that board who is not involved in any IT departments for MA-based companies... He works for Microsoft.
Anyway, this update is getting far too technical, and I promised myself to separate technical posts from personal ones. I will continue on the more technical aspects of this project tomorrow and it will not be mass e-mailed out like this one is, but available at the same website as the personal updates: http://evandtaylor.blogspot.com
Happy Holidays to those of you not enjoying the 78 degree weather, and having to slave over cooking family meals rather than being served three fairly good meals a day.
Sincerely,
Evan Taylor
Friday, December 08, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Ok, so it takes me a little longer to get anything done...
Hello All,
Sorry for the delay, it is only mildly inexcusable that I have taken two whole months to send some sort of update, especially to those who are probably a bit more interested, if not concerned, or just plain worrying about my wellbeing. I would like to say it was the power outages (nearly daily for less than an hour where I am now, but on a 3 day am-pm and then pm-am rotation), internet outages, mild (read: massive) frustration with various online tools I was trying to originally do this with (googlepages is horrible), or my wanting to spend what precious time I had of all these things working getting the initially useless computer lab back up and running so the PTA here likes me. Finally, however I can send this out, because the lab is completely up and running as of earlier today, and I have had ample time to write as I have finally succumbed to a normal and mild traveler's stomach plight.
Ghana is... Ghana is gorgeous. The weather is humid less than the oppressive Boston summers, and a might cooler. The Sun is only abusive for the first two or three sunburns, but after that it is enjoyable, though many Ghanaians tell me otherwise. The colors are different, though that may simply be the Mefloquine I am taking (causes hallucinations, says so on the packaging). The dirt is reddish-brown, and the sky has more vibrant blues than anything I've seen before, probably due to less pollution, again the Mefloquine, and possibly just the surrounding colors being equally vibrant and bright.
The food is a different color and flavor altogether. Oranges are yellow or green, Yams are white, Pineapples are red, there is this strange Sucre ingredient (apparently made from Canes or something) where my classic ingredient High Fructose Corn Syrup is supposed to be, and the tomotatoes... Well the tomatoes have flavor, flavor unlike anything I ever tasted before, you simple could not describe them as "watery," they are very robust.
Pretty standard fair as far as food goes, peanut soup, various stews (usually tomato based) with okra among other things not commonly found in American 'Cuisine' (Apologies Helen, Tanya, Frank, Harvey etc, I would never lump your cooking in with common American Cuisine), pounded corn made into dough like balls for tearing small bits off and dipping them into your stew, Chinese food, and lots of spaghetti or rice. And of course, plantains, lots and lots of plantains.
I had to spend a month in Accra in a rather boxy cement house, nothing too special for the community it was in, for the first computer shipment to be cleared out of customs.
Often the power was out for 12 hours at a time, alternating daylight and night hours every 3 days. Some of these days I "aerated" the pool (You know, to keep mosquitoes from breeding in it!), others I read (Yes Harvey, Ron, Helen, I am reading again, and quite a bit, and almost some of it isn't trash).
I love Ghana, but I am sorry to say I absolutely hate the port city Tema. After multiple days of 6-14 hour waits dealing with an overzealous Fantis spinster, while nothing happened with Yaw ("Yow" the computer teacher) and briefly Toon ("Tone" the Belgian volunteer from ICYE), we finally got our first of 3 shipments out.
I was happy to find almost all the computers were Pentium IIIs with at least 450mhz on them and a decent amount of ram. I had been warned they may be Pentium Is, possibly worse. We loaded up our van, and took the equipment first to the house in Accra, and then the 4-5 hour drive inland to Kumasi and the school.
On my first arrival there with the van full of computer equipment, it was an experience like no other. The small children swarmed me all wanting to shake my hand, hold it, guide me to the building I was to live in, or wherever I wanted to go, or they wished to take me. It was something I simply cannot put into words.
Shortly after arriving Toon, Yaw and I got to work on sorting out the hardware, good from bad, testing, configuring, planning (all half-assedly as I could muster, in hind sight), etc. Strangely enough I kept losing my blank CDs. At first I thought I misplaced a few, but a few days later my entire spindle (30+) had decided to go for a walk. I had realized the CDs were being stolen, but no one entered the computer room without Toon or Yaw or I in it supervising... There's no way someone could have stolen thirty plus CDs out from under us... I am not nearly the criminal investigative genius I thought I was. One of the students told me one day when I was complaining where my CDs got lost to that children were taking them. He then proceeded to tell me how.
The children brought books into the computer lab and would sneak empty CDs in between the pages while we weren't looking. They would then LEAVE the books in the classroom when they had to go to class next. Later after school or near the end of school they would come back to the computer lab and ask Toon or I if they could get their books... If there is anything in my life more humbling than one student feeling sorry for me enough to tell me how horribly I had been tricked I hope to avoid it. These children were less than 10 years old, and I was thoroughly impressed, amused, and bloody annoyed.
Now that the lab is setup, we almost have our hands on a backup generator, and the internet is working and the systems are nearly secured from user error (kids will be kids...), I have begun work on rewriting the antiquated computer text book (MS-DOS is the primary focus of the book, you remember DOS, right?) for the school (partly to start putting together a curriculum for the class I will be offering the faculty in a few weeks or months), and possibly other schools.
I am truly enjoying the work I do here and the freedom that comes from the project, it's ever-evolving goals, and what I am experiencing of Ghanaian life in general. Each day I wake up feeling that the work I am doing is worthwhile, have delicious meals, find time to read (sometimes forcibly by candlelight), research new ways to solve computer problems, or just hang out with some of the older boarding students whom have befriended me and been an almost endless supply of laughter and hijinx in the evenings or on weekends.
I've made some friends and they make me get away from the computer on weekends and go out and enjoy the 85 cent (delicious) lager pints, or go to various towns nearby to meet other volunteers, see funerals (which are actually somewhat enjoyable), and other sights and sounds of this great, and truly free, country.
It is somewhat late and my ability to write (already hampered by our very great American Education system) is slowing being worn down by this pesky call from my pillow. Goodnight.
Sincerely,
Evan Taylor
Sorry for the delay, it is only mildly inexcusable that I have taken two whole months to send some sort of update, especially to those who are probably a bit more interested, if not concerned, or just plain worrying about my wellbeing. I would like to say it was the power outages (nearly daily for less than an hour where I am now, but on a 3 day am-pm and then pm-am rotation), internet outages, mild (read: massive) frustration with various online tools I was trying to originally do this with (googlepages is horrible), or my wanting to spend what precious time I had of all these things working getting the initially useless computer lab back up and running so the PTA here likes me. Finally, however I can send this out, because the lab is completely up and running as of earlier today, and I have had ample time to write as I have finally succumbed to a normal and mild traveler's stomach plight.
Ghana is... Ghana is gorgeous. The weather is humid less than the oppressive Boston summers, and a might cooler. The Sun is only abusive for the first two or three sunburns, but after that it is enjoyable, though many Ghanaians tell me otherwise. The colors are different, though that may simply be the Mefloquine I am taking (causes hallucinations, says so on the packaging). The dirt is reddish-brown, and the sky has more vibrant blues than anything I've seen before, probably due to less pollution, again the Mefloquine, and possibly just the surrounding colors being equally vibrant and bright.
The food is a different color and flavor altogether. Oranges are yellow or green, Yams are white, Pineapples are red, there is this strange Sucre ingredient (apparently made from Canes or something) where my classic ingredient High Fructose Corn Syrup is supposed to be, and the tomotatoes... Well the tomatoes have flavor, flavor unlike anything I ever tasted before, you simple could not describe them as "watery," they are very robust.
Pretty standard fair as far as food goes, peanut soup, various stews (usually tomato based) with okra among other things not commonly found in American 'Cuisine' (Apologies Helen, Tanya, Frank, Harvey etc, I would never lump your cooking in with common American Cuisine), pounded corn made into dough like balls for tearing small bits off and dipping them into your stew, Chinese food, and lots of spaghetti or rice. And of course, plantains, lots and lots of plantains.
I had to spend a month in Accra in a rather boxy cement house, nothing too special for the community it was in, for the first computer shipment to be cleared out of customs.
Often the power was out for 12 hours at a time, alternating daylight and night hours every 3 days. Some of these days I "aerated" the pool (You know, to keep mosquitoes from breeding in it!), others I read (Yes Harvey, Ron, Helen, I am reading again, and quite a bit, and almost some of it isn't trash).
I love Ghana, but I am sorry to say I absolutely hate the port city Tema. After multiple days of 6-14 hour waits dealing with an overzealous Fantis spinster, while nothing happened with Yaw ("Yow" the computer teacher) and briefly Toon ("Tone" the Belgian volunteer from ICYE), we finally got our first of 3 shipments out.
I was happy to find almost all the computers were Pentium IIIs with at least 450mhz on them and a decent amount of ram. I had been warned they may be Pentium Is, possibly worse. We loaded up our van, and took the equipment first to the house in Accra, and then the 4-5 hour drive inland to Kumasi and the school.
On my first arrival there with the van full of computer equipment, it was an experience like no other. The small children swarmed me all wanting to shake my hand, hold it, guide me to the building I was to live in, or wherever I wanted to go, or they wished to take me. It was something I simply cannot put into words.
Shortly after arriving Toon, Yaw and I got to work on sorting out the hardware, good from bad, testing, configuring, planning (all half-assedly as I could muster, in hind sight), etc. Strangely enough I kept losing my blank CDs. At first I thought I misplaced a few, but a few days later my entire spindle (30+) had decided to go for a walk. I had realized the CDs were being stolen, but no one entered the computer room without Toon or Yaw or I in it supervising... There's no way someone could have stolen thirty plus CDs out from under us... I am not nearly the criminal investigative genius I thought I was. One of the students told me one day when I was complaining where my CDs got lost to that children were taking them. He then proceeded to tell me how.
The children brought books into the computer lab and would sneak empty CDs in between the pages while we weren't looking. They would then LEAVE the books in the classroom when they had to go to class next. Later after school or near the end of school they would come back to the computer lab and ask Toon or I if they could get their books... If there is anything in my life more humbling than one student feeling sorry for me enough to tell me how horribly I had been tricked I hope to avoid it. These children were less than 10 years old, and I was thoroughly impressed, amused, and bloody annoyed.
Now that the lab is setup, we almost have our hands on a backup generator, and the internet is working and the systems are nearly secured from user error (kids will be kids...), I have begun work on rewriting the antiquated computer text book (MS-DOS is the primary focus of the book, you remember DOS, right?) for the school (partly to start putting together a curriculum for the class I will be offering the faculty in a few weeks or months), and possibly other schools.
I am truly enjoying the work I do here and the freedom that comes from the project, it's ever-evolving goals, and what I am experiencing of Ghanaian life in general. Each day I wake up feeling that the work I am doing is worthwhile, have delicious meals, find time to read (sometimes forcibly by candlelight), research new ways to solve computer problems, or just hang out with some of the older boarding students whom have befriended me and been an almost endless supply of laughter and hijinx in the evenings or on weekends.
I've made some friends and they make me get away from the computer on weekends and go out and enjoy the 85 cent (delicious) lager pints, or go to various towns nearby to meet other volunteers, see funerals (which are actually somewhat enjoyable), and other sights and sounds of this great, and truly free, country.
It is somewhat late and my ability to write (already hampered by our very great American Education system) is slowing being worn down by this pesky call from my pillow. Goodnight.
Sincerely,
Evan Taylor
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