A list of all things golden in Ghana-
I saw Beauty and the Beast performed at the drama department two weekends ago. The golden moment was seeing my friends dressed up like silverware and my friend Phillip playing the town drunk. Two other golden moments in the play were, the attempted british accents and my friend Ernest playing the most perfect Ghanian Gaston imaginable. Other than that the play was kind of laughable (and sadly not in a good way.) Also audience participation is something that Americans just don't understand, and thus we bash it, but more on that later.
Another Golden Moment of Ghana, or moments, are the pool parties! Ghanians love to go to a hotel for the afternoon and just pay to use the pool, and I don't blame them. You get to to sit around a beautiful pool, swim, drink and eat good food and generally forget that you are in a mass polluted third world city. If you get the chance i would highly recomend trying it. I got to accompany friends and the other players of Beauty and the Beast to the cast party at the Airport West Hotel Pool.
That same weekend (02/20/2010) I saw the Vagina Monolouges. That was a wonderful Golden and progressive moment for Ghana; however, the audience (the night i went) was the greatest gathering of white people I had seen in my time in Ghana since my last group outting. Also it amazed me that they put a butch character on the stage (GHANA IS HOMOPHOBIC) but the director removed the lesbian monolouge from the play. Things to think about... thanks Ghana.
Something Golden... VM had a soundtrack and a slide show included.
As of Monday I was so full of golden moments, some of which I have not mentioned yet, but Monday and Wed. brought even more.
Monday I found out that i have two internships one working at the orphange, which is reading to kids and giving them attention, helping with spelling and sounding out words and simple math. these kids are GOLD my new favorite there is named Isaac and he is a goofy six year old boy who likes to read and play and is a general monkey kid but super sweet.
I also am teaching dance at an afterschool program called Hop Inn and it will be my job to make a sustainable dance class/ program there through advertising, class demand etc.
GOLD MOMENT... they sell deep fried BATS at the Market, and people eat COW SKIN which looks like a chew toy you give to a dog.
GOLDEN THING... people wear dresses made out of fabrics with lights, birdcages, high heels and other random objects printed on them, in entertaining colors.
Gold... people drink ice cream, juice, water, yogurt, and other things out of plastic bags that you rip a hole in the corner of with your teeth.
all for now and more later.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
the funny thing is...
The funny thing is that my life here models that of my life at home. I take dance classes and a composition course: in which we get prompts like "life super highway," "if you are pressed with time do you, work feverishly or slacken slacken the pace?" "childs play" and "make a phrase based on a bodily shape."
I take Human Rights class
I take an extra course of interest
I work with student choreographers (i just learned that i have a 5 minute solo based on spiders for one of the dances i am in.)
and I work with childern.
life is so simular but life is also so much more difficult. I have found what to eat that suits me. that to get my attention people hiss, make this really loud kissy noise, or call obruni. I am ajusting to the pace at which things get done here. GMT was once greenwhich (spelling) mean time this is the time zone that Ghana is in; however here GMT is Ghana Man Time (almost an hour later.) The fact that toilets hardly ever work, let alone have toilet paper. that the power just goes out for hours at a time and there is nothing that can be done about it. All of That I am fine with, I am even learning to accept that while i think a lot of their views are wrong they are a product of where these people have lived, grown up, been taught etc. and that me talking at them wont change anything and that my view is mine and a product of my upbringing and so is that fact that i think its right.
what i cant seem to understand here is PHD or Pull Him Down syndrome. When a person sees another person doing well and feels like they don't deserve it they say yes i will help you and they end up ruining the project on purpose that they promised to help. or a singer is having a performance and some one is yelling over the singer so that it is almost irrelevant that the singer is singing. this is PHD. People come to rehearsal and sit and laugh at the choreographer. people say "like hell am I going to do that dance move"
these are things that are not everywhere but they are starting and i think that i have to understand them or find a way to avoid them before they drive me mad. its the simple disrespect of fellow student, TA and teacher that baffles me.
life away from that subject is GOOD. my last day of TWI is today and i have my final exam. I wish the course was longer, but i think that i now have more courage to ask my fellow students about things concerning the language that i wouldn't have felt comfortable asking before.
also I am seeing Vagina Monolouges performed here IN GHANA! I never thought it would happen and i am very excited to see how it is presented and how it is recieved. more on that on monday.
nothing else for now.
lots of love
I take Human Rights class
I take an extra course of interest
I work with student choreographers (i just learned that i have a 5 minute solo based on spiders for one of the dances i am in.)
and I work with childern.
life is so simular but life is also so much more difficult. I have found what to eat that suits me. that to get my attention people hiss, make this really loud kissy noise, or call obruni. I am ajusting to the pace at which things get done here. GMT was once greenwhich (spelling) mean time this is the time zone that Ghana is in; however here GMT is Ghana Man Time (almost an hour later.) The fact that toilets hardly ever work, let alone have toilet paper. that the power just goes out for hours at a time and there is nothing that can be done about it. All of That I am fine with, I am even learning to accept that while i think a lot of their views are wrong they are a product of where these people have lived, grown up, been taught etc. and that me talking at them wont change anything and that my view is mine and a product of my upbringing and so is that fact that i think its right.
what i cant seem to understand here is PHD or Pull Him Down syndrome. When a person sees another person doing well and feels like they don't deserve it they say yes i will help you and they end up ruining the project on purpose that they promised to help. or a singer is having a performance and some one is yelling over the singer so that it is almost irrelevant that the singer is singing. this is PHD. People come to rehearsal and sit and laugh at the choreographer. people say "like hell am I going to do that dance move"
these are things that are not everywhere but they are starting and i think that i have to understand them or find a way to avoid them before they drive me mad. its the simple disrespect of fellow student, TA and teacher that baffles me.
life away from that subject is GOOD. my last day of TWI is today and i have my final exam. I wish the course was longer, but i think that i now have more courage to ask my fellow students about things concerning the language that i wouldn't have felt comfortable asking before.
also I am seeing Vagina Monolouges performed here IN GHANA! I never thought it would happen and i am very excited to see how it is presented and how it is recieved. more on that on monday.
nothing else for now.
lots of love
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
little kids rock...
I started my internship yesterday and its so rewarding. I am working at Osu Childrens' Home(an orphange,) specifically working in their library. I do things like homework help, reading to little kids, helping with reading, word pronounciation and creating simple math. My goodness the kids are so cute the kids that come to the library are anywhere from 5-15 years in age and mostly boys. They are all so full of energy but thats part of the fun. Yesterday I ended up reading the same book about three times and helping a girl with multiplication problems. It was really fun -I am going back on Friday. More later, I am late for class!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
I posted photos!
firstly i would like to say that i have started to put up some photos of my adventures on facebook, and you should all go look at them!
secondly I would like to say that the snack food in Ghana is to die for and that being here has actually reconfirmed my love for yogurt by introducing me to Drinkable Yogurt, in flavors like pinapple, and vanilla with millet (no idea what it is, but i love it!) other snacks include, cookies ranging from waffers to the spiciest ginger cookies you will ever eat, these tiger nuts that taste as coconuts should, peanuts or ground nuts, a million good drinks from soymilk to pear flavored soda, grilled plantain, killywilly (fried plantain with ginger, pepper and other things) fruit of every sort, etc etc etc.
Also big news! I was in my first dance performance in Ghana today! I told you all about that workshop that happened on friday, we took all of that material and then other material as well and the school, Noyam Dance group, Ghana national dance ensemble, and one other group along with the leaders of the workshop put on a show today. it was really amazing. this performance had this wonderful theme of what people can do when they are given the tools and it was both breathe taking and inspiring. i am so happy that i got to be a part of it. sadly i have no videos of the dance that i was in but i have some rehearsal footage of the things other people were doing.
so Basically it was a great day! and i might get a job with a dance company traveling around the world and empowering dancers, that wouldnt be a bad thing at all!
the group they are from is called Battery dance
secondly I would like to say that the snack food in Ghana is to die for and that being here has actually reconfirmed my love for yogurt by introducing me to Drinkable Yogurt, in flavors like pinapple, and vanilla with millet (no idea what it is, but i love it!) other snacks include, cookies ranging from waffers to the spiciest ginger cookies you will ever eat, these tiger nuts that taste as coconuts should, peanuts or ground nuts, a million good drinks from soymilk to pear flavored soda, grilled plantain, killywilly (fried plantain with ginger, pepper and other things) fruit of every sort, etc etc etc.
Also big news! I was in my first dance performance in Ghana today! I told you all about that workshop that happened on friday, we took all of that material and then other material as well and the school, Noyam Dance group, Ghana national dance ensemble, and one other group along with the leaders of the workshop put on a show today. it was really amazing. this performance had this wonderful theme of what people can do when they are given the tools and it was both breathe taking and inspiring. i am so happy that i got to be a part of it. sadly i have no videos of the dance that i was in but i have some rehearsal footage of the things other people were doing.
so Basically it was a great day! and i might get a job with a dance company traveling around the world and empowering dancers, that wouldnt be a bad thing at all!
the group they are from is called Battery dance
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
walking on air...
this weekend i have to say has been the trippiest (is that a word?) of the whole time here so far. on friday we had an all day, and i mean all day, dance workshop with two dancers from Brooklyn. it is so strange coming from the states where we have foreign choreographers and dancers coming to teach us, and then going to another country where people from the US are foreign but being an american recieveing those "foreign but not foreign to me" choreographers. the workshop, though was great regardless. they gave us lots of tools and means for creating movement and spit us into many different groups, and then spent the following day putting all the material we made (about two hours worth) together into a half an hour piece. I missed that portion of the workshop because i was at Cape Coast for the weekend with my group.
Oh My God Cape Coast was cool. i want to go back, on the first day we were there we went and saw Elmina Castle. the largest and oldest of the slave castles. I have tons of pictures that i will post so do not worry. it was built by the Portugese and then taken over by the Dutch. the Cape Coast Castle, which i didnt see, was the British Slave castle, not too far away. they are haunting, even as they glow and sparkle white in the beach's mid day sun.
after that we went swimming in the ocean. the water was the cleanest and the brightest blue that i have seen in Ghana so far. I absolutely loved it; however, the water was salty enough to pickle your eyeballs. after swimming and dinner there was more swimming (in a pool) arguements with the hotel bartender and then bed.
the next day we went to the canopy walk at this amazing park. most people were freaking out, and i was having a blast. my friend Mickey and I were singing and dancing on the bridges and then getting yelled at by our fellow cieers. i have this really good picture of him play falling and he has a good one of me hanging upsidedown.
after that it was rice balls (tasty despite how strange they sound) and veggie stew, then back to campus. I have a performance for that workshop on Thursday so talk to you after that. all is fine for now!
Oh My God Cape Coast was cool. i want to go back, on the first day we were there we went and saw Elmina Castle. the largest and oldest of the slave castles. I have tons of pictures that i will post so do not worry. it was built by the Portugese and then taken over by the Dutch. the Cape Coast Castle, which i didnt see, was the British Slave castle, not too far away. they are haunting, even as they glow and sparkle white in the beach's mid day sun.
after that we went swimming in the ocean. the water was the cleanest and the brightest blue that i have seen in Ghana so far. I absolutely loved it; however, the water was salty enough to pickle your eyeballs. after swimming and dinner there was more swimming (in a pool) arguements with the hotel bartender and then bed.
the next day we went to the canopy walk at this amazing park. most people were freaking out, and i was having a blast. my friend Mickey and I were singing and dancing on the bridges and then getting yelled at by our fellow cieers. i have this really good picture of him play falling and he has a good one of me hanging upsidedown.
after that it was rice balls (tasty despite how strange they sound) and veggie stew, then back to campus. I have a performance for that workshop on Thursday so talk to you after that. all is fine for now!
Monday, February 1, 2010
since you all asked for food....here it goes
there is an obsession with carbs here, but people dont really realize they are carbs. they are staples if anything.
they are rice, jollof rice (which is rice with a red tomato like sauce mixed into it. very spicy and very yummy,) this beans and rice thing (which is rice and black eyed peas no sauce but very tasty,) fried plantains, yams (in many styles, but they taste and look more like potatoes rather than american yams, except that they are in raw form as big as my leg,) a variety of spagetti things yumm,
and then the things that i am still having a hard time eatting:
fufu, which tastes like nothing and is the texture of un cooked bread dough, banku which tastes like sourdough bread dough, and kenka which i havent tried yet. these are all eatten with soups like groundnut soup, okra soup, palmnut soup etc. each of these are also served with a hunk of meat or fish in them and are all slightly slimy. groundnut tasts like fishy peanutbutter, orka is just slimy and palmnut i dont know about. you eat all of this by the way with your hands. there is an art to it i guess but to me it just looks messy and strange.
there are then those things that i put on rice and yams etc. that i really enjoy, that is spicey cabbage, this spinach thing, curried veggies, veggie stew, red red (black eyed peas in a red spicey sauce with onions and peppers. tasty.
all for now.
they are rice, jollof rice (which is rice with a red tomato like sauce mixed into it. very spicy and very yummy,) this beans and rice thing (which is rice and black eyed peas no sauce but very tasty,) fried plantains, yams (in many styles, but they taste and look more like potatoes rather than american yams, except that they are in raw form as big as my leg,) a variety of spagetti things yumm,
and then the things that i am still having a hard time eatting:
fufu, which tastes like nothing and is the texture of un cooked bread dough, banku which tastes like sourdough bread dough, and kenka which i havent tried yet. these are all eatten with soups like groundnut soup, okra soup, palmnut soup etc. each of these are also served with a hunk of meat or fish in them and are all slightly slimy. groundnut tasts like fishy peanutbutter, orka is just slimy and palmnut i dont know about. you eat all of this by the way with your hands. there is an art to it i guess but to me it just looks messy and strange.
there are then those things that i put on rice and yams etc. that i really enjoy, that is spicey cabbage, this spinach thing, curried veggies, veggie stew, red red (black eyed peas in a red spicey sauce with onions and peppers. tasty.
all for now.
some basics.....
the family I live with consists of ten people who are slightly related to one another. this is the ghanian way it seems,
Mommy and Daddy of the house are Auntie Grace and Challey (charelly: which means friend, not actually his name but thats what everyone calls him)
then there is Uncle Albert (creepo of the world) who is some how related to Aunty Grace but I am not really sure how. he is 34 single and has lived there for a long time. he claims to have a really important job but i mostly see him on the couch in the dark playing on the computer or watching movies. he also like to pinch people and act like he is a really important/ smart person.
Auntie Julie is the only hired and paid help in the house. she isnt related to anyone but is from the same place in ghana as the rest of the family is from: the Volta Region she sings a lot and doesnt speak english, and is unfortunately fat and thus is always called the Big One or the Fat One. poor auntie Julie. (however, it seems that fat doesnt have the same negitive connotation that it does in the US)
then there is Anna, I think she is hired but possibly not paid help. she came from Togo with a relitive of Auntie Grace and speaks little to no english, some french and Ewee/Evee however you say it. she's 21 and really funny, and thinks its crazy how long my hair is. she tells me this every day by pulling on my braids or ponytail. its kinda a pain but its also funny. I speak a little french with her and want to do so more.
Rosemon is a sweet 21 year old who came to the house only a few months ago. I think she is a cousin of someone in the house but it is unclear. She has a sister who is 17 living in Cape Coast, and she wants to start university next year to study acting and business but her dad wants her to join the army. i dont think the army would suit her at all. she is the sweetest natured stringbean of a girl.
then there is Rachel, not to be confused with the american rachel who i room with at the house (also from my program.) this rachel is 21 and basically runs the kitchen. during the day she works in the fabric shop attached to the house and in the morning and night she is the boss of auntie Julie, Anna and Rosemon in the kitchen. Also if the american rachel and i need anything from Oatmeal to hangers we ask her. (dont bother Grace with the little things!!!) she also loves to party and go out and i think 85% of her friend base is guys over the age of 25. There is a really low key bar accross the street from our house and we go there with her a lot just to chill out outside away from the family and the heat of the house. this girl has more clothes then i would know what to do with, acts 26, and is "boss lady."
Alex or Aunty/ Uncle Alex, depending on what you feel like calling him at that moment is 24. he is finished with College at Legon and is doing his social service. In Ghana as long as you do a social service your schooling is paid for by the country (or something like that) he was a geography major and as his social service he is a Teachers Assitant and department employ for the Geography department at the university. he is really nice, quiet but funny, and a die hard fan of football (soccer) and the Ghana Black Stars, the Ghana national team which just came in second in the African Cup of Nations.
then there are the little girls. they are 11 and 12 i believe and named Abigail and Stephanie (respectivly.) they go to a really intense private school, and have really cute uniforms. other than that they are normal preteen girls. they love hannah montana, and disney channel, want to eat ice cream all the time, love to dance and have crushes on the guys their age at school and church. they are endless entertainment.
and thats the fam. + me and Rachel Ehrman- Dupre from north carolina and at school at Occiedental. bio major pre med. lady!!!
loving here. more soon.
Mommy and Daddy of the house are Auntie Grace and Challey (charelly: which means friend, not actually his name but thats what everyone calls him)
then there is Uncle Albert (creepo of the world) who is some how related to Aunty Grace but I am not really sure how. he is 34 single and has lived there for a long time. he claims to have a really important job but i mostly see him on the couch in the dark playing on the computer or watching movies. he also like to pinch people and act like he is a really important/ smart person.
Auntie Julie is the only hired and paid help in the house. she isnt related to anyone but is from the same place in ghana as the rest of the family is from: the Volta Region she sings a lot and doesnt speak english, and is unfortunately fat and thus is always called the Big One or the Fat One. poor auntie Julie. (however, it seems that fat doesnt have the same negitive connotation that it does in the US)
then there is Anna, I think she is hired but possibly not paid help. she came from Togo with a relitive of Auntie Grace and speaks little to no english, some french and Ewee/Evee however you say it. she's 21 and really funny, and thinks its crazy how long my hair is. she tells me this every day by pulling on my braids or ponytail. its kinda a pain but its also funny. I speak a little french with her and want to do so more.
Rosemon is a sweet 21 year old who came to the house only a few months ago. I think she is a cousin of someone in the house but it is unclear. She has a sister who is 17 living in Cape Coast, and she wants to start university next year to study acting and business but her dad wants her to join the army. i dont think the army would suit her at all. she is the sweetest natured stringbean of a girl.
then there is Rachel, not to be confused with the american rachel who i room with at the house (also from my program.) this rachel is 21 and basically runs the kitchen. during the day she works in the fabric shop attached to the house and in the morning and night she is the boss of auntie Julie, Anna and Rosemon in the kitchen. Also if the american rachel and i need anything from Oatmeal to hangers we ask her. (dont bother Grace with the little things!!!) she also loves to party and go out and i think 85% of her friend base is guys over the age of 25. There is a really low key bar accross the street from our house and we go there with her a lot just to chill out outside away from the family and the heat of the house. this girl has more clothes then i would know what to do with, acts 26, and is "boss lady."
Alex or Aunty/ Uncle Alex, depending on what you feel like calling him at that moment is 24. he is finished with College at Legon and is doing his social service. In Ghana as long as you do a social service your schooling is paid for by the country (or something like that) he was a geography major and as his social service he is a Teachers Assitant and department employ for the Geography department at the university. he is really nice, quiet but funny, and a die hard fan of football (soccer) and the Ghana Black Stars, the Ghana national team which just came in second in the African Cup of Nations.
then there are the little girls. they are 11 and 12 i believe and named Abigail and Stephanie (respectivly.) they go to a really intense private school, and have really cute uniforms. other than that they are normal preteen girls. they love hannah montana, and disney channel, want to eat ice cream all the time, love to dance and have crushes on the guys their age at school and church. they are endless entertainment.
and thats the fam. + me and Rachel Ehrman- Dupre from north carolina and at school at Occiedental. bio major pre med. lady!!!
loving here. more soon.
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