Getting more comfortable
Today I fell into one of my bad habits from home. I slept in past my alarm. Because of this I was unable to get breakfast before I had to leave for school. I have informed the hotel that I would like my breakfast served at 7:30 every day so that I will always have breakfast. Having breakfast set at this time will also force me to wake up so that I can eat.
There is no running water today in my room. I took my shower using a pale and a bucket of water. Whatever works.
When I arrived at school after taking the trotro by my lonesome and getting inquisitive looks. There I was able to grab a couple slices of bread with some butter as well as some Milo tea (pretty close to hot chocolate). I sat and talked to Isaac, the bus driver, for a bit while I ate my bread. I then went off to class 5 to teach math (place values). I know right now I am not the best teacher. I think that this will change in time as I get more comfortable with the job and as the kids get more comfortable with me. I then went on to class four where I also taught math (shapes, lines and points of intersection). It was in this class today that I used the cane for the first time. Of course not on a child! I had collected their exercise and they had begun to get rowdy and it was so loud that I was not able to talk over them, so I snatched the cane and slapped it against a desk with a loud CRACK. I then informed them all to sit down and stop talking so that we can continue with class. Haha, the look on their faces was priceless. I think they did not expect me to use the cane in any way and when I picked it up and slammed it against the desk they went silent and scurried back to their desks. The next lesson I taught was also to class 4. the teacher had come into the teachers lounge and asked if I would like to come to her class on computers. When I got there I came to understand that I was supposed to teach it. She handed me a book and that was it. At first I was a bit caught off guard but then I looked the book over a bit and began to lecture. This class went pretty well. I think it is the best class so far. I was comfortable and the children were understanding and asking questions. That is my biggest thing, I want the classes to ask questions. I know that not everyone knows or understands the answer, yet when I ask if they understand they all say in unison “yes sir”.
I think I am going to be teaching environmental studies tomorrow, or at least sit in on the class. I am moving away from English, which is for the better, these kids probably know more about grammar than I do. The fact that British English is different from American English also hinders my ability to teach the subject. I am looking forward to doing environmental science.
I spent most the day with Moses again. He talked to me about the United States. He brought in a map of the US and we went over it as I explained things about each area, including political aspects. He, and probably many others, thought that Washington state was the capital of the US, but I showed him that it was actually on the other side of the country. We also talked about the Iraq war a bit and I told him how much it was costing our government and we converted it into cedis and he was astonished. That much money could practically make Ghana a first world country over night and then some. I want to get all of the teachers to go to the beach some time as a retreat. I would like to hang out with Moses outside of school. He is very likable.
I walked home with Kobe (Eliza) again today. I found Charles sitting outside his home in the shade working out a trip for some tourists. We sat in the shade and relaxed for about an hour. He then took me next door (right behind Charles’ building) to meet a friend of his that helped with the school project. He lent his van to transport prison workers to the work site. (Charles was finding ways to cut corners wherever possible.) (I will write more about the school project building when I have more free time). It turns out that this man is the “prince” of the town, Engish Amonfu (English new town). His father was the chief and has passed away so he is in the process of being stooled as the new chief. I did not know that until mid way through my visit. His name is Humphrey Botchway but many people call him Kofaridua. Charles introduced us and then left us to go back to his home. We sat in his gazebo and he served me my first Star Lager of the trip. He is a very nice man, easy to get along with and humorous. He requested that I stay and eat dinner with him so I did. We had the traditional Ghanaian dish, Fufu with ground nut soup. The meat in the soup was a combinations of hunks of fish, cow intestine, stomach, joints and crab. Fufu is cassava root with plantain smashed over and over again by a large wooden pole. You end up with a slimy cream colored substance that has the consistency similar to gak sp?. The groundnut soup is poured over it in a large bowl alone with the meats. You then use your right hand and everyone eats from the bowl. It was just he and I that were eating dinner and we talked for probably about and hour or two while we ate. When we got to the meat part he showed me how to eat the crab. They were like our crabs in Oregon but maybe a fifth of the size. You take the top of the shell of it, crack it in two and then simply take a big bite of it taking in the entire torso of the animal. This was very interesting. You just eat the whole thing, including the shell. He told me “it gives you calcium”. I then went on to sample all of the other meats. We talked some more and then went onto his terrace because I wanted to see what the view was like. It was very nice. It allowed us to see across the city. It was night so he told me that all of the lights you can see is part of this city. He told me that I will come and stay at his house some time while I am here in Ghana. He also said that next time I come to Ghana he will have his guest house finished and that I will not stay in a hotel but rather with him. He is 40 but only looks about 30 (Ghanaians age so well) and he is a contractor and coordinates a cultural dance group. He was very nice. His wife lives in Amsterdam with his daughter and they come to Ghana once or twice a year. When I was about to leave while we were shooting the shit he said “I like you!” this made me feel good. I like him too and I told him that I will now have a friend in Ghana who is a chief.
There is no running water today in my room. I took my shower using a pale and a bucket of water. Whatever works.
When I arrived at school after taking the trotro by my lonesome and getting inquisitive looks. There I was able to grab a couple slices of bread with some butter as well as some Milo tea (pretty close to hot chocolate). I sat and talked to Isaac, the bus driver, for a bit while I ate my bread. I then went off to class 5 to teach math (place values). I know right now I am not the best teacher. I think that this will change in time as I get more comfortable with the job and as the kids get more comfortable with me. I then went on to class four where I also taught math (shapes, lines and points of intersection). It was in this class today that I used the cane for the first time. Of course not on a child! I had collected their exercise and they had begun to get rowdy and it was so loud that I was not able to talk over them, so I snatched the cane and slapped it against a desk with a loud CRACK. I then informed them all to sit down and stop talking so that we can continue with class. Haha, the look on their faces was priceless. I think they did not expect me to use the cane in any way and when I picked it up and slammed it against the desk they went silent and scurried back to their desks. The next lesson I taught was also to class 4. the teacher had come into the teachers lounge and asked if I would like to come to her class on computers. When I got there I came to understand that I was supposed to teach it. She handed me a book and that was it. At first I was a bit caught off guard but then I looked the book over a bit and began to lecture. This class went pretty well. I think it is the best class so far. I was comfortable and the children were understanding and asking questions. That is my biggest thing, I want the classes to ask questions. I know that not everyone knows or understands the answer, yet when I ask if they understand they all say in unison “yes sir”.
I think I am going to be teaching environmental studies tomorrow, or at least sit in on the class. I am moving away from English, which is for the better, these kids probably know more about grammar than I do. The fact that British English is different from American English also hinders my ability to teach the subject. I am looking forward to doing environmental science.
I spent most the day with Moses again. He talked to me about the United States. He brought in a map of the US and we went over it as I explained things about each area, including political aspects. He, and probably many others, thought that Washington state was the capital of the US, but I showed him that it was actually on the other side of the country. We also talked about the Iraq war a bit and I told him how much it was costing our government and we converted it into cedis and he was astonished. That much money could practically make Ghana a first world country over night and then some. I want to get all of the teachers to go to the beach some time as a retreat. I would like to hang out with Moses outside of school. He is very likable.
I walked home with Kobe (Eliza) again today. I found Charles sitting outside his home in the shade working out a trip for some tourists. We sat in the shade and relaxed for about an hour. He then took me next door (right behind Charles’ building) to meet a friend of his that helped with the school project. He lent his van to transport prison workers to the work site. (Charles was finding ways to cut corners wherever possible.) (I will write more about the school project building when I have more free time). It turns out that this man is the “prince” of the town, Engish Amonfu (English new town). His father was the chief and has passed away so he is in the process of being stooled as the new chief. I did not know that until mid way through my visit. His name is Humphrey Botchway but many people call him Kofaridua. Charles introduced us and then left us to go back to his home. We sat in his gazebo and he served me my first Star Lager of the trip. He is a very nice man, easy to get along with and humorous. He requested that I stay and eat dinner with him so I did. We had the traditional Ghanaian dish, Fufu with ground nut soup. The meat in the soup was a combinations of hunks of fish, cow intestine, stomach, joints and crab. Fufu is cassava root with plantain smashed over and over again by a large wooden pole. You end up with a slimy cream colored substance that has the consistency similar to gak sp?. The groundnut soup is poured over it in a large bowl alone with the meats. You then use your right hand and everyone eats from the bowl. It was just he and I that were eating dinner and we talked for probably about and hour or two while we ate. When we got to the meat part he showed me how to eat the crab. They were like our crabs in Oregon but maybe a fifth of the size. You take the top of the shell of it, crack it in two and then simply take a big bite of it taking in the entire torso of the animal. This was very interesting. You just eat the whole thing, including the shell. He told me “it gives you calcium”. I then went on to sample all of the other meats. We talked some more and then went onto his terrace because I wanted to see what the view was like. It was very nice. It allowed us to see across the city. It was night so he told me that all of the lights you can see is part of this city. He told me that I will come and stay at his house some time while I am here in Ghana. He also said that next time I come to Ghana he will have his guest house finished and that I will not stay in a hotel but rather with him. He is 40 but only looks about 30 (Ghanaians age so well) and he is a contractor and coordinates a cultural dance group. He was very nice. His wife lives in Amsterdam with his daughter and they come to Ghana once or twice a year. When I was about to leave while we were shooting the shit he said “I like you!” this made me feel good. I like him too and I told him that I will now have a friend in Ghana who is a chief.
posted by joshua | 2:10 PM
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