Working, MusicMusic, and Milo

Let me begin by saying a huge THANK YOU! / MEDAASE! to everyone who has been following the blog, and especially to those of you who left me comments; it was a wonderfully pleasant surprise to find them all when I logged onto the internet this week. I well know that I am loved and supported by many, and as many times as I state it, I will always be sure to say it again because I am so grateful. Thanks!

This week has been one of settling in. As of my last post, I admit that I felt a bit tossed to and fro, but now I feel much more comfortable and a part of the life that teems around me. I have a (slightly) better grasp of my host family and its make-up, I have wandered my neighborhood to do a little exploring, and I have reached an unspoken agreement with our house help: if she feeds me more reasonable portions, I will clean my plate! (So far I would say things are working out well, although I have come back from work a few days to find a new stock of sachet ice cream [FanIce] or glass bottles of Sprite and Fanta awaiting me.) Having my two younger host brothers, Akwesi and Kwaku, show me around, teach me Twi, and let me watch Tom & Jerry or the Bernie Mac show with them is not quite the same as having Chet and Hudson around, but it is still comforting.

As for work, things also are going well. At first I admit to having been disappointed with how I felt things were going; after all, when I imagined doing volunteer work with NGOs in Ghana, I anticipated that I would perhaps be working with street girls (as my fellow Bridge Year student, Aria, is), assisting in a school for autistic children (like another of my friends, Kathleen, who is working at the only school in Ghana that serves autistic kids), teaching and coaching young kids (like Nick, a third Bridge Year student), or working with a training program that gives job skills to individuals living in a slum (as the final of the five of us, Cole, is doing)--something more "hands-on" or development related. Instead, when I go to work from 8:00 to 3:30 three days a week and 12:00 to 3:30 the other two, I scan pages of handouts, edit them in Microsoft Word, and press "Emboss" so they will be Brailled by our Braille printer. Though I did hope that I could affect change through improving access to classrooms for the physically impaired and mathematics courses for the visually impaired, I am realizing that these problems require long-term investment and a lot of engagement with slow-moving bureaucracy... and that ample time is one of the things I lack.

However, things at work really are going well. Although when I came to Ghana I imagined that I had a lot of skills to offer an NGO, and I did not anticipate spending my days working in an office and doing tasks that almost anyone could do, I realize that this experience is an exercise in humility. Perhaps I could do something a little more creative or specialized than scanning and editing pages upon pages of political science handouts, but I know this work is necessary. Our office is understaffed, and so I play an important role in ensuring that students with special needs (particularly visual impairments) have equal access to education, even if it is not quite the role I imagined. In addition, when I reflect upon the work that my fellow Bridge Year students are doing, I sometimes catch myself thinking that the students I serve, though still deserving of assistance and support, simply don't have the same degree of neediness that, say, a young teen living with her infant on the street does. By nature of the fact that they are at the University of Ghana, the students I serve are already privileged beyond many of the individuals with whom Kathleen, Cole, Aria, and Nick are working. Yet, I have come to understand, that does not make these students unworthy of my service in any way. Simply, through my work so far in the Office for Students with Special Needs, I have been humbled because what I have learned is that my work is important and worthwhile regardless of how I envisioned that it would be. I have met wonderful people through my office, and am excited to continue exploring ways that I can assist the community of students with special needs during this semester--and perhaps even longer.

As for my life outside work, I am truly enjoying Ghana. To be sure, I am still "just here," but that is as I wish.

Last evening I went with Cole, Kathleen, and Clara, one of our two wonderful program co-ordinators in Ghana, to be part of the studio audience for a live taping of MusicMusic, a weekly music performance show featuring popular Ghanaian artists that airs live on the nationally televised channel TV3. It was great fun! Cole and Kathleen were chosen, along with two Ghanaians, to participate in the Crazy Dance-Off, during which they took the stage and danced their wildest and craziest for three minutes (on live national TV no less). In the end, Kathleen emerged victorious and won a CD and t-shirt, plus the admiration of those in the audience. According to Yaw, our other co-ordinator who watched from home, I also appeared in some shots of the studio audience. We are taking the Ghanaian media by storm!

My time at the internet cafe is nearing its conclusion, but let me conclude by assuring you that I am staying healthy by making sure to drink plenty of Milo (pronounced mee-loh), which is basically like Ovaltine. That way I make sure that I get all the essential vitamins, as well as my daily dose of ash, which is listed among the nutrition facts as accounting for 4.7g out of every 100g of Milo. So please don't worry--Thanks to Milo, I am doing very well!

Until later,
Akua
("Wednesday-born girl" in Twi)