Back on Track

It's been a while since my last post and I know some of you have been anxious to hear from me so I apologize. The good news is things are going much better for me now. The bad news is I only have two weeks left in Hohoe before I leave for Tamale. I'm determined to make the most out of the time I have left though, so here is a brief update on the things I've been doing lately!

Things out at the Gbi Special School seem to have radically improved since my last post. Perhaps the situation out there is still far from ideal, but I am starting to see the small changes that my presence at the school has made. Upon returning to the school (after the episode I mentioned in my last post) I was surprised to take note of the fact that the students weren't fighting nearly as much as they used to. As soon as I said "au" (no) they stopped. Instead of hanging off me, hugging all the time, or touching inappropriately many of them now respect my personal space and offer their hands to shake first. My teacher has posted the schedule and classroom rules on the wall and is making a serious effort to stay on task and encourage good behaviour. My students now raise their hands before they speak, keep their hands to themselves, and know to work on assignments independently rather than cheating off each other. They also cover more than one subject in a morning because they are finally using the actual class timetable. The teachers out at the school all smile and greet me now, rather than failing to acknowledge my existence. I feel like a part of the school, and that means the world to me.
I had an opportunity to interview the headmaster on Tuesday and he ended up giving me a lot of valuable knowledge about the special needs school system operates (or attempts to operate) here. I offered to continue working with the school once I go back home, which he was thrilled about. He has asked me to assist them in developing a website for the school so that they can raise awareness about their programs and keep previous volunteers and donors updated about how the school is doing. I'm also going to continue looking for grants for some of their staff members and the vocational training program they run for senior students.
This week my classroom teacher, Miss Priscilla, has been ill with malaria so I had the opportunity to design multiple lesson plans. The most exciting was probably creative art--I brought a big brick of clay to the school and taught my students how to make pinch pot bowls. Everyone and everything got so messy but the students loved it and made beautiful bowls! Unfortunately they carried them outside to dry before I could stop them and a younger student smooshed three of them. I plan to replace the wrecked ones with some of my own that I'll make later tonight. Next week I am going to have them all decorate their bowls with painted designs. I'm really happy this project has gone over so well!
Aside from doing a TON of internship assignments I have been taking time to re-embrace the Hohoe community after my week of bitterness and homesickness. Last weekend I went with a group of volunteers to conquer the 2 hour hike to the upper Wli Waterfalls. It was a 45-minute hike out to the trail and then a 2-hour haul up the side of a steep mountain (parts of the path had literally crumbled down the side so we would have to jump or shimmy along small ledges in some places). This climb ended up being even harder than Mount Afadjato but luckily I was in high spirits and had a lot of energy to use up. The upper falls were gorgeous. They were literally situated in a tiny oasis with mango trees, flowering plants, and leafy bushes. There were no bats, which meant no need to fear being pooped on from above like at the lower falls. The only downside was the temperature--it was incredibly windy and cold and the spray from the falls misted over and drenched us within minutes of getting there. While we had all been dreaming of a refreshing swim during the climb up, the goosebumps on my arms had me running back to the trail to start the climb down and warm up again!
The climb back down was really difficult and I fell three times cutting open both my hands and scraping my shin. I was thankful those were my only injuries however (on the steepest parts I had to keep my imagine from running wild with all the ways I could tumble down a forested mountain side). I did end up swimming in the lower falls with one other volunteer and it was as refreshing as I had imagined the upper falls might be (I was thankful for this rinse-off again after arriving back to homebase to discover the water was off and listening to my grimy, sweaty counterparts who had decided not to swim curse the idea of a bucket shower).
On Monday afternoon I went to visit the local witch doctor who practices multiple forms of voodoo. This tiny little man looked pretty convincing as he wore only a piece of cloth wrapped around his waist and had large veins protruding from either temple (which I assumed were a result of all the deep meditation and agitated ceremonies he performed). He claimed he could heal anything from HIV/AIDS to the guilt of incest. If he couldn't heal you it was because the voodoo powers had fated you to die. Despite making some outrageous claims, I decided I would give this guy a shot at revealing my future. We went into a small room (myself, the witch doctor, and George-a CCS staff member) and sat on a mat. The mat had a pile of seemingly random objects sitting on it including bottle caps, shells, stones, motor parts and chicken bones. The witch doctor explained that each item represented a particular feeling or aspect of life and that the voodoo powers would tell him which objects were going to play a part in my life. The cost of the prediction was $5 Ghana cedi (about $3.50 Canadian). I had to take my folded bill and place it near my mouth. I then thought of something I wanted and had to mouth it silently into the bill (I asked for good health). I then had to spit onto the bill, touch it to my heart, my forehead, and place it on the mat. The witch doctor took three chains with shells attached and began dropping them over the bill as he spoke some sort of incantation in Ewe. He then threw the bill aside and selected some of the objects from the pile. He would swing each of the chains back and forth, one at a time, and lay them out in straight rows. The way the shells on each chain fell (facing up or down) indicated which items should remain and which items were insignificant. My first item was a smooth, flat, black-brown stone. He told me this stone represented sickness, the exact opposite of what I had wished for. He said I would become very sick in the future and then continued with the reading. The next item was a small white stone. He told me I would become sick because of my job. I would try very hard to be successful but I would keep on failing and my body would suffer. He continued. Next he told me that the only way for me to prevent these things from happening was to look after my mother, my father, and my father's property. He said I needed to avoid being neglectful and if I did this I would find success in my career. The voodoo powers ordered me to buy my father a long piece of nice cloth (something wealthy men in Ghana wear as a symbol of success and tribal status) and to wrap it around him. If I did this they would change my fate. The witch doctor then asked me if my father was still alive, leaving me more than skeptical about his so called "power". Although a little silly in some ways, it was a really cool experience. We also got to see a little girl that he was treating with herbal medicine for her seizures. She didn't look like she was in very good shape--she could not stand on her own and her broken sobs made it clear that she did not even have enough energy to cry properly. I felt horrible, but there was nothing I could do for her. (In some ways I think herbal medicine and traditional practices are important, but after witnessing some of the voodoo practices of Ghana I can only hope that people will open up to accepting some of the breakthroughs that have been made in modern medicine--it could be the difference between life and death for many people. Especially in the case of HIV/AIDS patients. Here HIV is called a "ghost virus", meaning it is believed that the virus is a result of being plagued by evil spirits. Locals suffering from HIV will spend mass amounts of money paying the witch doctor to figure out which evil spirits are plaguing them and then to perform ceremonies to cast off these spirits. In the developed world we understand that these ceremonies are futile because HIV is an autoimmune virus and needs medical treatment in order to prolong life. Hopefully the misconceptions about this virus can be cleared up in Ghana soon so more people can seek out effective treatments.)
The next week of my life looks to be particularly exciting. I have convinced a group of kente weavers to give me lessons in weaving each afternoon next week. For the first time in my life I will be using a real loom rather than a homemade frame with nails in it! Tomorrow I leave for Accra at 3AM with my friend Catherine. Catherine has been here with me since the beginning (roommates for 8 weeks now--how time flies) and she leaves tomorrow to go home. I am dropping her at the Kotoka Airport at 8AM where I will have to say goodbye to someone who has literally become my other half here. We've essentially kept each other sane through all of the cultural, social, and emotional challenges we have faced since arriving. I will miss her a lot! On the bright side, later that morning I have an incredible opportunity. I have been invited to tour the New Horizons Special School in Accra and to sit down and chat with the founder, who is now in her eighties! The school was established in the 1970s (a very radical institution for West Africa at the time) and has since grown to be an internationally acclaimed facility for its great programs and innovative approach to teaching people living with cognitive disorders. I am so excited!!!
I will be spending the entire weekend in Accra doing touristy things and eating my heart out in great restaurants. I promise to update again next week! Miss you all!