We traveled to Kumasi for Counterpart Workshop, aka, finding
out where we will live for the next 2 years and with whom we will work
alongside.
On the first day we had site announcements, where I learned
I will be working at Gbeogo (pronounced: gBway-go) School for the Deaf, in the
Upper East Region. My counterpart
was also announced and I was happy to learn that he is one of the more
charismatic people at the school (according to the previous volunteer). He is also the person I will be living
next to, along with his 2 children.
On the final morning, I had to get up at 3:30 in order to
have time to pack and load the PC Bus to the Kumasi Metro Station. In Ghana, the time zone is GMT also
commonly known as Ghana Man Time.
This can easily be explained as having no sensitivity to time. The bus was set to leave for the
station at 4 but that didn’t happen.
By the time we loaded everything and got to the station it was
5:30.
The station was very chaotic. Tickets are sold first-come-first-serve so there is always a
mad rush at the ticket counter when the call goes out. Unfortunately we missed the first bus
and had to wait for the second. By
the time it came around, it was close to 7 and we still had to pay for luggage
and squeeze everybody onto the bus. I was charged a few cedi for my bags and we placed them in a
pile to be loaded. Our mistake was
standing right next the luggage and letting them know they were mine. Because Obroni (White person) are
perceived as rich, they began to ask for more money to load my bags. Thankfully
my counterpart took care of the situation as I snuck on and took my seat.
The busses in Ghana are just like every other mode of
transportation. They cram as many
people onto them as possible. There are seats for 5 across, as opposed to the 4
in the US, and it is normal for a sixth to sit on top of something, such as a
bag, bucket, or anything else you find.
There is an unspoken rule that during transit, if a passenger needs to
go to the bathroom, the driver is obligated to pull over and people can relieve
themselves. This is right about
the time I though a riot was going to break out:
One person needed to go to the bathroom and the driver
wouldn’t stop. Instantly,
everybody started shouting at the driver and arguing with each other. People started standing up and waving
their arms around. My counterpart
joined the “conversation” and finally the driver pulled over. You would think the people would stop
talking about the issue after the bus was stopped, but they continued to shout
for minutes afterward.
We stopped at a rest stop for food and I had to pay to use
the bathroom. For the first time in my life…
We continued along the road and 2 other riots occurred about
the same exact issue from before.
Ghanaians are really passionate people.
I finally reached my site after about 10 hours sitting on a
bus. For a country the size of
Oregon, it sure take forever to travel across it. I hopped in a taxi and drove down a short road to my
school. The surrounding landscape
is very flat but there are some amazing hills/mountains and Baobab trees, which
are impressive.
My school is nestled sort of in the middle of nowhere. It is really secluded and thus, very
quiet! My house is very
comfortable and comes with a full living room set, everything I would need in a
bedroom, a gas stove to cook on and I even have running water for showers and
the toilet. This must be why
people call Peace Corps Ghana Posh Corps…
I got to hang out with the current volunteer and we went to
a local gem, Oasis. It is a small
resort place (I think) that was designed and built by the nicest couple
ever. They cooked us Guniea Fowl
burritos and brownies one night and we got to hang out in a previous volunteers
vacation home. Also a gem.
BTW, I ate dog for the first time. And its brain.
