Some minor observances to relate you all before i go off adventuring.
1. The boys are sexist. Look, they don't apply their sexism to white girls, we belong to a separate category but still. The way they talk about girls, it's standard patriarchy. I mean it's not really surprising, but i suppose it is disappointing.
2. They are actually pretty intolerant of Judaism/other religions. Particularly Muslims. But also, probably not surprising really.
3. There was a grievance about a bucket here. The boys broke a neighbour's bucket and so the bucket owner asked them to replace it. He also told a local 'master' about the incident. The boys bought a new bucket but when they went to give it over the man refused to accept it saying that if he had to replace everything his children broke well, he'd be broke himself. So the boys gave the bucket to the local 'master' so he can settle the dispute. The boys have to be super careful b/c if you upset somebody they can curse you via the local river god and then you will die. No seriously, it's a real concern of theirs.
4. Meanwhile, i keep discovering new and disturbing issues in Ghana. For example they have a sex slave system in the Volta region where if a family is cursed by the local god they give their virgin daughter to the local priest as a sex slave and hence redeem their family. No but seriously, this is still happening.
5. Lastly I finished my book 'the state of Africa' by (forgotten first name) Meredith. I strongly recommend that you read it. Here's some gems of information that i learned from this book. In the Rwandan genocide it took only 3 months to kill 3/4 of the tutsi population. In Sierra Leone and Liberia during the civil wars they 'employed' child soldiers. They kidnapped them, trained them, had them kill their own parents, gave them amphetamines and these 8-13 year olds were the best and most ruthless killers in the conflict. Furthermore, as they killed people, particularly the heads of units, they would eat the dead soldiers hearts or any other part of the body if they were particularly hungry. In case you were wondering, they ate them raw.
6. On a related topic, this is the country to which my housemates are travelling to for this vacation to help rebuild the country. Cool/dangerous.
7. I on the other hand am going to Takoradi for the masquerade festival and then on to Butre beach. I then plan on spending new years in Cape Coast. Should be delightful!
Since I will not have my laptop. I wish you all and merry Christmas, happy new year and a Geshmuk Channukah.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Friday the 23rd
Basically - Wednesday and Thursday were kickass days.
Firstly, I asked the woman down the street who runs a small hairdressing salon and chop (as in meat) shop if she knows of a seamstress. And so she takes me to one of the large compounds on the street. One with awesome 70s architecture and a very neatly manicured lawn (but still no washing machine). There I meet maybe the woman of the house? Or perhaps the house keeper? I'm not sure, but she is a seamstress and she is going to make me a dress (with sleeves and pockets!). Yay! Most importantly, I found a seamstress on campus and she quoted me 45 Cedis (like $30) to make me the dress. But this woman will do it for 8 Cedis. Yay!
After that I went to town, which was a very successful trip. I found the traditional woven fabric they make in this region for a very reasonable price. But I didn't have enough moolah with me. But nevertheless it took a long time to find so that felt like a success. I also mailed my letter. Perhaps most importantly, I found my bearings in the city. I've got the hang of it now. It really bothers me not being independent and not knowing my way around. So it was a great boost to my self-esteem to spend the day in town by myself.
I returned to the vegetarian restaurant I found on Tuesday but it wasn't serving food that day. But I spoke to the owners (2 sisters) and they directed me to their other vegetarian restaurant. They are 7th day Adventist. Like sanitariam. Gosh, this strange religious group are really good for the Jews. Anyways I went there and for $1.50 I had a giant meal of palm nut soup with tofu and fufu (cassava and plantain paste). TOFU! Seriously, made my day.
After the meal I set off on my way home. But conveniently I ran across a supermarket. I felt like all my Christmases had come at once. Look, to be honest, it was roughly the side of a glorified 7-11, but for me it was paradise. They had cereal! And Kirkland products! And OU products! They had a fridge and freezer section (not that I could buy any of that given my lack of fringe and freezer). I purchased very reasonably. I bought instant oats (from America), milk powder (b/c there's not such thing as fresh milk here), brown sugar, cordial powder (orange flavour), laundry detergent , mosquito repellent (I'd already run out), hand sanitizer (yes, they even catered for germophobes) some muesli bars and most importantly COFFEE. I was seriously ecstatic.
But the day got better.
When I got home, after like an hour of being stuck in traffic, all my boys were there, playing music, chatting, eating. They all finished exams on Wednesday so they were in a good mood. Once it got dark a couple of them said to me come along, we are going harvesting. And so we went on a bit of a hike into the local forest. There, armed with machetes (yeah it made me a bit nervous), by torchlight, they started chopping down cassava trees. And then digging up the roots. It was hard hard work. Not that I was doing very much digging - I was designated torch holder. We then had to carry the cassava (which look like giant sweet potatoes) in bags home. It took 2 people to carry each bag.
That was a pretty satisfying experience.
Thursday I got up super early and enjoyed my instant oats and coffee for breakfast. I then had 3 meetings. They were a pretty frustrating experience. The first meeting was with the Telstra of Ghana - MTN. But the marketing manager wasn't in the office. The (male) receptionist wasn't sure where she was. She wasn't in the office. She might have been in another city. She might have been in a meeting elsewhere in Kumasi. But he had no way of finding out because he didn't have her mobile number. Grrr.
The next meeting was with the chief editor for business and financial times. A local newspaper. He voiced some grievances about working with our organisation last year and things that didn't work. But overall he was happy to continue with the partnership. Yay.
The last meeting was a balagan. It was with a media company called footprint. We had to present them with a certificate of appreciation for their support last year and to reinstate the partnership for this coming year. But they weren't answering their phone. On the website it said they were in town (Edum) but when we finally got through to them (after walking across the entire city centre) they had actually moved to an inner city suburb next to the markets. So we caught a tro tro and tried calling again and again to get the rest of the directions. Finally we found them. But the manager was in Accra. And he wasn't going to be in Kumasi in the foreseeable future. Talk about frustrating. So we left the certificate with the secretary and bailed. I was so over it by then.
Conveniently I got home to find the house pumping. The boys were throwing a party. A fufu party. The cassava that we had harvested last night had been peeled and chopped and was being boiled on the fire outside in a giant pot. Sammy had also gone home to his parents house where they grow plantain and had brought a ton back. These were also boiled. Meanwhile, the boys had bought a goat and had it slaughtered as well as some fish. They made two stews, a goat one and a fish one. I meanwhile went to the markets, which was exciting because I went by myself and I had never been there before so I had to find it on my own. But I arrived safely and bought eggplants (which here are cream coloured and egg sized so they actually look like eggs). I also bought 3 eggs (which when boiled have a very pale cream coloured yolk instead of a bright yellow one) and 2 bunches of kontomri (green leafy vegetables). We I returned home I made myself a soup/stew with these vegetables and some tomatoes. Meanwhile, the cassava and plantain had boiled and we put it little by little in the giant mortar and pestle. Like imagine a mortar the size of a toilet bowl and a pestle the height of me. We then took turns pounding the boiled vegetables until they turned into one giant sticky paste. That process took about 2-3 hours. The paste is called fufu. The boys then divided the paste into 3 bowls and ladled out soup into them. There were 3-4 boys per giant bowl (imagine bowls the size of sinks) eating with their hands. B/c of the veggie (by that I mean secret kashrut) thing I was lucky enough to have my own bowl. It was awesome to be eating something that had grown locally (like seriously next door), that we harvested and processed ourselves over a 2 day period. It was awesome that the meat they were eating was from the neighbours goat. It was great that the vegetables in my soup were from people's backyards. All in all it was a deeply satisfying meal.
As for today, I have to go to a hotel to photograph it for promotional material for a conference we're organising. I've also packed for the next 2 weeks, since it will probably not be until the 5th of January, at the earliest, until I return to Kumasi. Luckily there is an American/Chinese girl who is arriving on Sunday in Accra. Hopefully she'll come to Takradi which is where I'll be with Gyimah (after that I'll be off with the Europeans). If she comes then that'd be great coz then I can travel with her (assuming she's not a serial killer).
Meanwhile I met a super awesome person called Bill Graham. He's also a law student and he's applying for a scholarship to do his masters in energy resource law at the University of Western Australia. Meanwhile he's also written 2 books, one a novel and the other a math textbook and he's still working on a business law textbook. He also established a kickass NGO called plight of the child. It helps give resources and teachers to rural schools. Go on their website and donate. Also come to Ghana and volunteer for him/the NGO in a rural school. Also if you are in Perth or have connection in Perth (particularly with the university) let me know because he will need some help finding a supervisor for his thesis and friends in Australia. As for myself - I'm going to try and organise to go and volunteer teaching English and history in a rural school for his NGO in the 2nd week of January. Wish me luck.
We have shabz and then the boys in the house are going to Liberia to do some NGO work over the Christmas vacation (seriously, these Ghanaians are just too cool). On Sunday I'll go to Takradi and then who knows. Meanwhile, my laptop will be staying in Kumasi while I'm travelling around the country. Maybe I'll post something small on Saturday night or even Sunday morning. But for the next 2 weeks it'll just be me and the wide open roads and beaches. Oh and my iphone. So I should be able to email and facebook occasionally.
With that, shabbat shalom.
Firstly, I asked the woman down the street who runs a small hairdressing salon and chop (as in meat) shop if she knows of a seamstress. And so she takes me to one of the large compounds on the street. One with awesome 70s architecture and a very neatly manicured lawn (but still no washing machine). There I meet maybe the woman of the house? Or perhaps the house keeper? I'm not sure, but she is a seamstress and she is going to make me a dress (with sleeves and pockets!). Yay! Most importantly, I found a seamstress on campus and she quoted me 45 Cedis (like $30) to make me the dress. But this woman will do it for 8 Cedis. Yay!
After that I went to town, which was a very successful trip. I found the traditional woven fabric they make in this region for a very reasonable price. But I didn't have enough moolah with me. But nevertheless it took a long time to find so that felt like a success. I also mailed my letter. Perhaps most importantly, I found my bearings in the city. I've got the hang of it now. It really bothers me not being independent and not knowing my way around. So it was a great boost to my self-esteem to spend the day in town by myself.
I returned to the vegetarian restaurant I found on Tuesday but it wasn't serving food that day. But I spoke to the owners (2 sisters) and they directed me to their other vegetarian restaurant. They are 7th day Adventist. Like sanitariam. Gosh, this strange religious group are really good for the Jews. Anyways I went there and for $1.50 I had a giant meal of palm nut soup with tofu and fufu (cassava and plantain paste). TOFU! Seriously, made my day.
After the meal I set off on my way home. But conveniently I ran across a supermarket. I felt like all my Christmases had come at once. Look, to be honest, it was roughly the side of a glorified 7-11, but for me it was paradise. They had cereal! And Kirkland products! And OU products! They had a fridge and freezer section (not that I could buy any of that given my lack of fringe and freezer). I purchased very reasonably. I bought instant oats (from America), milk powder (b/c there's not such thing as fresh milk here), brown sugar, cordial powder (orange flavour), laundry detergent , mosquito repellent (I'd already run out), hand sanitizer (yes, they even catered for germophobes) some muesli bars and most importantly COFFEE. I was seriously ecstatic.
But the day got better.
When I got home, after like an hour of being stuck in traffic, all my boys were there, playing music, chatting, eating. They all finished exams on Wednesday so they were in a good mood. Once it got dark a couple of them said to me come along, we are going harvesting. And so we went on a bit of a hike into the local forest. There, armed with machetes (yeah it made me a bit nervous), by torchlight, they started chopping down cassava trees. And then digging up the roots. It was hard hard work. Not that I was doing very much digging - I was designated torch holder. We then had to carry the cassava (which look like giant sweet potatoes) in bags home. It took 2 people to carry each bag.
That was a pretty satisfying experience.
Thursday I got up super early and enjoyed my instant oats and coffee for breakfast. I then had 3 meetings. They were a pretty frustrating experience. The first meeting was with the Telstra of Ghana - MTN. But the marketing manager wasn't in the office. The (male) receptionist wasn't sure where she was. She wasn't in the office. She might have been in another city. She might have been in a meeting elsewhere in Kumasi. But he had no way of finding out because he didn't have her mobile number. Grrr.
The next meeting was with the chief editor for business and financial times. A local newspaper. He voiced some grievances about working with our organisation last year and things that didn't work. But overall he was happy to continue with the partnership. Yay.
The last meeting was a balagan. It was with a media company called footprint. We had to present them with a certificate of appreciation for their support last year and to reinstate the partnership for this coming year. But they weren't answering their phone. On the website it said they were in town (Edum) but when we finally got through to them (after walking across the entire city centre) they had actually moved to an inner city suburb next to the markets. So we caught a tro tro and tried calling again and again to get the rest of the directions. Finally we found them. But the manager was in Accra. And he wasn't going to be in Kumasi in the foreseeable future. Talk about frustrating. So we left the certificate with the secretary and bailed. I was so over it by then.
Conveniently I got home to find the house pumping. The boys were throwing a party. A fufu party. The cassava that we had harvested last night had been peeled and chopped and was being boiled on the fire outside in a giant pot. Sammy had also gone home to his parents house where they grow plantain and had brought a ton back. These were also boiled. Meanwhile, the boys had bought a goat and had it slaughtered as well as some fish. They made two stews, a goat one and a fish one. I meanwhile went to the markets, which was exciting because I went by myself and I had never been there before so I had to find it on my own. But I arrived safely and bought eggplants (which here are cream coloured and egg sized so they actually look like eggs). I also bought 3 eggs (which when boiled have a very pale cream coloured yolk instead of a bright yellow one) and 2 bunches of kontomri (green leafy vegetables). We I returned home I made myself a soup/stew with these vegetables and some tomatoes. Meanwhile, the cassava and plantain had boiled and we put it little by little in the giant mortar and pestle. Like imagine a mortar the size of a toilet bowl and a pestle the height of me. We then took turns pounding the boiled vegetables until they turned into one giant sticky paste. That process took about 2-3 hours. The paste is called fufu. The boys then divided the paste into 3 bowls and ladled out soup into them. There were 3-4 boys per giant bowl (imagine bowls the size of sinks) eating with their hands. B/c of the veggie (by that I mean secret kashrut) thing I was lucky enough to have my own bowl. It was awesome to be eating something that had grown locally (like seriously next door), that we harvested and processed ourselves over a 2 day period. It was awesome that the meat they were eating was from the neighbours goat. It was great that the vegetables in my soup were from people's backyards. All in all it was a deeply satisfying meal.
As for today, I have to go to a hotel to photograph it for promotional material for a conference we're organising. I've also packed for the next 2 weeks, since it will probably not be until the 5th of January, at the earliest, until I return to Kumasi. Luckily there is an American/Chinese girl who is arriving on Sunday in Accra. Hopefully she'll come to Takradi which is where I'll be with Gyimah (after that I'll be off with the Europeans). If she comes then that'd be great coz then I can travel with her (assuming she's not a serial killer).
Meanwhile I met a super awesome person called Bill Graham. He's also a law student and he's applying for a scholarship to do his masters in energy resource law at the University of Western Australia. Meanwhile he's also written 2 books, one a novel and the other a math textbook and he's still working on a business law textbook. He also established a kickass NGO called plight of the child. It helps give resources and teachers to rural schools. Go on their website and donate. Also come to Ghana and volunteer for him/the NGO in a rural school. Also if you are in Perth or have connection in Perth (particularly with the university) let me know because he will need some help finding a supervisor for his thesis and friends in Australia. As for myself - I'm going to try and organise to go and volunteer teaching English and history in a rural school for his NGO in the 2nd week of January. Wish me luck.
We have shabz and then the boys in the house are going to Liberia to do some NGO work over the Christmas vacation (seriously, these Ghanaians are just too cool). On Sunday I'll go to Takradi and then who knows. Meanwhile, my laptop will be staying in Kumasi while I'm travelling around the country. Maybe I'll post something small on Saturday night or even Sunday morning. But for the next 2 weeks it'll just be me and the wide open roads and beaches. Oh and my iphone. So I should be able to email and facebook occasionally.
With that, shabbat shalom.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday the 21st
Monday to Wednesday nothing much has happened. I'll give you a run down of the blandness and then I'll comment on some social/cultural revelations that I've had recently.
Monday was VERY boring. I had to call various companies to organise meetings for our partnership proposal. I freaking hate cold calling, though it does help that everybody is super friendly and polite albeit a little inefficient. On Monday I also hand washed all of my clothes. It was about time, but also since I'll be travelling next week it' good to start off with clean clothes. I had to hand wash my clothes b/c there are no washing machines in the area. You can pay local women to hand wash your clothes for you but that's a whole new hassle of finding them and then picking it up. Ultimately it's better to hand wash yourself with buckets in the backyard. No hot water unless you boil it in a kettle b/c there's no hot water systems here either. It was quite a relaxing experience. Generally I enjoy housework, particularly when I have the view of a Ghanaian forest while I do it. But it's exhausting work and today my hands still hurt. The muscles in my hands hurt. Who even knew there were muscles there to hurt!?
On Monday night I watched 'almost famous' and 'perfume' with the boys. There aren't really cinemas in Kumasi (in Accra there is) and the internet is way too slow to download movies so the boys are always hungry for more films. I'd love to buy a Ghanaian film/TV series if I can, even though they all seem super tacky/trashy. I'll see what I can do.
Tuesday was a pretty good day. Three meetings and they all happened. Most importantly for me, they all happened on time - yay! Furthermore they were all quite positive. The managers we spoke to seemed enthusiastic about the project and sponsorship which is nice to hear. Ultimately however, it's getting close to the Christmas holidays so whatever follow-up is necessary will have to be pushed off until January 2012. Tuesday afternoon/evening I did some grocery shopping, washed my whites and cooked a stew with Sammy. Unfortunately the electricity dropped out in the afternoon and again in the evening so the net was down and my battery died. But it was cute sitting in the dark with my boys watching 'Johnny English' on Sammy's laptop. Also, Steven brought me kontomri which is a green and leafy vegetable stew - yay for vitamins and iron! So so so exciting!
Also we lit Chanukah candles. It was cute but I can tell that boys are very concerned that I don't accept Jesus as the son of God and the saviour of humanity. Oh well.
As for today, I should have a meeting with a newspaper in town. Which is good for the following reasons - 1) I found a vegetarian restaurant in town (seriously exciting news - they have tofu kebabs!) I didn't get a chance to eat there yesterday but I'll give it a go today. 2) I want to buy these beautiful woven fabrics from royal family designs that they have around here. They are the Ashanti fabrics. Seriously gorgeous. I'm going to buy some and have it made into a skirt. 3) I need to mail a letter.
Tomorrow I'm set to go swimming with Steven. He doesn't know how to swim so I'm going to teach him. Yeah, another thing I've noticed. People here don't know how to swim.
Now on to cultural observations.
1) Everybody kills their own meat. Which is interesting because it means all the boys in the house have killed animals. They kill them with kitchen knives. It can sometimes take a long time sawing away at the throat until the animal actually dies. They kill goats and chickens. But not cows. People here don't really have cows. I find this interesting on two fronts. One of my concerns about this system is that everybody becomes used to killing. That perhaps this might devalue life, desensitise people to killing and encourages violence in society. However, it seems to me that Ghanaians are very peaceful and non-violent. Indeed they don't have wars or a high crime rate. It also totally changes the way I view meat. It's no longer a gross industry that produces neatly packaged meals in the cooler section of your local supermarket. People understand what they are eating and where it comes from. I like and respect that.
2) When I told the boys that I was going to Sefwi Wiawso to visit the Jews they were concerned. Not because of the Jews but because apparently in that area there are head hunters. Witch doctors who kill people and take their heads then dry them out to be used in black magic ceremonies. Apparently the area is quite dangerous and you shouldn't go walking about at night. Now this surprises me on two fronts. Firstly that this wasn't mentioned in any of my guide books or anything online. Secondly, WHAT THE FUCK!?! You can't kill people for rituals! You can't take their heads! What is going on Ghana? You are meant to be a beacon of development in West Africa. But in your rural areas there's still this weird-ass tribal shit going on? Anyways, the boys called the community in Sefwi and spoke to the head and he has promised to take good care of me and not let me out at night. They explained that they don't break into people's houses but rather that it's people who are out late at night alone. Which I will not be doing anyway. Furthermore that isn't not really so common anyways, so don't worry about it too much. Lastly, they don't really want white heads because that brings more trouble than it's worth because suddenly the whole police force is in town searching for the murderers. So if you are my parents or people who love me very much, don't worry too much about this. But still, be perturbed.
3) Which brings me to my final point. Ghana is meant to be one of the best developed countries in Africa. Certainly the best in west Africa. Low crime rate, free health care and education. No wars. Strong economy. Furthermore, I'm in the second largest city, working with companies and university students. I'm seeing and meeting the most developed sections of Ghanaian society. And yet, this place is so backwards. Kitchens are outside with small fires on the dirt. Electricity cuts out at least once a day. Supermarkets are few and far between. Even the one's that exist frequently have shortages and a limited range of products. Restaurants are limited and even those that exist are not infrequently roadside shacks with an outdoor kitchen. Children are selling goods on the side of the road. But not begging which is good to see. Speaking of which - roads! You don't know what you've got till it's gone. The main highways are paved and the city centre is paved but the majority of the 1 million person city is unpaved. There's no fresh milk because a) they don't have enough cows and b) many/most people don't have fridges. Nobody has a washing machine. There's limited garbage collection in the city centre by private companies but the majority of people have to burn their rubbish to dispose of it. Which means that there are constantly small fires producing toxic gas all over the city. If this is the best Africa can produce I hate to think about what the rest of the continent has to contend with. Sadly, when I speak to the boys in the house about it, they know how abandoned Africa is. How the world doesn't really care. But then again, granted the colonisers fucked up the continent - but when will Africa take responsibility for itself? Stop expecting aid or foreign investment to save yourselves. Africa is blessed with so many natural resources, many more than Europe or Asia and yet they are not being utilised for the betterment of Africa. Where are the African businessmen? The inventors, the moguls and the entrepreneurs to stimulate the economy. If there is so much labour here why aren't there factories? Well, we know why. Because Africa is risky. It's politically unstable and therefore it's a high risk investment. So Africans - get your shit together! Stop killing each other. Governments - stop embezzling the taxes. People, get it together!
Monday was VERY boring. I had to call various companies to organise meetings for our partnership proposal. I freaking hate cold calling, though it does help that everybody is super friendly and polite albeit a little inefficient. On Monday I also hand washed all of my clothes. It was about time, but also since I'll be travelling next week it' good to start off with clean clothes. I had to hand wash my clothes b/c there are no washing machines in the area. You can pay local women to hand wash your clothes for you but that's a whole new hassle of finding them and then picking it up. Ultimately it's better to hand wash yourself with buckets in the backyard. No hot water unless you boil it in a kettle b/c there's no hot water systems here either. It was quite a relaxing experience. Generally I enjoy housework, particularly when I have the view of a Ghanaian forest while I do it. But it's exhausting work and today my hands still hurt. The muscles in my hands hurt. Who even knew there were muscles there to hurt!?
On Monday night I watched 'almost famous' and 'perfume' with the boys. There aren't really cinemas in Kumasi (in Accra there is) and the internet is way too slow to download movies so the boys are always hungry for more films. I'd love to buy a Ghanaian film/TV series if I can, even though they all seem super tacky/trashy. I'll see what I can do.
Tuesday was a pretty good day. Three meetings and they all happened. Most importantly for me, they all happened on time - yay! Furthermore they were all quite positive. The managers we spoke to seemed enthusiastic about the project and sponsorship which is nice to hear. Ultimately however, it's getting close to the Christmas holidays so whatever follow-up is necessary will have to be pushed off until January 2012. Tuesday afternoon/evening I did some grocery shopping, washed my whites and cooked a stew with Sammy. Unfortunately the electricity dropped out in the afternoon and again in the evening so the net was down and my battery died. But it was cute sitting in the dark with my boys watching 'Johnny English' on Sammy's laptop. Also, Steven brought me kontomri which is a green and leafy vegetable stew - yay for vitamins and iron! So so so exciting!
Also we lit Chanukah candles. It was cute but I can tell that boys are very concerned that I don't accept Jesus as the son of God and the saviour of humanity. Oh well.
As for today, I should have a meeting with a newspaper in town. Which is good for the following reasons - 1) I found a vegetarian restaurant in town (seriously exciting news - they have tofu kebabs!) I didn't get a chance to eat there yesterday but I'll give it a go today. 2) I want to buy these beautiful woven fabrics from royal family designs that they have around here. They are the Ashanti fabrics. Seriously gorgeous. I'm going to buy some and have it made into a skirt. 3) I need to mail a letter.
Tomorrow I'm set to go swimming with Steven. He doesn't know how to swim so I'm going to teach him. Yeah, another thing I've noticed. People here don't know how to swim.
Now on to cultural observations.
1) Everybody kills their own meat. Which is interesting because it means all the boys in the house have killed animals. They kill them with kitchen knives. It can sometimes take a long time sawing away at the throat until the animal actually dies. They kill goats and chickens. But not cows. People here don't really have cows. I find this interesting on two fronts. One of my concerns about this system is that everybody becomes used to killing. That perhaps this might devalue life, desensitise people to killing and encourages violence in society. However, it seems to me that Ghanaians are very peaceful and non-violent. Indeed they don't have wars or a high crime rate. It also totally changes the way I view meat. It's no longer a gross industry that produces neatly packaged meals in the cooler section of your local supermarket. People understand what they are eating and where it comes from. I like and respect that.
2) When I told the boys that I was going to Sefwi Wiawso to visit the Jews they were concerned. Not because of the Jews but because apparently in that area there are head hunters. Witch doctors who kill people and take their heads then dry them out to be used in black magic ceremonies. Apparently the area is quite dangerous and you shouldn't go walking about at night. Now this surprises me on two fronts. Firstly that this wasn't mentioned in any of my guide books or anything online. Secondly, WHAT THE FUCK!?! You can't kill people for rituals! You can't take their heads! What is going on Ghana? You are meant to be a beacon of development in West Africa. But in your rural areas there's still this weird-ass tribal shit going on? Anyways, the boys called the community in Sefwi and spoke to the head and he has promised to take good care of me and not let me out at night. They explained that they don't break into people's houses but rather that it's people who are out late at night alone. Which I will not be doing anyway. Furthermore that isn't not really so common anyways, so don't worry about it too much. Lastly, they don't really want white heads because that brings more trouble than it's worth because suddenly the whole police force is in town searching for the murderers. So if you are my parents or people who love me very much, don't worry too much about this. But still, be perturbed.
3) Which brings me to my final point. Ghana is meant to be one of the best developed countries in Africa. Certainly the best in west Africa. Low crime rate, free health care and education. No wars. Strong economy. Furthermore, I'm in the second largest city, working with companies and university students. I'm seeing and meeting the most developed sections of Ghanaian society. And yet, this place is so backwards. Kitchens are outside with small fires on the dirt. Electricity cuts out at least once a day. Supermarkets are few and far between. Even the one's that exist frequently have shortages and a limited range of products. Restaurants are limited and even those that exist are not infrequently roadside shacks with an outdoor kitchen. Children are selling goods on the side of the road. But not begging which is good to see. Speaking of which - roads! You don't know what you've got till it's gone. The main highways are paved and the city centre is paved but the majority of the 1 million person city is unpaved. There's no fresh milk because a) they don't have enough cows and b) many/most people don't have fridges. Nobody has a washing machine. There's limited garbage collection in the city centre by private companies but the majority of people have to burn their rubbish to dispose of it. Which means that there are constantly small fires producing toxic gas all over the city. If this is the best Africa can produce I hate to think about what the rest of the continent has to contend with. Sadly, when I speak to the boys in the house about it, they know how abandoned Africa is. How the world doesn't really care. But then again, granted the colonisers fucked up the continent - but when will Africa take responsibility for itself? Stop expecting aid or foreign investment to save yourselves. Africa is blessed with so many natural resources, many more than Europe or Asia and yet they are not being utilised for the betterment of Africa. Where are the African businessmen? The inventors, the moguls and the entrepreneurs to stimulate the economy. If there is so much labour here why aren't there factories? Well, we know why. Because Africa is risky. It's politically unstable and therefore it's a high risk investment. So Africans - get your shit together! Stop killing each other. Governments - stop embezzling the taxes. People, get it together!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday the 18th
Today was great. Exceptional even.
I was woken at 7am ( on a Sunday morning!) with 30 mins to shower and leave the house for church. Yes that's right - I went to church. It's ok though coz it wasn't catholic and therefore not polytheist. It was really important for me being in Ghana to go to church. Christianity and religion is a huge part of the culture here and I feel like I just wouldn't really understand this country without going to church. So off we went. Everybody on the street was dressed for church, walking around with their bibles. Even the street sellers who couldn't go to church were sitting by their stalls reading the bible. We went to one on campus filled with hundreds of students. It was totally another world. Everybody was singing and clapping. The pastor said amen and halleluiah at the end of every sentence. It was all about the glory of god and his mercy and let us thank him and praise him and worship him. People raised there hands. People were crying. People dropped to their knees mid song. People even spoke in tongues. I kid you not. People were possessed by Jesus and spoke in tongues. Amazing. And then the service was over by 9am (it had started at 6.30am) and all the young folks milled around flirting and chatting like at mizrachi. It really got me thinking about the Jewish service and how uninspiring it is. But then again - I don't know if I'd be comfortable with such enthusiasm and tears every Shabbat morning. In fact, I kinda prefer my sit at the back and read a book method. But this was probably more powerful and spiritual. Hrm.
After church the boys went back home and I went to the cultural centre. There I went to the King Prempeh II jubilee museum. It was cute. Worth a visit. I visited the craft stores and artists centres there. But all I bought was a bow tie and a badge. Oh and a half penny coin from when Ghana was still colonised by the British. It has a magen david on it. I got kinda excited by that.
After the cultural centre I went to the zoo. It was pretty sad. I mean to be expected I suppose. If human beings have a low standard of living there's probably not a lot of resources or compassion left for animals. So they were all in small cages with little to entertain them. In fact in one cage there was just a dead bird. Seriously. The owl had died and was dead on the floor of its cage. But there were lots of monkeys and lions n tigers. Which was kinda cool.
After the zoo I went to the markets. I love the markets. True they are a bit over whelming but I think I've gotten the hang of them now. I bought some Ashanti fabric - I'll take it to a dress maker tomorrow to have it made into a dress. Woo! I also drank the juice from a giant coconut on the street. It was delicious.
I came home and went straight out to buy food for dinner. I wanted these green leafy vegetables I saw on Friday called kontomri. But I couldn't find any. So I made tomato and egg sauce for rice with Steven. It was delicious and healthy - yay!
Tonight I gchatted with an American girl, also from harova (the seminary i studied at) who lived in Ghana for 5 months and we compared stories. Her story is so different to mine. She was in Accra with her sister. So she automatically had another white person and another Jew with her (ie: her sister). Also in Accra there were supermarkets! She had south African kosher products, even Australian Philadelphia cream cheese! She had also brought with her a toaster oven and a George Foreman grill. And like a lifetime supply of American foods. Obviously because between herself and her sister they could bring 4 giant duffel bags into the country. I on the other hand couldn't bring much food with me and have one supermarket that might have foreign products in the middle of the city 45 mins tro tro ride away. She had a much more cosmopolitan experience than me. I on the other hand live in a house of only Ghanaians (boys) and I haven't seen another white person in over a week now let alone a Jew. I think it's good for me though. Seriously out of the ghetto. Goodbye Caulfield. But I think the more I travel the more I realise that it's all the same. Life is similar everywhere, so I feel more at home wherever I go.
In other news...
I have a serious (or not so serious) decision to make in the next few days. And for that - I'm enlisting my blog followers. Should I go down the coast to a bunch of beaches and parties over this Christmas and new years or should I go to the Jew village and teach Hebrew? I remind you that I will be going to the village in feb to teach for 2 weeks. But it'd be nice to meet Jews... Thoughts - feelings-opinions?
I was woken at 7am ( on a Sunday morning!) with 30 mins to shower and leave the house for church. Yes that's right - I went to church. It's ok though coz it wasn't catholic and therefore not polytheist. It was really important for me being in Ghana to go to church. Christianity and religion is a huge part of the culture here and I feel like I just wouldn't really understand this country without going to church. So off we went. Everybody on the street was dressed for church, walking around with their bibles. Even the street sellers who couldn't go to church were sitting by their stalls reading the bible. We went to one on campus filled with hundreds of students. It was totally another world. Everybody was singing and clapping. The pastor said amen and halleluiah at the end of every sentence. It was all about the glory of god and his mercy and let us thank him and praise him and worship him. People raised there hands. People were crying. People dropped to their knees mid song. People even spoke in tongues. I kid you not. People were possessed by Jesus and spoke in tongues. Amazing. And then the service was over by 9am (it had started at 6.30am) and all the young folks milled around flirting and chatting like at mizrachi. It really got me thinking about the Jewish service and how uninspiring it is. But then again - I don't know if I'd be comfortable with such enthusiasm and tears every Shabbat morning. In fact, I kinda prefer my sit at the back and read a book method. But this was probably more powerful and spiritual. Hrm.
After church the boys went back home and I went to the cultural centre. There I went to the King Prempeh II jubilee museum. It was cute. Worth a visit. I visited the craft stores and artists centres there. But all I bought was a bow tie and a badge. Oh and a half penny coin from when Ghana was still colonised by the British. It has a magen david on it. I got kinda excited by that.
After the cultural centre I went to the zoo. It was pretty sad. I mean to be expected I suppose. If human beings have a low standard of living there's probably not a lot of resources or compassion left for animals. So they were all in small cages with little to entertain them. In fact in one cage there was just a dead bird. Seriously. The owl had died and was dead on the floor of its cage. But there were lots of monkeys and lions n tigers. Which was kinda cool.
After the zoo I went to the markets. I love the markets. True they are a bit over whelming but I think I've gotten the hang of them now. I bought some Ashanti fabric - I'll take it to a dress maker tomorrow to have it made into a dress. Woo! I also drank the juice from a giant coconut on the street. It was delicious.
I came home and went straight out to buy food for dinner. I wanted these green leafy vegetables I saw on Friday called kontomri. But I couldn't find any. So I made tomato and egg sauce for rice with Steven. It was delicious and healthy - yay!
Tonight I gchatted with an American girl, also from harova (the seminary i studied at) who lived in Ghana for 5 months and we compared stories. Her story is so different to mine. She was in Accra with her sister. So she automatically had another white person and another Jew with her (ie: her sister). Also in Accra there were supermarkets! She had south African kosher products, even Australian Philadelphia cream cheese! She had also brought with her a toaster oven and a George Foreman grill. And like a lifetime supply of American foods. Obviously because between herself and her sister they could bring 4 giant duffel bags into the country. I on the other hand couldn't bring much food with me and have one supermarket that might have foreign products in the middle of the city 45 mins tro tro ride away. She had a much more cosmopolitan experience than me. I on the other hand live in a house of only Ghanaians (boys) and I haven't seen another white person in over a week now let alone a Jew. I think it's good for me though. Seriously out of the ghetto. Goodbye Caulfield. But I think the more I travel the more I realise that it's all the same. Life is similar everywhere, so I feel more at home wherever I go.
In other news...
I have a serious (or not so serious) decision to make in the next few days. And for that - I'm enlisting my blog followers. Should I go down the coast to a bunch of beaches and parties over this Christmas and new years or should I go to the Jew village and teach Hebrew? I remind you that I will be going to the village in feb to teach for 2 weeks. But it'd be nice to meet Jews... Thoughts - feelings-opinions?
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Shabz the 17th
Friday and shabz...?
Well, since you asked.
Friday was probably one of the most frustrating days of my life. Most of my day was spent waiting. I have to learn that in Ghana when they say 10, they really mean 11.30. and when they say meet you at 12 they really mean 2pm. And when they say I'll be there in a minute they mean go find a chair, it's gonna be a while.
So I had 3 meetings set up for Friday. Only one of them happened. The others I waited and waited and waited and then it was almost shabbat so I couldn't wait anymore. Obviously my pre shabz preparations involved me running through the forest against. This week I even missed candle lighting. Oh well. But I'm finding davening kabbalat by myself (surrounded by chickens and goats) as being a really refreshing experience.
I'll tell you something else refreshing about Ghana. People are very religious and not cynical. So when I tell them I have to leave to get home for the Sabbath they respect that. When I tell them that Shalom Aleichem before we eat is about welcoming the angels, they take it seriously. No eye-rolling, no cynicism. It's easier and more comfortable. Less conflicted between my religious self and my rational self.
Today was spent reading my book about African history and napping. I ate some fruit and watched the boys play soccer.
Much of my day was also spent talking to them about love. Who knows why but they seemed obsessed with it, very romantic boys. They keep falling in love with interns coming from overseas. One is dating a Swedish girl, another an Australian, another an Indian, another a Ugandan. It's interesting, I feel like long-distance relationships are a rite of passage for our generation. We're so mobile and communication is so easy, skype, email, facebook. It's easy to get yourself into a cross continental relationship. But what's the end point? When you're still in uni? When you live in the 3rd world? When you come from different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds? Meanwhile it seems to me that every girl who comes here leaves with a Ghanaian boyfriend. And I can see the appeal. These are very intelligent, thoughtful and even progressive boys. Not to mention good looking. Definitely more attractive than the average Jew-boy. But I just don't know where the boys with their girlfriends overseas think this is going. But maybe it's their way out? But maybe they don't want to leave?
But it's also nice to hear boys talk so much about love. No cynicism. Refreshing.
Thursday the 15th
Wednesday and Thursday aye?
Nothing too exciting.
Wednesday morning I had a meeting with my project director and the marketing manager.
I then went home and started making calls and editing the proposal. So far I've set up meetings for next week with 2 media companies, 1 bank and 2 insurance companies. Let's hope they give us moolah.
Wednesday night was spent chilling with my boys. One of them, Sammy has Malaria at the moment so Steven and I went to the Pharmacy to get him the Malaria treatment.
Today I made more calls to companies. I then made tomato soup with rice. But I made is spicy so the Ghanaians will eat it. I made pasta yesterday (in a rice cooker since there's no stove/oven) and they freaked out when I put a tomato paste sauce on it. Plus they'd never heard of yellow cheese.
Today I also saw the boys do their laundry. By hand. Seriously. Jew-boys pay attention. Not only do they live out of home and hence no longer mummy's boys but they do their own washing. Without a machine. Crazy, I know.
After the soup I went to campus to print and bind the proposals for the meetings. Tomorrow I have meetings with an advertising agency, a newspaper and then an insurance company. Plus I still owe money to the printers so I have to go and pay that back.
I have since returned home and started doing some shopping for shabz. I bought two loaves of bread and 15 litres of water. I carried the 15 litres on my head. Like an African. It was probably the most tricky thing I've ever done in my life. All the little kids were pointing and laughing at the tiny white girl carrying a huge amount of water on her head. But I didn't drop it. Take that Africa.
I also found a little boy selling carrots by the side of the road. He too was carrying them on his head (like a true professional) and he was walking away from me. Basically I was so excited to see carrots (or vegetables at all) that I ended up running after him and buying 2 bunches. Thank goodness.
The man who sold me my sim card has been calling me about once or twice a day. I've only answered him twice. The first time b/c I didn't know who was calling and the second time to tell him that it would be better if he called my Australian number. So I gave him my aussie number assuming that he wouldn't call it b/c it's too expensive. Wrong. Oh well. At least he's a 5 hour bus ride away and hence harmless.
In other news I've been trying to work out what to do over the Christmas holidays. Most of the boys in the house are going to Liberia to run training seminars for young people there and to hand out aid. Look, I would go, but I don't want to die. Also, there isn't room in the car.
Gyimah offered to take me back to his village/town on the coast. Sounds cool but he's basically a Bnei Akiva boy who got lost in Ghana. He doesn't drink. Doesn't smoke. Is a little awkward around girls. Steven offered for me to go to Accra with him and stay with his family. Also cool but it seems like he'll be quite busy there and I might be a burden. I've emailed the Jewish village to see if they'd like to have me during this time particularly since it's during Chanukah so I might be of some use. I think I'll also get in touch with the Europeans to see what their plans are and maybe I'll tag along with them.
I've started reading a book called 'the state of Africa' it was required reading for Kwatchy (yeah that's a name) who is studying politics. It follows 50 years worth of political history in Africa. It starts with Ghana since it was the first state to get independence and then continues on to the ivory coast, to Egypt, to Kenya and various other places. Basically Africa is fucked. Ghana is the best but it's still super 3rd world. How is it possible that a continent full of minerals, gold, diamonds and oil as well as great farming and agriculture is still so undeveloped? It should be the wealthiest continent on the planet! Well, that is except that colonisation totally screwed with everything. It means that countries were arbitrarily created forcing warring tribes to come together to attempt to run a country. Different foreign powers supported different rebel groups and militias for their own purposes, politics (ie: stopping the soviets) or acquiring valuable natural resources. Not the mention the reality of taking a non-industrialised illiterate continent (obviously generalising) and giving it centralised government and infrastructure is going to be a hard adjustment. It took the western world millennia to achieve what is being expected of Africa in just 50 years. I mean, Africa hasn't always helped itself. It's leaders have embezzled much of the money given from western powers, they have mismanaged their economies and have subverted democracy in order to maintain their own power. Assholes. So how to make things better? Well Africa should probably have control of their own resources, not foreign governments or companies. More schools are necessary. Literacy should be the top of every country's agenda. And elections need to happen freely and frequently. Also people need to stop killing each other. That wastes time and resources and is bad.
There. Done. I solved the problems in Africa.
What's next?
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday the 13th
So what has happened since Sunday? Not a lot. Nothing too exciting.
Monday I got up early and went in to campus to meet my project director. As is not uncommon in Ghana and developing countries in general this involved a 2 hour wait after our appointed meeting time. You see, he popped into the bank just before we were due to meet. The queue was so long that he didn't exit for 2 hours. I used that time to write some postcards to find a post office and to mail them. Let's home they arrive safely.
Once we finally met we had to make a detour before our meeting to his uncle's place. He lived in the nicest apartment I've seen in Ghana. Nice glossy tiles. Fresh paint on the walls. Nice curtains and couches. A good TV. It almost felt like the west. It turns out that he works for the department of immigration and is doing his masters in Law at the same time. We had a discussion about legal education and training. Ho hum. But he had a Mercedes and gave me his card so he'll help me out with my visa issues (I need an extension).
After that we went back to my project manager's hostel (his name is Julian btw). I met some of his friends and we had a chat. 4 hours after our meeting was due to start. It actually started. Welcome to Africa.
Essentially my job is to raise 17,000 Ghanaian Cedis over the next month. This money will be used to run training programs for young entrepreneurs and then to help fund the best business plans. In order to raise this money I have to find the contact details of Ghana's largest companies and try to arrange a meeting with them. There I set out the project and talk about corporate responsibility etc etc and then they give me money. Easy right. Not. I have no idea which companies are successful in Ghana or how to contact them or how to convince them to give me money. Also with limited internet access this is even more challenging. Anyways, the meeting itself took about an hour.
I took a tro tro to teck junction and bought a papaya and a pineapple and then another tro tro home.
The house was locked.
After some scrounging around I found the key hidden under a rock in the garden. I was the only one at home. So I cut up my fruit for dinner and watched Tsotsi. Not a great movie. Like, kind of cute but it wasn't shocking enough to really be about the 3rd world, not like City of God. Also way too many plot holes or unexplained characters and events. The boys still weren't home. With no internet or cooking facilities and no street lights so I can't go wandering around at night I stayed at home and watched another movie. Sideways. Also not great. Irritating characters, not very funny generally and who really cares that much about wine? Seriously.
Around the end of the movie there were noises from the front yard. Presumably one of the boys was home and looking for the key (I had locked the front door, it's usually unlocked when people are home). I went into the front room and asked who it is. The answer was 'your husband.' And then a laugh, I recognised the laugh but I couldn't really tell to which of the boys it belonged to. I got closer to the door (I'd left the glass door open and had only locked the screen door). I asked how his day was and he answered through the screen. I definitely recognised the voice but couldn't place a name to it. I unlocked it and he stepped forward. I still couldn't see his face without the lights on. I said "I'm sorry but I still can't see you." He said "that's because it's dark and I'm black." He then stepped into the light and it was Serge. We had a giant laugh and a hug.
Over dinner (his, I'd already eaten a lot of fruit) we planned our marriage. We are going to have a traditional marriage here in Ghana and then I'll go back to Australia. He has time off from work in June so then he'll join me and we'll have our giant Jewish wedding. I'll have one kid and then we'll return to Ghana so that he can take multiple wives who will have the rest of his children since I'm not so keen on kids, babies, parasites etc. It was fun but also sad since we both know that he's never going to get married. I asked him about why he lives in this house. He explained that he used to be involved with AIESEC while he was a student on and off for many years. It took him around 10 years to finish his studies and he started university late so he knows the members very well. He moved out of home for studying so he's not going to live at home now that he's working. He doesn't want to live by himself. So he lives in this share house of university students. Even though he's 36. But what happens when they all finish their degrees and move on? What happens when he's 50?
We also had a chat about the non-democratic era in Ghana. About how the government still makes laws and that all the govt institutions are maintained by each military coup. We spoke about the court system and how there's a gender discrimination court and a human rights court as sections of the high court. Awesome right? Good job Ghana.
I went to bed early, still most of the boys weren't home. It was the first night that was cool enough for me to use my sleeping bag. Exciting.
I got up this morning and was told that I have a meeting some time today with the Cultural Centre of Kumasi for a funding arrangement for another project by AIESEC. Okay. I continued getting ready for the day and asked one of the boys who I should contact about this meeting. They said they'd find me the number. So I continued getting ready. As I was just pouring myself a tea my phone rang. The voice on the other end asked if I was at teck junction. I said no, what time would you like to meet there? He said we are already waiting for you for the meeting. Where are you? I told him I'd be there in 15 mins. I abandoned my tea and jumped onto a tro tro. The boys ( yes, more boys - where are the women?!?) easily identified me as the only white woman at the junction. We had a quick roadside pre-meeting hustle. Essentially the meeting was to present the memorandum of understanding between AIESEC and the cultural centre for funding and sponsorship. The plan was to discuss it and to return later this week to sign it and finish it up. I'd say the meeting itself wasn't great. The manager didn't seem to keen on the funding arrangement and instead of agreeing to meet again on Friday to sign he said that we could do that after the next board meeting at the beginning of January. That's a long time away. Sounds to me like it's not going to happen. Goodbye money.
After that I took a tro tro home. I had some beans and boiled plantain from Sammy's house for lunch. I had a chat with Steven while I ate. He wants to start up an NGO to arrange to have foreign volunteers come to rural schools in Ghana to teach English since there's a shortage of teachers. We had a long discussion about setting up a board and a constitution and registering it under the corporations act (thank you law degree!). We also spoke about funding and applying for grants. It doesn't seem impossible for him to arrange while he's studying. But certainly difficult. My gosh the boys in this house are inspiring.
I then arranged to use one of the boy's USB modem and I set about researching the companies and their contact details so I can start getting some monies from them. It was tough work. A lot of the companies don't have websites and those that do took forever to load since the internet is super terrible. But I got some names and numbers. Tomorrow I'll start cold calling. Ew. Also tomorrow I'll go into campus and use the internet there, one of the boys gave me his login details. Yay!
I then gave up with the internet (it gets unusable at night when too many people are trying to use it) and so I watched Amelie. I'd seen it in high school but that was long enough ago for it to seem like a new movie.
Right now it's 7pm. I have nothing to do. There's no street lights except for on the freeway nearby so I can't go for a walk without a torch. I don't have a torch. There's no Tv at home and no internet. There's no stove or oven so I can't cook. Even if I wanted to cook there's limited access to vegetables. Most of the foods available are starchy heavy carbohydrates. Empty calories. Not much flavour. On the plus side I bought some powered milk (both because they don't sell fresh milk here and even if they did I don't have a fridge) so I can have that with my tea. Also, protein and calcium and nutrients. The closest place I can bye fruits and vegetables is a 15 minute tro tro ride away. There I can buy yams, plantain, peanuts, papaya, watermelons and pineapples. If I'm lucky there'll be tomatoes and red chillies. I haven't seen a green vegetable since I arrived. My gosh I miss going to Coles and buying baby spinach and broccoli and brussel sprouts. And being able to eat uncooked food. Or even cold food. Gosh I miss having a fridge. I also miss roads. It's constantly dusty here because all the streets are simply red earth. Also it's terribly smoggy because everybody burns their rubbish. There's no garbage collection or land fill so the only way to get rid of your rubbish is to burn it.
But you know what? It's just for a short while. So for the next 2 months I can handle it. At least I get to home at the end of this. For my housemates this is home.
p.s. Just as a finished that last sentence the boys came to my room to take me out for dinner and for a walk around the very dark neighbourhood with their torch. It was fun. I got fried plantain and peanuts. I had a chat with the boys about Ghana and whether if they could leave would they. All but one (who has an Australian girlfriend) answered no. They would prefer to live in Ghana than go to the west.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday the 11th
So to catch you up on my life since Friday it went like this.
I showered and set up the house and went out to buy provisions (ie: dinner/beer/water) with 30 mins to go till Shabbat. I seriously underestimated how long this would take. Let's just say it ended with me running full speed (well, as fast as I can go) through the plantain forest nearby in a mad dash for Shabbat. But i got home in time, lit candles and sang kabbalat Shabbat in the courtyard as the sun was setting. Was beautiful. After that I invited my housemates to dinner. I'd bought beer for kiddush and drinking, chicken and rice for them and beans and cassava with plantain for me. I did kiddush and hamotzi and we started to eat. They were asking lot's of questions about Jews and Israel. I ended up taking out the books that I'd brought ie: a tanach, siddur as well as pirkei avot and a haggdah that I'm donating to the Jewish community.
Around this time 4 Europeans arrived. They were staying in our house over the weekend. From Germany, Holland, France and Finland. They arrived and immediately left to go drinking.
All the boys were at home and we hung out on the veranda as we usually do.
I was woken up super early (7am) Shabbat morning to go and watch the boys play soccer. So as they set off I got dressed and davened, did kiddush and then joined to watch them. There I made friends with the kids watching and the garage workers from nearby. One was from the Ivory Coast. After the game was finished (at about 9am) I went back to the house to settle in for a great shabbat. I read the parsha and my novel. I napped. I'd brought a good weekend that I read as well. I chatted with the boys. I met one called Snappy who is studying to be an industrial chemist. But in between his bachelors and his masters he plans on going for a year to live in one of the refugee camps in the west with refugees from the Ivory Coast. He's also setting up a program for students from the Ivory Coast to come to Ghana to help the French department and in exchange they will be taught English by the English department of KNUST university. Genius guy.
I finally met my program director and we agreed to meet again on Monday when I can actually write and be useful.
After shabbat I went with a boy called Sammy to visit his family house and pick up some plantain for him from his backyard. That was a real insight into Ghana. The house was small but it had everything a normal house would have; TV. Computer etc. Probably not a washing machine though. Poopy. Anyways while we were waiting the news was on TV. It was adorable. I mean obviously there are problems in Ghana but this news program wasn't giving them any airtime. It informed me that today there had been a march in the city by men opposing violence against women. There was also a school fun day with a raffle and a tug-o-war. Also that analysts predict that tourism in Ghana could increase to making up 10% of the GDP from the current 3%. No wars. No famine. No political outrage.
We then went to a courtyard to watch the Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona. What an experience. The only white girl surrounded by a hundred screaming Ghanaian football fans. Great fun.
Today (Sunday) I went with 2 of the Europeans to the Kings palace. We were shown a short documentary about the Ashanti King and the tribe's history. Then we were shown around the old palace that the British built in 1924. The king moved out of there in the early 90s I think. Anyways the old palace is pretty much the size of my house in Melbourne. Nothing too impressive. But what happened after the tour of the palace was super impressive.
Today was the Ashanti New Years festival. So all the chiefs under the Ashanti king came together at the King's grounds. The King was there and so were the government ministers for Ghana. It was like being on a movie set for a period drama. Each chief entered the field with trumpets and drummers and a giant procession with people carrying giant gilt chairs for them and huge umbrellas. One of the Chiefs was a Muslim and he had the best entrance of all. There were 3 horsemen who entered the area first. They had great Arabic style kaftans and hats on. Then a procession of children and servants carrying giant gold cauldrons of nuts and dates and sweets. Then he brought many large white goats. There were flag wavers and umbrella carriers. All with huge Arabic dress in rich and vibrant colours. All the chiefs and their clans settled under umbrellas and marquees. Then one by one they arose to the sound of drums and trumpets and walked in a procession to greet the government ministers on one stage on the field and then to greet to king on the opposite stage. Before greeting the king they sent their servants with their guests and everybody had to remove their shoes in his presence. Each clan had their own style of dress and unique fabric. Each chief was decked out in many gold amulets, swords, rings, bangles and crowns. Dignitaries where there to greet to the king as was the Miss Universe Ghanaian representative.
Basically - balls-awesome.
I also made friends with the journalists there, they let me chill with them in their media only area in the shade and they taught me some of the local language Twi. I found my own way back to the city centre and caught a trou trou home.
At home I met a boy called Robert. He has a degree in biology but in between his bachelors and his masters he's doing a year of national service in the Tamale region. He wants to do his masters in development studies with a focus on waste management. Basically he wants all Africans to have access to sanitation and clean water. I had rice with spicy sauce for dinner and tomorrow I'm going to the university campus again to start my internship. Woot. But seriously - very excited.
Friday the 9th
Today I went to the university campus. I was taken by Emmanuel to the library and he went off to study. I went in and had a look around. Then I went out on to the lawns and tried to read. But instead I had a bit of a cry. It's becoming a hobby of mine. Luckily Emmanuel had sent two Aiesec boys to come and show me around. They came and took me to the university auditorium. There we sat for a while since it is cool and we discussed politics mainly.
After that we walked a bit. We walked one of the boys to his dorm and then the other one called Mauwsi (mousy) helped me out with a plan of mine. You see, I want a school uniform. So he took her to the local secondary school whose uniform I covet. We spoke to the school principle and then went to the store room that seels textbooks and uniforms. Unfortunately they didn't have any available but I was given the name and number of the seamstress who makes them.
After that I walked Mauwsi to his dorm and I went to the Law library. I was helped by a great librarian called Farkis (maybe? It means Friday). I was given a copy of the Ghanaian constitution (1992) and the criminal law text book. The constitution is great. In some ways it's very similar to the Australian one but with the addition of a section of right. Such as the right to vote, the right to dignity and liberty. There are women's rights such as the right to paid maternity leave and healthcare. Also the rights of the disabled. The right to be free from discrimination based of gender, religion, skin colour etc. But not based on sexual orientation. The authority of the chief is enshrined in the constitution. They have their own house of government (like the house of lords) and court. Interesting. In the criminal law textbook it spoke of witchcraft and it's relationship to murder as to whether one can be accused and found guilty for murder by witchcraft in the Ghanaian courts. Surprisingly the answer is unclear. If it passes all the tests under the common law system including the causation test according to the trial judge then yes they could be found guilty. Apparently it's easier than you expect because the witches often admit to their own guilt and explain how they did it. Interesting I think.
Then I walked back to Teck Junction. Bought a papaya for desert tonight and bread for challah and I caught a trou trou back home. And so now I'm off to prepare for shabz.
and the plot thickens...
Thursday -
Today was great. I woke up early, as I love to do. I went through my usual Ghana morning routine. Dress, daven, breakfast of plain rice (this time hot - what a luxury!) and a malaria tablet. Then I got a hold of one of my housemates' usb modem. I checked Gmail and Facebook and I blogged. I called the Jew-boy from Sydney and I texted Alex from Sefwi Wiawso telling him that I won't be coming to the village this Shabbat.
Then I went for a walk to the local milk-bar to buy some candles and matches for Shabbat. They didn't sell beer but I noticed that they do sell bread that I'll buy for Challot. I know. Scandal. Pat Akum for Challah.
I then planned on going to the market again but when Emmanuel found out he kinda freaked out. Apparently I'm not ready to go out into Kumasi by myself. So instead I went with Steven (he's my favourite) to the university where he was meeting some friends to study. We walked down our street to the main road to catch a lift. On the way he informed me that one of the houses on our street (a very large one with barbed wire all around it belongs to the local chief of the Kwamo area. We took a trou trou to the teck junction and then another one into the university campus. We got off in the middle of the lush campus grounds. There was a running track and a soccer field on our left and on our right a very large library building. We went for a walk through the grounds, past the various faculties until we left the campus to visit the student accommodation areas. We entered one and found a regular dormitory. No kitchen but each room had 2 bunk beds in it and it's own bathroom and a small balcony. I hung out with the guys there for a while watching a silly Chinese film that had been badly dubbed into English. Then a guy called Andy, who was a friend of Steven's came and we hung out so that Steven could study.
Andy took me to the student 'hostel' that he lives in. It was much nicer than my house. Big clean rooms, a very nice modern kitchen and bathroom. You could tell that the boys who lived here were upper middle class. As it turns out Andy is part of the local royal family. His grandfather is the local chief that joins with the other local chiefs to make the Ashanti area under the Ashanti king. Andy explained to me about the traditional religion in the area that his family practice even though he himself is a Christian. He explained that they worship ghosts and smaller gods. So the smaller gods can possess a tree, or a stone or a river and that they have powers and must be appeased. In order to maintain a good relationship with the smaller gods his grandfather offers monthly sacrifices of goats or sheep and water libations on behalf of the tribe for the whole local community's prosperity. I asked him about his Christian faith and it's relationship to the traditional religion. He explained to me that there is one big all powerful good but that the minor gods are intermediaries for him. So is Jesus. But they both have power in this world. But as a Christian he believes that the traditional gods are demonic, that their power comes from Satan and will cause harm to him in this world physically and in the next world spiritually. That is why he chose Jesus. But that many people switch between the two. They are Christians most of the time but because the small gods (such as the local river god) can give judgement readily in this world if there is a conflict with your neighbour or you want a promotion at work then you turn to the smaller gods for quick results. He explained to me that these smaller gods have priests who are responsible for appeasing it with sacrifices. When a priest dies the next one is chosen my the gods. The way you know that you have been chosen is that you start to hear voices and start speaking in tongues. It is never disputed who the gods chose. But with chiefs the gods also choose here via the queen mother but this is frequently disputed. It is alleged often that she is favouring certain family members over others. But it is never disputed for the king. Positions of power are inherited via the matrilineal side. However they are only inherited by the men.
Andy and I watched a Ghanaian movie called the good of days - the story of AA. It's not about an alcoholic. It's about a young boy and girl in love in the 1930s in Ghana. They write letters to each other and then their parents find out and kinda get them in trouble but not really. Basically the parents say don't have sex and stay in school but the letters are ok. But focus on you studies. Anyways the real story is about the boy whose name is AA. Abundi Abaya or something like that. They are the names of the two tribes in the north who were constantly warring and his was named by his father after both of them in order to make a message that they should live together in peace. AWWWW.
After the movie I was shown a short video of a Nigerian comedian. It was standard funny. The usual jokes about the differences between men and women. Watevs, Jews are funnier. But it was interesting to see the connection and cultural similarities between Nigeria and Ghana. Apparently because they were both colonised by the British they have a great affinity for each other. Except Nigeria is a whole lot shitter in terms of poverty etc.
We then watched a short Indian soap. It was shit. So I went home.
I was very happy about this because i got to get a trou trou by myself and i bought dinner by myself. I think what I'm finding most difficult here is my lack of independence.
This morning I had a chat with Emmanuel about it. He's concerned that i will be robbed. Not that i will be kidnapped or stabbed or raped. So I'm not so fussed about it. I can cope with that. It's just the same as in most other countries. If you aren't careful with your stuff it will be stolen.
Anyways so I bought maize paste with red pepper and tomato chutney. Spicy and delicious even though its not that nutritious. I think nutrition might be a bit of an issue here.
Then all the boys came home and we chatted more about Judaism and politics etc. Their favourite topics. I bailed and got ready for bed when the lawyer came home (he gets home pretty late) and came into my room where I was reading and told me that I had to come out to where everybody else is. I came out and he gave me a bunch of hugs then taught me a game a bit like rock paper scissors but with numbers. It had a song in Twi with it too. Kinda cool. Then we got chatting. We spke about how old people are when they get married in Ghana (women 25 men 30) and that they all come from large families we're talking 16 kids per family. Crazy talk. Serge the lawyer suggested that we get married and have 10 kids. I said 1. we settled on 5. i explained that as a white girl I'm not made for that many babies b/c i don't have childbearing hips. They didn't seem to agree, but I think it's pretty self-apparent. Also - if i want to be a lawyer 16 kids is going to take up a lot of my time.
Then Serge and I were speaking very quietly amongst ourselves in the corner about marriage and love etc. We spoke about how he' a Christian but he doesn't go to church very often. Maybe 4 times a year maximum. This is very unusual in Ghana where most people are very pious and attend church multiple times a week. I asked him about when he's going to get married. He dodged the question and we talked about other things. Then he asked me what I think about gay couples. I knew that Ghana is pretty homophobic so not wanting to go on a rant and offending his Ghanaian sensibilities I said that I know many gay couples and that they love each other. So that even if I'm not attracted to the same-sex I can understand that they love each other just like I love. And that I respect that. He asked if they can get married in Australia and I said no. But they live together and adopt babies together. He said what's the point if they can't get married. That it's not the same. Anyways then the other boys in the house heard and came and asked me about gay couples in Australia. Serge left the conversation. The other boys told me that homosexuality is illegal in Ghana. We had a whole discussion about same sex couples. I think because they are religious they couldn't separate their religious belief from a reality. I.e. they couldn't believe that people are really gay. That they are just pretending for attention. And that even if they do exist it's an abomination and they should chose not to practice it b/c in the bible it's only Adam and Eve. Not Adam and Adam. They didn't believe me when I told them about the love they have for each other. And more so they didn't really care for my argument that from a legal perspective even if you don't hurt anybody else then the law should have no opinion on your behaviour. And since gay couples don't hurt anybody else in their actions that it's none of the states business what they do in their own home. But apparently since it's an abomination that's it. It must stay illegal.
I realised at some point during this conversation that Serge is 36 and never married. That he doesn't go to church. He started the conversation with me but left when the other boys joined and started their homophobic rants. He's gay. I nearly cried when I came to that realisation. Imagine living in a country where not only can you not marry but your very love is a crime (I know that sounds cliched - but it actually is). If you act on your emotions you will the prosecuted and punished. It's worse than usual standard societal disapproval, it brings it to a whole new level. Particularly in a religious country where you are punished in this world by your government and in the next by your god. I just wanted to hug him and tell him to leave this place to go somewhere that he could find love. But let's face it, Ghanaians can't leave here. They aren't likely to get visas to emigrate to a liberal democracy any time soon.
And so on that note. I bailed n went to bed.
Today I might go to the market if Emmanuel is cool with that. If not then it'll probably be the university campus again or maybe the swimming pool if I can get somebody to come with me.
Then shabz. We'll see how that goes.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Day 1 and 2
Yesterday was my first full day in Africa. I was awakened by roosters very early in the morning. I had muesli bars and a malaria tablet for breakfast. It felt bizarre to be davening shachrit in Africa surrounded by chickens. And goats. All around the place are goats, flocks of them or just little one. The tiny ones are adorable. Know what else is super cute? Ghanaian babies. All strapped on to their mothers' backs like koala bears. Seriously the cutest things ever.
Anyways then my host in Accra took me to exchange monies. The Ghanan Cedies (pronounced CDs) it pretty strong for 3rd world currency. 1 US dollar = 1.6 Cedies. We went back to the house I G-Chatted with some friends and then we set off to the bus depot. It was a 45 minute taxi ride away. That cost 10 Cedies. On the way at every set of lights or intersection there were people coming up the to cars to sell things. Everything from water sachets, to toiletries, to women's' high-heeled shoes. All their wears were carried atop their heads. Kinda like you expect from movies but then you're in a bustling city and it's women's shoes. Surprising.
At the entrance to the bus depot there was a guy selling flags. Presumably for sporting events because there was lots of African flags, the American, English and lots of South American flags. Oh, and the israeli flag. Everywhere. I also passed an electronics store called dizingoff and they really like calling their stores 'shalom.' So instead of shalom felafel there's shalom hairdressing and shalom carpentry.
Another thing idiosyncratic of Ghana, they really like God. On their stores and homes and bumper bars everything is god this and God that. God is able. God is good. In God we trust.
My host helped me buy a ticket to Kumasi (20 Cedies) and then we bought a sim card and some credit. Sadly the regular sized sim doesn't fit into my iphone so I'm going to have to buy a phone here. I checked my bag into the bus (yeah like for a plane) and then I farewelled my host and got on to the nicest bus I've ever seen in my whole life. It had giant business class seats in very soft leather and tacky but ornate window dressings.
At the beginning of the journey a hawker came onto the bus and spruiked his skin tonic very loudly in Twi for a while. I spend that time listening to a Machon Hadar shiur on kashrut. That also felt super surreal. I napped on most of the trip. The bus played a Ghanaian movie. It was very poorly made. It was about a pastor and his life in the village. The village also had idolaters who worshiped multiple gods. They had midgets (aka vertically challenged individuals) painted as skeletons to represent these gods. There was also a women who didn't wear enough clothing who asked for his help to find a husband and he "very righteously" yelled at her for dressed like a whore and kicked her out of his office and didn't give help her. Meanwhile the pastor was unmarried and his congregation wanted him to take a wife so he chose a pious woman from the community. Interestingly in my mind she was fat. So was the other woman, the one who was scantily clad. They were both presented as being totally irresistible. Interesting from a western perspective. Anyways, the idolaters don't like the Christians so they inflict a demon on the pastors wife and she becomes possessed. But luckily with the power of Jesus he saves her. And everybody lives happily ever after. Basically it was really interesting b/c it was very superstitious and misogynistic. Maybe a useful insight into Ghana?
I arrived in Kumasi after 5.5 hours of travelling at 5.30pm. I was careful to carry my own bag off the bus even though there were many young men here eager to help - for a fee. I waited for about 10 minutes chatting to the locals until Emmanuel came to collect me.
We caught a minibus to the compound/house. It has super big high walls around it and it has 3 bathrooms and many large bedrooms. Also it's just generally quite big. There's also a cross in the floor at the entrance. Told you they were religious. I have my own bathroom since I am the only girl in the house. There's about 5 guys living here too, all Ghanaians. One is studying computer science, the other is a lawyer another is studying to be an actuary. My bathroom is quite nice. Certainly nicer than some of the bathrooms I had in Israel.
Emmanuel, the president of Aiesec Knust is responsible for me and he'd made a lovely fish stew. I told him I was vegetarian and he was very disappointed. I had plain rice for dinner. But since it was the first hot food that I'd had for a couple of days I was happy to have it. It turns out that they eat a lot of salmon and herring here so I'm not sure if I will break my vegetarianism for this or not. I'm not sure what to do about food for Shabbat. There isn't a fridge in the house so I can't keep food from one day to the next. I think maybe I'll ask the street food people if I can pay them on Friday and then collect the food on Shabbat. We'll see. So we ate and I spoke to the lawyer (i've forgotten his name). Then I showered, unpacked and went to sleep at 9.30pm.
I woke at 7am to my alarm. I probably could have slept more but I'd definitely slept enough. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, davened, took my malaria pill and had the left-over rice for breakfast. It had been in the rice-cooker over night. I was a bit worried because it hadn't been refrigerated but I feel fine thus far. I found a hole in the mosquito net they gave me so I need to sew it up.
Today I need to buy candles and beer for Shabbat, some toiletries and a phone. I also need to contact the Jewish boy from Sydney who is here and then maybe also the Jewish community in Sefwi Wiawso.
This morning I went for a walk with Steven who studies business administration. It was very interesting. He told me a lot about the Ashanti tribe in this area the most powerful and respected tribe in Ghana. They speak Twi and still have a King. Some day soon I'll go and visit his palace. We spoke about Jews because he was very interested. He told me that he knew that Jews were very smart and that they are always developing new things like in technology and agriculture and finance. I told him that Jews aren't born smart but that as a culture we value education and hard work so that helps us. I told him about kibbutzim and socialist farming. He told me about economic development in Ghana and the school system with public and private schools. Also about the university system and how it's subsidised by the government but how it's hard for students to get employment while they study, because there's lots of cheap labour here already, so most students have to be supported by their families while they study.
Emmanuel got ready and we went to the local fast food joint. I got beans with cassava and pepper sauce with fried plantain. It was delicious. To get there we had to walk through a dirt track in a field of cassava and plantain. Probably the very plants whose fruit I was eating. I went with Emmanuel to the centre of town to visit the markets there. I've never seen anything like it in my whole life. It felt like every single one of the million residents of Kumasi were at the markets. There were people everywhere. You could buy anything you want on the street there. Toiletries, food, shoes, electronics. They were selling xboxes on the street and smart phones. Emmanuel took me to the supermarket. I'll have to go back there to buy more stuff tomorrow, particularly since I forgot to buy candles and beer for shabz. I think I'll put on a Shabbat dinner for the boys in the house this week. Anyways at the supermarket you could get anything. Except shampoo. They'd run out of shampoo. It was refreshing, however, to see that all the conditioners they sell were for frizzy hair. Girls of my own kind. I bought a phone to use here. Then we took a trou trou (like a sherut/maxi taxi) back to the suburb of Kumasi that my house is in. It's a totally enormous city. Very spread out with big parklands. We returned home around 3.30pm. The house was boiling. I was seriously hot and sweaty. I read a little ( man walks into a room, the first novel by Nicole Krauss) then napped for maybe 15 mins, but i had to lie on the cold concrete floor b/c everything else was way too hot. I then went with Steven to get some food again but i didn't get any because I was still hot from my lunch meal. I tried using their internet. But it was too slow at night. I'll try again tomorrow. I watched a movie with Samuel, the guy I brought the laptop for. Meanwhile, I think he's dating Christina, the Australian girl who came here last year. Anyways, we saw city of god. Very violent and entertaining. But seriously violent. The electricity is down again in the house. I hope that it will be more consistent than this and that I will be able to use the interwebz at some point. Very annoying.
Tell me if you think this is too much info. To be honest, I doubt that I will be able to maintain this amount of writing, but I had a bit of time on my hands. I suppose that this is more a public diary than blog.
Oh well.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Africa
Hello all,I'm back!
I've decided to return to this blog for the next little while in order to document my travels/escapades while in Ghana.
So to fill you in.
I have an 8 week internship with the young entrepreneurs project via AIESEC KNUST in Kumasi Ghana. I will be helping young people and women establish and develop their small businesses. It's a great way to help the developing world because it's not charity, the benefactors aren't constantly dependent on your contribution rather they become self-reliant and it builds up the economy of the region.
After that I'm going to stay with the local Jewish community to teach Hebrew and Jewish studies for 2 weeks. Around this time my BFF is joining me in Ghana and we'll do some adventuring. Yay!
For the moment however I still haven't even reached my final destination. I flew 14 hours from Sydney to Jo'burg. There I had a mad rush to clear customs and collect my luggage and then re-check it and pass through customs again. But I made my connecting flight for another 6 hours in the air to Accra.
If it interests you I saw the following movies: Bridesmaids, Crazy Stupid Love and Tabloid. Tabloid was a documentary and it was by far much better than the other 2 movies.
I had very average kosher meals the whole way and middle seats. Grrr. Having said that South African airways were super new and nice. V.impressed.
So I landed at 9.45pm in Accra and was met by an Aiesec representative and taken to the organisation's house in Accra to spend the night. On the drive I was pretty over-whelmed by how 3rd world this place actually is. I mean it's not terrible but just sometimes there are roads and other times there isn't. Also twice we were stopped by police road blocks. Not sure why though.
The house itself was a bit of a shock. Moldy uncovered mattresses in corners and no shower. Just buckets and a tap.
But there's internet and all the residents of the house were friendly, we all sat on one mattress and checked facebook. Thank goodness for the internet. One of the girls was from the Ivory Coast. I was pretty impressed. Also, she has amazing hair. We watched Richie Rich on one of the girl's laptops and then off to bed.
It was a hot and sweaty night. It's about 32 degrees constantly here with very high humidity. I was woken by a rooster. At 6 in the morning. Seriously.
Today I have to exchange money, get a sim card and then take a bus for 4-5 hours to Kumasi.
How am I feeling?
Not great. Pretty disconnected. Quite alone from people who love me. I'm also feeling super unsettled. And I hate that. I've been travelling for days now and I'm still not home. So basically Ithink that I'll feel better once I'm in my new house in Kumasi. I'm also excited to try Ghanan food and to make new friends and to find out what exactly I'll be doing. Oh and to make a difference.
Also, I can't wait to visit the Jewish Community. I think I'll feel a lot more at home there.
And so it all begins.
I hope that you come along for the ride.
Monday, August 29, 2011
For Now
Dear Loyal Blog Followers,I must wish you farewell. I now live in Oz and have nothing significant to write about most of the time.
Perhaps if there is somthing particularly pertinent I shall post again but for now it is the end of littlemissbogan.
But never fear.
I have begun work on a new blog.
We'll see how long can last with this one...
If you'd like to check it out click here.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Grown-ups
Since returning to Melbourne I've been a little bit bummed. I've discussed a lot of this already on this blog. About how much I really enjoy living in Israel and how I simply prefer my life there.
But it's not just the Israel thing that has got me.
I live with my parents.
That's right. I'm 22 years old - almost 23 - and I'm still at home. Now I know that's pretty standard for Australian Uni students, be they Jew or Gentile. Indeed among Jews you can probably last a good few years of post-uni employment before you need to leave the womb and find your own place.
But not me.
Which is surprising since I didn't consider myself a particularly independent person. I didn't get my first job till the end of year 12 and I was never really into public transport as a kid. I was always happy to grab lifts from my folks.
But then I lived for a year overseas when I was 18 and now again for the past year. For the past year I came and went as I pleased. I was messy. I ate only food that I wanted and only when I was hungry. I paid my own electricity bills, water bills, internet bills, phone bills. I paid rent (mostly late) each month. I worked. I went to university. I looked after myself. I replaced light-bulbs and killed spiders.
I had/have a sense of pride in this. When you look after yourself you are a more competent, capable person. Indeed you are more of a person because you are living up the the standard of what a person should be: self-reliant.
It's not that at home I'm really that looked after. I still do the grocery shopping, the cooking, I do laundry and I mainly keep my own hours. Furthermore my folks keep their distance. They've never had house rules or told me what to do or prevented me from having guests. But ultimately I'm still living with my parents. I live in the house of my childhood and when I return here I feel like I slip back into being a child. But unlike your average movie character I do not want to return to childhood. I enjoy being responsible for myself and I feel like it's a real blow to my independence to be living in my parents house again.
So what do I do? Well, I have less than 1.5 years left of my degree (all going well) - and the moment I start earning moolah I will move out.
No, but seriously. Get. Me. Out.
Monday, August 15, 2011
London Bridge Is Falling Down
Good-evening ladies and gentlemen.I would like to begin this post by sending out my condolences to those affected by the riots in London and the UK in general at present. I hope the situation improves speedily.
As for the riots themselves I actually am not surprised that they are occurring. In fact these riots confirm my suspicions about the human condition.
For a number of years now I have been convinced that human beings have no inherent morality. I do not think we know right from wrong. Indeed what we do know is how to look out for ourselves. I also know that we love power. I think that without ethical direction people will descend to mild anarchy.
In the past ideologues and politicians have taken advantage of this weakness in people for their own exploits. They have argued that people should engage in war for their nation or in local acts of violence for race and ethnic reasons. But ultimately for the people participating in these acts the ideology was just an excuse for something that they simply wanted to do. Or at the very least, didn't mind doing. I think that when we view people from this perspective human history makes more sense. All the abhorrent ideologies and genocides and massacres or even daily crime and discrimination that exists in all societies and cultures for all time comes into focus when you accept that human beings are at best inherently amoral and at worst naturally immoral.
You could have thought that my generation in the West would be immune from this. We don't have any real political ideologies pushing us to defend out country against the fascists or the communists anymore. Even the dubious threat of Islamic terrorism is met with skepticism and apathy by my generation. We simply don't buy into ideology anymore. Unless you consider nihilism an ideology.
But our apathy didn't inoculate us against stealing or vandalism or violence. In London we have managed to have totally ideology-free riots. We have managed to break out into anarchy for no definable reason. You can blame it on class divides and the education system and while I do recognize these factors I think they are only relevant in the following context:
1) People don't know what's right and what's wrong.
2) Even if you teach them they will probably ignore it if it's in their interests.
3) Making something illegal isn't the same as teaching somebody that it's wrong.
Therefore the way to prevent violence and discrimination and hatred and rioting is through ethical education. People need to be taught morality. By this I don't mean the 10 commandments or even the legal code. Rather people need to be taught to think about ethics. How do we decide what's right and what's wrong? What makes these things so? How do we define them? If we get people to engage in these questions and perhaps ingrain an appreciation for the good, right, just and moral then perhaps that education will be enough to protect against wanton acts of wrong.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Jew-Spotting
Look, I'm aware that this is going to be a particularly racist post. But you are all just going to have to deal. Or dob me in to the ADC. I dare you. Since returning to the diaspora I have also returned to Monash Jewniversity. In my three years at the Clayton campus I am yet to have even one tutorial without a fellow member of the covenant in there with me. The thing is, that after a year of playing spot-the-goy, my Jew-spotting skills need some work. So in an effort to help myself and help you fellow bird(nosed) watchers I've compiled a list of clues to figure out if the kid at the end of the row is also a member of the tribe.
1) Appearance - I know it's a stereotype but yids are not known for their height. Or good looks. Or reasonable sized noses. So if the suspect is below average height with below average looks with a perfect nose. You know they are a member of the tribe with a great plastic surgeon.
2) Jew-fro - on boys expect a full blown fuzz of brown frizz around their head - sometimes it even makes it onto their faces in the form of a mono-brow. On girls, curly brown hair is a give-away. But do not be fooled by straight hair. Ironing out your hair-inheritance is another classic trick of the Jewess. Look for 'too-straight' hair or tell-tale kinks at the roots. While we are on the topic of hair - let us not forget premature male-pattern balding. I'm not saying that all Jewish boys have it - I'm just saying that I haven't seen it on the goyim.
3) If you're in first year - expect to see Bialik and Scopus sports fleece jumpers. These are worn in amongst the Scotch, MLC and Xavier jumpers too. We loves the spoilt rich kids. But by second year Lacross/Rugby/Rowing school team jumpers are out, replaced with anything that is not a school uniform being worn voluntarily in a non-school environment.
4) Glasses. I'm sure that these kids haven't been spending too much time in front of a talmud with tiny Aramaic script in a dark yeshiva in Poland. But nevertheless the house of Jacob have a fraught history with myopia. Therefore lenses in frames or of the contact variety are big give-aways. However, be warned. Big thick nerd glasses have recently been adopted by the hipster gentiles as a fashion statement. So be careful, just because Sarah the leggy blonde in Eco 101 has glasses, this doesn't mean that she's safe to bring home to your mother.
5) Breaking into a sweat when Students for Palestine makes announcements. Nobody else is paying any attention. They are on their iPhones and Macbooks making witty comments on facebook. The Jews, however, are hanging on every word. They are looking out for the hints of antisemitism. They are waiting for these announcements to rile up the entire class of administration law into an Israel-bashing frenzy from which they will have to flee and live in the forests by the hockey pitch. People reading the BDS posters are also likely to be circumcised. Though that may be because they are Muslim.
6) Packed lunch. This relates in particular to those with Y-chromosomes. Jewish mothers (like many ethnic minority mothers) like to mother. This includes worrying and inflicting guilt as well as feeding. So if you are sitting next to a 3rd year Law/Commerce student with a packed lunch of a cream cheese bagel and a juice box, drop him a shalom aleichem. Then invite him over for friday night dinner.
And so there begins my decent into full blown racial profiling. Good times.
If you have any other tips feel free to leave a comment.
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