All in the Family

Tuesday June 29th 2010

When I stop and think about how much my life in Ghana has changed since my arrival, I can’t help but feel really happy. I, like many of the other JFs I’ve spoken to, feel like I’ve finally found my niche in Hohoe. It’s inevitable to feel like an anomaly when you’re first exposed to a new culture and a new way of life, but I think one of the most rewarding aspects of the JF program is being able to surpass that, to feel like you belong, and to ultimately recognize the importance of understanding the realities of those we work for if we hope to be effective development workers.

When I first moved into my compound home in Hohoe, I felt quite out of place. Everyone was watching my every move. Women would talk amongst themselves as I attempted to wash my clothes, and eventually would come over to show me how it was properly done. If I gave even the slightest indication that I was about to start cooking, the kids would rush into my room, grab my charcoal stove, matches, and fan and begin setting everything up. These are kids, all under the age of 10, telling me I didn’t know what I was doing and that I should watch how it was done. On top of these theatrics, women would periodically come and check my cooking to make sure I knew what I was doing– turns out, most times I didn’t. I often felt like I had reverted back to a former childhood state whereby I had to be taught absolutely everything all over again.

There were many occasions where I had to bite my tongue to refrain from saying “I know what I’m doing; I’m not incompetent at taking care of myself. If you just gave me two seconds to prove it, you’d see what I mean.” Thankfully I never actually blurted this out, and instead mustered up as much patience as possible when other people interjected their methods into my life.

Now, I’m happy to say things have changed. I feel like I have a place to come home to after work where my presence is truly appreciated. The kids call me Sister Erin as opposed to Yevo. We play games together and read books on dinosaurs and the Titanic. I feel like I’ve grown into my role as their older sister– when the kids are being too loud or disruptive, I tell them to quiet down like their mothers do. When someone starts crying and their mother is absent, I try my best to remedy their situation. Granted, I still feel like I have a long way to go before fully gaining the trust of everyone in this giant multi-family household, but I can tell now that I’ve taken steps in the right direction.

The only girl my age in the compound, Zina, helped me immensely in making the transition from outsider to insider. She immediately took me under her wing, and has proven indispensible on many diverse topics, such as how to dance in an Evangelical church, where to buy a cooking pot for GHC5, and how to walk past the washing bay without having Ghanaian boys disturb you. Finding simple topics to bond over with Zina and her family instantly took me from feeling like a science experiment, to feeling like a long lost friend.

When I first arrived, my coach gave me a great piece of advice: Act like you belong, and eventually you will. If you’re someone who will find yourself immersed in a new culture in the future, my advice to you is to re-read that line and commit it to memory.

In general people will treat you like you don’t belong until you give them reasonable evidence to the contrary. This isn’t to say that people will be unpleasant to you– Ghanaians are among the most welcoming and selfless people I’ve ever met. But, if you don’t show genuine interest in building real relationships with those you meet, you’ll never advance past the visitor barrier and won’t truly feel a sense of belonging. Purposefully investing your time in the lives of your family members goes a really, really long way towards getting you comfortable with your surroundings, building honest, trusting relationships, and letting those around you see who you are and what you value.

If one thing is certain, it’s that coming to Africa doesn’t make you an African. I’ve come to realize that even if I commit my life to development in Africa, it will never surmount that I was born and raised in Canada. Because of my upbringing, I will always have more options available to me that my African counterparts. But, coming here has also reminded me that no matter where you go, you take yourself with you.

When I reflect on this, I realize that this is an incredible opportunity for connecting Canadians to Africa. We spend time learning about Ghana– enjoying the culture, listening to stories, and becoming appreciated members of our families– so that when we return home, we can share the beauty and stories of Ghana: a new facet of the ever changing, multidimensional people we are.

Thanks for reading,

Erin

Good Intentions

Thursday May 20th 2010

I’m going on my 1st village stay next week. I’ve asked my counterpart Ben to use his network of friends, family, and colleagues to find a rice farming community nearby that I can stay with. Over the past few days, Ben and I have been traveling around visiting different value chain actors—from farmer based organizations, to small input dealers, to aggregators and everyone in between. Because of our traveling, I’ve already been introduced to a few different farming communities. Having the opportunity to explore many different villages for a short period of time is quite interesting, as it has given me the opportunity to compare how different groups of people live their lives. At this point I’m looking forward to immersing myself in one community for a week to gain a much deeper understanding of rural livelihoods.

I recently read an EWB article discussing the village stay experience. It stated that being in a village and passively learning from your surroundings simply isn’t enough; you should have clear intentions and learning objectives defined before arriving to both maximize your learning experience and to clarify for others why you’re there.

There are two components to my learning objectives for my village stay:

1) To obtain a realistic introduction to the realities of rice farmers in the Volta region

2) To gain a deeper understanding of Ghanaian family structures and dynamics

I’ve decided to post these objectives up on my blog so that I’m accountable to both topics—I’ll likely post on both of these after my stay.

As for a general life in Ghana update: I’ve moved into a compound home on the outskirts of Hohoe. I’m living surrounded by five other families, complete from elderly grandmothers all the way to all to little children. In addition to all of these people, the compound is also home to a herd of goats, and a few roosters and chickens. As if all of those things don’t make enough noise, someone always has the radio on blasting Ghana’s latest beats for everyone to enjoy. Needless to say my new home is a busy (and often noisy) place—but more than that, it’s a comfortable place to call home.

I’ve added pictures to my Flickr feed of my new home, so be sure to check them out.

Thanks for reading,

Erin

Stipends, Strategies, and Serendipity

Friday May 7th 2010

Since last Saturday we, the Ghana and Burkina JFs, have been spending all hours together in Toronto experiencing pre-departure training, living in the Akwaaba house, and progressively becoming great friends. Every day I’m noticing changes in myself, and have the opportunity to watch people mature around me. The intense feeling of community that has emerged from this sending group of very different people has really been astonishing. I can honestly say that I’ve looked at each member of our newly formed community and realized why they were chosen as embassadors for change at their chapters.

Temporarily living in a house with 24 other people quickly makes you very thankful for quiet moments alone. This week, on numerous occasions, I found myself searching for something– a quiet moment, a fresh idea, or a sense of motivation– only to find myself following a totally unrelated path moments later. In some instances, this has served as a lucky distraction; in others it has led to really empowering conversations. Those serendipitous moments have challenged me and ultimately made me feel more grounded to my place within EWB.

Pre-departure training has offered many insights into not only the complexities of development, but also who we are as leaders. Staying up until 2:30am listening to Parker speak about his opinions on economic development, challenging our analytical skills by creating our own impact model with Robin, and listening intently to Trevor as he told us stories about his experiences overseas have all been highlights for me. This week has been an emotional rollercoster, but it as really opened my eyes to the values I hold important, and what cards I keep close to my chest.

Flying to Ghana tomorrow will likely be overwhelming. Although the cumulative effects of pre-departure training have been a lot of things– challenging, overwhelming, and empowering– one thing that is absolutely certain is that we’ll never be fully prepared for what’s to come. Recognizing and coming to terms with this allows me to let go of some of my personal expectations and live in the moment. This isn’t a natural course of action for me, but a few people over the week have helped me chip away at this realization.

Thanks to all the JFs and EWB National Office staff for making pre-departure a great learning experience, and best of luck to everyone this summer with their placements!

Thanks for reading,

Erin

P.S- To the Ghana/B.Fas JFs: I love you all. Hugs round 4 when we return.