In-country Training in Tamale

We were given some time in Tamale to rest and get our bearing straight, hard to do when you wake up on the beautiful and exciting planet AFRICA (yes, it feels like I’m on another planet). Our first main task was to go to the market in Tamale and buy several items – cloth for after bathing, a “sponge” for bathing, a strange/cool item, a cell phone, and a few other items. We also had to find out the answer to several questions – basic greetings (although there are so many languages that everything I learned will be relearned when I go to Bolga), what Ghanaians think is important to have when you set-up a room, what they think about politics, the government, and development work, what they think is most important for me to do in Ghana. In Canada I would be very nervous to do this, talk to strangers? Especially to ask random strangers what they think of politics. It’s generally the subject you don’t talk about! Additionally, we had to do this alone. It was such a blast – Ghanaians love to talk and help you and they love politics. I met so many wonderful people during my four hours in the market (I could do a whole post on markets and their craziness but will try to do this later with pictures! For now, markets are insane!). It was quite easy to find men to talk to you but more difficult to find a woman to sit and chat. However, I did meet an incredible young woman named Fadila. I was walking past her stall and a kid grabbed my hand and said “hello!” and laughed. She was so sweet that I had to stop and say hello. Along came Fadila (her older sister) and we started to talk and half an hour later we were sitting together telling each other about school, politics, social structures, bucket showers (she taught me how…apparently you don’t stick your head in the bucket to get ride of the soap!), part way through I was handed a baby to hold for someone and it took one look at me and started to bawl! We talked for an hour and a half and then sadly I had to go. As I left she asked what I would like from her store, I felt badly for not thinking to support her mum’s store after she had been so warm and kind to me. I decided to take two things as an apology/thank you for being so awesome, but Fadila insisted that they were gifts and then I felt badly for taking two things! GAH! It’s so hard to know what to do. It’s hard to be gracious sometimes and just say thank you.

The rest of our in-country training was quite useful and helpful and even included a game of ultimate Frisbee outside the city…think HOT!