Fun

Hello everyone. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to blog but we have been having problems with the Internet and I went down to Cape Coast for the weekend. I have so much to write about in so little time.
Richard is doing well. We have moved from learning 1-10 to 11-20. He is now learning 21-99. I’m really proud of his improvement and how excited he is about tutoring. Meghan is helping another girl in my class,Rurth. She is a little more advanced than Richard but she was having a hard time. They are such great kids I’m filled with so much joy when they raise their hands in class to answer a question, when before they would put their heads down.
We have a student teacher who teaches religion and citizenship after me, so I don’t have to worry about my teacher hitting the students.
Today one of the students in Primary 6 had some sort of an episode. She started screaming and grabbed her teacher by the collar. Another teacher ran in with the cane and she started hitting and kicking him until he backed away. She finally settled down and sat in her seat and finished her work. I asked around and all the teachers just said that she was mentally ill and that these episodes were normal. What a nice welcome back home from Cape Coast. Hehehe
I spent 2 days in the beautiful Cape Coast area. We stayed in the Hans Cottage Boatel. It was placed right in the middle of a swamp. So they have crocodiles everywhere. It was a fun weekend but I can’t write about it just yet. And I was very happy to come home to Kibi and my students.
I will try and post some pictures for you now, we’ll see what happens.








I hope this works. I got a video of the beach before I left and I got one of the slave castle. I wanted to get one of the kids but as it turns out we are not supposed to bring our camaras to the school until the last week we are here. Opps. Oh well I've got some good pics I will try to post.

Emmanuel Otoo

Last Sunday I was in Koforidua attending a church service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When the meeting was over the group and I headed to the internet café a few blocks away. Koforidua is one of the bigger cities near Kibi. The market was booming and we almost got run over by a taxi. It has more people, bigger buildings, and faster internet. On our way to the café, we past homeless person after homeless person on the street, asking for money and food. We kept our heads down and kept walking, trying not to feel bad. But one person caught our eye. A little boy, who’s brown shirt and pants were falling off his tiny bony body. He didn’t ask for money or even food. He just sat there on the step of a building, slouched over with one of his frail arms laid out on his lap and his hand open. I wanted to give him money, but all I had was a 5 Cedi/ dollar bill. Natalie walked over to him and she handed him 20 Pesewas/ cents. Once I was closer I could see that one of his eyes was red and glazed over. His cheek bones were protruding out and his eyes were sunken. Once he had the Pesewa in his hand, he whispered mada es/ thank you. Natalie and I turned around and ran to catch up with our group.

The internet café was on the second floor of the apartment/ business building. Next to it was a café, with spaghetti and American food. Natalie and I decided to wait our turn on the computers and eat lunch first. I got a spaghetti dish with chicken and she had a club sandwich and fries. When we were done I realized I still had a full bowl of spaghetti. We talked about it and decided that if he was still there we would give the extra food to the little boy we saw earlier. So Natalie and I went off to the building we had seen him near. When we got there he was no where to be found. We asked around but no one knew who or where he was. Finally I recognized a security guard I had seen earlier and asked if he knew where the little boy in the brown shirt had gone. He looked at the food in my hands and the water in Natalie’s and left his post to look for him with us. We finally found him three streets over in a park. The guard ran ahead and brought him to us. Natalie and I found a little wooden bench for him to sit on and I opened the Styrofoam box with the spaghetti. He just looked at it for the longest time and then slowly put his bony fingers in the noodles and brought some up to his mouth. He ate so slowly I began to realize every movement was such a struggle for him. A crowd of passersby formed around us and they congratulated us on our Christ like work. They told us we were like the good Samaritan. Natalie got so mad, and angrily signed to me, that they all could be doing the same service we are. One woman told us that the Koforidua central hospital was close by and Natalie and I decided we would take a taxi and bring him there. Natalie ran back to the café to tell the others and to grab our bags. A women got a taxi for us and I tried to get the boy up over to it. But as soon as he stood up, his legs gave out and he came crashing to the ground at my feet. Trying to hold back emotion I picked him up and another boy helped me carry him to the taxi. Natalie and I sat on either side of him and I put the food on his lap so he could continue eating. When the car started the momentum threw the boy back into the seat. So the rest of the car ride I had my arm around his shoulders and Natalie had her hand on his back so that he could sit up and eat. Natalie burst into tears and I asked him what his name was. He didn’t understand English, but the taxi driver started to translate for me. We found out that his name is Emmanuel Otoo.

The taxi dropped us off at the hospital entrance and Natalie and I guided Emmanuel out of the car. The hospital was hell. I had heard stories about hospitals in third world countries but I never expected to be in one. Natalie sat down with Emmanuel and I ran back and forth with the nurses and orderlies. They kept giving me the run around. First I was sent to an office window, who then sent me to a group of nurses who sent me to a random doctor, who sent me to a man watching football/soccer on TV, who sent me to the office window again. Finally we got some paperwork for him and the nurses started to check his blood pressure and weight. They couldn’t fit the blood pressure cuff around his tiny arm and had to get another one. Then they asked him how old he was and he told them 16. One nurse started laughing but put 16 down as his age anyway. To me he didn’t look older than 10. But whatever his age, when he stood on the scale to be weighed my stomach dropped to the floor. He weighted 23 kilograms. Which we are guessing is around 51 pounds. While I had been running around, Natalie had an older couple translate for her. Emmanuel told her that his parents had divorced and he didn’t know where his father was. His mother remarried and his stepfather told his mother he could not take care of Emmanuel anymore and that she had to chose between him and her son. She put Emmanuel out on the street and he has lived there ever since. She asked him where he had been sleeping and he told her under taxis and cars. He also told her that he had diabetes. So when we told the nurses this they checked his blood and found he had a very high glucose level. They needed to bring that down or he would die. We followed the nurses and Emmanuel into the main building where they were going to have him wash up and give him the medication he needed. What a horror this building was, yellow lights above cast a dim glow over everything and patients sat on torn up chairs in a narrow hallway. Some were doubled over in pain others were screaming. Three beds were shoved into the corner with patients on them hooked up to IVs. The smell of urine and lime cleaner filled the air. It was just chaos. Nurses and doctors rushing by shoving people out of the way. There was Emmanuel, walking slowly down the hall to an empty chair, with only his brown pants on, tied up with a rope. His large rounded belly was sticking out slightly to the left, and his paper thin skin was stretched over his bony ribs, chest, and shoulders. I've seen kids like this on TV and in pictures, but having him right in front of me was something I don’t think I could have ever been prepared for.

When he sat down, a male nurse put an IV in his arm and hooked it to the wall behind him. Natalie and I sat on either side of him and watched as his arm immediately started to bleed and the medication started to drip out. I found out later that because he was so malnourished his veins had collapsed. We were trying to get the attention of a nurse or doctor, when Natalie gave her seat away to a very pregnant women, who was having contractions. Then on my left a man burst through the doors with a little girl in his arms. Her leg was bleeding and broken and the broken half of it was flopping around as he swung her to and fro trying to get help. A nurse put her in a wheelchair and rolled her in the busy hallway, bumping the doors and walls as they went. She then parked her wheelchair right next to me and left. So on our right we had a woman about to give birth and on our left we had a screaming bleeding child and in-between us sat Emmanuel, skin and bones and barely able to keep his head up.

Heavenly Father works in so many ways. We eventually got Emmanuel a bed and another IV. We found an orphanage near Kibi. They couldn’t take him in but they did get us connected with Ghana’s Assisted Aid. The social worker was very difficult to work with. We had to fight to get Emmanuel assistance. Everything was worth it, when the next day, Natalie and I went into the ward Emmanuel was staying in and saw him sitting up in his bed, in brand new clothes and a big smile on his face. I wasn’t sure he’d remember us considering the trance-like state he was in last time we saw him. But a teenage boy in the bed next to him told us he had been talking about us all morning and had been checking the clock constantly. The day before we had told him we would be in to see him around 3:00 when we were done with school. We gave him hugs and took pictures with him. He played with my camera a little bit and ended taking a picture of his legs. We stayed with him as long as we could, but we had to leave and be home for dinner. The teenage boy translated for us and we told him he was going to get the help he needed and he was safe now. He waved good bye with a smile on his face and Natalie and I left the hospital.

I have no idea what’s going to happen to him. But I will continue to pray for him and hope everything works out. I know I can not save everyone and I will not be naive in thinking I can do this again. But I am happy I had this opportunity to help.

I could go on forever about all the things that happened in between but I am out of time on this computer. I love you all and I know I am suppose to be here. I will blog again soon. I have so many stories to tell about my wonderful students and the improvement Richard is making in tutoring. I’m so happy to be here and I hope you all are well.

God's Hand

I've had the most amazing and crazy few days, I have ever had. I have so much to say I'm not sure where to start. Well first of all the hot plates we received broke because we didn't use converters to plug them in. Smart huh? So we went into town and bought this cooking thing we see all the Ghanaians using. Its like a metal box that is open on the top and on one side. It has four flat pieces of metal that come up from the top at an angle. In the middle of that, over the open top, is a grate. You are suppose to put the coals on the grate and rest the pot on top of them. Then use a fan made out of some kind of grass weaved together, to push oxygen up from the open box at the bottom to the hot coals. It actually worked really well once we figured out how to use it. That took a while. Anyway, we also bought some eggs and bread in town and we made French toast. Callie, our group leader, had brought some maplene, and we mixed that with boiling water and sugar, and made syrup. It was really watery, but it tasted like heaven.

Then that Sunday, myself and some other Mormons went to attend the Church of Jesus Christ church meeting in Kufordua. It was a 2 hour drive from Kibi, but it was worth it. When we arrived, we met with the bishop and the first counselor. They were so warm and inviting. We sat in the chapel and waited for the meeting to start. An electric piano played hymn music while every single member of that ward came up and introduced themselves. This ward was so much fun. When we sang songs, everyone sang as loud as they could. Half the room was off key and was singing to their own rythem, but that didn't matter. Then when the speakers gave their talks, they would shift from a thick Twi accent to just speaking Twi altogether. I would get a few words here and there but I mostly had to imagine what they were saying. Then after that the first counselor put us in the investigators class. Then we went into Relief Society where no english was spoken what so ever. It was an interesting experience and at the end everyone we passed made us promise we would come back next Sunday.

But the real amazing part of that day didn't start till we were walking through town trying to find an open internet cafe.

I'm going to have to leave that as a cliff hanger. I'm running out of time on the computer and I need to get home for dinner. I love you all and will have more time to email next week.

Rain, Rain, and more Rain

It's been a very stormy week. And when it rains here it pours! The rain drops hit the tin roof of our house so hard, you can barely hear yourself think. The good thing is, it only lasts for about 10-15 mins. Because of the heat, the roads have mist/steam that rises after a rain. It's so beautiful, but I can't seem to catch it on my camera. Despite the rain we continue to travel to the school everyday and teach our lessons. I love my class so much! I am now tutoring one-on-one with one of my students, Richard. He reminds me so much of myself. I'm pretty sure he has some kind of learning disability. I remember being in school and getting so overwhelmed I'd stop trying. That's where he is at right now. But when I'm with him one-on-one he really tries and wants to learn. I just hope I can get him ready for his exams at the end of term. Meghan also comes with me to tutor one of her 1st grade students, who doesn't know her own name. Its pretty overwhelming looking at all the students that need extra help. I have one girl in my class who seems to have the vocabulary and mind of a 5 yr old. She seems very unaware of her surroundings and has taken to following me all over campus. Once I finish teaching my math lesson I go over to Meghan's class to help her. As soon as I arrive in her room I turn around and there is Amposuah. Sometimes she is sitting at a desk other times she is waiting in the doorway. I'm going to try and tutor her on the days I'm not with Richard. I'll let you know how it all goes. I am very proud of the hard work my kids put into everything they do. They really are good kids and deserve the best. Meghan has found out how to upload pics so I might be able to post some of them soon. I 'm so excited to be here and have this wonderful opportunity. I'm sorry this is so short I don't have a lot of time today. I will post more later. I love you all and wish you all the best!
PS: For all you that asked about maybe donating things or money please contact Signs of Hope International. Their website is below
www.signsofhopeinternational.org
Thank you for being so kind and thank you for all the support.

A visit to Mampong

This last weekend we traveled 2 hours to the city of Mampong. Another school for the deaf is located there and we were to do a service project for them. While we were there we also met up with Curry Jones, the man behind Signs of hope. Together we cleaned the dinner hall with water and hay bound together with cloth. I can’t say we did the best job, because as soon as we were finished 3 other students went in after us and re-cleaned it. It’s the thought that counts I suppose. Later that day we went in to the market in 4 separate groups each with a list of items and a pocket full of money. We were buying supplies for students that couldn’t afford to pay for them. Meghan’s and my student is named: Philomina Asiedua, a 4th grader, Signs of hope is sponsoring. I was so excited to put that packet together for her. We also had a chance to meet with the students in the Mampong School. I know I shouldn’t have favorites, but Silvia, is by far my favorite. She is deaf and completely blind. Talking with her was such a wonderful experience. I had to use tactile sign language. I placed her hands on mine as I signed . We talked about school and why I was there, how old she was and what her favorite subjects were. She had such a bright happy personality; I could talk to her all day.

While we stayed in Mampong we were put into a guest house/ hotel for 2 nights. It was so beautiful! Clean and spacious, and there was a refrigerator! That means cold water. I had never tasted anything more wonderful in my life. Hehehehe I know its lame but I almost cried when I saw there were ice cubes in the freezer. Hehehe. The only problem in this house was there was no running water. I never realized how much I depended on it. If you wanted to use the bathroom, you had to go out to the well with a bucket it and fetch the water. But that wasn’t the worst part. You had to carry your now full to the brim bucket back to the house, while trying not to think about how much you really needed to use the toilet. One day a girl probably 5 years younger than me, took pity on me and took the bucket back to the house for me. I felt like such a loser. No matter how nice the Mampong house was, we were all ready to go back to Kibi.

Oh something I forgot to say in the first post. In my first week here I had already gotten 5 marriage proposals, 2 of which, men wanted me and another girl as a package. Two men on separate occasions have asked one of the boys in our group how much one of his girls would cost. Oh and they sell Obama Biscuit here! They are short bread cookies with the words “United Biscuit” written on them. The American flag and a pic of Obama’s face is on the wrapper. Don’t worry Dad I’m bringing one home for you.

That’s all for now, thank you for your prayers and well wishes. I love you all and will write again soon. If you have questions or comments, you can email me or just comment on this post. Thanks for reading!

Random Ghana Culture Facts

• Window shopping is considered rude. You must go into the shop and introduce yourself.
  
• When it rains, it’s perfectly fine to wait for it to stop on a stranger’s porch. It’s a good way to make new friends.
  
• Speed limits might as well be nonexistent
  
• PDA is unacceptable. I have only seen one man and woman holding hands since I’ve been here.
  
• Men hold hands with each other; it’s an expression of friendship and trust.
  
• Despite the PDA rule, wood carvings and sculptures can be very graphic.
  
• You can not hand someone something with your left hand, without saying “Excuse me” first. Meghan ran into some trouble at the bank when she handed the teller her money to be exchanged with her left hand. Nice one Meghan. Hehe
  
• Avocados are called Pears. This got very confusing when I was shopping in the market.
  
• They don’t peal oranges and eat them. They cut the top off and squeeze and suck the juice out. It’s way fun and less messy.
  
• Because I am a woman, I am not allowed to play soccer or even go to a game. We are trying to get permission to go to our students Deaf vs. Hearing game next weekend. We’ll see. (Correction)Apparently that is an old rule, and women are encoughed to go the the soccer/ football games. YES!
  
• Only the richest homes have carpet.
  
• Snails are not only huge, but they sell them for snacks everywhere.
  
• People almost never carry anything; they balance them on their heads. Some women can hold up to 50 pounds. I can’t even balance a paperback book.
  
• We have these monkeys that live in the jungle around us that sound like crying children. It is one of the creepiest sounds I have ever heard.

visa

visa
Originally uploaded by mattstevens123

Hello From Ghana!

Akwaaba!!!!!
That means “Welcome” in Twi. I am slowly trying to learn the common greetings here in Ghana. On my first day I was given my sign name and my Ghana name. My Ghana name Akwea was given to me by our tro tro driver and my sign name was given to me by Prince one of Natalie’s 2nd grade students. It’s the letter B hand shape patted against your cheek. Prince named me that because of how red my cheeks were. He thought it was hilarious. For anyone who doesn’t know, a name sign is given to hearing and deaf people by a deaf person. I’m so excited to finally have one its such an honor.

I am sorry it has taken me so long to post on this blog. The main server has been down in Kibi for a few days and the last internet café we tried to go to, made us pay the “white” price. Hehehehe I know that sounds weird. Anyway I absolutely love it here. Everyday has its own challenges but I love working with these wonderful kids. This whole week I have been working with my 4th and 5th graders on changing numbers into their written form. (8 = Eight) Today I gave a test and 90% of them got them all right! I was so proud! And the teacher I was working with got to see that I don’t have to hit my students to help them learn. As you might have read before some other volunteers and I had some trouble dealing with the methods of some of the teachers. In fact it got so bad yesterday that I walked out of my class while my teacher was beating my kids with a stick when they had gotten the answer wrong on the board, even though they had started to correct themselves. Everything worked out in the end and now my teacher is not allowed to administer punishment while I am teaching. But other than my teacher I absolutely love working at the school! Everyday as we arrive in the morning, the other volunteers and I are swarmed by hugs and smiles. We are the only ones the students can really communicate with. All these kids need is some encouragement. I told one of my students he did a perfect job on his work, and his face lit up like a Christmas tree. These kids make all the hard work worth it. I’m so thankful for this wonderful experience. I am learning so much! I definitely appreciate teachers a lot more. =)

My living conditions are not bad at all. As it turns out we do have running water, they just needed to fill up the water tank outside our house. I am pretty disappointed about the hot plate, but Curry Jones one of the founders of signs of hope is coming out for a visit this weekend and he is bringing one. Hehehe I can’t wait, tuna gets old. Meghan Smith and I are sharing a room and bed. She is one of the most hilarious people I have ever met. I love her so much! Whenever one of us is having a bad day we get my ihome out and we listen to her ipod. Taylor Swift really knows how to pick up our spirits. Every night a cook from the school makes us an authentic Ghanaian dish for dinner. I just found out today that the red sauce, an amazing sauce that they put on almost everything, is actually made out of dried up fish. The whole fish! I’m just glad I can’t see it. Every dish we have had has either had a whole fish or pieces of it floating around. Hehehe It has been very interesting.

Oburnee! Is yelled at us wherever we go. It means “white person”. Children especially love to yell it. Its not offensive its just that most of the people here have never seen a white person before. I feel I might understand what it might be like to be a celebrity. Everywhere we go we are watched. The other day we were at the bead market and saw a couple from Germany we all started yelling Oburnee Oburnee! Hehehe

Well my time is running out on the computer. I will write more soon now that the server is back up. I want to thank everyone who made this experience possible. I love you all!

Ps: Sorry for the spelling errors.

airport

airport
Originally uploaded by mattstevens123