My new home.

After a four-hour bus ride from Accra, I have finally arrived at my host project. It's in a city called Effiduasi, which is about 60km from Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region in Ghana. I also now have the 411 on what my situation will be for the next six months. (Btw - I can't even use the word 'situation' without thinking of Jersey Shore. Thanks MTV. Thanks a lot.)

First things first. Here's my contact information for those who want it.

Mobile: +233 05467 03716
Mailing Address:
Katrina Liu
American Cooperative Int'l School
P.O. Box 143
Effiduasi, Ashanti
Ghana

Effiduasi 411:
The city has all the amenities including a bank, post office, supermarket and two internet cafes. From what I can tell, the weather is a bit cooler too. At this time in Accra, I would be drenched in sweat. But currently in Effiduasi, my skin is only slightly clammy. Since it was Saturday, everyone was outside, lounging and hanging out. White people (obroni) do not come to Effiduasi so I got a ton of attention. Nevermind the fact that I'm not actually white, as long as I'm not black. Kids would follow me, calling, "Obroni! Obroni!" The girls couldn't believe that my hair could be so soft and real (i.e. no weave) at the same time.

Living 411:
My host family is the school director, Sekyere Boateng, and his family of five girls. I can't help but think of the Bennett sisters. Their home (and mine) is in a building right on the school premises so I have a short commute. I have my own room, complete with a full-size bed and mosquito net. My host mom cooks my meals. Yesterday I had fufu, a popular local dish. It's a spicy stew with different meats, accompanied by a sticky dough ball. It's good, but I'm still uncomfortable eating with my hands. Another teacher, Michael, was the one showing me around and I made him leave the room while I ate, haha.

But the best part is that I have running water in the house! This means there's a flushing toilet and working showerhead. No more lugging water back and forth in buckets. I am probably making my fellow volunteers in Accra jealous. (Hello Kath and Sal if you're reading this!)

Teaching 411:
The school is called The American Cooperative International School and is Kindergarten through Grade 5. It is the initiative of Alex Kamoa, a Ghanaian-American (or American-Ghanaian, not sure which), but he is currently in the States. The school follows an American syllabus with courses in math, reading and science. There's even a little computer lab, which is a big deal here. There are roughly 500 students with a student-teacher ratio of 50:1. It's obvious, then, why they need teaching assistants.

Retraction: Before coming, I thought this was an orphanage but it turns out my project description was incorrect. The students are indeed disadvantaged, but most have homes to go to. I also said there's a farm. There is, but women traditionally do not do manual labor so I probably won't be working in that capacity. Too bad, since I was kind of looking forward to building up my ploughing muscles.

Note: I have pictures to accompany this post but somehow the connection here isn't letting me upload them. I'll add them at a later time so stay posted.