A week in the life of...

Dear everyone,

Just thought I’d update you on what I’ve been doing these days. Here are some of the highlights from last week (Disclaimer: This is a massive post, so feel free to skip to the picture essay, aka. my week in a series of pictures). As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I went to the regional office to meet some regional staff in Wa last monday. I gave the regional director a quick run down of the initiatives that my colleague and I are currently engaged in. We are currently working on tying up some loose ends on the two initiatives that have been taken in the Upper West Region, masterminded by my former coach Suzanne, namely the farmer innovation challenge and the mofa innovation challenge. My purpose with the meeting, specifically, was to seek the feedback of the regional director on one initiative and to get regional support on a conference aimed at bringing together various stakeholders involved in the mofa innovation challenge, an initiative aimed at empowering district staff to identify problems facing their district and to come up with innovative solutions. The hope is for the ministry of food and agriculture to evaluate whether the initiative that was undertaken is worth while and effective and, if so, to take ownership over this initiative, an initiative that was initially funded and facilitated by us. I also had to meet with some other people at the regional office, but they were busy busy busy. I decided to stick around Wa for another day to get the chance to meet, and have a more indepth discussion with, one of the other members of the regional staff and to complete some other tasks. I have been interested in finding out about more about the support that our international development agency, CIDA, gives to the government of Ghana, specifically the ministry of food and agriculture. I was told that the regional office would be a great place to find out more, as they likely know more than those at the district level. I had a very fruitful discussion with someone there in preparation for a video I plan to make meant for audiences back home. I am currently in the midst of putting together a series of videos on a number of topics for the outreach that I’ll do when I go back home.

The next morning, I headed off to a village called Pina to meet with one of the field staff. The cell phone network in that community is oftentimes very poor, so it’s very difficult to get in contact with him. I lucked out last week when I met him at the monthly meeting. We agreed that I would make my way to the community and we’d have a meeting with farmers that day. I am currently undertaking this initiative (dare I say, program) that seeks to build the knowledge, skills and attitudes of field staff at the ministry of food and agriculture so as to improve their ability to help farmers with the marketing of their crops, an extension of the farmer innovation challenge that was undertaken in my district. The meeting went well. A meeting I had had the previous week with another field staff member had highlighted some challenges with implementation, enabling us to address these challenges the next round. We sat with farmers discussing with them how a specific crop flows from the farm to the consumer to examine what they are currently doing and could be doing at each stage. The aim was to facilitate a cost versus benefit analysis at each stage so as to enable farmers to potentially make more informed decisions. More broadly, we wanted farmers to feel empowered about the decisions that they are making, even if this exercise merely confirms what they are currently doing, to see that there exist many options for them to increase profit from their farms, and to see that marketing does not just occur at the end stage, when they are selling their crops. After the meeting I reflected briefly with my colleague, discussing how things had gone. He thought things had gone well and that this was of benefit to farmers. I think that there’s always room for improvement, so I look forward to the next round.

Thursday morning, I woke up bright and early to go to the field with one of my other colleagues. We went to go meet farmers in preparation for farmers day, a yearly event aimed at encouraging farmers to perform better, leading to an increase in food production. It was great. I learned a lot, as always, about farming and had a great discussion with my colleague about how he measures his success at work. Farmers were very generous with us. It’s their custom to give visitors something for their trouble. We got a wide assortment of goods, including a chicken, yams, sweet potato, plantains, and bananas. I got a proposal by another chief. When I returned to the office in the afternoon, there were a grand total of two people there. Here’s the thing about Sissala East – the district doesn’t compare to other districts in terms of staff, activity and so on, which is why I have two partners whereas other volunteers have one. There are only six field staff for the entire district and a total of 57 rural communities. That’s one of the challenges facing farmers here, a lack of access to extension services. This means that farmers in some of the most remote communities don’t have the privilege of having one of my colleagues visit them and help them with their agricultural issues. No field staff were there. Most of the other staff weren’t there either. Many of them had travelled. I lucked out by finding the WIAD officer (she’s in charge of women and agricultural issues). One of the things I have noticed in the meetings that I’ve had with farmers is no women – none! Women rarely attend these meetings and, when they do, they have to be prompted to participate. One way of addressing this challenge is to have meetings with women alone. I inquired about the possibility of doing that and she was on board. I look forward to doing that in the near future.

Friday, I headed to bugubelle. Representatives from the communities that ROWFAD works with came to bugubelle to hear about a project that is being introduced, a project aimed at improving rural housing. Every year, heavy rains tear apart the homes of people in bugubelle and similar communities, so this project is welcome. I was charged with the task of doing the welcome address and making farmers aware of the processing facility that ROWFAD is currently in the planning stages of. I had a great day in bugubelle. I was happy to see a lot of my friends that I haven’t seen in a long time. Unfortunately, because of my schedule I haven’t had the time to visit bugubelle nearly as often as I would like. I went around visiting the homes of some of my friends and chilling at my regular spot, eating some fufu (made from pounded yams). I lucked out because it was bugubelle market day. I went around chatting it up with some friends and taking their pictures as they sold their goods. I had an illuminating chat with an agent at a sub-company of a large company that deals with shea nuts. We had an interesting conversation about the shea industry, a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I learned about the different measures of wealth that exist in the rural communities, including zinc roofing, cattle, children and wives. I have been working on doing a video, gathering different perspectives on the issues of poverty, and this was a great addition.

I headed back to Tumu the next morning. I had planned to do some work on my laptop, but surprise, surprise, the lights were out! I did some other work instead. The day was pretty eventless.

On Sunday, I headed to Wa to meet with a colleague and discuss the next steps on some of the work initiatives that we have been engaged in. I took the opportunity to do some research for work and some other personal stuff on the internet and then met with her. The meeting was fruitful. We came to a consensus about the next steps forward, agreeing that the best way to achieve our aims was to schedule a meeting with the regional director and our district directors and present to them instead of having a conference. It was fascinating for me to see the way that she thinks, very different from the way that I do. It highlighted for me the fact that different people have different strengths, based on the way that their mind works and the work experience they have. My colleague, Liz, is a professional-JF, belonging to a professional chapter of ewb, whereas I am a JF, belonging to a university chapter of ewb, so there are naturally differences to the way that we approach our work. This meeting also reiterated the fact that good ideas are not enough. We have to be rigorous in our approach to ensure that we are on track, to see whether or not progress is being made. Applications for long-term placements (1 year of more) with ewb recently came out, prompting me to think about whether or not I might want to come overseas with ewb again. I definitely won’t apply this round. That’s not an option because I still have to finish my studies at the university of ottawa, but I wonder about the future. I wonder, will I be equipped, straight out of university, to come overseas again with ewb as a long term overseas volunteer? I once asked my coach, a long-term overseas volunteer about the transition between where I am and where she currently is, and how that came about. Her response was that I was there, at that point, that experience itself equips you. To be honest, I don’t think so. I realize that if I truly want to give ‘er – to make the most of the opportunity to be here and to have an impact here, to excel at that instead of just doing a satisfactory job – that there are certain areas where I have to build up my skills. I believe that the skills that my colleague has built up are some of the skills that I have to hone. I get good grades in university, sometimes excellent grades if the mood suits me, but I see university as just a means to an end. I think that’s one of the things that has to change for me. Intelligence, to me, consists of the store of knowledge that one has, as well as the ability to think critically. One way of building up that store of knowledge is to truly invest oneself in ones education, for the sake of learning, in the classroom. I have always placed a greater emphasis on opportunities to learn outside of the classroom, going to the multitude of workshops, conferences, panels, etc in Ottawa and experiences like this. I think that these things are incredibly valuable, but when I go back I definitely plan to invest myself (not just my money) into my education.

All in all, last week was a good week. To be honest, I kind of feel like a free agent – travelling from Tumu, to bugubelle and to Wa – constantly on the move. I love that feeling. I love being busy, the work that I do here. I love the autonomy, and at the same time, the support that comes with this placement. Reflecting on my activities reminds me that being here is what you make of it. Currently, I am working on several initiatives outside of work. Aside from that, I am trying to maintain a better balance between work and life – making time to see my friends, instead of being completely engrossed in work. I have been told that I have tunnel-vision sometimes and I’m sure that’s true. You should see me at exam time – as I’m sure some of you know, it’s not a pretty sight. Being here, and succeeding – whatever your definition of success is – means seeing opportunities wherever you go and seeking opportunities out and making things happen. Meeting the agent from the sub-company of a major buyer of shea nuts sparked an idea within me. I have been wanting to visit a fair trade co-op for some time. So, I decided to call up someone from the fair trade labeling organization in accra to find out if there is a fair trade co-operative into shea butter in northern Ghana. I found out that there is one, situated just a couple of hours from tumu. I have met a number of people in the shea industry (and with knowledge on the shea industry including a reporter with MetroTV who just did a story on it) and so I have decided to do a profile of the shea industry, comparing fair trade certified and non fair trade certified, to truly understand the impact that fair trade certification has on the lives of producers in areas where engineers without borders works. I'm really excited for that! Like I said, it’s all about seeing and seeking out opportunities. Luckily, that’s something I have much practice in. Nothing like being the exec in charge of public outreach and advocacy at your chapter of engineers without borders to prepare you to come overseas – doing something like that in a university setting means learning as much as you can to gain an understanding of the system that exists, networking with key players, being persistent, seeing opportunities others don’t see and taking advantage of that, and oftentimes making your own opportunities. Granted, university is a microcosm...

Picture time!


Farmer group meeting in Pina with Francis


In the field with Cosmos

Visit to Bugubelle (Some friends at the market)











"Group Foto," the two english words that these children know for now.


Eating fufu with some friends


Me in Tumu, brimming smile, fresh off a tro-tro ride. Don't know if you can see the dirt on my face and the mess on my hair - sigh, I'm going to miss that.

XO
Stacey

The adventures of a non-white white lady in Ghana

Lately, I’ve started to read the book “The Shadow of the Sun.” What can I say – it took me being here five months to bust open a book. Anyways, this book details the adventures of a polish journalist through the continent of Africa. Good book by the way. One passage, in particular, struck me, Kapuscinski talking about his experience of being white in Africa.

"Slavery, colonialism, five hundred years of injustice … it’s the white man’s doing. The white man. Therefore mine. Mine? I was no able to conjure within myself the cleansing, liberating emotions – guilt; to show contrition; On the contrary! From the start, I tried to counterattack: “You were colonized? We, Poles, were also! For one hundred and thirty years we were the colony of three foreign powers. White ones, too.” They laughed, tapped their foreheads, walked away. I angered them, because they thought I wanted to deceive them. I knew that despite my inner certainty about my own innocence, to them I was guilty."

It’s a similar experience for me being here. To the people here, I’m just another white person. Most of the people I meet here don’t recognize that I’m not actually white – that is, that the color of my skin isn’t white. That fascinates me. I have always considered my ethnicity, being Guatemalan-Canadian, to be an important part of my identity. Frankly, constantly being singled out and even discriminated against in Canada because of that fact left me no other choice but to take pride in the fact that I was indeed different from others, in my chapino heritage and to joke about the color of my skin with my friends. That’s a stark contrast from being here in some ways. Being here means being constantly singled out for being white – by the way I’m treated, by the comments people make and so on – and having certain advantages because of my whiteness. I’m slowly realizing that the perceptions that others have of me has actually impacted the way I perceive myself. I fear that I’m starting to forget that I’m not actually white. When I first arrived, I used to correct people, tell them that my parents came to Canada as immigrants to escape the violence and poverty in Guatemala – I guess as a sort of way of challenging the perceptions they have of white people and to let them know that, in my own way, I understand poverty. Beyond that, that my people – the Mayan indigenous people of Guatemala – have a long and painful history that involves slavery, genocide, injustice, the remnants of which exist to this day. Maybe I’m just deluding myself though, maybe I am white – I was born and raised in Canada afterall. Although I have never really felt Canadian (whatever it means to be Canadian) and have maintained a strong connection to Guatemala (where most of family still lives), who knows…

I recently met a woman who got the opportunity to travel to Canada for a couple of weeks through some sort of program at work. This lady went on a tour of Canada, visiting places that I have never even seen. Frankly, all I’ve seen of Canada is Ontario and Quebec. I was engrossed in a conversation with her, trying to find out about her experience and what it was like for her to come from a developing country, experience the comforts of life in the West and then travel back. She told me that it was nice and the people were friendly, that she’d like to go back some time but wouldn’t want to live there. She had met some Ghanaians who had travelled to Canada. They told her that they wanted to come back, but they couldn’t because of the pressure they felt from people back home. Frankly, her response didn’t surprise me. As the child of immigrants, I know how difficult it can be trying to make it, especially when you’re starting off, don’t know anyone and lack a formal education. Being here, I am constantly confronted by people asking me about the process of studying in Canada and getting a visa. I wish that they understood. When they ask me, I tell them the truth. Trying to make it in Canada can be tough. Getting there is only half the battle. I guess people have to discover that for themselves.

Stacey

Dear everyone,

I just thought I would give you a quick run down of my work week last week. After spending the weekend in Bugubelle, I travelled to Wa on Monday. My goal was to meet with the regional director of the ministry of food and agriculture to discuss next steps on a few work initiatives. As I was about to head to the office to meet with him, I found out that he was on his way out to attend a meeting in Accra and that he wouldn’t be back until next week. Bad luck! I was also supposed to meet with one of the staff members from one of the other districts to do so follow-up on some of the work that had been done in that district. But, when I called the man up, I found out that he wasn’t in town. Bummer! Instead, I ended up doing some research on the internet for work. Slightly disheartened from this less than fruitful trip, I headed back to Tumu on Tuesday in the wee hours of the morning to attend the monthly meeting at the office. At the meeting, I got the low down on what was going on at the district and got the chance to reconnect with some MOFA staff. Lack of electricity in “the village” (some of the field staff I work with live in the district capital, while others live in more remote areas) and poor network (arg… MTN) means that a few members of the field staff I work with are oftentimes pretty difficult to get in contact with (a challenge for the work I am undertaking), so I was glad to get the chance to talk to them in person. The meeting was really informative and hilarious, just what I needed. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud multiple times during the meeting at the dramatics. My district director, and others, are a riot.


The AEAs I work with

Wednesday, I was in the office. I met with one of my colleagues to plan for a meeting to be held later that week. Thursday, I went to the field with a team of staff to see the impact of a project being undertaken. We travelled to several of the villages in the district to speak with some of the beneficiaries. It was interesting to hear directly from farmers about how the project had impacted on their lives, and to hear their feedback for MOFA. Friday, I went to meet with farmers for this program that I am implementing with MOFA. This being harvest time for groundnuts, it is difficult to meet with farmers. If farmers come from a Muslim community, you can catch them on Fridays, as they come back from the farm to pray. I believe that the meeting was a success. It didn’t go perfectly, but it definitely highlighted some key areas that are in need of improvement for next time, so it was good.


We went out for lunch and drinks before heading out to the field. I just had to take our pic with the moto. I love riding on the back of that thing. Ofcourse, I always wear my helmet! lol

Highlights of the week include:

-Seeing a child’s first steps, which was bitter sweet. It made me realize the precious moments I’m missing. Sigh.

I saw Marouf's first steps, Aw.

-Meeting a pet monkey named Junior Precious who apparently likes to slap people around and steal little babies

Junior Precious. I really wanted to pet him, but I'm terrified of getting rabies.

-Sipping on some pito (local beer) with some friends and getting in the middle of a lovers quarrel. Awkward!

Me drinking some pito

-Finding out that there is a red-red place in Tumu. Red-red is a dish consisting of plantains and beans. I used to have to go all the way to Wa to have it, but now I've found a place just around the corner from my house

She's preparing red-red for me, mmm...

That's it for this week.

XO
Stacey

Is this, "development," something that I want to continue to be engaged in? That's a question that I've had on my mind for some time now. Two years ago I went to a conference on global citizenship at wilfrid laurier university. That conference changed my life. The people I met there, including an engineer on the mailing list for this organization called engineers without borders, inspired me. I just saw these incredibly intelligent people working to address this issue of global poverty. Woah. That was pretty exciting and I wanted to be part of the action. I always knew that this was the kind of work that I wanted to be engaged in, but I never had the courage to pursue that dream. I knew that being in Brantford wasn’t getting me any closer to that goal, so I decided in that moment that this was what I would do (although I didn’t exactly know what “this” was), that I would move away from the only thing I ever knew – the comfortable, the mediocre – to pursue this dream. I didn’t know what being involved in “development” looked like, where this dream would take me or what the prospects were, but I wanted it. I applied for transfer to a bunch of universities, receiving acceptances from all of them. I decided that Ottawa was where it was at. It wasn’t because of the program itself, or even the university. It was all about opportunities for learning that would better equip me to be engaged in this kind of work. I knew that moving to Ottawa was the right decision to make with my life, so I packed up my life in two suitcases and headed out. It was based on intuition.

I wanted it. I competed to be here, to have this opportunity, because I wanted it. I have been in Ghana for about five months now. Do I still want it? Is this, that is “development,” something that I want to continue to do with my life? I ask this question not because of the experience that I have had here, but because I think that it’s a necessary question to ask. I am here, I care, because of an innate desire to want to do something about the situation here, a desire that trumps any reservations I have about the role of westerners in development. That is intuition. A lot of decisions that have led me here have been based on intuition. I don’t think that’s good enough though. I think that there has to be an affirmative decision.

To be honest, I couldn’t imagine wanting to do anything else with my life, working on a more pressing issue. For sure, doing this kind of work is sometimes challenging. A lot of things are out of your control and all you can do is roll with it sometimes. It’s a push for even the smallest changes sometimes too. As an outsider, there are certain areas that you can seek to influence, but the most important things are beyond your realm of control or influence. That’s frustrating to deal with when you truly want to have an impact. At the same time, this work is really exciting. The potential for impact is exciting. The people that you work with are inspiring. Beyond that, every person that you meet is an opportunity to learn, to be enlightened. Sometimes I’m like a wide-eyed little girl here. I realize that there’s so much that I don’t know. That doesn’t scare me. It excites me because there’s so much to discover. Yesterday, for instance, I went to the regional office to talk with the regional director of the ministry of agriculture to discuss the next step with some work initiatives that I have been engaged in. The meeting went quite well and the director was very receptive. He said that he would connect me with someone in the office to help me further. As I sat there waiting, people came streaming in and out of the office. I got the opportunity to sit in on a number of meetings. I work at the district level, so hearing the perspective of the regional level was something new to me. I was floored. They were just incredibly open about the challenges being faced. At one point, the regional director cited chambers, talking about how the poor are invisible. In my head, I was just like, woah, he did not just do that (lol). I mentioned this experience because its experiences like this that just re-affirm to me that this is something that I want to continue doing. There are many reasons. Everyday that I am here, ordinary moments like this just re-affirm for me that this is something that I want to continue to do. Yeah, what a dork. LOL.

Stacey

So, how did I end up in Ghana?

Hello hello!

It's that time of the year again - JF selection time. Exciting. I can't even imagine who's going to be in my shoes next summer. Anyways, right now, I'm just encouraging people to apply, those people that I think are up for this challenge, the same way others at my chapter encouraged me to apply last year. It's funny, reminiscing, realizing how close I not came to not coming here. So, how did I end up here? Here's the low down...

I had been heavily involved with EWB for a while when applications for the JF position rolled around. While the opportunity to go overseas with EWB was what had initially attracted me to this organization, I was sure that I wasn’t going to apply. I didn’t know if this was what I wanted, if I was up for the challenge, or whether I even had a chance. At the same time, I thought to myself, I am the best person at my chapter for this placement… a feeling which kept this opportunity at the back of my mind. I was really fortunate in that I had so many people at my chapter, even one of the other applicants herself, encourage me to apply. Ultimately, I thought to myself, why the hell not? And, so, minutes before the deadline I reluctantly submitted my application. I was surprised when I got a call for an interview and even more surprised when someone at my chapter called me up to tell me that I had been chosen. I mulled it over for a couple of days and, still, I didn’t know what to do. I decided to call up someone from the selection committee, our past JF, and asked her why I had been chosen. I listened to her reasons. In the coming days, I consulted others too. That was it for me. Their faith in me, faith I lacked in myself, gave me the courage to come overseas.

To be honest, this JF experience has been chalked full of unexpected challenges. My placement has been an anomaly in many ways. When all is said and done, though, I’m glad to have come here and to have extended my stay for an additional four months. The reasons are countless…The belief, or rather hope, that my presence has resulted in some positive change. And, the challenges… man, the challenges. This experience has challenged me in ways that I have never been challenged in my life, least of all through school, and has encouraged me to be more than the person I was - Not to get all cocky, but I actually had a moment the other day, a moment where I just thought to myself, wow, I have really grown as a person. Being here has been a truly interesting experience… the people, the work, everything. It hasn’t all been good, but its been memorable! I don’t know how “well” I have done being here, but my colleagues (other JFs and LTOVs, my coach and others) seem to have immense faith in me and belief in the work that I am doing… enough faith to support my decision to extend my stay. I guess that’s got to mean something, right?

XO
Stacey

Life in Tumu, work update and interesting tro rides... ohhh, sweet life in Ghana.

Dear everyone,

Here's my update for the week. As I mentioned previously, I FINALLY found a place in Tumu, my district capital, enabling me to focus more on work with the Ministry of Agric. I've been living there for about 2 weeks now. While I’ll still be travelling to Bugubelle from time to time to work with ROWFAD, Tumu is now my home. Although the move was necessary, to be completely honest, I was not initially stoked about the prospect of living in Tumu. I loved village life because of the atmosphere and the people. As I’m slowly realizing, though, life in the district capital isn’t so bad. One thing that I’m still getting used to is people calling out “folie” or white person in the local language. That’s something I rarely got in Bugubelle, because everyone knew me by my local name. I LOVE the variety of food here though. In Bugubelle, my diet consisted strictly of porridge, rice and stew, and TZ. While this food is delicious, sometimes you just need some variety… and protein. Mystery meat in Bugubelle wasn’t really doing it for me, so I kind of turned vegetarian. Having electricity in Tumu also isn’t too bad. The only problem I’m facing is that there’s no borehole close by. Apparently, it isn’t advisable to bathe in well water. I found that out the hard way. After bathing one day, my head was really itching me. I scratched my head and discovered an insect soaked in (my) blood [shudder]. Aside from that, the nearest latrine is, unfortunately, a biohazard. As a result, I’ve had to get better at regulating myself and accurately timing my trips to the toilet.


In terms of work, I spent the week chasing after field staff for this program I’m implementing with the Ministry of Agric. I’ve been trying to go out with them to the field, with little luck. It’s harvest time, so farmers are busy, busy, busy. I know it’s going to be a challenge to meet with them. I did manage to have some good meetings with some of the field staff to discuss next steps and reflect on what we’d done so far. I also went with an employee from ROWFAD to visit some more chop bars (restaurants) and a school to see whether they would be interested in the products that are going to be produced by the processing center they’re working to establish and other relevant information.

After spending the week in Tumu, I went back to Bugubelle yesterday to pick up some things. I headed to Wa early this morning. I actually just stepped off a tro-tro from Bugubelle to Wa. I was packed in the back seat with three others. Throughout this trip (might I add, this four hour trip!) I had this rambunctious sheep stowed under my seat. All the while, I could feel this poor little sheep breathing on my leg, with his horns poking me and his head peering out underneath my legs (see picture).



My sheep friend... oh dear, I don't even want to think of what's in store for this little guy...



A tro-tro

At one point, I just had one of those moments that I sometimes have. One of those moments where I just think to myself, wow… this is Africa. Wow, I’m in Africa. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the situation. It was just too funny. Anyone who knows me knows my laugh… the kind of unadulterated and unapologetic laugh that makes some people cringe and others laugh, the laugh that my family and friends know (and hopefully love) me for. Everyone in the tro-tro couldn’t help but turn around out of confusion at this silly white lady. It was at this point that I expressed, with great enthusiasm and in a comical tone, “Entina Wiese” or Oh my god! It felt like one of those moments, lol. Really, though, I just love surprising people with my command of the sissale language. The reaction I get is always the same – disbelief that “folie” speaks their language. I love it.

Til next time!
Stacey

The let go point...

As I alluded to in a previous post, I haven’t been feeling so hot lately. I have just been confused over some issues at work and in life. I recently had a chat with one of the long term volunteers who gave me some great words of wisdom. I was narrating to him some of the challenges that I have encountered working with one of my partners. He advised me by telling me that there has to be a point where you realize that you’ve done all you can. You have to be satisfied with that, let go and move on. Rationally, I know that. I sometimes need to be reminded of that though. Maybe I just need validation that I am going down the right path. Anyways, this move to Tumu signifies my let go point, focusing where I can have the greatest impact, that is, the Ministry of Agric and realizing that I can only have limited impact with my NGO partner. It's tough for me to admit that and it somehow feels wrong, but I think I've been deluding myself for a long time...

I think that this idea of a let go point is as applicable in life as it is in work. There are just certain things in life that you can’t change. You can’t will them to be better. You can't do anything to fix them. You can’t let that get you down though. All you can do is let go, release it to some higher power. It’s not about giving up, but about taking ownership over your own life. Life is a series of choices, not just in terms of actions, but the way we live (approach) our lives. At times, I give myself over to thinking (too much thinking, grrr...) and become consumed by my own thoughts. Lately, I’ve just been thinking a lot about life, namely the mistakes that I’ve made, questioning whether we as humans are indeed the sum of all of the things that have ever happened to us in our lives. Earlier this week, I decided to just let go of all of that… to stop thinking in that way and to just be happy. I concluded that, regardless of the things that have happened in our lives, we can choose to be anyone we want to be. The person we are is constantly reinvented in our interactions with others. What matters is how we treat them. A friend once asked me what I was most proud of in my life. At the time, I was at a loss for what to say. That’s it though. The fact that I mean something to somebody, anybody, because of the way that I have treated them, that’s what I’m most proud of in my life. That’s why I always make a conscious effort to treat people well here. That’s why I greet everyone in my community, even if my friends make fun of me for it. To be honest, it isn’t always easy to be friendly. There are certain situations that are tough to deal with (on the inside. Don't worry I'm never in danger or anything!), for instance, having men on their motos stop you on the street to talk to you, or hearing the onslaught of hisses and “folie” as you walk down the street. I won't lie. The other day, I told off a police officer for asking me where I was going when he saw me waiting in a lorry. Smooth move, I know. Most times, interacting with people here makes my day. I just love having fun with Ghanaians and making them laugh. Apparently, I’m hilarious. A Ghanaian friend once told me that everything I do, the way I carry myself and speak, is funny. I'll take it!

As I speak, I am incredibly excited for life, more than I have been in a long time. I have enjoyed being here… [Sigh]…my first time in Africa. It’s been a pretty amazing experience, no lie, but this isn’t my life. I feel like my life is on pause at home and I’m excited to get back. I’m excited to see what life in Canada holds for me and to be around the people who care about me the most. For the first time in my life, I am ready to invest in a life in Canada and to embrace normalcy. I always thought normal = boring, but maybe not… Whatever the case, WEE…

XO
Stacey