Hot und Bothered: A Very Important Date

Yes, in 3 months I too will be making a sandwhich. On August 4th, I plan to be home, so who's up for a sandwich party by the beach?

Last week was my group’s COS conference, during which time we could choose a date to finish our service at our sites. So far, two out of the 24 people in my group decided to stay another year, while most of us signed up to leave during the month of August.

For months I have been indecisive on when would be a good time to leave. On the one hand, I need to get back ASAP to start working and paying off my student loans. Since I plan to teach, and school in the US starts in mid-August, it would seem logical to give myself a week or two of rest and readjusting before I jump right into a new job. On the other hand, leaving early means a rushed goodbye to friends, and of course Otumi. School in Ghana ends July 31, so an early COS would take away from leisure time spent with close friends in town. Leaving just after school ends wouldn’t feel right, and that is certainly not how I want to end my service.

I decided to be realistic and choose the one where I get home with time to rest before I dive back into the working world. The headmaster at my school felt that it was the right thing to do, and it would not have to feel rushed- once I knew a date, everyone in my town would know it too. After the phone call,I went back into the conference room and sealed my fate- Darren Fleischer: COS date August 2-4, 2010.

Of course I had my initial doubts- What about the computer lab and library? Will I be leaving too soon, right when things started rolling? Should I stick around and allow some overlap for a new volunteer if one were to come? We are also getting a new headmaster at the school, and I don’t know if I will get to meet him/her before I leave. So many times I had the urge to change my COS date to a later one, but in the end I felt like it was the right decision. If I stayed another month, I’m sure I would want to extend that another month and so on. I need to go back home.

Yesterday was my first day back at site after 3 weeks of being away for STARS work in Accra and conferences in Ho [Volta Region]. I decided to take a walk into town and greet all the people I haven’t seen while away from site. In retrospect, I should have taken a flashlight, because despite the small size of my town, a Big Greet can take ages. I live far from everyone, so going into town is like going to a pub where all the patrons know you.

The sky was blue and the sun told me it was fivish as I set out on my little Odyssey. On my way to the center of town, I had to stop and check on the progress of our computer lab and library- while attending conferences in Ho, the headmaster and a few others from town would call me and tell me how magnificent the computer lab looked. The building now looks so much better than when I left it 3 weeks ago; it now has windows, wiring, a finished roof, and a look that made it easy to imagine just how amazing it would be when finally complete. I was so impressed, I made up my mind to visit the assembly man on the other end of town to congratulate him on all his hard work.

The sky was a mix of gold and blue when I finally made it to the assembly man’s house. Along the way to his house, I chatted with many other people who happened to be on the main road; one guy insisted that I go to his house to see the remnants of a snake he killed at farm- a python, and from the looks of the dried skin, well over 10 ft. When I got to the assembly man's place, we chatted for a while until I heard thunder approaching, and I got out of there. I've had enough lightning storms for my time here.

Of course, I had to visit the chief before the Big Greet came to an end- not seeing him would be an insult. Unfortunately, my timing was awful, because when I popped in the palace, there was a couple pleading their case to the chief- this can best be described as a scene from “The Godfather”. I didn’t want to interrupt, but he caught sight of me and waved me in while he listened to the wife and husband. So I sat, watching the sky go from gold to black. When the couple was through and said their thank yous and good byes, I gave my greetings, reminding him where I went during the three weeks of my absence. During our conversation, I told him I plan on living in Brooklyn right when I get home, and he said he will be back in the Bronx for a visit in December. He lived in the Bronx for about 15 years, so you could imagine how easy it is to relate with him on how excited I am to live in NY, but at the same time how lonely it will be when not surrounded by all things Ghanaian.

By the time I left the chief’s palace, mostly everyone had gone to their houses. Aside from high altitude white lightning flashes, the sky and everything below it was completely black. No moon shone through the overcast sky, and thousands of lightning bugs made the long, lonely walk back home both eerie and difficult when trying to discern the road from the bush and puddles. Unlike most of the people in my town, navigating the road at night without a flashlight proves difficult for me. And it didn’t help that just an hour ago my friend displayed his +10 foot python skin, fresh from the farm.

The Big Greet drove home just how much I will miss Otumi, and the people I will say goodbye to in less than three months. By now, everyone knows my COS date. Second August. Hearing it from a friends’ mouth makes it more real, like their saying it gives it more form- the hugs, tears, promises of returning and writing and calling.

August still seems so far away, considering my projects in progress- STARS, the almost complete computer lab and library, and of course teaching my boisterous students in our last school term together. But really, all us volunteers know that this next 3 months will go in a flash. How inchoate my ideas were before leaving for Ghana! I never would have imagined how close I would become with my friends and students, and how aweful it would feel to be leaving. As much as Otumi feels like home, it isn’t. I know I couldn’t live here all my life, but I feel so welcomed, and the things I’ve grown so familiar to- going to farm, chatting with an entire town, eating food with random families- will all be lost when I go back to America.

While in Ho, we had a conference for all Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Ghana (there is a little over 130 volunteers in country). Sessions lasted from 8 to 5 for an entire week, but of course when not in session we got to catch up with friends, many of which we haven’t seen in months. Since my group is on its way out, learning about how to implement a project wasn’t what you’d call exciting. Many of the newer volunteers described up-and-coming projects, many of which are AIDS/HIV education related, and I felt impressed about the creativity and Ghanaian partnerships that went into each one. Speaking of creativity, the Peace Corps prom turned out to be a success, the best I’ve been to. I’d write more, but I’ll let the pictures below speak for me.

After the week-long All Vols conference, our group stayed four extra days to attend the COS conference. The COS conference is not only designed to mark the period where we accomplished almost two years of service, but also to discuss things like finding a job, readjusting to life in the US, saying bye to our friends at site, closing projects, continuing our service, and typing our final reports. But never mind all that- for the first time I got to see the music videos to Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance and Telephone. Holyjesusmotherofgodandallthingsgood. The first time many of us saw the videos, we just stared; sometimes we would glance at a friend to see their expression before gazing back at the projector screen. At any given point throughout the rest of the conference, you would hear someone singing either Bad Romance or Telephone. This might sound bad, but the music video for Telephone was made for the average male Peace Corps Volunteer. Sandwiches? Beyonce? What more could one ask for in a music video? After watching it for the 40th time, I’m wondering how appropriate it would be to show some of my friends in town- what would they think of the US?

In April, I got to meet Jack’s family, and watched as they were introduced to just a taste of what Jack and I have experienced over the last 23 months. It was great fun, and even though I don’t expect my own family to come, it was nice to see how the families of other PCVs reacted to Ghana humidity, local foods, and insects of all sorts.

Also in April, my students finally were able to purchase new jerseys for their football team. It took them three months to save up about 200 cedis ($140), but when the time came, the teachers put together a football match between the seniors from our school, and past students who are now in high school. Most of the town came out to watch the match, and my students gave them a good show. In the end, we won 3-2.

In March I went to Kumasi with my friend Georgette to get a full kente- the traditional cloth worn by Ghanaians for special occasions. There are a variety of kente colors and patterns, each one having a different meaning. For instance, the one I got is called “Nothing has permanence”. I wore it for the first time when I went to church for Easter. As a Jew, it felt awkward not celebrating Passover and instead going to church, but when in Rome……

To all you mothers and preggers out their: Happy Mother’s Day!!! I wonder if they celebrate that holiday here; I’ll have to ask someone in town tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who donated to the STARS project- we now have the funds to hold the conference. In June I’ll write an entry on how STARS went, along with pictures of the by then completed computer lab and library. Till next time!!!

Wine:

Jermann Venezia-Giulia Vintage Tunina 2006

Music:

Bad Romance- Lady Gaga
Telephone- Lady Gaga
Oh What?- Beastie Boys
Party In The USA- Miley Cyrus
Heart Of The City- Jay-Z
Snail- Smashing Pumpkins
On April 2- Headlights
Get What You Need- Jet
Mad Season- Matchbox 20
Punk- Gorillaz
In A Moment- Collective Soul
Poetry of the Deed- Frank Turner
Time Goes Back- John Frusciante
The Way I Are- Timbaland