A Day in Peru - Breaking Barriers

After lunch comes the dishes. It is here the barriers begin to be broken. Smiles, laughs and tricks like splashing in the water begin to bring us together. This continues as recess follows our lunchtime. As I observe the boys I cannot help but smile and laugh as they are. Then little by little the boys run over, give me a hug and quickly run off to continue their game of soccer. The warmth I feel from the sunshine doesn´t compare to the new warmth I feel of the heart.

I realize…
I cannot speak to them, but I can give them a smile.
I cannot understand their questions, but I can give them a hug, and
I cannot help them with their studies but I can laugh with them as they all joke with each other.

The day ends with reflection and our excitement for tomorrow.

A tomorrow where I will continue to learn it´s not about what I cannot do, it's about what I can.

April 27th, 2010

Entered by Patty

Kathleen and I awoke to a knock on our door at 7am as we had overslept. We felt like teenagers being awoken by our mother but liked the alternative Esther came up with which was ‘sleeping beauties’. We dressed quickly, ate breakfast, and were at the construction site by 8am, only to be disappointed by the fact that the construction supplies had not arrived so there was no work to be done.

We quickly regrouped and headed off to the clinic to help out in any way that we could. Kathleen helped in the prenatal area watching expectant mothers coming in for their check up; many were excited at the prospect of being there for their first visit and some were nervous at the site of the needle for their tetanus shot.

Rob helped in the general patient examination room and his most memorable moment was when a young boy needed some meds and his grandmother could not pay for the medication. Rob happened to have a few cedis with him and was happy to make a contribution to cover these meds so the young boy could get better.

I helped at the registration desk and learned that anyone entering the clinic must pay three cedis if they don’t have insurance. The government insurance is only 14 cedis for the year so it’s a shame for them to have to pay 3 cedis for 1 visit. We also took their blood pressure, weight, and temperature, if necessary.

After our morning in the clinic, we went back to the Guest House and prepared for our afternoon computer lessons for the kids. Our plan was to review the previous day’s material and then give them all an opportunity to use the typing tutor software. I think they enjoyed the ‘hands-on’. We had about 20 kids which was a nice size group to work with. Rob also showed them the encyclopedia software and they loved looking up facts about Ghana.

After tutorials we stopped at the roadside café for a drink and Rob ran into a student from his grade 7 class last year. Dinner was potatoes with a chicken and gravy sauce which was followed by a lively discussion about American politics, debates on the merits of Facebook and favorite books.

April 26th, 2010

Prepared by Kathleen

Woke up bright and early and had breakfast at 7 a.m. - fried egg, porridge and white toast with pineapple jam. We headed to the school at 8 a.m. for our first morning of teaching computer basics. Patty wowed the students with all her technology… projector and laptops!! About 40 children (over age 10) showed up along with 6 or 7 teachers!! They were keen to learn more about something they have all heard about but have not used. Funnily, they have a computer component that they have to know for their high school entrance exam but have only learned about the hardware and software through texts.

The children crowded 2 to 3 to a desk, the older ones sitting in the back of the class. Very few volunteered to answer questions with the exception of a few keen and confident ones who always raised their hand. Each child had a chance to type on the computer and we learned that we need to hand out numbers so they can each take their turn in a more orderly fashion! The children are keen to return tomorrow to continue with their computer training and perhaps some creative writing or geography lessons.

In the afternoon we went to a fascinating local market… crowded, noisy and vibrant. Everything could be found there, from Kleenex and dried fish to dress makers and live chickens. A very different, hot and earthy world. Patty and I are having a dressmaker make some outfits for us for an incredibly reasonable cost. Our market visit was followed by a trek to the Volta Hotel for a glass of wine.

The real excitement happened just before dinner when Patty spied a HUGE spider on our bedroom ceiling. We (calmly) had to call in Philip to dispose of it so that we could sleep in peace.

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” Marcus Annaeus Seneca

April 25, 2010

Prepared by Kathleen

Patty arrived in Ghana safely Sunday morning and met Robb and me for breakfast at 8 a.m. at the hotel. We started our journey to Senchi Ferry at 9 – Esther, her son Yaw, niece Sarah, Patty, Robb, the driver and me.

Along the way we saw many beautifully dressed Ghanaians on their way home from church.

The highlight for me was seeing some baboons trying to cross the road.

We arrived at the St. James Guest House and quickly turned on ALL the fans and air conditioners, unpacked our clothes, and met with Esther to over our goals and commitment to working together as a great team!!

In the afternoon we attended a welcoming ceremony at the Palace hosted by the Queen Mother and a number of village elders. There was an oral telling of the village history and Scnapps were poured at the feet of the elders as a traditional gesture of welcome and prayer of thanks to the ancestral host for our safe journey. This was done with intriguingly loud chanting or “noise” in Twi. We concluded the ceremony with sodas and then ventured over to the new library. I think this was particularly exciting for Patty and Robb, who had worked on it in the early stages a year ago. Incredible to see the progress and BOXES & BOXES of books!!!

Had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner with Amo (Esther’s assistant) and finished the evening with a glass of wine and a game of Sequence. I triumphed with unquestionable skill and just a little luck. (-;