Ghana (part one)

I hastily type this on my iPhone, the only blog entry I've ever done in-country. Maybe this says something about the brilliance of wireless technology worldwide, a celebration of globalisation. Perhaps.

I'm sitting in a room at Yiri Lodge, accommodation on the university of Ghana's campus and I must say it's much more swish than my old CMU days...air con, hot water, relatively bugless and no promiscuous, respectless roommates fornicating on the bunk bed above me. In fact, no bunk bed above me!

Alas, Africa's been awash with chickens, dust and an expectation-defying sense of optimism. I haven't even begun to process what I'm seeing and doing here so stories will have to suffice:

Scenario 1: stepping off the airplane after a free BA club class upgrade, two hours in the VIP lounge and several glasses of champagne. Stepping into an airport lounge built for 100 and crammed with the human contents of four 747 international flights and their affiliated baggage. 2.5(!) hours later, after squeezing through the toothpaste tube resembling customs, we made it to the other side. Welcome to Ghana.

Scenario 2: the first days of school. If Florida school system's layout met new York City schools' lack of resources, you have the posh making of our little school in Accra. Kids swept the dirt off the dirt in school uniform upon our arrival, a termite mound stood derelict in the courtyard and a boy with a drum began tappin away ushering his summer schoolmates into action. There was order and marching and quiet. It was a beautiful thing.

And then due to various debacles, 5 teachers showed up for the masterclasses we were running on the first day. But fear not, because a cohort 85 strong showed up on day two. And four hours later, I walked away buzzing from the first CPD I've delivered to adults. Who listened. And participated in soundscaping and making whooshing wind noises before applauding and thanking me in delivering a helpful session on teaching African poetry.

                                         

Scenario 3: stepping into an under marked taxi at 11pm with my fellow teachers and noticing that the driver has no keys. No worries, he hotwired the car and sped off down the road chasing a lead taxi through cracked windows going 60mph. Beneath our feet, the floor shook in opposite directions and an eerily close smell of petrol permeated the car. 3/4 of the way through the journey, our driver decided to turn the headlights on. When we stopped at a red light, our driver was forced to rehotwire the car. Miraculously, we made it back in our original forms. And it only cost ten cedi...

So I won't wax on and on but I'd like to mention that this place is pretty brilliant. And I've finally made Warwick University work for me. Hats off to Warwick in Africa, hats off to my generous sponsors and hats off to the extremely talented teachers I get to work alongside and the other group of talented teachers who let me talk at them.

10 more days!