(Spencer) Karaga - Canada Say it Five Times Fast

Hello again from the Getaway to Africa

(I’ve been bad and haven’t kept up with the posting so recaps a plenty!)

May 24

This was an exciting day that marked a transition in my time spent in Ghana this summer.  Awoke early morning at 5am at the guest house in Tamale and quickly packed my overly large backpack.  Ran out to the road and caught a taxi with 3 others into the heart of Tamale.  We were driving to the metro station so that we may diverge to our individual placements for the summer.

On the way to the station Elmira and Tanya got out to attend a meeting in Tamale before they departed. Kaitlynn and I dropped at the metro, got ripped off by the taxi driver and proceeded to purchase tickets to our respective Districts. Hers was scheduled to leave at 7am and mine 12:30pm, why ever did I get up so early was my thinking…

While waiting together at the metro mass we bought fried egg sandwiches and let me tell you; these are serious sandwiches, just like an egg sandwich with onions and tomato like in Canada but with a huge piece of bread fried down into something very thin, delicious. I crave these everyday here in Ghana but seemly cannot buy them in Karaga, or at least I haven’t yet found them in my wanderings

Its 8am now and I know it is safe to call the District Coordinating Director of Karaga, an abbreviated version of the conversation goes as follows;

Spencer-“hello director, it is Spencer from Engineers without Borders calling”

Director-“ah ha, yes, it is good to hear from you”

Spencer-“I will be arriving to Karaga today around 3:30pm. I will go to the guest house than come to the district assembly”

Director-“ah ha, call me when you arrive in Karaga and I will send someone to pick you to the district assemble so we may meet”

Spencer-“yes Director, I will call you when I arrive, see you soon”

Director-“it is good to hear”

What to do for 5 hours while waiting for the bus? Meet with my very awesome friend, Kofi, at his African crafts shop.  Giant pack on my back and looking like a fool I set foot to his shop at the cultural center.  We play games (the one with the stones and holes, I forget name) for a few hours, and talk about Ghana. He sets me up with a shaker thing, it’s a pair of large nuts with seeds inside that are attached by a rope, it is played by holding one nut and knocking the other about. It has been a huge hit with the children.

12:30 rolls around and the bus has not yet departed, by 1pm I have left Tamale and am on my own. On the bus I meet a man, Abuba, he works in the neighbouring District of Geishegu at the Ghana Health Service Department. He is very passionate about public health and shares many stories of working in the office. He has worked in Geishegu for the past 4 years and his family lives in Tamale. His role within the department is to ride a moto to communities to collect data and information about their sanitation facilities.

Something he is very excited about is the return of Community Led Total Sanitation to the district and Ghana as a whole. He gave me a run down on 3 years ago when the project was in Geishgu, many villages were triggered however without the necessary resources there were no follow-up visits and as a result none of the communities were declared open defecation free. This time around he expects that with the previous experiences that at least 4 communities will be open defecation free.

Abuba however will not be at the department this summer as he will be pursuing additional studies in addition to his degree, and will be specializing in public health in a 3 month course. Subsequent to this initial meeting on the bus, we have become good friends and often talk to each other on the phone. Something I have come to value is people who don’t just want you to bring them back to Canada. As the summer progresses I will give some updates on the course of Abuba’s schooling and hopefully be able to provide some examples of what he is learning.

3:45pm and the bus arrives in Karaga. One step of the bus and a group of children quickly swarm, grab my bag and start asking where I am going. I say the guest house and they frock forward to direct me. A short walk later and we arrive at what I discover to be the missionary’s house. I arrange a room and give the children something small small. Next, call the Director.

Spencer-“Hello Director, this is Spencer from Engineers without Borders, I have arrived in Karaga”

Director-“Hello…what you are in Karaga! I am in Tamale”

Spencer-“What you are in Tamale? You said to come to Karaga”

Director-“You should return to Tamale right away and stay with us until Monday, the DCE, DPO, DDCD, are here as well”

Spencer-“Umm..this is surprising, there is no bus tonight, but I can return on Wednesday”

Director-“That is good, come to Tamale so we may meet”

.

Frustrating to say the least. I learn that in the time between the first conversation when he was in Karaga at 8am he and other district “big men” had all traveled to Tamale to celebrate African Unity Day which was the next day. Confusion all over and a major introduction to “Ghana time” where things do not go as planned and one must roll with the punches.  As I will further learn, people come and go from work with nearly no warning and that it will happen very commonly throughout the summer.

In the end I stay in Karaga and communicate it to the Director. My first day of work will now be Thursday, and I will meet these men the following Monday.

Spencer