Wednesday, August 20, 2008

End of Vacation, Beggining of a Beautiful Friendship, and Continuing Thoughts of "Work"

So didn’t really take good notes or write hardly anything in my journal for the second half of that trip, and for that matter, neither did Kelsey, so maybe she can help elaborate on this last Africa tour section. But I’ll start it off…

When last we left our intrepid voyagers they were in Cape Coast trying to escape the over-turned bush taxi which was quickly sinking into crocodile infested waters… at least that’s pretty close to my memory of most bush taxi rides. So from that miraculous escape we moved on to Takoradi (non-descript factory and market town) and past, to a string of little villages which have become somewhat of a resort destination: Dixcove, Busua, and a couple of other little places, but it was the beach in Busua where we spent most of our time.


Initially, we were going to head to a different little town with a resort that came highly recommended: the Green Turtle Lodge, an ‘eco-friendly’ place with close ties to the local culture. Sounds great right? Too bad that as we get to within 10km (taxi stop in Busua), we see a sign saying it’s full. A little disheartening after an entire day of travel, but we decide to stay the night in Busua and try again the next morning.

First night there we stayed at our normal type of place for this trip: small, pretty cheap, and decidedly somewhere people on a Peace Corps budget could get by. But since our experience with the bed-bug infested room in Porto Novo I think the budget travelling had started to wear on Kelsey. After that night of so-so accommodation we were going to hit the Green Turtle, but decided it was a better idea to call ahead instead of just going out blind, so we went down the road a little further and found the enormous ‘white elephant behind the wall’ Busua Resort. Definitely a step above the rest of the places on the stretch of beach it had 10 foot high walls, security… and AIR CONDITIONING everywhere. Wow. Place for big spenders. Call the Green Turtle from their phone and it’s full. It’s full until well after we want to leave the area so what to do? Why not have a couple of days of luxury? And so we got a room at Busua Resort and IT WAS AMAZING. By US standards it wasn’t very expensive at all, but not some place people from the town could ever stay (or with the security ever be allowed to visit, which isn’t so bad when it’s the rasta beach bums hawking merchandise who are kept away). I was kinda put off at first with staying in a place so removed from local life, but I did enjoy it. Private beach, pools, bars, good food. It was definitely the highlight of my trip, especially I would say…

...The night I proposed. I had been trying to find a perfect moment the whole trip. I think I was waiting for a band to fall from a rainbow stretching over us in the sky, birds singing, children laughing, and champagne waterfalls. I was putting too much pressure on myself to make it perfect when, being in Africa and not in control of birds or bubbly, it was never going to be. Nothing ever really is I would say. So after another great relaxing day in Busua (our second I think), we were walking back from dinner at a place farther up the beach, the moon was shining, the waves crashing on the empty beach. I thought ‘quit being a chicken and just do it already, you both want to say it, want to make it an official promise to each other, so just get to it,’ and so I did. It wasn’t the most romantic or perfect moment with me stumbling over exactly what to say (though I’d tried out a hundred different ways in my head) and also stumbling on the sand when I kneeled down to give her, well, the same ring she had already been wearing, but it felt right and perfect in the moment. One point about the ring: it’s a special ring to me and even though I understand when she says she wants a real engagement ring at some point, I think she knows that the love that went into making that one was great and meaningful. I don’t know if ya’ll want to be reading this type of stuff and I won’t get all too mushy, but I’d like to say that I’m very happy this has happened and I’m very much in love with her, and though this year has been hard, especially on her, that we’ve both gown and I can see how even our relationship has matured over this time and distance. I mean, we’re engaged. Feels pretty great I have to say.

Kelsey, cause I know you’ll read this: I love you and am very happy you said yes, but the planning is really up to you, my one request is an open bar and maybe a live band (budget allowing).
As far as the rest of the trip is concerned, after Busua it was more like transit back to Niamey. We stayed a night in Kumasi, which is a city I actually rather liked. It was far smaller than Accra, but had just as much good stuff and restaurants. Then it was on to Ouaga on an overnight, 20 hour, bus ride (again drum corps preparing me for Africa). Again not a bad place, Ouaga has movie theaters, a bowling alley, and pool tables in some bars. Think I'll have to come back, maybe for the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou or FESPACO), perhaps the best African Film festival.

Then it was on to Niamey and Kelsey's flight home. At least we'll be getting back together for christmas in Paris.

I must say that having traveled around Africa outside of Niger for the first time I can really appreciate that Niger is not the standard to measure Africa by. In many ways West African countries are very similar, especially in the way people act, but Niger is definately a couple steps behind in terms of development. Kelsey was shocked at the trash that littered Niamey's streets, I was used to it, and so when we saw other cities I really expected the same, but most aren't littered up, or at least it isn't as bad. Really comes down to 'can we pay people to pick up trash' because people would willing do it if it means steady pay. 'Can we setup a trash collection infastructure?' These are things Niger answers no to. Maybe this is right as money is needed for other things like health and education, but then you think, why do the mayors in Niamey need big old SUVs to drive around in? Couldn't that money be better spent? It's just Niger spreading it's thin resources, other countries can do the same, but have more to spread around.

It is nice to be back though. Just crossing the border from Burkina and hearing Zarma again made me feel at home. The thing I like best about living here and the Peace Corps approch is that I feel very much a part of the community most of the time. Knowing the local language is extremely useful and I had no access to that in southern Benin or Ghana, though I did run into a couple of Zarmaphones at times in unexpected places.

So now that I'm back... well it's back to work, or the thought of it.

1) Student government is now on the table again, but not in my original conception, it'll be more keyed to Gaya and I'm not going to worry about the big, money eating conference I had originally wanted to do in Niamey.

2) MJC library is my next stop today. Thanks to the donations of books from the Dihns, my parents and grandparents, and an NGO, Darrius Book Aid, we're ready to start catologing and shelving the many english language books we've collected. A big Fonda Goy to you all!!

3) Radio work. Just did a show yesterday on the amazing Moringa (Windi Bundu in Zarma). A great way to reduce malnutrion around here. I eat it with everything and so should you!!

4) This school year I'm going to try and be more involved with the english classes by going in each month to read to and chat with the students in a way of helping them learn english from a native speaker and maybe increasing their interest in learning the language and maybe school in general. Reminder to myself to do a post on the differences in US/Niger teaching styles.

5) English text books for my middle schools. This is a hard one.... I need YOUR help to get it done. I'll be plugging it when I get back to the states and see my friends, since most of them don't read this blog, but I still have $5994 to raise before Peace Corps will release the money to me. It would be great to have it by the start of the school year, but that's coming up way too quickly, so by the New Year is my real goal. If you have any ideas about groups I can approach to ask for donations please let me know. They're all tax deductable and on-line easy to do. Check it out, thanks!

6) Live and learn here. Can't say enough about how much of a job it can feel like just to live here. Ask Kelsey about how long it takes me to move from one side of the town to the other with all the people I have to greet, but I do enjoy it and think it's opening my mind a lot.

Oh and not to make this post any longer, but.... Did any of you catch the other day that McCain said "one thing is to expand opportunities for national service - the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, neighborhood and community organizations. You see, I think after 9/11 we had a golden opportunity to call all Americans to serve the country - not just to tell them to take a trip and go shopping. And I think they would have responded. I think they will still respond."? Don't want to turn this into a political blog and I by all means don't support him in place of another un-named candidate (who, by the way, also supports expanded PC), but if a republican can say that, could the next president, whoever he is, please get us more funding and support?!?! I mean our budget just got cut 7% this year alone and that makes it all that much harder to do our work and live here.

Wow, too much to say. Congrats if you made it all this way through, especially without pictures (bad connection here, but hope to add them next time i'm through Niamey). Nice to be back. Great to be engaged and now y'all know the latest in my life.