HOLLY:
During the first week of school, most of the children don't come, so although we've been here two weeks, we've actually just finished our first full week of school.
Our first taste of school was an eye-opener. The classrooms are very bare, and the teachers work a lot by rote-learning. The children are always very friendly and eager to talk, but it can be overwhelming when thirty children are waving their books at you shouting 'Madam, finished, mark, mark!' I decided to teach Primary One, and have also volunteered to run the library. Although the first few lessons were a real shock, the teacher I'm working alongside, Madam Paulina, is very friendly and very eager to make an effort and improve her teaching. Her maths lessons are already proficient enough that I've decided to take time out from them. I'm hoping to use this time to do some smaller group teaching with some of the remedial students, so I'm getting very excited about how best to teach the ABCs! We moved the library from Namaskar House to the remedial room at school this week, and I've been decorating it with weekly themes. Next week is the grand opening, with the theme of animals. I've made posters and will make selections of books about animals for students of all the different ages at school.
At the moment, two past volunteers, Noa and Caro (who is the volunteer co-ordinator for the Ejura project) are here
reviewing the project and trying to improve the administration and general running of the project. They have decided quite recently to make it clear that volunteers are not teachers, but teaching assistants. We're here to support the Ghanaian teachers to become better teachers, which is far more sustainable and provides continuity for the children. They are also trying to set up a Girls Club at school. Based on another local school's idea, this would be a meeting one day a week for Girls at Namaskar School to support them if they choose to be abstinent to avoid HIV/Aids, or to provide honest information and discussion about sexuality and women's issues. Although the school only caters for primary and junior secondary school, many of the children start late or are held back in classes, so some of the older students are young women and it's a really valuable resource for them.
The storms here are amazing. Often, even on dry evenings, we see flashes of lightening in the sky. The rain usually comes in the early evening, when it's getting dark at about six or seven. They don't often last l
ong, but the downpour of rain quickly floods the village, and when the thunder and lightening are close, they are really close. Sitting out under the shelters to eat our dinner, with the power off and thunder cracking right above our heads usually gets us screaming with fear and laughter in equal measures. We've had a few power cuts. They are usually accompanied by a loss of running water, but it's quite cozy to sit out with the boys and the other volunteers with our candles and chat or play cards. The boys are all pretty much young men, the youngest is ten, the oldest has just turned 22. We've now finally learned all their names! Mahadev, Kwabena, Christian, Akwasi, Kwaku, Kwame and Setornyo, or Seto for short. No wonder it was confusing at first, the boys all have their African names, their Christian names and names given to them by Dada as Ananda Marga names. To add to this confusion, Ghanaians can also be named according to what day of the week they're born (my name is Yaa), and the boys also have some pretty scary gang names too, like CID, Kiss Killer and Sun Face. They love to listen to hip hop and like to act macho, but they are always falling over each other to help out if someone needs something moved or cooked or to offer their seat or the last portion of plantain crisps. We've become quite good friends with them now.
Since we arrived there have been three birthdays; Mahadev turned 22, Noa had her 21st, and Simon the cook turned 23. Whenever there's a party the neighbourhood kids come around to dance into the night, and for Mahadev's birthday, Dada Shivesh made delicious ice cream with coconut, banana and mango in it.
We've done a bit of travelling. Today we are in Nkoranza and have just visited the nearby monkey sanctuary. The tro-tros are getting rustier, fuller, bumpier, and this morning's one didn't seem to have the seats screwed on properly, but the rides are always jolly. This morning during an energetic conversation in Twi, a Ghanaian lady at the front helpfully piped up with 'Everyone! Please speak English!' so that we could join in.
Monday is a holiday, so there will be no school, but market comes to Ghana and I'm excited also to go and pick up my first custom made Ghanaian dress. Hopefully soon we'll be able to get some pictures up.
We're having a lot of fun and we're always busy. Love to everyone at home, miss you, and we'll update next time we reach the internet!
JACK:
Almost two weeks in now, at the time of writing at least. Because the internet is so slow I've decided to type are blogs up in the computer room at the house and then load them up when we get to a internet cafe.
Since I last wrote we've settled in to the Ghanaian lifestyle a lot more. I can now navigate the key routes in Ejura and know a few key phrases in Twi; stuff like “how are you?” and “where are you going?” and the appropriate responses. We've also started school which has given much more direction to our days.
Just before we arrived at the house it had been fitted out with a computer room and 18 computers, donated by a previous volunteer. This means the school will be able to run IT classes, the only school in the region to do this. All of which is great for the kids, most of whom haven't used a computer before, but less great for me as somehow I've been put in charge of the room and will be teaching each year group IT for the term. I'm not sure quite how this happened as typing this blog is about as computer literate as I get – I must have showed a bit to much interest early on. Still as long as I stay one step ahead of the kids I should be fine.
So far I've been going round all the classes giving theory lessons and its gone very well, surprisingly the children listen to me and seem to be picking it up quickly. I think it makes a nice change from their normal lessons so they are keen and attentive on the whole.
Away from the scho
ol I've been enjoying wandering round the town and the surrounding farm land. The other morning we got up at five to go for a walk, in the cool, to a plot of land the school owns. It was great. Everything is so green now the rainy season's started, and there are so many crops growing all round the town; cassava, yam, beans, maize, pineapple and best of all mango. I've eaten so many mangoes since we've been here. Its the month when they all become rips so whenever you walk under the huge shade giving trees you hear them fall to the ground all around you. There are lots of different types, but I prefer the small green ones as you can peel the skin away easily and they are as soft as ripe plums.
Well, enough talk about mangoes, I better go to my room and eat one instead. Hope everyone is well at home.
Love Jack
During the first week of school, most of the children don't come, so although we've been here two weeks, we've actually just finished our first full week of school.
Our first taste of school was an eye-opener. The classrooms are very bare, and the teachers work a lot by rote-learning. The children are always very friendly and eager to talk, but it can be overwhelming when thirty children are waving their books at you shouting 'Madam, finished, mark, mark!' I decided to teach Primary One, and have also volunteered to run the library. Although the first few lessons were a real shock, the teacher I'm working alongside, Madam Paulina, is very friendly and very eager to make an effort and improve her teaching. Her maths lessons are already proficient enough that I've decided to take time out from them. I'm hoping to use this time to do some smaller group teaching with some of the remedial students, so I'm getting very excited about how best to teach the ABCs! We moved the library from Namaskar House to the remedial room at school this week, and I've been decorating it with weekly themes. Next week is the grand opening, with the theme of animals. I've made posters and will make selections of books about animals for students of all the different ages at school.
At the moment, two past volunteers, Noa and Caro (who is the volunteer co-ordinator for the Ejura project) are here
reviewing the project and trying to improve the administration and general running of the project. They have decided quite recently to make it clear that volunteers are not teachers, but teaching assistants. We're here to support the Ghanaian teachers to become better teachers, which is far more sustainable and provides continuity for the children. They are also trying to set up a Girls Club at school. Based on another local school's idea, this would be a meeting one day a week for Girls at Namaskar School to support them if they choose to be abstinent to avoid HIV/Aids, or to provide honest information and discussion about sexuality and women's issues. Although the school only caters for primary and junior secondary school, many of the children start late or are held back in classes, so some of the older students are young women and it's a really valuable resource for them.The storms here are amazing. Often, even on dry evenings, we see flashes of lightening in the sky. The rain usually comes in the early evening, when it's getting dark at about six or seven. They don't often last l
ong, but the downpour of rain quickly floods the village, and when the thunder and lightening are close, they are really close. Sitting out under the shelters to eat our dinner, with the power off and thunder cracking right above our heads usually gets us screaming with fear and laughter in equal measures. We've had a few power cuts. They are usually accompanied by a loss of running water, but it's quite cozy to sit out with the boys and the other volunteers with our candles and chat or play cards. The boys are all pretty much young men, the youngest is ten, the oldest has just turned 22. We've now finally learned all their names! Mahadev, Kwabena, Christian, Akwasi, Kwaku, Kwame and Setornyo, or Seto for short. No wonder it was confusing at first, the boys all have their African names, their Christian names and names given to them by Dada as Ananda Marga names. To add to this confusion, Ghanaians can also be named according to what day of the week they're born (my name is Yaa), and the boys also have some pretty scary gang names too, like CID, Kiss Killer and Sun Face. They love to listen to hip hop and like to act macho, but they are always falling over each other to help out if someone needs something moved or cooked or to offer their seat or the last portion of plantain crisps. We've become quite good friends with them now.Since we arrived there have been three birthdays; Mahadev turned 22, Noa had her 21st, and Simon the cook turned 23. Whenever there's a party the neighbourhood kids come around to dance into the night, and for Mahadev's birthday, Dada Shivesh made delicious ice cream with coconut, banana and mango in it.
We've done a bit of travelling. Today we are in Nkoranza and have just visited the nearby monkey sanctuary. The tro-tros are getting rustier, fuller, bumpier, and this morning's one didn't seem to have the seats screwed on properly, but the rides are always jolly. This morning during an energetic conversation in Twi, a Ghanaian lady at the front helpfully piped up with 'Everyone! Please speak English!' so that we could join in.
Monday is a holiday, so there will be no school, but market comes to Ghana and I'm excited also to go and pick up my first custom made Ghanaian dress. Hopefully soon we'll be able to get some pictures up.
We're having a lot of fun and we're always busy. Love to everyone at home, miss you, and we'll update next time we reach the internet!
JACK:
Almost two weeks in now, at the time of writing at least. Because the internet is so slow I've decided to type are blogs up in the computer room at the house and then load them up when we get to a internet cafe.
Since I last wrote we've settled in to the Ghanaian lifestyle a lot more. I can now navigate the key routes in Ejura and know a few key phrases in Twi; stuff like “how are you?” and “where are you going?” and the appropriate responses. We've also started school which has given much more direction to our days.
Just before we arrived at the house it had been fitted out with a computer room and 18 computers, donated by a previous volunteer. This means the school will be able to run IT classes, the only school in the region to do this. All of which is great for the kids, most of whom haven't used a computer before, but less great for me as somehow I've been put in charge of the room and will be teaching each year group IT for the term. I'm not sure quite how this happened as typing this blog is about as computer literate as I get – I must have showed a bit to much interest early on. Still as long as I stay one step ahead of the kids I should be fine.
So far I've been going round all the classes giving theory lessons and its gone very well, surprisingly the children listen to me and seem to be picking it up quickly. I think it makes a nice change from their normal lessons so they are keen and attentive on the whole.
Away from the scho
ol I've been enjoying wandering round the town and the surrounding farm land. The other morning we got up at five to go for a walk, in the cool, to a plot of land the school owns. It was great. Everything is so green now the rainy season's started, and there are so many crops growing all round the town; cassava, yam, beans, maize, pineapple and best of all mango. I've eaten so many mangoes since we've been here. Its the month when they all become rips so whenever you walk under the huge shade giving trees you hear them fall to the ground all around you. There are lots of different types, but I prefer the small green ones as you can peel the skin away easily and they are as soft as ripe plums.Well, enough talk about mangoes, I better go to my room and eat one instead. Hope everyone is well at home.
Love Jack
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