Time is flying by here. I can't believe that I only have a month left! We will be staying in Tamale for the next 3 weeks and then I am finished teaching and we will be traveling down to the Cape Coast. I know that these next three weeks are going to go by faster than I wish so I am spending as much time as possible with my students.
Our director took a video of me with the girls in my class. I do this "activity" with them about once a day to get their blood moving. Here is a snippet of why I love it here so much!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtUM_JGwG_k&feature=youtu.be
The ending is cheesy, but all Fred wanted me to say was "Hi I'm Jenny and I'm from America." So that's all I said!
Below are a few of the little victories we have had here this week:
Victory Number One: I took 8 of my girls to the internet cafe down the road. They are all 10 to 13 years old. They had NEVER seen a computer before. (Even though I know this it still surprises me when they do not know the words "mouse" or "keyboard" or "loading" or "Google" or "Facebook.") Anyway, I showed them how to turn it on, we went to the Google homepage and they all practiced writing their name and saying "hello." Then we searched for pictures and information about Ghana. Many of them had not seen a map of Ghana until that morning in class so they were really excited/intrigued to see all of the pictures on the screen. I also showed them my email and they were so amazed that you can actually talk to other people through the screen. I think they all had a lot of fun and the internet isn't such a foreign thing anymore. The true victory in this story is that three of the girls came to my house this morning and told me that they had gone to the internet on their own that night! In just 45 minutes they went from never seeing a computer to feeling comfortable going to a cafe on their own! It's events like this that make me want to stay here longer so that I could really have to show all of them all there is to see and learn and experience in the world outside of their village.
Victory Number Two: On Wednesday I had my afternoon class with 3 of the girls who are really behind in my class. The class on Wednesday went really well but I had to leave early. The girls noticed that we were ending earlier than usual and asked if they could come back the next day to have class again! Now, many of the girls here are very eager to learn. But these three girls often become discouraged because they are so far behind. They stop paying attention in class, resulting in them falling further behind, which leads to them not participating in class or enjoying learning. But after that lesson on Wednesday they each spoke up 3 or 4 times in class on Thursday! We had a follow up lesson on Friday afternoon (just the three of us) and by the end of the class they were excited and engaged and cheering when they got the answer correct.
Victory Number Three: I did the "human knot" team building activity with my older girls at the night class on Friday and they could not get enough of it. We also practiced speaking and writing in English by coming up with "Would you rather..." questions and answering them. For example, one of them came up with the question, "Would you rather have 15 children or 0 children?" It was a pretty even split with some preferring no children and some preferring 15.
Victory Number Four: We convinced another one of our house mates to come to the pool with us and he got in, put his head under, tried the breaststroke, and can move from his stomach to standing in the water comfortably.
I could keep going but for now I will stop. I will try to update again in a week. Hopefully I will have more victories to share!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
My Weekly Schedule
Hi All,
Sorry for the long absence. If any of you have emailed me I have probably (definitely) not responded yet because life has gotten ridiculously busy here! It’s still awesome, but let me fill you in on my general day…
6:45- Wake up
7ish-Drink hot tea or Milo (similar to hot chocolate) with bread and with jam and honey or eggs.
7:45- Walk to school
8:00-12:30- Teach English and Math
12:30-1:00- Walk home with the girls who always insist on carrying our backpacks. They love mimicking how we walk. So I’ll take really tiny steps, then suddenly take really big steps, then switch to hopping up and down backwards and they can’t get enough of it. By the time we arrive home we are usually thirsty, sweaty, tired, but happy.
1:00-2:00- Some of the girls stay at our house to drink water and play games. I brought out the memory card game (where there a pictures that each have a pair and you have to try to find the pair) and they love it. Who knew that one game could entertain 10+ girls for so long! While they play I either sit with them or we make our lunch. Usually fried yam, a noodle dish similar to Ramen, or peanut butter and jelly.
2:00-3:00-Ok, this one comes with a back story. Two weeks ago I told the class that if any of them wanted to work more afterschool with me one on one on the homework or other questions they have they should let me know. What I meant by “let me know” was that they should come see me after class and tell me if they wanted to work with me.) Instead EVERY girl raised her hand and said that she wanted to work more. Every single girl! And it wasn’t one of those things where because a few people raised their hands everyone felt that they should, they all sincerely wanted to do more afterschool. So, I decided to split them into 5 different groups and I work with 5-8 of them every day from 2 to 3. I split them up by their reading and math levels and have been reading picture books that we brought from home. They LOVE it. Some of the books are too difficult though. I assumed they would be at a 10-15 year old U.S. reading level but in actuality the Dr. Seuss book I brought is perfect. So we have been going through some of the other books slower. After reading I have been reviewing what I think the students that I am with need the most help on. With the advanced students I tried to have them write a short story. I do not think they have every been asked to write something creatively so they had a hard time understanding what I meant but it was relatively successful and they were really proud of themselves so that’s what counts.
3:00-6:00ish-Monday through Wednesday I go to my drumming lesson while the other volunteers go to the internet café or walk around town. Drumming usually goes from 3:30 to 5 (I’ve stayed till 6 a few times to watch the dancers practice but I am usually ready to switch things up after 5 and I’ll join the other volunteers. Thursday and Friday we go to the orphanage from 4 to 6. We change, bath, clothe, and feed the babies and toddlers. The more we go there the more enjoyable it is since we know the children’s faces more and know what comforts the babies more.
6:00-7:00 maybe go to the internet café. If not we go home and eat dinner.
As of last week from 7:30 to 10:00 we now are holding evening classes/tutoring sessions with the older girls who have left the elementary school we teach at for junior and senior high. For now we are doing these classes 7 days a week, but since that is pretty ambitious I think it will become a Sunday through Thursday night thing soon. I have really enjoyed working with these girls because they speak more English so it’s easier to talk to them and get to know them personally. Before leaving I think I am going to do a sex education night with them (eek! But it is completely necessary since they do not get the information from school or at home.) I also want to start taking more of them to the internet café. Four girls asked if they could come last week and 3 of the girls had never used a computer, not to mention heard of Google or Facebook or emailing. Honestly, it has been overwhelming to realize the extent to which these girls are cut out from information even though they want to learn (the fact that all of my 10-15 year olds wanted to do extra school every day is evidence of this). It’s heartbreaking to see just how much they are lacking because of resources. Hopefully I can come up with a plan/schedule/curriculum that future volunteers and the director here can use once I leave so that the girls continue to get follow up on Sex Ed and computers. There is just so much to do and teach and encourage and inspire and empower!
After 10: Sitting on the wall outside our house and enjoying a beer or cold soda, preparing for my morning lesson the next day, and finally, sleep!
Besides being busy with the kids here are a couple of gems that have happened recently:
-There is a new volunteer here from Germany. (There is another 23 year old male from Isreal, a female 19 year old from Germany, and now this 19 year old volunteer from Germany.) She is really nice and has convinced all of us to go running before school in the morning.
-Last Tuesday (the 6th) was Ghana's Independence Day. They celebrate in the morning when selective students from different schools in Tamale march in the main square. The students, famous actors from Tamale, soldiers, police officers, hair dressers, and seamstresses all march and compete.The girls at our school were not selected to march but they have been marching around the school in the morning singing the marching song for a week. I will forever have the song "Why are you marching so? Why are you marching so? Why are you marching so? Sixth of March! 1967. Ghaaaaaaana. Independence Day!" We met up with a couple of the girls at the march and sat with one of our host brothers. There were SO many people. The Vice President of Ghana was there and the entire park was packed with people and vendors. Pictures can't really capture how many people were there but if you imagine a field the size of a track with bleachers on each side and rows of people standing on the track that's about the size of where we were.
Also, thank you SO much for the donations so far! We have enough for my class (34 girls) so far and I know that a few checks are still on the way. Once we buy the books I will take pictures and post them so you all can see how happy I know the girls will be!
That's all for now. I hope you all are doing well. Thanks for reading!
Sorry for the long absence. If any of you have emailed me I have probably (definitely) not responded yet because life has gotten ridiculously busy here! It’s still awesome, but let me fill you in on my general day…
6:45- Wake up
7ish-Drink hot tea or Milo (similar to hot chocolate) with bread and with jam and honey or eggs.
7:45- Walk to school
8:00-12:30- Teach English and Math
12:30-1:00- Walk home with the girls who always insist on carrying our backpacks. They love mimicking how we walk. So I’ll take really tiny steps, then suddenly take really big steps, then switch to hopping up and down backwards and they can’t get enough of it. By the time we arrive home we are usually thirsty, sweaty, tired, but happy.
1:00-2:00- Some of the girls stay at our house to drink water and play games. I brought out the memory card game (where there a pictures that each have a pair and you have to try to find the pair) and they love it. Who knew that one game could entertain 10+ girls for so long! While they play I either sit with them or we make our lunch. Usually fried yam, a noodle dish similar to Ramen, or peanut butter and jelly.
2:00-3:00-Ok, this one comes with a back story. Two weeks ago I told the class that if any of them wanted to work more afterschool with me one on one on the homework or other questions they have they should let me know. What I meant by “let me know” was that they should come see me after class and tell me if they wanted to work with me.) Instead EVERY girl raised her hand and said that she wanted to work more. Every single girl! And it wasn’t one of those things where because a few people raised their hands everyone felt that they should, they all sincerely wanted to do more afterschool. So, I decided to split them into 5 different groups and I work with 5-8 of them every day from 2 to 3. I split them up by their reading and math levels and have been reading picture books that we brought from home. They LOVE it. Some of the books are too difficult though. I assumed they would be at a 10-15 year old U.S. reading level but in actuality the Dr. Seuss book I brought is perfect. So we have been going through some of the other books slower. After reading I have been reviewing what I think the students that I am with need the most help on. With the advanced students I tried to have them write a short story. I do not think they have every been asked to write something creatively so they had a hard time understanding what I meant but it was relatively successful and they were really proud of themselves so that’s what counts.
3:00-6:00ish-Monday through Wednesday I go to my drumming lesson while the other volunteers go to the internet café or walk around town. Drumming usually goes from 3:30 to 5 (I’ve stayed till 6 a few times to watch the dancers practice but I am usually ready to switch things up after 5 and I’ll join the other volunteers. Thursday and Friday we go to the orphanage from 4 to 6. We change, bath, clothe, and feed the babies and toddlers. The more we go there the more enjoyable it is since we know the children’s faces more and know what comforts the babies more.
6:00-7:00 maybe go to the internet café. If not we go home and eat dinner.
As of last week from 7:30 to 10:00 we now are holding evening classes/tutoring sessions with the older girls who have left the elementary school we teach at for junior and senior high. For now we are doing these classes 7 days a week, but since that is pretty ambitious I think it will become a Sunday through Thursday night thing soon. I have really enjoyed working with these girls because they speak more English so it’s easier to talk to them and get to know them personally. Before leaving I think I am going to do a sex education night with them (eek! But it is completely necessary since they do not get the information from school or at home.) I also want to start taking more of them to the internet café. Four girls asked if they could come last week and 3 of the girls had never used a computer, not to mention heard of Google or Facebook or emailing. Honestly, it has been overwhelming to realize the extent to which these girls are cut out from information even though they want to learn (the fact that all of my 10-15 year olds wanted to do extra school every day is evidence of this). It’s heartbreaking to see just how much they are lacking because of resources. Hopefully I can come up with a plan/schedule/curriculum that future volunteers and the director here can use once I leave so that the girls continue to get follow up on Sex Ed and computers. There is just so much to do and teach and encourage and inspire and empower!
After 10: Sitting on the wall outside our house and enjoying a beer or cold soda, preparing for my morning lesson the next day, and finally, sleep!
Besides being busy with the kids here are a couple of gems that have happened recently:
-There is a new volunteer here from Germany. (There is another 23 year old male from Isreal, a female 19 year old from Germany, and now this 19 year old volunteer from Germany.) She is really nice and has convinced all of us to go running before school in the morning.
-Last Tuesday (the 6th) was Ghana's Independence Day. They celebrate in the morning when selective students from different schools in Tamale march in the main square. The students, famous actors from Tamale, soldiers, police officers, hair dressers, and seamstresses all march and compete.The girls at our school were not selected to march but they have been marching around the school in the morning singing the marching song for a week. I will forever have the song "Why are you marching so? Why are you marching so? Why are you marching so? Sixth of March! 1967. Ghaaaaaaana. Independence Day!" We met up with a couple of the girls at the march and sat with one of our host brothers. There were SO many people. The Vice President of Ghana was there and the entire park was packed with people and vendors. Pictures can't really capture how many people were there but if you imagine a field the size of a track with bleachers on each side and rows of people standing on the track that's about the size of where we were.
Also, thank you SO much for the donations so far! We have enough for my class (34 girls) so far and I know that a few checks are still on the way. Once we buy the books I will take pictures and post them so you all can see how happy I know the girls will be!
That's all for now. I hope you all are doing well. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Books, Waterfalls, and Monkeys!
Hi all,
So much to say! So little time. How do I even begin to organize everything I want to share?! I guess I will stick to my default bullet-style update.
-Announcement-
We are trying to raise money so that each of the girls can have their own English workbook for school. It is $5 per book and there are 150 girls in our school. Right now the girls have notebooks and pencils. While this in itself is a blessing since they can practice in their notebooks and can copy down exercises or short stories, it is very time consuming (and wastes a lot of class time) when I have to write something on the board for them to write in their notebook so that they can practice reading. So...if any of you would like to help us buy books for the girls we would greatly appreciate it! If you send a check to my parents house made out to me, my parents will keep track of how much money comes in and then I can withdrawal the money here to buy the girls books. Any amount will help. If we cannot afford to get books for the whole school then we will focus on one class (my class has 34 girls.) Please do not feel at all obligated to donate! I just thought I would let you know in case anyone wants to donate.
As for what has been going on with Dave and I, this weekend we went to visit the Kintapo waterfalls and a monkey village! We organized a small bus to take us, two of our Ghanaian friends, two of the other volunteers who have been living with us (Christine from Germany and Nir from Isreal), and four other volunteers who we just met. It was perfect that the other volunteers could join us because it made the trip much cheaper and it was nice to talk to a couple of new people about their projects. We drove 4 hours to the monkey village and stayed the night there. In the morning we drove on a bumpy dirt road to the village. There were SO many monkeys! There are 2 different species of monkeys in that forest. One is small, friendly, and LOVES bananas and the other is big and black with big long tails. We fed the monkeys bananas, hiked in the forest, and climbed one of the 300 year old trees. One of the most interesting things about the visit is that the villagers believe that the monkeys are the children of the gods. So they see them as sacred. Therefore, when a monkey is sick or getting ready to die it comes to the village and the villagers bury and mourn the death of the monkey.
They waterfall was also wonderful. It was really nice to cool off. We even climbed underneath the waterfall! Getting down was a bit tricky but was well worth it. I will post pictures on facebook soon. Maybe in a week? Then I will try to figure out how to post pictures on the blog.
I was planning to write more but time has slipped away from me so I will try to update about school, the girls, the orphanage, and food next time.
For now, we miss you all but are still having a wonderful time!
So much to say! So little time. How do I even begin to organize everything I want to share?! I guess I will stick to my default bullet-style update.
-Announcement-
We are trying to raise money so that each of the girls can have their own English workbook for school. It is $5 per book and there are 150 girls in our school. Right now the girls have notebooks and pencils. While this in itself is a blessing since they can practice in their notebooks and can copy down exercises or short stories, it is very time consuming (and wastes a lot of class time) when I have to write something on the board for them to write in their notebook so that they can practice reading. So...if any of you would like to help us buy books for the girls we would greatly appreciate it! If you send a check to my parents house made out to me, my parents will keep track of how much money comes in and then I can withdrawal the money here to buy the girls books. Any amount will help. If we cannot afford to get books for the whole school then we will focus on one class (my class has 34 girls.) Please do not feel at all obligated to donate! I just thought I would let you know in case anyone wants to donate.
As for what has been going on with Dave and I, this weekend we went to visit the Kintapo waterfalls and a monkey village! We organized a small bus to take us, two of our Ghanaian friends, two of the other volunteers who have been living with us (Christine from Germany and Nir from Isreal), and four other volunteers who we just met. It was perfect that the other volunteers could join us because it made the trip much cheaper and it was nice to talk to a couple of new people about their projects. We drove 4 hours to the monkey village and stayed the night there. In the morning we drove on a bumpy dirt road to the village. There were SO many monkeys! There are 2 different species of monkeys in that forest. One is small, friendly, and LOVES bananas and the other is big and black with big long tails. We fed the monkeys bananas, hiked in the forest, and climbed one of the 300 year old trees. One of the most interesting things about the visit is that the villagers believe that the monkeys are the children of the gods. So they see them as sacred. Therefore, when a monkey is sick or getting ready to die it comes to the village and the villagers bury and mourn the death of the monkey.
They waterfall was also wonderful. It was really nice to cool off. We even climbed underneath the waterfall! Getting down was a bit tricky but was well worth it. I will post pictures on facebook soon. Maybe in a week? Then I will try to figure out how to post pictures on the blog.
I was planning to write more but time has slipped away from me so I will try to update about school, the girls, the orphanage, and food next time.
For now, we miss you all but are still having a wonderful time!
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