Well, I'm back in school for the first term of this year, and things have been very busy. I've already traveled south twice this month, and I'm going to do it again in less than ten days. I'm more than 16 months into my Peace Corps service, and things are starting to change--I have more responsibilities, and projects that we've all been working on for the last year are finally starting to happen. In the coming weeks, I'm going to be writing a new grant for my school to re-start their poultry farm, and that will occupy all my extra time as we head into 2013.
This cat really doesn't know that she lives in Ghana. Inside of her temperature-controlled diplomatic residence, she can rest easy, and is very happy for the extra attention I showered upon her while I was in Accra.
My finished mural in the Primary 1 classroom. I had to keep all the imagery high off the ground because the little kids destroy everything (and I'm not exaggerating). There are already lots of nicks in the lower part of the wall. Next, I'm painting the rest of the classroom with fruits and vegetables, etc.
I've been taking portraits of my students so that they can grid them and scale them larger and make self-portrait paintings. This is Sheeda, a real star in JHS 1.
Recently, I attended two different events with my students. This is a picture from the Multiple Disabilities Peace Corps workshop. While the teachers and volunteers learned about strategies for working with students with multiple disabilities, two students from each of our schools learned how to be HIV Peer Educators.
This is my student, Anass, and his interpreter, Armstrong (one of my all-time favorite Ghanaians).
This is my student, Sheeda, explaining why she likes having me at her school. Joe Bee (in the background) put all the students on the spot, telling them to talk about us as volunteers.
Sheeda and some of my fellow deaf ed volunteers.
Joe Bee telling a story and Armstrong interpreting. Joe Bee is the recently retired PC Education Program Director.
During the workshop, a woman living with HIV talked to the group about her experiences.
My student, Anass.
This was a really cute cat, and of course I had to have my photo taken with him.
During the workshop, we traveled to Jamasi School for the Deaf to do a day of practicum and HIV peer educating. Here, I'm teaching a P6 class how to make a pencil case. This day made me very thankful that I have my own classroom.
Anass is helping me.
My two students, Anass and Sheeda, after a hard day of teaching.
Some of the students we brought to the workshop.
All the workshop participants (including me with a heavenly glow upon my head)
Sheeda receiving her certificate for participation (I will never understand why this formality is so important in Ghana, but it is more important than anything else that happens at a workshop).
oh my!
paper bag puppets!
My closest neighbor, Diana (another PCV), brought a new student to my school, Fatima, a young deaf girl from her village who has never learned sign language. This is her first day of school. Diana is a superstar volunteer, who rode to Savelugu and back multiple times with Fatima sitting on the back of the bicycle to finish all the formalities of enrollment, including having a doctor shine a flashlight in Fatima's ear and declare her deaf. (And can you believe Diana's dress on this bicycle??!! She is truly integrated.)
Who wouldn't want this girl to get an education? Look how excited she is! Can you believe her parents kept her at home until this day?
My neighbor, David, taking the goats out to their grazing positions.
This bug looks exactly like a leaf.
Diana, Fatima, and Fatima's baby brother. Her mother (not pictured) came to visit the school one day recently, hence the baby brother.
I also accompanied ten of my students and three other teachers to the eastern region for a deaf spelling bee at Demo Deaf in Mampong. I had been training the students for the last several months for this opportunity. This is a picture of my students visiting Tetteh Quarshie's cocoa farm, the first Ghanaian-owned cocoa farm in Ghana.
cocoa
Bash, seeing a cocoa plant for the first time.
I love this photo----we took the school bus to the eastern region, 13 hours each way. The students had a fabulous time.
Aburi Gardens. It reeked of colonialism, but had lots of interesting tree species, including a cinnamon tree. None of the teachers had ever heard of cinnamon (!!).
very large tree at Aburi Gardens
My girls inside of a tree that had rotted from within.
At the spelling bee, prepping with the other teachers.
students from Demo Deaf
The spellers in their t-shirts provided by Indomie (you know, the cheap noodle packets?)
Some of my 'kids'.
The judges.
My two boys representing the upper primary, Yahaya and Bash.
Some kids from Koforidua Deaf, fingerspelling the word for the sign they had been given.
Scoreboard
My school took first place! I'm so proud of them!
Kwabena and Foster, competing.
JHS competitors
All the competitors.
My school, SaveDeaf! Don't worry, Ghanaians have a hard time smiling in photos, but they really are happy.
First prize---three boxes of noodles!
Yeay, my school also took second place in the JHS! And only because the host school cheated and gave their students the words in advance. For example, who could fill in the blanks in this word in less than 20 seconds: "_a_n_t"? Well, the host school knew it in about 3 seconds. Hmm, more than a little suspicious. They got every fill-in-the-blank question correct without even a moment's hesitation or thought.
The whole school enjoyed some Indomie noodles.
This is the son of a Peace Corps driver, and his name is Donald. He's a student a Demo Deaf. I sought him out while I was there, and he was thrilled for the attention from the strange white lady.
Looking back to July, this is another picture from the Deaf Leadership Camp. I'm still trying to get my hands on all the photos that were taken there.
