Adult literacy and tea at the Ambassador's Residence

This morning I taught my first adult literacy class. Michelle, the usual teacher, could not come today so I worked with her class. Three students; Jonathan, Janet, and James. We went over the short 'o' sound as in 'pot.' I also forgot to check the math homework until the hour was almost over but James helped me remember. He is a fisherman by trade but has come to the Kathy Knowles Library to learn more reading and math. He also had one of Kathy's books, a book about the fishing village of Goi, where I will be headed next week. I very much want this book. All in all, I enjoyed the experience think I did a good job. I hope to have the chance to do this more in the future (wherever life takes me).

Yesterday, Heather, the wife of the Canadian Ambassador to Ghana was at the Kathy Knowles Library meeting with the parents of a baby who had just had an operation to fix a cleft palate. While she was here she invited Joana and I to a 'Friend's Tea' hosted by NAWA (North American Women's Association). The purpose of the tea was for NAWA members to bring a Ghanaian friend and to all share stories about what we are doing in Ghana. And even though Joanna and I are both introverts at heart, we saw this as a good opportunity to talk a bit about OCLF to women from the U.S., Canada, and Ghana.

The tea was held at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador. Beautiful house and secure grounds. Air-conditioning. Big beautiful dogs and a motorcycle parked right by the front door (does the ambassador ride?). Inside were very pretty women (no sweat, no frizz, no grime) who had prepared some delicious food for their guests. The chocolate cake and no-bake cookies were yummy and the BREWED (not instant) coffee was so very good (three cups for me, thank you). An extra treat was seeing Joanna's sister who works at the U.S. Embassy as a cook.

And, no, I have no pictures of the tea. Just like the wedding party in the Nima neighborhood, I felt that it would be too intrusive. I did have some thoughts while at the tea... I heard one woman say that she would have brought a Ghanaian friend but that she lives in a 'diplomatic bubble' and has met very few Ghanaians. Hmmm... I see thousands of people every day and maybe one is white. We must hang out in different social circles. Got me wondering about the social hierarchy of the international circle in Ghana-- Diplomats /Corporate Officers/ Ex-Patriots/ Peace Corps Members/ Volunteers/ Migrant workers (?). And what does the Embassy wife think when she meets the young tanned and scruffy Peace Corps worker? Does she see herself from the past or see a future Embassy wife?

I had a very nice time at the Friend's Tea and would like to thank Heather, Michelle, and Cathy for inviting me to several functions involving internationals in Ghana. They have given me a glimpse into a world I never thought I would enter. I am very much intrigued by the possibility of being an international aid worker or an ex-pat working in a university library outside the U.S.