Visit to the IPS, new construction site, and the Balme Library

On Wednesday I met up with Foster and we caught a tro-tro to Legon, an area just outside of Accra. Our first stop was the Institute for Professional Status, a small public university specializing in marketing, accounting, and global enterprise. (Click on hotlink or see page to the left for more details).


We also visited the new construction site in Legon for another OCLF Library. From what has been built already, the design looks very similar to the Nima Learning Center. Circular in shape with large pillars surrounding. Once again, the community gave the land and the OCLF is funding construction of the building.



And to finish up our trip we went to the Balme Library at the University of Ghana. A beautiful building with an impressive number of library staff, online databases, and special collections (Click on hotlink or see page to the left for more details). Foster and I ate lunch at the Bush Canteen, the university cafeteria where we both feasted on ground nut soup with fish. Foster ate his with a serving of banku, fermented maize and grated cassava tuber, mixed thoroughly and served with the consistency of bread dough. I also performed a social faux-pas by washing my left hand in the basin on the table. Think I am going to have to tie my left hand behind my back...

Fun times in Ghana

So, I am getting ready to write papers on two more libraries, the Institute of Professional Status and the Balme Library at the University of Ghana-- but first I would like to have a blog entry just about Beth and Fun in Ghana

Off the top of my head, some of the best times so far (in no particular order):


Breakfast / Dinner prepared by Joanna. She makes chocolate chip banana bread and oatmeal cookies. Now my family knows that these are two of my most favorite things in the world. The question is, how did Joanna know?

The lizard at Bridge House Hotel.


The bats in the Fort at Elmina.



The fishing boats at Elmina and Cape Coast.


Eric, the tour guide at Cape Coast Castle.


Flirting with farmers from Bristol.



Finding a coffee shop at Max Mart and getting jangled off two cups of coffee. Eating a Cadbury chocolate bar.


Deborah Cowley's (dedicated OCLF volunteer) fabulous book shelf at the Guest House (Coetzee, The Camel Bookmobile, Garcia Marquez and many African authors).


Having two dresses custom made for me by Mr. Charles, Joanna's tailor.


Going to church with Joanna.


The reception at the U.S. Ambassador's home, sponsored by NAWA.


Getting email and Facebook messages from family and friends.


The tro-tro ride back and forth from Nungua.

The big rainstorm at the Nungua Library and helping Abigail to rush and close the windows.


Teaching the adult literacy classes.


Getting to know the OCLF staff, volunteers, and children.


Venturing off by myself into the streets of Ghana.

Nungua Library

Monday through Thursday of this week I am visiting Nungua Library, also run by the OCLF in conjunction with the Nungua Municipality. The library was built in 2004. From what people have told me, the Nungua community approached Kathy to build a library in their area. Kathy came to look at the plot of the land they offered to donate and liked it. The library sits in a large complex surrounded by different schools, perhaps four different school housed in 7-8 buildings. The OCLF built the library on the donated land and the community agreed to pay salaries and utilities. One snag though, the Nungua Municipality has been slow to pay the salaries. Kathy has stepped in and gives small amounts to the staff in the interim.

The building is surrounded by landscaped grounds and has a small outdoor theater. Along the outside runs a very nice covered patio. As you enter, there is a place to put your bags, shelves on which to place your shoes, and sinks to wash your hands. Inside are high ceilings with exposed beams, orange tile under your feet, and good natural light coming in from the windows that line all the walls. The books are kept in low shelves along the walls or in bins in the center of the rooms.

My hostess this week is Abigail, the head of the Ningua Library. Abigail worked with Joanna in the Kathy Knowles Library for nine years before becoming head of the library at Nungua six years ago. Other staff members include Joshua, Latitia, and Hanna.

Abigail tells me that during the school break, the library can have 300-400 children a day. Activities include puzzles, story time, composition, bingo, and Bible study. Many older students and teachers from the area schools come to the library throughout the day to study and prepare for class. And something very cool, each day the kids quit what they are doing at 4:30, stack up the chairs and sweep out the library. This also happens at the Kathy Knowles Library and it is a wonderful way for the kids to take extra pride and ownership of their library.

Weekend Adventures II

Early Saturday morning I went to the Makola market with Joanna and Jennifer. Makola market sells to mostly Ghanaians as opposed to the markets that sell to tourists. It is a huge market spanning many blocks, stalls both indoors and outdoors. I looked at fabric and bought myself some indigo blue cloth and some batik cloth. My plan is to take them to Joanna's tailor and have him make me dresses. The dresses here are truly amazing, they fit your shape and are very flattering. Now, of course, I don't have much of a shape but I'm hoping the tailor is also a miracle worker. Joanna also bought some cloth and later surprised me with a new dress she had made for me. She is truly a generous and kind soul. I think later I will devote a whole blog entry just to her cooking.

On Sunday morning I went to church with Joanna and Jennifer. A large church with very high ceilings, many people in attendance. I was impressed by the singing and the fundraising for the community. I also enjoyed looking at all the dresses, trying to figure out what would be flattering on an 'athletic' build-- euphemism for flat chested and skinny.

After returning from church I headed out on a solo adventure to see the sights of Accra. Took a taxi to Jamestown Light House and then walked to the National Museum, the Nkrumah Memorial, the Cultural Center, and Independence Square. I have included photos of all the above sights in my Flickr photostream. I really enjoyed spending the hottest part of the day in the National Museum, looking at the exhibits on local dance and weaving, reading about the slave trade, and sometimes sitting just because there was a chair nearby. The gift store was my first sight of what tourists buy in Accra. Funny how everywhere I travel, there are always the prescribed items for the tourist to purchase. Here it is wooden carvings, beads, drums, paintings, and weaving (I'm sure I am forgetting something). And I saw much much more of all this at the Cultural Center, actually a large outdoor market for tourists. And to enjoy being woo'd and sometimes insulted by the market vendors themselves. Sometimes annoying, sometimes fun.

In summary, it was hot. I got sunburned. I bought five painted cards and some beads. Sunday was a good choice for walking the (now) quiet streets. I met a fellow traveler from the U.S. working with the Peace Corps but can't remember her name, like two ships passing in the night. The orange drink I bought and drank at the Nkrumah Memorial was the most wonderful drink I have ever drank.

(Above, Dancing with Nkrumah; Left, Outdoor mural at the Ghana National Museum)

Covering books, cleaning the library, and washing our hands

This morning Joanna instructed me in the art of covering books with plastic. Only two months ago I was receiving instruction from Greta back in the U.S. on how to laminate paperbacks to take to Bolivia. Covering the books here is so important in maintaining clean and functional reading materials. For someone who has never experienced life in an economically challenged country, the dirt and grime can be difficult to imagine. Ghanaians spend a lot of effort combating dirt and its effects. On Monday morning Joanna, Enoch, Foster, and I all washed every book in the Library, every puzzle, and every shelf. Joanna swept and mopped the floor.


Further efforts to combat the dirt attack is to remove our shoes upon entering the Library and placing them on a shelf. Then we go to the basin and wash our hands. Even these measures do not result in clean books. I consider myself to be a tidy enough individual but my notebook gets grimier every day. It's beginning to look quite impressive.

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.

Nima Learning Center

(Below) Taufic at the Nima Learning Center

Three evenings last week I visited the Nima Education Center across the street from the guest house. During these visits I spoke with various staff and volunteers about the activities, programs, history, and importance of the Nima Education Center. The Center was built in 2006, a joint project between The Osu Children's Library Fund and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). I learned so much about the Nima Learning Center I have written a separate 'page,' available on the left sidebar, underneath the Flickr photostream or by clicking here.

I want to thank Taufic, Michael, Martin, and Nathaniel for the time they spent with me and the wonderful conversations.