poets and prophets

2007-03-26T01:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning…

I thought I would make a quick post to update whoever reads this. Life is great. There is really so much to say that I don’t know where to begin… I have been working hard but living large on the weekends. Although I am staying until mid-May, placements officially end in two weeks, so all the Trent-in-Ghana students will be re-grouping back in Accra. We have our papers due and our presentations in three weeks.
I have really settled in here, but my goodness I look back on the beginning of the trip and I have been here a long time. I shouldn’t have started thinking about it… I hope you are all doing well, I am thinking of you, Daniel.

2007-03-05T05:34:00.000-08:00

2007-03-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

Hello, here are some recent pictures…

I am going to make the descriptions quick as I don’t have much time to write. One is of my house mate Shama and I on the beach in Ada, we walked the beach for five hours Saturday night to search for sea turtles with a marine biologist who has been tagging them for the past 7 months. Unfortunately the only turtle we saw was dead, but we still got to see the entire cycle of a lunar eclipse. Another picture is of Maria and I with Fred and his new wife Judy at their wedding a few weeks ago. Fred was the one that I worked with researching for the USCRI; he has become a great friend of mine here in Ghana. Another picture is me in my office at the UNHCR. The last is of a few of my friends from my old community Madina. I should have a few stories in the near future as tomorrow is independence day, 50 years of independence for the oldest African independent country. The party is going to be insane.

2007-02-28T09:25:00.000-08:00

A quick note while I decide how to spend the rest of my evening…

This is to fulfill the promise that I would write something wholly positive, without sarcasm. Yesterdays events…

After a day at work in front of the computer, I headed over to Dustin’s place to say hello and chill out for a bit. To my surprise, when I arrived he had a house full of children that were over watching a video on his sweet television and stereo set-up. After letting Dustin tell me about all that is going on in his life and how ridiculous it is, he went into the kitchen to make out with his girl (not really) and I was left with the 10-12 10 year old kids. Before long we were counting things on the walls, giving high fives and singing a few small songs. Once we realized that our singing really wasn’t that good, we got Dustin’s I-pod hooked up to his stereo and started playing some tunes. Of course the dancing started almost as soon as the music, and before I could really think about how this scene contrasted with the rest of my day in the office, we had a full-fledged dance party going. Dustin came back to join myself and the children and show off his newly acquired dance moves that he picked up from “Africana”, a dance group he hangs out with. We were sweating, (I honestly cant think of a time outside of my office that I am not sweating), hollering, egging each other on, copying one another’s dance moves, and just letting it loose. After about 6 songs we decided that it was time to eat so I yelled, “everyone give me a high five as you go out the door!!” and the children excitedly lined up and left in a hurry as I cheered them on. I could have wrung all the sweat out of my shirt and pants but I just left it and continued on as if nothing even happened. It was a nice dose of reality and the possibilities that each moment has.

2007-02-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

Hello, I just wanted to put a quick post before the weekend, so here it is…

It is cloudy and cool today, wonderful. It rained the other night and the morning was damp and refreshing, a nice break from the intense heat we have been experiencing here. This evening I plan to meet up with Alex, Shama, Gill and Holly to have a few drinks on a roof top in Osu, it is going to be a much needed break, a time to clear my head a little.

The trip to work every morning is quite grueling, over an hour in stop and go traffic crammed into a trotro with on at least twenty others who are also beginning their day with the sun rise. It is chaotic and peaceful; chaotic because the drivers like to drive on the shoulder or take back routes through quarries to avoid the traffic, and peaceful because it is so normal that most of us on the van/bus sleep through it all. My mind of course does not like taking breaks (or it does but it just doesn’t know how to yet) so I read or listen to lectures or music to pass the time. I just finished a book by Jamaica Kinkaid, (sp?). For all those who took IDS 100, she wrote “A Small Place”, which was a required read in the class. The book I just finished, entitled “an autobiography of my mother”, was really depressing and I do not recommend it. Anyway, my eyes hurt from looking at this computer screen so I am going to make a to-do list for the weekend and then take off. I hope all who read this reads it in good health, have a great day, Daniel.

2007-02-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

"what's with the last post on your blog? surely five retarded Internet cafes alone aren't going damn you." -- written in an email from my bro, Aaron...

I need to apologize for the last blog, I hope no one took it too seriously. I really didn't think people read my blogs often, but this one assured me that you guys are on the ball. I was having a really bad day but writing the blog made me laugh so I think it was worth it.

I also need to clear something up about the blog I wrote before that. I tried to write to tell everyone that I am having a good time and am really not depressed, but still my great friends made comments to encourage me that I will be home soon and I should just enjoy myself. I am not counting the days until I get home, I am having a great time and this experience is having a very profound impact on my future goals. The bottom line is this: I can't remember a time in my life that I wasn't extremely hard on myself and I didn't get waves of depression. It is part of my character. This is not a good thing, but I am working on it. I also have good reason to be having a hard time, although this doesn't mean that I want to escape it and come home. I just finished a survey with Fred that is meant to be the voice for 58,000 refugees in this country. Our task was to report on the refugee situation and follow up on the promises made by the UNHCR, the Ghanaian government and the international community to make sure that the refugees are receiving their rights and have been assisted towards finding durable, sustainable solutions for their future. But when all is said and done, how do you make sure that a refugee that has fled extreme violence can move on in their life with dignity? Refugees have had the one thing that I want back (a place to call home) taken from them for good. At the moment I personally hate the part of the bible that tells us to bare each others burdens because I can't do it without giving up on this thing we call life. I saw the film "Blood Diamond" the other day and this line really stood out to me, "How could God ever forgive us for the things that we do to each other?". So we can either go on with our lives or let this become a nuisance.

I apologize for making you uncomfortable. Overall I would say that I am in good spirits, but only because I am learning to live "unhistorically"; I am learning to detach myself from the realities of our history and our actions and am convincing myself that another world is possible, I am doing the little that I can as I wait for paradise, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven".

Again, I sat down to write something really positive to convince everyone that things are great, but I think I have failed. Next time I promise I will write about the power of love and communal living, it is everywhere here and I can't get enough of it. Or maybe I will write about Samuel, a little boy who comes to say hi almost every time I go out to catch a taxi. Last time he was playing with a tire so we rolled it back and forth for a little while, another time he had a radio so we danced for a few minuets. Ghanaians love seeing ubrunis (white persons) dance. I promise you that I don't go around moping all day, if I saw you we could sit down and have a good laugh. (except the jokes but be really awkward sarcasm based on harsh realities, like "don't do that around here or you will get lynched!" -- street lynching is on the rise in Ghana, and because it is so extreme one of the defense mechanisms we use to deal with it is to joke around like it is entertainment or just to crazy to be real).

There is so much more I could say, but I am afraid that it might have to wait until we can sit down with some tea or a beer. Thank-you for reading, on one hand I hope I don't depress you and on the other I hope you don't avoid reality in fear of getting depressed. You are loved, Daniel.

(I am begining to dislike blogs because they give such a narrow idea of what life is like. Life is beautiful, in our dreams and in reality. I needed someone who had nothing compared to what I have teach me that.)

2007-02-07T03:10:00.000-08:00

this is the fifth fucking internet cafe I have been to and all i needed to do was download a simple fucking document from my email account to do the final editing. i am going to kill someone and then cry.

fuck off, daniel.

2007-02-05T04:11:00.000-08:00

this is to preface the last post.. I have a feeling that I might sound a little down in it so I want to say that I am doing great. I have also been getting the feeling from some people that they feel that I am having a hard time; I won't deny that there are days that I get frusturated and homesick and suffer from moderate depression because of it, and there are also many times that I am so overwhelmed with everything that is happening around me that i really dont know what to feel. But overall I am doing great, I really really love what I am doing and learning and I can see myself doing it for a good chunck of my life. Ghana is absolutley beautiful and I am soo thankful for this experience. Thanks for your concern, Daniel.

2007-02-05T03:47:00.000-08:00

More has changed in the past four weeks than I would have ever imagined. First off, my placement with RESPECT began by conducting research for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Fred and I began researching full time to collect the information and data needed to write the Ghana chapter for the 2006 World Refugee survey, a publication by the USCRI. Regretfully, the report has not been sent out yet but will be within the next few days. At the moment I am waiting to see a doctor to get a “certificate of good health” so I can submit it to the UNHCR; it is the last of many documents that I have to submit to become an intern at the office, where I will begin full time tomorrow or Wednesday. I will be at the UNHCR Regional Hub for West and Central Africa doing research in the resettlement department. I also moved into a new, beautiful home (yes, it is so beautiful that I can call it a “home”) with my good friends Shama and Holly. I hate writing about this sort of thing on a blog because it is so impersonal, but Stef and I broke up as well. So, lots of change in one month, I will keep you updated on the next few months in Ghana. Honestly, I am really damn tiered so I hope next month is a little more tame, although I see that as highly unlikely because I am really going to have to produce some great work at the UNHCR. I remember a quote from Martin Luther King, “I have so much to do today so I better spend two hours in prayer instead of one”.
Peace, if you can find it, Daniel.

2007-01-08T01:24:00.000-08:00

Pictures...

They are all pretty straight forward -- the first is Stef and I overlooking the Savanah in Mole National Park, the second is Stef on the canopy of a rain forest in Kankum National park, the third is us with elephants at Mole again, and the last is us on new years in Busua. It was hard to pick four pictures out of the many I took but I think they give a good idea of the diversity of our trip. Enjoy.

2006-11-27T00:50:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post..

Everything is going well. I am still trying to decide which NGO to work for, I now have three potential placements. I am a little bit of an NGO player, I just move around and get to know every one a little, and in the end I will pick one. Ths weekend I did a canopy walk in a rain forest, it was incredible. I also went to an ancient slave trading castel; I stood in the dungeons where the slaves were jammed and looked through the only window that let light and air in. Trying to imagine the desperation and fear that was in the eyes that have looked through that hole in the past is too much to comprehend. My mind is constantly trying to come to deeper understandings of reality, I need to approach all the pain and love without any creating any illusions to make it easier; it is easy to avoid really letting the heavy stuff sink in because it is too intense. I fear reality. Life is nuts, but so is love.

2006-11-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

I am trying to remember what I wrote last, but i cant. I think it was short... I am doing well, this class has been quite interesting. Last week we did a short study of the success and/or failure of the capitation grant (a grant given to all public schools in Ghana) at a school just North of here, it was a really great experience. This development stuff is actually really easy. (Anyone who has been keeping in contact with me would smell the stench of the sarcasm in that last sentence, while others may just read on without thinking anything of such an obsurd idea). I also went to Ada Foa this weekend, the waves at the beach were so big that they sounded like thunder, but we swam anyway. Along with going to the beace, I visited a small community on an island in the Volta river. This community had around 100 inhabitants and no electricilty or gas powered motors. For an anthropologist of European origins like myself, it was quite the experience. Thankfully I remebered my camera and note pad. (I still have a hard time freeing myself of all the negative images I have of white people going into new communities, but I try to convince myself that my motives are pure and harmless). Have a great day, Daniel.

2006-11-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

Tamale is beautiful. There are much less people on the streets and more room to ride bicycles. A few of us rented some this morning and we took off to the market. Weaving through people with my hands off the handle bars and a smile that I couldn't avoid, I felt a freedom that I haven't felt in a while. I am out of time on this computer, but have a wonderful day.

2006-11-02T00:57:00.000-08:00

I have now completed two full credits. The time here from now on will be different; I won't have the strict class schedule anymore. I am starting a new class next week, in Tamale. We will be starting the 12 hr drive north tomorrow morning and we won't return until next friday. Tonight I am going to the Canadian High Commission for a Canadian's in Ghana get-together, it should be interesting to meet some other people who are here for many different reasons. I need to go, I will tell you about the trip when I get back. As they say in Ghana when you leave, "I am comming" (so you know that I will return).

2006-10-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

the last blog...

was a little jumbled, I wasn't even planning on writing anything but it all just came out and I posted it without reading over it, I apologize for the redundancy and the incomplete thoughts. I think the blog actually represents my thoughts well; they are often so scattered that I need to edit my work multiple times just to try to figure out what I am thinking. Maybe I am just writing an apology for my lack of writing skills because my girlfriend is an English major, it puts a lot of pressure on this whole blog writing thing. What if she realizes that I am not as cool and smart as she thought? See, so much to think about, so much pressure. I need to go for a jog; that always clears things up. Thanks for reading, and I will work on a new post at home and get it edited and proof read, hopefully I can write something intelligent next time.

2006-10-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures; Maria and Kiki at the falls, the Paramount Chief in Drodre, and a fisihing harbour in Jamestown. I just went to Jamestown yesterday, we paid a local to give us a tour of the fishing community, I would never wonder through there on my own. It was a wild experience, being in the presence of such poverty makes me try to figure out how to react. Povery and the lives of these people is much more than any academic can explain. I have been trying to bridge the gap between theory and poetry; between understanding the quantitative theory and the heart and soul and pain behind the matter. It is easy to distance yourself from the heart of the matter by convincing yourself (to some extent) that this is just how it is and there is little we can do in the grand scheme of things. But when you understand that these people want to be in love and want their children to be successful just like everyone else it is hard to feel distant. Comming to grips with reality is in a sense becoming a martyr; common things like splurging don't come without a guilty concience. Don't get me wrong, I really believe that we need to do the things we love and do things for ourselves to stay joyful and healthy, Jesus partied and splurged, but the rest of his time was spent homeless and caring for the poor. He didn't party and live in riches. It is a concept that is hard to get around because we can come up with really smart ways of justifying a lot of actions that are simply greedy. There are some basics, don't make it complicated just because you want to make it comfortable. This is something I struggle with everyday.

2006-10-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

I meant to post some pictures today, but I forgot the CD at home. I will post them soon. I have spent the past few days working on a paper and plan to do the same for the next little while because I have a few more to do still. I am entering my crunch time for school, but in two weeks I will have completed two full credits, so its worth it. This is how I feel at the present moment. Tiered. Despite the fact that I have a constant tropical breeze blowing through my room and a perfect little unfinished desk to place my lap top on and children playing outside my bed room door, all to make the perfect working environment, sitting in my room for three days reading and writing still wears me out. Tough. I am wearing a belt made from a BMX tire with a bowhunting belt buckle. So my tiered is a kind of “I don’t even give a s%#t” kind of tiered”. Full. I just ate a large Ghanaian dish for dinner. Its called “red red” and consists of fried plantains and beans. A wholesome meal. Excited. I am going to see a Ghanaian dance and drum performance tomorrow. The arts here are incredible, walking across campus today I stopped to listen to a choir practice in the court yard. The choirboys and girls all looked bored while the conductor put all he had into it. Despite the various attitudes of the singers their song was incredible. I left when I felt the drool on my chin and realized that I was staring with my mouth open. I am trying to feel motivated. I have a few papers to write still, and in classic “Trent-in-Ghana” style the essay questions are things like, “discuss culture and development in Ghana”. What the hell? You could open a fricking library dedicated to that topic!! How are we supposed to write a good essay on such a topic? Anyway, I came to this internet café to research for the essay, so I should get to work. I will keep you posted. Daniel.

2006-10-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I know that since I haven't blogged in awhile you might think that my life is really boring, but in reality life has been really exciting. Last weekend I went to the “Palm Festival” in Djodje, a small community in the Volta region. It was a festival that was started in 2002 with the intention of celebrating the tradition of palm oil and palm whine in the town. While it is a celebration of tradition, it is also a time for the Chiefs and townsfolk to gather and discuss development issues in the area. We had an incredible time and I learned a lot, too much to really write about in a blog. I will post some pictures soon.

Yesterday we went on a field trip to a market in a Western town, and then to a waterfall that was truly awe-inspiring. Although it was a tourist location, you still felt as if you were one of the first to discover it. At its base the mist blew quite hard, and because Maria and I were committed to getting as close as possible, we both left with full-body soakers. All-in-all we had a great time and left inspired to write some poetry about the incredible beauty in this world.

Its “lights out” (the power goes every three days in Madina) tonight so I should get back to work before I am left in the dark. I hope this blog finds all who read it in good health. Daniel.

2006-09-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

I have had enough.

I swear that James Blunt is the only musician that has made it over here from the western hemisphere. At least that is how it seems, considering the amount of times I have heard his song blarring. I guess some things you just can’t escape.

I felt that I should post another blog to follow up the last. My intention was to write something more uplifting, but I just couldn’t help mentioning Blunt. Its almost erie how often I hear it.

Besides feeling lonely in my religious convictions, I am doing great. This morning was typical: I got up at 6, jogged through the busy traffic for a little until I found a more open area where I continued on until I couldn't stand heaving in the dust and stench anymore. I thought I was going to throw up this morning because the mix of heavy breathing and thick air was almost to much to bear. After that I came home and stretched, had a bucket shower, ate a breakfast that was prepared by my host family, and sat on my porch sipping fake coffee made from powder and cream substitute. Its disgusting really, but its close enough to the real thing that it is strangely satisfying. After thinking abut how blessed I am for a little while, Maria and Kiki showed up and we rode our bicycles to school together.

Life is beautiful. Always a challenge but when taken with stride it is extremely satisfying. I love you all.

2006-09-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

I went to a Ghanaian church for the first time today. In one sense it is what I expected, but it did not leave me feeling like I thought it would. Yes, it was extremely loud and the people were all very passionate, but the preacher resembled a WWF wrestler a little too much and the message was nothing less than the prosperity gospel; the idea that God will bring material blessings to you life. I don’t mean to sound like I am judging them, who am I to put my interpretation over another anyway? But it didn’t feel like they were talking about the God that I have been trying to grow closer to for the past few years. So the service left me confused, but I guess we are all just broken souls in the end anyway, all starving for the grace and touch of God as a baby longs for his/her mothers milk. How and where our longings for him are satisfied is not up to me.

Church made me feel homesick today. I was trying to describe my church in Peterborough to a Ghanaian friend, but the concept of a group of people just coming together and talking about Jesus seemed a little strange to her. Honestly, that’s all I wanted today. I place where people gather to talk about their understandings and doubts; about their want to be closer to wherever God is.

I prayed for the Third Space Church today. I prayed that that group of people would continue to reach out to wonderers and searchers like me, the kind of people that believe but have a hard time understanding. I also prayed for those who are a part of that group who don’t believe but want to understand, and for everyone in between. I prayed that the group would continue to listen to each other’s stories and continue to try to understand where one another is coming from. I think this prayer is in line with what that group wants; at least I hope it is. Because like many people need that group everyday, I will need them when I get home. So may the soul of the Third Space continue to grow, I am looking forward to seeing you in the future.

2006-09-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of posts; I will try to do better in the future. I am doing very well. While everyday continues to bring new challenges and new lessons, I am beginning to feel more and more at home. I have been playing soccer with a few children down the street on an almost daily basis. The first day I played they were using an ancient basketball with a 4-inch tear down the side and rocks for goal posts. They also play in sandals or bare feet and run effortlessly on the sharp gravel. I ended up picking up a new soccer ball for them (it cost equivalent to $2.50 Canadian) but we stuck with the sandals and rock-posts.

A refugee from Liberia toured me around Osu (an area of Accra) this past Saturday. His name is Robert and he has been in Ghana for two years now but hopes to go home soon. He was very knowledgeable of the area and had some strong opinions on the hypocrisy of the church and the failure of the government to care for the community. I hope to meet with him again and learn a little more about the struggles he has being an impoverished refugee.

Besides hanging out with people I have been going to class, reading, and putting my new guitar to good use, writing songs about longing to see Stefanie and… well that’s all I am really writing about actually. Josh was right when he told me, “well, at least you know some good songs will come out of the distance". Thanks for the encouragement, Josh.

Like I said, I am doing wonderful and taking full advantage of being here. I am learning things that I would never have learned if I didn't make this trip, and for that I am extremely thankful.

Thanks for caring, please keep me in your prayers, Daniel.

2006-09-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

“Everything in Ghana depends on something” – Quasie (cousin of our host family)

I have written a few different drafts for this blog entry, but my ideas are too jumbled and my current perspectives on Ghana are still too naive to feel confident enough to say anything at all. You can imagine my thoughts as being like a busy market place; everyone is there for something, but they haven’t found it yet. Just don’t imagine them as zombies, they are more like warriors. I only hope that I will keep my zest.

2006-09-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

Another day in London

Due to cancellations in Toronto and technical problems with the conveyor belts in London, the trip here took two days longer than it should have. The first night that we spent in London was exciting, but the second was ridiculous. We literally spent all day Saturday in the Airport, trying to work through the lines of thousands of angry and confused travelers who all demanded compensation for their troubles. We didn’t leave the airport until midnight and had to be back for 6 am, so our much needed sleep was too short. Thankfully, the flights on Sunday actually worked out and after flying from London to Amsterdam to Accra we finally arrived in Ghana at around 7 in the evening. When we stepped out of the airport it was raining quite hard and I couldn’t help but tilt my face towards the sky and hold my palms open to feel the freedom of the rain and take in the emotions of Ghana. Three and a half days spent in airports and airplanes can feel much more constraining than you would think.

2006-09-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. This is my first real post, and it is not what I expected it would be. I am in the Renaissance Hotel in London. The British Airlines flight from Toronto to London was cancelled, so we jumped on an Air Canada plane to London instead. However, when we got to London we grabbed our bags but not in time to make the flight to Ghana. So I am now in the renaissance hotel in London, just about to get dinner. The stay and food for the five of us (Maria, Daniellle, Becky, Loren and I) is totally paid for, and this hotel is not cheap. We are going to get bus passes and go down town tonight after dinner. The next flight to Ghana is tomorrow at 2:15, and we will be arriving in Ghana at 8. So this trip is starting on a good note, dealing with transportation problems but making the most of it along the way.

I think it is what I needed, a flurry of activity that would just sweep me away in the excitement. I thought of not seeing everyone was really starting to get to me, so the fast paced and unpredictable traveling feels good.

I will keep you posted.

2006-08-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

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