November 24th, 2007 The Beginning of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations
I hope most of you are aware that 50 years ago this December 2nd three Brothers got off of a boat from the U.S. in Takoradi Harbor in the newly independent Ghana. Since then they have devoted all of their lives to educating the hearts and minds of young men in Ghana. They have made an incredible contribution to the Ghanaian society as well as to the entire world. All who come to Ghana and work with the Brothers, or even just experience their hospitality, experience something truly wonderful, something great, something that will change them forever.
There are only three American Holy Cross brothers left in Ghana now and one American Holy Cross priest. The community of Brothers has grown and the Congregation is now more fully represented by the presence of the Sisters of Holy Cross. The work of the Brothers has spread and I snow changing more lives than ever before.
So in the 50th year of independence in Ghana we celebrate 50 years of tireless service provided by the Brothers of Holy Cross. During this week we come together to celebrate just one wonderful part of the joyful and awesome whole that is the Congregation of Holy Cross.
……………………………
Ah, November 24th, 2007, yet another day that I will never forget. Another day that I will remember forever…a memory that will only strengthen my commitment to and my love for the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Today was the first day of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations for Holy Cross in Ghana. I wasn’t exactly sure what would come of this day, but I knew it would be something big…and oh how it was!
We all got ready and spruced up this morning for Mass at St. John’s School with Bishop John Martin Darko, Bishop of the Arch-diocese of Sekondi-Takoradi. After cleaning myself up and ironing my shirt I came downstairs to collect the pre-novices so that we could prepare to leave.
We had to move these giant bags of Holy Cross Jubilee polos and silk scarves, all in blue and gold the official colors of the congregation. When we came outside to load the things into the car Br. Tony Dadzie pulled up having just arrived from Cape Coast with a car full of American brothers. I was quite excited to meet all of them.
So the first Brother that I met introduced himself…I am Br. John Paige. O WOW! The Vicar-General of the Congregation. This is the man that Griff and Brenda had a meeting about HCSC all those months ago. He didn’t remember my name, but he knew why I was here. I didn’t expect seeing him so soon…I was taken aback. Then next Brother I met was Br. Donald Allen. Br. Donald was one of the pioneering Brothers who actually left the Holy Cross Mission in Bangladesh to come to the mission in Ghana. He is 83 years old and is in very good health. Next was Br. Lawrence ( ) another pioneering Brother who was one of the first three to step on Ghanaian soil. He spent his time teaching science at St. John’s School. And last but not least was Br. Richard Johnson who spent a number of years teaching in Ghana and will actually be staying a few months with us into the new year. Fr. Bob seemed very happy to see some of his close friends of old back in Ghana where so many of the fond memories they both share were birthed.
After many warm greetings and introductions we piled into the van and hurtled down the hill towards Sekondi and St. John’s. We blasted the A/C since we were all sweating profusely all ready since it was turning out to be a tough day under the relentless African sun.
We pulled into the visitors lot at St. John’s and right next to us was Br. Paul Mensah, District Superior, who also just arrived. So we unloaded our things and carried everything into St. Joe Hall where we found Br. William, Br. Matthew, Br. Steven(Arthur and Aidoo) and all of the candidates hard at work preparing for the luncheon to be held there after the Mass.
Many smiles, many laughs, and much work to be done. People bustling about and chatting about all the things that needed to be done before all the “big people” meaning all the founding Brothers and leaders of the Congregation show up. Indeed, there was plenty to do, but nobody was really worried that things would go wrong…a great thing about Ghana.
Eventually, I made my way over to the other residence for the Professed Brothers on the St. John’s Campus where many visitors, who are all staying in Cape Coast, had been arriving. The first people that I met were the visitors from the District of East Africa. Fr. David(Overseer of pre-novices and candidacy program), Fr. William(post-novitiate director), Br. Kaganga(Novice Master), and the District Superior Fr. James Burasa were all there. The men from the District of East Africa represent Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda even though most everything is based in Uganda. It wasn’t long after that when I was reunited with Br. Raymond Papenfuss(Assistant Provincial of the Midwest Province of Brothers). It had been a long time since I had seen him last in a meeting at Holy Cross College.
At last the greetings came to an end and we all gathered together to celebrate Mass in the giant dining hall. In all there were about 400 people gathered for Mass. Most of them were students from St. John’s, St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, and of course my beloved Holy Cross Skills boys. Also, in attendance were the many friends of Holy Cross in Ghana.
This was my first experience with Bishop John Martin Darko after having had experiences with Cardinal Turkson of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, the Papal Nucio Kochery of the Archdiocese of Accra, and the beloved Bishop Sarpong of the Archdiocese of Kumasi. His homily focused mainly on the importance of active moral development in the classroom and thanking the Brothers, young and old, for doing exactly that. Educating the mind and the heart of their young students.
The Mass was being recorded by the local TV station(Skyy TV) to be shown later this week. It was a great opportunity for the Bishop to speak against the new reform issued to all Ghana schools by the Ghana Education Service. The new reform does not include Religious and Moral Education in the curriculum at all and is saying that ALL schools must adhere to their directives. Well, Catholic schools in Ghana don’t like being told what to teach. So there is a big conflict arising and the fundamental problem is the how much autonomy should the Church have over its schools. More on this next week!!!!!!!
After Mass we took some time to eat, drink, and relax. The calm before the storm. Our next event for the day was going to be a parade through downtown Takoradi and through Sekondi and back to St. John’s school. The parade would consist of a couple vans carrying the visiting and pioneering Brothers, two flat bed trucks carrying small brass bands, and a huge crowd of 300 rowdy young high school boys ready to dance their heads off under a scorching sun! An odd recipe for excitement!
When it came time for us to leave St. John’s and head to the beginning of the parade route I adorned my blue HC jubilee polo, tied my gold scarf around my head, jumped in the back of the Skills pickup truck with four other Brothers and we zoomed off towards the Takoradi Harbor singing, yelling, and waving at all the people we passes: “Rise up! Rise up! Rise up! Be quiet and don’t be silly, we are the famous Holy Cross, we never say die!” We made a lot of noise.
We arrived at the parade starting point to find an enormous crowd of students from all the schools save the Skills Centre…the whereabouts of my beloved Skills boys were unknown. So we began singing songs, dancing, and causing commotion while we waited for the brass bands and the vans to arrive.
Eventually we were ready to begin and the boys nearly killed each other as they stormed onto the back of the flat beds…not all of them made it on. So right when the trucks started moving and the bands began playing I turned to see about 100 rough looking boys shouting and sprinting towards me like a charging Calvary who forgot their horses at home. It was the beloved Skills boys making an entrance that put all the other schools to shame! The parade could now begin...and boy did it!
For the next three miles or so we put the activity of Takoradi to a standstill thanks to our Police escorts. The climax was when we arrived at Market Circle where our joyful riot collided with the congested mess that is Market Circle. The result? Lots of staring, shouting, singing, dancing, and tons of laughter and confusion since our parade doubled in size…1/2 the people being strangers on the street who felt like participating in a parade at that moment.
When the brass band started playing “you are the most high God” which is a very popular song here in Ghana among well everyone..I thought the world would come to an end! Everyone! I mean everyone was singing at the top of their lungs and twirling their scarves in the traditional Ghanaian way, all while dancing furiously. It was an amazing sight to behold. One that only deepens my love for the people of Ghana. One that only strengthens my love for the Congregation of Holy Cross.
The second leg of the parade, through Sekondi and back to St. John’s, I spent in an A/C’d van. I had been sweating so hard and for so long it was like I had been sweating constantly since birth. I was scorched. So I relaxed and watched the parade through my window.
The students pretty much wore themselves out in the first leg but some were still going strong. Over all the parade was a complete success and no one was injured thank God! It was an excellent beginning to the Jubilee Celebrations!
There are only three American Holy Cross brothers left in Ghana now and one American Holy Cross priest. The community of Brothers has grown and the Congregation is now more fully represented by the presence of the Sisters of Holy Cross. The work of the Brothers has spread and I snow changing more lives than ever before.
So in the 50th year of independence in Ghana we celebrate 50 years of tireless service provided by the Brothers of Holy Cross. During this week we come together to celebrate just one wonderful part of the joyful and awesome whole that is the Congregation of Holy Cross.
……………………………
Ah, November 24th, 2007, yet another day that I will never forget. Another day that I will remember forever…a memory that will only strengthen my commitment to and my love for the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Today was the first day of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations for Holy Cross in Ghana. I wasn’t exactly sure what would come of this day, but I knew it would be something big…and oh how it was!
We all got ready and spruced up this morning for Mass at St. John’s School with Bishop John Martin Darko, Bishop of the Arch-diocese of Sekondi-Takoradi. After cleaning myself up and ironing my shirt I came downstairs to collect the pre-novices so that we could prepare to leave.
We had to move these giant bags of Holy Cross Jubilee polos and silk scarves, all in blue and gold the official colors of the congregation. When we came outside to load the things into the car Br. Tony Dadzie pulled up having just arrived from Cape Coast with a car full of American brothers. I was quite excited to meet all of them.
So the first Brother that I met introduced himself…I am Br. John Paige. O WOW! The Vicar-General of the Congregation. This is the man that Griff and Brenda had a meeting about HCSC all those months ago. He didn’t remember my name, but he knew why I was here. I didn’t expect seeing him so soon…I was taken aback. Then next Brother I met was Br. Donald Allen. Br. Donald was one of the pioneering Brothers who actually left the Holy Cross Mission in Bangladesh to come to the mission in Ghana. He is 83 years old and is in very good health. Next was Br. Lawrence ( ) another pioneering Brother who was one of the first three to step on Ghanaian soil. He spent his time teaching science at St. John’s School. And last but not least was Br. Richard Johnson who spent a number of years teaching in Ghana and will actually be staying a few months with us into the new year. Fr. Bob seemed very happy to see some of his close friends of old back in Ghana where so many of the fond memories they both share were birthed.
After many warm greetings and introductions we piled into the van and hurtled down the hill towards Sekondi and St. John’s. We blasted the A/C since we were all sweating profusely all ready since it was turning out to be a tough day under the relentless African sun.
We pulled into the visitors lot at St. John’s and right next to us was Br. Paul Mensah, District Superior, who also just arrived. So we unloaded our things and carried everything into St. Joe Hall where we found Br. William, Br. Matthew, Br. Steven(Arthur and Aidoo) and all of the candidates hard at work preparing for the luncheon to be held there after the Mass.
Many smiles, many laughs, and much work to be done. People bustling about and chatting about all the things that needed to be done before all the “big people” meaning all the founding Brothers and leaders of the Congregation show up. Indeed, there was plenty to do, but nobody was really worried that things would go wrong…a great thing about Ghana.
Eventually, I made my way over to the other residence for the Professed Brothers on the St. John’s Campus where many visitors, who are all staying in Cape Coast, had been arriving. The first people that I met were the visitors from the District of East Africa. Fr. David(Overseer of pre-novices and candidacy program), Fr. William(post-novitiate director), Br. Kaganga(Novice Master), and the District Superior Fr. James Burasa were all there. The men from the District of East Africa represent Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda even though most everything is based in Uganda. It wasn’t long after that when I was reunited with Br. Raymond Papenfuss(Assistant Provincial of the Midwest Province of Brothers). It had been a long time since I had seen him last in a meeting at Holy Cross College.
At last the greetings came to an end and we all gathered together to celebrate Mass in the giant dining hall. In all there were about 400 people gathered for Mass. Most of them were students from St. John’s, St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, and of course my beloved Holy Cross Skills boys. Also, in attendance were the many friends of Holy Cross in Ghana.
This was my first experience with Bishop John Martin Darko after having had experiences with Cardinal Turkson of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, the Papal Nucio Kochery of the Archdiocese of Accra, and the beloved Bishop Sarpong of the Archdiocese of Kumasi. His homily focused mainly on the importance of active moral development in the classroom and thanking the Brothers, young and old, for doing exactly that. Educating the mind and the heart of their young students.
The Mass was being recorded by the local TV station(Skyy TV) to be shown later this week. It was a great opportunity for the Bishop to speak against the new reform issued to all Ghana schools by the Ghana Education Service. The new reform does not include Religious and Moral Education in the curriculum at all and is saying that ALL schools must adhere to their directives. Well, Catholic schools in Ghana don’t like being told what to teach. So there is a big conflict arising and the fundamental problem is the how much autonomy should the Church have over its schools. More on this next week!!!!!!!
After Mass we took some time to eat, drink, and relax. The calm before the storm. Our next event for the day was going to be a parade through downtown Takoradi and through Sekondi and back to St. John’s school. The parade would consist of a couple vans carrying the visiting and pioneering Brothers, two flat bed trucks carrying small brass bands, and a huge crowd of 300 rowdy young high school boys ready to dance their heads off under a scorching sun! An odd recipe for excitement!
When it came time for us to leave St. John’s and head to the beginning of the parade route I adorned my blue HC jubilee polo, tied my gold scarf around my head, jumped in the back of the Skills pickup truck with four other Brothers and we zoomed off towards the Takoradi Harbor singing, yelling, and waving at all the people we passes: “Rise up! Rise up! Rise up! Be quiet and don’t be silly, we are the famous Holy Cross, we never say die!” We made a lot of noise.
We arrived at the parade starting point to find an enormous crowd of students from all the schools save the Skills Centre…the whereabouts of my beloved Skills boys were unknown. So we began singing songs, dancing, and causing commotion while we waited for the brass bands and the vans to arrive.
Eventually we were ready to begin and the boys nearly killed each other as they stormed onto the back of the flat beds…not all of them made it on. So right when the trucks started moving and the bands began playing I turned to see about 100 rough looking boys shouting and sprinting towards me like a charging Calvary who forgot their horses at home. It was the beloved Skills boys making an entrance that put all the other schools to shame! The parade could now begin...and boy did it!
For the next three miles or so we put the activity of Takoradi to a standstill thanks to our Police escorts. The climax was when we arrived at Market Circle where our joyful riot collided with the congested mess that is Market Circle. The result? Lots of staring, shouting, singing, dancing, and tons of laughter and confusion since our parade doubled in size…1/2 the people being strangers on the street who felt like participating in a parade at that moment.
When the brass band started playing “you are the most high God” which is a very popular song here in Ghana among well everyone..I thought the world would come to an end! Everyone! I mean everyone was singing at the top of their lungs and twirling their scarves in the traditional Ghanaian way, all while dancing furiously. It was an amazing sight to behold. One that only deepens my love for the people of Ghana. One that only strengthens my love for the Congregation of Holy Cross.
The second leg of the parade, through Sekondi and back to St. John’s, I spent in an A/C’d van. I had been sweating so hard and for so long it was like I had been sweating constantly since birth. I was scorched. So I relaxed and watched the parade through my window.
The students pretty much wore themselves out in the first leg but some were still going strong. Over all the parade was a complete success and no one was injured thank God! It was an excellent beginning to the Jubilee Celebrations!
November 26th, 2007 Clean-Up Day at The Damien Center
For those of you who may not know, there are three major anniversaries in Ghana this year. 50 years of independence, 50 of Holy Cross, and 25 years of the Holy Cross Skills Training Centre. So in the midst of celebrating the Golden Jubilee we are celebrating the Silver Jubilee. So as a part of both Jubilees we held a clean-up day at The Damien Center.
The Damien Center is one of the few mental health care facilities in Ghana that is run by the Hospitaller Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to me, they have been unable to do the work that they once did. So until they can begin that work again they allowed their facility to be used as a health clinic of the community of Fijai, where all this is located, very near the Skills Centre in neighboring Anaji.
The place was in dire need of a clean-up. This was a place where people came for healing and it was surrounded by overwhelming grass and weeds, shards of broken glass and concrete, and rubbish all over the place. Now don’t get the idea that the Sisters let the place fall to ruins. You try to run a health clinic in Ghana with a small staff and not enough funding. Then tell me about the problems you face.
So, Skills staff and students to the rescue. We showed up that morning to clean everything up and to enjoy ourselves while doing it. All of the staff form the Skills Centre, most of the students, the pre-novices, Fr. Bob Gilmour, the candidates from St. Joe Hall, and our media/documenter Br. David were all there for the event.
We broke all the boys up into groups and gave them assignments. I wasn’t sure what I should do so I just picked a group of boys and we began working together on clearing away some weeds and broken concrete out of the courtyard of the center.
It was hard work. It was hot. It was early, but we enjoyed ourselves. I could tell the boys were happy that I was working with them, getting dirty with them. We laughed and worked for three hours straight and I can safely say that we accomplished more than most other groups on the site.
I always made sure to positively reinforce them for a job well done. Towards the end of the morning we sat in the shade, drenched with sweat, tired, but satisfied by a job well done, satisfied with each others’ company. We sat sharing our water sachets and laughing until Sr. Iovnna from Poland came out to thank us for all the hard work. She took me into their kitchen where she pulled out some big containers of juice boxes that she wanted to give the boys. So I carried them all out and handed them out to the boys individually. Sister was so pleased at the work we had done…the place really looked so much better. I just watched and smiled at my students.
The Damien Center is one of the few mental health care facilities in Ghana that is run by the Hospitaller Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to me, they have been unable to do the work that they once did. So until they can begin that work again they allowed their facility to be used as a health clinic of the community of Fijai, where all this is located, very near the Skills Centre in neighboring Anaji.
The place was in dire need of a clean-up. This was a place where people came for healing and it was surrounded by overwhelming grass and weeds, shards of broken glass and concrete, and rubbish all over the place. Now don’t get the idea that the Sisters let the place fall to ruins. You try to run a health clinic in Ghana with a small staff and not enough funding. Then tell me about the problems you face.
So, Skills staff and students to the rescue. We showed up that morning to clean everything up and to enjoy ourselves while doing it. All of the staff form the Skills Centre, most of the students, the pre-novices, Fr. Bob Gilmour, the candidates from St. Joe Hall, and our media/documenter Br. David were all there for the event.
We broke all the boys up into groups and gave them assignments. I wasn’t sure what I should do so I just picked a group of boys and we began working together on clearing away some weeds and broken concrete out of the courtyard of the center.
It was hard work. It was hot. It was early, but we enjoyed ourselves. I could tell the boys were happy that I was working with them, getting dirty with them. We laughed and worked for three hours straight and I can safely say that we accomplished more than most other groups on the site.
I always made sure to positively reinforce them for a job well done. Towards the end of the morning we sat in the shade, drenched with sweat, tired, but satisfied by a job well done, satisfied with each others’ company. We sat sharing our water sachets and laughing until Sr. Iovnna from Poland came out to thank us for all the hard work. She took me into their kitchen where she pulled out some big containers of juice boxes that she wanted to give the boys. So I carried them all out and handed them out to the boys individually. Sister was so pleased at the work we had done…the place really looked so much better. I just watched and smiled at my students.November 27th, 2007 Games Day @ St. John’s School
Today was the day of the great Games Day where St. Augustine’s College, St. Theresa’s, Skills, St. Augustine’s Secondary School, St. John’s, and the Holy Cross Brothers would come together for a football tournament.
The whole event was scheduled to begin at around 9:30am. Br. Richard Gilman, Pres of HCC, was going to be coming out from Cape Coast to attend the games and to meet with me. I wasn’t planning on participating in the games, but I had a sneaking suspicion that I might end up playing so I threw some shorts into plastic bag before we left for St. John’s. I thought I might be able to get some typing done while I was watching the games so I brought my computer and my notebooks.
Of course I didn’t get any work done at all. Shortly after meeting up with Br. Richard I ended u changing clothes and warming up with the team for the Holy Cross Brothers. I didn’t have any shoes to play in since I lent mine to Francisco, a pre-novice, so he could play. Anyway, long story short…After the incessant cheers and chants from my Skills students to put in Mr. Dunne I eventually got out to play. Oh yeah, my students also threw a pair of soccer cleats from the highest row of the grandstands for me to wear so I could play. The games started much later than we expected and we were playing directly under the infernal midday African sun. Despite the “inspirational” cheers and jeers from my students in the span of about 5 minutes all of my athletic energy was zapped from my body. I mean the sun just killed me…I was done for the rest of the day. WOW, the equatorial sun is ROUGH!
We tied that game 0-0 and lost the next one to none other than The Holy Cross Skills Training Centre! I couldn’t have been happier(Our team was terrible BTW). After getting some refreshment and changing back into my other clothes…ps this is when I collected my “Christmas” gifts from home and from my good friends at HCC…. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE CARDS IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME AND DON’T WORRY KP I AM NOT GOING TO GET ANY MORE TYPHOID!....I went back down to the field to watch the rest of the games.
My Skills boys were playing brilliantly. They might not be the best students, they might not be the most polite, they might not be rich, but they are my boys! They were playing very well against schools more than 5 times their size and they beat them. In the semi-final match
however, they lost to St. John’s in a shootout…ps then St. John’s beat St. Augustine’s 3 nil for first place. The skills boys were downcast.
I went around and told them how happy I was with how they performed and how proud I was of them and before long they were their happy, rowdy selves again. They are a great bunch of guys and they stick together. They are the underdogs in so many way. Anyway, there were some great athletic performances this day.
Another day in the Jubilee week gone by and once again I am realizing that I am getting quite attached to my Skills boys.
The whole event was scheduled to begin at around 9:30am. Br. Richard Gilman, Pres of HCC, was going to be coming out from Cape Coast to attend the games and to meet with me. I wasn’t planning on participating in the games, but I had a sneaking suspicion that I might end up playing so I threw some shorts into plastic bag before we left for St. John’s. I thought I might be able to get some typing done while I was watching the games so I brought my computer and my notebooks.
Of course I didn’t get any work done at all. Shortly after meeting up with Br. Richard I ended u changing clothes and warming up with the team for the Holy Cross Brothers. I didn’t have any shoes to play in since I lent mine to Francisco, a pre-novice, so he could play. Anyway, long story short…After the incessant cheers and chants from my Skills students to put in Mr. Dunne I eventually got out to play. Oh yeah, my students also threw a pair of soccer cleats from the highest row of the grandstands for me to wear so I could play. The games started much later than we expected and we were playing directly under the infernal midday African sun. Despite the “inspirational” cheers and jeers from my students in the span of about 5 minutes all of my athletic energy was zapped from my body. I mean the sun just killed me…I was done for the rest of the day. WOW, the equatorial sun is ROUGH!
We tied that game 0-0 and lost the next one to none other than The Holy Cross Skills Training Centre! I couldn’t have been happier(Our team was terrible BTW). After getting some refreshment and changing back into my other clothes…ps this is when I collected my “Christmas” gifts from home and from my good friends at HCC…. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE CARDS IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME AND DON’T WORRY KP I AM NOT GOING TO GET ANY MORE TYPHOID!....I went back down to the field to watch the rest of the games.
My Skills boys were playing brilliantly. They might not be the best students, they might not be the most polite, they might not be rich, but they are my boys! They were playing very well against schools more than 5 times their size and they beat them. In the semi-final match
however, they lost to St. John’s in a shootout…ps then St. John’s beat St. Augustine’s 3 nil for first place. The skills boys were downcast.I went around and told them how happy I was with how they performed and how proud I was of them and before long they were their happy, rowdy selves again. They are a great bunch of guys and they stick together. They are the underdogs in so many way. Anyway, there were some great athletic performances this day.
Another day in the Jubilee week gone by and once again I am realizing that I am getting quite attached to my Skills boys.
Finally, the pictures from my adventure up in Northern Ghana!
My friends from the bus station in Tamale, (L-R) Yachman and Alado
This is what the seating is like on a "207" bus. Public transport in Ghana is the best way to experience the country. By the way this is from my journey from Sunyani (Brong-Ahafo Region) to Tamale in the Northern Region. The girl on the right is the one tried to get sick out the window and failed. I forgave her don't worry! ;)
On the way to Tamale I noticed the change in the style of houses. In the Northern Region you will often find round houses which is quite different from what you will find in the Brong-Ahafo, Ashanti, and Central Regions. This style of housing actually came down from Burkina Faso.
You will also see a drastic change in the landscape. In the Northern Region the vegetation is not as thick and the hills of the Ashanti Region are long gone.
Passing over the White Volta River just into the Northern Region. 
Passing over the Black Volta River.
The great Central Mosque of Tamale. At night you can hear the prayer caller throughout the entire city, louder than all the other mosques. Trust me its loud.
One of the magnificient minarets.
Downtown Tamale early in the morning. Just wait untill it gets later...you will have a hard time trying to cross this street!
Giving the camera some love while chillin' at AlHassan's Hotel in Tamale. I won't show you what the room looked like...
Tamale town. A nice view I'd say.
So I decided to walk all the way to the stadium with a buddy. As you can see it was far.
After walking right past the angry old security man to geta closer look at the new stadium that was built for the African Cup of Nations.
The place is really nice I am telling you. I couldn't believe I got in.
Michael Essien eat your heart out...this is my territory!
Examples of what people mean when they say that the North is completely different from Southern Ghana. These picturesque villages have don’t even have access to potable water. But wow they are beautiful. When you see these things you being to realize the obscurity of your situation.And now!!!! The Mole National Park Experience!
Bush Boy!Well, I hope that you will all go back and look at all my old posts. I think some of the pictures might make reading the posts more interesting! Enjoy!
What I have been doing!!!! November 21, 2007
So I began teaching at the Holy Cross Skills Training Centre in October and we are now coming to the close of our first term. So in all this time that I have not kept up the blog what have I done? What have I been doing?
Well my schedule looks like this. On Mondays I teach English to the First and Third year students. On Tuesday I teach Religious and Moral Education to the Second year students. On Wednesday I teach Religious and Moral education to the First year students and English to the Second year students.
I am also teaching a class on Catholic Social Teaching to the pre-novices at Moreau House(where I live) and to the candidates(young men in the phase before pre-novice) at St. Joe Hall, at St. John’s Secondary School in Sekondi. I teach these classes on Thursday and Friday respectively.
The boys at Skills are a handful, but they are fun to teach. You have to keep in mind that the main goal of the school is to teach young men a trade (block laying, construction, carpentry, electrical, and auto mechanics) so that they will not be a burden on their families or communities. Basically, these boys are at the Center because they did not have the grades to enter regular secondary schools. Many of the boys come from needy families or broken homes. The bottom line is that the majority of the boys are more than anxious to just get out there and start making money so that they can assist their families or become their own independent men.
While keeping this in mind know that I am at the school to teach Moral Education and English. These classes are seen, by many of the students, as unnecessary since they do not contribute to their knowledge of a trade, put simply it isn’t going to put more money in their pocket right away. So I do my best.
Knowing that I cannot make them learn I have been doing my best to do whatever I can to help them. In our English class we have been studying the parts of speech and are now getting into the basic structure of a sentence. I have been giving them essay topics every week to write on as well as new vocabulary words to study. Resources for teaching English are scarce. In our moral education classes instead of just telling them that underage sex is bad and that AIDS is a killer(both being very true) which is what many people have told me to talk about, I have begun with the foundations on moral living. People need to understand why they should live a certain way not just do it. I will be turning my focus towards real life situations in the next term, but for now we are sticking to the basics. Why should we believe in God? Why should we love ourselves? Why should we love others?
More important than anything have been the conversations I have had with the boys outside the classroom. Listening to what they have to say and advising them as well as I can with their day to day problems. This is when I feel that I am truly making an impact in their lives.
As for my other classes, they have been great! We have great discussions about sensitive contemporary issues. It is like a class with Michael Griffin, sometimes I am afraid that he has worn off on me…jk Griff.
The year is coming to a close very soon. We all know that each year goes by faster than the last so I need to fully prepare myself to complete the list of goals I has made for the new year. Before I know it I am going to be back on American soil wondering what just happened to me! So before I deal with that I need to get some good work done! I will be sure to let you all know what I have planned after…Oh I forgot!!!
Right now I am recuperating from Typhoid. I came down with it about two weeks ago and I had to take some time off of teaching to get well. So what does Tyhpoid feel like? Well it isn’t nice. It just completely exhausted me. I have been feeling weak all over my body, even the hair on my arm ached. Chills at night, headache, and a cold have been all the other crummy things. Anyway, after two trips to the doctor I think I will be able to get rid of it. It is pretty serious though…so they say ;) I figure though I should just take the rest so I won’t have to do this again and waste more time.
Well that is all for right now! I hope to hear from all of you soon. As always I will do my best to update more frequently.
Well my schedule looks like this. On Mondays I teach English to the First and Third year students. On Tuesday I teach Religious and Moral Education to the Second year students. On Wednesday I teach Religious and Moral education to the First year students and English to the Second year students.
I am also teaching a class on Catholic Social Teaching to the pre-novices at Moreau House(where I live) and to the candidates(young men in the phase before pre-novice) at St. Joe Hall, at St. John’s Secondary School in Sekondi. I teach these classes on Thursday and Friday respectively.
The boys at Skills are a handful, but they are fun to teach. You have to keep in mind that the main goal of the school is to teach young men a trade (block laying, construction, carpentry, electrical, and auto mechanics) so that they will not be a burden on their families or communities. Basically, these boys are at the Center because they did not have the grades to enter regular secondary schools. Many of the boys come from needy families or broken homes. The bottom line is that the majority of the boys are more than anxious to just get out there and start making money so that they can assist their families or become their own independent men.
While keeping this in mind know that I am at the school to teach Moral Education and English. These classes are seen, by many of the students, as unnecessary since they do not contribute to their knowledge of a trade, put simply it isn’t going to put more money in their pocket right away. So I do my best.
Knowing that I cannot make them learn I have been doing my best to do whatever I can to help them. In our English class we have been studying the parts of speech and are now getting into the basic structure of a sentence. I have been giving them essay topics every week to write on as well as new vocabulary words to study. Resources for teaching English are scarce. In our moral education classes instead of just telling them that underage sex is bad and that AIDS is a killer(both being very true) which is what many people have told me to talk about, I have begun with the foundations on moral living. People need to understand why they should live a certain way not just do it. I will be turning my focus towards real life situations in the next term, but for now we are sticking to the basics. Why should we believe in God? Why should we love ourselves? Why should we love others?
More important than anything have been the conversations I have had with the boys outside the classroom. Listening to what they have to say and advising them as well as I can with their day to day problems. This is when I feel that I am truly making an impact in their lives.
As for my other classes, they have been great! We have great discussions about sensitive contemporary issues. It is like a class with Michael Griffin, sometimes I am afraid that he has worn off on me…jk Griff.
The year is coming to a close very soon. We all know that each year goes by faster than the last so I need to fully prepare myself to complete the list of goals I has made for the new year. Before I know it I am going to be back on American soil wondering what just happened to me! So before I deal with that I need to get some good work done! I will be sure to let you all know what I have planned after…Oh I forgot!!!
Right now I am recuperating from Typhoid. I came down with it about two weeks ago and I had to take some time off of teaching to get well. So what does Tyhpoid feel like? Well it isn’t nice. It just completely exhausted me. I have been feeling weak all over my body, even the hair on my arm ached. Chills at night, headache, and a cold have been all the other crummy things. Anyway, after two trips to the doctor I think I will be able to get rid of it. It is pretty serious though…so they say ;) I figure though I should just take the rest so I won’t have to do this again and waste more time.
Well that is all for right now! I hope to hear from all of you soon. As always I will do my best to update more frequently.
Going Around Town
I try my best to get into Takoradi every week to go to the internet café, walk around market circle, or go down to the beach area to relax. I rely on taxis for the most part which is much more expensive than using tro-tros, but saves plenty of time.
From my past travels into Takoradi I have a whole phone book of taxi drivers willing to come and pick me up from the house and take me to wherever I am going. Yeah, sure, it’s nice. But there are times when I just have to ask them to let me walk part of the way. Why? Because if I didn’t actually make an effort to walk around the village where Moreau House is located then I wouldn’t know anyone down there.
Anyway, the internet café I go to is actually inside one of the nicest office buildings in town, the SSNIT building. The café is always swarming with young Ghanaian professionals, university students, and foreign NGO workers. It is a buzzing atmosphere. I enjoy it.
The café is air conditioned so well that I often have to step out for a few minutes to warm up my body. I mean the place gets cold! The computers are dated, but the connection speed is very good. It’s a nice place and I have been able to meet some interesting people there.
Market circle is the heart of activity for Takoradi. Takoradi’s market circle has been described in Bradt’s Travel Guide as “a rat infested, smelly dump”. A very harsh description that was fairly accurate from my experience last year, but I must say that they have done an incredible job of cleaning the place up for Ghana @ 50.
What were once spaces covered by market women and their goods have now been cleared to provide ample walking space for pedestrians. A year ago there was a large, overflowing dumpster that made the whole place stink, but it has been taken away and for the most part the air is free of any stench.
Things can still get very congested in market circle, which is the main reason why I enjoy being there. I like to walk around the circle and observe. People fighting over prices, people laughing together on the job, the traffic cop attempting to do his job, market women bellowing, young men working hard and sweating profusely under the midday sun not saying a word, the black market money changers lurking in the alleyways, the driver’s mates calling people into their tro-tros, the Lebanese family that owns the electronics shop, the sanitation workers all of them looking like amateurs, and the school children hard at work. There is much to see.
So when I don’t feel like throwing myself into the buzz I find myself at the African Beach Resort enjoying a Guinness and chicken kiev while the sun sets over the ocean. There are some other places that get really exciting after dark like Poloma Beach Hotel and the nearby Beach Sports Club, but since I am usually a party of one I keep it quiet. It is nice to reward myself with a nice cold Guinness every now and then. It also gives me a good opportunity to read over my journal entries from the previous weeks and dissect my thoughts.
Although I do get into town and I am able to experience the society I want to do more. There is so much more I can learn and there are so many more people that I can meet. Ugh! Between teaching at Skills, teaching at Moreau House, teaching at St. Joe Hall, further developing and planning for the future of HCSC, and continuing to deepen my Faith there isn’t much time left over. But I will try…
From my past travels into Takoradi I have a whole phone book of taxi drivers willing to come and pick me up from the house and take me to wherever I am going. Yeah, sure, it’s nice. But there are times when I just have to ask them to let me walk part of the way. Why? Because if I didn’t actually make an effort to walk around the village where Moreau House is located then I wouldn’t know anyone down there.
Anyway, the internet café I go to is actually inside one of the nicest office buildings in town, the SSNIT building. The café is always swarming with young Ghanaian professionals, university students, and foreign NGO workers. It is a buzzing atmosphere. I enjoy it.
The café is air conditioned so well that I often have to step out for a few minutes to warm up my body. I mean the place gets cold! The computers are dated, but the connection speed is very good. It’s a nice place and I have been able to meet some interesting people there.
Market circle is the heart of activity for Takoradi. Takoradi’s market circle has been described in Bradt’s Travel Guide as “a rat infested, smelly dump”. A very harsh description that was fairly accurate from my experience last year, but I must say that they have done an incredible job of cleaning the place up for Ghana @ 50.
What were once spaces covered by market women and their goods have now been cleared to provide ample walking space for pedestrians. A year ago there was a large, overflowing dumpster that made the whole place stink, but it has been taken away and for the most part the air is free of any stench.
Things can still get very congested in market circle, which is the main reason why I enjoy being there. I like to walk around the circle and observe. People fighting over prices, people laughing together on the job, the traffic cop attempting to do his job, market women bellowing, young men working hard and sweating profusely under the midday sun not saying a word, the black market money changers lurking in the alleyways, the driver’s mates calling people into their tro-tros, the Lebanese family that owns the electronics shop, the sanitation workers all of them looking like amateurs, and the school children hard at work. There is much to see.
So when I don’t feel like throwing myself into the buzz I find myself at the African Beach Resort enjoying a Guinness and chicken kiev while the sun sets over the ocean. There are some other places that get really exciting after dark like Poloma Beach Hotel and the nearby Beach Sports Club, but since I am usually a party of one I keep it quiet. It is nice to reward myself with a nice cold Guinness every now and then. It also gives me a good opportunity to read over my journal entries from the previous weeks and dissect my thoughts.
Although I do get into town and I am able to experience the society I want to do more. There is so much more I can learn and there are so many more people that I can meet. Ugh! Between teaching at Skills, teaching at Moreau House, teaching at St. Joe Hall, further developing and planning for the future of HCSC, and continuing to deepen my Faith there isn’t much time left over. But I will try…
My four legged friends
Here at Moreau House we have three dogs living with us. Peace, Roger, and Ronny are their names. Peace is the most docile of the three, go figure. He is closest to Fr. Bob. Peace spends most of his time sleeping at various locations in the house, he doesn’t get out too often.
Do you remember that movie “All Dogs Go To Heaven”. Well, I think I finally met the dog that might. Peace spend a lot of his free time in the chapel. Sometimes we find him in there by himself and other times he comes and sits down behind us for evening and night prayer. He doesn’t make any noise nor does he move around. He is quite reverent. We often joke about Peace being the only dog on Earth that practices silent adoration.
On the other hand Roger and Ronny are quite a handful. Roger is a handsome dog. He is all black save his white paws. His tail is quite bushy and he has a lean figure. Unfortunately, Roger had some abusive keepers in the past which has affected him severely. There are only a couple people that he consistently trusts, and it takes years to gain his trust. Personally, I think he is bi-polar. There are times when he loves you and only desires your attention and there are others when he wants to kill you.
Just when you think you have got him as your friend he turn on you. His growl is one of the most disturbing and ferocious I have ever heard. He will sometimes even attack you, but he never locks his jaws around you. Poor Roger. You just have to make sure that he knows you are not afraid of him. Our cook, Elizabeth, has not learned to do this so she never goes outside unless Roger is locked up inside.
Ronny is a timid girl. She is always giving way to Roger. She allows herself to be dominated by everyone that comes past. Sometimes she can be quite rambunctious, but for the most part she just lays around and follows Roger wherever he goes.
An important thing to remember is that these are African dogs. When these dogs spend time outside they are dealing with a lot more than squirrels, skunks, and garden snakes. But rather monitors, tsetse flies, and cobras. It is dangerous out there and these dogs survive. I would definitely say that they are brave animals, but its not like we treat them like parts of the family. They don’t sell health food for dogs like we do in the States.
Anyway we all agree that the dogs definitely bring character to the house and they always keep things interesting.
Do you remember that movie “All Dogs Go To Heaven”. Well, I think I finally met the dog that might. Peace spend a lot of his free time in the chapel. Sometimes we find him in there by himself and other times he comes and sits down behind us for evening and night prayer. He doesn’t make any noise nor does he move around. He is quite reverent. We often joke about Peace being the only dog on Earth that practices silent adoration.
On the other hand Roger and Ronny are quite a handful. Roger is a handsome dog. He is all black save his white paws. His tail is quite bushy and he has a lean figure. Unfortunately, Roger had some abusive keepers in the past which has affected him severely. There are only a couple people that he consistently trusts, and it takes years to gain his trust. Personally, I think he is bi-polar. There are times when he loves you and only desires your attention and there are others when he wants to kill you.
Just when you think you have got him as your friend he turn on you. His growl is one of the most disturbing and ferocious I have ever heard. He will sometimes even attack you, but he never locks his jaws around you. Poor Roger. You just have to make sure that he knows you are not afraid of him. Our cook, Elizabeth, has not learned to do this so she never goes outside unless Roger is locked up inside.
Ronny is a timid girl. She is always giving way to Roger. She allows herself to be dominated by everyone that comes past. Sometimes she can be quite rambunctious, but for the most part she just lays around and follows Roger wherever he goes.
An important thing to remember is that these are African dogs. When these dogs spend time outside they are dealing with a lot more than squirrels, skunks, and garden snakes. But rather monitors, tsetse flies, and cobras. It is dangerous out there and these dogs survive. I would definitely say that they are brave animals, but its not like we treat them like parts of the family. They don’t sell health food for dogs like we do in the States.
Anyway we all agree that the dogs definitely bring character to the house and they always keep things interesting.
You are still not in Kansas anymore
It is really strange sometimes when I remember that I am on the African continent thousands of miles from home. I have become so accustomed to my surroundings that the sights, sounds, and smells have become part of me. What I once saw as extremely different, what I used to be in awe of I now take in stride. Of course, this can be expected after a certain amount of time for most people, but I am also realizing that the more accustomed I become to life here in Ghana the longer it will take for me to get used to life in the U.S again.
A few months ago I could clearly picture the places I was familiar with back in the U.S. now these pictures have become somewhat cloudy, obscured by my day to day sights. It is strange indeed. I am realizing that I will need a good amount of time to kind of debrief myself and reintegrate myself into American life. It should be interesting, but there is still much time that must pass before I do this.
I am exactly where I need to be right now.
A few months ago I could clearly picture the places I was familiar with back in the U.S. now these pictures have become somewhat cloudy, obscured by my day to day sights. It is strange indeed. I am realizing that I will need a good amount of time to kind of debrief myself and reintegrate myself into American life. It should be interesting, but there is still much time that must pass before I do this.
I am exactly where I need to be right now.
Time Goes On (on missing the change of seasons)
A brief reflection from October 31st, 2007 Halloween
This is the first year of my life that I have not been experiencing the changing of the seasons. So although I have been here in Ghana for a while I have nothing to compare it to really. I am so used to equating the passage of time with the changing of the seasons.
I have to say that as much as I do enjoy the beautiful sunshine and the whole tropical environment I do miss the brisk winds of October. The colorful trees and the crunch of the leaves under my feet.
I am not too dismayed though for I wouldn’t rule out the idea that I will learn to complain about cold weather again. It will be even stranger come Christmas day.
I know you are jealous.
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