Since returning back to homestay (back at Maase in the Eastern Region) things are as if I never left. In the beginning I felt a little out of place and estranged, but that quickly melted away. My family is still super nice and it will be harder saying the final goodbye than I originally thought. Like most things, I get attached before I know its happened. I’ve taught the children living at my homestay house to say “I’m awesome!” when I ask them how they are doing. It’s pretty funny.
Language training has been a roller coaster of a ride. Once we got back from tech training language class was pretty stressful. After not hardcore studying Dagbani for a month it was not an easy transition back into it. However language class has finally begun to mellow out and all that is left is our dreaded Language Proficiency Interview (LPI) this coming Monday. All 25 of us have to have a 30 minute taped conversation in our target language. Wish me luck…
Knowing that we would be wearing dresses to our swearing in ceremony (the day we turn from Peace Corps Trainees to Peace Corps Volunteers) I went to get a dress made for myself. People here have some serious skill in making dresses. It’s all handmade and somehow they turn 4 yards of cloth into these really cool dresses. A yard of boutique fabric costs about 5 cedis (about 3 dollars and 30 cents). To make the patterns on boutique fabric somebody will carve a pattern out of wood and then fill it with wax. The wax is then melted just slightly and dabbed on the fabric to create the repeating pattern which is dyed different colors. You will bring to a seamstress the fabric you bought and tell her what you want made. She’ll take your measurements and then about a week later you’ll have your own personalized dress. The labor costs about 10 or 15 cedis. Pretty crazy right?
Knowing that we would be wearing dresses to our swearing in ceremony (the day we turn from Peace Corps Trainees to Peace Corps Volunteers) I went to get a dress made for myself. People here have some serious skill in making dresses. It’s all handmade and somehow they turn 4 yards of cloth into these really cool dresses. A yard of boutique fabric costs about 5 cedis (about 3 dollars and 30 cents). To make the patterns on boutique fabric somebody will carve a pattern out of wood and then fill it with wax. The wax is then melted just slightly and dabbed on the fabric to create the repeating pattern which is dyed different colors. You will bring to a seamstress the fabric you bought and tell her what you want made. She’ll take your measurements and then about a week later you’ll have your own personalized dress. The labor costs about 10 or 15 cedis. Pretty crazy right?
We’ve been having daily dancing lessons. These people come and bring these native drums and bang out a beat for us. Then some people will demonstrate the traditional dance to the beat and we all follow in suit. It’s a really fun time and it’s quite interesting to be learning these dances. When we all swear in we will be doing 2 dances that we learned. My mother went to get a dress tailored for me so that we could all match for the ceremony. Had I known she was going to do this I wouldn’t have gone out to buy my own dress, but I guess I’ll just have two now.
So yes, I've been dancing, getting dresses made, and all sorts of other jazz. I can't believe it either.
The children at my house cut the grass with a machete, you didn't think they had lawnmowers did you?
Food practical day! Making delicious food with Ghanian ingredients.
Proof that I'm not telling lies and am actually dancing. Ran is my partner behind me.
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