Teaching at "Etoile Royale"

Am able to start a little volunteer work after all at Etoile Royale, a grade school which has classes up to Level Six. I began yesterday, teaching French and English to the two upper grades and will continue next week until their spring holiday begins on April 1st. Even after the break, I should still be able to work for a couple of more weeks before returning to the US. Grade Five has 21 students - 10 girls, 11 boys and Grade Six has 20 - 4 girls, 16 boys. The Director of the school has emphasized the importance of basic polite conversation needing to be learned and re-enforced with the students. Ghanaians, by nature, are extremely courteous in their actions. However, possibly because the local language of Dagbani (or that of another tribe if the family happens to come from a different area) might be spoken at home, many children are not proficient in expressing themselves with a full English sentence. So, in addition to certain grammatical fundamentals in reading and writing, an immediate goal is to develop some good speaking skills both in English and in French. That should keep me busy for a while - not only with actual classroom time but with preparation of materials.

Teaching and Telephones

Am working at the Abe Halperin School with children around nine years of age who have difficulty with reading. Usually, I take four or five students at a time from their regular classroom and we sit under a large tree to practice a few language skills. The going is occasionally slow but I'm hoping that at least a little extra emphasis can't hurt. Unfortunately, my timing as a volunteer teacher is not the best; exams are being given in a couple of days and a long spring break is to follow. Will try to check on the holiday schedules of other schools in the area as well.
Visited one called Etoile Royale yesterday afternoon and maybe after their break, teaching there may be a possibility. On the way home, Jim and I grabbed a taxi and I unknowingly left my trusty cell phone in the cab. When I discovered it missing later in the evening, we called my number from Jim's cell and amazingly, a kind and honest gentleman answered - our taxi driver from a few hours before. As providence would have it, he turned out to be the father of one of the students in the Abe Halperin School and we made arrangements to meet at 7 AM this morning to reunite me with my phone. I know Someone is watching over me.

Interesting Visitors and Resident Dust

The daughter-in-law of our friends, Bill and Patricia, who are physicians here in Tamale, was here for a visit last week and lectured on psychiatry at both the medical school and at the hospital's weekly conference. Erin practices in Great Britain and provided students and staff with an interesting and informative discussion.
Ian, a gentleman from Scotland, was also visiting our area - involved in a project which oversees child labor regulations. Here in Ghana, this specifically involved children panning for gold and other minerals.
The winter Harmattan wind is over but the air remains dry and dusty. Newly washed floors and any other surfaces are quickly re-covered with a brown layer of dirt. Rainy season not expected much before May.

Spelling Bee and Books

With Jim sure to get busy soon with his medical work, I'm trying to make my own contacts toward being productive. Walked over to a nearby school close to our house and asked to speak with an administrator about volunteer teaching. Found the Headmistress standing under a tree in a large, open area where hundreds of students were assembled in a big circle ready to begin a spelling bee. Great photo-op (but of course I hadn't taken my camera) as the sea of blue uniforms was divided into four separate groups - Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow - for the scheduled competition (the Green team won!). Rounds one, two and three were French words while rounds four and five were the local language of Dagbani. Nice to learn that although English is the language of choice for instruction, all students in this particular school are being exposed to French as well. For a few years, the teaching of French in Ghana had evidently diminished but there is now a renewed interest which seems practical since Ghana is surrounded by such French-speaking countries as Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin. The school is co-ed, private, and ages run from pre-school to fifteen. There is also a day-care for children one year and older. I have a meeting set up for 8:30 tomorrow morning to discuss possible options for me.
Meanwhile, my good friend, Ann, sent us a much appreciated box of wonderful paperback books which I picked up at the post office later in the afternoon - a terrific assortment which will keep us well entertained for quite some time.

Hot, Hot Weather, Slow, Slow Internet, And Still Smiling

We have a couple of rooms with an air conditioner in our home but walking around town during the day can be pretty hot. Dripping with sweat, I somehow managed to literally peel myself into a bathing suit so I could check out a new swimming pool at a nearby hotel - only to find the murky, green water "unusable." Quelle surprise!
Internet access has been disappointing too. Very slow and quite sporadic.
And yet, there are those other little things which manage to tip the scale in the other direction. When we gave our night watchman, Mumuni, a small gift of figs, dates & apricots from Egypt along with a photo of him which I had taken last October & had developed before leaving the US, he laughed & laughed, jumping about and clapping his hands in joy and appreciation of possessing a printed picture of himself. It may have made his day but I know it certainly made mine.

Family Vacation in Egypt Then Jim & Cyndy Return to Ghana

Amazingly, all four of our adult children joined Jim and me for a special family vacation in Egypt. Midst the city of Cairo, the pyramids at Giza, and the beaches of Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea, we celebrated Jim's birthday in style. Following the kids' return to their jobs in the US, Jim & I thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful cruise on the Nile where we were truly in awe of the ancient tombs and temples once covered by sand for thousands of years and now standing in all their splendor.
So, from barely being able to depart the States in the middle of a Nor'easter blizzard, I now find myself in the 99 degree F temperature of Ghana's hot, dry season. Jim & I arrived in Accra on March 14 & continued north to Tamale this past Monday, March 15. On Tuesday, he was warmly welcomed back by so many people at the hospital - on the wards, in the OR, the lab, in various departments, and of course in the Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic. My welcome greeting at COLWOD rivaled his at the hospital. Screams, bear hugs and kisses can't help but make one feel right at home.