Class, the Ghanaian Way
Friday, September 8
I wish my days in school were as interesting as my "weekends" but the simple fact is, school is school, no matter what continent you are on. Luckily for me, my afternoon class on Wednesday was cancelled. It's the one class that I really don't like, but I'm sticking with it anyway. I think it will help explain why some things in this country are so odd.
Lecture on Thursday was a little more interesting, in an interesting sort of way (just follow me here). I got little sleep the night before, and woke up early to make things worse. The first class, Conflict in African States, is taught by a professor who has a very wry sense of humor. The class was pretty well packed. Easily 400 people, and tons of obrunis. I sat as far away as possible from them. In general, then obrunis sit in groups, which is comforting and all, but I'd rather just blend in -- well as much as white kid in a black sea of faces can blend in.
The second lecture was where things got interesting. It was in the same room, which is quite convenient. And as normal, he showed up about 25 minutes, and it looked like he was well drenched in sweat. And then, he starts to ramble, so much so that the Ghanaian students -- who literally will right down every word of a lecture -- are paralyzed. I have no trouble keeping up, as I'm used to professors going a thousand miles an hour. About 25 minutes into his lecture, he stops and says, "Okay, let's try to right something down." And he goes through his lecture, almost verbatim, three or four words at a time so the Ghanaians can write everything. Odd. I half-way paid attention, writing something when a new point was made, but for the most part, I wrote very little.
Instead, I filled the remaining time in class by reading "Forrest Gump." As it is one of my all-time favorite movies, I greatly anticipated this read. I started it on Wednesday night, and finished it this afternoon. It was a good read, all in all, but I like the movie better. The movie was just a bit more believable. I'm also in the middle of reading a compilation of stories written by Peace Corps Volunteers. It's very interesting, and I can relate to a lot of the stories on some level.
This afternoon, after finishing "Gump," Diane and I went to lunch. We were joined by a man named Hermann, who is an Ivoirian (Ah-vwah-rian: hes from Ivory Coast). I'm glad to say that things in Ivory Coast have somewhat settled, and I'm going to try to go there when their elections take place, which are, "by the grace of God" as Hermann said, in October.
Once again, no water, no electricity. This is the last time that I'm going to say there is no running water. Just assume that the water is off, and when it's actually on, I'lll post it. I think we are going to do a study to see if the water is off more than on or vice versa. We did get a little lucky though, in that it has been raining all day, and my hair really needed a rinsing. Desparate times call for desparate measures.
Weather pending, Duncan and I are going to a funeral for a fetish priest. If we go, it will be unreal. In the words of "Anchorman," this guy is "kind of a big deal." In fact, we heard that they were going to sacrifice TWO bulls at this thing, so you know he must be important. If we do go, there will be many a-picture, which will be posted as soon as possible.
Stay well.
LDG
I wish my days in school were as interesting as my "weekends" but the simple fact is, school is school, no matter what continent you are on. Luckily for me, my afternoon class on Wednesday was cancelled. It's the one class that I really don't like, but I'm sticking with it anyway. I think it will help explain why some things in this country are so odd.
Lecture on Thursday was a little more interesting, in an interesting sort of way (just follow me here). I got little sleep the night before, and woke up early to make things worse. The first class, Conflict in African States, is taught by a professor who has a very wry sense of humor. The class was pretty well packed. Easily 400 people, and tons of obrunis. I sat as far away as possible from them. In general, then obrunis sit in groups, which is comforting and all, but I'd rather just blend in -- well as much as white kid in a black sea of faces can blend in.
The second lecture was where things got interesting. It was in the same room, which is quite convenient. And as normal, he showed up about 25 minutes, and it looked like he was well drenched in sweat. And then, he starts to ramble, so much so that the Ghanaian students -- who literally will right down every word of a lecture -- are paralyzed. I have no trouble keeping up, as I'm used to professors going a thousand miles an hour. About 25 minutes into his lecture, he stops and says, "Okay, let's try to right something down." And he goes through his lecture, almost verbatim, three or four words at a time so the Ghanaians can write everything. Odd. I half-way paid attention, writing something when a new point was made, but for the most part, I wrote very little.
Instead, I filled the remaining time in class by reading "Forrest Gump." As it is one of my all-time favorite movies, I greatly anticipated this read. I started it on Wednesday night, and finished it this afternoon. It was a good read, all in all, but I like the movie better. The movie was just a bit more believable. I'm also in the middle of reading a compilation of stories written by Peace Corps Volunteers. It's very interesting, and I can relate to a lot of the stories on some level.
This afternoon, after finishing "Gump," Diane and I went to lunch. We were joined by a man named Hermann, who is an Ivoirian (Ah-vwah-rian: hes from Ivory Coast). I'm glad to say that things in Ivory Coast have somewhat settled, and I'm going to try to go there when their elections take place, which are, "by the grace of God" as Hermann said, in October.
Once again, no water, no electricity. This is the last time that I'm going to say there is no running water. Just assume that the water is off, and when it's actually on, I'lll post it. I think we are going to do a study to see if the water is off more than on or vice versa. We did get a little lucky though, in that it has been raining all day, and my hair really needed a rinsing. Desparate times call for desparate measures.
Weather pending, Duncan and I are going to a funeral for a fetish priest. If we go, it will be unreal. In the words of "Anchorman," this guy is "kind of a big deal." In fact, we heard that they were going to sacrifice TWO bulls at this thing, so you know he must be important. If we do go, there will be many a-picture, which will be posted as soon as possible.
Stay well.
LDG
posted by Lee Gerston at 6:53 AM
2 Comments:
Hi Lee!
I just read all of your blog entries and.... what can I say... hats off to you for everything.
ok, now you're really gonna have to explain what this "fetish" things is all about. Or did you, and I completely miss it?
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