He Gave Voice

There are truly just a few people I can comfortably call a “hero.” Howard Zinn is one. The author, historian, and activist died Thursday:

Anyone who believes that the United States is immune to radical politics never attended a lecture by Howard Zinn. The rooms would be packed to the rafters, as entire families, black, white and brown, would arrive to hear their own history made humorous as well as heroic. "What matters is not who's sitting in the White House. What matters is who's sitting in!" he would say with a mischievous grin. After this casual suggestion of civil disobedience, the crowd would burst into laughter and applause.

Only Howard could pull that off because he was entirely authentic. When he spoke against poverty it was from the perspective of someone who had to work in the shipyards during the Great Depression. When he spoke against war, it was from the perspective of someone who flew as a bombardier during World War II, and was forever changed by the experience. When he spoke against racism it was from the perspective of someone who taught at Spelman College during the civil rights movement and was arrested sitting in with his students.

And of course, when he spoke about history, it was from the perspective of having written A People's History of the United States, a book that has sold more than two million copies and changed the lives of countless people. Count me among them. When I was 17 and picked up a dog-eared copy of Zinn's book, I thought history was about learning that the Magna Carta was signed in 1215. I couldn't tell you what the Magna Carta was, but I knew it was signed in 1215. Howard took this history of great men in powdered wigs and turned it on its pompous head.

In Howard's book, the central actors were the runaway slaves, the labor radicals, the masses and the misfits. It was history writ by Robin Hood, speaking to a desire so many share: to actually make history instead of being history's victim.

Howard was asked once whether his praise of dissent and protest was divisive. He answered beautifully: "Yes, dissent and protest are divisive, but in a good way, because they represent accurately the real divisions in society. Those divisions exist - the rich, the poor - whether there is dissent or not, but when there is no dissent, there is no change. The dissent has the possibility not of ending the division in society, but of changing the reality of the division. Changing the balance of power on behalf of the poor and the oppressed."

I first encountered Professor Zinn's work a few years ago while researching American foreign policy. His pull-no-punches assessment of US imperial ambition struck a chord in me.

Zinn's A People's History of American Empire has been turned into a graphic novel - of sorts

I read more Zinn, including his seminal work, A People's History of the United States. But it was wasn't until I read Zinn's autobiography, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, that he became a hero for me. In it he describes his time teaching in the 1950's at Spelman College, an all-girls school for blacks in Georgia. It was there that he began his activism, empowering students by leading civil rights marches and sit-ins. Eventually he was fired from his post: Insubordination. From there he took a position teaching history at Boston University. He became an active leader in the Vietnam War protests, he marched for women's rights, and rights for workers. He also wrote about his role as a teacher of history. He taught that history is an interpretation of events past, therefore it is inherently biased. Each year he would tell his students that the history he taught was his interpretation, it came with his bias. As a teacher of history myself I understood what Zinn was saying. Any time you teach history you are teaching an interpretation of history. His honesty and straightforwardness were refreshing, and inspired me to view history in a new light.
Right up until his death (he suffered a heart attack while swimming during a speech tour) Zinn continued his life's work:

One of Zinn's last public writings was a brief essay, published in The Nation, a weekly American journal, about the first year of the Obama administration. "I've been searching hard for a highlight,'' he wrote, adding that he was not disappointed because he never expected a lot from Obama. "I think people are dazzled by Obama's rhetoric, and that people ought to begin to understand that Obama is going to be a mediocre president which means, in our time, a dangerous president unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction.''

Ultimately Zinn was an agitator. Unapologetically. Proudly. Men like Zinn will never be accepted by the mainstream - those in power - because they threaten their grasp of the reins. These men will always be cast as outsiders, cranks, operating on the fringe.
But for millions, worldwide, including me, this man continues to inspire.

"My hope is that you will not be content just to be successful in the way our society measures success; that you will not obey the rules, when the rules are unjust; that you will act out the courage that I know is in you."

- Howard Zinn (1922-2010)

Changes

I'm in the process of making significant changes to the look and feel of this blog.

I ask that you be patient with the new format as we both get used to it. I believe in time it will prove to be easier to read and more user-friendly (and more blogger-friendly)

Basic Needs Must Be Met

It's stories like this that remind me just how uneven the global educational playing field is. Imagine the joy these girls must have experienced upon learning there is a solution to their problem.

Sanitary Pads Help Ghana Girls Go To School

Schoolgirl absenteeism in Ghana could be cut by half by providing free sanitary towels, a study has shown.

The Oxford University research team found in a six-month trial that with pads and hygiene education, girls were more confident about attending school.

The research was conducted in four villages where the traditional method for period protection was cloth rags.

"It's a taboo subject, [but] we found they were very anxious to try something else," researcher Linda Scott said.

"There girls are so poor that they have to use whatever cloth they can find," she told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

"The cloth is so scarce that they only have two pieces of it, so they have to wash it at night and hope that it dries in the morning, which of course in a damp climate it doesn't, so they end up wearing damp and soiled cloths which is not hygienic."

She said in one of the villages, there was only one community toilet, the school had no toilet of its own and there was no running water at all in the village.

"Conventional thinking would be in an environment like this it's not sanitary pads you need it's toilets and plumbing," she said.

"But in fact... it is in those dire circumstances that the pads are most needed and have their biggest effect."

Why We Must Be ACTIVE News Readers

Today the US Commerce Department released the first data on the GDP (the best overall measure of a nation's economic production) during the final three months of 2009. Our reaction to the data, however, will probably depend on where we get our news.

Two of the nation's (and world's) largest news agencies, The Associated Press and Reuters, reported the story, as we would expect. However, take a look at the first few paragraphs of each agency's dispatch:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The economy grew at a faster-than-expected 5.7 percent pace in the fourth quarter, the quickest in more than six years, as businesses made less-aggressive cuts to inventories and stepped up spending.

The robust performance closed out a year in which the economy contracted 2.4 percent, the biggest decline since 1946.

After falling off a cliff at the start of the year, gross domestic product turned higher in the third quarter, and the quickening fourth-quarter pace reported by the Commerce Department on Friday suggested a sustainable recovery was building.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy grew faster than expected at the end of last year, though the engine of that growth -- companies replenishing stockpiles -- is likely to weaken as consumers keep a lid on spending.

The 5.7 percent annual growth rate in the fourth quarter was the fastest pace since 2003. The Commerce Department report Friday is the strongest evidence to date that the worst recession since the 1930s ended last year, though an academic panel that dates recessions has yet to declare an end to it.

The two straight quarters of growth followed a record four quarters of decline. Still, the expansion in the fourth quarter was fueled by companies refilling depleted stockpiles, a trend that will eventually fade. Some economists worry that when that happens, the recovery could slow.

Is either story wrong? No.

A significant difference though, huh?

The lesson: Know the source, read critically, remain skeptical, and only reach conclusions after significant research.

In the Classroom

It has been great to finally get into the classroom and start teaching here in Ghana. I teach economics to two groups of students - both in their second year of secondary school (equivalent to American high school juniors). One group is home economics students - they are generally preparing for careers in trades like sewing, cooking, and nutrition. Some may go on to become nurses. There are about 30 students in that class, all girls.
The other class is general arts (In Ghanaian education you join a "class" at the start of secondary school: science, business, general arts, visual arts, home economics. Then, as a group, you go through school, taking courses as determined by the class requirements. So a science class will take more science courses than, say, a home economics class). There are 53 students in this class - a mix of boys and girls. Each class meets with me three times a week. Two times it is for 80 minutes each, and the other time it is for 120 minutes. The two hour classes are very tiring.
The classrooms are in buildings known as "blocks." The blocks are generally divided up by subject area. There are blocks for science, music, home economics, and some are generic classrooms. Unlike the US, teachers do not have their own classrooms (which I'm perfectly prepared for since I don't have a classroom at Germantown). Instead the students, more or less, remain in the same room all day while teachers come and go.
Also, the students aren't supervised at all times as they are in the US. Certainly there are restrictions on the students - they can't leave campus without permission, and they can't return to the dorms during class hours - but for the most part they move about campus like you might see at a college.
The classrooms are not "climate controlled." They are cinder block buildings with open spaces in the walls for ventilation. My classrooms are equipped with a dry erase board, centered between two chalkboards. One room has electrical outlets, so I plan to use the computer and a projector there from time to time, assuming the LCD projector can overcome the brightness of the room. If not, I will search for an alternative location.
So far my students have been very respectful and a joy to teach. The most striking difference compared to teaching in America is the student's desire to learn. During one of my first days teaching I was reviewing the previous term's final exam, methodically going through each question making sure the student understood the correct answer. It had been a long day - both of my 120 minute classes are on the same day, back to back. The second class ends at 3:45pm, so it's right in the middle of the hottest part of the day. Every day here tops out at 94-degrees. It's so predictable that at times I think my thermometer must be broken. So, towards the end of the second class I had become a puddle of sweat. I also noticed the students were increasingly fanning themselves. So, believe that I would be the hero of the day, I announced my intention to end class 10 minutes early, and told the students we would review the final 10 questions the next day. Instead of the expected cheers I received silence.

Then, from the smallest girl in the class, a sheepish, "please sir, may we review the final questions so we can study them tonight?"

I was so surprised I thought my head would explode.

"Well, um, sure! Let's go over the remainder of the exam."

The class expressed collective relief. They WOULD have something to study tonight.

Brilliant!

Take action and help the people of Haiti

Like millions of people around the world, I've been shocked by the terrible events in Haiti.

Only now is the true scale of the disaster emerging. Reports now suggest as many as 75,000 people may have died, with hundreds of thousands made homeless.

The work ahead to recover from this tragedy is immense. So here's the goal: $1 billion for Haiti. That's how much Haiti owes to the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, and a handful of others.

Sign this petition to ask Haiti's creditors to act quickly and cancel Haiti's debts.

As Haiti begins to rebuild we can help by lifting this debt.

Together as ONE we can make a difference!

Thanks!

Ghana Wins!

It's a big deal here, the African Nations Cup football (soccer) tournament. This biannual event rallies the continent and creates a lot of fun for its people. Football has become overwhelmingly popular in Africa, including here in Ghana. Last fall the Ghanaian junior team (The Black Satellites) became the first African team ever to win the Under-20 (years of age) World Cup, a feat that remains fresh in the hearts and minds of Ghanaians everywhere. And the Ghanaian national team, referred to as the Black Stars, have already qualified for this summer's World Cup in South Africa (the first time an African nation has hosted the prestigious event).
In fact, football is so popular here that on the day I arrived one of the Temasco staff reminded me that Ghana defeated the USA in the 2006 World Cup (luckily, at that time I was living in Hungary where football is also a "national religion" so I had watched the match and knew what he was talking about - I didn't have the heart to tell him that the majority of Americans - and normally me too - would have no idea what he was talking about).
So when Ghana plays a match in the Africa Cup, it's like Superbowl Sunday in Green Bay: the streets and stores are empty and people gather around any available television. And on campus, there aren't too many TVs that the students can watch - they have none. So, some staff houses become temporary hangouts and someone set up a 21" TV in the assembly hall.



So with Thursday night's win Ghana will face Egypt on Sunday evening for the championship. Egypt is a powerhouse: in this tournament it is 5-0 having outscored its opponents 14-2. Dating back to 2004, the team has won a record 18 consecutive Africa Cup matches (and three championships). Meanwhile Ghana has a storied history as well: it has four Africa Cup titles in its past - the last in 1982. In this year's tournament Ghana is 3-1 but has only outscored its opponents 4-3 (it has won three matches each 1-0).

So the heavy favorite Sunday is Egypt. But, the Black Stars are a team on the rise, and during Egypt's 18-match winning streak they have not once had to face mighty Ghana!

Golden Achilles

A couple days ago I decided to give my twice-repaired left Achilles a test - I went for a run. Since my surgery in August, the five weeks in a cast that followed, the four weeks in a boot after that, and the many weeks of walking with a heel lift, it was the first real test of my Achilles other than walking about Ghana.
The run didn't last too long: I am completely out of shape since I haven't done much to raise my heart rate since last May, and I didn't want to put too much stress on the leg. But I am pleased that the tendon felt okay during and after the exercise, although it is still quite stiff and the calf muscle is still returning to strength. However, the most difficult part of this was mental. I could focus on little other than the possibility of another rupture. I think if I hadn't ruptured it a second time in August this fear wouldn't have been to great. But with the experience of a re-rupture still very fresh in my mind - the feel, the sound, the ultimate ease with which it tore apart, and the finality of the injury once it occurs - I am still quite hesitant to stress the tendon. And this, at this point in my rehab, I believe will only slow the recovery. Still, if that's the price to pay for peace of mind, debit my account.

So when I read about the Marquette University freshman basketball player who took the floor versus Syracuse last week - just four months after undergoing the same surgery I had five months ago - I can only shake my head in wonderment.

Fat Sam

Cori sent me this picture. Yes, that's our lovable "Fat Sam" sound asleep, face down on the chair. It's something Cori and I love to watch him do. He falls asleep with his head up, and then it slowly falls to the chair until it looks like this. Rarely are we able to capture it on film though - once he hears a sound he usually lifts his head.

Contrast

I'm not really sure which side of this issue I'm on. But it certainly leaves you thinking.

Everyone Can Give

A week ago I wrote about Ghana's pledge to give aid to Haiti. Today they made good on that promise:

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, on behalf of the government of Ghana has presented 3 million U.S dollars and other relief items to support the victims and survivors of the Haiti earthquake.

Though some might look at Ghana's contribution as being "too small to make a difference" (others might invoke the one starfish story), a regional Ghanaian politician offers an important observation:

Hon. Ken Agyapng who also presented 10,000 dollars as his token to support government’s effort, noted that at least the gesture will go a long way to prove the point that the African continent will not always be begging.

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I've been thinking quite a lot about something I posted yesterday. In a Ted Talk Barry Schwartz shared his ideas about wealth, choice, and happiness. He concluded that too many choices - made possible by the accumulation of wealth - raises society's expectations to an unachievable level causing disappointment and ultimately unhappiness. Conversely, too few choices - caused by a lack of wealth, or poverty - prevents society from satisfying even basic needs causing misery and unhappiness.

On the heels of hearing Schwartz's talk, I saw this in the NY Times:

Kevin Salwen, a writer and entrepreneur in Atlanta, was driving his 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, back from a sleepover in 2006. While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes coupe on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other.

“Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal,” Hannah protested. The light changed and they drove on, but Hannah was too young to be reasonable. She pestered her parents about inequity, insisting that she wanted to do something.

“What do you want to do?” her mom responded. “Sell our house?”

Warning! Never suggest a grand gesture to an idealistic teenager. Hannah seized upon the idea of selling the luxurious family home and donating half the proceeds to charity, while using the other half to buy a more modest replacement home.

Eventually, that’s what the family did.

The project — crazy, impetuous and utterly inspiring — is chronicled in a book by father and daughter scheduled to be published next month: “The Power of Half.” It’s a book that, frankly, I’d be nervous about leaving around where my own teenage kids might find it.

It seems that if Ghana, a country with an annual per-capita income below $1000 can give $3M to Haiti, and the Salwen family can sell their house, each of us might consider relaxing our grip on the material wealth that surrounds us.

A Room with a View

As I was sipping my morning Nescafe I heard some strange sounds in the front yard:












Here they are as I followed them around the house, looking out through my kitchen window

What does a teacher make?

Too firm, too soft, just right

Back in America, the most common question people asked me when they learned I had agreed to teach in sub-Saharan Africa for a year was, "why do you want to do that?" I knew I had the answer somewhere inside. I felt it. But I could never grasp what that answer was. Something about perspective, understanding, experience, empathy, humanity, affluence, opportunity. I just couldn't organize that feeling and those ideas into a coherent thought. I still couldn't until tonight, when I watched this:

By a Thread

About a month ago I entered the local landline telephone company (Vodafone) offices in Tema to sign up for broadband Internet. It turns out the principles of economics hold true in Ghana just as they do in the US: monopoly companies are no less inefficient here than they are at home (be reminded of the cable company, the phone company, the DMV office, etc...). After a few visits to the office and a cumulative couple hours waiting in "ques" I had finally managed to pay Vodafone 126-cidi (About $90). This covered installation of a phone line ($4), installation of my broadband ($40) - a service that I could have performed since it just meant connecting a modem to the phone line and configuring it through my computer, and the first month of service ($46). Then I waited for the whole installation process to begin. And I waited. And waited. At one point a Vodafone truck pulled up and I excitedly greeted them. They looked at my house and said, "you don't have a phone line." I told them that I knew that and that I had paid $4 at the office to have one installed. They were surprised that the "phone line installer guy" hadn't already been to my house and then they started to leave. I stopped them (with the same urgency Tom Hanks would have stopped a wayward vessel whose captain had realized he was in the wrong place and started to sail away from the deserted island) and begged "can't you call the 'phone line installer guy' and have him come right now?" They told me that they would. Then they left.

A week later I went back to Vodafone's offices, waited in the que, met with an agent, and was told the installer would be to my house the next day - New Years Day. Fortunately the new year arrived. Unfortunately the installer did not. A week later (after getting out of the hospital) I received a call from an installer - he was coming by. I told him I would be here. Three hours later I called him back. He said he was on his way, and then asked me where I lived (?!?!?). Finally he appeared. An hour later I had a phone line entering my house (I didn't even mind that they had installed it by poking a hole in my window screen and feeding it through). Then the "phone line installer guy" started to install the modem. Watching him fumble with my laptop I quickly realized that he did not also hold the title of "broadband installer guy." I offered a few suggestions, he obliged. Then in desperation he called someone on his cell - probably the "broadband installer guy" - and was talked through the procedure. I had internet in my house!!!

Two hours later it stopped working. I figured it was something with the service provider so I waited until the next morning. When it still wasn't working I called customer service. The lady told me there was a system-wide problem and they were working to fix it (hey, the water goes off about once every three days and the power goes out every other week, so why not the Internet too?). The next day I got the same explanation. And the next day. Finally I asked them to explain the problem a bit more. She referred me to tech support.

Tech support told me there had been a break in the undersea cable that connects west Africa to Portugal. (now aka "The Lifeline"), but he told me it had been repaired a day ago! So he talked me through changing some of my settings (the ones set by the "phone line installer guy" while posing as a "broadband installer guy") everything was back on (I wonder how long customer service was going to keep telling me there was a system-wide problem?).

For a week I had beautiful, though slow, broadband (it's 512kbs for those of you who speak techtalk - about half the speed of the slowest broadband you'll find in the US). Then it stopped working again. I waited until the next day and called - not customer service, this time I went straight to tech support. They had a recorded message referring to another undersea cable break and stating that they had a submarine crew working on it. Wow! A submarine crew! Images from The Abyss flashed in my mind. Each day I called and got the same message. Four days later the message was gone and I reached a person. The cable had been fixed. By my service was still off. The agent on the phone looked up my account and said there was nothing she could do, I would have to go to the office. I said okay, and then asked if she could change my email address that they had on file (I noticed on a form that they had typed it incorrectly "Sducate4peace"). She told me I would have to go to the office for that too (I wonder, what can the person on the phone do?).

Once at the office I explained my problem. The woman wasn't sure why my service was off. I told her I wasn't either, and neither was the person on the phone. She said there's another woman in the office whose job it is to investigate such matters, but that she was out this day. I was told to write a letter explaining the problem. She then handed me a blank sheet of computer paper and said, "this is for your letter."
I tried to make it look as official as a hand written letter on a blank sheet of paper can look - I put a date at the top, addressed it "To Whom it May Concern:" and ended with my signature, my printed name, my account number and my contact number. The woman took my letter and seemed very impressed. :-)

I told her I really need my internet though. She said I could pay another $46 and she could activate it (but she can't tell me why it had been deactivated?). So, I grudgingly took out some bills and paid the lady. I asked how long it would take for the service to resume. She said, "oh, it's on right now."
__________________

I am sure some people will interpret this post as being critical or overly-negative. But truthfully I tend to handle these things with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders. I simply wish to illustrate for my American readers the type of day-to-day experiences common to everyone living beyond the "wealthy" world. The real take-away from this is not that I am having a difficult or frustrating time, I am not. Rather, consider the impact that poor infrastructure - including cracked, pothole filled roads; few sources of electricity; aging water lines; and open sewers - has on those who are striving to set up or expand businesses in Ghana and across the region, providing desperately needed jobs to many.
I know that my time here is temporary and in the end, I will return to my country, the United States - to the world of never-ending potable water, perfect roads (yes, perfect - I challenge any American to complain to a Ghanaian about American roads), 24-hour grocery stores, gas stations that pump cheap gas on every corner, and health services unlike anywhere else in the world. However Ghanaians don't have that luxury. This is their country. And they love their country, as they should. They want to see it improve, to join the list of nations that seem to "matter." They work hard, study hard, strive for success, put their family and religious beliefs first, and are unfailingly hospitable and generous with the relatively little that they have. Their optimism and selflessness are an example Americans should learn from. And yet they are, in so many ways, hanging on by a thread.

Perspective

Every year on the first day of school I have my students give me some information about themselves by completing what I call a “get to know you” card. Each student is given a 3x5” note card and specific instructions what to write on it. This practice is pretty common among American teachers, but I’m pretty sure this was a new experience for my students in Ghana this week.

Beyond the routine questions such as the student’s name, birthday, home town, and their plans after high school, I also asked the students to list three positive characteristics about Ghana (since, as I told them, “I’m new to your country so what good things would you like me to know”). In addition, I asked them to list two or three ideas about the US that they have heard but aren’t sure if they are true.

Here are their unedited responses (the number in parenthesis is the number if times that answer was given):

Ghana’s Positive Characteristics:

(28) Ghana is a peaceful country

(17) Ghanaians are hospitable

(17) Ghana has a lot of tourist attractions

(6) Ghana is a hardworking country

(5) The beautiful cultural heritage

(4) Ghanaians are sociable

(3) The people are very kind and generous

(3) We are patriotic

(2) Ghana has a lot of mineral deposit (natural resources)

(2) We have good resources such as gold, timber, cocoa

(2) The people are loving and caring

(2) Ghana is a democratic country

(2) There is national cohesion

(2) Ghanaians are God fearing

(2) Education

There are a lot of factories and industries for production of goods

War does not happen as another country

Ghana is tolerant

Ghanaians are being respected and accepted by other states

In Ghana a citizen has much freedom to do whatever he or she wants to do

There is always food

Ghanaians are peaceful, hospitable, great

Ghana is full of joy

There is no constraint in being a christian

They like investing a greater part of their income in education

Lovely people

We are kind-hearted

Ghana is a united nation, we all see each other as our brothers and sisters

Ghana is a lovely country to be

Ghanaians are well mannered

I like Ghana, because of the friendly nature of talking to people

Ghana is always neat

Ghanaians abide by the rules of the country

Ghanaians love people across the world

Peace, love, and freedom

What do you think you know, or wish to know, about the USA?

1. US has no respect for Africans.

2. Is it true that parents open bank account for their children?

3. Students use a lot electronic devices in their studies.

4. The students normally use computers for learning which makes it very easy for studies.

5. Can you be mentally or physically disabled and be in USA when not a citizen?

6. Do students lack respect for teachers

7. Is it true that the government feeds and cater for children till their old enough?

8. Is it true that one could be stabbed with a knife if caused by harm by a gang of guys on the street?

9. Is it also true that before you buy a knife you must bring your passport?

10. Is it true that there are a lot of jobs in America?

11. Is America a peaceful country like Ghana?

12. Is it true that Americans don’t treat Ghanaian students and workers well?

13. Is it true that most American artiste are Satanist?

14. Is it true that thousands of people are loosing their jobs yearly?

15. Africans are not recognised

16. Children under 4 years are being paid

17. There is so much work

18. How do their kids behave since they are not beaten

19. Can the government of the United State of America build a house for you, when you were born there, and also pay your school fees for you?

20. Is it true that blacks are not given some kind of opportunities?

21. Is America all about all about drugs and arms utilization in High School?

22. Do you get paid when you’re in the university?

23. Is there a lot of discrimination in the schools in America if you’re an African?

24. Do American students mock the blacks. Those from African countries.

25. In which city or state is NASA situated?

26. What is the growth rate of the USA?

27. Is America the richest country?

28. Is President Obama the last president to rule America ever?

29. Is it true that most of the Americans musicians worship satan?

30. Do they take (eat) our local foods? Like banku.

31. Are the people very kind or wicked?

32. Are they generous like we are?

33. Are there homeless people in America?

34. How do you cope when the weather is extremely cold?

35. Are most Americans lesbians and gays?

36. Do all American students get to go to college?

37. How do the student in the US cope with their teachers?

38. I heard that President Obama is the last president to rule the country and after that there will be judgement day. Is that true?

39. Do Americans always change their car every year?

40. Does Americans use credit cards? And how do you fill it?

41. Is it true that there are Satanist churches there?

42. Do parents allow their children to go to night clubs?

43. Do most Americans think that Africa is jungle?

44. Is it true that at some point of the year you have 24 hours of darkness?

45. Do you have poor people in America?

46. Are things expensive there?

47. Is it true that children express themselves freely to their parents even if it shows disrespect?

48. How high is the level of HIV/AIDS in the States?

49. Is it true that in American schools questions are given to students to learn before their exams?

50. Does America make ammunition just to fight the middle east?

51. Why is it that your country improve very well in technology?

52. I will have to know the benefit you gain from lending money to other country

53. Is it true that streets of America are not safe at night?

54. During the winter season do some people get frozen?

55. Do American children talk ridiculously to their parents and nothing is done about it?

56. Is it true that the children are greatly educated on sex?

57. Is true in America their learning process is through the Internet?

58. Is it true that at the age of 16, parents give their children the freedom to do things, such as getting into a relationship and introducing their boyfriend or girlfriend to their parents?

59. Is it true that a child can sue his or her parent in court for beating him or her for a wrong thing done?

60. Do the youth in USA actually manufacture gadgets such as watches, players, etc.

61. Are some citizens homeless in America?

62. The government takes care of the babies of teenagers

63. Majority of the population are obesed

64. America is the most powerful country

65. How do you cope with African then the visit for the first time?

66. Can someone work without papers that is documents?

67. Is education in America also too long?

68. Is education compulsory in America?

69. Is there anything like free education in America?

70. Does the government take care of people who give birth to more than three?

71. Americans have no problems

72. Americans have human robots

73. Americans destroy a lot of building when acting a movie

74. Is it true that America does not have oil?

75. How many people really live in America?

76. Do students in America wear school uniforms or just anything?

77. Does the USA produce nuclear weapons

78. Is New York the busiest city in the world, how big is it?

79. Is Osama-Ben Laden still your on the run

80. Are there beggars and homeless people in the US?

81. At what age is one required to reach in orde to start working in the US?

82. Are children spanked in the US?

83. Does America like war because or to show off their strength?

84. Why does it interfere in every countries business?

85. Is an American president a world president?

Haiti - How can Africa Help?

Like all of you, I have been watching the international news coverage of the mobilization of relief for the survivors of the Haitian earthquake. However here in Africa there is less of an attitude of "what can we do" than I imagine is being felt in the US and elsewhere. Simply put, most African nations do not have the abundance of resources (read: wealth) to devote to Haiti. Still the hearts, minds and prayers of the African people have been focused on Haiti. Last week Ghana's president John Atta Mills sent a letter to president Rene Preval of Haiti:

"While the scale of destruction is still being assessed, it is already clear to us in Ghana that a tragedy of huge proportions has hit your beloved country.

"I therefore hasten to express on behalf of the people and Government of Ghana, and in my own name, heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the people of Haiti and your Government for the incalculable loss your country has suffered,"

Mills also made reference to tangible support for Haiti:

"We are marshaling our resources and will in due course make our modest contribution to your national effort to bring relief to the people of Haiti,"

Meanwhile, up the coast in Senegal, the president is offering a unique form of aid - free land and repatriation:

President Abdoulaye Wade said Haitians were sons and daughters of Africa since Haiti was founded by slaves, including some thought to be from Senegal.

"If it's just a few individuals, then we will likely offer them housing or small pieces of land. If they come en masse we are ready to give them a region."

Health Care

No, this is not a post about the continuing debate over health care reform in the United States (that's still going on, isn't it?). The past few weeks for Cori and me have been an adventure to say the least.

We spent Christmas weekend at beautiful Ada Foah. However, the day after we returned, I awoke with a spiking fever, terrible nausea and diarrhea. An hour later I was in Accra at a private hospital receiving an IV drip and having my blood tested. Turned out I had an acute intestinal infection - probably something I ate in the previous week. I was admitted and spent two nights at the place, first taking antibiotics via the IV, and once I was able to keep things inside my stomach, I was given tablets, and eventually discharged.
Some interesting notes and observations:

• All private health care is cash-before-care. At one point Cori had to hail a taxi to take her around the city looking for an ATM that would work so she could get the money to pay for my blood work. In the meantime I was laying on a treatment table connected to an IV moaning in discomfort.

• Doctors tend not to tell the patients what's going on with their treatment. And patients tend not to ask questions. It took a monumental effort to find out what type of medication I was being treated with, for what exactly, and how long the treatment was expected to take. Vast generalization here: perhaps Americans have a stronger preference to be "in control" in life compared to their Ghanaian counterparts.

• A few times a day a nurse would enter and give me a clear plastic bag with pills inside. I was instructed to take them, but wasn't told what they were. Once I found out that one of the pills was for stomach muscle pain I decided not to take it: I didn't have any pain any longer. When the nurse came back a few hours later she ask why I hadn't taken all my pills. I told her I wasn't having that symptom any longer (it was just a pain pill). On her face she wore the kind of look I would imagine would come from me saying something like "tomato puppy slippers are down yellow." Her reply, "but you must take your pills. Why wouldn't you take them?" Um, side effects, unnecessary consumption of chemicals, cost savings...? I don't have pain! "But those are your pills. You must take them." Eventually she left the room, confused and frustrated. I never took that pill.

• I was in a shared ward - my room had a total of four beds, three of them occupied. We had one bathroom/toilet...across the hall. There was no soap in the bathroom. In fact, I never saw any soap or hand cleanser the entire time I was in the hospital. Just prior to discharge I was "interviewed" by the head nurse who was looking for quality feedback on the hospital. I told her there was no soap in the bathroom. Her explanation: They have a soap dispenser but haven't installed it yet. See, the hospital is planning to remodel the bathroom and they want to wait for that remodel to be completed before installing the dispenser so this one isn't damaged in the construction forcing them to get another. Huh? How about a hand soap pump from the grocery store?

The hospital had strict visiting hours: 6:30-7:30 am, and 5:00-6:30 pm. And while I observed a handful of visitors to other patients asked to leave, Cori was never once hassled even though she would arrived around 7am, and stayed for 12 hours. Some have said I received obruni privileges.
It took me about a week to fully recover, and just as I did, Cori fell ill. I was at the embassy in Accra when I called Cori at home to discover she had a severe headache and chills. Uh oh! Classic malaria symptoms - according to all the books. I called a colleague and asked him to check on her. A half-hour later, Cori was at a local hospital. When I arrived she had a desperate look on her face. Minutes earlier the nurses had hooked her up to an IV, and just as the fluid started to flow Cori's throat closed up - she couldn't breathe. Scrambling to get someone's attention and gasping for air, she finally had the IV removed, her airway opened up, and she vomited. Within minutes she was receiving Malaria treatment even though the lab results wouldn't confirm that fact for another hour. We never did figure out why the IV solution caused the reaction.

By morning Cori's fever had dropped and her headache was mostly gone. But for five more days she stayed in the hospital with severe diarrhea. At some point the doctors started treating her for a GI infection (We weren't sure when because, remember, the doctors tell you very little). On the third day Cori was visited by the hospital owner (most private clinics/hospitals in Ghana are owned by a veteran doctor - I haven't seen any evidence of corporate health care here). He is an OBGYN and quickly diagnosed Cori's abdominal pain as the result of premature contractions (she's only 20 weeks). Talk about fear and concern! Thankfully the right doctor came along at the right time - he prescribed medication that ended the contractions, and spent the time necessary to answer all of our questions, really putting our minds at ease.
Thankfully two subsequent ultrasounds have shown a healthy baby with a strong heartbeat kicking and dancing around in there.

Blood tests indicate that the malaria is gone from Cori's system. Her stomach is about as good as it has been during this pregnancy - which isn't too good, but a lot better than it was during her time in the hospital. Still, we decided that that was enough adventure for our unborn so Cori left Ghana this morning, headed for Wisconsin.

It will be difficult spending the next few months apart. We went through this 4 years ago when I taught in Hungary, and it was rough. But this time it will be different. This time she's been where I am, she's seen Ghana. When I tell stories about people, places and society, she can relate. That will help us feel closer. At least I hope it will.
I plan to return to Wisconsin some time this spring to be with her when she goes into labor. She's due at the end of May. After that I may return to Ghana to finish the school year.

Until then I'll just try to blend in among the Ghanaians.

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