Learn to Speak Twi

Awesome discovery: From the US Foreign Service, a 1963 copyright "TWI Basic Course" with accompanying audio! Twi, part of the Akan Language Group, is the most widely spoken native dialect in Ghana. (English is the official language, a result of British colonialism that officially ended in 1956)

Some new links

If you're new to this blog, take some time to look through the links to the right. If you've already looked at them look again. I have added some new ones in the past 24-hours.

Also, remember to subscribe to the site feed. Just click the link on the right (towards the top of the page). You can also subscribe via RSS or ATOM if you know what that means. If not, just click the link to the right and enter your email.

Meanwhile, a random "great article." This was penned back in 2002 and if you know anything about how or why today's economy is messed up (former econ students, that means you!), this story's presageful nature should impress!

Post Op

Today I had surgery to repair my ruptured left Achilles Tendon. Here's a summary of how it went:

In the operating room: "Ok, I'm going to start you off with light anesthesia to help you relax."

hmm, my mouth tastes funny

"How does that leg feel?" asked the nurse in post-op.

And THAT was the entirety of my experience today at the Orthopedic Hospital of Wisconsin. My lower-left leg, ankle, and foot are in a fiberglass cast. The leg's elevated. My toes are a yellow-orange from the iodine. Cori served me dinner. Pain ranges from 1 to 5 (out of 10) depending on when I took my last hydromorphone. Believe me, that stuff works!

So, now I have everything "non-Ghana" behind me: School is over. My office is cleaned out. The school supplies that students and parents donated for me to send to Ghana are packaged. The surgery is complete.

I can start focusing more on our trip. Tonight I emailed Leslie, the American Fulbrighter currently at Temasco, to ask about making travel arrangements. I am also going to send Lucy digital copies of the first few chapters of the World History textbook she'll use at Germantown next year. Earlier this month, my teaching assistant at G'Town, Tigran, methodically went through the book and printed a copy of every page we cover. That has been bound and shipped to Ghana. At least until that arrives, Lucy can look over these digital copies.

Farewells, School Supplies, and Surgery

It has been a busy few days. The last day of school for students was Friday last week. Monday, staff worked to get their rooms cleaned up and final grades entered. Tuesday I returned to school to sort the pile of school supplies generated by my request for donations to be sent to Ghana.
The State Department allows me to send four 40-pound boxes of educational materials to Ghana at no charge. I have a few economics books that I want with me, so those went in first. Then I put in the supplies I know I will want for teaching econ: calculators, straight edges, graph paper. Finally, other useful supplies made the cut.
All these supplies were "donated" by students who were cleaning out lockers. (Most of it was rescued from the garbage by custodial workers. You couldn't believe the amount of now or nearly new stuff that gets tossed out at the end of the year!). Cori helped me with the task.

The last week of school was emotional. Every year teachers have to say goodbye to students they have grown close to, but this time I was saying goodbye for a full year! For the juniors, that means I won't see them again before they graduate. I handed out my email to many students, and sent this blog address to all. For students reading this, STAY IN TOUCH!

Wednesday I go in for Achilles surgery. This will be an outpatient procedure. The doctor will slice me open up the back of my left ankle/calf, pull the skin open with a pair of "forks," and sew my Achilles tendon back together. I'll then wear a cast for a couple of weeks keeping my foot elevated. Then I go back to the boot I've had since the injury and I'll wear that for about 6 more weeks. If everything goes as planned, I'll be out of the boot and walking (gingerly) sometime in mid-August, just in time for our departure!

34 Going on 16...Not!

SNAP!

Last week, while trying to prove I could out-high jump a 16-year-old who I have been coaching in track during the past couple of months, I heard a loud noise and felt my left foot lose all ability to support my weight on my toes. I had ruptured my Achilles Tendon.

Monday I will visit the orthopedist to discuss treatment - probably surgery. For the next 6 to 8 weeks I'll be wearing a cast or immobalizing boot. Then will begin the many month long process of rehabilitation.

How will this affect Cori and my trip to Ghana? I don't know except I can say two things: I'll do everything possible to board the plane to Africa in early September, and Cori will be doing all the physical preparations in the meantime.

Cark Spackler from Caddyshack says:

What you've got to do is cut the hamstring on the back of his leg right at
the bottom. He'll never play golf again, because his weight displacement goes
back, all his weight is on his right foot, and he'll push everything off to the
right. He'll never come through on anything. He'll quit the game.

I hope the same doesn't apply to the Achilles!