Hermaphrodites, Aliens, and Drugs

So I feel like quite a bit has happened since my last post. A lot of new things. So here we go:

School Health Lessons - I've started going to the JSS (equivalent of middle school) about twice a week teaching lessons. I worked with another teacher doing a malaria lesson, then did nutrition, then did one HIV/AIDS lesson. The kids are fairly receptive and actually seem to know quite a bit about this health stuff. I think it's pretty funny that I'm teaching. I mean, what do I really know? I'm standing up there talking about types of malnutrition like "marasmus" and "kwashiorkor" and I'm thinking, What? When did this happen? Who gave me the authority to teach these kids?

The funniest experience with this, by far, was the HIV/AIDS lesson. I went through the basics, which they mostly knew, then asked if they had questions. The questions began with condoms, but quickly took a turn for the absurd and bizarre:

"I am hearing that there are people with both penises and vaginas. Is it true?" Well, yes. They are called hermaphrodites. Wait, why am I saying "hermaphrodite" in a Ghanaian classroom??

"Can I wear a condom if I am not having sex?" Umm....and why would you want to do that?

"In the movie I am seeing two women having sex. Is this possible?" Ok, first, where are you getting these movies from? You only watch Nigerian or Dagbani films...and I'm pretty sure homosexuality is illegal in Ghana.

So I quickly had a SWARM of kids around me, all shouting "Madam! Madam!" and flinging their strange questions at me. One smaller boy (whose name is apparently Good Boy) kept repeating, "When you bring condoms, bring MORE! When you bring condoms, bring MORE!" Needless to say, I was exhausted after this. I went outside and began telling to the teachers what had just happened. One teacher explained the importance of condom demonstrations with a wooden penis (which Ghanaians pronounce pen-nis). Apparently some other health educators had gone through the village demonstrating, but were using their fist as a make-shift penis. Months later many village women were pregnant because the men had been putting the condoms over their fists during intercourse. Oh boy.

A Birth - Yes, I saw a birth. I've wanted to see one since I've been here and one day after teaching I went to the clinic to say hello. The midwife told me a woman would be giving birth soon. I asked if she would inform me when it happened. So an hour later a nurse came over calling, "Suhiyini, Suhiyini, it's time, come quick!" So I head over with a weird sense of trepidation. I had the same feeling I get before going on a roller coaster or watching a scary movie.

I enter the room and there's the lady, all laid out on the table. I say to the midwife, "Is it ok, are you sure she doesn't mind that I'm in here?" The response: "What does she care, who is she to say whether or not you can be here?" Well....it is her body and her vagina. So I'm hanging out. The midwife is literally slapping the poor laboring woman's thighs, shouting at her to spread wider, push harder. The woman is SILENT. No tears, no screams, nothing. I am impressed. The midwife demands that I stand right at the foot of the table so I can get a nice view. And then it happened. It was like an alien encounter. I swear. I have never seen anything like that before. The little head starts peeking out and then all of a sudden, whoosh!, here comes the body! And it's creepy because the skin color is less brown, more...purple. So it kind of looked like an alien.

So then the midwife proceeds to grope around inside the woman's vagina to check for bleeding and tears. The blood is just pouring out of her. The midwife constructs a makeshift diaper/pad devise out of strips of cloth and cotton. Then the woman's mother, or someone, comes in and proceeds to make a cup of tea for the new mother, who is already sitting up, getting dressed, etc. And just like that, it's over! WOW. That's all I can really say.

Guinea Fowl Purchase - The long-time vegetarian is now buying an animal to keep and feed in preparation of it's slaughter. A friend from southern Ghana is coming up to visit this week, so I thought in his honor I would buy a guinea fowl to eat. They are not common in the south and figured he should get a taste (no pun intended haha) of northern culture. So on market day I meet up with my counterpart to go in search of a guinea fowl. The whole experience kind of felt like buying illegal drugs. We were just strolling nonchalantly through the market, seeking potential sellers. The birds are all kept in these basket things that are impossible to see into, so you don't really know what it is that you're buying. We found a few different sellers, then went back and forth trying to get a good price. So I finally secured one for 5.50 Ghana cedis. Not bad. So then I'm walking around the market holding this live bird. I just kept laughing at myself. I think mostly because it felt so normal. Which obviously is strange.

Ok, so now that this is the longest post over, I'll stop. I also started a debate club at the JSS, which has been interesting, and I have some newfound ideas about development, both of which I will write about later. Again, I apologize for no pictures, but I promise they will come soon. I will be at a week-long Peace Corps workshop soon with lots of internet time (I hope!). And now I will go in search of a hotel with satellite so I can watch the Tar Heels beat Oklahoma! GO HEELS!

Is eating rocks bad for your teeth?

Ok, so internet is down at the Tamale office yet again. So even though I actually took lots of pictures in preparation for multiple blog posts, I won't put them up now. It's entirely too difficult and annoying to do at an internet cafe. But just look forward to many, many pictures to come!

I'm trying to remember highlights of the past few weeks...it seems almost like a blur actually. Things are going well though! I'm feeling more and more comfortable in my village. Getting used to people and people are getting used to me.

I've been going to help out at the clinic on antenatal and baby weighing days. This is interesting and also terribly frustrating. I go and stand around for a while and ask if I can help out anywhere. Sometimes they let me make tallies in a big book, recording the number of pregnant women coming, their trimester, how many kids they've had, etc. So this is nice. I don't mind doing that. But then sometimes they will pair me up with a nurse and give us a task that one person could do easily and probably more efficiently. So then I try to sort of step out. It just seems insane to me. Also, there is NO system or organization at these days, so I want to try to develop a sort of routine. Maybe. Concepts such as "systems" and "routines" and "order" are somehow out of the grasp of many Lungbungians. Maybe most Ghanaians really. So after standing around for a long time doing absolutely nothing I say "Okay, I'm going to go take my lunch." And they proceed to laugh at me and act like I'm skipping out on work! But how can I explain to them that if I stand here and watch the inefficiency and lack of productivity any longer that I might go CRAZY?? It's easier to say that I'm hungry.

The teachers are all still around, which is great. Most of the teachers are really awesome and we can relate in a way because they are generally from Tamale and we have similar complaints about village life and living away from home. They are also great with Sage. One in particular likes to do this weird arm-flailing dance/hop thing and repeat her name over and over. I think he's trying to play with her, but she just looks confused. I've started teaching in the schools a bit. Well, I have once so far. But it's a start. My friend and I taught a lesson about malaria. I'm going to try to get in the routine of going to the JSS (junior high school) at least once or twice a week. The primary school is kind of my worst nightmare, so I tend to avoid it. Dozens of children screaming in Dagbani...why would I want that?

Last Monday was the first day of a two-day Dagomba festival. It was great! It's called Damba and is held to celebrate the prophet Mohammad's birth. The second day will be this coming Monday and is supposed to be even bigger than the first. So I went to the chief's palace with my camera and everything is great, I'm watching the drumming and the old men dance around in their smocks, but then the GUN MAN had to come in and ruin it for me. Apparently I am absolutely terrified of guns! The village thinks it's hilarious. And then they lie to me and say, "Oh no, he won't shoot again." So then I get angry and say, "You are LYING to me!" Haha it's pretty funny though really. I just follow the kid's cues and cover my ears whenever they do. But it's hard to take good pictures and enjoy the festival when you're constantly on the lookout for the gun man!

Lungbunga's been having some crazy weather too. A few nights ago there was an intense storm - I mean like hurricane intense. I had just finished dinner and was getting all excited for a little evening rain (since I rarely ever see rain anymore), when suddenly the lightning started to flash and the wind started howling and my back door completely blew open even though it was latched. Oh and a panel in the bedroom ceiling started popping off. So my excitement kind of turned a bit panicy, but once all the windows were closed and everything valuable was safely away from the wind and rain I started thinking about the implications of natural disasters in the developing world. You don't get any hurricane watches, or hurricane warnings. Nope! It just COMES and pretty quickly too. I feel like I have a better understanding of the devastation communities go through due to weather - failed crops, floods, houses destroyed by wind. It's crazy! We're lucky in America! I remember back in elementary school doing all those drills for different natural disasters. Get in the hallway, duck and cover, go in the closet, etc. All those annoying tests on the radio all the time for severe weather. But that's nice! It would be nice to get a little heads up on these things.

That pretty much sums things up. My house is definitely starting to come together and I'm feeling very much at home. I really do love my house. I'm also still learning how to cook. Slowly getting better at the whole rice and beans thing. I need to be better about cleaning the rice though, I think eating rocks is bad for your teeth.