The past week has consisted of lots of contemplation time. I'm beginning to understand that is a MAJOR component of what Peace Corps is. Down time. Free time. Community Integration time. Skill Development time. Insanity Development time.
We returned on Monday to the deaf school where we practice our teaching skills. This time our trainers let us decide how the week's schedule would be arranged, so we decided to pair off and each pair would stay with the same class for a full 3 days (9-12) and then have an art show at the end. Jess and I had the JSS1 (approx. 8th grade). We decided our project would be an accordian book with a comic book-like story inside. The objective being to show time through a series of four pictures. The first day was the hardest. It wasn't until right before the end of the period that the students began to understand the concept of breaking down a "happening" into four steps. This is a classic example of probably the biggest difference between Ghanaian and American schooling. Here, it is rare that students have to come up with original ideas, if ever. Memorization is central. To me, it is actually kind of amazing the extent to which they can memorize (for those of you that dont know, i lack considerably in that area ;) ) Students are used to memorizing portions of text and if, on the test, they have even one word off, it is wrong. So, if that is all you have ever learned. You can imagine how difficult it would be to not simply duplicate a set of pictorial events given by a teacher, but to come up with your own parallel ones. Our examples were things like: seed, green shoot, big plant, dying plant....or egg, chick, hen, dinner...or (this was the full example i made to show the project)Kari goes to Ghana- saying goodbye to family, flying over the ocean, landing in Ghana, teaching art to Ghanaians. The kids got really excited when they figured out that the little cartoon character was me :) The second two days were much smoother, they colored in their drawings and then made covers.
It was really cool to be with the same students for a period of time and able to get to know them and their individual skill levels. It was really exciting when one girl was able to come up with a completely different idea for her story (she did fetching water) and then when one boy was an amazing artist out of nowhere...and i got really attached to one girl who has a lot of developmental problems. She is way behind the other students. For example she never was able to grasp the storyline concept. But I just finally let her draw her ideas and color the way she wanted, then helped a lot with her cover. She was sooooo proud when she was done! It was so cool to see that.
Since we didn't have to spend tons of time on lesson plans, the 6 of us had lots of time to do whatever (we were done at 12 every day). I think it was good practice for what site will be like. A little structure with lots of down time. I have started realizing that you can't really go through Peace Corps without developing little insanities/obsessions or quirks if you will to fill the time:) The PCVs have been telling us stories about some of the more extreme versions...like one guy had some pet snakes and kept goign to the health office with snake bites, they finally told him he had to get rid of the snakes, so he cooked them and ate them. Another girl hadn't been heard from in awhile and so another PCV went to check on her. When the volunteer arrived the girl asked if the volunteer wanted a donut. And the visiting volunteer looked around and the girl's kitchen was filled with donuts in all varying states of decay. Like she had started making donuts for weeks on end and never stopped. Another interesting one is a guy I met. He was a really cool guy too. He had started hunting all his own meat in the jungle (i think with a machete) and was determined to make sure he tried every sort of meat possible.
So what do you think mine is goign to be?? I'm already kind of weird. Hopefully it will just become something random, like my friend Jenny has been writing down every single text she sends and recieves for the last year in a book. And thats like 20+ a day. SO get excited for me. It'll be fine :)
Another thing that might make everyone laugh is that one of the guys in the group informed me last night that when me met me he knew I was in Peace Corps, apparently everyone else is random and you would never expect that they were a PCV....but I on the other hand scream Peace Corps. hehe. oh wellll....

a small taste

I love working at the deaf school. I have taught 6 different classes now and they are so fun. It is a whole different ball game. It is a real challenge to come up with something that is the correct ability level that can be taught with the few signs we know and mostly gesture and with hardly any supplies at all. But I love it. The kids are unbelievably excited about art and soo proud of the littlest things. They crave attention and eat it up when you give it to them. One thing I hadn't thought about before that is that most of the deaf students also have other disablities in some form... whatever caused the deafness also affected other functions. Also here, instead of a child staying at his/her ability level, the teachers keep passing them so that they can reach tech. school and learn a skill. I can understand that, but at the same time it is odd to have mostly students with an ability level and another way behind. You just sort of encourage and give extra help. I'm really excited though about it all. :)

Home-stay is also going really well, even though I am hardly ever there. I think I'm getting a really different experience than most, because there really isn't a set family that I live with. I live with the queen mother of the village, her parents, and then a whole host of random people who are distantly related somehow. There is one boy who can speak english really well, so he is my interpreter. The house is arranged in a square with about 9 rooms all facing an inner courtyard. Everything happens in the courtyard. washing, cooking, hanging out... I do have my own room which is really nice and have tried my best to make it homey.