Wonder Woman my ass. The next day they said they talked to the boss back in America and he said they can keep the project money. I called to see if it was true, and indeed it was. Mr. Boss man said, "Adrianne, I understand your concerns about the project money but we are here to work WITH the locals and not OVER them. We cannot treat everyone as if they are crooks Adrianne. Giving you the money would defeat our goal to build relationships, blah, blah, blah." I beg to differ. I was so angry when he told me this I was shaking. I do not think he understands the amount of idleness, excuses and disorganization that I have seen from the organization since I have been here. Anyway, I haven't been that angry in a long time and I almost forgot how bad it feels to be mad. Yesterday could have been the worst day I have had in Ghana. Lucky for me, I have met another African-American here in Kakumdo who took me to the beach and to the bar for some relaxation. His name is Chris. Chris is what I call a "peace and blessings" or a "gypsy" from Atlanta. He is has been living in Ghana for sometime and he is here to study herbal remedies. He gave me some type of magic wheatgrass/herbal powder plant to put in my tea that he swears will prevent me from ever getting malaria. I promised him I would take it to wash down my malaria medications. Anyway, today I started working with another NGO called HEPENS. I have no ideas what the acronym stands for, but their current goal is to teach about HIV/AIDS in local communities and schools. I never understood why the rates of HIV/AIDS in Africa are still so high until I went on this trip. One of the Africans who works with HEPENS told the students that the only way to get HIV/AIDS is through blood. He went on to explain that the only reason people get HIV/AIDS from having sex is that when sex gets really dry, due to the womans lack of lubrication, the friction causes the skin to rub and break and both parties can start bleeding on each other. I am sure you are crying laughing by now...or maybe you are in total shock. Fortunately, another volunteer stopped him and corrected him on that misinformation but continued with more misinformation. He attempted to explain the purpose of the woman's vagina. "Woman's vagina is for three things: childbirth, menstruation and urination". URINATION? I don't ever remember urinating out of my vagina...but maybe I missed something? This man has three children. His poor, poor wife. Anyway, the students continued by asking questions that really blew my mind, "Is it true that HIV/AIDS is a curse from God because the chiefs upset him?" "Can the something-something leaf cure AIDS?", "My father said that AIDs is not real so I don't believe that what you say is true". After all of these questions, it really helped me understand, on a deeper level, what the issues really are. It is deep. Deeper than I can really understand. I am drowning in the deepness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.
For the last few weeks I have been meaning to make a list of the things that I love about Africa. Everyday something keeps me from doing it so today I bought extra time at the internet cafe to send you this list.
10 REASONS I LOVE AFRICA
1.The people here are beautiful. Their skin, teeth, bodies, EVERYTHING. Everyone in Ghana is so defined. Beautiful. Beautiful Black people. (I now understand why so many people see Americans as fat and lazy)
2. The children are self-sufficient. The babies cry less, the children do more for themselves. They are not constantly monitored and supervised and they are all okay. I love it!
3. The animals are treated humanely. Well, the animals kinda roam around everywhere and it gets to be annoying, but there is not a concept of raising chickens, cows or goats in mass. The animals are a part of the daily lives of the people.
4. There is a strong family bond. Family is everything. Family really comes first. I like it.
5. The village raises the child. I know we have heard this so much in America and it seems a bit cliche. However, in Ghana, the village really does raise the child. Children are everywhere running in and out of everyone's house. They are feed by everyone, loved by everyone and caned by everyone.
6. The people believe in hard work. No one here is really lazy. Because there is a lack of work to do, it may appear that some are lazy but in reality everyone wakes up early and starts working (sweeping, tending to animals, beating kids) immediately.
7. The land is beautiful. I have a whole new appreciation for the color green. It is so plush and beautiful. The whole country is like a green carpet.
8. Black people are amazing. People of color have some similar traits we took with us as we dispersed from Africa: loud laughter, dance, physical love, passion, humanity, community, and perseverance. It is a lot of fun here.
9. The market. I just like it.
10. Education is truly valued. People really do care to be educated...If only the education wasn't so crappy.
P.S. Special shout out to Ernesto, Crystal and Monica...Thanks for reading my blog everyday.
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