Not A Typical Day

December 21, 2024 In applying for the Peace Corps, I was following in the footsteps of my good friends Mike and Lynn as well as my daughter Gina.  Mike and I worked closely together at 3M and we became good friends.  On weekends he drew me into successively longer bike rides through the western Wisconsin…

September 9, 2024 Being away from school gives me time to reflect and consider what I might do differently when the new term begins.  After talking with fellow volunteers, I feel empowered to put a stop to the unwelcome interruptions during my lessons.  Certainly, students are guilty of many interruptions (e.g., asking to go pee…

September 1, 2024 “Oof!”, I say as I finally find time to sit down, catch my breath, and contemplate the anniversary of my swearing-in as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  I’ve been in Ghana for 15 months now and have another 12 months to go (unless I decide to extend my service for a third year). …

June 22, 2024 I’m constantly reminding myself that time flies and that I must get out to experience events in my community.  So three weeks ago, when a fellow teacher / friend told me that there would be a beauty pageant at the local senior high school (SHS), I decided I had to attend.  Mind…

May 4, 2024 I wrote previously about how Ghanaian culture largely survived the impacts of British colonization.  That’s probably attributable to the fact that large tribes with thousands of members have lived in what is now Ghana since at least the 12th century, and overland trade routes between this territory and the Mediterranean go back…

March 11, 2024 Finding the right balance Among the first purchases that I made upon arriving at my village were a bicycle (the subject of a future post) and a bike pump. It didn’t take long before word got out that Teacher Kwadwo has a pump. I’ve met several boys (I don’t recall seeing a…

December 26, 2023 Hello, the school term has ended, the holidays are upon us, and I have free time to update you on my adventures. I’m disappointed that it has been almost two months since my last reports, but school and Peace Corps have kept me very busy and almost every day brings a new observation,…

November 2, 2023 Any Westerner who spends any amount of time in Ghana, especially a person with a Caucasian skin tone, will pretty soon hear the call “Obroni!”.  People on the street, people in the market, and especially children will call out “Obroni!”.  Although “Obroni” is the word used in a large part of Ghana,…

October 29, 2023 Hi, This is a collection of miscellaneous thoughts. It’s Sunday night and my laundry isn’t done yet. Sunday is my usual laundry day because the communal water supply is generally on all day long on Sunday (from about 6 AM to about 4 PM), so I have plenty of time to clean…