Hey,
After a fun and eventful Friday and Saturday, it was time for a restful Sunday. I was able to sleep in for a while, which was really refreshing. A few hours after waking up, I headed to the beach with Lauren, Akrofi, and Erica, a previous intern from the Institute who has continued to live in Kokrobitey. We walked around for a bit, and Lauren and I bought dresses from Beatrice, a friend from the village who makes simple dresses and walks around selling them on the beach.
We sat down to rest, soak up the sun, and relax. We saw two of our friends from Osu and talked to them for a while. They are interesting characters, one of them taught me how to play this little instrument most of the Rastas have, made of two large nuts filled with seeds and tied to one another with string. You play them by moving them through your fingers and creating rhythms. It took a lot of practice but I finally got it, and I bought one to keep. Our other friend taught me to read poetry to the beat of the Rastas' drumming. It is so interesting to pick up these little bits of knowledge and culture from the different people I meet.
While we were laying on the beach a small boy walked over with a puppy on a leash and.... a baby monkey! All three of them were adorable. I didn't catch the boys name, but the puppy was Raphael and the monkey was Rocky. They were very friendly and climbed all over us! The monkey was always glued to the puppy's side, and when they left to continue on, the monkey tried to ride on the puppy's back!
When the heat was becoming oppressive, we went into the ocean for a swim. The water was beautiful, and it was the perfect temperature. We laid on the beach for a while longer, until a wave came up and soaked our things! We decided then that it was time to head back for a shower and some dinner. It was a really fun day.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
off to market
After an eventful Friday night in Osu, we had a nice breakfast at Auntie's, and headed back towards Kokrobitey. We needed to get food to stock the kitchen (we have been cooking for ourselves) so on the way back we stopped at Kaneshie to buy some fresh veggies. Kaneshie is a big market on the edge of Accra and has several floors. There are stands with a huge variety of different things to buy. At Kaneshie we purchased carrots, ginger, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and several other vegetables. We then hopped in the tro-tro and went to Shop Rite (yes, there IS a Shop Rite in Ghana) to pick up some items that we couldn't get at Kaneshie. It was somewhat odd to walk around in a grocery store after being in the hectic market atmosphere.
We then caught a taxi and headed back to Kokrobitey. We were exhausted after unloading our groceries and got some much needed rest.
Of course, since it was a Saturday night we had to go to Big Milly's for Reggae Night. Big Milly's is a small beachside resort in Kokrobitey. There is a restaurant there as well as an outdoor bar by the beach. Every Saturday night they have live Reggae music. Almost the whole village comes out to dance and have a good time. Kokrobitey is an interesting village because it actually has more white people than most. Because it is right on the beach, our village attracts tourists. And tourists, particularly white girls, attract Rastas. There is a very large Rasta population in Kokrobitey chillin on the beach all the time. They are a funny and friendly group. We actually ran into one of our friends we hung out with in Osu while we were there. After lots of dancing, I finally headed home to the Institute and slept very well!
We then caught a taxi and headed back to Kokrobitey. We were exhausted after unloading our groceries and got some much needed rest.
Of course, since it was a Saturday night we had to go to Big Milly's for Reggae Night. Big Milly's is a small beachside resort in Kokrobitey. There is a restaurant there as well as an outdoor bar by the beach. Every Saturday night they have live Reggae music. Almost the whole village comes out to dance and have a good time. Kokrobitey is an interesting village because it actually has more white people than most. Because it is right on the beach, our village attracts tourists. And tourists, particularly white girls, attract Rastas. There is a very large Rasta population in Kokrobitey chillin on the beach all the time. They are a funny and friendly group. We actually ran into one of our friends we hung out with in Osu while we were there. After lots of dancing, I finally headed home to the Institute and slept very well!
the beginning of many adventures...
Okay, so broken computer + power outages = late posts... my bad! I began this one a few days ago:
It's only my third full day here in Ghana and I've already experienced so much and had such a great time.
On Friday I began work on a booklet explaining the Kokrobitey Institute's Ghana School Bag Training Initiative. I'm working in Adobe inDesign compiling photos as well as the description of Auntie Renee's vision for the program. I'm excited to begin contributing more to the project.
Friday afternoon I headed out to Accra (the capital) with Lauren, another girl from America who works in the office at the Institute, and Akrofi, one of the main designers here. We took the tro-tro, which is an experience in and of itself. A tro-tro is a van used for public transportation, and will fit about 15-20 people inside (yes, its a tight fit). The tro tro is extremely affordable, which is why so many Ghanaians take advantage of it. You never know who will hop on and what they will have with them (chickens anyone?).
So, after riding the tro-tro into Accra, we went to Obruni Waru (not quite sure about the spelling), which literally means "the white man's dead". It is basically a huge secondhand market. Part of the market is covered with a kind of pavilion. It's a quite interesting place and would be fun to check it out some more, if it weren't for the people grabbing your arms trying to get you to buy something.
Afterwards we took the tro-tro to Osu, which is one of the nicer areas in Accra. We did a little shopping there and got ice cream (hard to find here!) before meeting up with Auntie Renee. We all went to a fashion show at Citizen Kofi, a multi-floored bar/club/venue. The show was for the new collection for African Mod Trends (amt), titled "button me" and "patch me bead me". The collection was made up of simple solid color designs embellished with buttons, patches, and beads with African prints. It was interesting to see what upper class Ghanaians were like after living in Kokrobitey village. There were some nice designs in the show, although many of them could have been further refined. After the show there was some live music and spoken word (poetry) and a reception. It was a great evening.
After the fashion show, Lauren, Akrofi, and I went out into Osu. We ran into some young men who frequently visit in Kokrobitey, and went to a few different places with them to hang out and dance. I feel like every experience I have here in Ghana introduces me to a new type of social circle!
We were pretty exhausted, so we finally headed back to Auntie Renee's Accra house to spend the night. It is a beautiful house and I slept like a rock!
More to come,
Emily
It's only my third full day here in Ghana and I've already experienced so much and had such a great time.
On Friday I began work on a booklet explaining the Kokrobitey Institute's Ghana School Bag Training Initiative. I'm working in Adobe inDesign compiling photos as well as the description of Auntie Renee's vision for the program. I'm excited to begin contributing more to the project.
Friday afternoon I headed out to Accra (the capital) with Lauren, another girl from America who works in the office at the Institute, and Akrofi, one of the main designers here. We took the tro-tro, which is an experience in and of itself. A tro-tro is a van used for public transportation, and will fit about 15-20 people inside (yes, its a tight fit). The tro tro is extremely affordable, which is why so many Ghanaians take advantage of it. You never know who will hop on and what they will have with them (chickens anyone?).
So, after riding the tro-tro into Accra, we went to Obruni Waru (not quite sure about the spelling), which literally means "the white man's dead". It is basically a huge secondhand market. Part of the market is covered with a kind of pavilion. It's a quite interesting place and would be fun to check it out some more, if it weren't for the people grabbing your arms trying to get you to buy something.
Afterwards we took the tro-tro to Osu, which is one of the nicer areas in Accra. We did a little shopping there and got ice cream (hard to find here!) before meeting up with Auntie Renee. We all went to a fashion show at Citizen Kofi, a multi-floored bar/club/venue. The show was for the new collection for African Mod Trends (amt), titled "button me" and "patch me bead me". The collection was made up of simple solid color designs embellished with buttons, patches, and beads with African prints. It was interesting to see what upper class Ghanaians were like after living in Kokrobitey village. There were some nice designs in the show, although many of them could have been further refined. After the show there was some live music and spoken word (poetry) and a reception. It was a great evening.
After the fashion show, Lauren, Akrofi, and I went out into Osu. We ran into some young men who frequently visit in Kokrobitey, and went to a few different places with them to hang out and dance. I feel like every experience I have here in Ghana introduces me to a new type of social circle!
We were pretty exhausted, so we finally headed back to Auntie Renee's Accra house to spend the night. It is a beautiful house and I slept like a rock!
More to come,
Emily
Thursday, September 22, 2011
I made it!
Hello from Ghana!
I am finally getting settled here in Kokrobitey after arriving yesterday evening.... what a trip! My flight out of CT was two hours late, and I came very close to missing my flight out of Washington DC to Accra. However, I ran as fast as I could to my gate and made my flight on time... I think I was the last one aboard. The flight was about 10 hours, and I arrived in Accra at around 2pm, where I was met by Yaw (pronounced "yao") from the insitute. The traffic was awful as we left Accra, but luckily we had air conditioning in the car! I'm not sure what time I actually made it to the Institute- my internal clock is completely off.
Last night I got settled in my room, and went out for pizza with some of the other people at the institute... ironic isn't it? Pizza in Africa. It was pretty good though :) On the way to the restaurant we passed by a few people in the village who remembered me and I received some warm welcomes.
I spent this morning in the Design Center meeting the trainees for the Ghana School Bag (GSB) project. Right now they are working on small bags to hold and protect Kindles, which are being donated to several Ghanaian schools by WorldReader. Along with sewing and bag construction skills, the trainees are learning many other life lessons including how to accept critique, how to converse in the workplace, brainstorming, and more advanced English grammar. The production of the GSB is a great real life application for the trainees.
The girls are very sweet, and they were incredibly welcoming. I'm looking foward to getting to know them better during the next three months.
For lunch I went out to eat with Auntie Renee (the Institutes founder/director) and some of the other young people working here to talk about the vision of the GSB project as well as some programs for upcoming visitors in the next few months. Looks like we have a lot of work ahead of us!
Well, thats all for now. I've been a little too tired and busy to take photos, but there should be some coming soon :)
I am finally getting settled here in Kokrobitey after arriving yesterday evening.... what a trip! My flight out of CT was two hours late, and I came very close to missing my flight out of Washington DC to Accra. However, I ran as fast as I could to my gate and made my flight on time... I think I was the last one aboard. The flight was about 10 hours, and I arrived in Accra at around 2pm, where I was met by Yaw (pronounced "yao") from the insitute. The traffic was awful as we left Accra, but luckily we had air conditioning in the car! I'm not sure what time I actually made it to the Institute- my internal clock is completely off.
Last night I got settled in my room, and went out for pizza with some of the other people at the institute... ironic isn't it? Pizza in Africa. It was pretty good though :) On the way to the restaurant we passed by a few people in the village who remembered me and I received some warm welcomes.
I spent this morning in the Design Center meeting the trainees for the Ghana School Bag (GSB) project. Right now they are working on small bags to hold and protect Kindles, which are being donated to several Ghanaian schools by WorldReader. Along with sewing and bag construction skills, the trainees are learning many other life lessons including how to accept critique, how to converse in the workplace, brainstorming, and more advanced English grammar. The production of the GSB is a great real life application for the trainees.
The girls are very sweet, and they were incredibly welcoming. I'm looking foward to getting to know them better during the next three months.
For lunch I went out to eat with Auntie Renee (the Institutes founder/director) and some of the other young people working here to talk about the vision of the GSB project as well as some programs for upcoming visitors in the next few months. Looks like we have a lot of work ahead of us!
Well, thats all for now. I've been a little too tired and busy to take photos, but there should be some coming soon :)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
my previous trip to Ghana
It occurred to me that perhaps not everyone who reads this blog knows that I have traveled to Ghana before. In January/February of 2010 I traveled to the Kokrobitey Institute in Ghana for about a month with a group from my college, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). We were a group of about 20 students with two faculty members. Our stay there was for RISD's wintersession, a six week term after Christmas break but before the Spring semester. During wintersession RISD students enjoy a lighter course load and have more opportunities to venture into other majors, departments, and disciplines.
Our trip was technically a class in the Furniture Design department (if you don't know, I am in the Industrial Design department). However, the trip was dedicated to the design process overall. We collaborated with the staff, artists, and designers at the Institute to design products out of recycled materials. It was quite a challenge; we RISD students are used to a more structured environment... in Ghana we pretty much just grabbed some materials and started tinkering!
By the end of the trip I had completed my project: a pendant lamp made from recycled plastic water bottles. I even had the opportunity to teach some of the ladies in the Design Center how to make more of them. Here are some pictures of my lamp in progress:
We had an exhibition at the end of our time there, and it was very rewarding to see all that we had made. I really liked the fact that I could leave something behind for the people at the Institute. Overall the trip had a profound effect on me and has definitely influenced me as a both designer and a person.
I'm looking forward to the new things i'll learn on this upcoming trip!
Our trip was technically a class in the Furniture Design department (if you don't know, I am in the Industrial Design department). However, the trip was dedicated to the design process overall. We collaborated with the staff, artists, and designers at the Institute to design products out of recycled materials. It was quite a challenge; we RISD students are used to a more structured environment... in Ghana we pretty much just grabbed some materials and started tinkering!
By the end of the trip I had completed my project: a pendant lamp made from recycled plastic water bottles. I even had the opportunity to teach some of the ladies in the Design Center how to make more of them. Here are some pictures of my lamp in progress:
We had an exhibition at the end of our time there, and it was very rewarding to see all that we had made. I really liked the fact that I could leave something behind for the people at the Institute. Overall the trip had a profound effect on me and has definitely influenced me as a both designer and a person.
I'm looking forward to the new things i'll learn on this upcoming trip!
preparation progress
Exactly 1 week until my departure!
On another random note, I picked up my anti-malaria meds from the pharmacy today (note: wal-mart's pharmacy has really great prices when it comes to generics!). I will be taking doxycycline, a daily antibiotic. I will start taking it the day before I leave, and continue to take it for a month after I return. This is definitely the biggest pill bottle i've ever gotten!
This morning I had the privilege of video chatting via Skype with Auntie Renee Neblitt, the founder and director of the Kokrobitey Institute, where I will be having my internship and living for the next three months. We went over some of the duties that I will have during my time there, as well as some basic supplies that are harder to find in Ghana that I can purchase in the US and bring with me. We had been trying to coordinate a time to video chat for a little while, but it can be difficult with the four hour time difference and busy schedules!
Speaking of my internship duties, I figured it's about time I give you a description of the program I will be helping out with. Here is the description given to me by the institute when I was invited:
"The Design Center of the Kokrobitey Institute has developed a new product, the Ghana School Bag (gSB). The project is an educational, environmental sustainability and job creation opportunity. The goal is to provide jobs for unskilled young people by launching a sustainable green company. The project will build capacity by training local youth in basic sewing skills.
The training will target low-income youth ages 17 to 26 and focus on recycling and design. It will be distinguished by its training curriculum. A curriculum focused on building basic competency skills, which are essential in today’s modern work place: good communication (asking and answering questions), time management, problem solving, categorizing and team building skills.
At the end of the three-month training all successful participants will be guaranteed a job in the company producing the first set of bags. The production and donation of the bags to Ghanaian school children will be sponsored by Ghanaian businesses committed to bringing the culture of recycling and waste management to Ghana’s youth.So, as a design intern I will be assisting with the Ghana School Bag project. I am still not sure as to what my day to day responsibilities will be, but I will certainly learn what they are in a short time!
The training model will serve the long-term growth of the company by allowing the trainees to progress to management and run their own decentralized production units.
This decentralized production model allows for the bags to be sewn at home or venues away from the central production area of the Kokrobitey Institute. A unit consists of 5 machines. The manager will collect kits from the Institute, consisting of the materials and parts needed to assemble the bag. The completed bags are then returned to the Institute for distribution.
An ambitious trainee can oversee as many units as they are able. Two units make a company. The head quarters at the Institute is called the Adinkra Hene. Two units or more make a company. The manager of two or more units can name their company after the Adinkra symbol of their choice.
The emphasis of the gSB initiative will focus attention on the country of Ghana. Providing Ghana’s school children with an well designed, durable, Ghana-made school bag brings the world of environmental sustainability, recycling, waste management, creativity and social entrepreneurship to the Ghanaian population."
On another random note, I picked up my anti-malaria meds from the pharmacy today (note: wal-mart's pharmacy has really great prices when it comes to generics!). I will be taking doxycycline, a daily antibiotic. I will start taking it the day before I leave, and continue to take it for a month after I return. This is definitely the biggest pill bottle i've ever gotten!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Visa approved...
Today I was ecstatic to find a card in the mail that said a package had come for me from "The Consular Section" and that I should pick it up at the post office. I instantly knew what it was: my visa!This is a huge thing to cross off my list.
*sigh of relief*
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Visas and iPhones and Meds, oh my!
Hey hey,
These past few days have involved lots of busy travel preparations... it feels really good to be getting things done. On Tuesday I finally mailed out my Visa application, after going to AAA for passport photos and doing all the things necessary to have it expedited. Lets hope they are prompt! As of today I have 11 days before I depart... it's hard to believe.
My next project has been my cell phone. On my trip to Ghana last year I learned that you can buy a SIM card for one of their networks and load money on it as you go. I think that's a good system, and it ends up being cheaper than getting AT&T's international plan. I also won't have to worry about the random fees and charges international plans always seem to tack on.
Warning: If you don't want to hear about the laborious process of hacking my phone, skip over the next few paragraphs!
SO, in order to do this with my iPhone I would have to jailbreak and unlock it. The unlock is what allows me to use a non-AT&T SIM card with my phone, and I can't unlock without jailbreaking. I learned a lot about this process from my good friend Jaren... it can get so confusing!
I learned that the current firmware on my iPhone (4.3.5) can only be jailbroken if it is tethered, meaning that every time the phone is turned off or runs out of battery, it has to be plugged into the computer and go through the jailbreak process all over again. Not fun. We tried to downgrade my firmware to a version that would allow me to do an untethered jailbreak, but to no avail.
At this point I decided to just deal with it and try the tethered jailbreak. I was finally able to jailbreak using the program Redsn0w, but when I went to unlock my phone, I learned that my iPhone's modem firmware, or baseband (05.16.02), cannot be unlocked. Great. I then learned that you can change the phone's baseband to the iPad (thats right, iPad) baseband 06.15.00. However, doing this will kill GPS functionality and drain my battery life. Oh, and its irreversible. Not worth it.
While banging my head against the table, I realized that my best option at this point will probably be to buy a cheap jailbroken and unlocked phone on eBay. Enough of this madness. Then, my mother swept in to save the day by handing me my brother's old 1st generation iPhone. He upgraded a while ago, and the phone had nothing wrong with it! From there, the process finally went smoothly. I found this very helpful guide that led me through the process step by step, and it actually worked! Now I have only to find a friend with a non-AT&T SIM card and test it out.
Whew. Next challenge: getting my pharmacy/insurance company to give me three months worth of malaria meds at once.
Thanks for reading!
These past few days have involved lots of busy travel preparations... it feels really good to be getting things done. On Tuesday I finally mailed out my Visa application, after going to AAA for passport photos and doing all the things necessary to have it expedited. Lets hope they are prompt! As of today I have 11 days before I depart... it's hard to believe.
My next project has been my cell phone. On my trip to Ghana last year I learned that you can buy a SIM card for one of their networks and load money on it as you go. I think that's a good system, and it ends up being cheaper than getting AT&T's international plan. I also won't have to worry about the random fees and charges international plans always seem to tack on.
Warning: If you don't want to hear about the laborious process of hacking my phone, skip over the next few paragraphs!
SO, in order to do this with my iPhone I would have to jailbreak and unlock it. The unlock is what allows me to use a non-AT&T SIM card with my phone, and I can't unlock without jailbreaking. I learned a lot about this process from my good friend Jaren... it can get so confusing!
I learned that the current firmware on my iPhone (4.3.5) can only be jailbroken if it is tethered, meaning that every time the phone is turned off or runs out of battery, it has to be plugged into the computer and go through the jailbreak process all over again. Not fun. We tried to downgrade my firmware to a version that would allow me to do an untethered jailbreak, but to no avail.
At this point I decided to just deal with it and try the tethered jailbreak. I was finally able to jailbreak using the program Redsn0w, but when I went to unlock my phone, I learned that my iPhone's modem firmware, or baseband (05.16.02), cannot be unlocked. Great. I then learned that you can change the phone's baseband to the iPad (thats right, iPad) baseband 06.15.00. However, doing this will kill GPS functionality and drain my battery life. Oh, and its irreversible. Not worth it.
While banging my head against the table, I realized that my best option at this point will probably be to buy a cheap jailbroken and unlocked phone on eBay. Enough of this madness. Then, my mother swept in to save the day by handing me my brother's old 1st generation iPhone. He upgraded a while ago, and the phone had nothing wrong with it! From there, the process finally went smoothly. I found this very helpful guide that led me through the process step by step, and it actually worked! Now I have only to find a friend with a non-AT&T SIM card and test it out.
Whew. Next challenge: getting my pharmacy/insurance company to give me three months worth of malaria meds at once.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Booked a Flight!
Well, it's official!
Tonight I finally booked my flight to Ghana. The trip is starting to feel more and more real for me. I've been working hard all summer to be able to go, and now it's really happening.
If you have to fly internationally, try searching for fares on skyscanner.com. I had to book my flight pretty last minute, and I found some pretty good deals.
Now, on to the Visa!
Tonight I finally booked my flight to Ghana. The trip is starting to feel more and more real for me. I've been working hard all summer to be able to go, and now it's really happening.
If you have to fly internationally, try searching for fares on skyscanner.com. I had to book my flight pretty last minute, and I found some pretty good deals.
Now, on to the Visa!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog!
If you're here, you probably know that I am traveling to Ghana in the next few weeks. I received my official confirmation for my internship at the Kokrobitey Insitute on Friday, August 26th. This week I'll be taking the next steps: booking my flight and applying for a Visa.
Feel free to check back from time to time to hear more about my experiences!
If you're here, you probably know that I am traveling to Ghana in the next few weeks. I received my official confirmation for my internship at the Kokrobitey Insitute on Friday, August 26th. This week I'll be taking the next steps: booking my flight and applying for a Visa.
Feel free to check back from time to time to hear more about my experiences!
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