Group Dynamics

One can get quite attached to strangers if thrown into constant contact with them over a two week period. For those who don’t know how the Junior Fellowship program works, it starts off with the week in Toronto for pre-departure training, followed by a week in Tamale for in-country training before we finally head out to our districts. Most volunteers will be on their own in their districts (that is, without nearby EWB contact), which after seeing each other all the time for half of May is quite the change. I officially left the group a few hours ago, though I am still in Tamale for a few more days, and thus I have begun the more solitary part of my adventure (at least until I make some Ghanian friends).

I don’t know about most years, but this year the Ghana JF team is as close as can be. I know more about the bodily functions of my fellows (a hot topic in a tropical country where everything is foreign) than I know about my own, and if that is not a strong indicator of camaraderie, I don’t know what is. Not a word in anger, nor a poisonous slight ever made by one against the other, which at least in my experience is a rarity worth recounting. It is hard to leave each other so completely so quickly, but that’s what we signed up for. We all know that we have work to do in our districts, which is exciting and daunting, and we are pushing as fast as possible to get started, but it’s still a little sad. At the very least, we know we will not be alone in our briefly adopted homes, for a comrade is only a few hours away on the hot, crowded tro tro.

Such are my thoughts and feelings on this day. Maybe not development related, but just a word or two on how a foreign country has become a little less foreign.

Duncan

Off to Saboba

Hello team,

I am officially off to the Saboba district, Northern Region, Ghana, on the eastern border with Togo. I will be chilling with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) office in the district, working with Agricultural Extension Agents (government workers that hang out with/advise farmers on anything and everything), and implementing the Agriculture as a Business program. More on the program a little later.

On a more interesting note, it seems that the town of Saboba (as distinct from the district of Saboba) is occasionally transformed into an island during the rainy season. The roads, terrible and potholed in the dry season, are completely wiped out in places during the rains. Thus my ability to transport myself at the end of July may not be awesome, which may mean lots of chilling in town and reading my books. The current overall plan for the summer is for me to live with my MoFA colleagues in some sort of ‘old boy’s club’ situation, which in my personal opinion sounds pretty cool. If all goes according to plan, I will be in Saboba in a little more than a week, as we have several days of in-country training in Tamale (a city in the Northern Region).

The pre-departure training in Toronto for the past week has been pretty amazing. I am living in a tiny house with twenty four other people, in a hectic but very amiable environment. Being forced into constant contact with a group of people, all facing the same set of hopes and fears with respect to living overseas for three and a half months, is a quick way to make good friends. Unfortunately, in a few days I will be leaving most of them as well, as most of us will be relatively isolated in our districts. In a favourable twist of fate, however, another EWB volunteer will also be living in my district over the summer, so I will have some Canadian contact if I so desire.

The actual training has been fairly mind-expanding, in a most positive way, and I feel ready to go to Africa. The complexities of development and culture shock shall bow before me as I rock the Saboba MoFA office. I get on a plane on Saturday; my next post will be from far, far away (and will hopefully include pictures). Feel free to post comments about what you want me to write about, and I shall do my best to respond.

Duncan

Moving along…

I have been informed by our gracious Engineers Without Borders National Office staff that I am departing for Toronto on May 1st, and barring any complications emanating from that devious mid-Atlantic island, I will be in Accra, Ghana on May 9th via London. My preparation proceeds apace as the time comes closer, but other than that I have little to report due to my still-in-Winnipeg status. The news shall flow fast and free once in country, provided internet is at least moderately available.

Duncan