..and why not? after all, i do have oodles of relevant experience and most people that i interact with here don't..and once you find some folks who really do want to improve things/resolve things, then it's OK to lead as long as you make it 'we' and not 'me' ..and you recognise and smilingly accept that this is indeed Ghana, and rural Ghana at that, and so some limitations on expectations have to be understood....and you have to be patient, etc.
A time ago, when i was waiting and waiting on PC to decide that i wasn't really too olde and decrepit to come to Africa as a PCV, i would tell myself that PC was '.. just a platform..' and that if they finally said 'No' then I would find another platform to come to Africa on. I would tell myself that whereas PC would give me some good training, some financial support, some contacts..and GREAT Medical support, what i could do here would be entirely up to me..and Lady Luck..and that once i was placed then it was always going to be a question of what i could make of the situation...PC or not-PC.
Now i recognise that, for me, that is exactly the right 'attitude'.
There is no such thing as the ideal, the perfect, the 'normal' PCV..but i was never going to be interested in PCV group activities or committees..partially because...hmmm..partially because...emmm, partially because 'younger' PCV's don't have much respect for (much) older PCV's (the U.S. youth worship thing?) but also because it never seemed to be a real part of why I came here as a PCV and i was never willing to fake it. I would have 'joined up' if I'd thought that there was a real desire to share across the generations but there isn't and there wasn't. Does it hurt a little..sure..and one is conscious of it at all PC functions to some extent.
But I knew coming in (coming back) that my PC life was always going to be what i could make of it, what i could make of the opportunity.
Easily then the best part of my current 'situation' in Whuti-Srogboe is that i'm working exclusively with Ghanaian people whom i can begin to call 'business associates or community-development partners' and to that extent then having to go up to Accra next week for a 2-day Mid-Service Health Check seems like a pain in the ass and negatively impacts (only really a very small amount) our progress here. ..although now that i'm here and editing this post, it seems like a nice little break where i can work on some other aspects...like a SPA proposal to fund the Primary School Library. And it's done and delivered to the new SPA co-ordinator, basically in two days..and it's good and the timing is good too ...and, and... there are two other possibilities for getting funds for the Primary School Library..which is great because we can't do it without funds.
Overall hereI may end up being disappointed (...and that may have happened in my life before!!!) but I feel very optimistic about the broad potential of our efforts now AND most encouragingly the feeling of real support and enthusiasm from some community members, some teachers AND some students. What we're doing if we can fully realise it, not just in terms of setting up the two Libraries but in actually developing and operating them as Learning Environments with student Library Volunteers ...is a low-cost replicable model for many schools and communities in this area and perhaps at 3-4,000 GH cedis per Library there could be organisations with deep pockets (like Nivole's Hong Kong bank ) who could fund us/them.
Of course, too, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and it isn't as important what we or other 'elders' think of the work, etc ..what is important is the effect on student literacy at the Primary and the JHS. This has to be measurably improving by next year's exams..and then has to continue to get better. Then we won't need to worry about justifying ...just pushing on, widening, improving.
I have to control my excitement and expectations but this all makes me feel very good about being here, coming here...and staying here.
I will add some JHS Library-Work in Progress pictures..and some Whuti Primary Library..this is the space we start with pictures also.
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