Writing this week's post from one of my favorite little bars in Accra. The Honeysuckle is an Irish pub which is very similar to Crossroads, my home base in Boston. While I've been trying very hard to have an "authentic" Ghanaian experience, I've found it's good to sometimes go places that remind you of home. The Honeysuckle is such a place. Also, seeing as we are nearing St. Patrick's day, I thought it appropriate to spend some time in an Irish place.
Another great thing about it is that it has free wifi. My power and water have been out at the apartment for about 24 hours, so its nice to get out and connect with the outside world. This is another thing I've learned to get used to in Ghana. Electricity is a luxury. Blackouts are common, so you learn where the free wifi spots are pretty quickly.
The week at work was pretty good, mostly due to an exciting trip I made on Wednesday into the Volta region. The Volta region is the westernmost region in Ghana, and it is absolutely, stunningly beautiful. It is one of the few places in Ghana with a constant water source (the Volta, the biggest manmade lake in the world), so it is incredibly lush and green. Like an idiot, I forgot my camera, so I'll post some pics next time I head out there. This region also happens to house many of the country's beekeepers, so it made sense for me to visit with Abraham, my forestry department friend, and Tordey, another forestry dept. guy. Tordey's office is in Ho (yes, Ho), the capital of the Volta region. During the day, we met a few beekeepers, visited Tordey's office, and met with some NGO's.
Several good things came out of that day. First, there is plenty of honey to export. I think I've decided to export a small amount (.5 ton) home this summer and put Ellen to work selling it at farmers markets in the area. If that all works out, I may look into importing a couple tons in November. Second, and more importantly, Tordey is interested in setting up a sort of beekeeping community behind his office in the 200 or so acres of forest the forestry commission owns with the Volta Region Association of Beekeepers. If this all gets set up, it means I can contract directly with a bunch of beekeepers, and have a constant honey supply. Having them all together also solves all sorts logistical problems. So long story short, SEED honey is well on its way to actually being something.
Well, I'm off to pick up some groceries at Koala, aka expat central. I think I need to make some young expat friends, as I currently have none and my Ghanaian 30ish friends are very lame and like to stay in on Saturday nights. So, I'm hanging out in Osu today, where the obruni (whitey) to african ratio is probably about 1 to 3. I've found that, when by myself and wearing a cute dress, attractive expats are much more willing to come up and introduce themselves than when I'm surrounded by my Ghanaian friends. Time to broaden my horizons a bit...and happy St. Paddy's everyone!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
First Post
I never thought I'd see the day when I found it necessary to write a blog. Then again, until very recently, I never thought I'd see the day when I felt compelled to move to Africa for a few years. When the latter happened, I decided that a blog would be the best way to keep friends/loved ones/curious strangers updated on my adventures. Akwaabaa! Welcome!
I landed in Ghana in early January to lead a group of MIT students through the country doing various development and appropriate technology projects. It was on this same trip last year that I first came to Ghana as a student and fell in love with the country. This years' trip was incredibly successful. We were able to work on and complete a number of projects, as well as pick up some ideas to work on back at MIT. We made strides in the effort to turn water sachets into shin guards, made some agrocharcoal, tested some water, taught some high school students the glory and excitement of the scientific method, installed some chimneys, and solved some rubik's cubes, among other things. Myself and my other trip leader, Kate Steel, were lucky to have some very baller students with us. Claire, YeSeul, Jackie and Dan were enthusiastic, hardworking and inquisitive. I was also incredibly lucky to co-lead with the likes of Ms. Kate Steel, not just a brilliant engineer, but all around awesome person. It's hard to spend nearly every waking (and sleeping) moment with someone for 3.5 weeks and not have a single disagreement. True story, she actually threw a shoe at me while I was sleeping, and I didn't get mad. She was trying to scare a mouse that had noisily taken up residence in a bureau at the foot of my bed. She later revealed that she was mostly just pissed that I was able to sleep through the ruckus and wanted me awake to share in her misery. Miraculously, we were able to laugh off the incident.
Needless to say, I was very sad to see them all off to Boston. Luckily, I was able to start my job the very next day. I work for Genser Power Ghana, which is an independent power producer. My job, basically, is to sell people power plants that run cleanly, and are more efficient than the grid. However, it is a startup company, so I get to have my hands in lots of different pots, which is really exciting. Right now, I'm trying to figure out where we can get our hands on loads of municipal solid waste (plastic) and used tires so we can use them to fuel our plants, instead of coal. Thailand? Germany? Pittsburgh? All places that I may end up traveling to in the next few months to negotiate the import of thousands of tons of crap that would otherwise be sitting in a landfill somewhere.
Another really cool thing about my job is that my boss, Baafour, is giving me a lot of flexibility to do whatever development-y type stuff I want. This flexibility has given me the opportunity to think through and plan a new business idea, which I call SEED (sustainable export for economic development). The plan (for now) is to develop a business exporting quality local goods (like Ghanaian honey) at fair trade prices to your local Whole Foods and other high-end markets. The idea is to make these local farmers/beekeepers/artisans much richer by expanding their market a bit. Fellow Ghanaians, for example, won't pay any more for their local honey than their parents did. Take that honey (which is delicious, by the way) out of Ghana, tell people that it's benefiting the livelihood of rural people in third world countries, and people will buy it for far more than your average Ghanaian. This idea is very much in its infancy, and there are a TON of things I still need to work out, but I'm really excited about it. This could actually work.
In addition to job stuff, I am truly enjoying my time in Ghana. I'm finally feeling settled, which is a strange feeling, in a way. I've gotten over the 2 month homesickness hump, and while I still miss my family, my friends and my city more than anything, I'm very excited about starting this new chapter of my life in a very different place. Ghana is equal parts invigorating and painfully frustrating. I've made some great friends who have inspired me to explore and live life to the fullest. On the other hand, it's hard to be gung-ho when efficiency is so hard to come by. I am reminded daily that I am in a developing country by terrible roads, visible and heartbreaking wealth disparity, and an overall lack of confidence that anything will actually change. I am convinced, however, that Ghana is on the rise, and being here to witness and, hopefully, assist in the development of this incredible place will be quite an adventure. I look forward to keeping you all posted!
Check back soon for some pictures and more day to day stories. Also, I much prefer actually talking to people than writing essays on a faceless computer. If you don't have skype yet, you should be ashamed of yourself for missing out on one of the greatest free services the internet has to offer. My skype name is (creatively) francesrogoz, and I would love to hear from you.
I landed in Ghana in early January to lead a group of MIT students through the country doing various development and appropriate technology projects. It was on this same trip last year that I first came to Ghana as a student and fell in love with the country. This years' trip was incredibly successful. We were able to work on and complete a number of projects, as well as pick up some ideas to work on back at MIT. We made strides in the effort to turn water sachets into shin guards, made some agrocharcoal, tested some water, taught some high school students the glory and excitement of the scientific method, installed some chimneys, and solved some rubik's cubes, among other things. Myself and my other trip leader, Kate Steel, were lucky to have some very baller students with us. Claire, YeSeul, Jackie and Dan were enthusiastic, hardworking and inquisitive. I was also incredibly lucky to co-lead with the likes of Ms. Kate Steel, not just a brilliant engineer, but all around awesome person. It's hard to spend nearly every waking (and sleeping) moment with someone for 3.5 weeks and not have a single disagreement. True story, she actually threw a shoe at me while I was sleeping, and I didn't get mad. She was trying to scare a mouse that had noisily taken up residence in a bureau at the foot of my bed. She later revealed that she was mostly just pissed that I was able to sleep through the ruckus and wanted me awake to share in her misery. Miraculously, we were able to laugh off the incident.
Needless to say, I was very sad to see them all off to Boston. Luckily, I was able to start my job the very next day. I work for Genser Power Ghana, which is an independent power producer. My job, basically, is to sell people power plants that run cleanly, and are more efficient than the grid. However, it is a startup company, so I get to have my hands in lots of different pots, which is really exciting. Right now, I'm trying to figure out where we can get our hands on loads of municipal solid waste (plastic) and used tires so we can use them to fuel our plants, instead of coal. Thailand? Germany? Pittsburgh? All places that I may end up traveling to in the next few months to negotiate the import of thousands of tons of crap that would otherwise be sitting in a landfill somewhere.
Another really cool thing about my job is that my boss, Baafour, is giving me a lot of flexibility to do whatever development-y type stuff I want. This flexibility has given me the opportunity to think through and plan a new business idea, which I call SEED (sustainable export for economic development). The plan (for now) is to develop a business exporting quality local goods (like Ghanaian honey) at fair trade prices to your local Whole Foods and other high-end markets. The idea is to make these local farmers/beekeepers/artisans much richer by expanding their market a bit. Fellow Ghanaians, for example, won't pay any more for their local honey than their parents did. Take that honey (which is delicious, by the way) out of Ghana, tell people that it's benefiting the livelihood of rural people in third world countries, and people will buy it for far more than your average Ghanaian. This idea is very much in its infancy, and there are a TON of things I still need to work out, but I'm really excited about it. This could actually work.
In addition to job stuff, I am truly enjoying my time in Ghana. I'm finally feeling settled, which is a strange feeling, in a way. I've gotten over the 2 month homesickness hump, and while I still miss my family, my friends and my city more than anything, I'm very excited about starting this new chapter of my life in a very different place. Ghana is equal parts invigorating and painfully frustrating. I've made some great friends who have inspired me to explore and live life to the fullest. On the other hand, it's hard to be gung-ho when efficiency is so hard to come by. I am reminded daily that I am in a developing country by terrible roads, visible and heartbreaking wealth disparity, and an overall lack of confidence that anything will actually change. I am convinced, however, that Ghana is on the rise, and being here to witness and, hopefully, assist in the development of this incredible place will be quite an adventure. I look forward to keeping you all posted!
Check back soon for some pictures and more day to day stories. Also, I much prefer actually talking to people than writing essays on a faceless computer. If you don't have skype yet, you should be ashamed of yourself for missing out on one of the greatest free services the internet has to offer. My skype name is (creatively) francesrogoz, and I would love to hear from you.
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