Ghana Day 3

[aggienaut]

Monday, July 4th - Arne and I had a liesurely breakfast at the guesthouse and were free to futz around until around noon, while Courage organized the beekeeper trainees. Finally they were ready. The driver took us about five minutes down the road to a community center hall in which the beekeepers were all seated. Courage was already making his opening remarks to them -- he was speaking english and then one translator would translate into one local language and another would translate into another local language. Then Arne spoke to them a bit (he's the head of the program from the German side, he comes from the German food quality assurance company that's co-sponsoring the project). And then I was up. As usual I winged it and spoke relatively briefly. I'm not a big fan of long speeches.

   Then we broke for lunch (for an hour?). Then we began the first session, which according to my plan was mainly me asking them what challenges and obstacles they felt they were facing. As anticipated when I at first asked just that, no one raised their hand to volunteer anything. But then after I asked a few more questions that got things moving and we were occupied for an hour with people raising their hand and telling me their obstacles or things they hope to learn more about.
   It was a bit more chaotic than I'd quite have liked, both because there were two translators, and the one of them, though he had admirable enthusiasm, was perhaps just a bit too enthusiastic -- he kept talking over the other translator (who was a woman, incidentally), and kept going ahead and answering the incoming questions himself, and I was having a hard time interrupting him but finally Courage came up and kind of forcefully told him to just translate. He seems like a nice guy but I don't think his enthusiasm contributed to a sense of orderliness in this first session.
   Tomorrow should be much more orderly as I intend to do a much more straightforward "lecture" on hive design in the morning.

   On our way back to the hotel from this we (Arne, Courage and I) stopped at a nearby site where they had beehives. I was apparently examining an occupied hive too closely for the bees liking and they began to attack us. Fortunately I think they were all attacking me, I'm not sure anyone else got any stings. Being attacked by bees can be really scary on a sort of primal level, but fortunately I've hardened myself to being attacked by bees over many years and even while everyone else ran away and bees were actively stinging me I was able to calmly walk back towards the car at an unhurried pace without arm flailing. Ultimately I got about thirty stings, Courage was concerned for me and offered me various medications and creams which I declined, and by the time I showed up for dinner and none of the bee stings were even visible anymore.

   For dinner today we had "tuo zaafi," which consisted of a ball of corn dough that one dips with one's fingers into some spicy friend okra soup. Very similar to the Nigerian "amala" though that was I believe cassava or yam dough.

   Also someone mentioned tonight that they believed the Vice President (of Ghana) lives just a few blocks from here and when he's in town this guesthouse is where his entourage stays, which would explain why it looks so grand.