23 February 2014

Akpafu Mempeasem - Sundays in My City

I've told you about Domeabra, the village in Ghana where I did my Peace Corps training. And although I only lived there for 9 weeks it really does feel like home to me.  I have another home in Ghana, though. The village where I lived and worked for two years. 

Just north of Hohoe, in the Volta Region, is a small village called Akpafu Mempeasem (Ahk-pah-foo Mem-pay-ah-sem); one of six Akpafu villages. It sits at the base of a mountain (Akpafu Todzi sits at the top) and looks across a valley to another mountain. 

The clouds hang low in the early mornings.
Low clouds across the valley.  This is what I saw each morning from my house.
A storm moving in
Less than a minute later! (I was very lucky to get under cover just before it poured)
Sunset (sun rises were over the mountain across the valley. Both were beautiful.

From the bottom of the road (there's only one road in this town) looking up. In the rainy season everything is green and lush. In the dry season everything is the color of the road.
The school where I taught. It's a small, village technical school.  Students there are either too poor or didn't have the test scores to get into a "good" school. They've grown (it was just a day school but now they offer boarding) and added some programs.  There were only three when I taught there (Technology, Home Economics and Agricultural Science). Now there are five.

The classroom block where the first-year students had their classes. It's not used any more. They now have a 2-story building with electricity and windows!

We didn't even have blackboards when I got there.  The technology students made some out of cement-grout which was then painted black. It worked...sort of.

The place changes, and yet doesn't, each time I go back. The volunteer there now (there's not always a volunteer in the village but there was when I went to visit this last time) lives in a house with electricity and running water.

This is how I got my water
There are now only 2 teachers at the school who were there when I was. The school now has computers (no internet yet) to go with that electricity. There are a lot of people in the village who don't remember me. But there are also friends who I can drop in on and they will offer me a chair and some food. I know exactly where they live and I know they'll be there.  It was my home for two years. In some ways, it always will be.

Do you have a home-away-from-home?

Sundays in My City is hosted by Unknown Mami. Go check out other SIMC posts from all over the world.

Unknown Mami

5 comments:

  1. What a beautiful place to live. I can't imagine getting water like that. WOW!. Thank you for sharing part of your adventure.

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  2. You captured the village very well. I loved the blackboard. The clouds, the mist, the dirt - all say Ghana in a way I never knew. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Oh my goodness now that really is some rain

    Mollyxxx

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  4. Wow! What a reminder of what I have everyday and don't even think twice about -- the grouted wall was eye-opening! It is also, however, stunningly beautiful. I hope one day to travel the world and see these places in person!
    :-)
    Traci

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  5. Oh boy, that is a rain!
    I couldn't imagine living two years in a place like this - today. I'm too used to internet, running water etc.
    One day Chinese will be there too, or what do you think?

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