Saturday, July 24, 2010

Friday, July 23, 2010

Monastery at Techiman ETC.







Since my last post we have been in technical training, which for the environment group has meant a tour of the Techiman area and its various tree farms and natural attractions. We speant the majority of our nights at a Catholic monastery (most of the pictures are from there). I've had alot of fun with night photography--- I'm a little frustrated with how they look when uploaded- but I hope you can enjoy them nevertheless. We made a brief visit to Ghana's equivalent to the Forest Service... and I was able to speak briefly with some people from INBAR -google it and then imagine my excitement.
Life be good
Da yie

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Sunset during "vision quest" in the south Volta

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Site visit and other adventures

Maadwo!
not so long ago I arrived in Tamale where we have an office with internet so I'll take a few minutes to update you on what's happening. I realize my posts have been sparse and short and that I havn't engaged in any other forms of correspondance lately --- all I can say is I'm sorry... we're really busy with training and it seems we are always travelling, plus there aren't many places to access internet and you ususally have to pay by the minute. Please forgive me. I will have more time to write letters (the old fashioned kind) by candlelight when I settle into my Volta home...

...My Volta home: I'm situated in the northern Part of the Volta region in a small community known as Kacheibi, outside of Nkwanta (just google map it). To the east of me are 'mountains' or rather one very long ridge that I have yet to trace to its southern extent. To the west is more forest (I presume) up to the famous Lake Volta. Ecologically I'm in the 'transition zone' there is seasonal forest all around me with larger (more rainforesty) trees growing along a stream that runs on the eastern edge of the village. My town has about 2500 people of various tribes but most everyone speaks Twi, English or Twinglish. It is not like a typical Ghanain village in that the homes are not stacked on top of one another. My town is basically one big garden. My house is enormous. I have two bedrooms that open to an enclosed porch/sitting area, a bathroom (the restroom is outside) a dining room and a kitchen. I share a wall with another dweller by the name of Chaz... we've decided our little complex will be known henceforth as the 'bachelor-pad'. The pad looks out onto a teak plantation and just beyond that is a school complex with several 'football' fields. In the moring I wake up to the sounds of schoolkids singing and I am serenaded to sleep by the bats living in my attic--- what a life

Also the chief of my village has given me a new name:

Ekienyi "who knows what tomorrow will bring"
Also many Ghanians know me by the day I as born, tuesday. -Kwabina
making my full name Kwabina Ekienyi Jon Stefan Trimarco the First