This is the first of many Fridays that I will be posting about the Farm and 4H. It is a great opportunity for me to share what has happened this week and keep me organized while doing so. First up is the farm.
Africa Atlantic Farms
It is important to know the players at the farm before diving too deep into what we do. In short, Hamza and I have been at the farm by ourselves this week, helping Prosper, George, and Kwasi (the full-time local employees) transplant sunflowers to a smaller area. It has been a hot couple of days doing this, but we're had some fun. These guys make a great team.
Prosper is pictured first, standing outside his home with his mother. Prosper has worked for AAF from the beginning- starting his job by clearing a small patch of grass for Jon's first night in the area. Now Prosper basically runs the show as the lead farm hand. He manages a group of women that work on the farm as needed. Due to his job, Prosper is one of the wealthiest men in the village. He has a tin roof and satellite TV, unlike most who have grass roofs and no generators to run electricity. Sadly, Prosper lost his fiance this past Spring due to an untreated ear infection. (I will be sure to give more background story on that later.) I have seriously enjoyed getting to know this man! He is truly a blessing to the farm here. He has persevered through so much of his 27 years of life.
Next is George. Father of four, George is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen. His fluency in English has made him a huge asset to my English teaching lessons. He often ends up taking control when the others are unable to understand some of the more basic questions. This sense of leadership is certainly making his time here on the farm impactful. If he is not leading through guidance, he is doing so through his actions- setting the pace for those to follow during the work day. I'd like all of you to guess how old he is! I first heard he was 37, when I asked him one day, he said he was 27. When I brought this up the next day, he was 25. His serious sense of humor has got me still wondering his age...
Kwasi is the youngest of the crew but definitely the strongest. His role on the farm definitely favors his youth and strength. He has a very difficult time understanding English though, so I have tried my best each day to encourage and teach him in this. I long for the day when I can have a decent conversation with him- either in English or Ewe! As a 20-year-old with a steady job, he has many of the local ladies watching him carefully. I wouldn't be surprised if he got married soon! Although I haven't caught wind of any steady girlfriend.
The other women that work on the farm range in age from 15 to 50- all equally capable. They are posing for a picture with Kwasi below and I am giving them a ride back for lunch far below.
4H: Head, Hands, Heart, Health
Last Sunday I had the first 4H meeting with the students and teachers. Well... I scheduled the first meeting for last Sunday with all the students and teachers... About half the students showed up by 2:30 when we had planned to start at 2 and one of the five teachers came at 2:45. We had a meeting despite the low turn out and had a great time. A simple "Whats you name, favorite food, and age" ice breaker, some talk on 4H, and a soccer match put us all in a fun mood. I set up the day to be very low on the group talk time so that I could 1) get a quick idea as to what level of communication and respect I am working with and 2) get us all playing a sport we love together to start building some of that community. My team's name during the game was "ajata" or lion. We would huddle together and yell "AJATA!" and then proceed to roar. It didn't help us score and the game ended 0-0, but it did bring a sense of community and now they yell ajata whenever they see me.
This past Wednesday, I was set to meet with the four student leaders and teachers to discuss some of the planning at the school. School lets out (or is supposed to) at 2:15. When I arrived at 2:15, no one was there. The construction workers that are working on the school told me that everyone had left 30 minutes earlier. Splendid!
I showed up yesterday at 1:45 just in time to see the children get dismissed. I met with the student leaders and the teacher and was able to spell out each of their job responsibilities as president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary. Unfortunately, I found out that the secretary is unable to write her name. I decided to reduce her responsibilities to just keeping track of when we start and end each meeting for now. To the right are the four leaders (the kid in the white shirt photo-bombed). I'd be interested to know who you think has what title! I think their personalities fit quite well with each.
The next 4H meeting is this Sunday. I definitely need your prayers as I may find myself losing patience. I asked these four students to set an example by being there early. I'm just hoping they show up!
With that, I leave you with how Hamza, Prosper, and I ended our day:
Africa Atlantic Farms
It is important to know the players at the farm before diving too deep into what we do. In short, Hamza and I have been at the farm by ourselves this week, helping Prosper, George, and Kwasi (the full-time local employees) transplant sunflowers to a smaller area. It has been a hot couple of days doing this, but we're had some fun. These guys make a great team.
Kwasi is the youngest of the crew but definitely the strongest. His role on the farm definitely favors his youth and strength. He has a very difficult time understanding English though, so I have tried my best each day to encourage and teach him in this. I long for the day when I can have a decent conversation with him- either in English or Ewe! As a 20-year-old with a steady job, he has many of the local ladies watching him carefully. I wouldn't be surprised if he got married soon! Although I haven't caught wind of any steady girlfriend. The other women that work on the farm range in age from 15 to 50- all equally capable. They are posing for a picture with Kwasi below and I am giving them a ride back for lunch far below.
4H: Head, Hands, Heart, Health
Last Sunday I had the first 4H meeting with the students and teachers. Well... I scheduled the first meeting for last Sunday with all the students and teachers... About half the students showed up by 2:30 when we had planned to start at 2 and one of the five teachers came at 2:45. We had a meeting despite the low turn out and had a great time. A simple "Whats you name, favorite food, and age" ice breaker, some talk on 4H, and a soccer match put us all in a fun mood. I set up the day to be very low on the group talk time so that I could 1) get a quick idea as to what level of communication and respect I am working with and 2) get us all playing a sport we love together to start building some of that community. My team's name during the game was "ajata" or lion. We would huddle together and yell "AJATA!" and then proceed to roar. It didn't help us score and the game ended 0-0, but it did bring a sense of community and now they yell ajata whenever they see me.
This past Wednesday, I was set to meet with the four student leaders and teachers to discuss some of the planning at the school. School lets out (or is supposed to) at 2:15. When I arrived at 2:15, no one was there. The construction workers that are working on the school told me that everyone had left 30 minutes earlier. Splendid!
The next 4H meeting is this Sunday. I definitely need your prayers as I may find myself losing patience. I asked these four students to set an example by being there early. I'm just hoping they show up!
With that, I leave you with how Hamza, Prosper, and I ended our day: