The Azonto

In a few different blog posts from my most recent trip to Ghana, I mentioned the Azonto dance a few times but never actually explained what it is or how you do it.

A few of us from YCI who were on project together in February and March decided to hit the streets of Accra and start asking random people if they would be willing to teach us some Azonto dance steps.

Check out our YouTube video "How to Azonto - A Lesson for Obruni's"

Click here for the video link. Enjoy :)

The 4 letter word (most) North American's shy away from

P.O.O.P. That's right, I said it! Poop.

Recently, I received an email from someone in the U.S (based out of Seattle) who is trying to set up a small team to start an organization which aims at bringing new light to past issues through visual design. The person who contact me found me through my blog while searching the internet for blogs and people who have been talking about sanitation issues. He sent me the link to his visual design and as soon as I started reading it, I knew I had to share it.

It's so true that most North American's shy away from talking about poop, why is that? While I still haven't discovered the answer, what I have found out is that when you live and work overseas the poop "shyness" disappears! Over the past year a half of working in Africa, I've had many a conversations with expats and volunteers whom I've literally just met and suddenly I find the conversation shifting to poop. My favourite poop conversation begins with "I had a solid one today." This is because, if you've lived overseas before, you know this rarely happens due to change in diet and lifestyle.

I've come to realize that it's "healthy" to talk about poop and rather encouraged, thus ensuring that everyone is and stays "healthy." However, after you read the graphic below you will find that 40% of the world's population is unhealthy due to poop because of the lack of toilets and proper hygiene thus, leaving people to defecate (ie "poop") in the open.

Anyway, enough of the talk, here is the graphic on poop that I was given. Enjoy and most importantly...DISCUSS :)

Here is the link to share with others: http://www.onlinenursingprograms.com/lack-of-sanitation/

 
Created by: OnlineNursingPrograms.com

Things I Take for Granted

On Tuesday I had prepared groundnut soup and omotuo at my new place of residence in Ottawa. Since I only cooked for myself and my friend, we ate the leftovers last night. When I went to reheat the leftovers, my immediate reaction was to grab a pot and heat it up on the stove. My friend, so smart as she is, questioned why I wasn't just using the microwave to reheat it. I proceeded to tell her that the left over soup/stew is better reheated on the stove (to avoid soup skin and all!) but the truth is, using a microwave didn't even cross my mind!

So here is the start of my list of "Things I Take for Granted" :

1. The use of a microwave
2. The use of a washing machine and a dryer (to reshape your clothes!)
3. Using tap water as drinking water
4. Constant running water
5. Hot showers
6. No power cuts to save energy
7. The TTC, OC Transpo or other forms of public transportation in Canada that I have previously bashed! (Sorry ooo!) 

   

   Trotro's: The public transportation system in Ghana. They are crowded, hot and if you get stuck in the back...have fun getting out!

8. Safety and;
9. The ability to walk alone, even at night
10. Health care and;
11. Access to any medication you need
12. Blending in 
13. Customer service and service at restaurants (as much as we can complain about this, it's 100x time better!)
14. Access to a variety of foods (grown locally and imported)
15. Having a Canadian passport
16. Sharing a border with a politically stable, developed country
17. High speed internet
18. Access to free wifi, almost everywhere

What are your experiences?

You can also refer back to the "Things I've Learned" blog I wrote last year from Tanzania