I'm quickly approaching the one-year milestone in Ghana. So it's time to reflect, American style, by looking back at the stuff I brought with me.

 

Peace Corps gave us strict guidelines for how much we were allowed to pack. At the time, eighty pounds and bags whose height, length, and width measured no more than 100 or so inches (I don't remember the exact number) did not seem like a lot. After all, I was going to Ghana and I wasn't even sure if they had toilet paper there (I didn't bring any with me because if I brought any I would have had to bring enough for 2 years).

 

As it turned out, I brought more than just about anyone else in my group of 32, and almost everything I brought is available in Ghana (and they do sell toilet paper here). This makes choosing my Most Valuable Item a bit tricky, especially given the following criteria from the MVI Committee (me and my cat, but he was pretty quiet at the meetings).   

 

Criteria for the annual and one-time-only Most Valuable Item Award are as follows:
1. Item must be something listed in my packing list in the first post on this site
2. Item must be difficult or impossible to buy in Ghana
3. Item must make life better/easier/enjoyable

 

After the votes were counted, it ended up being a two-way tie.

 

LED Headlamp: I use my headlamp (aka headlight) everyday. It would have been the clear winner except for the fact that I recently saw one for sale in Ghana, which was a big points deduction. It's useful for several reasons. First, the power goes out at least once every four nights in my house, as mandated by the government. Second, light in Ghana is generally weak, and my headlamp is strong-o (the 'o' at the end is for emphasis. It's a useful linguistic tool here). Even during the day it can be difficult to read indoors. Third, it's really handy when traveling. Fourth, it's got LEDs, and in college I built an LED-based system for detecting whether a baseball/softball pitch is a ball or a strike. That's not really related to the above criteria, but I am a bit sentimental about LEDs.

 

Unfortunately, wearing a headlamp makes me look really silly. This used to bother me, but now I figure it doesn't really matter. I'm already white and that's silly enough here. 

 

Cotton Boxers from Old Navy: Although I have not gone underwear shopping in Ghana, I can infer that it would be difficult to find boxers of the quality I bought at Old Navy. First of all, most clothing here is either custom-made by a tailor or bought from one of the zillions of people who sell donated clothing from America/Europe. Custom-made underwear sounds absurd and used underwear sounds unappealing at best. Second of all, I live with one of my students and I have only seen him wash two pairs of boxer-like underwear. They're sort of like boxer briefs but not exactly. Third, the Peace Corps manual told me so.

 

I won't go into why underwear is useful. It's mostly for the same reasons it's useful in America except there's a lot more sweat to absorb here. (Note: I have seen packages of briefs for sale in Accra, but briefs aren't boxers. Nonetheless, this led to a small deduction in the scoring).

 

The LVI Award goes to my Least Valuable Item. The first two criteria are the same and the third criterion is that the item must be absolutely useless.

 

Again, it's a two-way tie.

 

Hiking Boots: Shortly before I left, I went to a camping store and bought a brand new pair of hiking boots. I explained to the outdoorsy looking guy in the shoe department that I was going to Ghana (I probably said 'Africa') for two years and I needed a lightweight (because of the heat) and waterproof shoe. He recommended something that cost on the order of one million cedis.

 

I figured joining the Peace Corps seemed like the kind of activity that required a rugged shoe. Turns out, I was wrong. My $100 boots, which are probably more technologically advanced than most everything in my town, have sat idly under my bed. Luckily, I think my Mother paid for them, and I'm sure they'll be more useful for the snows of America when I return (does it still snow there? I've heard rumors it doesn't.).

 

Solar-Powered Battery Charger: This is still theoretically a good idea, but it's been completely useless. I use electronic devices that require batteries (radio, headlamp, camera). Rechargeable batteries would save me money and would be better for the environment. And there are plenty of volunteers who don't have electricity in their towns. But I am not one of volunteers. A charger that plugs into the wall would have been a far better purchase.

 

 

Well it's been a lovely MVI/LVI ceremony. You'll have to excuse me as I have an afterparty to attend now, which will mostly consist of me eating a tuna fish sandwich by myself, as long as the ants who call my house their home haven't eaten my bread…

 

 

Addendum #1: Thank you to Sara Timen and my Father for finding computers for Ghana!

 

Addendum #2: Welcome Adjowa Hadar Aviv Adler! That's the name of my new niece who was born on Monday, April 23. To most people (aka non-Jews), the Adjowa part probably sounds just as foreign as the Hadar Aviv part. But trust me, it's a very lovely name with or without the Adjowa part (which is the Ghanaian name given to girl born on Monday, although I think only in the southern half of the country).

 

Addendum #3: Happy birthday Shalhevet!

 

Addendum #4: A retro craze is sweeping my town! First it was the used clothing from America, than it was the Tigo taxis with 300,000 miles on them, and now here comes throwback construction! The road that runs in front of my house is being flattened but not paved. You may be picturing large machines moving dirt and whatnot, but no! So far, it's men with pickaxes and shovels and women hauling away dirt on their heads. The folks in charge here sure do hold on to their traditions… 

 

Adddendum #5: The danger in posting something on the Internet is that there is a possibility that someone may read it. Unfortunately, an unknown number of Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana have stumbled upon this webpage. It's kind of embarrassing.

 

Mostly I imagine that people in America not related to me who read this site are bored at work and looking for something to take their minds off of the office. I'm not sure why someone actually living in Ghana would want to waste precious moments on the Internet reading this site. But, if you are here, why don't you greet me? Leave a comment and let me know you were reading...