Having a deadline in Africa is like having a burly-man beard to trim with a dull razor (I would 
imagine), and the last 3 weeks has left me exhausted and dizzy! Somehow we have managed to pull this project to reasonable place, and now I am preparing to leave.  My heart is heavy as I write today, knowing this may be my last note to you from Tamale.

The day after our highly anticipated web site came into existence, I was in much need of a “mini-vay-cay;” so my friend and I decided to jump on the tro-tro (African-style chicken bus) and head to “Bolga,” the closest larger town to Tamale about 400 miles away.

We traveled East, passing through small villages that began to look more and more 
desolate than the last.  At every stop woman and children forced their sweaty heads 
through the windows of our tro-tro pushing strange musty 
breads, fish heads, and fu-fu (a taste-less dough that feels like glue in your mouth) into our 
faces…I would give anything for a cheeseburger.

Bolga was quite similar to Tamale, not the get-away-fabulous I was looking for but we 
made the most of it.  We ate at the exact replica of “Swad” (our favorite restaurant in 
Tamale) there named “Swat,” which is owned by one of two Indian men who have been 
competing for business since one stole the others wife a few years back.  You could almost 
taste the tension in the menu.

Bolga also has a water crisis unlike any of seen so far.  It was impossible to believe that 
people bathe, swim, wash, and drink all from the same murky puddle in-between 
communities.  While there, curiosity overcame me and I visited a Guinea Worm Clinic to see 
if what I heard was true:  that these skinny devils enter the lesions of clue-less victims in the water, only to be reeled out weeks later with a small rod; delivered ten times their size, with lives of their own inside you!

To my amazement I witnessed a young boy go through this process with bizarre ease, only to walk away with a relieved smile; as I stood mouth-gaping in 
disgust! Now I scream like a mad woman at anyone I see scratching or picking his or her scabs.

It takes a lot to shake me these days though, Pearl and I were laughing last night at the fact 
that we no longer shriek when we see old men in Muslim robes sneak into green-leaves to take a poopsky, and we simply flick large bugs, beads of sweat, and dirt of all kinds, away as if it were nothing.

Yesterday was our big going away party, I invited all of the Brilliant Future girls, teachers, peers and friends to have 3-legged races, egg tosses, and prize-winning games of all kinds…I sat there watching all of these girls laugh and play, feeling a joy that is un-describable.  I can’t wait to show you all pictures of this day, it is the only way to give you an idea of how amazing it really was.

After the African dancers gave us an outstanding “farewell dance,” and all 65 guests said their tearful goodbyes,  I sat in the courtyard with close friends under the stars and reflected over the past eight weeks, which truly feels like a lifetime.

Many of you ask me if Africa has changed me, and I believe that it has. I have a new understanding of the world and my place in it; I am more grateful for everything and everyone I have in my life, and I hope to spend a lot less time worrying about the small stuff, taking more care of where and with whom I exert my energy.

My project finally has a name, it’s called “Brilliant Future International!” These girls have become like daughters to me, I’ll fight for them until they can fight for themselves…this much I know is true.

There is a lot to figure out when I get back, but I am full of ideas and optimism so that’s a good start right?

God I’m gonna miss Africa.

Wow!  It’s been two weeks since I’ve been able to write, and there is no way I’ll make it through all that’s going on in the desperate 20 mn I have before lights go off again, so bear with me while I ramble to fill you in!

In my short time here I have gotten to know everyone in town which has me attending weddings, funerals, and functions of all kinds (which most recently included a Beauty Contest, where a 200lb girl won 1^st place (gotta love Africa for their appreciation of large beautiful women!).

I am making a valiant effort at learning “Dagbani” which is the most difficult dialect I have ever heard, but rather fun to speak; the positive response to any yes/no question is “N’aaaaa” so when I bike by a group of woman in the morning and say “D’asiba,” (good morning), they all get excited that I am speaking their language and yell out “N’aaaaa!”

Going to the villages around Tamale’ is my favorite part of my week; I have been visiting with families and looking at the progress of some of YARO’s projects, which brings me into huts and compound homes where people have never seen a white person, much less a red-headed speckled one.

They all welcome me with open arms, offering anything they can to make me feel welcome, including an insistence to dance with them at any given opportunity.  As soon as I hear drums, I hide! Africans love to make the Obruni’s, and there really is no option to stay seated when you are surrounded by a band of drums and urging woman, men, children and chiefs!

So, I have started taking African dance lessons so I don’t like a complete moron, get some exercise, and admittedly to flirt with my very handsome and talented teacher.  No worries though, I don’t foresee myself becoming Village-Hut-Mother of 12, and really, it’s just so much fun!

I am working every day all day, and spend my sleep-less nights (thanks to Larium) thinking of how I can accomplish all that I have come to envision before I leave.  My sponsorship program is in full swing; I have been interviewing girls from schools and villages all over Tamale.  So far I have met with about 60, and this experience has changed me, forever.

I have been asked to go on a radio show this Thursday to talk about what I’m doing, and how it correlates with the Yaro program, young woman’s rights etc, and I am working on my web site!  Along with Albert, the two of us have a bit of a dream in mind for these girls and the future of Yaro, so you will be seeing what I have been putting together soon!

Every time I think of you I try to find words to tell you how it feels to be here; what it has been like sitting in front of a child who has never felt worthy of speaking to at all.  The tears that roll off their cheeks because of their 3 hour walks to school on empty stomachs, torn shoes, and bruised hands, has put a promise in my soul to change some destinies.

However, I have also learned what is realistic, and what stands in my way to accomplish anything sustaining.  I have never welcomed such an enormous challenge, somehow with an optimism and determination from where I’m not too sure.

My classes have also become quite popular, and word has spread that there is a “Salaminga” (Strange white girl) talking about sex in Tamale.  I now have three classes of 65 students and do anything I can to initiate interaction!  We play games, separate boys and girls for deep convo, give pop quizzes (where I learned that the majority of students thought that AIDS stood for “Americans Idea of Discouraging Sex!!”).

Most recently I gave all students the assignment of writing down anonymous questions to ask me at the end of class…I received 14 requests to describe MY first sexual experience, asked to explain why it’s NOT ok for a wife to be beaten if she refuses sex, and many others that even had ME blushing!  I have somehow managed to keep my cool and not offend, so it’s been very worth while and a lot of fun.

It has either cooled down or I am finally somewhat used to the heat, but water has been really difficult.  I will never turn on a tap or walk into an air-conditioned room again without feeling VERY blessed!

I really loving every day here, my pace of life has slowed significantly and I have learned to take nothing for granted,  especially my friends and family!  Who wants to come visit me?!

Ghanians celebrate every holiday on the calendar and simply must take at least 3-4 days to prepare, celebrate, and recover, so I have been without students since Friday due to the highly anticipated Mayday event.

So Pearl, her boyfriend and I decided to take a little vacation to “Mole,” a wildlife reserve about 3 hours north of Tamale.  For some reason  Dutch and Canadian woman are the only tourists I have come across, and we were 3 of about 9 people staying at a small hotel at the end of a very long, bumpy, and DUSTY treck!  (You couldn’t see my freckles when we arrived because I was so covered in orange sand!).

The views were stunning, as we overlooked a never-ending valley of green terrain and water holes.  I had no idea what type of wildlife surrounded us, or how close our encounters with them would be!

Our first night there I dressed up in my white dress and dangles, flew out of the door and came face to face with the ugliest beast I have ever set my eyes on!  The warthogs we see on t.v don’t do them justice, and I came face to face with a snorting, hairy, fierce looking beast who appeared to be ready to charge at any moment.  I stood frozen as we stared each other down, until he finally snorted and trudged off!  Lucky for him

The next morning, after a beautiful cool rain, I was listening to Gypsy kings and salsa dancing on my back porch, when I swirled around and a whole family of elephants was standing less than 10 feet away… motionless, starring, as if I were the spectacle!?

And the Baboons!  Within 3 days I witnessed these little suckers steal: a baby’s bottle, 4 pairs of sunglasses, 3 plates of food, countless pieces of clothing and SIX wallets…including mine. Yes, I was robbed by a baboon!  He got me for about $285,000,000 cedis, which is about $240.00!!  I’m sure his master that trained him was thrilled, as that’s more than the average Ghanaian earns in 6 months!

In all seriousness though, I really took some time to be still and think about what I want to focus on while I’m here.  Time is flying by and I feel desperation to make a significant difference that will have a long lasting effect…primarily with the young girls I have encountered in/out of my classes.

Only 30% of girls are given the opportunity to go to school, and if they have male siblings their chances are even smaller.  These girls break my heart.  I see them peering in the holes of the rooms outside my class, and when I enter the school yard they are the first ones to come hold my hand, asking what I have taught in class that day.

My classes have grown from 15 to over 60 in the two weeks I have been teaching, but students who are not enrolled or don’t have uniforms are not allowed to enter any class rooms.

You cannot imagine the amount of corruption that goes on within the NGO’s that are supposed to be helping these girls!  Everyone takes a cut.  Everyone talks a lot about what needs to be done and how these goals can be met; but even the highly funded, and fancy titled individuals and organizations don’t accomplish much, if anything from what I can see.

So, this is my project!  I have started taking a very aggressive interest in this situation, and will do something about before I leave.  It costs so little for one of these girls to attend school, and I am in a rare position to arrange sponsorship first hand, assuring that funds go to their intended places!

My goal is to hand pick about 15 girls from varying schools, and find a way to ensure their entitiled education, and all that goes with it.  As the world turns…

Once we got through introductions and tiptoeing into the topics of sex, reproductive health, std’s etc, conversation came naturally and we all had some good laughs at each others expense (mine especially).  Ghanaian’s love to tease and play games, which breaks the ice for such sensitive subject matter.

“Albert” is my teacher in this endeavor, and he is by far the most driven, educated, and thought provoking individual I have met in a long time. I am blessed to have him by my side and he has already taught me SO much about African culture and the many problems NGO’s such as YARO face.

There are so many things about this culture that I find loveable, admirable, and beautiful.   However, there are also many traditions and practices, which I find to be cruel and barbaric, specifically in regards to the treatment of woman.

The older generations are constantly clashing with the new ideas brought by the educated class, and I am somehow in a position needing to be respectful of both. This is a challenge I was expecting, but I had no idea how brutal life can be for African woman.

So, I am still treading lightly and learning so much every day.  I also am finding interesting ways to pass the time.  For example, Ghana has the most annoying sounding birds I have ever heard in my life!   They make it impossible to get a good nights rest, and then the roosters begin…those of you who know me well know that I’m not such a sweeite when I get woken in the wee hours…

So Pearl and I have both begun putting the slingshots I bought at the 99-cent store (previously to be used as gifts) to a greater use!  We go to the back yard before bedtime with our headlamps on and shoot the little buggers out of the trees!  Meanwhile laughing so hard we finally go to bed in tears, and have FINALLY slept quite well these last few nights!

I have also been appointed chef among our little posse, which brings me to my favorite place in town: the street market.  All eyes are on me as I stroll through, as very few Ghanaians have ever seen a red head (whom they believe to be covered with a bizarre amount of mosquito bites (freckles).

The kids are my favorite, and yesterday I bent down to say hello to this precious little girl who completely freaked and started screaming at the top of her lungs when we came face to face…which made me laugh of course, making me seem even more monstrous I’m sure.

My nick name in town is “Two-Lights” because I am the only person who rides her bike with a head and tire lamp, as you can’t see your hands in front of your face when we have no power.  As I ride by village huts I hear little voices yell “Allo two-lights,” so funny.  Also, Ghanaians think I’m bragging when I say my name is Alita, because they hear “A-leada” as in “a leader.” Hah!

And finally the rain has come! I have never seen a storm like this; it was ferocious and violent, leaving huts demolished and 4 villagers dead.  And my pre-conceived notion that the heat would forfeit was crushed, as today we reached a sweltering 111 degrees!

I am getting a bit more used to it, I shower three times a day and do laundry nightly by candle light with Pearl…kind of a sweet time for us actually.

Today is my 9th day in Africa, and I feel as though I have crossed the bridge my Mother has described to me: when everything you left behind seems so foreign and SO far away, and all of a sudden everything around you almost seems normal. I’m smiling and laughing lots, missing you all every day.  I’ll write again soon,

Love, Two-Lights

I don’t officially start work until Friday so I have been trying very hard to stay busy!  I have been reading, writing, singing, cleaning, walking, bike riding, shopping, and staring at the sky hoping for rain.  As soon as the first rain comes, the heat will die down.  Praise Jesus.  It’s 110 degrees here. Holy mother of God is it hot.

So, I have arrived in Tamale and conditions are quite different and more difficult than I had imagined, however I am safe and healthy!  Pearl greeted me at the airport and a huge posse of Ghanaians watched us in awe as we hollered and hugged like two little peacocks who just had their feathers plucked!

I cannot BELIEVE the heat here! Ghana has a severe energy crisis so we only have power every other two days, which means no fans, lights, OR AC!!  I walk around the house naked with my headlamp on, carrying a “sachet” in my mouth, which looks like an IV bag full of water!

Half of the things I packed will likely be given away to Ghanaians because only several of the tank tops and two of the skirts I brought are light enough and appropriate enough to wear in the village.

I have had two days of orientation with YARO and was brought out into “the field” yesterday after getting three more vaccinations due to recent outbreaks of meningitis in rural villages.

I took a ton of pics but will need a little time to get them to you as my laptop fizzled into oblivion yesterday!

Pearl and I luckily have a great sense of humor and we have been catching up on our back porch behind a large metal gate as the village hustle surrounds us.

I already have a splendid little group of Canadian friends who have been busy teaching me the ”do’s and don’ts of Tamale;” some of which I have had the experience of discovering on my own the hard way, for example:

1-Never offer a child anything in an open market, as a screaming and hair pulling riot will break out as soon as the others see, and you will literally have to run from the midget mob to escape!

2-Responding to a young Ghanaian mans “hello” gives him the un-questionable right to begin courting you.  I have become PRO at avoiding eye contact and changing sides of the street as soon as men approach and start yelling “Allo Allo Allo Obruni Obruni Obruni!! (White girl).”

3-”A few minutes” can mean up to two hours, and there is no such thing as punctuality in this culture…maybe this means I’ll return finally as a patient saint, which hopefully will be the end of my road rage tickets!

4-When waiting in line, if the person in front of you can’t feel your breath on their neck, you are leaving an open invitation for someone to cut in front of you.  When this happened to me I said ”EXCUSE ME!”  And the Ghanaian had no idea what he had done wrong because there was OBVIOUSLY an open spot in front of me, duhhhhh.

5-Shaking hands, taking/offering anything with your left hand is VERY offensive as this hand is only used as your “bum hand”…if you are absolutely forced to use your left hand you have to apologize in advance

and will most certainly receive a dirty look at minimum.

6-People use their horn to make conversation here.  When I get honked at riding my bike it can mean any of the following ”hello, how are you, you are pretty, watch out, I’m coming, and what’s your sign?”

It has been an exhausting but incredibly interesting few days. I am happy to say that my organization is certainly one of the best and most honorable in Tamale.  Tomorrow I begin working at the Yaro project, and I cannot wait to get started! I don’t remember ever feeling SO ALIVE!!

LOS ANGELES, CA (February 5, 2010) – Brilliant Future International and high-concept art salon House on Genesee are pleased to announce their partnership in hosting a very special benefit for the women of Tamale, Ghana, and the Ghana Mama program on the evening of Thursday, February 11^th, 2010.

Join founder Alita Watson, and host, photographer and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, Melissa Keller, and various luminaries in film, fashion and art as they celebrate the 46 beautiful, healthy and determined young women now attending classes in their native country of Ghana, thanks to the work of Brilliant Future International. Learn how the lives of these young women have changed since discovering their own potential and being given the opportunity to excel and succeed, and learn how you can make a difference.

While guests enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the unique salon-style gallery that is House on Genesee, they will also be treated to an amazing performance of African Music and drumming by unique and celebrated artists from around the world. Guests can also bid on items in the incredible silent auction featuring luxury travel, professional racing school, fine art, designer clothing and jewelry as well as high-end beauty products and services.

Brilliant Future International was founded by Alita Watson in 2007, and has been growing steadily ever since. This unique, intimate and hands-on charity is designed to directly assist the women of Ghana in completing their schooling. The Ghana Mama program helps these young women go on to lead productive, fruitful, healthy and self-sufficient lives. Attend this event and find out how you can make a difference in the lives of these future leaders!

In honor of the great suffering and need in Haiti, 5% of the proceeds from the evening’s event will be donated to “No Time for Poverty”, dedicated to Haiti relief.

Event Details:
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

House on Genesee
1300 N. Genesee Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(map)

To RSVP, please  visit http://www.ludlowkingsley.com/MEL/invite2e.html and email ghanamamafundraiser@gmail.com

For more information on Brilliant Future International, please visit:

http://www.brilliant-future.org/donation.html

Contact:
Melissa Keller
646-221-0407
melissakeller@mac.com

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