Back in Canada

Hey everyone!

I've been back in Canada for a while now and have had time to reflect on my experience in Ghana. Overall, my time in Ghana was great. Period. Most of my health problems were likely my own fault (not sleeping enough, trying to push myself too hard, not exercising enough...).

I sure do miss my friends and host family in Ghana a lot and I'm hoping to go back in a year or so. The kindness and warmth that they shared with me is truly incredible and not something you find as quickly in Canada. The people of Ghana sure are incredible.

Disclaimer in the interest of not building unrealistic expectations for future travelers: Ghana is not a nation made up entirely of glowing uber friendly and welcoming people; I met my fair share of jerks, snobs, and scammers there. But on average, there are many many many pockets of incredible people in Ghana that will blow your expectations out of the water and make you feel like a part of the family.

Make sure to check out the incredible 1.5 minute video at the end of this post to see what I was working on in Ghana! Try and see if you can spot my best friend Takora and his daughter!

You can help support Engineers Without Borders' most excellent work in Africa by contributing to my fundraising campaign. I'm just a few dollars short of reaching my goal and all donations are doubled until the end of the week! Click here to donate - I have put my money where my mouth is and donate $300+ a year to EWB.

All the best!

Adam :)
p.s. you can find most of my videos from Ghana on this blog or at my youtube channel www.youtube.com/ehdam

Hey Everyone!

Well since the malaria video was delayed in posting, I actually had a relapse in malaria. It was markedly worse than the first time. My coach / boss had just come to visit me (July 18th) and we went out to visit some MoFA staff. At around 5pm I was struggling to stay awake during the conversation and I suspected something wasn't good. We got trapped by the rain on the way home so we took shelter underneath an overhang for about an hour and talked about my concerns with my placement and our impact. I was increasingly becoming cold and by the time we sat down to eat in my room I was wearing a sweater and feeling crappy. Wayne (my coach) was feeling warm in a tshirt so I figured I best be taking my temperature. To my great surprise it was a whopping 39 degrees Celsius! My 1st encounter with malaria had my fever reach 38, so I had let this go undetermined for far too long... and the consequences followed accordingly.

I took the Lonart pills again, but this time I awoke sweating with the chills at midnight and had to urinate pretty bad. It was a struggle to lurch the twenty paces to the "urinal" and I was feeling very weak. I feared I might faint so I zipped up and moved straight back to the room. As I entered the room I knew I was going to vomit so I kneeled down and searched for a bucket in the darkness. My head lamp found a bucket and I could feel in my chest that it was just in time. One heave, one litre later, I crawled into bed next to Wayne and slept intermittently thru the night struggling with the chills. That night sucked.

The next day I was feeling a bit better but still feeling weak and having plenty diarrhea. Nothing too bad though. One day later I was feeling more like my 1st mild experience with malaria. I am now doing well, but I noticed that since I arrived I have lost around 10 pounds. I'm now below 140lbs but not feeling much more scrawny!

All in all, doing well and my energy is returning. I think my malaria was a relapse from the 1st time. Malaria often chills in your liver for a while and I had drank three beers on three separate days for different occasions. Alcohol weakens your liver and provided the opening that those dastardly parasites needed to bust my defenses and rebel. You can bet your arse I'll be sticking away from beer for my last few weeks here!

I'll be heading to stay in a village for about a week starting July 29. After that I'll be left with 2 weeks, so if you have a question or request for Ghana, get on it!

And now for my most recent video:



All music made by my voice & tapping on tables.

Lyrics:
one time chilling in Takora's farm, when the rains came
all these little critters came from the ground, when the rains came
the circle of life was all around, and the lizard was eating them
keeping their populations bound, when the rains came
tons of little ants on the ground, there's so many
tiny ones, ugly ones, big ones brown, when the rains came
this one bigger than a Canadian nickel, let's keep it out of my shorts
these ones stuck in a pickle, cause the rain filled in their house

All the best!

Adam :)

Malaria

Hey everyone!

Ever wonder what it was like to get malaria? Hopefully this video will give you a glance into what the experience is like.



Adam

PS Since this video I have gotten malaria and recovered again

Here come the elephants!

Hey Everyone!

Here's a video from my trip to Mole National Park where we got to see baboons, lots of other monkeys, wart hogs and that's right...elephants!!




Hope you enjoyed it!

Adam :)

Pest Control

Hey everyone!

Here's a video on how to deal with rabbits and mice taking over your fields. Hope you enjoy. Elephants coming soon!



Adam :)

Wedding - Ghanaian Style

Hey everyone!

Check out some footage from my first Ghanaian wedding



Adam :)

Learning to cook - Ghanaian style!

Making yam and green leaf stew:





Adam :)

What does Ghana look like....and what am I doing here

Oh crap... it's that time again where I'm supposed to write something insightful and deep. Well I'm not feeling particularly deep right now... more tired than anything. Last night I had to sleep in an OK hotel/motel but I knew it would be a bit sketch so I brought an extra bed net. Problem was that the net was treated with something kinda nasty and was supposed to be aired out for 24 hours prior to its first use. I started airing it out at 11pm and decided that it was time to risk the fumes at 4am as it didn't stink as bad then and I was too tired to care.

I'll have a blog post about malaria next week as a number of my friends have already had the clocks cleaned by the parasite already. The part that sketches me out the most is that last weekend I spent the night sleeping next to a friend (who was on my left) that came down hard with malaria the following morning. The room didn't appear to have any skeeters so we just went to bed in our briefs. Let's just hope that any blood suckers in the room got their fill from him and didn't decided to sample me too! Hahaha... it almost seems in vain as I have been bitten maybe 10 times for sure other times and my other friend that slept on my right side that night just got treated for malaria...

Early in the week I was pissed off to find out that mosquitoes were biting thru my light (so I don't sweat to death) long sleeve shirt. Here I trying hard and it barely even matters... I was told that they couldn't do that... oh well, maybe the malaria carrying mosquitos can't bite thru my light shirts... I haven't fallen ill yet... let's just hope my doxy and army of vitamins can hold them at bay! If not, I'll be fine, it will just suck hard for a few days... I'm thinking like a nasty stomach flu experience.

Well... I'm shutting down the internet cafe again, so I will have to head out without saying anything insightful! I won't leave you with nothing though. There are two videos... one explaining my what I'm actually doing in Ghana and the other showing Ghana from the side of a bus (this video was supposed to go earlier but it would not upload so here it is now).

World Vision? Good Development in Ghana?
I've had some very interesting conversations with my coworkers regarding the work of development organizations (government and non) in Ghana. In fact, I promised my coworkers that I would share some of what my friends thought about organizations such as World Vision. Specifically, they wanted to know:
1) What people thought of World Vision
2) What people thougth of the effectiveness of our aid money.

As always, there is no correct answer and all opinions are WANTED!!! We are constantly "extracting" information from "Africans" and there really isn't as much of chance for Africans to get some info from us. If you don't want to share your opinion on the blog as a comment, send me an email adamfraserkruck@ewb.ca I promise to keep your opinion in full confidentiality.

Next week, I'll share their thoughts and responses with you!





Adam :)

A day in the life of Adam & UBF Syndrome…

Wow... youtube and Ghana are NOT friends! Many failed upload attempts. I'll have to switch up my approach. It is a lot of work to upload videos (5 hours travel and a stay overnight, fighting with power outages, ...), but you're worth it so I'm going to keep on doing it!







Before I get to my self diagnosed UBF Syndrome, I want to share a few experiences with you.



After arriving in Tamale, all Ghana JFs (short term volunteers like me) were sent out on a scavenger hunt to get some basics (cellphone, hat, medicine…) and some fun stuff (a house warming gift, season #4 of Lost…). Two specific interactions stand out as a stark contrast; one from a girl selling “pure water” sachets and another from a salesman hawking DVDs. When we approached the DVD stall in the market, the salesman eyed us up as an easy target and set his price “25 cedis… any DVD you want… 25 cedis.” Now in Canada $25 isn’t bad for a whole season, but what we were buying appeared to be some kind of pirated copy so I countered with “ah! That is too much… I think it is only worth 5 cedis.” The salesman agreed and I felt good having bartered down by a factor of 5 only to find out that DVDs go for 3 cedis. Meh… under 200% was my goal for the first day and I’m getting better. That’s a classic example of someone trying to take advantage of a foreigner. Compare that with the following girl selling water.



Later that night I went out to buy some “pure water” and found a girl no older than 14 selling them from a cooler near the guest house we were staying. I wanted to buy 0.45 cedis worth of water and only had a 0.50 cedis coin. The girl did not have exact change and so I told her that it would be ok if kept the extra 0.05 cedis, but to my surprise she politely refused and hesitated about what to do. Eventually she decided to give me a 0.10 coin effectively GIVING ME 0.05. Now this girl is out late at night and probably has to go to school in the morning and this is likely what is helping to pay for her way… and she would rather give me the extra rather than take it. The polite pride in her eyes took me a back so we stood there in silence for a few moments as I sure as heck wasn’t taking her 0.05 extra coin! Eventually we came to the conclusion that if I bought an additional small snack then we could make the exact change and both parties would have received their fair goods.



Since then I have met countless farmers in Sawla that upon hearing that I’m involved with Agriculture become very excited and ask for me to come visit their farm. The pride that they have and the will to improve their livelihoods is very touching and drives me to work hard everyday.



Next blog post will profile and exceptional female farmer I met last week, but the internet café is closing and I am being kicked out… till next time!



Adam

Ooopps almost forgot. UBF = Ukrainian Baba Feeding Syndrome… my host family is feeding me a small mountain of yams and green leaf stew every night for supper and it is delicious, but WAY too much. I have tried saying I’m full many ways, but they prepare it especially for me so I feel obliged. They are very kind, so I’ve since given up eating lunches so that I don’t explode at supper :)

Videos From Ghana!

Here's the next installment of videos from Ghana! Hope you enjoy!




Adam :)

I'm here!

Hey everyone!

I am in day 1 of in country training in Ghana and it is AWESOME! I love Ghanaians! When you make an effort to learn some of the local language (Dagbani when you are in Tamale), it makes a world of difference! Everyone laughs, you learn some more phrases and it is a good time.

That's all I have time for now. Internet slowed down to 1kbps for a while there... but I am safe and sound and happy in Tamale. In two days I will make the trek to Sawla.

Hope you are all doing well!

Adam :)

NEW VIDEOS!

Hey all!

I have almost zero time before hopping on a flight, but check www.youtube.com/ehdam to see my newest 2 videos.





All the best from Italy!

Adam
on the way to Nigeria, then Ghana!

Predeparture Day 1

The count is on! In 7 days I will be boarding a plane from Toronto to Rome and then off to Ghana! In the mean time, I will be going thru pre-departure training with 14 other Junior Fellows (people going overseas).

I haven't yet put up all my project information, but here's a small teaser. I will be working in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district in the Northern Region and working on Agriculture As a Business - increasing farmers' business skills and attitudes to increase profits and provide sustainably for their families. Yes, I have many questions/concerns about the project (as a business approach doesn't always = good), but I expect to iron a lot of these out in the next two weeks.


View Larger Map

I also wanted to test out a video of pre-departure training and see what you think. It would be way cooler in Ghana than Toronto, but let me know what you think anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T9i8vItRo0


Always feel free to send me feedback! "I'd like to see this, talk about that..." or even random emails. I'll do my best, but it may take a while for me to respond.

Rock rock on team!

Adam :)

Published in the IEEE Winnipeg Section newsletter!

A Geer going to Ghana, Africa!

Akwaaba! Welcome! I have been bestowed a great opportunity to travel to Ghana this summer with Engineers Without Borders (EWB). But with this great opportunity comes great responsibility; I am not going to Africa for a holiday - although I could handle some warmer weather right now! For me, there will be no five star resorts, hunting safaris, or long days spent intoxicated on the beach. Instead, I will spend my days working hard to ensure that I make a positive impact for the Ghanaian poor (over 75% of the population lives on less than $2/day) and my nights underneath a malaria preventing mosquito net. Sound like fun? You bet!

I’m eager to live in a rural village (read: no running water, no electricity, and a long bike ride from any internet!) living and sweating the realities of life that far too many live in this world. And while I will only have a small direct impact in Ghana with my four short months, I will make a difference both in Canada and Ghana when I return home and share the realities and hardships that I have experienced. You can follow along with my experiences this summer by emailing me at adamfk@umanitoba.ewb.ca or viewing my blog at http://ewb-adam.blogspot.com

About the Author

Adam Fraser-Kruck is a 4^th year computer engineering student at the University of Manitoba (UofM), and has been a member of the UofM chapter of EWB for three years. He has also been a member of the IEEE McNaughton Student Centre at the UofM. He will be the eighth volunteer the chapter has sent overseas since 2002.

About EWB

Poverty is not about weakness. For the 800 million people who go hungry each day and the one billion who lack access to clean water, poverty is an absence of opportunity.

Engineers Without Borders is responding to this urgent need, helping people in developing communities gain access to technologies that will improve their lives. We believe that technology, when appropriately incorporated into each community's social, cultural, economic and political context, can drive extraordinary change.

http://ewb.ca

See pdf version of newsletter - http://www.ieee.ca/winnipeg/newsletter/wpg2008/newsletter0803.pdf

EWB Calendars - a win win for all!

The amazing EWB 2009 calendars are in!

Engineers Without Borders welcomes you to witness our projects overseas. In Ghana, Burkina Faso, Zambia, and Malawi, over 70 EWB volunteers worked to build the capacities of our partner organisations this year.

On these pages, find their stories and personal accounts from the farms, fields and offices of the proud entrepreneurs that we work with. We hope that in reading these stories you will share in our vision of a better future.

To help fundraise the money to send me to Ghana, we are applying for grants, flipping burgers, selling samosas, and yes, selling these calendars! If you are interested in helping to support my fundraising targets and EWB's work in Africa, email me at adamfk@umanitoba.ewb.ca

Thanks!

Adam Fraser-Kruck

Well... I'm actually not in Ghana, yet.

Hey there and welcome to my Ghana blog!

I am very excited to be the overseas JF for the University of Manitoba chapter of EWB. For those that don't know me, this post will provide a bit of background.

From as long as I can remember, I have been interested in a just and fair world. For the most part of my youth I just tried to treat the people I met fairly, equally, and with kindness. It wasn't until high school that I started to put a more global focus on my values.

Through my involvement with The Marquis Project Youth Committee, I remember reading a particular New Internationalist article on child slavery on Cocoa farms that hit me so strongly that I decided to pretty much boycott all non Fair Trade chocolate. With Fair Trade, I felt that I actually could have an impact, and it significantly increased my interest in human development.

In my first of engineering at U of M, my Mother passed on from cancer. At this point I didn’t know what to do with my life, but I felt that if I could make the world better for at least a few people, then my life was still worth living. This intensified my desire to have a positive impact.

When something like this happens to you, it sure puts the statistic of "50,000 die every day unnecessarily as a consequence of poverty" in perspective.

After taking off eight months from school, I returned to U of M to pursue engineering again. I joined the U of M EWB chapter and began to get more excited. Once I attended the National Conference, I knew that EWB was an incredible organization that was going to help me have a larger impact and I decided to put my weight behind it.

Since then I have been quite dedicated and held numerous positions (past co-President, and VPs) and decided to step up my commitment.

Hope you follow along with me on the journey!

Adam