Computer Savvy

Monday, December 06, 2010

Exams started today. I was not invigilating. It turns out that the day of my French exams is the very day I was hoping NOT to have the exams- Friday. I had spoken to Julianna weeks ago about seeing if I could have mine earlier so that I could be freed up to do community visits with Fei and wrap up the last of the donations/purchases and other organizational support sort of details before I leave (one of which is to write a letter to Dell regarding their YouthConnect program for underprivileged or “underserved” youth, getting them set up with IT equipment. So far there has yet to be an African YouthConnect donation). Julianna obviously did not and, well, I am scheduled at the very end of the week (primary science will be most likely Thursday).  I had to laugh though at the way the “universe works”. I may have been putting a bit too much focus on the end of the week (let it not be the end of the week, not the end of the week) and the “universe” received (or the energy/intention I was focusing) the message – end of the week- so I got it! There is a theory among those who believe in energy work that there is no such thing as negatives in intentions, that when you focus on something, whether in the negative or positive, the energy is always in the positive (i.e. money is not a problem for me or money is a problem, are the same thing… you are giving the focus on money being a problem, vs. I have all I need, money is in abundance for me etc..).

This afternoon, Ben (junior school IT teacher), Fei and Emmanuel (another Appiah- the senior school IT teacher) and I met to discuss the situation with the computer lab. It turns out that 3 of the computers need replacement hard drives, one needs a keyboard and another, a mouse. Ben had come with the Zain modem that I have which is what allows for broadband connection and, with a “switch/portal”, connecting all the computers, there can be internet access for all the machines. I quickly calculated the estimated cost and realized that I could cover these purchases from the personal donation my brother, Mark, (through the Mont Tremblant Rotary club), had made, basically funding this trip. We also discussed what the next step is (creating a second priority wish list) and came up with: 2 new computers (approx. 1000 cedis each; 700$) and a projector for the teacher, to walk the class through the steps of manipulating the computer, creating documents etc.. (13,500 Cedis- $900); this is especially important when their class sizes and only 4 (or eventually 6) computers. We also talked about a webcam to teach the senior students video calling. Ideally, as with many NGO initiatives with schools in developing countries recently, the computer lab would be entirely set up to allow the students to communicate with a class in another country (i.e The Canadian Rotary Afghanistan Challenge Project, connecting schools in Afghanistan, with those in USA and Canada; see www.crcid.org/)

After our meeting a quick lunch (I showed Julianna that I can cook rice), Ben, Julianna, and I went with Fei downtown. It ended up being a very convoluted, lengthy, loud, tiring, polluted endeavour, but we managed to get the money transfer from Western Union (thank you again Mark for depositing this in Montreal, and Mom and Ron for donating the money) for the 4-in-1 printer (scanner-fax-copier-printer), changing almost all of the rest of my money to Cedis and buying the “nuts and bolts” mentioned above to get the computer lab minimally set up. Unfortunately, the 4-in-1 printer we had seen last week had been sold. We went to a few more places and have a couple of options I need to do some internet research on tonight before we decide on the next step. Bummer though. I didn’t think to ask if that was their last one. I should have known though, not to take anything for granted. Oh well. 

After this we went by another part of town to pick up my dress (the one Julianna’s seamstress made). In true Ghanain style, it was being finished as we drove up. We were to have picked it up Saturday, then Sunday…good thing we waited until today. When we walked up to the dressmaking shop Julianna and I (the men stayed at the truck and were exceedingly patient) were directed to the alley behind the shop where we came up to the back courtyard of a house, with a little cement building set off to the side. It is hard to describe, but picture back alley access to apartments in Montreal and make the wood and metal steps all cement, hang up some clothes, add some cute, dirty children of all shapes and sizes (one bumped her knee coming down the stairs and rather melodramatically nursed her boo-boo with a piece of fabric the entire time we were there), a grandmother on the ground by a big wooden bowl and a young girl in a dress, hefting a long wooden pole, pounding the FuFu, as her grandmother turned it and added more chopped plantain and cassava root. A woman was up on the balcony of this wee side building, which was full of fabric, sewing the last sections of my dress. While we waited I watched the scene, so wishing I had my camera. The young girl who was pounding the FuFu (no easy job, I can tell you), stopped long enough to call her young brother (I assumed) up to the fabric “warehouse”, changed him out of his school uniform and into his play clothes as he danced about, singing and talking to himself, and then he went back to playing and she back to pounding. Amazing.

When the sewing was complete, I was taken into the fabric room to try on the dress and final adjustments were made; it is gorgeous.  It cost me all of 12 cedis; actually 22, as 3 yards of fabric was 10 cedis, so the total cost of a handmade dress was less than 15$.

The drive home took FOREVER as we were caught in a deadlock of traffic in these tiny side streets which seem to all flow into each other back to the main road.  While we were crawling along, it poured rain and I couldn’t help thinking how it would clean things up here, washing away the dust, some of the garbage etc.. it certainly cleared up the air and cooled it off. 

I came home to a dark house as the power was off again, but it has, fortunately, come back on so I can post the blog and research the 4-in-1 machines available. I am exhausted. I will get right to that now.  

Tomorrow morning Ben, Emmanuel and I will set up the lab with the items I bought. Oh yes, we also ended up having a computer from Fei for Julianna’s office (this is where we’ll set up the 4-in-1), so she will have a computer! She is excited about this and the opportunity to use it to communicate with her Masters supervisor (I will hopefully be able to buy her a webcam and her own modem, but, in the meantime, she can use the computer lab one in the meantime).

Oh, I need to just quickly mention…Ben set Julianna up with “wallpaper” for her phone: JESUS in his glowing white glory. She showed me with such pride, saying “Beautiful”. OK- that’s over the top for me…over the top.