First Impressions

Jamie Pickett

Wow, we are definitely in Africa.  The first time I think it really set in was when we were driving from the Airport and we saw a group of ladies in traditional dresses with loads of fruit on their heads. I have always thought that I’ve been pretty good at balancing stuff on my head- books, water bottles, laundry baskets- but these guys blow everything I’ve even attempted out of the water. One person said they even saw a guy balancing a TV on his head! Maybe they will teach me while I am here.

The Heat- I have heard other interns say this before, but I never know I could sweat so much in a 24 hour period.  I’m like a little kid sleeping in their car seat with a coat on- all the time.  The shower only has cold water though, so that will be really nice at the end of the day.  A lot of people will always carry around a handkerchief or similar just to wipe the sweat out of their eyes. Some of the clothes that the Africans wear look like they would be extremely hot, like a lot of black, jeans, and long sleeve shirts. They obviously have adapted to the heat and humidity.

The People- The people are really friendly and their English is hard to understand, although it is getting easier.  Ross and I have learned some things to make it a little bit easier to communicate though.  For example, when people ask “how are you?” our normal answer is “I am good”.  We have since learned to say “I am fine” because that makes more sense to them. Another interesting thing is that when you shake hands, you slide your hand off theirs and snap your middle fingertips together. (Normally when you snap, you press your middle finger against the top of your thumb and it snaps on the base of your thumb.  When doing it Ghanaian style you press against the other person’s middle finger and it snaps on the base of your thumb).  I am not very good at it yet, but the kids are usually willing to practice with us! 

The Place- Ghana is beautiful! There is a lot of foliage and red dirt. This means that our feet, the bottom of houses, clothes, sheep, goats, tires, and anything else that comes in contact with outside ends up red.  Where we drove outside of Accra there is no garbage cans and as a result, the garbage ends up getting trampled into the red dirt.  There are also a lot of chickens and goats everywhere.  I was surprised to see how unique a solid building structure was. If not made out of mud and clay bricks, a lot of the buildings are made out of wood and tin and it looks like nothing truly fits.  The Abu’s house that we are staying in is one of the few exceptions, however, and has cement, wood, tin, tile, and paint. 

All in all, Ross and I have been in Ghana for 2 days and are absolutely loving it! We love the people, our hosts, the other interns, and are excited to begin classes today.

Ross Pickett - First Impressions

Ross Pickett

Ghana is amazing.  Jamie and I have been here for almost 2 days now.  I had my first culture shock as we walked in Accra to find dinner.  Everyone stared at us as we went down the street but we learned that if we just said, “hello”, that they were very friendly.  We have met and talked with so many people in the last two days and they have all been nice. 

Our drive from Accra to Abomosu was an eye opening experience.  I didn't know that cars could drive so close together!  Our drive was great; we passed through many villages and townships.  At one point our driver took us on a detour off of the highway because there was construction slowing down traffic.  We drove on a tiny dirt road that weaved through the “bush”.  It looked like a road that Americans would use a 4 wheeler on.  The tiny road was lined with people on just about every turn asking for money.  They told our driver they were “providing a service” because of the construction on the highway.  After a couple hours of being in Abomosu, we hiked to one of the villages we will be teaching in.  I didn’t realize how big of a language barrier there was until we met and talked with locals along the way.  I think each day will be a learning experience and I am excited to be in Abomosu!

First Impressions

Matthew Miles-

            What an incredible past few days I have had.  Ghana has met my expectations and amazes me every minute.

            The first feelings I had when I arrived in Accra was relief to finally be here.  That was quickly followed by confusion when I was separated from John and Madison for a few minutes at the airport when we rode different shuttles from the plane.  Once we were reunited I was again confused when we left the airport because many “helpers” asked for tips for the “help” they had given us.  After we arrived at Stephen Jr.’s home I realized for the first time what I had really gotten myself into and was very excited to start an awesome adventure.  The trip to Abomosu was a long one but I saw so much of the city and it’s people.  That drive got me really eager to interact with them and to immerse myself in the culture.  Spending time with the Abus, Douglas, and everyone else here in Abomosu has been a real delight and an eye opening experience. 

I was very excited to come and now that I am here I am glad I get to spend the next few months living in this beautiful country among these wonderful people.

John Johnson-

            Ghana rocks! I love it already. The people here are very nice and the area is beautiful. The drive to Abomosu was an adventure; I expected that the roads would be bad but I didn't know pot holes could get so big.

            The Abus are awesome. We haven’t been able to talk to Stephen much because he has been very busy, but he has been very accommodating. We are still trying to get settled into a routine. I am very grateful for the air conditioner in our room. It is very hot here.

            Douglas took us to see some of the towns in the area that we will be working in.  We were able to meet some of the collectors in the towns and get to know them a little. On Monday we will start meeting with loan recipients that are having a hard time paying back. Hopefully we will be able to help in some way.

            Overall I don’t think any of us have too much culture shock. The language barrier is larger than I anticipated. I have a hard time understanding some of the people. That is the most frustrating thing so far. We all look forward to starting classes and hope to help people in a way that can improve their lives.  

Summer 2013 Interns

We're excited to introduce our new Summer 2013 interns!  Ross, Jamie, Matthew and John will be leaving for Ghana mid May.  A little about these new interns:

Ross Pickett

Major: Finance

Minors: Marketing and Economics

“I was able to briefly participate in the SEED program through the South America study abroad two summers ago.  The experience gave me a great opportunity to apply business skills outside of the classroom in a meaningful way.  I look forward to working on SEED full-time as an intern.  I am excited to see lives changed through business ideas and expanded credit opportunities.” 

Jamie Pickett

Majors: International Business and Economics

“The SEED program aligns perfectly with my future career goals in International Development.  I hope that someday I can be financially stable enough to focus entirely on serving less fortunate people and giving back like the people who have helped me along my way. More than anything, that thought is what motivates me to succeed in school and to push myself academically.”

Matthew G. Miles

Major: Accounting

“The SEED internship seems to be an incredible opportunity to not only gain unique business experience but also a great way to develop teaching skills.  Moreover, after reading Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus I have gained a strong conviction of the benefits of micro lending and now consider myself passionate about the idea and values behind it.  I am very excited to help the poor free themselves from the chains of poverty and create a better life for themselves and their families.”

John Johnson

Major: International Business

Minor: Marketing and Finance

 “I love helping people and hope to do something that will influence the world for good each day…  I want to do this internship because I think it will be a great opportunity to gain some perspective and a wonderful learning experience. I look forward to using my knowledge that I gain through life to help others.”

  

Douglas Paddy

Douglas Paddy is the loan administrator for SEED Ghana.  He has officially worked for the program since September 2012.  He is in charge of finding students for our classes, organizing the classes, interviewing potential loan recipients and is responsible for overseeing collections.  Unofficially Douglas has been working for our program for quite awhile.  He has gone through the SEED class himself and worked to help our students with translating for the classes.  Douglas, with the Abu's, works hard to keep our interns safe while they are in country and plays a large role in the success of our program in Ghana.

Under Douglas's management the program has moved into 5 new areas, all of these areas currently have a 100% collection rate.

Douglas's opinion on working with the SEED program

Douglas was born in 1978 and is now happily married with three children.  Douglas completed senior high school and went on to study Agriculture and Economics at College and pursue different career options.  Between 1999 and 2003 he worked as a Field Assistant with the Ghana Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Division.  He later joined the Ghana Education Service where he taught Agriculture Science.

Throughout his life Paddy has lost himself in the service of others.  He has helped organize people for community labor, doing clean up and voluntary work.  In 2002, with the encouragement from his community, Douglas ran for mayor and was elected.  Douglas is currently the mayor of Akwadum, Akwaduso, Ekorso and Wekpeti.  

During Douglas’s first four-year term in office he was appointed secretary to the Works and Housing Sub Committee of the District Assembly Council.  Paddy has now been re-elected two more times and is in his third term in office.  He still serves as secretary but now on two different sub committees.

Throughout his ten years as mayor, Douglas has contributed a lot to the community.  On water and sanitation projects he has constructed roughly 160 household latrines in four different communities, two institutional bathrooms for schools and ten boreholes providing good drinking water.  Under his leadership three communities have been connected to the national grid that have provided these communities with electricity.  Paddy has constructed four different schools, a health care center, a marketing center and a 15-kilometer road to remote farming communities.

On top of all his work he does in the community, Douglas is furthering his education and will be graduating this May with a Bachelor of Science Degree.

We are very grateful to Douglas for all the hard work he does for the program.  We know our interns are in good hands with Douglas.