Garden City University College

This is how slow today is --
this is Rex,
sleeping in his office.

Not much to do today as I am still waiting on my IRB approval. Ahh bureaucracy. So I figured I'd write a short post detailing the school I'm working at and giving a short update.

Garden City University College (GCUC) is a private not-for-profit college with schools in Nursing, Business and Information Communication Technology (ICT). A school of Midwifery will begin this Fall. The building/campus is really beautiful. Three stories high and brightly painted, the building is divided into 3 sections by two airy courtyards. There are many classrooms and offices surrounding each courtyard and one library in the top corner of the farthest building. Only the IT room has a/c but because of the air flow through the courtyards and the fans in each room it's not too hot anywhere. I am, of course, still spending most of my time in the IT room enjoying the a/c, but if I had to work in another room it wouldn't be too bad. :) Across the main building is a nice green field that as far as I can tell is not used for much of anything. It gives the place a nice campus-y feel, however.

Front of the School

If you look at the picture above you can see a grey building that towers over the school. This is the school's second building, which is half built, partially painted and already in use. The bottom right section of the bottom two floors houses classrooms and offices and a fully set up midwifery training room (that has apparently been ready to use for over a year with no midwifery program in place). The school builds a bit more of the building as they get money and then it goes on hold when that money is gone. Seems typically African. 

So that's basically the school. I am hoping to get approval to start my interviews soon so I'll have more interesting stories but that's about it for now.

FOOD UPDATE: 

I finally got to go grocery shopping!!! I seriously have never been so excited to buy vegetables. Rex had to go to town yesterday to do some errands so he took me to a grocery store first. I did not realize, however, that we would be "running his errands" until 10pm that night so my groceries sat in his hot car for many hours - hopefully they're still edible! I was too tired last night to really check. Just shoved them in my tiny fridge (my college dorm size fridge that is located in the dining room because it couldn't reach the plug in the kitchen and I can't use the regular size fridge because the lady who locked up her side of the house also locked up the fridge shelves so no one could use it....) and went to bed. 

My stove top is literally like a travel stove top that connects via a tube to a huge propane tank. I'll have to take a picture later, it's strange. Anyway I finally have a stove and groceries and plan on cooking tonight so I will report back later!

Rex's longest errand included visiting a local non-profit, Sun Shade Foundation, which is run by a former business lecturer from GCUC. Rex does IT work for them pro bono, which is why we were there forever - he was installing new software. The visit was really interesting though and I somehow got roped in to volunteering for the organization so you may be hearing more about them (Ike, the Executive Director, was very persuasive). They are a micro-finance company that gives small loans to mostly women building up small businesses, selling goods, etc. They also provide training and clothing donations. 

Ike also mentioned he could get me tickets to see a Ghana national football (American soccer) game in a few weeks, which would be awesome!

As per usual I have written more than I intended so I'll sign off for now. 

Sending you all (whoever you may be that's actually reading this thing) much love from Ghana!