How fast does Milk BURN?

Introduction
I blame the tropical sun! Its too hot to sit inside my house.. Thus.. I haven’t written anything blog till now ;(.. My sincere apologies to my followers (i.e. my mom!) ;)
Anyway, today is a spectacularly gloomy day.. No sun, still hot, but not so much.. Thus, I write this blog :)

IST
In-Service Training (IST).. All the teachers were asked to bring a teacher from our school that you felt somewhat close to.. I took the Economics teachers.. Its been so long that I unfortunately do not remember much of what we went over during IST.. We did go over how to apply for money for projects (see STARS conference below :))
My favorite part of IST was going to visit my Home-stay family.. This training was at our Pre-Service Training (PST) site.. My Home-stay mom (her name is Rosemond) was just the same.. No English, but full of laughter.. It was great to be back with the family after so many months away from them.. It reminded me of how much I loved their company.. And food.. Comfort (the daughter) made me her signature egg sandwich.. I almost cried

Avatar
Well after IST, the Econ teacher and I were traveling back to Tsiame.. And we had to stop in Accra.. It seemed like a great idea of take him to the Mall there (the one and only mall in Ghana and maybe even West Africa – excluding Nigeria).. And on top of that, I wanted to treat him to a movie in the mall movie theatre
The only problem was which movie to take him to.. ‘Avatar’ was playing.. And having heard rave reviews about it.. I decided to go for that one
Let me tell you straight out.. I was not a fan of the movie (and even if I saw it in 3D, maybe I’d appreciate the effects, but the story was so cheesy).. Enjoy enjoy
Anyway.. Just try to imagine watching Avatar with a person who doesn’t really see American movies.. Has no concept of sci-fi or CGI.. Never been to a mall or a theatre.. He told me that he liked the movie.. But I know he did not get the concept of the other planet stuff.. During the movie, I would take my eyes from the screen to his face.. It was hilarious, he had a blank face with eyes wide open not knowing what the hell was going on

The Kitchen is now OPEN
The biggest change in my life right now is food.. I started cooking for myself in the past few weeks.. O my goodness.. It’s a huge chore.. I’m already dreading making dinner for tonight as I write this.. A meal doesn’t just include the process of cooking.. The following is the short version of what I go thru each time I cook:
Decide – It takes me about an hour to decide what I want to eat (well it also has to correspond to what I can actually make)
Gather – I don’t have a fridge, and it is way too hot inside my room to keep veggies or any perishables.. So before every meal I will go gather ingredients from a local stall (usually tomatoes, onions, garlic, eggs)
Prep – Because of the lack of my culinary experience, I have to prep everything before I turn on the stove (I added this step recently, as I kept burning everything :/).. Enjoy in life :)
Cook – Finally I start cooking.. Depending on what it is (egg sandwich, vegetable stir-fry, pasta, navratan korma), it takes anywhere from 15 mins to 2 hours! (I got the egg sandwich down to a science)
Eat – Eating.. My favorite part! I devour anything I make.. And usually make too much so I invite the local kids (who spy on me while I am cooking) to join in :)
Clean – Dishwashing.. My least favorite part! There is no sink.. Enough said
Bath – By the time I cook and eat and clean.. I am a sweaty mess.. So I usually have to bath by the end of the nightly dinner event :)
All in all, it takes about 3-4 hours! I miss FAST-food :/
(P.S. – Thank you to the Thakar and Pandit families for their many instant meals! And MOM! Boyeyey! :))
Milk burning.. So coming to the title of this blog.. How fast does milk BURN?.. Well, I don’t know.. But it sure it burned to a crisp after an hour :/.. One of the first days I started cooking for myself, I was able to get a hold of some cow’s milk (hard to get here).. And I wanted to boil it before I drank it.. Put on a low heat.. And then went to grades some papers while it was coming to a boil.. Well, I was so into my work, I completely forgot about the milk.. It just kept on boiling/burning.. Finally someone knocked at my door asking if I was roasting anything inside.. I turn around and the pot is pure black.. The white of the milk was completely gone.. I had never seen anything like it before
I have come very far from that initial stage of milk burning.. I have successfully cooked many edible foods (sometimes a little burned ;)).. From rice and tomato stew to pasta to even navratan korma.. My favorite thing to cook (because it’s easy and fast) is the “versatile egg”.. Scrambled, omelet.. Well those are the only types I cook :).. But I can make a mean Egg Sandwich.. Esp. when avocados are available.. Mmmm.. You are all invited!

A Blow-Dryer, a Kimono, and a Telescope
So I recently purchased the above named items in whim.. It was awesome.. From where? Well there is this other volunteer organization.. The acronym is JICA.. Japanese International Cooperation Agency.. Its Japanese people volunteering in countries abroad for 2 years (we call it the Japanese Peace Corps).. Well somehow I ended up at one of their meetings in Accra.. Very strange to be in Ghana and end up in a meeting full of Japanese people.. The departing JICA volunteers were selling all their belongings.. I was lucky enough to snag a blow-dryer (to keep my hair smooth and full of volume), a kimono (cause it looks totally awesome), and a telescope (to gaze at the stars.. I just wish I knew how to use it :/)

School
The school is nearing the end of the Second Term of the year.. We are about to take our exams.. They are being typed as I write this.. And I don’t mean on a computer.. By the TYPIST on a TYPE-WRITER! They are going to use an old time copying machine to make copies from the stencil the typist types the exams on.. This should be interesting
Some of the highlights of this past term include:
The school held its athletics at the beginning of the term.. Where the students compete in different track and field events.. 100 m, 200 m, 400m, X-country, relays, high jump, javelin, etc. It was great to watch the students compete and perform.. UNTIL, the Sports Master challenged the other teachers to a 100 m race.. Being the youngest, I thought I could beat the other teachers.. So I joined.. O what a mistake! Those guys are fast! Well, I could have still competed (and even won).. But I tripped at the beginning and then fell tumbling in the middle of the track (which was half dirty and half grass).. Now this was in front of not only all the other teachers and students, but most of the town (as they came to see the events).. Embarrassing to the max.. Enjoy in life
I was able to borrow a microscope from the neighboring school.. The kids did a science “practical” in which they saw animal and plant cells under the microscope.. To someone who has studied in the US, I did not fully understand the significance of having Teaching and Learning Material (TLM, as they are called).. In my school, we had many microscopes, and each of the students learned how to handle the instrument.. I completely took that for granted.. Here, my school doesn’t have a single TLM for science.. And that simple act of looking the microscope made it much easier for the kids to connect what we were learning in class about CELLS to life outside the classroom.. I’m hoping I also see an improvement on their test scores
Lastly, in the second week of March, all the schools in the district brought all their athletes and competed in all the sports and athletics events.. I went for a few days, but it was great fun.. About 70 students from each school (10 total schools), and some teachers.. If you have seen ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander’, it’s exactly like that! Except our school wasn’t anywhere near the winner end’s.. Over-all we got LAST place :).. But hey, we are by far the smallest school in the district.. Next year, I want to take a Basketball team (yeah, they had Basketball!).. Just need to make a makeshift court at the school.

STARS
Talking about school.. There is this conference that is coming up that volunteer’s host every year.. STARS = Students Taking Action Reaching for Success..
A bunch of volunteers bring 2 students each from their respective communities (Senior High School students) to participate in a week-long conference.. It is unfortunate, but this is the last thing I am typing :/.. I got 5 mins left in the internet café..
But here is nice little blurb on the official Peace Corps website:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=641-291 (I hope it links :/)
I will definitely be taking 2 of my brightest and best students
That website above is also the official funding website.. hint hint :)

TIA
“Peace Corps types only stay around long enough to realize they’re not helping anyone. Government only wants to stay in power until they’ve stolen enough to go into exile somewhere else. And the rebels, they’re not sure they want to take over. Otherwise, they’d have to govern this mess. But TIA right?
Whats TIA?
“This is Africa”
[A scene Blood Diamond]
Now, I don’t believe the Peace Corps part.. But it seems like the “TIA” part is ingrained in people here.. The teachers and I are get into (friendly) arguments about various things.. The day before I watched Blood Diamond, we were arguing about how the student body president was appointed even after the students rejected him in voting.. At the end of an hour of going back and forth.. One teacher finally says “This is Africa.. This is how it is done here”.. He says this as if things in Africa can’t be changed because this is how it has been done in the past..

Peace Corps Times
“I believe in the power of the day to day, the simple yet otherwise impossible conversations, the truths that I speak and live that affect the people around me as I learn from the truths around me, in turn.”
[So-Youn Kim (PCV in Morocco) – RIP]
Her quote speaks volumes for the way I perceive my Peace Corps service.. Its not about “Development” and “Aid”(in the terms people use to describe the actions of the United Nations and World Bank).. Its more about the grass roots level.. Learning another way of life, making self-less relationships, the “day to day”..

The Joy of AC
O how I miss thee.. Air Conditioning.. “Day to day”

Conclusion
To all the people thinking about joining the Peace Corps (e.g. MOM?):
“Life in the Peace Corps will not be easy. There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient only to maintain health and meet basic needs. Men and women will be expected to work and live alongside the nationals of the country in which they are stationed—doing the same work, eating the same food, talking the same language.
But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps—who works in a foreign land—will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace.”
[John F. Kennedy]