Buckets vs. Books

“Love doesn’t demand endless hours; that only proves tolerance. It demands respect for the self-fulfillment of the other.” -- Wanderlust

I led my first workshop yesterday for the college staff and I rocked it. It felt amazing and very empowering to finally get to prove myself to these people. I was never formally introduced to the staff, so no one really knows anything about me or my credentials. To collect data, I had to administer pre and post tests in regards to the information being presented in the workshop. Essentially no one knew any of the information on the pre-test, but by the time that post-test came around there was evidence that I actually taught these people something! Everyone was engaged and I received rave reviews! YES! I needed this boost.

I am currently reading a book called “Wanderlust”. I feel like my brain has been transcribed into writing. I’m completely enthralled, and am writing down memorable quotes along the way to use on my blog. This book tells the tale of a young single woman who lets her wanderlust take her to all parts of the world. Amidst her descriptions of exotic places, she very eloquently details her quest for love as well. I’m making connection after connection and reveling in the idea that there are others out there like me who are just as adventurous, curious, lost, and hopeful.

While in Yemen, the author and a friend concoct their own traditional outfits that will cover their entire body, face and all, as is common for women to wear there because the goal is for an “undifferentiated mass” as the author described. Such oppression of women throughout the world is daunting to me, and reading about this author’s experiences is getting me thinking about my current experience here in Ghana. Though the female students willingly work here at my college, I find myself angry at what is expected of them. Yesterday morning I went out back, prepared my buckets, and began washing my bath towels. As soon as my roommate heard the water, she came out and questioned me about why I was doing my wash and why don’t I just let “them” do it. By “them” she meant students. I told her I had absolutely nothing else to do and that I really didn’t mind doing it, because it seemed wrong to have the students doing all of my work for me. She then asked, “Well, do they cook for you?” clarifying for me, as if I didn’t already know, that they don’t do ALL of my work, so what was my problem. Inside I was fuming. One, I am 32 years old and don’t need some woman mothering me and questioning every move that I make, whether it be how I cut my carrots or why I choose to wash my towels. Both of which have happened. Two, in my opinion, students should not be expected to do all of my chores without any compensation.

My roommate has absolutely no problem at all letting these young ladies do all of her dirty work. She will sit in a chair out back while students scrub the floors on their hands and knees, wash her dirty dishes, or cook her meals. While remaining seated, she will command students to fetch things that she needs including pens, notebooks, water, or food. While in the staff common room, I have witnessed other teachers utilize students in much the same way to fetch food and water for them. A student will never refuse. Each and every one of them complies and obeys their elders. To say I appreciate these young ladies help is an understatement. They are lovely young women, and I know that in their mind they are simply taking care of the guest in their country. And I’m not saying that I will never let them help me, because in all honesty, their clothes washing skills are far superior to mine. But when they do anything for me, I thank them repeatedly and verbally express my gratitude. I have never once heard my roommate say thank you to these girls. Though I understand how deeply engrained it is in their culture to respect and obey elders, I strongly believe it is wrong, especially on a college campus, for teachers to simply expect the students to do their chores. I understand families expecting their children to do housework to help maintain the home. I can wrap my head around that idea. But for young ladies in college to be practicing such servitude makes me very uncomfortable.

These students have 9 exams to attempt to pass in one month. NINE! Rather than fetching pens or yams, these students should be encouraged to study and expand their knowledge base. There is talk about gender equity and empowering women, yet every day I am watching bright, young ladies being forced to remain in traditional roles. Cooking a delicious meal or cleaning a pot is not something that these girls need help with. They’ve got those skills mastered. However, they do need practice in thinking and problem solving and analyzing. Higher order thinking skills are essentially non-existent in the classes I have taught. These students have spent their lives listening to lectures and picking a,b,c, or d on multiple-choice tests. If you want to empower young people, then let them think and have an opinion. Unfortunately, I have tried to start a book club, but conflicts with chores and sports have prevented the club from really taking off. It’s sad. I know there isn't much I can do about any of this, but I can at least encourage the teachers to try something new and explore a different possibility. I deeply believe that developing nations would benefit greatly from getting young people’s hands out of buckets and getting them in to books.