Day 35: Interview--Asenemaso

I love being excited about the work I am doing. There's nothing like the joy of serving God by loving others. Amanda, Pastor Wumbe, and I visited the women at the well today. Unlike the first time we met them, Amanda and I felt very comfortable. It took awhile to get over the language barrier so now we speak with smiles and laughter. But we definitely appreciate Pastor Wumbe's presence to translate. After all, he is the one who started this ministry and he's the only who will be here after we're gone. I know that I couldn't do work here if it wasn't alongside a local. I have a hard enough time teaching with Mike because I am not doing it with a Ghanaian. Isaac, the teacher, is sometimes in the room to observe us, but the is usually absent or asleep (sets a great example for the children, doesn't he?).

Teaching went terrible today. Half the class was an hour late because they were buying food and the rest of the class was not paying attention at all. It became so exhausting! It really took a toll on Mike and I. But luckily, they day was saved by the visit to the well. We brought Mike's video camera (he was kind enough to let us borrow it) and we interviewed some of the women. We were able to film about seven of them before the camera ran out of battery, but we are planning on interviewing the rest tomorrow. We asked them simple questions, such as why they're here and what type of help they want. Not surprisingly, most of the women said they wanted money. After all, that is why they left their homes in the first place. There is no money in the North, so they will have to keep returning here. It's quite shocking how much poorer it is in the North than here in the Ashanti region. The soil is not good up there, so they mainly live on livestock; while here, the soil is so fertile that they can live on crops year round, giving them more wealth. The Pastor and the women were describing the discrimination and prejudice they face here simple because they are from the North. It's a classic portrayal of the rich stepping on the poor. It happens everywhere, all the time, even here in Ghana.