Technology Consulting in the Global Community

Monday, August 4, 2008

So, it’s finally come to an end. All the thoughts running through my head make it hard to write this blog. I am currently in Chennai for 2 more days before I fly to Qatar and then to Pittsburgh. The last day at work and the next day when I had to leave were hard. But now that I’ve had time to reflect, I can describe my thoughts down here.

The last week was pretty hectic with each one of us wrapping things up. Saurabh and I had to do a lot of documenting and writing during that last week. Yeah, I had an hour of sleep before our last day. It was tiring but it was a good feeling – a feeling of accomplishment. I was exhausted but it felt great. First thing in the morning, we stopped at MSRI and walked to the ATM to get some money to donate to Mathru. The weather was beautiful and I loved the walk. I reminisced on the good times. It had been raining heavily for a week but luckily, there was no rain on our last day.

At Mathru, Ms. M, the school chairman, was ready with breakfast. Saurabh thought he’d see if he could eat more puris that the school could make. So he urged Ms. M to keep bringing more. So she gladly brought him a lot of puris but here’s the problem – even I got caught up in the food fest. Every time Saurabh got puris, I would get some too. I had been tactfully escaping getting a lot of food on my plate, during my previous visits, due to my slow eating pace. But that day, Ms. M was relentless. “Kaleem! You’re NOT escaping! Not Today!” she declared. So I ended up stuffing myself like a turkey and Saurabh finished something like 20 puris – what a champ! But Ms. M had taught us a lesson: eating at Mathru is like drinking from a water hose. Do NOT underestimate the Ms. M meals. All jokes aside, that was our last breakfast and one of many that we will undoubtedly miss.

Our last day at Mathru was spent wrapping up our field tests, teaching Mathru how to use our Braille images, and taking a lot of pictures. We had our last lunch with Ms. M. She’s a lot of fun to be around as she’s got all these amusing/interesting things to talk about. After lunch, we went to each class to bid goodbye. Kids kept asking “when are you coming back sir?” and it was very touching when the 7^th standard class stood up and bid us a happy journey. I only got to know some of the 10^th standard and 7^th standard kids pretty well. But I’ve seen an amazing potential in the children here. After getting pictures taken, we had coffee/tea with the Mathru staff where Ms. M went around asking them how they liked us. The teachers had some nice things to tell us and it was a good bonding experience. Getting excellent grades at University – Dean’s List; Working at a company - $$$; Working at Mathru – smiles all around (priceless!). The whole Mathru staff came till our cab to bid us goodbye. It was really emotional and Ms. M shed a tear or two.

After getting refreshed at our guesthouse, I came back to MSRI as a farewell party was going to take place in our honor. The Malta interns decided to have a “Maltese Night” so that was really nice of them. We got to taste some great Maltese cuisine that night. There were about 30-40 people I think – most of them our close friends. I had a great time getting in all the pictures and interacting with everyone. Kentaro had some surprises lined up for us. He bought each one of us a book corresponding to our personality. So that was really nice and thoughtful of him. We then bid goodbye to everyone and that took a while because of all the hugs we had to give/get. Yeah, it was sad. But hopefully, I’ll get to see some of them people in the next year. I’m going to miss the learning experience here. Learning how to learn, bringing structure to abstract problems, going around your floor and learning about others’ projects, having interesting lunchtime discussions, all the networking, all the Halo parties, all the non-Halo parties, all the TEM and friends’ group outings, all the boxing lessons, a great boss, all the good times.

We just stayed up after returning home to see Aysha off. But somewhere in the middle I fell asleep (one hour of sleep the night before) and when I woke up she was gone. I then packed all my stuff and went out with Saurabh and Erin for my last lunch in Bangalore. Finally, I got onto the long train ride to Chennai where I am now.

The whole experience has been an amazing adventure. The last day of work was a fantastic climax as it summed it up for us. It was like a movie with a good ending – leaving you wanting for more. Experiences, like the time when one of the students was able to write the whole alphabet after we taught her using our Braille images, will remain etched in my mind forever. I’ve learned some great things that I shall apply in my daily life. There have been some challenges that I have learned to overcome. Each one of us had different interests and personalities and it was great to observe how we worked together to achieve a common goal.

Most importantly, I think I have learned how to smile. And that has a deeper meaning than just being able to flex the muscles on your face. I am greatly thankful for those who helped me along the way. I’m looking forward to the future and opportunities where I can exercise the things that I have learned. I will be flying to Qatar on the 7^th and to Pittsburgh on the 13^th. Before classes start, I hope to get some rest and meet up with friends and relatives. An awesome adventure has just come to an end but the seeds it has sown will grow forever.

Aysha, Erin and Saurabh – laa, cool beans and ymca.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

We successfully delivered our project presentation to the Technology for Emerging Markets (TEM) group yesterday. We had worked on it over the weekend and it felt great to complete the presentation on a successful note. Each one of us had a different role and had rehearsed it a few times giving feedback to each other. I think that played a major role in its execution. We also got to answer some interesting questions and receive useful feedback and ideas on our projects.

Erin started off by giving an overview of TechBridgeWorld and TCinGC, and Aysha and Saurabh followed it with a description of Mathru and the challenging areas that could be worked on. Erin then described her website project and Aysha talked about digitalizing the student records. Saurabh then followed that by discussing our work on the Braille Tutor and running a demo with a volunteer from the audience. Finally, I described our Braille image processing project and went through the various stages an image goes through in the process. The “Fantastic Four” were right on the money.

I believe the key in giving presentations is making clear eye contact with your audience. Just talking to each member of the audience like he were the only person in the room can do wonders to enhance your confidence. It also makes the person pay attention as he feels special/can’t doze off? This is something I’ve observed over time. A good presenter and a good DJ share a lot in common. Both of them usually know their audience well. Both of them share a passion for what they do. Both of them choose/organize the right slides/tracks to present/play. Both of them communicate effectively with the audience by constantly reading their mood and adapting accordingly. They understand when the audience is enjoying a particular part of their presentation/set and really know what they’re talking about/playing. And finally, both of them love it when they’re up there doing their thing.

Speaking of DJs, it will be interesting to see how I mix during the “Old Skool” night on our final day at work. Kentaro left town today and will only be back on our last day of work. We are planning to have a party on that day. It should be interesting playing disco and house music from back in the day. It’s also interesting how I interestingly use the interesting word “interesting” an interesting lot of interesting times. Everyone has their own word or phrase that they constantly use. Some people say “chill,” some people say “aww,” some people say “cool,” and some people say, well, “some people say…” People seem to use these words as a form of acknowledgement, when they can’t think of something to say, or simply because they just mean it and want to say it. People must LOVE talking to me because everything they think or do is “interesting.” I first thought about this last semester when I had to do this video interview for admissions. The camera crew sets up and the main guy tells me that we’re going to shoot in 5 minutes. I said “cool.” He goes “what’s so ‘cool’ about that?” Of course, he was just pulling my leg to loosen me up a bit. But it did make me wonder why people use certain words the way they do. It’s interesting how I randomly start talking about “interesting” things.

There’ve been a lot of power fluctuations in Bangalore this week. We’ve experienced regular power cuts at our guest house and even at MSRI (good thing they have reserve generators). This mainly affects the girls in our group as they travel to Mathru a lot and frequent power cuts mean frequent delays as the school computers do not have a reserve UPS power system. Last night, I was scared it blew up my hard disk when the power snapped. Luckily, it’s fine.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

My annoying telephone alarm rings in the morning like an ice cream truck on subwoofers. I put off the snooze and lie in a semi-sleep state. Saurabh wakes up and goes for his morning shower. I wait for him to come out and as soon as I hear the door lock open, I go “is the water hot?” To that, I get a range of answers – the most common one being “it’s getting there.” It mentally prepares me for the shower which, depending on our solar heater, can temporarily send me to the arctic. Yes, I do not enjoy cold showers. But what I do enjoy is asking if the water is hot first thing in the morning. It’s one of those many “little” things that has become part of my daily routine and makes it enjoyable. The daily Xbox dosage is another one.

I enjoy the MSRI work culture and cherishing the things I am learning here. We are currently in the process of field-testing the Braille tutor. We are also working on the Braille art imaging project. The other day, we found out that IIT Kharagpur had developed a similar tool. It was a little disappointing that our idea might not be completely novel. But they had not stated any results of field tests and limited the use of embossed images. So, we plan to explore these images further and see how different kinds of images might be useful in assisting education. This could greatly benefit Mathru and the wider visually-impaired community. As our research questions are different, we might unravel some interesting issues.

What’s happened with me over the last few weeks? Hmm, let’s see… quiz competition at Mathru, weekend trip to Chennai for my cousin’s wedding, TEM bowling night, getting to know the other interns, MSRI party at the Kosmo club, lots of powwows (project presentations), interesting conversations over lunch, ICT4D paper to bring Bill G up to speed with ICT, image processing, coding in C#, acquiring lots of information, fighting aliens in Halo, watching “Batman: The Dark Knight” at the theater, boxing classes with Kentaro, and the best one - bonding with the family (Aysha, Erin, and Saurabh). We’ve got our project presentation tomorrow so we’re busy working on that and rehearsing. It should be fun. An interesting surprise awaits the audience.

Only 2 weeks left!? As I was looking at the date on my cellphone, I noticed the hourglass wallpaper on my phone. But there was something different about this hourglass. It didn’t have sand in it and seemed to get this infinite supply of grains from somewhere. I looked a little closer and realized that these were grains of growth. As cheesy as it seemed, I couldn’t help but believe what I saw. Every now and then, a huge grain would get stuck in the neck of the hourglass and I’d have to give it a brisk shake to get it through. It seemed to have a strong resemblance to life. I think there’s no limit to how much you can grow as an intellectual, as a citizen, as a friend, as a human being. Invariably, a lump of grains gets stuck in the neck of the hourglass and you have to figure out how to break it. Sometimes, good friends help you out.

The remaining two weeks are going to be intense. Saurabh and I will have to write 3 papers, complete our field studies, and make necessary enhancements to the Braille tutor and image processing tool code. Although it makes me sad to realize that this wonderful adventure is going to end soon, I am looking forward to the future and completing our current projects on a successful note.

Monday, July 14, 2008

I can’t believe it. I thought 10 weeks would be a long time but the weeks have been flying at the speed of minutes. I have already started reminiscing about our first week here in Bangalore. And the sad truth is… I only have 3 weeks to make a difference.

I’m chilling on the rooftop of the Mathru School. The power went out and it’s dark inside the school but it’s still light outside. There’s a cool breeze, the clouds look ominous, and there is thunder in the distance. I am taking a big risk by writing my journal entry on my laptop because it could rain any minute. The children are sitting in clusters on the rooftop enjoying their free time after long hours of school. A couple of kids with partial vision have made their way over to where I’m standing, interested in my laptop. Aysha went out with Teju, Ms. Muktha’s niece, to buy ingredients for our dinner tonight. We are sleeping over at Ms. Muktha’s house again.

Work is going well. Aysha and I had split up into our respective projects weeks ago. She is working on the student records database and I am working on the website. In the beginning, to familiarize ourselves with what the other is doing, we swapped projects. I started planning the database and she did research on which open source content management system to use. Now, we are training Bhavya, the administrative assistant, and Teju to use the student records database on Microsoft Access and to update and maintain the website using Joomla.

I am having a lot of fun working on the website. I haven’t taken any classes on how to make websites, but I’ve gotten along just fine this summer with tutorials and crazy amounts of trial and error. I enjoy writing the content for the website and designing the look and feel of the website. This experience is definitely something that will be useful in the future for marketing: you have to know your audience (in marketing terms, your “target market” which are potential and current donors in our case) and you have to make it look good!

Of course, everything hasn’t been smooth sailing. Because I don’t know how to make Joomla templates from scratch, I am limited to the parameters of the free template. But I’ve been able to change the code enough to satisfy my original vision for the design of the website. And hosting has been giving us a hard time! We are still in the process of hosting (so many obstacles!) but hopefully the site should be up and running within a day or two. Be sure to check out www.mathrublindschool.org in a few days. Any and all comments and feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Nidhi had created the website and is currently paying for the domain name and hosting as an ongoing contribution to the Mathru School. We contacted her the other day and sent her the link to the website when it was still up. I am so relieved that she likes the website and that it is “right on the money”. She also gave some interesting feedback. Thinking like a potential donor, she said that the website looks too polished [it is starting to drizzle] and that it might turn off potential donors as they may think, If the Mathru School has enough money to make a fancy website, then they do not need my donation. But at the same time, she pointed out that if the website does not look professional, donors may deem the website not worthy of their donation. We have mentioned in one of the sections that the Mathru website was designed and updated by Carnegie Mellon students. Any suggestions?

I was taken by surprise when she said the website looks too polished. I like to make sure things are perfect and I pay meticulous attention to design. I try to have this attitude for mostly anything that I work on because that’s what you need to do to get the A or to get the job done right. But no one has ever told me that something was too good. But I know that it’s only specific to this situation. Her feedback has given me new perspective and has got me thinking differently. I don’t think I’ll downgrade the website too much since my work is also representing Carnegie Mellon and TechBridgeWorld .

So I only have 3 weeks left. To some, 3 weeks may seem like a long time. But to me, it’s not enough. I know I’ve definitely procrastinated till the last week for a project in the past. But this time around, it’s not just a project, it’s my job and I’ve become too close to the school to do a half-hearted project and leave. There is the sustainability aspect that I have to fulfill with this project. But it’s one thing to make it sustainable because you have to and another to make it sustainable because you want to. I want to make the website as perfect as it can be and I want to make sure that they can update and maintain it long after I’m gone.

We left Saturday afternoon, our mission clear: A quick 3 hour bus ride to Aflua (the border town) and then a short walk into Lome, Togo where we would spend the night in a quaint hotel by the ocean, speaking French and eating delicious cheese and bread, listening to live music. All this and cheaper visa renewal too?

The average Ghanaian visa is good for 60 days in country. Then a person must go to the embassy and pay $50 to renew it, or leave the country and come back. All told, a trip to Togo is actually cheaper than the embassy fees because at the border it is $20 and a quick stamp if you have a multiple entry visa (a point to which we’ll return, shortly.) My good friend Julia was facing her 60^th day in Ghana, and I realized I too would have this predicament in just a few weeks. Who wouldn’t opt for a holiday weekend in Togo?

We charged happily towards the border in an air conditioned bus that outdoes even the bus Adrienne and I took to Cape Coast. This bus had white pleather recliner seats and played a Ghanaian movie; a story to which I became so engrossed that I was mad when the bus ride ended and the movie wasn’t over! Disembarking from the bus, we followed the flow of people towards the border guards’ offices, dodging mud-holes and taking pictures of the “Bye Bye Ghana” sign arching over the road. A plain clothed man hissed and followed us to the passport check point to tell a guard that I’d taken a picture and they both demanded to watch as I deleted it. This should have been a clear omen.

As soon as the passport authority took my passport she shook her head saying that if I left Ghana I couldn’t come back until Monday morning. I have a single entry visa and if I stayed in Togo until Monday morning the Embassy would open and I could get a new $40 visa. This is where the bribe comes in— from experience in a few other African countries I didn’t hesitate for a second in asking if I could just ‘pay for one night’. They all flat out refused. In hindsight I can’t believe I asked (inadvertently condemning corruption!) and I’m relieved they were honest and wouldn’t bend the rules for me. It was clear I was not To go.*

Julia looked at me, then at the guards (both of us knowing she had to go to Togo to get that stamp) and said “I’m just going to pick something up.” They stamped her out and I promptly sat down to wait, not knowing what she would go over and do, or how long it would take.

Only ten minutes of sitting on the guards’ front porch and watching the endless people and cars go by, and Julia was back! She said that on the Togo side it was not as the tourist books or her friends had described it—in fact two guards (who made her feel really uncomfortable) told her the visa would cost twice as much but not to worry they could find someone to exchange her money, and where was her husband to escort her? She immediately asked for her passport back, turned around, and walked back to Ghana. She explained to our friends the Ghanaian guards that it didn’t work out in Togo after all, so they stamped her back in to Ghana.

We walked away from the border, digesting what had just happened. Since the sun was rapidly setting and we know better than to travel after dark, we finally negotiated a shared car with another traveler and left by 7:00. In a way we’d accomplished the core of the mission, so we were in decent spirits to begin the journey back to Accra. We also couldn’t stand Aflua which was similar to most border towns; dirty with dust and exhaust, people all screaming at once to get in their car, or get out of the way, or buy their wares, etc. At 9:45 pm we were able to begin laughing about the ordeal and acknowledge our disappointment.

Fifteen minutes later, it started pouring. We knew rolling into Accra at 35 mph in torrential rain was the icing on the cake so we were thankful just to be home safely. Our car dropped us a block from our apartment, so we stood under an overhang and waited for the rain to let up enough that we could walk home. As the downpour made the streets and ditches into rivers, one could feel a sense of cleansing; for us it was of the weird spirited day that was finally over.

In the end Julia got her stamp and it actually cost nothing. I mean she never handed over money to obtain the stamp. I don’t want to talk about the time and effort that went into getting that stamp but including the road trip adventure and a good story to tell, even paying for my trip, Julia got that stamp for $10 cheaper than by standing in line at the embassy!

*Yes, I fully intended every redundant usage of Togo and ‘to go’ or ‘not to go’? Its just too great to ignore.

I remember being nervous about having to interact with children. I’m terrible with kids. I’m scared of them… and conscious of whether they will like me. I guess they can sense that I am scared because all my interactions with them end with them crying or hating me.

On our first day at Mathru, a small girl greeted us with a flower, and I had the urge to be cheerful, pat her head and say Thank you… but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Later on in the day, when they were demonstrating the use of the slate and stylus, I tried to pick one up to see for myself. Immediately, one girl (partially blind) turned around, took away the stylus from me and gave me a stare. She also kept looking back from time to time to make sure I wasn’t stealing the stylus. I almost gave up trying to interact then.

With time, they got more comfortable with us, as did we with them. I had wanted these kids to like me, and it wasn’t so hard because they are disciplined and taught to be nice. I had never previously invested so much effort into talking to kids, but I did this time and I have had my share of rewarding moments. One of those would be this boy (really cute!) calling me “Aysha-akka”, akka meaning sister in Kannada (I have a video of this moment!). Another time, I was *trying* to teach a kid how to dribble a basketball and I enjoyed so much…he was so happy to hold a ball, and to do just about anything with it. We played catch for a while, and then he continued dribbling… running behind the ball when it fell out of his hand, following the directions (left, right, straight, stop) to find the ball, and to continue dribbling right at the spot he found the ball. I also played with a couple other students, and each interaction was equally rewarding.

The night of our sleep over at Mathru, some students finished their dinner and came up to us to say goodnight and initiate a conversation. They asked us if we had our dinner etc… and they also said a lot of things in Kannada which we really couldn’t understand. I found that really special because during the day, they are so busy and we have to interrupt them to talk to them, and it’s almost like they have to talk to us. At night, they came to us at their own will. It meant a lot to me that they were comfortable around us and liked us!

I find that I am more easygoing and happy around kids now than before. In fact, I used these skills on Raghav (Ms. Muktha’s son). He was initially really shy to be around us, but I initiated a game with him and soon enough, he wanted to play more. Wee!

Over the past few weeks, we have been demanding a lot of time and information from Ms. Muktha, and let me tell you, she is a really busy person. Her phone rings every 10 minutes… even on a Sunday. So she invited us (Erin and I) to stay over at Mathru so that she can give us her undivided attention and tell us more about Mathru.

Spending the night there made such a difference. She took us to her home as she didn’t want to give the teachers (who are also visually impaired) more tension with us staying at the school. The first night we stayed there, she called upon a bunch of students and we interacted with them. Ms. Muktha is very frank with the children, and her chatter makes the environment friendly and fun. She talks to them about difficulties in education, their interests, ambitions, and jokes around with them about their favorite movie stars, and even boyfriends/girlfriends (Some students were really shy!). She included the teachers in the conversation and the whole community became really comfortable around us by the end of it.

Ms. Muktha’s home is about a 5 minute walk away from the school. At home, Ms. Muktha cooked us a home-made meal and also allowed us to try our hand at making chapatis. She quickly got annoyed (in a fun way!) at us clicking pictures and being really slow and took over in under 5 minutes. Since the power was out, we had a candle light dinner with really yummy healthy food.

Our walk home with Ms. Muktha and her son Raghav

Erin’s chapati

Candle light dinner

During dinner and even later on, she told us a lot of stories about Mathru – some shocking, some sweet – that helped us understand Mathru and the people behind it from a different perspective. What we heard only made us love the institution more. The stories also made me realize that the blind lead a life very similar to the sighted, and that a LOT has gone into making the institution what it is today. Ms. Muktha telling us these stories that she’d rather not tell with everyone else around made us feel like a part of a close-knit group.

We kept talking till late in the night, and ended it by watching a Hindi movie Taare Zameen Par (which is about a dyslexic child). We came back from the first stay over completely refreshed, and with a new sense of the kind of difficulties the school is facing. It also helped to strengthen our relationship with the teachers, and the students started to get used to our presence. We felt like we had accomplished a lot by spending the night there.

Ms. Muktha’s so fun… she has taken us out for walks stating “stop working all the time… take a break!”. During the walk, she would tell us so many things… about India, her life, her son, her family… but most of the stories revolve around Mathru! She then took us shopping, and insisted that we buy something. We tried to refuse but she was so persistent and her choices are amazing. So Erin got two Indian dresses (salwar kurtas) and I got a top (kurti). She also stopped to get us tender coconut and mangoes! Our relationship with Ms. Muktha extends beyond work…her love and care is incomparable to none other… she treats us like her ‘daughters from abroad’. She trusts us, and the work we will give her… and we hope not to disappoint!

Sunday was a great day for sailing. Not many days aren’t - even a few rainshowers can’t keep a good sailor down in Palau (it’s true… stay tuned). Since it’s hard to communicate the vivid surroundings, sit back, relax (palau style) and enjoy the slideshow:

A friend of ours from the hospital invited us out on his boat, but to get there we had to load up the small boat first to get to where it was docked. I was a big help:

After loading up the sailboat it was out of the harbor and on to the bay. But first, we had to navigate through the narrow channel dredged by the Japanese back in the day:

Once we’re out in the bay Nirav and I take to the sails for the first time and rig that boat right! Too bad there wasn’t much wind. Soon enough, however, we drifted to our destination. I’m a big help again, this time with navigating:

When it comes time to dock, Nirav’s there to step up and hook the buoy! Great job, Rav!:

We arrive at our destination and survey our spot:

If you get real close to the rock islands, then you get a great look at some of the life aquatic. Here, get a little closer (and YES, the water really is that blue):

after some vigorous snorkeling we’re ready for lunch! Unfortunatley, the sky is also ready for a sprinkle. Soggy sushi, anyone?

We were already wet, anyway. Before we knew it, it was approaching sundown and it was time to head back. What a day!

So after several weeks here we had one of our first formal presentations . While by no means stressful (it’s pretty hard to stress here even if you try) it was somewhat of a milestone and afterwards I felt a little drained. So what’s a girl to do to relax on a tropical island sans beaches? Well, as ‘Field of Dreams’ would have you believe - if you build it, they will come. Except in this case, instead of a a baseball field, it’s a beach, and instead of the ghosts of the baseball hall of fame, its tourists and expats.

I’m talking, of course, about Palau Pacific Resort, a lovely island resort that provides memberships for locals - kind of like a country club. After holding out for a while thinking that once I had a bike I could go anywhere and do anything (p.s. - palau has about 2 roads - what I really need is a boat!) I decided that if I was going to relax on a white sandy beach I’d have to join. So, after a hilly half-mile bike ride from the hospital, I enjoyed my first afternoon as a members at Palau’s premier luxury resort (I think Nirav thinks I’m a sell-out- he’s still sticking with the bike pipe dream).

It couldn’t have been more typical, either. A towel handed to me without even asking, I headed to the riviera-type covered chaise lounges on the beach to drop my things off and then commenced my first full immersion in the Palaun waters! It was low tide so I had to swim out to where the reef begins. The waters are so clear here that you don’t even need a snorkel to enjoy the amazing exotic fish swimming around you like you’re nothing more that a buoy in their wake. After that, there was some beach volleyball action and then the weekly Wednesday cocktail hour complete with traditional Palauan dance!

Soon enough, however, sunset was fast approaching, with a mean-looking thunderstorm on its heels so I had to get on my bike and battle the steady incline back up from whence I came. Maybe it was the snail’s pace back up that beast of a hill, or maybe it was the serentiy afforded by my brief getaway, but the ride back was as Palaun as PPR is tourist. Chugging up that hill (I think I can, I think I can!) I passed a group of Palauan boys playing handball on the hill. Due to the impending storm, the air was thick and the smell wafted between the fish smoking on the grill one minute and the ripe farm the next.

Further along, after I vanquished the hill, I took it easy, taking cues from the napping stray dogs that are a fixture here. To my right, I can see the typical gorgeous Palauan sunset taking shape over the Rock Islands. To my left I note a Palaun gentleman training his roosters (one can guess what for…). Arriving back home, I felt more grounded than I have in a while. All it took was, among other things, a little time underwater at low tide… I think I made the right decision - do you? Maybe this will help:

a) view from the beastly hill on the way…

b) me at the beach at PPR:

c) drumroll, please: the sunset:

Yesterday we were in the stadium as the Ghana “Black Stars” trounced Gabon 2-0! It was a World Cup qualifier match, and the pressure was on Ghana because last Sunday night Gabon beat them! We met with fellow Heinz student Nana Bray who is Ghanaian and has an internship here in Accra this summer, and it was a sweet to reunion! We sat in about the 15^th row (the best seats I’ve ever had to a professional sports game) where the lower levels have Plexiglas like a hockey stadium you can see the action up close and personal!

The stadium, which is only two years old, was impressive. (I kept commenting to Nana that this stadium is nicer than the Coliseum where the Oakland A’s play)! Besides for the great seats and the final score, the best part was being amongst such true fans. Noisemakers were constantly blaring, and people were decked out– flags became scarves and capes and dresses, faces were painted, hair was dyed, and of course we saw some people painted head to toe in Ghanaian colors… even Adrienne was wearing a Black Stars hat by the time we left!

We expected the crowd to go crazy at the game end.  As it turned out, everyone was celebrating, but reasonably.  It was invigorating to be in the midst of such dedicated and serious spectators, and most of the call contesting (translated by Nana) was hilarious. Hey, I even became a haggler by the end of the game!  The roar when the Black Stars scored gave me the chills, and hearing the global soccer/football song “Ole” was priceless. It was an awesome Sunday afternoon in Accra.