Greetings Friends and Family!
I have been doing very well in Tarkwa these days. I think this is a combination of my successful work and the thought that I will be home in about six weeks. I still have a lot of sampling and analysis work to do and this has kept my mind off any hardships I may encounter. The water has been flowing at my house the last week and the weather has been much better lately. It is really the small things that keep me sane! I have also turned some of my thoughts to the upcoming science summer camps at Penn State. There is still a lot of planning and curriculum development to do in this regard and on weekends I spend a lot of time putting together exciting activities for the kids.
Isaac and I have finished sampling the survey sites, but I am still waiting on his data before making any decisions about sites to sample again this month. At least initially, it seems that all the wells in the area are contaminated with bacteria, heavy metals and inorganic nutrients to levels that I would consider dangerous for drinking. The boreholes are in much better condition, but there are still problems in many areas. I am working with the local radio station here to distribute some of the information we are gathering. My friend Henry works at the radio station in Tarkwa and thinks we can put something together in English, Twi and Fanti. Twi and Fanti are the local languages. The message I hope to get out is to not drink the well water if there is a borehole nearby and even using the well water for washing clothes or bathing can be harmful. If there is no other option for drinking water (sometimes there are water shortages at the boreholes), the water must be boiled for at least 10 minutes before use. I am also working on getting permission to place some signs near the wells with information concerning the status of the water. This information can also be used by the local government to decide which communities are in need of boreholes.
Here are some pictures of the recent sampling trip:
I have been doing very well in Tarkwa these days. I think this is a combination of my successful work and the thought that I will be home in about six weeks. I still have a lot of sampling and analysis work to do and this has kept my mind off any hardships I may encounter. The water has been flowing at my house the last week and the weather has been much better lately. It is really the small things that keep me sane! I have also turned some of my thoughts to the upcoming science summer camps at Penn State. There is still a lot of planning and curriculum development to do in this regard and on weekends I spend a lot of time putting together exciting activities for the kids.
Isaac and I have finished sampling the survey sites, but I am still waiting on his data before making any decisions about sites to sample again this month. At least initially, it seems that all the wells in the area are contaminated with bacteria, heavy metals and inorganic nutrients to levels that I would consider dangerous for drinking. The boreholes are in much better condition, but there are still problems in many areas. I am working with the local radio station here to distribute some of the information we are gathering. My friend Henry works at the radio station in Tarkwa and thinks we can put something together in English, Twi and Fanti. Twi and Fanti are the local languages. The message I hope to get out is to not drink the well water if there is a borehole nearby and even using the well water for washing clothes or bathing can be harmful. If there is no other option for drinking water (sometimes there are water shortages at the boreholes), the water must be boiled for at least 10 minutes before use. I am also working on getting permission to place some signs near the wells with information concerning the status of the water. This information can also be used by the local government to decide which communities are in need of boreholes.
Here are some pictures of the recent sampling trip:
Dirty well water!
Some ducks (and baby ducks) came to drink the water while we were out sampling.Other than my work, I have not really been doing much of interest. Sampling is really an exhausting experience so I spend more time relaxing at home with my books on evenings and weekends. Occasionally, I will walk down to the club for a beer and to watch some TV (Ghana movies are hilarious, even if they don’t mean to be). I still have lots of visitors to my house as well, so I am constantly going to town to buy more cookies for the kids!
I hope all is well.
My love you all of you,
Joanna
