JHS Science Resource Center: Axim, Ghana, September 2011

I'm back from my Ghana adventure and I hope I can give you a taste of what I experienced during the almost 4 weeks I was there.  The trip over was long and tedious. First the five-hour flight from Seattle to Atlanta and then an eleven-hour flight from Atlanta to Accra.

A little warning: I wanted to include quite a few photos, so this account may come up a bit slowly on your screen---please be patient!

I was met by one of my old students, Addison, and spent the first night in a hotel in Accra. The next morning Addison took me to the bus station where I boarded a wonderful new bus to Takoradi.

At the Bus Station

Addison called me and said to leave the bus at a junction near Sekondi. I did so and there I met his wife's driver and his son, Cobbinah-Tim. We then went to meet  his wife, Elizabeth, who is headmistress for a school for the mentally disabled.

Aftera short visit she had her driver along with her son take me all the way to Axim in her fine air-conditioned car. That was a real break. We arrived at Western Heritage Home (WHH) and there was Barbara to greet me with open arms. I moved in to the very comfortable guestroom in the bottom level "Volunteer Quarters." Barbara took very good care of me in the two weeks I was there.

Elisha and Wife, Gifty

The next morning being Sunday I went to Mass at the Catholic Church taken by my faithful taxidriver, Elisha. He is a very good driver, reliable and I depended upon him all the time that I was in Axim.His daughter (as well as his taxi) is named Elishalina!

This is the storeroom with its empty shelves and trays. The green suitcase contained materials I had left behind when I was there in 2009. The red one I brought with me, and Maryanne brought over the black one earlier in 2011.

All told, the suitcases contained about 150 lbs of materials, plus 18 postal boxes I had shipped. Plus, we made or acquired some of the materials in Ghana. The boxes were not in good shape---looked like they'd been dragged behind a truck! Box #4 had been opened, and the lead pendulum bobs had found their freedom!

The tables had arrived for the classroom. The bottoms were done beautifully, but the tops were not solid wood, as I had specified and they will not last very long. But they can be replaced without too much difficulty.

After one afternoon of work, I got the trays labeled and color-coordinated according to their unit.

Eric,  the supervisor for the Science Resource Center, arrived the next day with three of his students to unpack and sort out the equipment.

So, after a hard day's work, this is what it looked like.

After a few more days, we got some extra shelves put in and everything straightened up and sorted out. The trays held the equipment for one or more experiments or a single item, such as thermometers, that would be used in many different experiments.

Some of the materials were made locally. Here Eric is making some cement weights that will be used in a number of different experiments. I made the form and brought it over with me.

The classroom is now ready to go. The new stools are beautiful and very sturdy.

For one of the experiments, I needed to get some bamboo poles. I asked the receptionist at Ankobra Beach Hotel if she could get a laborer with a machete to help me. To my surprise, she came down herself and did a wonderful job!

Naturally, I had to revive my drooping energy level with a cold Star beer! This particular table was my favorite loafing spot when I was at Ankobra.

To replace the missing lead pendulum bobs, Isaac Bentil, Manager of WHH, got some lead fishing weights for me. With my trusty stubby hammer, an old machete blade, and some cup hooks I brought with me....

...we now have some lead pendulum bobs (and a good example of resourcefulness using local materials for the science teachers).

The first week was devoted to getting the storeroom and classroom in order. The second week was set aside to instruct the science teachers in the use of the equipment. I set up the instructor's table with all the materials needed for the first 25 experiments with the idea of demonstrating how they were to be used. It didn't quite work out that way.

They wanted to do "hands on", so that is what we did. We got through about 5 or 6 experiments instead of my hoped for 25. But they got involved and excited about what they were doing and after three sessions with them, I felt they were on board and ready to run with the program.

The teachers are doing an experiment outside, laying out the solar system using flags made from the bamboo poles from Ankobra beach.

Here are the happy warriors who completed three days of instruction (who is that bedraggled old geezer in the back?).

This was the weekend of the annual Kundum celebration. Here is Chief Awulae Attibruskusu III on his palanquin. There was a big parade from his palace to the parade grounds.

Another chief

Drumming

Dancing

...and lots of speeches!

I got to see my namesake, Jerome Kwaku Kwofie.

I had been staying at the Western Heritage Home, but on Sunday, Sept 18th, after Mass, I moved to Ankobrah Beach Hotel. It has about two miles of beach and there were only four other guests. It was glorious!

Palm trees

magnificent sunsets...

...and then a good snooze in my air-conditioned chalet. Sometimes life can be really tough!!

And finally! what this project is all about. The kids come and begin to get some hands-on experience.

Some were really getting into it. It was a thrill to see the students here in Axim actually doing the experiments that came out of my head while sitting at my computer in Mount Vernon.

Eric did an excellent job guiding the students in the use of the equipment.

Of course, I had to get my two cents in!

For a bit of adventure, Bentil arranged for me to go out on a fishing canoe for the day. The wooden seat by the outboard is where I sat for six hours.

We went out crashing on the waves in the open ocean until the land was but a faint smudge on the horizon.

The two men aboard put out about a half mile of net, waited about a half hour, and then pulled in the catch. They put the fish (all about six inches long except for the eels which were about 15") into that yellow bucket and filled it about 8 times. He told me they get about the equivalent of $15 per bucket. An awful lot of work for so little return.

Then it was back to shore...

...and being pulled up the bank.

 All good things come to an end. This is the closing ceremony with Mrs. Quansah, the Chief Education Office, speaking. Sitting next to her is Mr. Cobbinah, the Municipal Chief Executive (sort of a mayor) of Axim, and in the white shirt is Bentil, my good friend and head of Western Heritage Home.

With Eric at my side, they gave me this shirt...

...and this citation, in which they note my contributions to education in Ghana and in Axim in particular. As a sign of appreciation, they are naming this facility the Jerome Chandler Science Resource Center. I feel honored.

From the time I left my chalet at the Ankobra Beach Hotel until I arrived at this familiar chalet in Mount Vernon, a wearisome 36 hours had elapsed. It took me a couple of days to attain relative normalcy.

I'm grateful to Eric Jim, the new Science Resource Center Supervisor, for his enthusiasm for teaching, skill, and hard work. Mr. Sarfo Hayford, Science Coordinator for Nzema East-Axim Education Service suggested this project to our Ghana Together Board, which agreed to make it happen and asked me to be the Project Lead.

Nzema East-Axim Education Director Marian Quansah gave her wholehearted support, and assigned staff to work with me. She has enthusiastically incorporated the Center into the regular JHS science curriculum. The WHH Board, led by Mr. James Kainyiah and Mr. Isaac Bentil, caught the vision and made their WHH facility available to house the Science Resource Center. The elected District Assembly under Mr. Cobbinah's leadership has agreed to pick up a percentage of utility costs. Awulae Attibrukusu III, Paramount Chief of Axim Traditional Council, offered his hospitality and overall support.

And, especially, I want to give a special word of thanks to all who gave of your time, your encouragement, and your fortunes to make this project a success.

Jerome Chandler

Escher Projects

Escher Projects

I have always been fascinated by the works of the Dutch artist, M.C.Escher.  Combining this fascination with my limited skills of woodworking and adding in the time given me by retiring in 1999 I have attempted a few projects.  I started with Mosaic I, a plane filling, non-repetitive tessellation.  I photocopied the drawing, blew it up to a convenient size and then used carbon paper  to trace it on to the wood.  After scroll sawing the pieces, the adjacent edges had to be trimmed with a Dremel to make them fit. After that the Dremel was used to create the details. When the figures were completed I made a tray with a sliding Plexiglas top to hold them together.  It is fun when guests try to reassemble the pieces without looking at the Escher original

MOSAIC I
10" x 13"
Oak and  black walnut

I tried for better accuracy on Mosaic II by cutting out the individual pieces from the photocopy and gluing them on the wood instead of using carbon paper.  That worked much better but the thin legs of some of the animals got out alignment when gluing and that led to some inaccuracy.  In fact the long legs of the "ostrich" that straddles the guitar were so far off I had to make a second "ostrich".  Because the growth lines on the oak were so hard to work with I switched to birch for this one.

MOSAIC II
10" x 11.5"
Birch and black walnut

A most ambitious project was Verbum. This piece represents Creation.  The void black and white hexagon in the center morphs into black and white land, sea, and air (represented by frogs, fish, and birds).  Crossing diagonally one can morph (Escher uses "metamorphoses") frogs into birds, birds into fish, fish into frogs and any other combination.  Follow a white figure around the edge and you will morph from bird to fish to frog and back again; do the same with the black figures.  I had to make the figures big enough to work with but small enough so the completed work would not take up a whole wall.  I ended up photocopying to produce an hexagonal piece that measures 23" on a diagonal.  For accuracy I rough cut each piece out of paper, glued it on the wood and then scroll sawed around the edges. Because of the complexity and the number of pieces (142), after completing the pieces they were glued to a piece of 1/4" plywood. A walnut trim around the edges completed the project.

VERBUM
Hexagon, 23" diagonal
Birch and black walnut

This circular piece was made as a thank you gift for a friend who gave us an Escher throw rug. It is part of a three element tessellation by Escher.  The red wood is from a piece I picked up in Costa Rica.  I don't know what type of wood it is.  The frame is oak. Celia liked it so much I made one for her.  The neighbor boy likes to put it together upside down!

BIRD, FISH, LIZARD
Circle, 8" diameter
Birch, black walnut, ???, oak

 This project is different from the others.  Here the pieces are all cut out of the same piece of plywood.  Naturally everything fits together perfectly.  The only challenge was to make them fit snugly in the frame.
Painting was the tedious (but enjoyable) part.  The title, SUN & MOON, indicated night and day.  You can see the moon, stars, comets, etc on the blue, dark birds and the sun with its red and yellow rays on the white, light birds. The rays were very hard to paint.  I used two strips of blue painters tape for each ray.  I had to do many rays over and over again because of bleeding or inaccuracy.  It is a good challenge to reassemble this puzzle.  The shapes and the ray directions are the hints.

SUN & MOON
8" x 8"
Painted plywood

I have some ideas for more Escher projects...............AH!  Retirement, where is thy sting???!!!  

Ghana 2009: Axim and WHH (Part II)

I know this Part II comes before Part I but scroll down and do Part I and come back...........THANKS.

There were a couple of pictures of the kids I wanted to show you...

There was a haircut day and with Eric doing the cutting using a comb and a razor blade:

resulting in short hair for Godwin

and Stephen using lather and a razor resulting in Wohab going bald:

(I know it's a little hard to tell the difference!)

I didn't get around Axim very much but  it is primarily a fishing village and a market center for the immediate area.  It is very poor and needs some kind of economic boost.

 

And the ubiquitous sight of people of all ages walking with goods for delivery or sale.

One of the real highlights for me was the trip to Ankobra Beach of the Sunday afternoon before I left.  We hired a van and the 21 kids and four of us adults crammed into the 15 passenger van for the 30 minute drive to the beach.  I had told them the week before that we would be going and all week they excitedly asked me if it was really going to happen.  Apparently they had been promised before and it had fallen through.  The kids and the adults too had a blast.  I don't think any real swimming was done because the waves were too strong but there was abundant splashing and squealing.

 

 

 

I bought a crate of soda for them and they loved it.

including my little Olivia

The girls managed to capture House Mother Barbara and give her a dunking

There was a German family at the beach and our kids had fun with theirs

The resident dog caused no fear in Mary's heart.  She let him know right away who was boss.

A very enjoyable day ended

with a beautiful sunset.

So another Ghanaian experience came to an end.  It was filled with many challenges, some physical discomfort, new friends, a new family of children, a memorable time altogether.  So I headed back to home but not on the trusty Yamaha 400