Africa continued, by Joanne Lloyd-Triplett

A word on Internet Access: As a group we have been coming to terms with the local internet access, or lack thereof. As each day passed it became more and more common to see white Americans walking around the hotel, laptop outstretched in front of them, trying to pick up a wireless signal. Greetings changed from ‘good morning’ to ‘have you been able to get online?’ with the local dialect greeting response of ‘naa’ instead being a resounding ‘no’. As word spreads that the internet is working there is a spurt of activity as everyone races to their laptops.......
AUPAP Day 1 & 2:
Today things became more intense as the heavy work load of the grant becomes a reality. Not only are we to complete a detailed proposal for our water project but we must backstep and create a Terms of Reference document along with an Action plan detailing how we arrived at our apparent pre-mature stage. We are too eager it seems to get to work – first we must write. We are also brought up to speed on creating the tender; discussing local laws and observances that may come into play as we work towards an open bidding process and evaluation procedures. As we navigate our way through the grant speak and technical red tape it becomes clear that we are in a great position, not only with our team here in Accra, Mohammed Haroon and Kaleem Jehanfo but also with our local Tamale connections in the TAMA. With approving nods from the Washington and Accra offices we dive in to our paperwork load with enthusiasm and even find time to outline plans for the next proposal – a Womans dormitory with a toilet and shower block. Things are starting to take shape.
Day 2: Woke up feeling rather delicate, perhaps a good idea to skip breakfast and concentrate on fluids for a while. The mood this morning is one of concentration; each city group huddles in corners of the conference room; discussing, planning, writing. The Tamale-Louisville group is feeling particularly confident after our achievements yesterday. By midday we are almost at a stopping point in terms of what we are trained to complete. Perhaps there will even be time for some sightseeing this afternoon - the hotel walls are becoming a little boring and after all, we're in Africa!
Tomorrow; monitoring and evaluation – a sigh can be heard around the room….