Sam, Elizabeth, and Eddie. Photo by Godwin Azameti
I enrolled Eddie in the Hannah School Complex off of New Road in Madina. I had considered enrolling him in Gina's school where I taught, but the walk to Zongo Junction is too far. I don't want his grandmother shelling out money every week for bus fare.
It's sort of a leap from his old public school, Madina Estates, to this--an enclosed compound with a library, computer classes, other smart kids, even rich kids. I had a really good talk with some of the faculty including Teacher Jane, one of the administrators there. I liked the feeling I got. I liked the way they talked about education. I liked that its going to be a challenge for him. Eddie got used to being one of the smartest kids in his old school and sometimes I could tell that he wasn't even trying. Half the time the teachers at his old school wouldn't show up--perhaps because they weren't getting paid or paid enough--and then Eddie would go roaming through the neighborhood. This is going to be more of a structured environmentt for him and that's a good thing because its hard for his Grandmother, Elizabeth, to keep track of him all the time.
I took Eddie on Friday for his entrance exams and of course he did fine. He's really excited about the school but I told him it's not a free ride, that I'm going to be checking up on him through his teachers, his grandmother, and Godwin. Most kids in his neighborhood will never get an opportunity to go to one of these kind of prep schools. I want him to take this seriously, to understand the sacrifice his grandmother is making for him. I know he knows, but he's just a kid and he runs off and gets in trouble and the fact of the matter is that she needs him around the house to help out. She needs it or this whole thing is not going to work. She talks to me about this just about every day. She knows I've got his attention.
I took her and Eddie to Godwin's house in Accra on Monday. He lives right on the beach. We sat and talked about what will happen after I'm gone. I want Godwin to be my eyes and ears on the ground. He and I are in constant email contact andI trust him to monitor any and all transactions with the school, to retain records, and give me updates. Godwin and Elizabeth speak the same native tongue and that's good because my communications with her are often limited. I wanted her to know where Godwin lives, to understand his role in this whole thing, and I wanted Eddie to see the systems being set in place--his extended family watching over him. It was really a beautiful night and Godwin's wife prepared wonderful food--Akple, my favorite. We drank Star Beer at a Spot on the beach and I felt really happy and also incredibly sad. I can't believe that i am leaving them.
Eddie took this picture of us on the road walking back to Godwin's house. I really love it.
The kids found their own spot in the living room. At one point I broke out some extra Kodak disposable cameras and there was this wave of children running around snapping photos in people's faces. I didn't get many of those cameras back.
