Where's the gold?

Name: Richard Haslinger
Age: 45
Hometown: Vancouver
Location: Kumasi, Ghana
Job: Vice-president of exploration, Keegan Resources Inc. (KGN)

I moved here because of an opportunity to participate in a rare, large exploration program. There is a lot of gold in Ghana. Sometimes finding it is as simple as asking the village chief or queen mother where it is.

The best thing about being here is the break from our having-it-all-together Western culture. The country folk in rural Ghana will never own their own car and will be lucky to achieve more than the most rudimentary of primary school education. But their contagious happiness and their attention to treating each other with proper custom and appreciation have been inspiring.

The biggest shock was the volume of physical cash needed in this largely cash-only economy. Dealing with expenses for the program required handling numerous large shopping bags of currency notes.

The biggest challenge has been observing the jealousy that plagues Ghanaians who manage to achieve good paying work. A strong community connection binds people of the village, and, in order to accomplish more without becoming burdened with extra demands, people need to distance themselves from their roots.

What I miss most is access to spare parts. But the entertainment factor of creative alternatives makes up for it.

The people are keen to make a better life for themselves and their families. Those Ghanaians who leave the village and fare better often return to contribute financially to the family.

The standard of living is different. If measured in dollars and goods, it is low. If measured in family and community exchange and connection to the land, it is rich.

The food is very traditional: cassava, plantain, maize, rice, fish, chicken, sheep, grasscutter and fruit.

What B.C. could learn from Kumasi is recycling. There is a huge complex of skilled mechanics who maintain vehicles and every other appliance. Engines are rebuilt as casually as we trade in a five-year-old vehicle for a new one.