Ghana Team Journal

2011-11-18T18:57:00.002Z

Quote of the day: “The future belongs to those who live intensely in the present.” – Anon.

By: Daniel Chen & Jim Leslie

When I came to Africa on this service program, I had doubts on whether I wanted and had the ability to handle these jumpy, boisterous kids. But three weeks here have changed that perspective entirely. I started the day with a heavy stomach, knowing that I would have to say goodbye to all my new friends by the end of the day. I ended the day wishing that I could have stayed longer. - Daniel

The day began with Jim, Esther, and I organizing our donation boxes which were going to be presented to the school in the morning. When we arrived at the school, I was assigned to bring 2 kids back to Esther’s car to carry the boxes to the enormous mango tree. 9 kids came. 2 kids snatched the boxes from the trunk and lifted them up on their heads. 7 kids fought amongst each other to hold my hand and walk back to the classrooms.

Fifteen minutes later, the entire primary school had lined up outside the P1-3 classrooms. Esther, on behalf of the 10/29-11/19 Global Volunteers team, presented these boxes to the headmaster. When the three soccer balls were changing hands, you could see the excitement in the kids’ eyes. Global Volunteers also donated some books (courtesy of Jim), sidewalk chalk, math flashcards, coloring pens and pencils, and some clothes for the construction crew. The headmaster humbly thanked Esther and the team for their efforts in the program, and sent the kids back off to class, much to their dismay. They thought they were going to play with the soccer balls right away!

My P2 class was responding well to tighter time restraints on math and English exercises. In fact, every student handed their workbook in before time had expired. Progress! One step at a time. Recess was the usual disorganized chaos – kids fighting over soccer balls, Frisbees, and jump ropes. I took the opportunity to say goodbye to all of the primary school teachers and thanked them for accommodating the team so well over the three weeks.

Teaching English to the P2 class is always interesting. While Teacher Kennedy was educating them about the difference between present and past tense and the conversion between the two, I wrote exercises on the board. Everyone had gotten “Skip” wrong. “Sir, why isn’t skiped right?” I made them wait (im)patiently as I refused to put up the answer until everyone was done the exercise. When I wrote, S-K-I-P-P (e-d) the class went, “OHHHHHHHHHHHHH SIR! YOU TRICKED US!” Barely containing my laugh, I replied, “I told you it was special! Now remember this!”

Ten minutes before noon, I asked the entire class to line up outside to take a picture. Of course, chaos ensued. The cries of “Cut me! Cut me!” could not be drowned out. Kennedy eventually settled them down for a solid 30 seconds so Jim could take a proper picture. As I said my final goodbyes, it was sad yet heart-warming to see the teary faces on the faces of my little friends. They even tried to chase down the taxi as it drove away from the classrooms.

I (Jim) had a very rewarding last day at the junior high school and at the library. At the school, I observed a moral and religious education class, I donated several novels by West African novelists –Chinua Achebe and Helon Habila- and a world map to the school, I tutored my young Togolese student in English for the last time, and I said my goodbyes to the junior high school staff. I was touched that many staff members said that they would really miss me, and I told them that I hoped to return to Ghana because I appreciated the warmth of their welcome.

The library session had more pictures taken than books read. I (Dan) was trying my best to capture my reading partners in the act of reading, but another kid would always jump into the picture. It took a full hour to get good pictures with my kids. In the end, I gave up trying to keep the camera away from their fidgety hands. They had a blast taking pictures of each other and of anything they could think of. I think I have over 50 pictures of someone’s finger.

In the afternoon, Jim worked at the library with a beautiful Muslim girl who is a P5 student at Senchi Ferry Methodist School. She read a number of books with enthusiasm and skill, and Jim will remember her and other West African children who are eager to learn.

Our departure from the library was stalled by a sudden shower, much to the children’s glee. When the taxi came, Munaia and Salamatu had grabbed on to my shirt so tightly that I thought it would rip straight off. Even in the rain they wouldn’t let go! Finally, after much effort and skillful peeling, my shirt was free. We drove away from the library, though I wasn’t sure whether the West driver knew where he was going. His windshield was so foggy, and his wiper was completely ineffective!

2011-11-17T18:53:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

By: Daniel Chen & Jim Leslie

Over our usual breakfast of omelets and buttered toast, Jim and I discussed certain issues that impair student learning at the New Akrade Presbyterian School. Jim, with his extensive teaching experience, had not only provided suggestions to the headmaster and his teachers but also prepared a report of critiques, evaluations, and observations of the junior secondary school. I, with my limited experience in teaching, had no such report. I simply presented Esther with concerns in the primary school.

As we walked to our respective classrooms, we were taken aback by the lack of teachers. I asked my P2 students, “Where’s the teacher?” They shrugged, happily, I might add, and pranced away. As I headed to the junior school to find Jim, I saw a gathering of teachers surrounding the headmaster. I found out later that the headmaster was pressing the teachers to engage and challenge the students more.

I had my first experience of solo teaching when my teacher walked out of the room to talk with his wife. Not only did the kids fidget excitedly during math exercises, they simply refused to sit still while I was writing corrections on the board. They sat really still when I threatened them with a soccer-ball-less break. By the time break was over, I was thankful that the teacher had returned to restore order in the classroom. As we were learning about measuring lengths and heights, it was amusing to watch each kid stand against the wall to record their height. The shortest kid had a fun time escaping the hustling.

Jim had another quiet day at the junior high school. He had hoped to observe and perhaps co-teach a social studies class, but the instructor for that class did not arrive at school until the class was over (8:00 – 9:10). Thus, Jim continued to work with the P6 student from Togo on his English, and he corrected a number of simple English class exercises. Jim ended his morning by having a long conversation with Godwin, the religion and moral education teacher, about life in the United States and life in Ghana. He will be observing Godwin’s ninth grade religion and moral education class tomorrow morning.

We walked back to St. James at noon for my favorite lunch of sautéed chicken and French fries. Jim and I were slightly disappointed that Esther could not strong-arm Samuel in allowing us to use the library for reading that afternoon. Samuel had planned to use the library for entertaining the Senchi Ferry Methodist School administrators.

Thus we were left with an open afternoon. Jim finished up his detailed report while I was invited by the kitchen staff to try out fufu. Fufu is basically a hardened dough mixture of mashed plantains and cassava. It was delicious, especially with the spicy chicken and beef soup. The shocker: you weren’t supposed to chew the dough. You just swallow it. Confused but determined, I thought: Challenge accepted! Ghanaian food is certainly interesting.

2011-11-16T18:44:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live.” – Joan Baez

By: Daniel Chen & Jim Leslie

Morning breakfast was educational as I learned the history of European control of the main slave castles in Ghana and the extent to which the British and Portuguese empire controlled in Africa. We departed promptly from St. James as there were no announcements or journals to be read (Jim was planning to read his at lunch).

As we walked down to the school, I prepared myself for a loud morning. It was Wednesday at the New Akrade Presbyterian school, meaning that there was a 30 minute worship service before class. When I reached the source of enthusiastic drumming, clapping, and singing, I saw the entire primary school of 150 kids packed into one classroom. I took one step into the room, planning to join in the festivities. Boy, was that a mistake. The overwhelming wave of sound literally blew me backwards. It was as if I was standing next to a large speaker.

As the weekly offering was being tallied on the board, I saw that my very own P2 class was losing by a small margin. Determined to help them win, I scrounged up a few coins from my backpack. An explosion of cheering ensued as the teachers announced P2 as “FIRST PLACE”. The cheering didn’t stop until well into the next hour.

Jim’s day began with a junior high school worship service that turned out to be much more than a worship service. At the start of the service, Harry, the young French and social studies teacher, gave a very heartfelt talk to the entire student body about the need for everyone –staff and students- to try much harder to make New Akrade Presbyterian Junior High a better school. This talk seemed to be well-received by the students. Harry’s talk was followed by an inspiring Christian worship service of enthusiastic hymn singing and beautiful prayers. The service ended with the announcement that, effective tomorrow, any student caught speaking a vernacular language at school would be severely punished. Students will be expected to speak only English or French at school.

Much of the rest of Jim’s morning was devoted to correcting B.E.C. English practice tests.

After the excitement of the morning, we were drained. But a big lunch of chicken curry and rice with fried vermicelli (SO DELICIOUS) refueled us for the afternoon reading session at the library. I got to teach some kids about world geography by showing where certain countries were on a globe and their corresponding flags. I also watched a Ghanaian version of “Duck, duck goose”, which sounded like “Goat, Cat, Mosquito”.

Sadly, however, Jim and I learned that we would not be reading at the library tomorrow as the librarian was entertaining guests and school administrators attending a classroom opening in Senchi Ferry that afternoon.

Jim, Amo, and I discussed our assessment of our service program over a dinner of shepherd’s pie and home-baked cake. It was really remarkable that people from many different areas of expertise and backgrounds mingled so well together during the program. Esther and Amo also do an incredible job of keeping the volunteers safe and satisfied.

We topped off the night with some much-needed CNN news. We were going crazy watching the Nigerian soap operas every night!

2011-11-15T18:52:00.000Z

Quote of the day:” Living well and beautifully and justly are all one thing.” - Socrates

By: Jim Leslie

Dan had a busy day in P2 as he corrected composition books, science tests, math tests, and REM tests. He also helped P2 students with their numbers. For Jim, it was a quiet day as many junior high school students attended a government sponsored career seminar that included students from other junior high schools in the area. This event was held at the nearby Presbyterian church. Most of Jim’s morning was devoted to correcting English composition books and giving English lessons to the P6 student from Togo.

2011-11-14T18:41:00.001Z

Quote of the day: “We are governed not by armies, but by ideas.” – Mona Caird

By: Jim Leslie

Today marked the beginning of the third and final week in New Akrade for Dan and Jim. Dan spent his morning in the primary school classrooms where he corrected math exercises, and corrected English reading tests.

For Jim, his responsibilities changed at the junior high school. Instead of spending a lot of time in English and social studies classes, he worked with small groups of students on their English reading skills. With these students, he modeled certain steps that should be taken before reading any material that is in English: Look at any pictures that may go with the reading, look at the recall questions that are at the end of the reading, and identify and define any of the reading’s words that you may not know before beginning the reading.

Jim continues to enjoy his one-to-one work with a Togolese student in P6 who speaks French but does not speak English.

2011-11-13T18:35:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “Be like a postage stamp – stick to one thing until you get there.” – Josh Billings

Journal by: Daniel Chen

Today was very relaxing. Jim woke up early to watch the sunrise, while I stayed in bed until 6:40 A.M. As we reached the dining room, it was sad to see only 2 plates prepared at the table. It was a somberly quiet breakfast of eggs and toast.

I then watched 2-3 games of football while Jim enjoyed his novels on the adjacent patio in the blazing Ghanian sun. We rendezvoused for lunch of spicy fried chicken and crispy French fries. Feeling lazy and drowsy, I decided to take a long afternoon nap.

By dinner time we had grown accustomed to the quietness and emptiness of the room. We gulfed our plates of rice, cabbage salad, and curry beef before the weekly Sunday thunderstorms trapped us in the hotel for the night. I was going to make sure that I got ample rest for tomorrow, as Billie, Judy, Arla, and Gary left me all the soccer balls, jump ropes, and Frisbees to play with the kids. I knew they would overrun me like a tidal wave the moment recess started tomorrow!

2011-11-11T18:33:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

Work, thank God, for the swing of it, for the clamoring, hammering ring of it.

By: Arla Lewis

Breakfast was fun with the addition of Esther’s boys. We discussed the final day and were eager to arrive at school. The students were in the classroom sweeping and getting ready for a Friday of games. They were not enthusiastic about finishing assignments but they did complete some work. The students thanked us for volunteering with the school program. After lunch we went to the library and had a huge crowd for reading. It was rewarding to have so many children eager to read. They also told us thanks for helping volunteer.

After library we walked to the Volta River and saw the fish farms, an old church, and the beautiful river. We met our teachers at 7 and enjoyed a dinner with them while giving gifts for teachers and educational programs. Photographs and addresses were exchanged and so we know we will not forget this memorable experience.

2011-11-10T18:31:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

“I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” – Edward Everett Hale

By: Billie & Gary Kennedy

Our day started with a French Toast breakfast, minus syrup. Daniel would have preferred regular scrambled eggs. We discussed with Esther the schedule for five of us to go to the Volta Hotel for appetizers and drinks. She would have a taxi here at the St. James by 4:30 P.M. and we would depart from the Volta Hotel by 7:00 P.M. and have a late supper at 7:30 P.M.

Five of us ventured off to the school and our respective classes. Most classroom participation was about the same as other days. Gary, and the Teacher’s Aide, seemed to be left with the responsibility of keeping the kindergarten children occupied all morning. The main teacher left fairly early to take her 11 month old to the clinic. The other teacher left and didn’t come back until lunch.

The five of us returned to the St. James Hotel for lunch and to check out Daniel’s abrasion on his leg. He told Esther he was feeling better and felt like he was good to go to the library for reading time, and also for the trip to see the Dam by the Volta Hotel. We also discussed who would be asked to come to the dinner Friday evening. We were told to tell the teachers to be here at 6:00 P.M., knowing they would show up by 7:00 P.M. We also discussed with Esther the time of departure on Saturday for Arla, Judy, Billie, and Gary. That time would be 9:30 A.M., even though our flights would not depart until 9:55 P.M. for New York, and 11:00 P.M. for Amsterdam.

Our team went to the library for reading with the children. There seemed to be fewer children than normal. At 4:40 P.M., Billie, Arla, and Judy went in the first cab to the Volta Hotel. Daniel and Gary had to wait for the cab to return. We five enjoyed a beautiful setting on the patio at the Volta Hotel. We enjoyed the view of the Dam, even though it was cloudy. We were able to take some camera shots of the moon coming up. Our appetizers and drinks were great. Daniel ordered the Ghana version of McDonald’s chicken nuggets. We believe he ate too much as he wasn’t that hungry when we returned to the St. James Guest House for our dinner of Shepherd’s Pie and Minestrone soup.

Our evening waitress reminded four of us to take the Post-Service Program Evaluation forms back to our rooms to complete before departure on Saturday.

2011-11-09T18:28:00.000Z

Quote of the day: You can’t always take from the world, you have to give back.

By:Lester Johanson

Journal by: Judy Johanson

Up early with the rooster’s call as usual. We had omelets for breakfast and then were off to school, everyone except Daniel who was on house arrest once again. Wednesday morning prayer service was in full swing when we arrived and with Judy’s help Class 4 won the weekly offering contest. You would have thought the kids had won a million dollars in the lottery. They were so excited that when we returned to the classroom, it took 30 minutes to settle down. They took a vote and decided their teacher would buy them biscuits with part of the offering.

The morning lessons proceeded as usual and recess was once again highlighted by frisbees, jump ropes and soccer balls. Arriving at the guest house for lunch, we were happy to find our favorite lunch of fried chicken, salad and French fries. After a brief rest we were off to the Senchi Ferry Library. Daniel wanted to join us so Billie and Judy with the help of Gary’s donation of a t-shirt fashioned a bandage to cover his leg rash. Our anticipated trip to the river was not to be. A sudden storm rose up and we returned to the guest house.

Dinner was chicken stew over rice. Amo spoke to the guest house management and acquired some warm water for our evening showers. Good Job, Amo!

2011-11-08T18:26:00.000Z

Quote of the day: Never do for a child what he can do for himself.

Journal By: Arla Lewis

After a fine breakfast we headed out to school after our three day weekend. Daniel was not permitted to attend as he overdid some work on Monday and needed a little R & R. Esther was very clear about the fact that he needed to rest. Others of us headed to school either by automobile or by walking.

Our students were waiting when we arrived. They greeted us warmly and we started in with lessons. It was very warm in the buildings so recess was nice especially since we had new jump ropes and the students are great jumpers. Gary even jumped into the preschool room and became a big hit with the children.

We left school at noon for our lunch and were greeted by the seamstress when we arrived at the guest house. Judy and Billie modeled their dresses and photographs were made with the seamstress. The finished products were gorgeous. We then left for the Arts and Crafts sale near Aburi. The mountains were lovely. In fact, the entire ride was very scenic. We each hunted our gifts for home and ended up with a carved walking stick, several sling-shots, greeting cards, bowls and wooden mementos.

We also visited the beautiful Botanical Gardens nearby. Returning home we had a flat tire and Ghana’s emergency service proved more than adequate as a new van was able to pick us up within 5 minutes.

A delicious spaghetti dinner was waiting for us when we arrived home. We visited with Amo and ended our day together with plans to walk to the river tomorrow after our afternoon at the library.

2011-11-07T18:23:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

“Unless you give yourself to some great cause, you haven’t even begun to live.” – William P. Merrill

By: Billie Kennedy

Today was a holiday so there was no school. We all arrived at 7 AM A.F. (African time) for breakfast, with great enthusiasm to get back to work. After breakfast, Esther took the guys to the job site, and promised to return for the girls and help them buy pails before going to the job site. The pails were obtained thanks to Judy, and the girls went happily to the job site.

On arrival, we were introduced to Rita, the Water Lady. She, with a large bowl on her head, and us, with small pails in our hands, walked across the road to the water pump, a distance of 2-3 blocks. Rita, bowl on her head, was faster than us, pail in our hands. I think she made at least 6-7 trips to our 3-4 trips.

Soon the construction crew said enough, and we stopped and walked to the guest house and got cleaned up for lunch.

After lunch, we crowded into Esther’s car to go to the Continental Hotel where we planned to swim and take a boat ride. Esther went and got her children and a niece and nephew to accompany us on the boat ride, Isaac, Nana, Papa, and You. We all put on our life jackets and boarded the boat for a ride on the Volta River. Our ride was wonderful and we were all disappointed when our driver turned around and started back to the dock. Our plans for swimming were ruined when dark clouds turned into a quick, heavy rain. We returned to the guest house to rest and catch up on CNN news before dinner. Dinner was rice, chicken in curry sauce, and salad, and thanks to Judy, chocolate cake.

2011-11-06T18:19:00.001Z

Quote of the day:

“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” – Benjamin Mays

By: Gary Kennedy

We had to wake up without our local roosters. The Resort served a fabulous buffet breakfast, which was included with our stay. We paid our bills, loaded up around 9:00 A.M., then headed on our way to the Kakum National Park to spend a few hours north of Cape Coast.

We met with our tour guide at 10:30 A.M. He gave us some of the preliminaries as to what we would be doing on the Tour. He explained that the first part of the Tour would be more strenuous climb, and that a person could turn back if felt uncomfortable. Our team managed that part okay even though the humidity level was quite high. It had to be over 100%! Then our team was led to the seven suspended bridges held together with mesh sides and wood planked walkways. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been 15 years ago to build these bridges high up over the tree terrain. The guide told me they have to repair or replace the mesh every six months. I doubt if Global Volunteers will be asked to help with the repairs.

Well, we all survived the tour and agreed to stop at the fast service restaurant at the visitors’ center. All six of us ordered simple sandwiches. As we sat for 1 hour, we noticed that other patrons, coming to the restaurants, were receiving their food orders before ours. Many attempts of talking with the waiters provided no results. Even our tour guide tried to help us; again, no results. So we walked out with only Arla receiving her “to-go” sandwich.

We loaded up the Van and enjoyed the long drive back to our St. James castle. On the way we were able to stop at an ATM in Accra and then at the nearby mall for various supplies to get us through the next 1-2 weeks. Our driver was good to us on the way back by providing air-conditioning.

Our 2-day holiday venture was over, but like the good ole U.S.A. it was good to get to our Ghana home.

2011-11-05T18:14:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “There is a proper balance between not asking enough of oneself and asking or expecting too much.” – May Sarton

Journal by: Gary Kennedy

Our adventurous team got up extra early (we thought before the rooster) to be ready for our 2 day venture to Elmina where we would be staying at the Coconut Grove Beach Resort.

Our plan was to meet our driver at 5:00 A.M. as Esther had told us the trip would be approximately five hours. Jim got very excited when he saw a Toyota Land Cruiser sitting in the courtyard. We all greeted the driver, gave him our backpacks and case of water. After loading, and boarding this beautiful shiny vehicle, we buckled up and thought we were on our way. All of a sudden the driver realized and figured out that we were not the group he was to pick up. We told him we were heading to Elmina (South) and he was to be heading north.

We reluctantly unloaded the vehicle and had to wait patiently for our ride. This driver showed up at 5:30 A.M. What a let-down on vehicles. But this vehicle served our needs; however, it was quite a step down from the first vehicle. Our trip to Elmina was 6 hours, without air-conditioning. We lost 1 hour getting through a heavy construction area at Accra. A major intersection project was underway.

We all got excited as we drove by Ocean Frontage, knowing that our destination was close by. We saw the Cape Coast Castle nearby, but decided to check into the Coconut Grove Beach Resort, have a nice lunch, then take the tour of the Castle in early afternoon. Our first priority when we checked into our rooms was to see if we had HOT WATER!!!

Our lunch atmosphere at ocean-side was fantastic. Daniel couldn’t resist the temptation of getting close to the ocean. He didn’t go swimming, but stood innocently on the beach minding his own business and the ocean snuck up on him. No volunteer would ever go against Esther’s word of staying out of the ocean. The same was true of our Activities Coordinator, Judy. We were later told by Esther that she would not “cane” either of them – what a relief!

We all enjoyed our tour of the Cape Coast Castle. What an eerie feeling as our tour guide explained the various areas of the Castle where the slaves spent their time prior to departure to the other countries. Many slaves, men and women, went through real “hell”; several died at the Castle. We learned that the Castle was the African Headquarters of the British slave trade for nearly 150 years was one of the most haunting symbols of the greatest forced migration in history until the legal trade was abolished in 1807. Countless men, women and children born in Africa were sold as slaves and carried on slave ships to many places.

Our team decided to return to our beautiful resort for the rest of the day. Several of us enjoyed the pool. We cleaned up, utilizing the HOT SHOWERS, and most of us enjoyed a wonderful buffet dinner. Daniel became well acquainted with the chef at the BBQ pit. The chef thought Daniel was getting food for the entire table of six.

2011-11-04T18:09:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

He who says it cannot be done should get out of the way of the one that is doing it. ~Old Chinese Proverb

Journal by: Judy

The day began with our usual breakfast of eggs and toast and a discussion of our trip to the Cape Coast this weekend. Esther gave us some hints about what to see and do and hopes she won’t get a phone call that we were swept away by the rip tide. We all promised not to go near the water. Some walked, some rode and we went off to school. We were surprised to see all the children with machetes (never would have happened in the US) cutting the grass. Thankfully they managed to cut only the grass and not themselves. Then off to the classrooms they went to up-end the desks and sweep the classrooms. We were then informed the children would be given a reading test by the staff of JSC. The children waited under the mango tree in the yard to be called in to read a paragraph.

The results were not good. It seems as though at least a third of the students in each class cannot read. Upon completion of the tests the students were released for “Physical Education”. Organized Chaos began. There appeared to be a soccer game between class 4 and 5 while the rest of the students ran amuck.

In the mean time, Jim got to work with the French speaking student one on one. Daniel and Gary got a lot more concrete work done and were excited to have a delivery of more bags of cement. Our group had decided to fund the purchase of more bags of cement so work could continue. We left school and returned for another delicious lunch. The seamstress arrived at one o’clock. We chose the style we wanted and she measured us for the correct fit. After a brief rest it was back to the library for reading and working on puzzles.

We retired to our rooms in anticipation of a hot shower and once again settled for a cold one. After a delicious dinner and conversation with Amo we retired to our rooms to pack for our trip in order to leave at 5 a.m. We decided to wake up the rooster before we left as turn about is fair play.

2011-11-03T18:05:00.001Z

Journal by: Jim Leslie

Our group of intrepid Global Volunteers had a good day on this our fifth full day in New Akrade. After two frustrating work sessions, Gary and Dan were able to get a fast start this morning and completed half of the second floor. Gary decision’s to purchase a wheelbarrow really speeded up completion of that second floor. By morning’s end, both Gary and Dan looked as if they had been in a mud bath.

For Billie, today was an opportunity to use her nursing skills as she worked in the health care clinic weighing close to fifty infants. This work gave Billie some important insights into the state of public health care in Ghana, insights that were shared with the rest of the group at the dinner table. Meanwhile Judy and Arla felt that the primary school kids behaved well enough to use the frisbees that they had brought, while Jim enjoyed his increased teaching opportunities at the junior high school.

Finally, no trip to West Africa would be complete without a visit to “na makit”, in this case the one in nearby Akosombo that we went to in the early afternoon. With Esther’s help, Judy, Arla, Billie, and Dan all bought fabrics in gorgeous West African colors and patterns that a seamstress will use to create some lovely clothes for them. Our full day ended with another delicious meal and some good natured kidding of Amo about his family of six brothers and no sisters. Their mother must have been a miracle worker to raise that many boys.

2011-11-02T18:01:00.001Z

Journal by: By: Arla Lewis

Quote of the day: You must know the world before you can know your place in it.

We began our day with a great breakfast of omelets and toast and a good conversation with Esther. Gary and Daniel were dressed once again to work with concrete as yesterday their plans for concrete were not realized. We were eager to get to the work site as church was being held early with singing and drumming. We enjoyed the services while Gary and Daniel began shoveling rocks into a wheelbarrow to make cement. They actually told us later that they were on the hot roof with the concrete for over two hours. We saw evidence of this activity later at lunch when Daniel ate 5 bowls of chicken soup as he was so hungry.

After a brief break we were taken to the Senchi Ferry Library to work with students who liked to read. We were also entertained by Samuel and his preschool students who loved to chant back to their teacher when they knew the answer. The van then picked us up for a drive to the bead factory. It was quite a ride through the market areas to the beautiful grounds of the factory. The owner who had learned his craft early in his childhood was an expert with the glass beads. We all bought many bracelets and necklaces but perhaps the best gifts were large glass beads which were strung on a leather cord. We won’t say who bought these as it might ruin the gifts.

We arrived back at the guest house with a spaghetti dinner waiting. It was delicious and I think we had no leftovers. The day ended with a new computer recruit and a long lesson in Microsoft Word for a long-time Apple user. I think the second time will do the trick, thanks to Philip’s help.

2011-11-01T17:47:00.001Z

Journal by: Billie Kennedy

Quote of the day: From “The Sun has Disappeared” – Desmond Tutu By: Jim

Once again we started our day with a great breakfast, before setting out for our assignments. Gary and Daniel went to the job site to work on a new building for the school which would add new classrooms and a library room. Judy, Arla, Jim and I went to our classrooms where we were able to participate in the classroom activities and recess. Unfortunately, Gary and Dan were disappointed with their lack of accomplishment. We returned to a delicious lunch of cowpeas, fried plantains and fruit. We then educated Esther on some of the social problems we deal with in the USA.

After a siesta, we were taxied to the library. We all continue to be amazed at the reading skills of the children. We were also taxed home, so missed our daily walk.

Dinner was excellent. We had rice, stew and salad. We are enjoying the African food. After dinner, we talked to Amo about our experiences and concerns, particularly in the classroom. We agreed that teachers are faced with challenges that USA teachers don’t have. However, we found the students receptive and wanting to learn.

2011-10-30T16:35:00.001Z

Quote of the day: Drink your water or you will be caned! – Esther, our loving country manager.

By: Daniel Chen

The morning began with a delicious breakfast of omelets, oatmeal, and toast. Esther quickly ruined my breakfast euphoria with news that Gary and I were unable to participate in construction today as the project manager had more urgent matters to tend to after the weekend’s vicious thunderstorms. As walked towards New Akrade, we were greeted by the local residents who were ecstatic to find that the team had begun learning some Twi.

We arrived at the school with sweat dripping from our faces. The headmaster welcomed us and invited us into the teacher common room, where he paired Jim, Judy, Billie, and Arla with their respective teachers. After a short tour of the school complex, we headed off to visit the Senchi Community Library where we would be spending our afternoons. The library was actually a product of 3 years’ effort of Global Volunteers.

We headed back to the school to get our first dose of teaching. Knowing I had no teaching experience, Esther tossed me into a classroom filled with energetic (and restless!) second graders. The children swarmed around me, each wanting a high five and to hold my hand. The instant the teacher came into the room, they rushed back to their desks to sit, which lasted all about 30 seconds. Note for future volunteers: if your children are misbehaving, just have Esther lay down the law! After observing the classroom for two hours, we headed back to the hotel for refuge from the blazing afternoon sun.

We departed for the library promptly while the clouds were hiding the sun. As we arrived I was overrun by a mass of children eager to touch my hair and play with my glasses. My spiky hair fascinated them; one child even threatened to follow me home to cut it off! The team quickly settled in their corners to read with the children. Judy even had a little girl sit on her lap for a full hour. Gary was entertaining his new friend with his disposable camera. I was trying my best to contain two kids who were battling for reading time. They eventually agreed to alternate between pages. Blazing through at least 6-7 books in less than 20 minutes, we eventually settled on reading the Lion King. That in itself was a reward, but more rewarding was seeing their eyes open with horror when Mufasa died and with glee when Simba retook his position on the throne.

We had to eventually say goodbye to the children and head back to the hotel for dinner. We learned more about Amo’s upbringing and his ambitions as we devoured the savory shepherd’s pie (which had some serious kick to it!). Everyone eagerly rushed back to their rooms to take a hot shower and rest up for the next day.

2011-10-30T15:50:00.002Z

Quote of the Day: “Please have fun. But be safe. Or else.” – Esther

By: Gary Kennedy

Sunday was a very full day. We started with a very nice breakfast. Now our team was finally together. Esther wanted us ready to load the van at 9:00a.m. (We also exchanged our American Dollars).

We then were on our way to the St. James Guest House in New Akrade. Our ride gave us all a new perspective of how the people lived and worked in the area where our team would be connected in the next 2-3 weeks.

We got unpacked and then met up with Esther and Amo for orientation and then lunch. Amo led our Team in a Goal-Oriented Team Meeting. We established four categories: the most significant would be TO HAVE FUN!!!!, while combining the other three goals.

Esther then told us to rest until 3:30p.m.: at which time we would leave for orientation with school, the Mayor, the Chief, and Construction personnel. We learned their custom of Handshaking. Several people from New Akrade gave us an overview of their staff responsibilities. We then broke down into smaller groups: particularly the school and that of construction. We then planned to visit the school; however, a big storm came up and cancelled that activity! I think the downpour became a major thunderstorm. We returned to the Guesthouse and found no electricity! Some of us really got soaked getting in and out of cars! WELCOME TO AFRICA!!!

We met with Amo for dinner at 6:00 and good conversation. Oh yes, earlier in the day we had TWO Volunteers graciously step forth and accept leadership roles: Daniel: To Be WATER-CHIEF; and Judy: FREE-TIME ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR. After dinner the Team discussed the upcoming weekend activities to include an overnight venture.

2011-10-29T15:47:00.001Z

Journal by: Gary Kennedy

Our Volunteer Team arrived in Accra. Daniel came through JFK-New York from Houston. Jim came from St. Paul / Minnesota, and Billie & Gary from Cleveland. The four of us connected at JFK/New York, however only Jim, Billie and Gary met at the gate before boarding for Accra. Daniel was on our flight, and even sat in the same row, but we didn’t know he was with Global Volunteers. When we landed and found Esther she said she was still looking for Daniel. Several minutes later here came Daniel. Esther explained that two more volunteers would show up later. So, we gathered our luggage, and went to the Airport Hotel to spend the evening.

Once at the Hotel, Esther told us to get checked in, and then rest until dinner at 6:00p.m.We actually met at 5:30.The four of us got caught up with each other. Esther explained that she had to go back to the airport to pick up the other two members of our team. Arla was flying in from Spokane, Washington. Judy was flying in from Chicago. Both were connecting through Amsterdam, where they were connecting with each other. We understand they enjoyed the LONG lines going through customs at the Accra airport. By the time they finally arrived at the Airport Hotel, it became too late to meet the other four volunteers.

2011-10-28T18:15:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

"I always say to myself, what is the most important thing we can think about this extraordinary moment."

–Francois de La Ronchenfoucauld

Journal by: Janine

Today is my last day in Senchi Ferry. It is a sad but joyful day. I started my day at B’Akoto once again. I played and laughed with the students. They sang songs and drew me pictures. I was sad to say goodbye and so were some of the students. One of my favorites in the class, Samuel, told me he loved me and that he will cry when I leave. (I later saw him at the library). I said goodbye to Madame Esther. She has become a very good friend to me. On the way back to the guesthouse, I stopped in at the Catholic School to say bye to Madame Harriett, Denise, Emmanuel and Michael. I had my lunch with Esther then rested. Amo picked me up for the library. We played some games today and sang songs. When it was time to go, the children all jumped on me! I wouldn’t trade that for the world! As most of the kids left, I watched Samuel take his time walking away, looking back towards the library at me until we couldn’t see each other anymore. I had the most fun with that little boy. Amo and I played Oware when we returned. A quick dinner with Amo and Esther, then Harriett and Denise stopped in to say goodbye to me. They gave me a very special gift and we laughed about Amo and Emmanuel both wanting to marry me, but neither could afford the price says Esther! I went back to my room to pack and prepare for my departure tomorrow.

2011-10-27T18:13:00.001Z

Quote of the day: I love myself when I am laughing. –Zora Neale Hurston

Journal by: Janine

Like any other day, I had breakfast then made my way to the school. The plan for the day was for my to teach my lesson, then go to the computer lab at the library. Unfortunately the children were not paying attention or listening to what I had told them to do. So we did not go to the lab. I marked and watched Esther teach. Afterwards when my morning was done, Esther came and picked me up. We stopped at a very nice hotel on the water and had a drink. Then we went to the market. We looked around for a bit then came back for lunch. We ate then we rested. Amo picked me up for the library. Along the way, I stopped to buy some candy to bring home.

Today the weather was beautiful so there were more children at the library. We took a few pictures before we went in to read. I read a few books then we played. I love making the children laugh and I love when they make me laugh. By dinnertime, I was not feeling very well so I didn’t each much. I just lay down for a bit, and then felt a lot better. I started to pack a little and organize as I am leaving in a few days. L

2011-10-26T18:12:00.000Z

Quote of the day: To be simple is to be great. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Journal by: Janine

What a night! It rained non-stop, so I didn’t get much sleep. Accra is flooding because of so much water. The day was not a crazy one. The school was not very busy as some students couldn’t make it due to the rain. Since I was so tired from not sleeping well and playing ball with the children, I didn’t teach my lesson. Madame Esther left with us at noon as her friend was going into labor. Before lunch Esther and I went to a restaurant on the river where we chatted and had a drink. It was a very nice place. We ate our lunch then rested a while before heading to the library. Again because of the rain, the library was quiet. I read with a few children then played around with a little girl. The evening was easy going and quiet as well.

2011-10-25T18:11:00.000Z

Quote of the day: Friends are the sunshine of life. –John Hay

Journal by: Janine

Another quiet breakfast by myself so I brought my book along to read. Esther and I left early from the guesthouse so I would be able to watch the students have their assembly. I was quite thrilled to see it. I watched Madame Esther teach her class math and some English. I did some marking for her. Then it was breaktime! I skipped and threw the ball to the girls and talked to some of my favorite students. After break, the teachers had a short meeting to attend so I thought my lesson to the students. Because the main teacher was not around, the children didn’t really listen. A few of them listened but it was chaos in the classroom. I sat for a bit as one student, Abigail, who is a beautiful young girl made the students sit and listen to me. She did a great job! I taught the lesson as best as I could under the conditions. I left shortly there after.

After my lunch of peanut soup and rice ball (no fufu today!), I was stuffed. Esther and I talked for a little while then we headed out to the Volta River Bridge for a walk. We had some nice laughs and a bit of exercise until it started to rain. We raced back to the car then she dropped me back at the guesthouse. Amo arrived soon after. As we walked to the library, we got a call from Samuel. The library was closed due to the rain. So Amo and I turned around. Amo took me into town on a tro tro to buy some cell phone minutes! The ride wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be since Amo was there to guide us. Upon returning, soaking wet, I made some phone calls back home to make sure everyone was fine. Which they were! We played some dominoes then ate dinner and had a very nice chat.

2011-10-24T18:10:00.000Z

Quote of the day: When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world, I thank God I am alive. –

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Journal by: Janine

What a quiet breakfast! Since Rick had left yesterday, the day has started off very quiet. I had my breakfast then Esther met me after to take me to work. I went back to P3 at B’Akota. The students were very happy to see me and I was happy to see them. I marked math homework and listened to them speak Twi. I taught my lesson quickly as I had to leave for lunch. The students were eager to learn as I showed them the new lesson. They also remembered much from last week. That made me very happy. As I was leaving, the students asked me to bring a ball, a BIG one. I then replied that I would bring two; one for the girls, and one for the boys. They cheered. I went back to the hotel and read for a little then had lunch, which was Red Red (my fav) with Esther.

Before the library, it started to pour rain, so the taxi came and pick up Amo and me. The library was quiet but the children and me managed to play more than read today. I had a lot of fun. I headed back to the hotel in the taxi because the rain was coming down in buckets. Amo and I played a few games before dinner. We ate then retired for the night.

2011-10-23T18:09:00.000Z

Quote of the day: If someone said, “Write a sentence about your life,” I’d write “I want to go outside and play.” –Jenna Elfman

I’m dedicating this quote to Rick because he was always ready for fun! He definitely seeks for the enjoyment in life and makes it contagious!

Journal by: Janine

Another early morning. Both Rick and Janine decided to walk along the beach before breakfast. They had met along the way. On the way back from her walk, Janine saw Amo. As they were talking, Amo got his shoes wet in the ocean. We me up for breakfast. We sat and enjoyed eating the food and talking while looking and listening to the ocean. A great way to start the day! After breakfast, we decided to play volleyball. It was more running after the ball then actually playing. Some passer-bys joined in and again more running after the ball. After playing for a while, we ended it. Rick wanted to go swimming in the ocean. As he did, Janine watched Bright and Amo play ping-pong. She tried to play but was not very good, spent more time running after the ball again! After our fun morning, we headed out to see our last stop at Elmina Castle. Again, a very interesting and emotional place to visit. When we finished we met up with Richard one more time, we took Rick to a bank then we had lunch. Our lunch took a long time to be served so we started on the road a bit late. We said our goodbyes to Richard, then left Cape Coast.

A few hours later we arrived in Accra. We dropped Rick off at the Airport View Hotel. Said a quick goodbye and finished our journey to Senchi.

2011-10-22T18:08:00.000Z

Quote of the day: I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it.

--Rita Mae Brown

Journal by: Janine

The morning started very early today…5AM. We were headed to Cape Coast for the weekend. Rick, Amo and Janine were very excited. We hit the road and drove about 4 hours. When we arrived, our first stop was the Cape Coast Slave Castle. We were planning on meeting Rick’s friend Richard, so to kill some time we walked along the beach and took lots of pictures. Shortly after, we met Richard and his brother Paul. We went into the castle. We chatted about the slave trade, and really began to understand the emotion of the place. After our tour and a lot of picture taking, we drove to Kakum National Park. There we hiked up a steep incline, then made our way across 7 suspension bridges, the highest point of 45 meter. Janine and Rick had no problem with the height; Amo was nervous at the first bridge but was fine after it. Richard and Paul were chickens but they finished it and we were all happy! On the way back to the Coconut Grove Hotel, we stopped at a Crocodile Park. Rick and Janine had pictures taken with them, Janine even sat on one! We arrived to the beach resort, said our goodbyes to Richard and Paul, after sharing a glass of Palm Wine (ew!). We had our dinner, which was very yummy and listened to the live music. We then left shortly after. Rick stayed up and emailed back home, Amo wanted to see Janine take out her contacts, and then everyone went to bed.

2011-10-21T17:57:00.000Z

Quote of the day: And we find at the end of a perfect day, The soul of a friend we’ve made. –Carrier Jacobs Bond

Journal by: Janine

Today, much like yesterday we had our breakfast then headed out to start out day. First before going to our jobs, we stopped at the Palace to offer our donations to the chiefs. It was a nice ceremony. Janine once again back in P3 at B’Akota and Rick at the Senchi Ferry Library in the computer room. He had a slow day but a few students popped in to learn about computers. The library was very hot today. Janine started her day with physical education. She brought 2 balls for the kids to play football and volleyball. She joined in the game of volleyball. It was a very hot day but the kids had fun. Janine taught a quick lesson and then it was lunch. After lunch the seamstress stopped by with the scarves made for Janine. Rick was to get his shirt later. Soon after we headed to the library. The library was quiet again today. The children sat and read many books; Mother Goose is a popular book to read this week.

After the library, Esther stopped by to say good-bye to Rick. It is his last day in Senchi Ferry today. He said good-bye to some friends he made too. He enjoyed his time here, and was very happy to feel welcome and apart of the community. In the evening, Rick and Janine headed to the Continental Hotel again for internet.

2011-10-20T17:56:00.000Z

Quote of the day: Happiness is not something you get, but something you do.

Journal by: Rick

In the morning, Janine was back to school for teaching and Rick was at the library waiting for a class from Nana Amo Preparatory to show up for “speed typing” on the PC’s. Class #6 paraded into the computer room after 9:30 AM with teacher Ernest. There were 5 students per computer to practice their speed on typing. Most of the students were using one hand to type the letter instead using 2 hands. After an hour on training, no one else showed up. I had time trying to finish reading my book.

After lunch, we headed back to Akosombo market to buy lots more stimulating beautiful fabrics for our friends. This time, Esther took us to the market instead using the cab. It took us to an hour to buy many fabrics from different sellers. It was a great afternoon to go shopping without the rain.

After the market, we spend the rest of the afternoon at the library to tutor the kids on their reading.

2011-10-19T17:56:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

Ask not that events should happen as you will, but let your will be that events should happen as they do, and you shall have peace. –Epictetus

Journal by: Janine

Breakfast started with a nice conversation with Esther. Then we hurried to start our days. Janine back again to P3 and Rick to the construction. When we arrived to our destinations, Rick found out that he was going to the computer lab at the library. He enjoyed helping the children learn how to use the computer. Janine was teaching the students again today. Before her lesson started, she and her class headed to the library to see Rick. While they all worked together on the computers, Janine snuck away to help clean up the books and chatted with Samuel. After computer class was finished they walked back and she taught her lesson. The students did very well. After our day we were suppose to be met by a taxi at noon, but he was 40 minutes late! Rick and Janine wondered where everyone was.

After having a fast lunch, Rick and Janine waited for the taxi at 2:OO to exchange some money. Bu he was late again! We were not happy about it. After a short ride, we made it just in time to read to the children for about half an hour. It was a crazy afternoon. Upon returning from the library, the seamstress stopped in, as both teammates wanted to have some clothing made. A fast dinner and then to the Continental Hotel for internet in the evening.

2011-10-18T17:54:00.000Z

Quote of the day: What’s important is finding out what works for you.

Journal by: Rick

After our breakfast with Esther, she got a cab instead her car to take us to work. We headed back to the same school from yesterday for construction under the burning sun for Rick and Janine had her teaching with class #3. She brought the soccer ball from the hotel to play a matching game with the kids.

After our quick lunch with Amo, we skipped our afternoon task to take a trip to Aburi for sightseeing and shopping.

The drive to Aburi was rough with lots of potholes. Our same cab driver from last Saturday, Bright was driving very carefully to prevent a blow out tire. The drive to the town was uphill and beautiful overview of the town.

When we passed thru the gate at the Botanical Gardens, there were 2 rows of towering palm trees. There wasn’t anyone at the gate to pay the cost to enter the park, we decided to come back after our shopping.

The town is well known to make a deal or not on the crafts. Janine and I had to bargain for our lovely gifts. I saw a beautiful colorful outfit for myself. The guy wanted 75 GH, Bright and Amo were laughing at him for being overpriced on the outfit. We walked away and the guy called us back for a price for 35 GH. I took it!

After buying a few gifts, we headed back to the garden for the tour without a guide. The garden was a peaceful place to review variety of tropical trees and plants. The most impressing of the garden is the Silk Cotton Tree, it is over 160 ft tall with a huge trunk. After walking around the park for an hour, we decided to head back to the hotel for dinner.

2011-10-17T17:53:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Journal by: Janine

Just another typical day. Rick had gone to the construction site again today. Hard work in the hot sun. Janine had started at a new school: B’Akota school, in P 3. Today was just an observation day but at break she got to skip and play games with the children. A lesson was brought home for teaching tomorrow. The library was unusually quiet today. A few of the regular children were there in attendance. A lot of books were read today! Rick decided to go to the Continental hotel himself in the evening.

2011-10-15T17:52:00.000Z

Journal by: Rick

Amo took us to his worship, the “Presbyterian Church of Ghana”. We arrived to the congregation before the starting time. I was able to help the children to set up the benches for their ceremony outside of the church. While we were seated, we notice the men seated on the left side of the room and the ladies on the right side. The women were wearing their best clothing for the service. Their clothing was colorful with interesting style. The serve lasted for 2.5 hours with lots of beautiful music and speeches. Before the ending of the service, we were asked to intro ourselves to the front of the crowd. The people had trouble understanding our English, but they were glad for us to join them.

After our lunch break, we took a trip to the Volta River Hotel for a day of relaxing at the pool and had a loving dinner feast looking of the awesome dam. It was a perfect Sunday for our comforting before we head back to work tomorrow.

2011-10-15T17:50:00.000Z

Quote of the day: life delights in life. –William Blake

Journal by: Janine

What a day!!!! We started with our usual breakfast! Then at 8am a taxi showed up. It was taking us on our first weekend journey! After about an hour and 45-minute drive we pulled up to a monkey sanctuary! That’s right monkeys!!! After a walk through the forest, dodging puddles and mud, no monkeys were seen. We were feeling a little sad we didn’t see any. But our guide Gladys was going to find us some. After a short break on a bench, we were told the monkeys were close by. So we hurried up and walked back in to the forest. Low and behold Monkeys! Gladys took out a banana and some monkeys jumped down from the trees and ate it out of her hand! Then while she passed Janine a banana, a monkey had jumped on Ricks back while he was filming. Watching the video he took is very funny! We shared holding bananas and watching the monkeys jump on our arms and eat them. We then just stood and watched them play in the trees, jumping and climbing up and down the branches. It was a great time. After we walked back to our taxi and then headed off to our next stop, Wli Falls! We were going to see the tallest waterfall in West Africa! Following a drive on a very bumpy road, we landed at our destination. Rick and I ate our lunch then we headed out on our hike. During the hike we found out our guide was a farmer named Gilbert, but he went by Happy. We shared our stories about our lives as well as he told us about the different plants and trees along the way. He explained how coffee was made, Rick and I thought it was very interesting. About 45 minutes later we seen it, right in front of us was Wli Falls. What a sight! Words cannot explain how amazing it really is. Absolutely beautiful.

After the hike and long taxi ride back, we arrived back to Senchi Ferry, where Rick didn’t sleep and Janine slept too much!

2011-10-14T17:47:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

Every night before I turn out the lights to sleep, I ask myself this question: Have I done everything that I can……Have I done enough?

Journal by: Rick

After our breakfast with Amo, we walked to the school to drop off Janine for her matching game with the kids. After we left her at the school, I had my morning class at the library. I had to teach the students “Paint” on the PC’s. After working with them for over an hour, they were getting too noisy The library teacher came to the computer room to yell at them, it is a class and be quiet! After the teacher left the room, the kids got very quiet and left. I had to stay at the computer room for any kids who wanted to come in to play with the PC’s. There were 3 boys and 3 girls playing games until my lunchtime at noon.

Soon after our lunch break, Amo called for a cab to take us back to the library for the puzzle entertainment with the children. Since we arrived to the library, the teacher called the students to get together as a group of 4. Each group got a tray of Jigsaw puzzle (10 to 20 pieces). They were delighted to begin the puzzle and madly trying to put the puzzle together. It was fascinating to watch the kids trying to grab the puzzles from each other.

Our exciting tour started after the library to the beads factory. The cab greeted us at the library for the crazy & rough drive to the town of Somenye. While, the drive to the town, we caught sight of every blocks full with hundreds of shops. We never saw so many shops in the town. We made to the location to learn, discover and review the art of bead-making The owner, Mr. Cedi gave us the demo of making the bead. After he finished chatting the making of the bead, he took us to his gift shops for purchasing. The shop had a huge collection of beans for our review. There were too much items, we had trouble to pick them for gifts to our families and friends. After we selected the gifts, we were able to take pictures with Mr. Cedi. It was time for our voyage back to the hotel facing the unpleasant rough roads with lots of passionate drivers.

It was a peaceful Friday night staying at St James with no dancing and bar.

2011-10-13T17:46:00.000Z

Quote of the day: We can accomplish almost anything within our ability if we but think we can! –George Mathew Addams

Journal by: Janine

Our day started as a typical one. Breakfast then heading out to our jobs. Today Janine was to teach a new lesson to the children. It was matching. After having Madame Harriett explain the lesson, Janine showed the children what to do. One at a time they would come up and make a line to the matching object. At first the students were confused, and started doing the previous days lesson. But soon on the children caught on. They liked today because they got to stand up in front of the class and show their work. After doing a lesson in their books. Janine helped them learn their colours. A parent teacher interview was to be held later on in the morning and Janine was to attend. A few teachers from the Catholic school walked with her to the meeting. During the meeting, Janine asked if she could put one of the babies on her back. The little girl did not like being on Janine’s back because she wasn’t her mother! Rick on the other hand was hard at work again today. Mixing more cement! It was a hard day for him shoveling and mixing. He was tired.

After lunch, the team had a fast walk to the library. It was starting to rain. The children, Janine and Rick all had a great afternoon reading to each other. A taxi came to pick up the team at the end of the day to go to the Akosombo Market. It was raining off and on while they were at the market. A few fabrics were bought then we headed back because everyone was leaving the market because of the weather. It was a busy day but lots of fun!

2011-10-12T17:45:00.000Z

Quote of the day: Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.

Journal by: Rick

Is today Wednesday? Oh gee! The day was running too fast since we arrived here. Janine and I met for breakfast at 7 AM. The meal for breakfast was oatmeal, egg and toast. This time, someone knew that I do not eat egg. My dish came without egg. Smile. It was getting closer toward 8 AM, we were getting concern because Amo and Esther didn’t show up to join us for breakfast. Janine and I left for our room to gather our things for our assignment for the morning. All the sudden Amo knocked my door to tell me hurry up to run to Esther’s car. They were all waiting for me. Esther took us to our jobs.

Today, it was my 2^nd day at the construction site. The nice part about the morning, it was perfect for me to do the job because it wasn’t too hot. Our main task was to pour cement to the foundation for the wall. There were 3 guys to join me to mix the sand & gravel with cement. There were a pile of smooth sand in one location, a pile of gravel at another spot, and a pile of rough sand at a 3^rd location. We had to use the wheelbarrow to cart the sand and gravel inside to the school’s room. After a few hours carting the sand and gravel to the school, the head master called her students to gather water to the room. It was cool to see over 30 students carry the buckets to the well to gather the water and brought back the buckets on top of their head back to us. We poured the water over the sand & gravel. It took 3 trips for the students to bring us the water. There were kids under 8 years can carry over 20 pounds of water on their head. Anyway, we had to mix the sand, gravel and cement back and forth before we can pour it to the foundation. One of the construction guys named Sey, he is very strong 18 years guy to mix the cement while we were watching him. Between breaks, Sey and I were talking lots about Colorado and USA. I had to tell him lots about Colorado so he can relay it to the other guys. They never seen snow and I had to explain to them about the word, “Skiing”. They love it when I told them. I also had a postcard from my backpack to show them a picture of Colorado. One of the guy ask me if Colorado is part of California and want my phone number if he travels to CA. I was laughing at him because it is 9,000 miles to travel there. Sey told me that I am his best friend. Isn’t that sweet for him to say that to me? Anyway, Amo came to pick me up and had to rush to walk to the other school to pick up Janine. We were late for lunch.

After lunch, we walked back to the library for our afternoon task. When we entered inside the library, the exciting kids were thrill to see us back for the 3^rd day. Many of the kids were hugging us. The kids for my group wanted for me to teach them Paint at the computer’ room. I got an OK from the teacher to use the computers. While working with the kids on the computer, I notice they learned how to use the games on the PC instead using Paint. One of the head master walked to the computer room and got very angry to see some of the kids playing games. He gave me a lecture. Oh well, I ordered the kids to use Paint, no games!

After the library, Amo, Janine and I took a walk to the Volta River. While we were walking toward to the river, we saw unfinished buildings, a church and a huge hotel. We also saw lots of banana trees.

After the walk, we had an hour before dinnertime. It looked Janine was worn out for teaching all the kids for the day and had to retire for the evening. Have a nice night.

2011-10-11T17:44:00.000Z

Quote of the day: When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece. –

John Ruskin

Journal by: Janine

The morning started with the usual early breakfast at 7am. We read the journal entry and discussed plans of the day; Rick to the construction site and Janine back to the catholic kindergarten class. During breakfast Esther came by to check up on everything after a short hiatus. She made sure all is well for us. After we ate, we left the guesthouse in a car to pick up some supplies for the construction site. Then Janine was dropped off.

Her day was exciting after teaching a lesson, she played with the children at break. They held her hands and kissed her arms. She also threw a ball for the children. Back in call she helped the teachers hand out and mark the children’s work. They were always smiling and waving at her.

Rick on the other hand was put to some hard labour. He helped the other men dig out the foundation at the construction site. He drank an entire bottle of water! He let one of the workers use his work gloves. After a very long and hot morning, Amo picked up Rick and Janine. It was lunchtime!

After lunch and a quick rest, the team headed to the library to read and have fun with the children. Janine let some of the girls play with her hair. Ouch! While Rick took videos of them. All of the children went wild! Not too much reading went on today, but everyone had lots of fun. A taxi, later on, picked up Rick and Janine to go back to the Continental Hotel to use the internet. Around 6:45pm, the taxi returned to bring the team back for dinner.

2011-10-10T17:42:00.000Z

Quote of the day: I don’t go by the rulebook—I lead from the heart, not the head.

Journal by: Rick

Good news, I was up on time to meet for breakfast with Janine and Amo. We all sat down before the cook brought the meal to the dinning room. The breakfast for the morning was oatmeal, egg omelet with toasts, and drinks (orange juice and hot water for coffee or tea).

After breakfast, we left hotel at 7:45 am for the tour of the schools and able to meet the rest headmasters of the schools. After meeting the headmasters, they intro to us to their teachers who will be working with us for the next few weeks. We only had a few minutes to chat with them before they head back to the classrooms. While we were touring around the schools, lots of the kids were waving at us while they were trying to learn something from the teachers. They were very exciting to see us with happy faces.

After the tour, it was time for us to get the work for the first day. My first schedule was to help the kids on the lab tops at the library. The first class arrived to the library at 10 AM; they were kids under 7 years old and very exciting to touch the lab tops for the first time. After arriving to the computer room, the teacher put 3 kids per computer. The 1^st thing the teacher asked the kids, the meaning of the “lab top”? The kids didn’t respond back to the teacher on the meaning of the computer. He had to explain them the meaning of “lap top”. After explaining the meaning, the kids began to learn “Paint” on the computer. They never touched a mouse and never learn how to click the mouse to draw a line on Paint. I had to help the children to draw a line, use color, shape of the “O” & “Star”, etc. I notice one of the boys was able to pull a game instead using “Paint”. I had to close the game and told him “No” on the game. Don’t ask me how he learned to open the game from the computer. After an hour working with them, they went back to the classroom and I stayed at the library waiting for Amo to pick me up. While I was waiting for Amo, I was able to watch a movie from one of the computer. (Shhh!!!) The name of the movie is “#24 hours”. It must be a TV show from Fox. Don’t ask me how the movie came with computer from USA.

Amo came to pick me up and walked to the classroom to pick up Janine. While we were walking to the classroom, we saw Janine sitting front of the classroom facing the kids. All the suddenly, the kids saw us and they ran toward to me trying to hold my hands. They all asked me for my name. The teacher had to pronoun my name to them.

After picking up Janine, we walked back to the hotel for lunch. Our lunch for the day was a bean salad, chicken and an exciting item. Guess what? French Fries! Oh boy…….

After we had our lunch, we walked back to the library for the afternoon story time. When we arrived to the library, the kids were waiting and exciting for us to read a book. It was real interesting trying to read them a book for a numerous of reason: lots of the kids do not sit at the whole time listening while I was trying to read them a book; they kept asking me for my name; they asked me “where I am from?”; they laugh at me trying to say the word, “Red” (I was reading a book, “The Book of Red”); they were rubbing my hairy legs; they love to listen to the sound of my hearing aids; etc. It was a real blast trying reading them a book.

After reading the kids the books, Janine and I decide to take a small trip to a hotel, which is located toward the river for a drink, and chat on line via my iphone and ipad. Janine was thrill for me to bring my Ipad from home.

The cab rider was supposed to pick us at 5:45 pm, but he came about a half hour late. We started to get worry and do not have the phone number for Amo. While we were discussing how we could get back to the hotel, the cab came. Thanks GOD.

After we arrived back to the hotel, we had our dinner, white streaming rice and chicken with vegetable.

2011-10-09T17:40:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

It was only a sunny smile,

And little it cost in the giving.

But like the morning light, it scattered the night

And made the day worth living

-Anon

Journal by: Janine

Today was the day we were going into the community. I had awakened early as we were leaving by 9. Amo came to make sure I was up. He had told me that Rick was nowhere to be found! He wasn’t answering his door or phone and we had to wait for the manager to arrive at the hotel to open his room. We weren’t sure if he went for a walk or was still sleeping. I finished getting ready and had my breakfast. Rick was still nowhere to be found. It was past 8am and we were getting worried. Low and behold around 9am, Rick showed up. He had over slept! We quickly got ready for the taxi and then headed out. After a short rest we had our first team meeting. We brainstormed characteristics for an effective team to help us through out the program. We then had lunch followed by another rest. Then the real excitement of the day started.

After a small trek into the community we stopped at the Palace to greet the chiefs. We were invited to walk with them to a funeral that was going on down the road. Rick and I were very fortunate to have this opportunity. So we strolled down and we walked around the funeral shaking hand with the guests attending. Having learnt a few phrases only at lunchtime, Rick and I had trouble remembering them, especially now with all these people talking to us at the funeral. Slightly overwhelming but we tried our best.

We sat for a little and watched the local tradition of the funeral. We watch people dance to the music that was playing and the children fool around. Then we headed back to the palace. The chiefs so kindly and respectfully welcomed us into the community of Senchi Ferry. We followed the customs of the ceremony by telling: who were are and where we were from. Janine from Winnipeg, Canada and Rick from Colorado, USA. During the service, we conversed with some of the local teachers from the schools. We learnt more of the area and regular practices. A few pictures were taken at the end of the ceremony and we then headed back to the guesthouse.

Dinner was served shortly after and then we called it a day. Well Janine did. Rick was up all night again!

October team arrives in Ghana!

2011-10-08T17:29:00.001Z

Quote of the day:

“How does one become a butterfly?” she asked pensively. “You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” –Trina Paulus

Journal by: Janine

We began our experience in Ghana by meeting one another at the airport. I had arrived a day early so I met the team consisting of Amo and Sonia first. As we waited for the next teammate I chatted about her experience with Global Volunteers with a past traveler, Sonia, who was leaving that evening. A little while later Rick had come through the gates. He had a box, which was full of toy cars for the kids, and his bag that had ripped while traveling. We introduced ourselves and piled into the taxi. Both Rick and I have never traveled to Ghana so this was a brand new experience for the two of us and very eager to get started on our journey. A short ride later, the airport view hotel was in front of us. We retired to our rooms. Rick went for a walk and Janine emailed her family. We later met for dinner. Rick and I learnt more about the program. After dinner it was time for Sonia to catch her plane. So we said our goodbyes.

Later that evening Rick, Amo and I sat at the pool and chatted for a short while. Before bed we agreed breakfast for 8 am. We, then, headed off to bed. Rick could not sleep and was up all night.

2011-09-09T17:21:00.000Z

Thought of the day:

“When I was five, my mom told me the key to life was happiness. When I went to school they asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said ‘happy’, they told me I didn’t get the assignment, and I told them they didn’t get life.”

By Cailin

Journal by: Cailin

Final full day in Senchi. Started with a nice breakfast, but I did almost cry without my peanut butter.

Had a lovely time at the library with Samuel, Kathleen, and mom. All we did was clean, clean, clean. After cleaning the entire library (including Samuel’s very messy office) we all sat around the table and just talked. It was refreshing to sit under the cool fan and just share a warming laugh. In the middle of Samuel’s life story a mother and her 6-month-old baby came in. The mother was kind enough to let me wrap her baby on my back. It was such a touching moment. The little girl held on tightly to my hands and just relaxed against my back. There’s a sense of connection when being so close and bundled up with a small child. I was happy to finally accomplish that goal of mine.

We said bye to the mother and baby and then Kathleen, mom and I were off to the fabric maker to watcher her continue working on our fabrics. All the little ones that were waiting outside the library joined us. The amount of time and detail put into the creation of these fabrics is so amazing.

Then we went back to the front of the library to meet Sandy so we could go to the clinic. Waiting outside the library were my favorite little obibinies Oliver and Gina. I took pictures with them and Gina finally started laughing and giggling with me. I know I shouldn’t pick favorites but I’ll really miss those two.

It was a nice lunch followed by my final nap in my mini bed.

Afternoon library time was overly fun. All of the obibinies (King Bello’s group) were a part of my group for puzzle making. Barbra and I tried to help the little ones make the puzzles as fast as we could. They’re so sweet and extremely cute. At the end saying goodbyes was hard. I didn’t want to say bye to all the little kids. I grew very fond of the young ones and the kids my age. The rain began to fall; it was an eerie, movie like feeling. The goodbyes didn’t feel real but I know that sadly it was real. Kathleen, mom, Barbra, Mathew, Gina (there little brother), and I got a taxi and were off to the St. James Guesthouse. I had to say more sad goodbyes to my really good new friends Barbra and Mathew.

I indulged in a lovely shower with a water bottle and then was off to my last dinner in this remarkable town. Everyone was there and we all squeezed around the table. Looking around at all my new friends I couldn’t believe this was goodbye. We took many pictures, said many thank yous, and finally ended the night with a million handshakes.

It’s weird to think I embarked on this journey to live out a dream and change these people’s lives. Now I’m leaving with one of my larges dreams as a reality and my life changed. You always hear the stories about people who tried to change someone’s life but their life changed instead. I never imagined that I would be able to say I was one of those people. And above that I never thought I would make the friendships I have. I truly have grown fond of this town and the people here. I gained a family of obibinies and it’s unreal to think I have to leave them.

All it took was two weeks, two weeks of breathtaking experiences, two weeks of new friends, and two weeks of a life changing experience.

2011-09-08T17:20:00.000Z

Thought for the day: Kathleen (in honor of Deb McNally as it is her favorite quote)

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

By Jimi Hendricks

Journal by: Susan

Today’s journal is devoted to the oatmeal and the egg pancake eaters. Breakfast was its usual success, and then on to our stations.

Five of us went to the Ericson International School. I have the easiest assignment with the older students who are respectful, polite, attentive, and fun to be with. Waiting for late arrivals to class, I taught the boys how to play hit the penny/stone. One girl dutifully swept the room and was reluctant to try; however, she hit the stone on her first try. She left after that triumph.

We started our day as usual with “Good morning to you,” and “ Itsy bitsy spider”. While Wiafe was putting the test for the day on the board, I introduced my group to “I walked into the bakery shop.” His test was questions about science and technology. On Tuesday his test had been about the environment. The tests have 3 or 4 questions with several parts. It takes the students about an hour to do it, but there’s a lot of talking and staring into space, while he plays on his cell phone. Today two students walked out of the room to go to the younger students across the courtyard to get pencils. Did Wiafe look up? No. Ten o’clock was break time so he collected the papers. The teachers were sitting under a tree and Wiafe and Winifred joined us. He taught me a board game, which is similar to ours. When break was over, I went back to my waiting students. I put a simple math problem on the board, which had given them trouble yesterday (7000 minus 4). Foster got it immediately and others came along slowly. I told them now I was giving them a harder problem. This time I put 17,000 minus 5 on the board. Again Foster was right there. I got Godwin to do it on the board. “Okay, next is a really hard one. 235,000 minus 6. Everyone seemed to be catching on. In the meantime they had been clamoring for a long division problem. I put 7,665 divided by 35. Foster worked at it, but in the end Wiafe helped him along.

Next came grammar. Ali had asked me to teach subject- verb -object. I had noticed in student’s writing that they had difficulty with the 3^rd person singular in the present tense. They always forgot that pesky “s.” I put a sample conjugated verb on the board and gave them a list of verbs some with and some without the “s.” We worked through which took singular or plural nouns. After doing that we added the object. Hopefully, it became clearer as we worked through the problems.

I read a folk tale to end the class from The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind and Foster told and Anansi the spider story. I told them for homework they had to bring in another animal tale, but I think that might not happen as we may not be in the classroom.

Lunch and rest were next and then the library. Kathleen led us to a woman making batiks, and yards of cloth laid out on the grass drying were beautiful. The woman showed us the process with the wax and the dipping. From there we went to the Library. As Samuel was away, Kathleen gathered us outside for a sing-a-long before we entered the building. Before unlocking the door, she gave a strong warning about correct behavior. We all promised to be good.

Home, early dinner in anticipation of the drumming and dancing. The skies opened up in welcome. When we arrived at the community center, a covered pavilion, a religious service was happening. We piled out of the van and sat in the back until that concluded.

And then our treat. Drummers pounding with that melodic beat, led the dancers as they whirled, jumped, wiggled, twisted, circled, leaped, and did everything that the human body can do and then some. In the van on the way home, Liz said that was very suggestive which I thought was an understatement. After doing all that for an hour without a drop of sweat or a pant , they brought us up on stage individually. Cailin and Julie were pushed the hardest while they treated this old fogey with care. But we all had a great time, dancing drumming, cheering, and laughing.

And now to bed.

2011-09-07T17:18:00.000Z

Thought for the day:

“Our children, our future.”

Journal by: Sandy

Oatmeal for breakfast! Yum, yum. Esther joined us and shared her joy at the participation with Liz, myself, and Pat on the river cruise after lunch yesterday. Liz shared her journal entry and inspirational thought with us and we were off to school and library by 8:15.

It seemed quite warm and very humid today but our school time passes so quickly that I don’t notice until it is time to leave. After our morning greetings and a prayer of thanks to God for food, shelter, family, friends and school, the children and I read our stories about ourselves and found that we could get to know each other better this way.

Next we reviewed the days of the week and talked about which days were school days and what we do on the weekends when we are at home with our families. A lively discussion of calendar month was begun when the children sang/spoke, “Thirty days hath September” which they have memorized. Festivals during certain months were also a lively topic.

The times tables to 5 were our next subject until the break; these still prove very difficult for even the brightest children since they learn by rote and are unable to understand the concept of three sets of three when asked randomly, “ how much is 3x3?”

After the break, we began our English lesson using the flipbooks borrowed from the Senchi Library. Today we covered the words ending in ALL by adding letters in front of ALL, we made many words and used them in sentences. We worked to find the verbs and nouns in the sentences we created. The most difficult word we made was SQUALL. We started on words ending in AT but time ran out before we could finish. The children are also enjoying the story that we read together each day, “The Awful Ogre’s Awful Day”.

Back to St. James via taxi (5) for lunch which was extra special with ice cream dessert to celebrate Pat’s birthday belatedly. Off to the Library at 2:45 via cab. Kids were restless, rowdy, and aggressive today. It is difficult for them to hear us read or for us to hear them read with all the cacophony. Several boys were especially aggressive and bullied others and an older girl, Mary, pushed a smaller child’s head into the wall. Julie asked her to stop the behavior and to leave the library but Mary chose to ignore Julie and to follow directions. Three other boys pinned a fourth boy down and cut his right ring finger with a bottle cap! They were out of control and need to know that there are consequences for this behavior. When we left the library, we walked with Matthew to the St. James’ driveway so that he could catch the tro-tro to Kpong.

Wrote in my journal and took a shower before supper. Shepherd’s Pie with salad and ice cream for dessert! Discussion following supper on the program and related to the fact that this is summer school vs. the regular academic year. The children need some organized physical activities in the afternoons for release of energy. We will try for soccer drills tomorrow with the older children while we read to the little ones.

2011-09-06T17:14:00.000Z

Thought for the day:

“Some pursue happiness, others create it.”

Journal by: Liz

Today we again had a filling breakfast of egg and veggies and toast – to keep us going on another hot day until lunch at 1:00. We heard the journal for yesterday and talked about logistics for the day. Some of us had spoken to the man from Holland who is living here. He is working on the new hotel being built across the road, perhaps as an engineer or supervisor. He says it is a good kind of business. Apparently people from Accra like to come to this area on a weekend and meetings are held here, too.

We went to our classrooms where more children than yesterday showed up in my class and Sandy’s . I had 18 in my class. Rosina wasn’t there when most of the children had arrived, so I started. The children sang two school songs and did their pledge of allegiance to their flag. Then we sang “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” again. I had made some flash cards the night before and I started with them doing addition and subtraction. They have difficulty understanding the concept of subtraction – Eric told them to get some stones in the yard to figure out the problems. That seemed to help. One boy named Lawrence couldn’t do 2 + 2. I gave him some easy math and later he was doing what the others were doing.

It was getting near recess and the children were getting restless, so Winifred read “Goldilocks” from a book Sandy borrowed from the library.

Then we had break. Most of the adults sat under a tree in the plastic chairs. Rosina showed us some beautiful dresses she has. She told us on Friday we will have a party here at The Guest House and need to wear a Ghanaian dress to dance in.

Winifred does some of the teaching with me and she put math problems and fill-in-the- space word problems on the board for the children to copy and take for homework. This copying takes a long time. Then we check what the children have copied. Some take much more time than others – some help others. Then the children just sit around and talk. They came up to me with their books to be sure they had copied correctly. And then I had the bright idea to give them some math problems in their books. They loved that and kept coming up for more. I made the problems more difficult as they went along. They were having fun and so was I!

When we gathered to come home Eric gave each of us a plastic bag with our names on the outside. We peered in and saw a beautiful cloth bag in Ghanaian colors. When we arrived back at St. James each of us opened our bag and found a beautiful dress in awesome colors. We all thought we were in heaven with our gifts. What could be more typical of Senchi Ferry? But what was overwhelming is the generosity and thoughtfulness of all those teachers, when thy have so little.

When we left school, waving goodbye to the children, I felt emotional about them. I know some of them now, have grown to really care for them and finally feel immersed in their culture.

Susan, Pat, Sandy, Vivian and I were all very concerned about accepting these gifts. In talking it over at lunch with Esther she assured us we could keep our gifts.

Pat, Sandy and Liz went with Esther, her 3-year-old son Yaw and a young woman from The Guest House to the Continental Hotel for a 30-minute boat ride on the Volta. River. The boat had a cover so we wouldn’t get sunburned and had an outboard motor. We all wore life jackets as Esther had requested. The boat ride was wonderful!!! It was lovely to be out on the water, skimming along in the breeze. We passed little villages where children waved. We saw many boats on the river. And the shores with their vegetation were beautiful – refreshing and cool. I had a feeling that I understood why some of the local people wouldn’t want to leave here. The landscape is so lovely and the life is at an easy pace. Why leave?

We arrived back at the library in plenty of time. Many children were already there. Sandy did a very good job at getting the children quiet and she read to them. Samuel arrived and he asked almost every child in the room what they wanted to be in the future. And then he asked some of them to explain exactly what these different jobs entailed. A short big thunderstorm happened. At the end Samuel gave a slide show from Global Volunteers of 2010. All the children loved seeing the pictures.

We walked home, hand in hand with some girls who live in New Senchi. Cailin and Julie walked to the river with some kids.

At supper Kathleen told us that the decisions had been made about who would receive the scholarships to go to high school. There were more finalists than could receive scholarships. We talked about ways money could be raised to give more scholarships.

And now after typing this day’s journal I am going to prepare for tomorrow’s class.

2011-09-05T17:12:00.000Z

Thought for the day:

“The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.”

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Journal by: Pat

At breakfast we were glad to greet Esther and Kathleen and share our weekend adventures before leaving for school. Those who hadn’t visited Ericson Educational Institute came with us; for Sandy, it would be her first day of teaching, taking the older students from Liz’s class.

But where were the students? Ten from my class drifted in as I read with the earlier ones. It seems the school van was in need of repair so some couldn’t be transported, while others weren’t aware that summer school was extended through this week. With the smaller class, David, the third grade teacher, and I were able to do work with each child as we taught vocabulary development and fractions. We thought about the meaning of “is the bowl half full or half empty?” We were challenged to find a word opposite in meaning to “war”—“unity” was the answer one student contributed, but “peace” didn’t come immediately to their minds.

We also fit in a health reading, taking our weather recordings, geography with several maps, and, of course, a welcome break. The most powerful moment of the morning was when one girl declared that she wasn’t going to stay in Ghana since “some say it’s a dirty country.” David didn’t hesitate to address the students, emphasizing that this is their country, and it is their responsibility to keep Ghana free of litter, protect natural resources, and lead by their example.

Back to the St. James Guest House for lunch, five of us squeezing into the taxi. Liz, Susan and Vivian decide to leave immediately after lunch for the Akosombo market and post office, to return by tro-tro.

Reading at the library was a pleasure, with Samuel permitting my group to use the adult room. As I read a picture book about Moses, illustrations of making bricks, herding goats, and village life seem so similar to Senchi today.

During dinner we had much to discuss, wondering at our bright students, exploring how to reach those with more limited English, and wishing them a successful future. Will they qualify for Kathleen’s scholarships, complete high school, and go on to be the leaders Ghana needs?

2011-09-04T17:11:00.000Z

Journal by: Kathleen

After a night of little sleep, I left the guesthouse at 9:30am to meet Samuel at church. As I arrived, the service was in full swing with preaching and singing exploding through the windows. I love attending church in Ghana because I feel the power of the congregation’s devotion expressed in their vocal and physical abandonment. These people know how to pray! When the preacher preaches, while in TWI, I absorb his charisma and the congregation responds enthusiastically with shouts of “Halleluiah”. Once the music begins, there is lively swaying, singing and dancing that fills the space as the commitment to faith sweeps the room and surrounds your body to carry you high on its power. Oh to have grown up in a church such as this!

I think that I am particularly affected, as I have spent several months this summer reading and re-reading the book called, “Living Buddha, Living Christ” by Thich Nhat Hanh. He is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk with a brilliant message. However, his teachings are soft and reflective. Therefore, the contrast between my summer’s reading and my current church experience in Ghana…..why I feel that I have just been run over by the love train!

I am fortunate to have Samuel beside me for he is able to translate the communications taking place within the congregation. After about an hour of preaching, singing and praying, the minister opened up a question to the congregation. “Do you see any conflict between the religious teachings of the bible and the actions you see in everyday life?” Well, the conversation that continued for an hour and a half was the most profound I have ever experienced in a church. People shared their problems, their conflicts, their values, their fears, their frustrations as well as humorous stories.

The entire congregation was engaged in a spiritual, no holding back group therapy session. And, there was no judging and there was no embarrassment. There was only honesty, compassion and understanding. I just sat there thinking how deeply the members of this community must know each other.

At one point, a young boy of about 10 stood up and the person with the microphone approached him so that he could share his story. This young boy said that he was angry with his parents. He went on to explain that his younger brother was disturbing him while he was trying to do his homework so he hit his brother and told him to go away. His younger brother went crying to his mother who came back to him and hit him for hitting his younger brother. He said that he felt this was unfair.

After hearing this story, I raised my hand and the person with the microphone came over to me. With my heart pounding, I stood up to speak.

I began by asking a question. “If you parents see one of your children hit the other, do you think that this is wrong?” I asked. The congregation nodded its head and answered, “Yes.” “Well, I continued, I have been in the school classroom when a teacher has hit one of his students for misbehaving. Do you think that this is ok?” I asked. Again, the congregation said, “Yes.”

“Where do children learn to hit?” I questioned. No one responded, so, I continued. “Many believe that children learn their behavior from their parents, their teachers and other adults in their lives”, I stated. “So, when a teacher hits a child for misbehaving, do you think the child learns that it is ok to hit their sister or brother or friend when they believe that he or she is misbehaving? Are we adults teaching our children to hit?” I proposed.

“Well, I have learned that there is another way,” I continued. “The way that I punished my son was to take away his privileges. Sometimes, I would make him sit in a chair, other times I told him that he could not go outside and play with his friends. Taking away his pleasures was another way for him to learn a lesson not to do something naughty. What do you think of this approach to discipline?” I asked. Then I sat down.

From my seat, I saw several individuals nod their heads in response. Next, Samuel stood up and translated into TWI what I had said in order to insure that everyone in the congregation understood. Once Samuel sat down, the following two individuals who stood up to speak said that they believed that removing privileges was a better way than corporal punishment.

As I sat in my chair, I reflected, did I take a risk and offended some members of the congregation as a result of my comments. But, then I was reminded of two things: first, I thought about the Obibinie’s at the library, whom I love so dearly; and, secondly, I remembered what I love most about the Ghanaians…..their directness, their openness, their honesty. This is a culture that expresses itself. People here believe in speaking their mind. It is accepted. This is Ghana.

So, besides having experienced one of the most interesting days that I have ever experienced in Ghana by participating in this engaging, open and learning religious service, I hope that I may have encouraged one parent to consider a new approach to disciplining his child. The answer to this, I shall never know.

2011-09-04T17:07:00.000Z

Julie’s thought for the day:

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world.

For indeed, that’s all who ever have.”

Margaret Mead, 1901-1978, American Cultural Anthropologist

Journal by: Julie

We started at the Rain Forrest and walked the tree top canopies. It was a bit scary, but really cool. The rain forest is so breathtaking. Percy, from the hotel, joined us. He took pictures of Cailin and I on the planks. Percy tried to jump on the planks and make Cailin fall. She thought it was great.

From there we went to the Cape Coast Slave Castle and walked on the beach. Cailin took lots of pictures and got to see her boats. Cailin was so happy to run through the waves. One more item to cross off her “Summer Bucket List”!!

From there we drove to the Shangri La Hotel in Accra and had lunch. It was a great choice by Liz. We got back to our “home” about 4:30 PM. Nice to be out of the van.

Esther stopped by at dinner-back from her cousin’s funeral. She is still not feeling well. She’s had a cold for 3 weeks. Amo has been really sick too. We haven’t seen him since last Thursday morning and we are all very worried about him.

Cailin and I stayed and talked to Kathleen after dinner. She let Cailin use her Internet so she could Facebook a few friends. 2 weeks is a long time to be “out of touch” when you are 16!! Kathleen is a special person with big passion and strong conviction. The villages she touches in Ghana are so fortunate to have her. Ghana is a wonderful country with beautiful people-inside and out.

2011-09-03T17:05:00.000Z

Journal by: Julie

Today we’re on our way to Cape Coast. First stop is the Slave Castles. It is a somber reminder of the slave and human trafficking trade. The irony was how beautiful it was from the upper two floors and how ridiculous and surreal it was on the bottom floor. For “God loving Christians” it is incomprehensible what they were thinking.

We ate lunch at the Cape Coast Bridge Restaurant. Food was delicious. Town was packed for the festival to celebrate the beginning of the fishing season. There were so many boats and flags. The streets were crowded and smelled of rank fish.

We drove about 40 minutes inland to the Rain Forrest Lodge. Not bad. Shower was hot and had a real showerhead. Vivian shared a room with us. Cailin and I really like her. Cailin and Liz went swimming. Liz is a hoot-especially for her age and I think she and Cailin get a kick out of each other!

Dinner was great. Cailin and I got pizza and salad. A fun change.

Vivian came to Ghana to find her roots. I think her family back in Austin will be a little shocked to find out she found them-Cailin and I-LOL!!

2011-09-02T17:03:00.000Z

Vivian’s thought for the day:

“I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do for any fellow being, let me do it now as I shall not pass this way again”

Journal by: Vivian

We started our day with a nice breakfast of eggs, toast, juice and bananas.

After breakfast we called Esther to finishing planning our trip to Cape Coast and asked for advice from Kathleen on where we should eat and activities for the day.

We had planned to walk to the library and school, but the taxi was waiting when we finished breakfast.

Some of the children were waiting when we arrived at school. The children are so loving and full of energy. In my class today we had a wonderful time of learning. I read a book and engaged the children with questions to determine if they were really understanding what I was reading. The children responded well to the questions. I also played games and modeled some of the classroom rules in the U.S.

We shared chicken, rice, pineapple, salad and watermelon for lunch. We listened to Kathleen enlighten us about Ghana and the people in the village.

Some of us walked to the library in the rain for our afternoon of reading with the village children. After our reading session we walked across the street to watch the pounding and making of fufu. Susan and I walked back to the hotel. We missed the path somehow, but we still managed to find our way back to the hotel.

Hot shower, dinner, another great day in Senchi Ferry!

2011-09-01T17:00:00.001Z

Thought for the day:

A Story about Bai Juyu and Bird’s Nest Monk

During the time when Bai Juyu was a government official, he passed by the Green Creek Bridge and saw a crowd gathering before a Buddhist monk and hearing him talk. He thought it was strange that people would come to such a remote countryside to listen to a monk. The monk must be very learned he reckoned, so he rode his horse in the direction of the crowd.

When the Bai came face to face with the monk, he said, “Master, the place where you are seated is quite dangerous.” The Buddhist monk was the famous Bird’s Nest Monk. After just one glance at the official, he knew that this man was an arrogant and conceited elitist. So Bird’s Nest said to him, “It is your position that is in danger.”

Then Bai asked Bird’s Nest, “Please tell me Master, what is the essence of Buddhism?” Bird’s Nest decided to let him learn a moral lesson. “Do no evil deed and engage in deeds of kindness.” The official who knew a little about Buddhism, immediately retorted, “I’ve known this for a long time. Not only I know it but even a three-year old child knows it.”

Seeing the official disparaging Buddhist teachings, Bird’s Nest said to him, “A three-year old child may well know the Way. But an eighty-year old man many no longer have the energy to practice it.”

Journal by: Susan

Today has been such a day that I’m not sure that I can even remember all that happened.

Highlights are night music, nuclear family, family tree, classroom games, Eric, Kathleen, naked lady, library, river walk, ferry history, Jesus, banana plantation, mahogany tree, newborn…

So where to begin. As we left dinner Wednesday night, I heard music coming from the outside the hotel. How late would this continue? As Liz and I went to bed, I wondered how late would this continue. As I woke up a few hours later, I wondered how late would this continue. After the cock crowed at 3:45, I wondered how late would this continue. The alarm went off at 5:55 it was still there. Liz went out and spoke to the woman who said that the music came from a funeral, which probably would go on for several days. So how long would this continue?

After group meeting with Amo, our group went off to the Ericson Technical Institute: Liz, Vivian, Pat and me. The lesson on nuclear families began my fifth grade class. Wiafe, the teacher, began by asking the students after it had been defined, “What was the importance of the nuclear family.” He copied the reasons from the textbook he was using and after he put as the fifth reason that nuclear families were important so that “property litigation was minimized” I jumped up, went over to him and whispered, “Can I show how to create a family tree”? He said in a minute and went on to put reasons 7, 8, and 9 on the board equally obscure. I drew my family tree and then the students drew theirs. We joked about why it was called a tree because the branches must be in the ground.

At break, Eric, the Principal, came to speak with me. First, he wanted to know how he could get to the United States, then he invited me back to teach, and then he asked how he could get more supplies for his school. He had a strong appeal, as I looked at the rough chalkboard, the broken desks, the metal roof and the open walls. He said that he would try to find how we could send supplies. Break was over.

Our next lesson was grammar, which I gather every class younger than ours is also doing. I made the lesson into a game, by taking a tennis ball and having it pass from person to person as we added adjectives to nouns, verbs to these and then verbally threw out nouns to which they had to add adjectives. I made Wiafe and Ali, a 6 foot Muslin, who sits in the back of the room or talks on his cell phone, play.

And then Kathleen and the naked lady. We were all excited to meet Kathleen as Vivian, Julie, and Cailin had only heard about her, and the rest of us had met her in Hanover. Her enthusiasm and excitement at being in Senchi Ferry was contagious. There we met with the usual crowd of enthusiastic kids who clung to each of us and sat down to read or be read to. Samuel does an amazing job in keeping the kids respectful of the space. Students I had in the morning came over to say hello as others did to Vivian, Liz, and Pat. As the reading continued, the crescendo grew, and students moved closer and closer to hear. When the hour was up, Kathleen, Samuel – the librarian- and our group went for a walk down to the river. Sandy, on the way, led us to the clinic where she is working. Again, minimum facility and supplies, but amazing work being done – more later.

As the river came into view, Samuel stopped us to tell about the stopping of the Senchi ferry and its effect on the town. He talked of farms of bananas and pineapple, hotels, prosperity - all that disappeared with the coming of the bridge down river because the ground was firmer. A little further on we saw the replacement of the ferry as a small rowboat carried a few riders from the other side of the Volta to our side and then went back with some waiting people. I imagine the ferry was a shadow of the original. But how can I forget Jesus with his hat covered with dripping vines, alcohol breath, and a hand out for money. He followed us for a while until Kathleen told him to go firmly.

We went to another side trip to a Tilapia farm down on the river and saw the ferry returning with another group. A breeze was blowing, the river was peaceful, and we all soaked up the beauty. Reluctantly, we headed back home, but before we got on the final path, we stopped at a banana farm with the fruit covered in blue plastic bags to protect them from hungry thieves – birds.

When we came back in to town on the road home, we again passed the clinic. Standing outside was a mother and a newborn in a friend’s arms, the father standing by. The baby was all of 2 ½ hours old. How often are we that close to the miracle of birth?

We wandered back to the St. James Guest House tired but satisfied with all we’d seen, the naked lady nowhere in sight. We went to our rooms, showered and collapsed.

2011-08-31T16:55:00.001Z

Thought of the day:

Try new things and reach for the stars.

Journal by: Sandy

What a great roommate I have! Pat has wonderful warmth, humor, and intelligence. We enjoy many of the same things, especially music. Today is also a festival marking the end of Ramadan. Schools, banks, clinics, etc. closed. We will visit the arts and crafts “village” and the Botanical Gardens. We will take a picnic lunch – PB & J sandwiches and fruit. Breakfast at 8 – eggs, cereal, toast, and fruit. Esther is off to Accra to meet Kathleen. Amo is ill. Millicent packed us bread, PBJ and watermelon and banana for our day. Mini-van took us at 9 AM to the arts and crafts center.

We went south then west into the mountains, passing large farms, many cemeteries, homes and villages. It was perceptively cooler! Spent 2 hours with “vendors” in the arts and crafts village. Left to go to Botanical Gardens (fee 5 cedi for adults), where we used the bathroom, made our lunches, ate and roamed the gardens. Quite interesting especially Cotton Trees. Many saprophytes growing in the trees, bromeliads and orchids. Lots of folks on holiday enjoying themselves. Met young workers from Poquase who know Dana Dakin – Women’s Initiative.

Left at 2:15 for Volta Hotel and Dam view. Arrived at Volta at 3 pm. Sat on the terrace of this lovely international hotel. Continental menu – great view of this the largest earth dam in the world. The Lake Volta is the largest man-made lake in the world. Home to St. James for 6:30 supper. Spoke with Liz re assignments: she suggests I chat with Esther about teaching.

Another wonderful day.

2011-08-30T16:53:00.000Z

Julie’s thought for the day:

“Each of us has been put on earth with the ability to do something well. We cheat ourselves and the world if we don’t use that ability as best we can.”

Gracie Allen, 1895-1964, American Comedian and Actress

Journal by: Julie

Cailin and I are sleeping like babies. The local food is tasty and with the humidity, we are tired earlier at night.

Sandy took us on a tour of the clinic on our way to the library. It is actually very nice. Sandy pointed out the shoemaker, the dressmaker and the mosque. She is pretty knowledgeable on all things local.

The computer lab started out a little slow-as did the library. Samuel needed to pick up the forms for scholarships for the kids and was gone for almost 2 hours. The children in the computer lab, all 12-16 years old, are new to computers and eager to learn. We have asked them to write an essay titled “Myself”. They start with their name and age, usually say where they go to school, describe themselves and detail their family members. Many sign off with gratitude for us being there. Most have big dreams for their future-most boys, that is. The girls don’t usually express a future dream. They also talk about sports they play and their favorite foods. We are learning a lot about them. Funny, though, most think they are either 2’, 4’ or 8’ tall.

The library was filled with very young children. Parents just drop them off. At times we kept their attention reading, but they were also energetic. The little ones love Cailin. The older ones in the computer lab are still curious about her and are aware of her knowledge-especially on the computer. They also ask Cailin a lot about her home and home life. It is certainly different than theirs.

We picked Sandy up at the clinic. They are so busy, she could work all day. The walk home was the first in beautiful sunshine, but very hot. I swear we saw Cailin’s rescued lizard!!

Lunch was great-yeah for salad, watermelon and French fries. A hard rain came at the end of lunch. Susan and Liz’s freshly hung laundry got soaked.

We took a taxi back to the library for afternoon reading. Sandy led the group in song while we waited for Samuel. Many children joined us. They love to read and be read to. It rained again while we were at the library.

After we returned to the guesthouse, Liz and I took a walk. When we returned, we shared a beer and pictures of our families. Vivian joined us just before dinner. After dinner we had an in depth discussion of the program. We shared our observations and suggestions. We are all thrilled to be here, love our Ghanaian hosts and the people and want to know what more we can do to make an impact. We are anxious to meet Kathleen.

2011-08-29T16:51:00.000Z

Thought for the day:

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on it’s ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” --Albert Einstein

Journal by: Cailin

Today we took the lovely walk to the village and said hello to the Queen Mother. After that, Amo dropped us off at the library.

We met Samuel. Only one word to describe him-inspiring. He is so intelligent and so full of life. To take a year off to build the library is amazing. The amount of love he shows not only for the library, but also for the kids is beautiful. To be blessed with the opportunity to meet such a devoted man is so special. Samuel left us to teach the kids on the computer. At first we were clueless. We just didn’t even know what to teach them. After some time we figured out what to do. I asked the kids to type on Word a paragraph about themselves, to talk about their family, friends, school, dreams and anything that came to mind. Once again I was inspired. This time by the children. The two that caught my eye the most were Kwaku Tieku Dadey and his older brother. Kwaku is good with the computers and seems to be street smart. His older brother is brilliant. He wants to go to college in the US and become an engineer. He knows so much and is so bright. All the children are full of knowledge and dreams.

After spending an amazing day with them, everyone came home for lunch. Esther’s friend came to size us for our dresses. Then it was time to go read. Samuel split the kids into groups. I had a large group of younger children. They were so sweet and playful.

After an hour the van came to take us on our 30-minute ride to the Cedi Bead Factory. The way of making beads is so interesting. All the girls bought beautiful jewelry. It was very interesting, on our ride home, to observe the people around us. I’m so intrigued by the emotion worn on all the faces.

We shared a lovely dinner even thought all I had was rice and popcorn. Today was full of inspiration. Even Esther’s choice to adopt and Sandy’s choice to raise 7 children is and inspiration. Being here in a town no one would think of, I find myself surrounded by people that inspire.

2011-08-28T16:49:00.001Z

Liz’s thought for the day:

“It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears. It’s a world of hope and a world of fears. There’s so much that we share, that’s it time we’re aware. It’s a small world after all. There is just one moon and one golden sun. And a smile means friendship to everyone. Though the mountains divide and the oceans are wide. It’s a small world after all.” --Walt Disney

Journal by: Liz

Took a walk-saw women carrying the baskets on their heads, tro-tro’s and people dressed in their Sunday best for church.

Went by van to Senchi-Ferry. 2 hours. Accra is big-more wealthy houses nearer city, shanties further out. Litter on the road. Saw many stalls where melon, pineapples, bananas, plantains, tomatoes were being sold. Saw where tilapia was sold.

Many rocky outcrops were part of the scenery and low hills. Arrived a St. James Guest House in Akrade. Chicken and goats in the yard, colorful flowers outside. Clean small guesthouse.

Lunch of chicken, salads, vegetables, rice and fruit. Orientation and much talk about tips, TV, cell phones.

Walked on red dirt paths to the palace in Senchi-Ferry. Had hugs from a cute little boy. Passed friendly people. Passed concrete and dirt houses-open windows. Also thatched houses. Laundry and cooking pots, goats, 1 dog,1 cat, 1 kitten, 2 sheep. Schools-open window.

The palace-5 elders and chiefs, queen, another woman were seated on gold chairs. Prayers, speeches, libation, shaking of hands. Very welcoming. Soda drinks. Divided into our groups (We had told our o purpose in coming to the village.). Dinner of a pasta dish. Amo talked with us a little about language.

August team meets in Ghana!

2011-08-27T16:48:00.002Z

Journal by: Liz

Amazing-arrived in Accra on time even though we left JFK on hour and a half late. Apparently we had to wait for a connecting flight.

This Hurricane Irene is playing havoc with everything. Flights have been canceled. It seems bizarre to arrive in Ghana as helpful volunteers, having left the U.S. where the weather is forecast to be severe.

Esther met us at the airport with big hugs. We took the van to the Airport View Hotel where we rested, showered, took a walk outside in the warm humid air and changed some money. We met Julie and Cailin.

Met Vivian at dinner in the restaurant of the hotel. Had a buffet of many flavors-chicken, rice, salads, tilapia, a meat dish and banku. Ended with fruit.

Esther talked with us about what we would be doing at Senchi Ferry and she gave us the tips about Do’s and Don’ts.

2011-08-13T20:43:00.000Z

Bon Voyage and Best Wishes, Kristen “Kay” Edwards and of course, George Ostrom, Tracee Mendenhall, and Laurie McMahon

Journal by: Kristen Edwards

Wake up, eat breakfast, pack our bags, and set out on an excursion to seek out one of Laurie’s students for a final goodbye. So begins our last and final day here in Ghana.

As Laurie so deftly put it, it is a bittersweet moment, if nothing else. I’m sure I speak for the group when I say that I am truly torn between two completely overwhelming emotions: Elation at the prospect of returning home to the friends and family I have built my life around, and despair at leaving behind those who I have grown to care so very much for these past three weeks. Though it seems such a short period of time on paper (3 weeks… 22 days… 528 short hours), the circumstances under which we have bonded have led us to forge relationships that are often years in the making. It is with that in mind that we all say a tearful farewell to those individuals who have been our family and our support system throughout our stay.

To Bless (“Rah-rah”): Thank you for the wonderful food, your kind words, your wonderful company, and of course, for teaching us all the correct way to play Uno. I wish you and your daughter the very best that life has to offer!

To Millicent: We never saw much of you, but you kept us full and happy every day here at the St. James! Thank you for the hard work and dedication!

To the rest of the St. James crew: Thank you so much for sharing the guest house with us! You provided us with a temporary home, and we will be forever grateful!

To the host community (the schools in New Akrade, and the library in Senchi): Thank you for providing us with the opportunity to come here to Ghana. You welcomed us enthusiastically, taught us what you could of your culture, and above all else, trusted us with your children. Though we came here with the intention of giving what we could to you, you have given so very much to us in return.

To Amo: We will miss you buddy! I am sorry that we didn’t see you the last two days of our stay, but thank you so much for all of the work you have done and for all the time you dedicated to seeing us safely from site to site. Thanks also for assisting us all with our Twi!

And finally…

To Esther: Please don’t ever underestimate how very much you mean to each and every one of us, and just how profound an impact you had. I know you think you are just doing your job, but you made what we did here possible through your kindness, your diligence, your patience, and your willingness to put up with us crazy obronies. You kept our make-shift family whole and safe! We love you and will miss you greatly, but we will all no doubt meet again! Oh… and we promise not go swimming without our lifejackets.

That said, though we part ways to return to the lives we so briefly left behind, we, one and all, leave a little piece of our hearts behind with the Ghanaian people who welcomed us with such open arms.

2011-08-12T20:42:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “We are the teaching species. Not only do the young need adults, but adults need the young. Human beings need to teach not only for the sake of those who need to be taught, but for the fulfillment of our identities and because ideas are kept alive by being shared, truths by being professed.”

-Erik Eriksson

Journal by: Laurie McMahon

I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say we knew this would be a bitter-sweet day, much the same, certainly, as it was for our seven friends who left last week. We started our day with my favorite breakfast, French toast. When Esther arrived, she told us construction had been cancelled for the day, so we all headed for the schools. Before leaving for our final walk to school, though, we loaded up Esther’s car with the school supplies we were donating. Once at school, under the big tree in the yard, the supplies were ceremoniously presented jointly by the volunteers and Samuel, our host. It was a short, yet meaningful presentation of our gifts, with the kids all gathered around and photos being taken.

George then headed over to the JHS, where he tutored some kids in math. Kay went with Tracee down to Peace Perfect, for a day typical of the last day before vacation- rather chaotic, full of fun and excited children. It sounded like they had loads of fun, though, as all the kids migrated into Tracee’s room and were treated to playing football with Tracee and piggy back rides from Kay. I went to my usual classroom where I spent the day with many children- my regulars, plus even some brand new faces, for a total of 41 kids! It was a nice day, though, and I finally got the Obama song on video, thanks to three JHS girls. When our dismissal time of 12:00 came around, we were still in the middle of a project and I wasn’t ready to leave. In spite of my telling George, Kay and Tracee that they could head home without me, they dutifully, thoughtfully and patiently waited while we finished up our work and I could finally gather the kids all together to give them a heartfelt talk about how we’ve all touched each other’s lives, as the emotion crept into my voice. I then dismissed the kids amid hugs for all four us and we walked back to the St. James.

Lunch was very pleasurable, with lively conversation and more delicious food. We are getting to know Nelly, Bless’s daughter, more as she becomes more comfortable around us. Bless, whose name we learned today is really Yayra (Blessed in Twi), had told us Nelly was “scared of white people,” but she seems to be overcoming that fear!

We headed for the library for our final day with the children and were surprised when Samuel announced that it was going to be a puzzle day. We all played wooden board puzzles with the kids on the floor and it was fun to teach the kids strategies for putting them together and then watching their excitement. We headed back at our usual time- our final return from Senchi Library and through the Senchi-Ferry community.

After dinner, Esther came by to pick us up for live music and dancing at the Volta Hotel, at her invitation. Once we arrived, though, we learned that there was no live music that night. We had a great time anyway, and there was lots of laughter, mostly at George’s rather unusual and anatomical topics of conversations that he repeatedly brought up, but about which I’m forbidden by Esther to mention in the journal. Unfortunately, you won’t even be able to guess at what they were, since they were so bizarre.

Tomorrow it will be difficult to say goodbye to my three young friends, in spite of the merciless way they have teased me in this last week! The bonds we made in the first two weeks were definitely strengthened through our adventures this last week and I’m glad we all had this extra time together. I wish for them safe journeys home tomorrow night and I’m happy to know they have each other with whom to maneuver their way through the Accra Airport and across the Atlantic. For me, I’m looking forward to my sight seeing excursion on Sunday with Esther’s brother, Ebenezer, and arriving home to see my family on Monday!

As I mentioned in my last quote and to my students today, we have all touched each other’s lives and therefore, been changed in the process. We missed you all, Margaret, Sarah, Mary, Jeff, Will, Steve and Grace and were always excited to receive your emails of your further travels throughout Ghana and your reunions with family and favorite foods!

Lastly, thank you to Esther and Amo, who made this experience so immensely worthwhile, fun and fulfilling. We love and appreciate you dearly!

2011-08-11T20:41:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “What I spent, is gone; what I kept, I lost; but what I gave away will be mine forever.” ~Ethel Percy Andrus

Journal by: Tracee Mendenhall

It’s our next to last day of work and the thought of going home provides some excitement, but the thought of leaving is quite upsetting. We enjoyed our breakfast of toast and eggs and chatted with Esther for a bit before heading out to our work places. Kay and George to construction where they completed about 6 bags of concrete. The library has come a long way since we arrived here about three weeks ago. Laurie went off to her class where they talked about different mammals. I headed down towards Peace Perfect. One of my students spotted me carrying a ball and ran to me with the biggest smile on his face and threw his arms around me. Of course he wanted to carry the ball, but after hearing Esther tell so many other children they are to carry the bags first, I handed him my bag. He started shouting to the other students in the class; they also tried to carry the ball but insisted I would be fine carrying it. Just seeing the smile, whether is was for the fact I remembered the ball or just because there was a ball made this whole trip so much better, getting to see those genuine smiles are rare and amazing.

We gathered for lunch, rice & beans, with a red meat sauce, and again picked Esther brain for information about the community and culture. Kay and I stuck around after lunch to sort through all the donations for the schools. I am quite excited to see the student’s faces when they receive the materials, but more excited when I go down to Peace Perfect and those students see the donations they are receiving for the first time. It was then time to head to the library and Kay and I generously accepted a ride from Esther and George and Laurie decided to walk. There was a small group of eager readers and learners for us to work with. After the library we piled into a taxi and headed to the Cedi Bead Factory for some last minute goodies. We all got a few things, including George; I can’t wait to see him in his skirts and bracelets. We arrived back about a ½ hour before dinner and Kay and I decided to begin our surveys, though we liked the idea if we didn’t fill them out we would have to stay behind with Esther. Our families might not like that, but we both would love to stay and continue to help the community.

George and Laurie received a knock and their door telling them dinner was ready, we are led to believe, but may be wrong, that maybe Esther called the kitchen staff to make sure we had safely returned from our outing and they were checking it out. Dinner was one of my favorite meals we have had; sliced carrots, peppers, cucumbers, and chicken over white rice with peas and a side of pineapple, Delicious! We chatted for a few minutes before we had to give Laurie some quick updates and reminders on how to use the laptop. Kay, George and I started a game of Uno, that was frequently interrupted by “what happened” “oh no” and “help” all coming from Laurie who was trying to type her journal entry. Bless and her daughter joined us for a game, but then had to leave. So we played until Laurie was finished typing.

As I am typing this I am watching Kay pack her suitcase, it is so hard to believe that just about three weeks ago we arrived here scared and not knowing what was in store for us. I personally can’t believe how in such a short period of time I have come to love the students, community, and our abrunifomommy. I have grown both as a person and a teacher during my time here and wouldn’t change a minute of it. There were times of concern on our weekend adventures, but we were safe and were left with funny stories to share. I don’t like saying good-bye, so I will leave you with “Till I see you again”

2011-08-10T20:39:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “It is better to aim for the stars and miss than it is to aim for a pile of dung and hit it.”

- Unknown

Journal by: George Ostrom

Today was a typical day. We ate a delicious breakfast of French Toast as we discussed certain aspects of Ghanaian culture with Esther. I was thankful to be done eating before we began discussing traditions for women who are going through puberty. As we (or maybe I should say the ladies) were discussing the inconsistency of when young women begin menstruation, I politely excused myself from the table to get ready to go to the construction site.

At the construction site, we mixed six bags of cement. Although we had previously thought the mixing strategies were simply “eyeballed” for accuracy, I found out today that there is a method to their measuring. Each bag of cement is mixed with two wheelbarrows full of dirt or sand. One-third of the bags used are mixed with dirt, and the other two-thirds are mixed with sand. About one and a half wheelbarrows full of rocks are then added for each bag of cement. Therefore, we had four wheelbarrows of dirt, eight wheelbarrows of sand, and about nine or ten wheelbarrows full of rocks mixed with the six bags of cement. All of this resulted in well more than 200 head pans of cement lifted to the second floor of the new library today. The construction crew was very surprised to see that I had armpit hair, and were shocked to know that most men in the United States do not know shave their pits. They were concerned that my armpit hair would grow down to my waist.

Laurie and Tracee were both teaching in their usual classrooms today. Laurie had a smaller group than she had the past few days, and she was teaching about reptiles. The students seem to love learning about animals! Did you know that there are no tigers in Africa? Tracee continued with her geography lessons by having the students make their own maps of the United States. Tomorrow she promised them to work on drawing the American flag.

After catching a bit of well needed rest, we ate a healthy lunch of chicken and rice with a salad. After lunch, Tracee, Kay, and I played a cutthroat game of Uno with Bless when she was done working in the kitchen. Apparently there are rules for Uno that I have never read before, and, thanks to Bless, I now know how to properly play the game that I have been playing wrong since kindergarten.

We met up with Amo on our walk down to the library shortly after a few hands of Uno. There were a few children at the library today, but not as many as yesterday. While Kay, Tracee, and I were reading with the kids, Laurie spent most of the time with the librarian sorting and straightening the bookshelves. After the library, we had thoughts of catching a Tro-Tro to the bead annex but instead decided to just relax for a while before dinner. I think we have had enough adventures this past week!

Dinner today was rice with a scrumptious beef sauce served with freshly sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Millicent had also prepared Laurie’s favorite- popcorn! Esther dropped by with some authentic Kente cloth as requested, and we were all impressed by the craftsmanship. After some more discussion, Esther and Amo departed as the four of us retired to our rooms.

2011-08-09T20:37:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do for any fellow being, let me do it now… as I shall not pass this way again.” –

William Penn

Journal by: Kristen “Kay” Edwards

After breakfast, we all reconvened in the parking lot to begin our daily trek to our respective volunteer stations. After 15 minutes of convincing Madam Esther that I really was not sick and didn’t need to stay home, we were on our way. Laurie spent the morning and early afternoon with her kiddos at the Presby school, while Tracee meandered down to the Peace Perfect school to join up with her small but loyal class. George and I, now the only two remaining crew members at the construction site, spent our day mixing, shoveling, lifting and pouring wet concrete, as has been the norm for the past week and half. Good news? We have completed work on a substantial amount of the library, both in terms of carpentry and concrete. Bad news? Though we have been laboring for the past two and half weeks, there is still much work to be done. It pains me that we will be ending our stay here in Ghana so shortly, and that we will inevitably be stepping away from an unfinished project. It hurts even more knowing that work cannot continue without GV Volunteers, so all construction will come to a halt until the next group arrives to work in New Akrade. We can leave satisfied knowing that we have done everything we can, though, and to know that we played some small role in the creation of what will be a very important building in the future of the children here.

Lunch, as per usual, was served promptly at 1:00PM. Though the main meal was groundnut soup and rice balls (a team favorite, I think), Millicent and Bless were kind enough to make us a few small servings of FuFu to taste. It was… different… to say the least. In short, Cassava and Plantains are cooked, then pounded down into what eventually becomes FuFu. Though the taste was fine, the texture threw a few of us off. It’s got a consistency very similar to raw bread dough, and just felt strange to eat. George, the most adventurous of us all, decided he liked it right off the bat and ate an entire bowl of it. Tracee avoided it like the plague, and Laurie politely sampled a small bit before retiring to her rice and soup. Me? I found the first bite rather difficult to consume, but after Bless kindly informed me that I was not supposed to actually CHEW it, I decided I liked it as well and consumed a small bowl myself.

Lunch was followed by talk of Kente Cloth and a walk to the library in Senchi. We had a pretty decent turn out, and were all kept busy with our avid little readers for the hour we were there. Tracee and myself walked away with an added bonus- cornrows! Or rather, partially finished cornrows. While reading with some of the older children, two of the younger kids decided that our hair needed braids. We walked out looking, as you may likely have guessed, quite stylish.

We made an evening visit to the Volta Hotel, though we were initially delayed by a few rather unfortunate events. Our taxi driver (due to an alleged unexpected encounter with the police) never made it to the guest house, so we caught a Tro-Tro to the market in Akosombo and from there caught a taxi to the Volta. Upon arrival, the internet was borderline unfunctional. We were just about to give up hope and return to the guest house, when the internet kicked back in and a refreshing round of soda was delivered to our table. The rest of the evening went swimmingly, and ended with a pasta dinner and a rousing game of Uno with Bless.

Hard to believe we will all be leaving in 4 days… we’ll have to make the most of them!

2011-08-08T20:35:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

"During your life, everything you do and everyone you meet rubs off in some way. Some bit of everything you experience stays with everyone you’ve known and nothing is lost. That’s what’s external, these little experiences in a great and emotional river that has no end."

(Author Unknown)

Journal by: (The one who is trying to figure out how to use the computer and messing up all of the dates by delaying her journal entry) Thanks, George. Really this is from Laurie McMahon!

Before I begin with the day’s events, for those of you not on the hike on Saturday, please allow me to clarify something from George’s journal entry. Yes, our 15-year-old guide held my hand for ¾ of our ascent up the mountain, but he did not “pull” me up. He chose my hand to hold with consideration to birth order and therefore, a sign of respect. To hear George, Kay and Tracee tell it- over and over and over- you’d think I’d been airlifted up by helicopter! Okay, I did slip 3 times before my hand was taken but I did walk on my own 2 feet. Okay, record set straight!

So, today, Monday, August 8, was our first day of work as a crew of only 4. After a typical and filling breakfast, Esther insisted on driving us now that we could all fit in her car, in spite of our protests! “I’ve walked all my life, carrying things on my head,” said Esther, “I’m not walking anymore!” Once there, in record time, Tracee and I went to teach and Kay and George were off to the cement mixing and pouring. From what I could tell, everyone had a fulfilling morning with their respective duties. For me, this was the most productive and calm day, so far. The kids seem to be getting used to my routines and expectations. I’m sure it was the same for Tracee.

After lunch, (Hey! We had local corn, prepared a bit tougher and chewier than we are used to, but still good. It was the first time ever a Global Volunteer was served local corn- turns out all we had to do was ask), we piled back into Esther’s car for a speedy trip to the market in Akosombo, which was bustling and full of vendors, unlike the day before when it was mostly just tomatoes, peppers and candy. All for of us bought more fabric (the choices were plentiful and gorgeous) and we picked up another soccer ball for the donation pile. And, George needed to buy more flip flops, after leaving his on the hood of the taxi a few days earlier. Esther lead us around with her head held high, as people kept telling her that “her white people were beautiful.”

We then rushed back to the St. James to meet up with Amo for our walk to the library. (Thank goodness Amo doesn’t have a car!) Expecting tons of kids, they were instead slow to come, but soon the library was full and we all had children with whom to read. Steve’s boys were in the capable hands of Kay, so no worries there.

Later, during dinner, we had an informal “get to know Amo better” session, as he answered questions and shared how he spends his free time. Amo then had an enthusiastic conversation with the younger generation about different types of complicated and new-age video and photo editing software, after which, totally confused by this conversation, I bragged that I knew how to type a letter on my computer, save it, and print it out. No one was impressed, but do any of them know how to address, stamp and mail an envelope?! A good day all around and now, thanks to Tracee, I am comfortable entering these journal entries onto the GV laptop. So, a productive one, as well!

2011-08-07T20:33:00.000Z

Quote of the day: Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness Kindness in giving creates love. ~ Lao-tzu

Journal by: Tracee Mendenhall

Still with heavy hearts, we woke up to a lot more singing and noise outside than other days. Breakfast was served at 8:30, it was an enjoyable but quite meal. Kay, Laurie, George and I decided to venture out to the community center, hopeful to find a church service. Though we arrived almost an hour and a half late, we were welcomed in and seated for the remaining hour of service. The minister was very upbeat and frequently made sure he had everyone’s attention by saying “hello” and getting a “hi” response. Members in at the service appeared to be more in touch with God than members in my church with their prayers, hallelujahs, and Amen’s.

At the end of the service, guests were asked to come up to the front to be thanked for attending and were encouraged to come back, than we were sent to follow the other minister to the back and were thanked again for coming. We also learned the four foundations of their church, prayer, kingdom, service, and baptism. He also noted he has watched us walk by his house most days. As we left a few other members thanked us for attending their service.

We returned to the guest house for a game of scrabble and another delicious lunch. After a brief conversation with Esther, we gathered our beach gear and headed out with Bless to the Sajuna Beach Club. We enjoyed a few hours of ping pong, swimming, relaxation and basketball (sorry Will).

As we were leaving we decided to head towards Akomsombo. We walked just into Akompoco and caught a trotro to the market in Akomosombo. George bought some cookies and we boarded another trotro to Akompoco and did some shopping. We were on the hunt for new flip flops for George since his were left on the taxi the night before and the driver drove off with them; only one was found this morning in the driveway, even though we looked for the other. Sandals were found, but were later given to Kay due to the fact they were ladies.

Once we finished shopping, we tried to catch another trotro back to St. James, but a taxi stopped instead and wanted 7 cedis. However, with George’s fast talking they agreed to take us back for only 2 cedis. It was a tight ride with six people crammed inside, but we made it back to the guest house safely with an hour to relax before dinner.

Over dinner we discussed our weekend trips and other various topics. We were happy to see Esther when she came to see how we were since she missed us multiple times on Saturday. We told her about our, yet again, eventful weekend and set plans for the week ahead. It is unfortunate that our time here is coming to an end in less than a week and many of us want to stay longer, but know we can’t. I am sure we will provide the community with as much help as we can this week and leave here knowing, in my opinion, that we did all that we could here and will hold the community, students, Amo, and our wonderful leader Esther in our hearts forever.

2011-08-06T20:32:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “I believe freedom’s got to come from within, yes it does, and without a gun. Freedom is the ability to feel love for everyone.” Mason Jennings, “United States Global Empire”

Journal by: George

Today started on a somber note. Laurie, Tracee, Kay, and I had to say our goodbyes to the rest of our team, Mary, Jeff, Will, Margaret, Sarah, Grace, and Steve. I don’t think that any of us really understood how close we have grown to each other in the short two weeks that we have been in Ghana until it was time to say goodbye. After reflecting on the good times we have had so far and wishing them a safe trip back home, the four of us reluctantly climbed into a taxi heading first towards Mount Afadjato and Tagbo Falls in the Volta Region.

The ride took about two and a half hour as we traveled through small towns and farming land surrounded by huge bluffs. We got out of the taxi to meet our guide, George, who stayed with us for the next few hours. We walked down a narrow path toward the beginning of the trails, and George pointed out a grapefruit tree, an orange tree, a papaya tree, a guava tree, and a forget-me-not tree that had beautiful yellow and white flowers. We first climbed up Mount Afadjato. I am still trying to decide what was more breathtaking: the view from the top of the mountain, or the hike to get there. The four of us were wearing our hiking shoes and struggling to keep our balance as we scaled the slippery slope, but our guide was wearing flip flops and needed to stop every 30 or 40 feet to wait for us to catch up. After we had all lost our footing a few times, I decided to go to the back of the group to play “catcher” while the other George felt bad seeing Laurie fall so much that he grabbed her hand and practically dragged her up the mountain. We all admitted to sweating more on this hike than we have since coming to Ghana. After about an hour and fifteen minutes of climbing, our supposed “45-minute walk” was finally complete! A light breeze cooled us down as we took too many pictures and gazed down at the rest of the world. Things look different from nearly 3,000 feet above sea level. Our adventure continued as we descended the mountain. Clinging on to trees, vines, and roots, we slowly made our way back down to the base of the mountain. After my failed Tarzan attempt (let’s just say gripping onto a seemingly sturdy vine to slow myself down was a good idea until I found myself airborne with a broken vine in my hands), Kay’s several slips, crabwalks, and slides, and Laurie’s bandaged elbow from scraping on a rock (despite holding the guide’s hand the entire trip down the mountain…), we made it to the bottom relatively safely. I guess Tracee was too agile to make the Afadjato highlight reel. Although we were all exhausted, sweaty, and thankful to be back on flat ground, we were all proud of our accomplishment and glad to have partaken in such a life-changing experience.

After catching our breath for a few minutes, we headed towards Tagbo Falls. This name is a bit deceiving, however, because our group did much more “falling” on our trek up Mount Afadjato than our journey to Tagbo Falls. Anyway, the flatter terrain was a welcomed change. The only difficult part of this walk was avoiding the ants. Several times George told us to run to either avoid the ants or shake them off of our shoes! George also stopped along the way to point out certain plants and landmarks. He first showed us the cocoa tree. He picked a ripe plant, smashed it against a tree, and let us try the sweet yet slimy seeds inside the fruit. Although most of the others did not enjoy the texture of the cocoa, I ate most of the fruit by myself. We had our doubts when George told us that this walk was also 45 minutes, but after a little more than a half hour, we began to hear the water splashing down the falls. Just around the bend, we were all a bit spellbound by the beauty of the falls. It didn’t look so big from the top of Afadjato! Although I tried my best, the falls were so big that I could not stand back far enough to capture the entire falls with just one photo. The cool, wet breeze was extremely refreshing as we walked back towards town. On the way back, I realized that I had spent most of the walk towards the falls with my eyes on the ground ahead of me instead of looking at the beauty of the rainforest around me. One of the ‘bridges’ on the trail to the waterfall was just two pieces of wood spanning a 4 foot gap between rocks. We slowed to cross this bridge safely, but as Kay was crossing, I noticed that Tracee was standing in a huge mound of ants that were enveloping her shoes, socks, and legs. Before I could mutter “Run, Tracee!,” she had already set her first foot down on the bridge. My words of caution startled her, so she instinctively stepped backward, directly into the pile of ants. I nudged her back and told her to run away from the ants, and the look on her face was one of sheer terror. I don’t think anybody who has been to the falls has crossed that bridge as quickly as she did! She kicked off her shoes, ripped off her socks, swatted her legs, and watched in horror as 70 or so ants crawled all over everything. Believe it or not, she didn’t even get bit! I guess we all had our moments of glory on this trip, after all. Besides a light spurt of rain, the rest of our trip back to the waiting taxi was uneventful.

After eating lunch quickly, we piled back into the taxi to drive to the monkey sanctuary. After paying our entrance fee, the guide handed us each a banana as we walked into the sanctuary. The Mona monkeys heard our guide’s lip smacking, saw our bananas, and rushed over to greet us. As Margaret and Sarah warned us, these monkeys will take the entire banana away if you do not hold it tightly. We saw two clans of monkeys where we began feeding them, and because these two clans do not get along well, the first clan to arrive on scene quickly vanished after the second group got there. Our guide said that these clans can be territorial and often fight when they get too close. We fed our bananas to the monkeys, and a lady on our tour even got jumped on when she was holding her banana up too high from the hungry monkey. It was quite a sight to see. We headed back towards the visitor center and stopped to buy some sodas. I guess we weren’t on the same page as the vendor, however. After we thought we made our purchase and walked back to the taxi, the lady came after us saying that she needed the bottles back. We were already late, so we chugged the drinks, handed back the bottles, and drove back to the guest house.

We arrived at the guest house about an hour later than expected. I am sure Esther, our mother duck, was worried sick about us. Sorry Esther! When we made it back to the dining room, we were disheartened to see that the table was only set for four. How lonely it will be with less than half of our team here! We soon cheered up a little after eating the always wonderful food prepared by the kitchen staff and recalling the day’s events.

2011-08-05T20:31:00.000Z

Quotes of the day:

“It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.” -Bruce Springsteen, “Badlands”

“May God bless you for what you have done here.”

- Georgina (said by a child at the library to Sarah)

Journal by: Mary Boutselis and Jeff Jackson

Our next to last breakfast together…sadness is creeping in. Our questions and comments for Esther now have to do with finishing up our work and the anticipation of leaving for some of us. Seven are leaving—Steve, Grace, Margaret, Sarah, Jeff, Mary and Will—while four will stay on—Laurie, Kay, Tracee and George.

As in the days of the past two weeks, the teachers went off to their respective classes with insight and experience gained during our stay thus far. We have had countless discussions in which we brainstormed what we might do with our students and even more endless discussions after each day’s work as we process our experiences and observations. While it’s sometimes difficult, we try to remain non-judgmental, continuously stepping back, putting our observations into perspective. In Sarah, Grace, Margaret and Mary’s classes, extra pictures were taken and heartfelt “goodbyes” were said to the children and teachers who generously shared their classrooms with us. Rumor has it that a riot nearly broke out in Laurie’s class having something to do with Grace’s class and some chairs (you’ll have to ask Grace and Laurie about this). At the Peace Perfect School, there was no other way to finish the two weeks except with a final, frenetic round of “Who let the Dogs Out…Who? Who? Who? Who?”

Concrete work continued at the construction site. Steve, George, Kay, Will and Jeff, along with a crew of local residents, developed a highly efficient rhythm resulting in the processing of thousands of pounds of concrete. It was very hard work but the teamwork was gratifying. Hopefully, the remaining crew will be able to get more done next week.

After lunch we went to the library to read with the children. It was the last library visit for many of us. We met with more children than had been available the past few days, and were touched by their songs of goodbye. It was a tearful moment full of hugs. On the way home we spent some time watching a local soccer match featuring some excellent athletes with amazing foot work. With a score of 2-1, Amo shepherded us along just after a broo-ha-ha broke out on the field.

We had a number of special guests during dinner, including the mayor, community leaders, and teachers. Dinner was quiet at first, eventually becoming more interactive. We appreciated the comments which Esther, the Mayor and the leader of our host organization made in expressing their gratitude. We took some pictures before our guests left. Then, we gave Esther and Amo handmade cards and a first occurred…Esther (our “abrofu Mommy”) was rendered speechless after reading hers. Finally, the evening ended in picture taking with every possible combination and permutation of our group.

In closing for today, we believe that we speak for our team in saying that it is with some painfully mixed feelings that seven of us leave tomorrow. Of course, there are some things which draw us home…family, pets, familiar surroundings, hot water, potato chips, pizza, Starbucks…to mention a few. But, because this community has been so welcoming and the experience has been so impactful, we leave a bit of our hearts in New Akrade. Feelings about going home are also complicated by the fact that we leave behind part of our team. While we know that they will continue as a strong core, we will miss them and because we have moved through these past two weeks together as one body, it doesn’t quite feel right that we can’t share leaving with them. Know that our hearts are with you!

2011-08-04T20:30:00.000Z

Quote of the day: ”Change is the evidence of life”

Journal by: Will Jackson

Today started off with the usually nutritional breakfast. I believe that some of us are not eating as much as we should, forgetting the golden rule. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Anyways, after breakfast we departed briefly to meet back up in 10 minutes. Upon meeting outside the guest house we began our trek to the schools and construction site. Grace and Laurie departed to teach at the primary school, Sara to the JHS, and my mom, Tracee, and Marguerite to the peace perfect school, and my dad, George, Kay, Steve and myself to the construction site.

At the construction site the amount of workers was limited compared to the other days. We started off by bringing the water, stones, concrete, and dirt into the building to be mixed. After that we started the laborious job of getting it to the second floor. We had mixed a much smaller portion then yesterday so we finished at about 10:45. Kay, my dad, and myself then went down to the Peace Perfect school. We got there just as reading time began. My mom’s class was deeply into the classic novel “Henry and Mudge” while Margaret was reading a counting book. Tracee’s class was extremely quiet because they were doing silent reading. Some of us headed back to the guest house to wash the concrete off of us while the teachers taught till 12.

We all met back up for lunch. Lunch was delicious rice with a tomato based sauce. When lunch was finished we all proceeded back to our rooms for some down time. During our down time it started pouring rain. Ester then made us drive a taxi to the library instead of walk. Although it was thought that there may be fewer kids at the library due to the rain, there were plenty of young avid readers. After our reading we came back to freshen up for an earlier 6 o’clock dinner. We ate pasta with a tomato based sauce with or with out meat. I was really upset when we came so close to eating all the food but couldn’t quite do it. At 7 o’clock we met outsider for our van to see the drummers.

The drive to the community center took about 4 minutes. The drummers had got delayed so they came later then expected. They arrived and quickly put on there clothes. They then came out and four of them started drumming, while a couple others were holding rhythm with sticks. Then 3 boys and 3 girls came out and started dancing. They danced continuously for a while. The way they danced was amazing, the flexibility, endurance and the smiles they had. After awhile they picked some of us to come up and dance to the rhythm of the drums and singing of the kids. George, Kay, Tracee, Sara, Steve, and myself were in the first group while the others were in the second. The dancing was unlike any kind of dancing any of us had done before, correct me if I’m wrong, but that stuff wasn’t in my parents or my dancing repetwar.

Well, at least both groups had fun…I think. After our wonderful show of dancing they insisted that we must have great rhythm so we all went up and tried our hand of drumming. After drumming they preformed one last dance for us and others from the community. Again I was amazed at the endurance and the fun they were having. After the dance one of the men came up and told us that it was a first time for one of the kids. So, now I bring this journal to and end because its breakfast time.

2011-08-03T20:28:00.000Z

Quote of the day:

In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now.

- Wangari Maathai

Journal by: Grace Glick

Once again, fortified by a delicious breakfast from Bless, we strolled off to work. This leisurely pace seems to be the norm here for others as well. It’s crazy to rush about in this sizzling African heat!

As we near the school, children rush out to meet us- jostling to carry our bags and hold our hands. This welcome never fails to lift my spirits .

Upon reaching the primary, we part ways- Sarah to teach at JHS, Mary, Margaret and Tracee to Peace Perfect, Laurie and I make our way to the primary to instruct our respective classes and the construction crew-Will, Jeff, Kay, Steve and George head to the library site.

The library is coming along nicely. It is incredible labor to work in such hot conditions! I am sure the community really appreciates the helping hands. As yesterday, the children hauled water for the cement mixing. Twice today, in fact! Down to the youngest, the community can really feel they have contributed to this new library.

At noon, we strolled back to the St. James accompanied by our gaggle of eager porters.

Lunch was tasty groundnut soup and rice balls. Over meal time, we had a respectful but lively discussion about the ethics of killing other animals. Where does one draw the line? Is this solely a matter of personal beliefs or is there a cultural influence? Food for thought.

After the break, we strolled our way to the Senchi library. En route, we spied 3 nearly newborn kids napping. For a week and a half now we have tried and tried in vain to get close enough to touch one of the wandering goats. Jackpot, I thought, when we spotted these babes. But, no! As I snuck close, the wary kids bolted. It may be time to give up this quest.

A small group of children met us at the library and over the hour more trickled in so we were all well occupied with reading and listening.

We briskly walked home to catch the van ferrying us to the Volta Hotel. Once again, we basked in the cooler air and took in the lovely view from the hotel balcony. Cold drinks and yummy ice cream chilled us from the inside out. Contented smiles all around.

2011-08-02T20:27:00.000Z

Quote of the day: There you go man. Keep as cool as you can. Face piles of trials with smiles, for it riles them to believe you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free.

By: Steve Ostrom

Our 9^th day in Ghana started like most others. We met in the dining area at 7 am. Today we were served delicious French toast for breakfast. Will read his journal from the weekend, which was delayed by an unfortunate addition of water to his journal notes, and Kay read her journal notes from Monday. During breakfast there was much discussion about the visit to the bead factory and about Monday’s session at the Senchi Ferry library. Esther also graciously agreed to cash in some of our US dollars for Ghana money before lunch.

After our tummies were sated, we all left for the school, again splitting off into multiple groups as we arrived. Tracee, Margaret, Grace, Laurie, Sarah and George went to teach, while Mary, Jeff, Will, Kay and Steve went to try our hand at concrete mixing. While we Americans were trying to remember the correct sand to rock to cement ratio for good concrete, the Ghaneans emptied three bags of cement on the pile of sand left from the previous Global Volunteers group, and started to mix the two together. This mix was shoveled into a wheel barrow and wheeled into the new library and dumped on the first floor. We then shoveled rocks into head pans, and Mary and Key carried these very heavy pans of rock on their heads into the library and added the rocks to the pile. The students in Laurie and Grace’s class were asked to stop lessons and fetch water in buckets. This water was mixed with the rock, sand and cement, and the mixture was passed from the first floor to a scaffold and then to the second floor. We were all sweat-soaked, tired and glad when it was time to go. George taught French for part of the morning, then joined the crew on the second floor hauling wet concrete.

Lunch was a traditional rice and beans meal, with side-dishes of fried plantains, pineapple and mango. Wonderful as usual. The conversation was lively and related various tales from the school and construction site.

After lunch, Esther passed out our exchanged Ghana money, and we boarded a van to the Wood Market and the Botanical Gardens. The ride to the market took a little over an hour, and our driver did a great job. During this drive we passed through many small mountaintop villages while a fine mist was falling. We noticed a welcomed drop in the temperature. Our van ride was quite comfortable using the typical local mode of air-conditioning.

We spent about two hours shopping and having various degrees of success at haggling for a good price, but everyone did buy some fantastic treasures.

The trip to the Botanical Gardens took less than 10 minutes. While there, we just wandered around in small groups for about an hour looking at the stately palm trees, interesting cocoa plants and one scary strangler ficus tree. The ride home was filled with various discussions about our wood art purchases, and how we were planning to safely pack them for the air flight back to the States.

Our dinner was again delicious, and consisted of a dish of chicken and rice, cabbage salad and fresh bananas. The younger set stayed to play cards for awhile, then everyone left for bed.

I like to switch things up a bit, so the quote of the day is actually from a song written by Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues back in the 60’s. It happens to be one of my life’s mottos, and helped me immensely through a particular bad couple of years at work under the first two years of a tyrannical boss. She was extremely jealous of my experience and accomplishments, and even though she threatened to fire me on a daily basis, and would never acknowledge me when we passed in the hall, I always greeted her with a smile and a sincere “good morning, Mary”. It drove her nuts.

2011-08-01T20:21:00.001Z

Quote of the day: “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by smiling back, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.” –Therese of Lisieux

Journal by: Kristen “Kay” Edwards

Oh, where to start…

Today started off as most others have. 6:00AM: An unfortunate hour made significantly less painful with good conversation, good company, and great food.

Breakfast ran a little later than it typically does, as we all had a weekends worth of activities to rave about and a grand total of 5 journal entries to read. We ended our early morning round table meeting around 8:00AM, still basking in the humorous afterglow of Laurie’s accurate yet satirical recap of our weekend adventures, and made our way down the now well-beaten path to our respective volunteer sites. Sarah, Will, Laurie, and Grace slipped into their classrooms at the local JHS and Primary schools, and Tracee and Margaret continued their trek towards the Peace Perfect school. As per usual, George, Jeff, Steve and I all convened at the construction site for the schools up-and-coming attraction, a new library. Mary, who typically accompanies Tracee and Margaret, decided to try her had at industrial assembly and joined us there. Unfortunately for her, today also shaped up to be the hottest day we’ve experienced since we arrived over a week ago… sufficed to say, I think a lot of us discovered sweat glands where we hadn’t previously known they existed!

We had some initial concerns as to whether there would be work for us to do there, but upon arrival we were immediately tasked with putting up the side-board panels on the second floor and reinforcing said panels with wire, nails, and the occasional well placed wooden brace. They would, after all, be serving as the mold for the 6 inches of concrete we will be pouring tomorrow for the floor on the second story. That in and of itself took up a good chunk of our time, but we were able to successfully complete the job with about 45 minutes to spare. Never the type to retire early, we politely declined Esther’s offer to return to the guest house, and instead spent some time meandering about the schools to get a feel for what the other volunteers in our group were doing.

Laurie’s was the first class we visited, and despite the slight disruption our entrance caused (Sorry again, Laurie!), we were able to spend a few minutes listening to her talk through her Anancee the Spider Trickster Tales with the students. When the children were dismissed from the reading circle to return to their geography, we eased out of one classroom and into various others. Sarah was hard at work, exuberantly teaching a group of student math, while Will was seated outside, patiently tutoring two youngsters on their alphabet and handwriting. At Peace Perfect, Tracee graded her class’s end of term science exams while Margaret finished up a story for the youngest of the bunch. Upon her completion of the literary classic The Rainbow Fish, Jennifer and Abigail (two of the teachers there), were kind enough to give Jeff, Mary, Margaret, and I some lessons in Twi, and I am happy to report that we successfully completed their tutorial on the months of the year.

At 12:00PM, we all reconvened and made the return hike back to guesthouse. Lunch, as always, was delicious. Bless took it upon herself to appeal to our Americanized taste buds, and served chicken, French fries, fresh fruit, and salad. Post-lunch, a few folks returned to their rooms to rest up and shower while Margaret, Tracee and I lounged around the common room, striking up friendly conversation with Esther until the time came for us to head to the Senchi Library. We spent our usual hour with the kiddos (Steve with his returning group of four youngsters- they absolutely adore him!- and the rest of us with any of the many children who showed up, eager to read), after which we parted ways. Us ladies had a driver pick us up from the library to take us to the Cedi Bead Factory. The four gentlemen in the group opted out of the tour (I use the term “opted out” loosely… I do believe one of them said he would rather go take a dive off the dam into Lake Volta than go…) and chose instead to spend some time with the guys from the village playing soccer. Boys will be boys!

I had every intention of torturing them this morning by recapping the bead factory tour in a minute-by-minute, painfully long monologue (including videos, pictures, and a show-and-tell of the merchandise we came home with), but out of kindness to their testosterone-driven aversion to jewelry, I will say only this: The factory was amazing! Mr. Cedi himself was the one to greet us and to take us on a brief tour of the site. Realistically, it was just a large property with 3 long thatch-roofed structures under which worked a handful of nimble-handed bead artists. Some worked in the initial construction phase, where they broke up, ground up, and placed old recycled glass into bead molds. Others worked long hours near the blazing hot firing oven, where molds were placed to melt the glass. Still others worked to shape, decorate, polish, and string the finished product. The work they do there is incredible, and the beads around which their lives are formed are exquisite. It was almost inconceivable to us that they make each and every elaborate bead by hand, from start to finish. It’s hard sometimes to step outside of the bubble of our first-world home to see just how dependant we are on huge industrial machines to do all of this delicate, time intensive work. Where we can mass-produce millions of identical bracelets in a matter of minutes, these people have dedicated themselves to a form of ancient art, and their hard work comes through in the beautiful, unique pieces they produce. We all spent a little more in the factories accompanying shop than we had likely anticipated, but it was well worth it!

We headed back to the guest house just before 6:00PM and arrived just in time for a delicious pasta dinner. Sarah, Tracee, Mary, George, Will, and I spent the after-dinner hours engrossed in a riveting game of Five Crowns before we all retired to bed.

Oh. And one more thing. Mary- sweet Mary- has just recently informed me of my obligation to wish myself a Happy Birthday in this entry so, at the risk of sounding egomaniacal, Happy Birthday to me! And, if I haven’t said it enough, Happy Birthday to Will, whose 15^th birthday fell just a day before my 23rd. Funny, isn’t it, that two people with such similar birthdays would find themselves together, half a world away from the places we call home? No better way to spend a birthday though!

2011-07-31T20:18:00.001Z

Quote of the day: “However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find fault even in Paradise. Love your life.” – Henry David Thoreau

Journal by: Sarah Andersen

Today was a rather uneventful day. Unfortunately, I was still having some GI trouble, but now I was coming down with a cold as well. My mother and I woke up and had breakfast and then just relaxed in our room. At around 12:00 we took a taxi to the Volta Hotel so we could get access to the internet. This time the hotel was filled with guests. Apparently, there was some sort of conference going on at the hotel so the restaurant was filled with conference attendees and other guests staying at the hotel. We ate lunch there. My mother had a Ghanaian meal of Red Red with fried plantains and I had sautéed shrimp with onions and peppers in a garlic sauce served with West African-style fried rice. The food was pretty good, but a little expensive. At around 3:45 the taxi came back to pick us up and take us back to the guesthouse. Once at the guesthouse we relaxed until about 6:15, when the rest of the group arrived from their trip to Cape Coast. We all ate dinner together and celebrated Will’s 15th birthday with ice cream from Esther. The evening also consisted of the rest of the group telling entertaining stories from their weekend excursion. Then we all retired to our rooms to get ready for another day at the school.

2011-07-30T20:14:00.001Z

Quote of the day: "We don’t experience the world fully unless we are willing to give everything away"

—Pema Chodron

Journal by: Margaret Henly

While the majority of our volunteer group ventured down to the coast, Sarah and I decided to go north. Our morning began at 7 o‘clock with breakfast, after which we met our very pleasant taxi driver Richard. We left shortly before 8, driving north through Akimpoku to the bridge over the Volta. The street vendors were busy this morning, more so than on our previous drive on Tuesday. Dozens of women carrying everything from loaves of bread to kabobs of oysters balanced on their heads rushed up to the taxi to try to sell their inventory. After we crossed the river, we again turned northward, through stretches of lush vegetation punctuated by colorful villages and towns. Some of the larger towns sported elaborate stores carrying garden wares and plastic molded chairs, while others specialized in coffins. Interestingly enough, the town selling the largest variety of coffins also happened to be the one with the hospital right off the main road. It being Saturday, the traditional day for funerals, we saw many more people, young and old, in beautiful traditional dress. We traveled a little more than 2 hours to our first destination, Tagbo falls. Initially, I was confident that we could do both the mountain hike and the hike to the falls, each being about 45 minutes to an hour each way, as the people at the welcome center assured us. As we started out with our guide Daniel, a very pleasant 12 year old boy, it became apparent that the mountain hike and the falls hikes were in two different directions, and likely to take much longer. So we opted for the falls. Daniel pointed out cocoa tress with fruits of varying levels of ripeness, coffee plants, banana and plantain trees (plantain trees have longer leaves), and farmers making charcoal. It was hard, though, to keep one eye on the trail to avoid gnarly roots and the other eye on the flora. As we made our way up the trail, the vegetation became more lush, the air more close, and the sound of rushing water louder. Suddenly the trail opened up, and the temperature plummeted much to our relief, as the thunderous waterfall created a strong breeze and a thick mist. Just gorgeous. After taking lots of photos, and resting for a bit, we headed back down the trail, the return trip seemingly shorter than the first half. After an almost 3 hour hike, we were happy to sit under a large tree and eat the jollof rice the cook had sent with us.

We resumed our trip, heading toward the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary. When we arrived, we joined a woman from the UK on a short drive to the trail head, and a short hike to where the monkeys tend to hang out. There, our guide called the monkeys, with small bananas as offering. Soon there were a many small mona monkeys clamoring for our bananas. We were told to hold the bananas tightly, as each monkey would try to snatch the entire thing. These small monkeys, with their sharp eyes, wizened faces, and soft, almost human hands, seemed more afraid of each other stealing a piece of banana than they were of us. In fact, as we headed back to the welcome sanctuary, the monkeys followed along. On our way back, the guide pointed out the improvements to the village made possible by the collection of the entrance fee, including a clinic, primary and junior high schools, and the introduction of electricity to the village.

Richard, our driver, graciously agreed to take us to one more stop before returning to New Akrade. I had noticed in the guidebook that we were very close to Tafi Abuipe, a major kente-weaving center, so we headed there. There, our guide, whose family has been weaving center for generations, took our entrance fee and a small fee to take photographs. We entered a large pavilion, where several weavers worked on traditional looms set up with yards and yards of brightly colored cotton thread. Their fingers worked the shuttles and the thread while their feet worked the pedals with amazing speed. We chose some cloths and purses of both traditional and more modern designs for gifts for some of the people at home. At that point, we decided that it was wise to head back. Once again, we passed through bustling towns, this time as people headed home from the festivities.

Upon our arrival, we had a simple supper of macaroni and vegetables, and settled in for a relaxing evening.

2011-07-29T20:12:00.000Z

Quote of the Day: “What do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other?” –

-George Eliot

Journal by: Sarah Andersen

For me, and I think Will as well, Friday started with mixed feelings. It was the first day of teaching for those of us who were placed in the JHS. When we got to the school Kay, Steve, and George started working on construction; Margaret, Mary, and Tracee went down to the Peace Perfect International School; Laurie and Grace went to teach in the primary school; and Will and I headed to the JHS. I was nervous about teaching since I had no idea what subject I would be teaching and therefore had no lessons planned. Thankfully, we were asked to observe a social studies class so we could see how the teachers taught and what the students were learning.

After the class, the teacher told us the students were going to have a break and when it was over, Will and I would be teaching them more social studies. Since the headmaster told us the break would be ending in 30 minutes, Will and I rushed to come up with some sort of plan for the chapter we would be teaching: Socio-Economic Development: Tourism, Leisure, and Development. I thought it was a little strange that they had asked a couple of American kids to teach this chapter since it was all about why Ghanaians often do not go to the various tourist sites in the country and what people can do to change that.

Will and I went to the classroom about 10 minutes before the break was supposed to end and started writing our notes and references on the board. Once the 30 minute break time had elapsed, there were only a couple students in the classroom. I thought this to be very ironic since in the section the class was learning before the break, the teacher was explaining how Africans were always late and how that had to stop if they wanted to get anything done. Before class started, Will shared some of his American music off of his iPod which the students thoroughly enjoyed. The lesson went pretty well. The teacher who usually taught social studies was impressed with our teaching and I was thankful we didn’t fail horribly.

After we were done teaching, we went outside to meet the rest of the group. I found out that George had been teaching in the classroom next to ours, Grace had walked home with Laurie who wasn’t feeling well, and the rest of the group had gone down to the Peace Perfect International School. We then walked back to the guesthouse and had lunch. I had not been feeling very well all morning so after lunch I decided not to accompany the others to the library and the Volta River walk. My mother kindly recounted the details of the river walk for me so I could include them in the journal. Before they left for walk, three men came into the library to thank them for their work and contributions and one man even remembered the volunteers coming into his school when he was a child. When they left for the walk, they saw a lot of people out in Senchi. Lots of men and boys in kaftans and a few men with head coverings.

As they walked, Amo told them how Senchi had been a vibrant area with a whole line of two-story buildings containing shops and homes and now only uprights and an occasional half walk remained. When the bridge was built across the river at Artimpoku was built, the canoes and large shops and houses along the river were abandoned. Closer to the river, there are tilapia farms and a man resting in a hammock watching over the farms, greeted and they could see a few long canoes paddled by fishermen along the shore. Overall, it sounds like group enjoyed the walk.

2011-07-28T20:11:00.000Z

Quote of the day: Liberty is not license to do whatever you want to do. It is the freedom to do what you ought to do.

Journal by: Jeff Jackson

We began our July 28^th with a typically nourishing breakfast, followed by Grace’s succinct summary of the day before and her thought of the day. We spent the morning either teaching or constructing, with time off for some playing soccer or volleyball. The library is coming along nicely, the teamwork is enjoyable. Lunch and shade were welcome sights, with plenty to talk about. Experiences, both the uplifting and perhaps the frustrating, are easier to discuss within the group.

As usual, an hour of the afternoon was spent reading with the children in the library. Afterwards, we walked to the Palace, excited to meet with the Queen Mother. She was, however, traveling today and not available. I think it’s fair to say we were mildly disappointed, but moved on quickly. After a tour of the museum we walked home. On the way we had an unnerving experience. A man was laid out in on the path, his eyes open and breathing shallowly, if at all. He looked dead, or at least in some kind of altered state. Eventually we discovered he was intoxicated, a funny kind of relief for all of us. After a dinner of Shepard’s Pie and salad some of us hung around and played a game before retiring for the evening.

As a follow-up thought, later in the evening I reflected back on the incident involving the man lying in the path. On the one hand, as a group of caring and concerned volunteers we may have been moved to help or ask for help for the man. On the other hand, the Global Volunteer Principals of self-governance and respect for local societal norms might lead to the conclusion that the situation be allowed to unfold without our intervention. I am not sure what the right thing is to do, I can only make note of the dilemma.

2011-07-27T20:09:00.000Z

Quote of the Day:

I have only one request.

I do not ask for money.

Although I have need of it,

I do not ask for meat…

I have only one request,

All I ask is

That you remove

The roadblock

From my path.

- Okot P’Bitek - “Song of an African Woman”

Journal by: Grace Glick

It’s day 3 and the rhythm of our days has been established. Mornings for work projects. Afternoons are library time.

Margaret was again assisting at the clinic, many of us were at the schools, and Steve, K, Jeff, and George continued constructing the library for the Akrade school.

For lunch we had the pleasure of a Ghanaian meal- rice balls with spicy groundnut soup and chicken. Delicious.

At the Senchi Ferry library, we were welcomed by a smaller group but some eager returnees were there seeking their particular reading friends-Linda greeted me with,“ Let’s finish Curious George today!”

The strolls to and from sites provide us with many opportunities to practice our Twee greetings and as we demonstrate some mastery, the people in the community try new variations to help us learn more.

2011-07-26T20:08:00.001Z

Quote of the day:

“May we, with all Beings, realize the emptiness of the Three Wheels…giver, receiver and gift.”

Gyohatsu Nenju (Soto Zen Buddhist meal gatha)

Journal by: Mary Boutselis

This morning we awoke, knowing a little more about what might be in store for us than yesterday we weren’t complete “newbies.” We had the same nourishing breakfast of eggs, toast, porridge and juice…grateful, again, to have plenty to eat. We left as a group, passing community members engaged in morning routines of sweeping up, cooking, waiting with children for transport to school. Some of us re-doubled our efforts to be ready to respond to a greeting of “maakye” with “yeena” or “yeeagya” rather than simply resorting to a smile and a wave.

We left Margaret at the Clinic while Steve, George, Jeff and Kay headed to help with construction. The rest of us went on to our schools. As some of the initial anxious anticipation passes, many of us are confronted with that delicate yet critical balance which we must find between stepping up to contribute while respecting the structure and customs already in place in our host community. Our service is truly most effective when we blend our effort and knowledge with the strengths of the community…this requires more skillfulness than one might think.

After our morning of work, we were treated to a lunch which was thoughtfully made for us Americans…baked chicken, salad, wonderful pineapple but most importantly, French fries with ketchup!!! After lunch, we were off again to the Senchi Ferry library where we read with the children. On the walk home, there was much discussion about the curiosity, eagerness and intelligence of the children. Some of us wondered what lied in their future, especially for those who appeared to be most energetic in their questioning.

We arrived back at the Guest House around 4:30 and loaded into a van for an outing to the Volta Hotel which was at a bit of an elevation. We sat out on the deck, enjoying a soft drink and the beautiful view of the dam and Volta Lake. We all appreciated a little change of scenery and many of us took advantage of the wi-fi reconnecting with friends and family. Back at St. James, we had a late supper followed by discussion which covered a wide range of topics from forensic anthropology (compliments of Kay) to the Grange Fair in Centre Hall, PA (Will).

2011-07-25T20:05:00.001Z

Quote of the day:

When children are provided sufficient food and nutrition, and protected from infectious disease, they can take advantage of their full intellectual capability through education. When all children are offered these essential services, the positive global consequences will be enormous.

-Global Volunteers Executive Summary

Journal by: Steve Ostrom

We gathered at 7:00 AM in the dining room, and many of us had some difficulty sleeping last night. The rooms were comfortable, but the sleeping issue might be a symptom of jet lag. Hopefully we will become accustomed to the time change soon!

Breakfast consisted of oatmeal, an egg omelet with veggies on top, juice, and toast. Tea, coffee, jam, and chocolate/hazelnut spread were also available. Margaret read the inspirational thought for the day, and her journal entry from Sunday, July 24^th.

Shortly after breakfast, we gathered in the courtyard, then hiked to the school. Esther introduced us to the headmaster, and the headmaster then introduced us to various faculty members. We then hiked down to Senchi Ferry and visited the new library. After waiting for the librarian to finish sweeping the entrance with a short hand broom, we removed our shoes prior to entering the library itself. We saw one room with reading books for beginning readers, one room with math and science type books for older children and adults, and one room with 10 or so laptop computers. Before these computers were donated to this community, all of the keyboarding was taught from a poster mounted on the wall.

After visiting the library, we walked back to the school where we split into groups. Some of us were teaching the younger students, other volunteers were assisting with grading exams for the older students, a few were working on the construction of the school’s new library and computer lab, and a couple of us went to the clinic to help copy papers and take blood pressures.

I had the privilege of watching the 3-5 year old children eat lunch at school. It was quite orderly with children called by name to get their food. A woman had carried the meal preparations in a large basket balanced on her head. It consisted of clean bowls for the kids, a pot of hot meat sauce, a bowl of grated cheese, and a very large pot of rice. Each child received a bowl containing about 1 cup of rice covered with about 1 ounce of grated cheese and a tablespoon or so of the meat sauce poured on top. The rice was hand measured by the woman who wore a disposable plastic glove. Each child ate the meal with his or her fingers, and when finished, returned the dirty bowl to the front and stacked them neatly. Every bowl of food was completely consumed.

Our Global Volunteer team then gathered and walked back to the St. James Guest House. Lunch consisted of rice and beans, watermelon, mango, and fried plantains. We pretty much cleaned up everything, except for Esther’s favorite, a few plantains. A one hour rest period available before the afternoon session started.

At 2:30, we met and walked to the Senchi Ferry library with Amo, where we met a room full of eager readers. Each volunteer grabbed a corner of the room or carpet with one or more students, and together (student and volunteer) we read well past the one hour time allotted to us. Our walk to and from the library was filled with sights, sounds, and aromas. Many goats and chickens were everywhere. A few dogs and at least one cat were observed. As we approached St. James Guest House, there was a slight sprinkle, which was an omen that foretold of no running water in our rooms.

We rested for about an hour, and then met for dinner of chicken and sauce, rice, salad, popcorn, and bananas. We asked Amo about some aspects of Ghanaian culture, such as uncommon delicacies, domestic animals, and the duties of the mayor. After dinner, we discussed our experiences of the day and tried to plan activities for the next few weeks. There are many great new experiences heading our way!

Getting back to our rooms at 8:10 pm, we found we had running water again. Yeah!

2011-07-24T20:03:00.000Z

Journal by: Margaret Henly

Most of us reconvened at breakfast of omelets, toast, oatmeal, pancakes and baked beans. Well, this once was a British colony, and beans and toast is comfort food. At 10 am we packed the vans- one with all of us volunteers and the other with the driver, Esther, and all the luggage. After an hour and a half drive northeast of Accra, passing roadside lean-to’s and sheds made of wood or cinder block, some with thatched roofs, others with corrugated tin, selling anything from bread to fruit to cell phones, we arrived at the St. James Guest House in New Akrade, and shown to our rooms. The rooms are spacious and clean, with large bathrooms and tubs, but alas, no hot water. Although I have seen only 3 mosquitoes since arriving in Ghana, I will use my mosquito net.

We reconvened at a large communal table in the dining room. Esther laid out the ground rules and described the contributions that Global Volunteers is making in the communities of New Akrade and Senchi Ferry. She taught us the basics of greetings in Twi, the correct way to wave (with the hand open as opposed to “some here” bending the straight fingers at the knuckles). Donations were collected at the door- a bucket of pencils, stacks of paper, soccer balls, markers, etc. .. We each contributed our goals for the weeks ahead, and categorized them into 4 subsets: to learn about the local culture, to serve others, to grow personally, and to have fun (this was Esther’s favorite!).Lunch following was delicious! Curried chicken, rice with green peas, salad of lettuce, cabbage, carrots and cucumbers, and fresh mango and pineapple.

Soon after lunch we walked along the path to the town center, where we were welcomed by our host Samuel, the mayor of New Akrade, the chief of protocol, the headmaster of the middle school, and other village elders. We learned more about the work of Global Volunteers as well. We each stood and introduced ourselves and where we came from. There was lively music, and after the official welcome was over, we were invited to dance with the children and some of the elders. The children were happy t dance on their own, but some became shy around us. They are a lively bunch, with wide smiles and bright eyes.

We had the opportunity to meet with some of the people with whom we will work: teachers, construction leaders and the nurse from the clinic. We also met Amo, Esther’s valuable assistant.

We were all a little more comfortable with our “ya enna” and “ya eja” on our walk back to the guest house. We had a little time to rest before dinner. Dinner again was delicious- pasta in spicy tomato sauce. After dinner, after Amo went home, we volunteers sat down and talked, a very comfortable and collegial group

~A new team arrives in Ghana~

2011-07-23T19:56:00.001Z

Quote of the day:

"Only in an open, non-judgmental space can we acknowledge what we are feeling. Only in an open, space where we’re not all caught up in our own version of reality can we see and hear and feel who other people are, which allows us to be with them and communicate with them properly."

-Pema Chodron

Journal By: Margaret Henly

I am starting the journal for our group of volunteers since I am a returnee. Our journey as individuals started from different places, but as a group began when we arrived in Accra. A few of us met in Dulles airport before the 10 ½ hour flight. We gathered at baggage claim in Accra, not sure where to go next. We followed the rest of the passengers through passport check and customs, and out to what we would call ground transportation. There we met our enthusiastic team leader, Esther, who greeted us with a warm ebullient hug. We were shepherded onto a waiting van and driven to our Accra hotel, clean stucco and blond-wood building. Watch your step between rooms, though, as each section is on a slightly different level.

We met the others in our group, along with a few from the previous group, at dinner. A buffet of chicken, fish, and beef entrees, along with a plate of fresh vegetables, fruits and breads (all white bread, I noticed) was delicious. Esther had us introduce ourselves by reciting our names after the names of the people sitting to our left so the unfortunate one who went last had to recite everyone else’s name! After dinner most of us were surprised how tired/sleepy we really were and went off to bed.

2011-07-22T19:53:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and loves the One who is leading.” Oswald Chambers

Journal by: Angie

We woke to gather for breakfast and conversation. It was fun to watch Esther’s expressions while Katie retold her adventure in the tro-tro. After we ate, we gathered all the supplies and carried them off to Esther’s car.

Taking two trips, we all arrived at the palace to present the donations global volunteers had sent. Amo and Esther gave a presentation about where the donations came from- past volunteers who had sent them along and some current. The chief thanked us and accepted the donations on behalf of the community and then presented them to the different schools, which were all very grateful.

We all went to our schools for our last day. Nancy delivered her school improvement ideas and was presented with a token of their gratitude that was well received. Julia and Katie enjoyed playing with their kids one last day before they left. Lisa and Angie met Nana Amo himself, the proprietor of the school. He graciously welcomed into his home and described the history of the school. We enjoyed talking with the teachers and helping the students review. It is easy to see that this was a very emotional and memorable day for us all.

The team came home to eat lunch, (after our long goodbyes), and stumbled upon a man outside the Saint James making baskets from palm leaves. He patiently explained the process to Katie and the group. Later, we gathered for a lunch of chicken and potatoes with salad.

We returned to Senchi Ferry one last time for our tutoring at the library. We read for a while and then Samuel surprised us with some puzzle time. The kids were thrilled and it was fun to watch them put the pieces together. After puzzle time, we were again treated to wonderful children singing their hearts out and filling our hearts. We gathered outside for our last “Skip to My Lou” circle, game of “Rock Paper Scissors” and “Hokey Pokey” in Senchi Ferry. It was hard to say goodbye.

There is no doubt that each and every one of us has been changed for the better by the wonderful people and children in this area. I know I can speak for everyone when I say that Senchi Ferry will always be in our hearts.

2011-07-21T19:51:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “Laughter is the best medicine” – anonymous

Journal by: Katie Cannon

“Why obroni why?” seems to be the theme of this trip; including what we’ve passed on as normal- wearing the same 3 t-shirts everyday, washing our underwear nightly in the shower, contemplating if you’d ever wear this outfit at home, finally wearing tennis shoes for the first time, make-up... what’s that? Home is in the near future- and hair product will soon see our roots again.

As for Senchi Ferry our three-week journey has been slightly repetitive especially with this last week consisting of testing. Today, Julia and I got a break from our class as we watched Harriet take the floor and practice counting with the kids. Julia ended up getting hit in the face with a Frisbee- but this excitement doesn’t beat our 3-5 yr. olds unexpectedly calling our tube socks “condom socks” hours before. We later headed to help Nancy out with small groups after her kids finished their test on moral education. After getting a glance, my favorite question by far was “What type of song do mothers usually sing when cooking” – the selection of answers were as follows; a. gospel, b. pop music- and the others don’t matter, as you can see this was a ridiculous question to begin with.

Angie and Lisa rummaged through their photos that were mistakenly put on the computer by a student in the computer lab. Coincidently, with the help of Samuel, they discovered they’re both wanting to adopt the same kid, Oliver, and taking him back to America. Big thanks to Samuel who cleared that one up- at least they can share him since they both live in Nebraska.

Before lunch Esther threatened to steal a hat off a mans head for not providing her with a plastic bag. She’s feisty, we like her. Our favorite was served- Peanut soup, and this time we weren’t fooled by bless’ smile as we had discovered the day before that Milescent is the cook. She was a hidden ghost this whole time; discard any past journal entries about Bless’ cooking, and there are plenty of them. After lunch Bless and Esther showed us up with their balancing skills. They tossed and turned; ducked and dived, with boxes on their heads- we however, couldn’t walk one step. Angie blamed it on her moving scalp- Esther’s theory is that her head has become flattened from all the years of carrying things.

After the library Nancy headed to the Volta hotel to get some blogging done. Lisa and Angie read, cleaned, packed and relaxed as Julia and I headed to town to pick up candy for our kinders. There we saw the first obroni we’ve seen in Senchi besides our own group. He was just as surprised as we were, and the cashier at the store automatically assumed we were together. He seemed bewildered when we questioned him for making such accusations. The true excitement was just minutes before as we stepped out of the tro-tro. My skirt got caught on the seat; which threw my face forward and my skirt down to my knees. The entire tro-tro got a pale moonlight view of my butt, and as the man behind me generously helped me pull up my skirt, one woman yelled out “why obroni, why?” and thus we find the theme of this journal entry. Julia caught a glimpse of me on the floor, and within a millisecond, I was yelling at her to RUN. Dinner was the usual, rice- and through our experience of today we can’t wait for what tomorrow brings.

2011-07-20T19:51:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “God grant me the courage to accept the things I cannot change, the strength to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference” –

Serenity Prayer

Journal by: Julia Goss

Today was rather uneventful, but nonetheless not a bad one. Katie and I laughed about how we have perfected our morning routine – first I wake up at 6:30, get ready in the bathroom, and then at 6:45 Katie wakes up and we’re ready by 7:00!

At school Harriet informed us the kids had a promotion test next week and we would be reviewing. However, we only “reviewed” for about an hour and then had a two and a half hour recess. Angie and Lisa helped grade and pass out tests at their school and also learned more about the teachers’ lives and the limitations the school must cope with. Although Nancy’s school is testing she had a very interesting conversation with her fellow teachers about religion. Frank, in particular, was confused about Judaism and had trouble wrapping his mind around the differences between Judaism and Christianity.

After a great lunch of traditional Ghanaian food we headed to the library. I had the enjoyment of reading Beauty and the Beast to two children and had near forgotten how beautiful and entertaining a story it is. About half way through our time at the library it started raining extremely hard. The sound was deafening. However, it stopped pouring around 4:00 and we arrived home untouched by the rain, but not by the mud we tried to gingerly walked through on the way home.

We all decided to just hang out after our time at the library, reading, studying, and watching TV etc. We enjoyed our dinner and our conversation with Amo about our driver from Cape Coast. Afterwards Katie and Nancy played more bananagrams while the rest of us relaxed. Overall it was an uneventful day, but a great one.

2011-07-19T19:50:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “The soul is healed by being with children.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Journal by: Lisa Krieser

Our last Tuesday here at Senchi Ferry was purely routine for the 5 of us. Esther drove us in two groups to our respective schools. The Junior High is testing, so Nancy, Angie and Lisa didn’t teach today. All 3 of them graded some multiple choice tests and helped hand out test papers. Julia and Katie went to the pre-K classroom once again, but worked on animals today.

Walking back today seemed hotter than usual, but I think it was all in our head. We all met up again for lunch where Esther joined us as well. Bless is doing a great job of keeping us all well fed. After lunch Nancy, Angie and Lisa helped Amo and Esther separate all of the school supplies into 5 piles-4 piles for the different schools and 1 pile for the library. There was a considerable amount of supplies to divide.

We headed to the library for our usual reading session. There wasn’t electricity there today, so students couldn’t use the computers and we couldn’t feel the breeze of the ceiling fans that usually run at high speed when we are there. We were all ready to go when 4:00 rolled around.

We walked back to the guesthouse with Amo and our usual entourage of 3 students who walk with us. When we got back Julia went to study, Angie and Lisa went looking for A/C and Nancy and Katie ventured to the local Internet café. At dinner when we asked them about the Internet café they confessed that they might have hitched a ride there instead of taking a tro-tro. They weren’t sure what mode of transportation they were on. They were both laughing while telling the story. They said they definitely came back on a tro-tro that left them off up the road a little ways when everyone on the van yelled at the driver that they both wanted off. Their version of the story is obviously funnier when they tell it.

Today was a good day. I don’t know if the realization that this is our last week has truly hit us yet. I will truly miss the people I have spent the last 3 weeks with. I think we are all going to make the most of the last 3 days we have here.

2011-07-18T19:49:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “I went to America and asked for a bucket of water and they thought I was crazy!” Esther

Journal by: Nancy

We woke to a rain-soaked earth after a night of thunder and downpour. Our “usual routine” is a welcome one; feels like home here to us now. A delicious breakfast from Bless, catching up with Esther, and reading our journal entry. We were moved to read a very beautiful “goodbye” letter that Veronica and Maria had left for us. We had lots to tell Esther about our weekend at the Cape Coast. We are playing catch-up with our journal writing and decided to postpone Julia’s description of Friday the 16^th until after lunch. Julia seems to be on the mend from her “digestive challenges” of this weekend. Katie seems to be dragging and may stay back to rest.

Esther offered complementary chauffeur service to our schools, and no one objected! During our car ride, Esther made the above-mentioned statement, which left us all laughing (some of us still recovering from the shock of seeing buckets of water outside of our room as replacements for showers, toilet flushing and the like). Since our recent experience with no water, we have gained a new appreciation of the luxury of running water for taking showers and flushing toilets. Esther had prayed that the water would NOT come back on after our return from the Cape Coast, in order to teach us spoiled Americans a lesson, but, alas, she was disappointed; we were gleeful when we came back to the St. James and running water! I know I speak for all of us volunteers when I say that we will never take for granted either consistent electricity or a nice hot shower with decent water pressure!

We headed out to our respective schools to teach. I was eager to return to the Methodist Junior High School since I had missed last Thursday due to illness, and Friday due to visiting schools using the classrooms for their students’ exams. Alas, I quickly discovered that this week is the beginning of the student’s promotional exams and I would have no more chance to teach! Feeling disappointed, I decided to make the most of it. I helped monitor the 1A and 1B students (7^th graders) during their exams.

Julia stopped by to see if she could help teach, but due to the testing, we had to come up with “Plan B”. I introduced her to Frank, my supervising teacher, and then gave her a tour of the school. I could see that she was shocked by the deplorable state of the classrooms. Our plan is for her to return on Wednesday to see if Frank is able to organize some time for small group work.

Angie and Lisa went to their usual site -- the private school, which was also testing. Angie has shared some great insights into the success of this school; I hope to find a diplomatic way to share this with the folks at the Methodist School.

Katie stayed back this morning because she was feeling under-the-weather. We all agree that being sick is a total bummer, but being sick away from home is even worse. We wish her a speedy recovery.

Lunch was delicious! Red-red has become my favorite Ghanaian dish, and fried plantains as well. I was thrilled to see that Bless had prepared red-red, plantains, and the fruit of the gods, mango. Doesn’t get any better than this, as far as I’m concerned.

After more debriefing with Esther, we headed back to our rooms for a quick rest before tutoring at the library. Not as many showed up today at the library, so our reading groups were small, cozy and quiet. Actually quite relaxing. We sauntered back through the community to the main road in search of a taxi to take the 4 of us (Katie still resting.) to the Volta Hotel for some Internet access and Wi-Fi, something to drink, and just cooling off. After some misunderstanding with our taxi driver about the cost of his transportation, we arrived back at the guesthouse in time for dinner. Katie resurfaced but is not yet her usual chipper self. We kept conversation short and headed back to our rooms by 7:30. Angie, Lisa and I wrote our journal entries. Back to bed, before, as Jackson Brown said, “We get up and do it again.”

2011-07-17T19:47:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “The only real happy people are those who have learned how to serve.” –Albert Schwweitzer

Journal by: Angie Drees

“Team Senchi Ferry” woke up in Cape Coast to a nice breakfast of eggs, delicious bread and coffee. It was nice to sleep in until 8:00 AM. We left at 10AM to visit the Cape Coast Castle we had heard so much about. After a short detour from the Elimina Castle, we arrived and were welcomed by our guide. He showed us to the museum where we started before the group we would join was ready to go.

The museum was very informative and I think we all came away with something new that we had learned. We had to cut our museum tour short, but were sure to go back and finish after the tour.

Our guide was excellent and really gave an amazing tour. He started us off in the men’s area, we stopped in the opening and he shared a brief introduction and history to how the castle started and how the slave trade started. We proceeded down the extremely dark and intimidating tunnel with a few flashlights and cell phones to help guide us. The group stopped in the men’s cell. A tiny little square of light peeked through a hole way above our heads. Our guide explained that many of the slaves had gone blind due to the light conditions they had for 3 months in this cell. The “unsanitary conditions” stated in the museum put it lightly for what these men and women had to endure.

Our guide proceeded to show us the tunnel and explained the church above where the Portuguese would worship, RIGHT above the men they have enslaved are being tortured. He said it best as “Heaven over Hell.” We were shown the women’s area, the torture room and the “Door of No Return”, the last place the slaves were pushed through before heading to the ships to be sold. They brought back two slaves and walked their coffins through the “Door of No Return” and have since renamed it, “The Door of Return”.

We left the castle with heavy hearts but appreciating the lesson we had learned. Certainly this was a memorable experience to help share with our students when we return home.

The team went to the restaurant next door that overlooks the Gulf of Guinea and enjoyed a pizza, some “red-red” and a club sandwich, as well as a nice “Coke Light”. J

Next, it was back to the van for our long ride home. We were welcomed back by Bless and her amazing cooking. She had chicken and rice with a delicious sauce waiting for us and the most wonderful surprise of RUNNING WATER! J

2011-07-16T19:46:00.000Z

Quote of the day: Whatever we do in this life will be insignificant; to the next person, that act is what made all the difference.

By: Katie Cannon

The earliest day yet, but notably one of the best- we began our journey to the Cape Coast and said farewell to Veronica and Maria. Despite the killer fumes, bumper-to-bumper traffic, we finally arrived.

As lunch approached, some of us were ecstatic to see signs “come in try our delicious pizza” but as we sat down, disappointment filled the air when an entire menu filled with delicious plates quickly turned to our only choice being rice and chicken. After we ate and settled into the guesthouse, we ventured out to the Kakum National Park. Three weeks of exercise was shortly compiled in one set of stairs- and many fears were conquered as the 5 of us bravely walked above the rainforest on the 7-rope canopy. Nancy, Lisa, and Angie quickly made it to the other side where they relaxed and heard stories about the animals that have been seen during the tours (such as leopards and elephants). Julia and I decided to take it slow and step away from the group of 20 in front of us to relax and enjoy the sounds of nature. It was there that we had both tried our very first coconut water and shared it amongst the group as we returned. After a few beers and great conversation, we made way towards Ghana’s most luxurious hotel, the Coconut Grove.

The bumpiest car ride to date, and far more obronis than we’ve seen on this entire trip, the Coconut Grove exceeded all standards and was a beautiful get away- there we spent awhile playing in the African sand and enjoying the sound of waves crashing; to be followed by an impeccable ocean front dinner entertained with, to our surprise and an answer to Angie’s prayers, a Lionel cover band. Although we didn’t take part in the limbo competition- the lit fire amongst the sand, endless array of palm trees, and the moon shining onto the water shortly became a memorable experience for all of us.

2011-07-15T19:45:00.000Z

Quote of the day: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift” - Prefontaine

Journal by: Julia Goss

TGIF – Thank God it’s Friday – Although Katie and I love our KG class we were definitely a little worn out come Friday morning. Thankfully, our teaching portion of the day was fairly relaxed. When we got to class we found out Madame Harriet’s baby nephew had passed away. Katie and I went ahead and took charge of the class, working on their ABC’s and coloring from a coloring book. Normally, we let the class free draw so it was amazing to see what beautiful pictures they could create with some structure. After coloring and hanging 50 something drawings around the classroom we went to the library where Samuel, Nancy, and I read to the kids. Unfortunately, the Methodist School didn’t have class on Friday (unbeknownst to Nancy) so she joined Katie and me for the morning. It was great having another helper in the classroom and library and I know the children enjoyed her animated storytelling. I believe Lisa and Angie had a good day as well and they got all of their pen pall letters corrected and ready to send. Hopefully, they will be able to figure out the best way for the 8^th graders to receive them. Today was Veronica and Maria’s last day of teaching. They lingered behind us on our walk back to the St. James, but only to say goodbye to their old friends, new friends, and students for the past two weeks.

We went to the library as usual in the afternoon. The library was not crowded and made for a peaceful environment to read. However, a big storm rolled in around 4:00 and we all quickly scrambled our things together and headed home in a hurry.

Katie and I were feeling a bit restless so we decided to find an Internet cafe in town. We found two, however, because it was raining so hard the Internet didn’t work at all! Instead, we decided to sit down at a bar on the side of the main road and get a drink. We had a great time talking, watching the rain, and most of all the observing the community around us. Katie and I both decided we wished we could assimilate more into this community and maybe coming down into “town” more often would be a good way to accomplish that.

We realized it was almost 6:45 and made a mad dash to get back to the St. James for the 7:00 dinner with the chiefs. I was impressed with the dinner. I naively assumed it would be a ceremonial tradition that would involve pleasantries about our time here etc; however, it ended up as a discussion involving constructive criticism and new ideas for the future. The most amazing part of the night came when Veronica gave a moving speech about how deplorable the conditions were in the Methodist School and that money should be directed to fixing it. After Veronica’s speech, Esther helped translate to the chiefs in Twi. I am constantly marveling at how strong, assertive, welcoming, and caring, Esther is as a person. Although I could not understand what she said to the chiefs that night I knew it was direct and purposeful and by the end of the night the chiefs said they would direct money to fixing up the school instead of the community center.

Needless to say I was floored and very proud of Veronica for voicing this issue. I believe because volunteers are only here for up to three weeks it is easy to pass problems along and deem them unfixable, however, today, Veronica showed us that is not true.

Soon after dinner we headed to bed to get some rest before our big weekend visit to the Cape Coast.