This morning was a quiet one. Judy stayed in bed, Kathleen’s tummy was rumbling from lunch yesterday and we all were just contemplating the day ahead. We all went to our respective schools by foot since it wasn’t so hot so Ryan and I walked together and got to chat about volunteer programs and reality shows. Ryan’s teacher was being evaluated so he just observed and then graded papers. I actually taught a class about dirty water and clean water and they thought that it was funny that they could see their hands thru the clean water bottles. I hope they will remember that when they have to decide for them selves. I questioned Monique what she taught and she said everything. Lunch was rice ball soup which was loved by some but not so much by others. We had a brief rest and headed back to the library at 3 for reading. with the children. I got to spend time listening to the children reading for a change. After waiting for frank for what seemed like an hour he finally arrived to take us home. Katherine, Ryan and Debbie did a quick change and headed off to the Volta for Internet, wine, American food and chatter. Judy stayed in because she was still fighting a bad headache while Kathleen and Monique and Judy got to enjoy a meal of not so appetizing rice with tomato soup like……… It was really enjoyable spending time with Katherine and Ryan in a different setting. We played games and swapped stories. Ryan by far had the most outrageous. All in all we had a common thread of family, friends, and service. As my week comes to a close I have done a lot of reflecting. I’m happy about my life so far but look forward to the challenges that are ahead of me. With the new friends I have made I have no doubt that I will have all of the support I need for whatever adventure lies ahead.

After spending a week at the Beatrice Akoto school, yesterday, Monday the 27thof February, I returned to the Nana Amo School, often called the “open school”and where I spent my first week in Senchi Ferry. As I discovered last week, the B. Akoto school was also somewhat “open”. This is not a qualification of the intrinsic quality of the school but the walls between the classes are just about 3 feet high. I have felt that the constant noise coming from the other classrooms is overwhelming and certainly not conducive to serious concentration and learning. Surprisingly, the 18 children of the 3rdgrade at the “Open school” could read just as well and do more advanced mathematics than the 18 children of the same grade, same age at the B. Akoto school. So these children are capable of studying and learning in what seems to be yet a very disruptive environment! So much for our western habits, values and philosophy!

Upon arriving at the “Open school” (Nana Amo school) in the morning, I was greeted by the Master of the school, by Misma, the third grade teacher whom I had met the first week, as well as by the ICT teacher (Information Communication Technology). As soon as I entered the class at the “Open School”, three children rushed to set a desk for me while I greeted the teachers. The children dusted the desk very carefully and they invited me gracefully to sit down in the blue plastic armchair accompanying it. I then discovered that the desk had been spirited away swiftly from the closest child! He too had to work, so as I thanked the children for the desk and chair, I yet asked for the permission from Misma to return the desk to its regular occupier. Agreed!

The ICT teacher then took “the podium” over to give the children an exercise on ICT, exercise related to a presentation made last week by an ICT “visitor”!2 questions:
1) What is a “paint” application?
2) Write down any four features of a paint application.

Evidently, the class had understood little if anything about what was said or demonstrated during the presentation last week. As I walked slowly between the desks, it seemed that the students could not even quite remember what went on during that presentation. The result of the exercise was chaos, sheer chaos! But there is a ray of hope since this morning we shall again visit the computer room!At this stage, Misma simply switched to a mathematics exercise completely ignoring the questions and the eventual answers to the ICT exercise given! As it seems to happen often, pencils are missing and there is no supply available. I, for one, have now exhausted my personal supply. As I insisted for the retrieval of pencils from the children’s bags, a few pieces appeared which were the occasion of yet another session with razor blades. I am getting used to it and somewhat admire the skills of children with this unfriendly tool!
So, on with the “Division of triple numbers by double numbers”:
1) 200:50=4
2) 100:20=5
3) 108:36=3
4) 108:56=
5) 250:10=
3 divisions with answers, 2 divisions to be solved. All the children of the class, except for one boy and one girl seem to have forgotten what they could do 10 days ago. Of course, it is tempting to review the entire process by talking to the class as a whole. But it was not Misma’s idea it seems. So I started a row of explanations, one child at a time, but jumping left and right through the class to make sure that I reached everyone. Slowly, the exercise got done. If I happen to be alone with the class this week, I’ll know for sure what to do. No lack of inspiration there! Time for recess!We now switched to a grammar lesson: prepositions!I recall that the children have studied adverbs two weeks ago.Some examples are offered to show the structure of a sentence with a preposition.Now, prepositions are divided into four groups: place, time and duration, directions, purpose. For today, we study prepositions expressing a place. Two examples each are requested for the use of the following prepositions: above, between, under, in front, outside. The teacher retires to his desk and seems oblivious of how the children do the exercises. Evidently, the next grammar lesson on prepositions should include a clear distinction between an adverb, already studied, and a preposition. But, overall, the answers to the exercise are not too bad. The children even seem to have fun. They ask questions, suggest new examples, some start to correct their friends who may have some difficulty. Examples are given spontaneously, corrections are suggested. There is true friendly interaction and cooperation between them. It all ends on a pleasant note. As I leave the class to go to the Library, the head master accompanies me and we talk. I take this opportunity to mention the pencils situation, which I find too dismal! He listens and tells me that there is a small supply of pencils in the office. He will ask that some be distributed to the class. I shall wait with much anticipation. A pleasant note at the end of the morning!

“Some people see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not..” -- Robert Kennedy

After a nice breakfast, once again under the hut by the sea, we joined our driver for
the journal home. First stop was to the Elmina Castle. This is the first castle to be built in this part of Ghana. It is very much the same as the Cape Coast Castle with all of the stories of
horror. At last we were on the road again. Oh yes we did have some troubles paying our bill because different items were on each other’s bill. Apparently they thought we were one big happy family, 83, 59 and 33 years old! It was a very good adventure.

We arrived back to the St. James with a note from Judy that Kathleen, Debbie and Judy were swimming an relaxing at the Volta Hotel. After the 6 hour long drive we were looking forward to a nice cold shower. Monique and I were even planning to do some laundry. Alas, no such luck. Instead of low water pressure, there was NO water pressure, no water at all. No washing, no showering and even no flushing! We were brought several buckets of water to use as we needed. A sponge bath and a bucket of water over my head had to do.

Back from the Volta we are now six, as the other left over the weekend. Judy reported that she wandered the village on Saturday and attended a funeral. Sunday Debbie went to church with her teacher. It seems that we all had a nice relaxing weekend and will be ready to go to work on Monday. Katherine Garlington

I am at the beach and very happy. That sentence was written at 8:30 AM. It is now 9:40 PM and I am sitting at a table, under a thatched roof, beach hut only 20 feet from the ocean. It has been a spectacular day and evening. My biggest problem is that I am getting the sea mist on my glasses. That certainly isn’t such a dreadful problem. Monique, Ryan and I made the trip to the Cape Coast for the weekend. I am now enjoying my 2nd relaxing evening at the Coconut Grove Beach Resort. It is lovely here. Life is good and I am happy.

Monique and I had an interesting morning. After breakfast, we met our driver for we thought would be a short car ride to the Cape Coast Castle. We kept driving and driving and suddenly we arrived at the Kokum National Forrest, a nature reserve with hanging bridges under the canopy. We thought this was to be a Sunday adventure. Neither of us was prepared with bug spray or socks for Monique. Our driver kindly showed us to where we bought our tickets and then there was some discussion with him and the guide. The result was that since we were both “old ladies”, we should go ahead of the group for the rocky stepped climb. We were assured that the rest of the group would join us. They did so very noisily. Any chance of wildlife seeing was cancelled by the number of people and the noise. We did see three butterflies, two geckos and a few distant birds. After the canopy walk, our driver took us to the Cape Coast Castle. It’s a must for all to see. First we went through the very informative museum, covering Ghana’s history prior to slavery, the slavery stories and a section of the roles of the Queen Mother and the Chiefs. As we toured both the museum and the castle it’s self I was horrified at what I saw, including a branding iron and the dungeons where so many were held under horrible conditions. It was a very sobering experience.

We were back at the hotel in time for lunch. Ryan had stayed behind for a morning of swimming, reading and napping. Monique and I found another comfortable table under the thatched roof and settled in for a wonderful lunch. My sole was terrific. Ryan eventually joined us. We spent the afternoon sharing stories and discussing life in general. At some point I took a brief swim in the ocean. The water was a great temperature but the undertow was quite strong. We were so relaxed with the sea breeze, we found our selves sitting in the same place and it was then time for dinner. This time we all ordered the seafood pasta, which was enjoyed by all. Some where in there I found time for an Internet checkup to find that all is well at home. Monique and Ryan have headed to their respective rooms as I finish my journal at 9:40 PM, listening to the waves and enjoying the breeze. I think I could stay her the rest of my life.

Keep calm, and Carry on. Shared by, Ryan

Oh that rooster! I have wondered for many days now what he is doing at 4:20 in the morning. This morning I laid awake realizing that today and tomorrow our my last two days in Senchi. I started thinking about my return to Mill Valley, but quickly reminded myself that I needed to stay in the moment and continue to soak in this experience. Today was Ellen’s big day to present to the high schoolers, all one thousand of them. Despite some technical difficulties, she was able to convey to them how to dream about your future and how to put your plan into action. Midway through her talk, I thought about how proud Benji and Amy would have been to see their Mom deliver her first international speech. Luckily, our IT guy, Mark, was able to capture the whole presentation on his flip camera. Interestingly on our way to the high school, Ester, Monique and I, picked up a boy who was clearly arriving late to school. I asked Ester if there would be a punishment because he was arriving so late and the answer, as I understood it, was that he would be caned. I feel as though I have seen more than my fair share of caning these past two weeks. Without a doubt it makes me cringe and I wonder if it is the only way to get the students to behave. It troubles me. Threatening students with a stick swirling around in the air would not be acceptable in the US. The day continued in its typical way with teaching or reading with the kids in the morning, lunch, naps and afternoon activities. The group seemed to go off in different ways after lunch, some to the Volta for peace and quiet, a few to the internet café and others to the library for reading. Katherine on the other hand commented at dinner that her day had been filled with new adventures. From attending a Roman Catholic Ash Wednesday mass to walking to the Volta River with a group of children, she announced what a special and incredible day it was. When I look back on these two weeks I feel as though I have had some pretty unique experiences that will stick with me. Whether is was meeting with the woman at the Embassy, taking command of a KG-2 class, dancing ever so slowly at the Volta, or jogging through the village on Sunday, it has all have been very memorable. To me, Senchi is a very special place on this earth. I really love the way it takes me completely out of my comfort zone and returns me home fully appreciative of all the wonderful friends and family that surround me. Once again I feel good about my time here in Ghana. I am not sure I have changed any lives, but I do believe that I have put many smiles on kids’ faces and brought them laughter and joy. Tomorrow Mark, Lynn and I are leaving, and Ellen on Saturday, for our respective homes. I know we will be thinking of you and wishing you our best from afar. We hope that you will continue to fulfill the goal of bringing peace and harmony to this beloved community. When I came here in 2010 with some of you, we had an experience that was both the same and different from this one. We had more formal ceremonies and celebrations in town with the chiefs – full regalia, music, dancing and the like. With the spate of recent funerals and other obligations we have missed that this time, but I would like to share some of my impressions from back then and now. It seems time to give the heat its due. There is no doubt about it; Senchi Ferry is a three-shower-a-day place. Hot water in the shower? Who really cares? I have never been a hot weather person, but here I tend to cross over into a heat zone and to the point where I really don’t care. There is a certain camaraderie in all of us operating beyond our normal heat indices. Dr. Lewie, veteran of 18 Global Volunteer trips to share his dental talents, has a pre-trip heat-training regimen that includes time in a sauna, Jacuzzi and steam room. I am told that dripping sweat into a patient’s open mouth is generally frowned on in the dental profession. So Lewie’s training solution cuts down on that workplace no-no. This afternoon we had a do-over on our opening ceremony and my clapping had improved. It was similar to the first opening ceremony, but outdoors and with more music and dancing. The village got to say hello and goodbye to the McNallys all in one ceremony. The chiefs sacrificed another partial bottle of Schnapps to their ancestors. We never get to see where the rest of the bottle goes. Deb was presented with a gorgeous dress while Jack, John and Julian received beautiful shirts. The local leaders loved knowing that there were 7,700 books going into the library and used the occasion to pitch Kathleen’s scholarship program. It sounded to me like a lecture to parents and students saying that, with the library and the scholarship program, there is no reason Senchi Ferry should not be a leader in education. They didn’t quite come out and say, “We should be kicking New Akrade’s butt in education,” but that seemed like the sentiment. We got to see Deb cry and we got to see Lewie put all of us to shame on the dance floor. Lewie has some serious dance moves. Unless Emily can come out of her sickbed and show us her stuff, our group doesn’t even have a second best dancer. Our frequent cab driver, Phillip, put it most succinctly when asked to describe our dancing to Brittany and Emily. He said, “It looks pretty white.” Our group two years ago had an age range almost as wide as this one – from 18 to 73. We felt quite proud of our accomplishments as this group will too. With Lynn leaving before our next journal reading, Lisa and me the next morning and Ellen the following day, I’d like to offer these reflections:As we parted in 2010, we shared two readings that seemed to have meaning for young and old alike. I am so sorry that the Rogin kids have left us before sharing this moment, but I’d like to ask Ellen to pass these sentiments on to them.

It was another typical morning in Ghana – an egg and toast, morning meeting and loss of power – however, when I walked out of my room at 7am, I was greeted by a much welcome cloud cover and cool breeze. This was a nice change from the 100 degree heat and high humidity. We broke from our meeting and went our separate ways to teach in the various local schools. Thankfully, at my school, B. Akotu, my teacher showed up and decided to basically recap everything I did on my own with the class when she was absent yesterday. We reworked round-estimate quotients first for math, then continued on to English. The class reread the excerpt from the English book on natural disasters and proceeded to answer the exercises in their homework books. We took a long break around 10am and ran around the fields outside the classroom. I was being chased by KG kids yelling “obrone” and trying to get me to make funny faces while the older students pestered me again for a soccer ball and my ipad – saying over and over– “we need ball – play games?”

The bell rang and we all reluctantly meandered back to our classrooms to continue the mornings work. For my class, this meant more reading and then on to some science. We discussed again the difference between transparent, translucent and opaque objects – a concept that I apparently succeeded in teaching them yesterday. I left the class doing work in their exercise books and walked Monique to her old classroom to deliver a book.

The two of us wandered home, attempting – unsuccessfully - to step from rock to rock as to not fall into the mud on the path by the main road. We all met for a quick lunch of black-eyed peas, chick peas and rice. Soon after lunch, the majority of the group went off to the Cidi Bead Factory up the road and watched the manufacture of glass beads – a process of crushing glass into basically sand, forming the grains together into a bead-like form, cooking and melting the beads to form and then finally the painting process, where they became the final product for the bracelets and necklaces shown off by the group over dinner.

Dinner was one of my personal favorites, spaghetti and meat sauce. Soon afterwards, Kathryn and I went down to Adam’s Pub to meet Samuel, Francesca, Ernest and Mikhasis for a beverage and a chat. We hung out for a couple of hours talking about local politics, music, movies and teaching each other native words and traditions. A very good time was had by all and I think we all learned a bit about the other’s culture during our time together. We cruised back home by the ungodly hour of 9pm and went to our rooms spent. Sleep came quickly as we recharged out batteries for the remainder of the work week

Today is Monday, February 20, the launch of Week 2 of our service journey together. The day began with our usual tasty breakfast before heading to our work sites, including schools and the library, where we were all greeted warmly by the children. By noon, when the heat had cooked us all to a nice medium rare temperature, we returned to the St James palace, and most are eager to cool off with a shower before lunch. We enjoyed a lunch favorite of fried chicken, salad and delicious homemade french fries before heading out to another afternoon of tutoring and hugging the local children.

When I re-read the team journal over the weekend, I realized there was something missing. It was the emotional impact that I believe this experience is having on the team. I imagined those thoughts were expressed in private journals, and thought it would be insightful to hear about some of those ways we were all touched. I am making a request to the team to include some reflections as part of the daily journal this week. To that end, here are some of mine: Now that we have been here 2 weeks, everyone seems comfortable with the flow of life in Ghana, a marked slower pace than that of Massachusetts, Georgia, Vermont, Chicago, New York, Boston, Tempe, San Francisco, Iowa and Baltimore. We realize that the surviving the afternoon heat is best accomplished when you sit down, relax, and watch the world go by. Isn’t that the best part of life, enjoying that feeling of just being in the moment? And in Ghana, we are helping others as we learn/experience new things along the way.

Patience and conceding control has definitely been a challenge on this trip for some of us. Many of us hold positions of leadership back in the States (or are inherently strong willed) and one of the most important tenets of successful leadership is to let others feel a sense of empowerment. I believe are all trying to make room for each other to succeed and lead with gentle pushes from time to time. It is a tough thing to do sometimes, and especially in this environment, where basics can be challenging.As I have said to John, my family, and close friends, coming to Ghana is the hardest thing I have ever done and continues to be. That actually still takes me by surprise. I have been humbled by my experiences here. I have been reminded that the small things in life are what really matter, and most importantly, that I am nothing without my community of friends and family. My heart both sings with pleasure and weeps daily from what we see, hear, smell and feel. I live in the moment in a way I find is hard to do at home, and perhaps that is why time seems to pass like the flow of molasses. All we have is the here and now, as there are few distractions World news, our families, our jobs, our day-to-day issues and responsibilities to balance. With limited access to TV, phones, the Internet and newspapers, our present world has become the village, and our friends & family, each other. There is a sense of freedom with being in the moment, but it is also a little scary.

After a plate bowl of veggie/meat Ghanaian pot pie, everyone except out party boy Ryan, went to bed….earlier and earlier it seems to enjoy a night of rest.