Ghana Team Journal

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.