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.