Wednesday, May 27, 2009

quickie

Hey all--
I only have a couple more minutes to tell you about all the amazing things in Africa this week. My dad will fill in the rest, hopefully.

HIGHLIGHTS:
The Wood District in Aburi- I am thrilled with all of the cool African stuff I have found at the Wood District, including... a DRUM! It is just a road with little shacks on the side, each one filled with all kinds of cool carvings, bags, drums, leatherwork, etc. The shop owners must be bargained with, or else they rip you off! I am not so good at that, but slowly improving.

The Botanical Gardens- We visited the gardens on Monday because there was no school. Beautiful African foliage! We took tons of pictures.

The Schools- I am in love with the students here, even though every day is hard.

Viva la Africa! More next week....

Thursday, May 21, 2009

GHANA

I am finally here in Ghana! What a beautiful place.

DAY ONE: We arrived around 10am, and I started sweating. We waited in line to go through customs, then our SOHI driver (DonKwa) loaded us and our luggage into two tro tros. (A tro tro is like a cross between a taxi and a van). We arrived at our house, said goodbye to the Kibi group, then changed our clothes and rested up a bit. We walked over to each of the schools, but they were already dismissed. We walked through town, then came home where I attempted to unpack and organize a bit.

DAY TWO: I felt a little sick from the medicine the dentist gave me, so it wasn't a very productive day. This was okay because it was unproductive for everyone who was feeling well, too! I think most of us were pretty jet-lagged.

DAY THREE: Sunday! We went up to the High School for church. The Deaf students hold their own services. They split up all of the "obrunies" (white people), and I had to sit front and center! They sign so fast that I could barely understand what they were saying, but I did understand some. Their service lasted and hour, and for the next 2 hours they went over dorm rules and punishments... none of us really understood that. The power went off that day, so we spent some time outside. The sun sets early, so I was grateful to have my headlamp!

DAY FOUR: First day in the school. We met with the headmistress who gave us permission to go into the classes. I am in love with these children. They are so happy, and yet they have nothing. We tried to learn their name signs, taught a little bit, and played some games. I was exhausted that night.

DAY FIVE: A hard day at the school, but we made it through! Many of the students have other social/emotional issued on top of their deafness, which is difficult to deal with at times. It is hard for me to see a classroom full of 30 students that the teacher has just deserted.

DAY SIX: Much better. I went to school more prepared with a few lessons and games, so the day ran smoother. We also went to town and bought a few things. I am getting more and more comfortable in Ghana as time goes on. Our deaf friends come over each night to chat with us and eat our leftovers.

Sorry this is so rushed, but I only have a few minutes left for my internet time! Definitely more to come, so stay tuned.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

it's HERE

My alarm is currently set for 4:45 am.  Why am I waking up at such an unearthly hour, you ask? 



Oh.  I'm just going to Africa tomorrow.  

Hopefully I'll be able to blog from Ghana... so updates and insights are yet to come!