Ghana, Day 19 (But who's counting?)

Hello to all of my friends and blog followers. Yes it's been 19 days in Ghana! 19 days of learning, of experiencing, of loving, 19 days of adventure, new friends, new sites, new tastes, new smells. Speaking of smells, yesterday Nycole, Kelsey and I spent about 3 hours doing our laundry... the old fashioned way. My knuckles literally bled, no kidding. But our clothes smell a little better. I'm afraid we would scare anyone at home away at about 50 feet!

On Saturday we were invited to the wedding of Marco, a former teacher and friend of SOHI, and his long-time girlfriend Hannah. It was in Kofordua, which is 2 hours away(ish). Very interesting! Most of the ceremony was in Twi (the native language), but our friend Samuel who works at the JSS interpreted for us (in sign) and the other deaf guests. It was long. We waited outside for a few hours because they have a traditional family thing inside the house. Then the bride and groom come out and there was the ceremony, a little sermon by the preacher, some scripture readings, and other words of wisdom for the couple. Then came the fun part: giving money to the bride and groom. Some of the things they did were similar to things I've seen at American weddings, but some were totally different! Popping balloons, dancing, etc. etc. Then we had a feast of fried chicken and spicy rice (my favorite thing in Ghana so far)! It was a cool event to be a part of.

So you know that Toto song, "I bless the rains down in Africa"? Well, I've definitely experienced some of those blessed rains. Honestly, I've never seen it rain so hard! It was like a Monsoon. The day after it rained, our house got attacked by these strange bugs that fly around until they lose their wings, and then crawled around EVERYWHERE. It was so disgusting! Luckily, it was a one-night thing and I have 98% DEET bug repellant! I'll be prepared for next time.

Teaching is still really hard for me here, but I'm learning and growing everyday. The students are marvelous and FULL of energy! They go go go all day, and then crash at night. We were at the school last night and I had 2 students who I was playing with fall asleep in my lap within a matter of minutes. One class (about 4th grade) is practicing for a cultural program to be performed on Thursday. The teachers play drums and other instruments and have taught the students a dance. That has been my favorite thing this week: to watch them drum and dance. Even though most of those students can't even hear the drums, they can just feel the beat in their soul. Truly amazing.

Thank you all for your support and love. Most of you are responsible for affording me this fantastic opportunity. I love you all and think about you constantly.

Love, Brynn

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....

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.

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!

two weeks and counting

It is getting closer.  This week I've been stocking up on stuff for Africa: 

Bryttin had the brilliant idea of going to BigLots where they have lots of inexpensive individually wrapped food.  (The best deal of the day?  Luna bars for 70 cents).  Even after filling up an entire cart, mom reminded me that I'll be gone for almost 3 months, and it probably wouldn't be enough.  Anyone up for a trip to Costco?

I also bought some shirts (The DownEast Warehouse is fantastic... the shirts were another great steal!  I'm learning from the best-- aka Brytt).  At our last meeting, they said that shirts with a little spandex would take shape better than a regular cotton shirt.  They said that when you wash your clothes for the first few times, your knuckles bleed from scrubbing so hard.  Oh, yes.  

The packing process has yet to begin, but I borrowed Bret's big suitcases from the mission.  I'm allowed two 50-pound suitcases, plus a carry on/"personal item."  (When I went to England, I had to have a HEAVY tag... none of that this time!)  I'll have to keep that in mind as I start packing within the next couple of weeks.  

Second round of immunizations on Saturday....

got me in the arm

Today I went down to the county health departmet and had a consultation with the nurse.  She told me about all of the health risks of going to Ghana, and gave me all sorts of reccomendations and precautions.  These include: 

• do not swim in fresh water (there are parasites)
• do not go near small mammals (rabies)
• drink ONLY bottled or purified water (NO ice allowed)
• take "insect precautions" (lots of diseases come from mosquitoes)
• wear sunscreen

And then I got 3 shots in the arm: 

Surely it will be worth it! (Only 42 more days).

fufu

So.........
the preparations for Africa are coming right along, and I am getting more excited as I learn new things. Last month at the SOHI training meeting, I was finally able to meet some of the people I will be going with, learn a bit about what to expect, and discuss the Ghanaian culture.
This is what they eat:
It's called fufu. It consists of mashed up stuff that they mold together in a little ball and eat with their hands. Apparently, it is really good; I'm excited to try it! I'm not too keen on trying the "bush meat" or the fish-head delicacy, but I guess it is all part of the experience, right? (Of course, they told us to bring plenty of peanut butter to act as a source of protein-- just in case).

I also realized that I am extremely out of practice in my ASL skills! I need to get back into the swing as SOON as I can.

This weekend, we have another training meeting where we will be talking about teaching strategies and learning more about the schools and students. I can't wait!