7/31/2015

Greetings from Ghana to family and friends from around the world! Today we launched our final program session of the summer. Our new group of students arrived tired but full of excitement for what promises to be an engaging, challenging, and fun three weeks to come.

– Laura Ribitzky

8/2/2015

The local staff in GLA really know how to start off a trip! Our first days in Ghana have been filled with laughter from both the students participating in the program and from the children of Ghana. Today, we started off the day with the option of participating in the church service for the village we are staying in or going to the beach with whatever neighboring children decided to follow. On the beach, we played various amounts of games ranging from soccer to a crab catching contest, and for those who chose to attend the church service they got the amazing chance to listen to the locals praying, speaking in tongues as they do so (not exactly something you hear every day in America).

After our relaxing activity in the morning, we went to an orphanage named Father’s House International and learned a bit about the current slavery conditions happening in this region of Ghana. The orphanage is all boys and only has eleven of them, but each and every one is filled with love and acceptance and it was all so easy to bond with each and every one of them. We played football (soccer) against them, but really it was no trouble for them to kick our butts in the game. We also played a game called cornhole which is where you throw beanbags into a hole for various amounts of points.

When we returned from the orphanage it was time to recharge with a beautifully made host dinner. We had two men, one of them with their son (who was sixteen). We were split into two groups and chatted with our host fathers for about an hour and a half, talking about a range of things from their village’s norms to showing pictures of their own families to telling old myths that they believe in. On Tuesday, we will be able to go to their house and meet their entire family and spend a few hours in the shoes of a Ghanaian.

Author: Brianna Frierson

8/3/2015

Today was our first day working in the Ghanaian school house. The kids seemed to enjoy our company and were eager to learn more about the white foreigners entering their school. The day started with brick making… a back breaking effort by the whole team. After brick making we proceeded to get into our long skirts and fancy shorts and go into the classrooms. Today was mainly a day to get to know each other and become comfortable with the new situation. We also went to a market to purchase fabric that a tailor will then make into an article of clothing of our choice. Everyone is getting closer and feeling that Ghana is quickly becoming our “home”. 6 days to go and no one wants to leave. Ghana is beautiful along with the people and everyone is having an amazing time.
P.S. Hi mom, take care of Hamlet…He’s my flame.

Author: Nicole Prager

8/4/2015

Today we rolled out of bed around 6:30 and had a refreshing breakfast that consisted of toast, boiled eggs, veggies, and avocado. It was delicious as always. We then got ready for the day and headed off to the local school to complete our community service for the morning.

Once there, we worked hard making concrete bricks for the new classrooms that were in the progress of being built. We were lucky enough to have some school kids help us carry the bricks, they are always eager to lend a hand. Once we were all covered in sweat, we  changed out of our dirty clothes and got ready to teach the kids for the rest of the morning. Today my class learned about the importance of plants in the Ghanaian environment, we also covered math. We said our goodbyes to the school kids and headed back to the home base for lunch. Lunch consisted of African fried rice with meat and shrimp, it was so good I had to get seconds. After lunch we did a leadership activity that showed us how important team work is. Next, we headed off to our host families’ houses.

Once I arrived at my host families home I learned how to fetch water from the well and also how to make a traditional Ghanaian meal called banku. Our host family was very welcoming.  We then headed home and played outside with some of the local kids, they were very excited to see us. We then finished the day off by eating dinner and lesson planning for the next day of school.

Olivia G, Ghana

8/5/2015

Author: Olivia Henry

So today we had a difficult time at service but we all worked super hard to get through the morning. Then we went on a boat ride in these rickety boats in lagoon to visit an island. This island was very poor but we learned from some of the local mother’s how to basket weave and how to make mats which was so interesting. Then we talked to a priest while at a shrine about their religion and their culture. We were able to ask him whatever questions we liked (translated by our wonderful staff) and we found out so much awesome stuff. His father died when he was twelve and that’s when he officially took the leadership role he has. The shrines were pretty interesting because they put alcohol and cigarettes in some of them to please the gods and make them happy. Overall, it was a successful day!

We ended the day with a leadership workshop called cross the line or step into the circle which allowed our group to get extremely deep and made us all much closer. Quick s/o to my wonderful fam back in rochacha in the NY: I miss you guys and love you so very much – don’t worry please because Ghana is absolutely amazing and I am loving my time here.

8/10/2015

Author: Kenneth Wah

Hello from GHANA

So today we started the day by breaking backs, but we had successfully created fifty bricks. We then went to our assigned classrooms and proceeded with our magnificent projects. From robots to mixing mentos and coke, each had their own way of managing their class and teaching their students.

In the afternoon, we visited a slave fort. In the emotional slave fort, we could connect ourselves to what we learned in our history class. We had then ended the day by a visit from the local chief. Chief Agbotaidua Kumassah had discussed marriages and other family issues in Ghana.

8/20/2015

All students have departed and are on their way home!

7/31/2015

Everyone has arrived and are ready for an amazing program!

8/2/2015

So far, our experience here in Ghana has been amazing and unlike any other. In only two days, we have witnessed an infinite amount of culture, from playing with children every afternoon in the park to spending our Sunday morning in a traditional Ghanaian church. We have also learned some of the Krobo language from our host families. We have seen so many differences between life here and life back home, such as groups of kids running barefoot with babies swaddled to their backs and little boys making toy cars out of bottle caps and sardine cans. At the Saturday market, our group shopped for fabrics and got to experience bartering with the locals. The market also gave us the opportunity to see what behind-the-scenes life is like in Krobo, rather than the topical view. At home base, things have been flowing just as smoothly. As a group, we are getting used to the cold showers and not having air conditioning, as well as being served meals that, while delicious, are not what our bodies are accustomed to. As a group of open-minded girls, we are loving getting to know one another and bonding over the shared experience. After only two days, we are starting to get the hang of things and feel more and more comfortable. Overall, this trip is going extremely well and we can already tell that it is going to be a trip we will remember for a lifetime!

– Jenny and Delaney

8/4/2015

Today was our first day of service. We built cement bricks for a library and taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade class at the local school in Krobo. The process of mixing and building the bricks was long and tiresome, and we only made twelve. However, the typical brick maker makes a lot more bricks and only gets paid around ten American dollars a day. Nonetheless, we had a lot of fun getting dirty and the kids from school came to encourage us. After making the bricks, we headed to the classrooms and began teaching. We started off with some math problems, which they quickly solved. All of the students were extremely excited to learn from us and the knowledge we have from America. After some academic activities, all of the classes came together outside to learn a few American dances, and they also taught us a few of their own dances. We were extremely humbled to have partaken in this experience.

As usual, in the afternoon we headed to the park to play with the local kids. We played some soccer with the boys and the younger kids enjoyed blowing bubbles. By the end of the day, our arms and legs were all sore from holding so many of the smaller children. With each experience, we learn more and more about their everyday lives and become more grateful for what we have back home in the United States.

– Michelle and Alden

8/6/2015

Weather: Hot and humid, about 89 ̊F

Location: Krobo, Ghana

Haley and Kaiden

Today we were able to sleep in until eight. For breakfast we had buttery toast and juicy oranges. After breakfast we met the children at the bottom of the driveway and they walked us to school. In the classroom we started our lessons including Math and English. During free time at school we played ‘Freeze Dance’, a dancing game with the students. When school finished for the day, the children walked us back to home base for lunch. We ate a delicious peanut butter soup, and rice, with a side of fresh watermelon. After lunch, a local guest speaker came to tell us the history of Krobo and Ghana. Later in the afternoon we went to the park to play with the children. They played soccer, blew bubbles, and rode their bikes. After a long day of learning and games we came home for dinner. We ate pasta, more oranges, and the fried plantains everyone loves so much. When everyone was finished with their meals we awaited for Queen Mother to arrive. We finished our traditional ceremony and we graduated as Krobo women. For the ceremony we dressed in traditional clothing such as a head scarf and a dress that we were able to keep. The Queen Mother taught us a dance that the “dipos” dance, as well as the reasoning for wearing beads around their waist (which is to attract men). We finished the night together as official Krobo women.

8/11/2015

Odumase Krobo, Ghana

– Ailina and Nicole

This past weekend we had several adventures. On Saturday we hiked 5 miles to Umbrella Rock where we saw an amazing view. From there we toured a rural village where the local people have to hike the long trail every time they need something. After this we got to go down to the Boti Falls, which was absolutely gorgeous. We wanted to swim in the water but our directors informed us that the water was full of terrible diseases. On the way home we stopped on the side of the road to buy Fan-ice from a local village girl. On Sunday we ventured over to the beautiful Sajuna Beach Club for swimming, boating, volleyball, and ping pong. There we were able to eat real ice cream again! On our boat ride, we saw the only suspended bridge In Ghana. This bridge connects the Eastern region to the Volta region so it is very important to the people. On the way home we stopped in a local village to buy some beads. There were a ton of different colors and designs to choose from at a fabulous price. Now we are getting ready to leave. We have said our goodbyes to the children, our bags are packed, and we are already missing the kids. All of us are leaving Ghana a different person than when we came. We have learned to appreciate the convenience of running water, electricity, and all the things we took for granted back home. We have seen how living a simple life can be a happy life. Ghana was a prime example of the quote “money doesn’t buy happiness.” Something we will never forget is walking to the park or school and having a ton of children running to hold our hands or be in our arms. We all fell in love with the Krobo community and they will always have a special place in our hearts.

First Post:

All students, except for the student scheduled to arrive on July 9th, have arrived and called home.

They’re excited to begin their life-changing adventure in Ghana!

Photos and additional blog posts to be updated here in the coming days.

July 7, 2015

7/9/2015

After a short meeting this morning, we headed out to our first day at the service site. Our school is about a 5 minute bus ride from our hotel, but still located in Anloga. One difference that sticks out to me especially is that there is no front office like I am used to. The school opens up right to the road and the hallways are made of sand. There is one building that holds all 7 classrooms and a library, while another is used as more of an auditorium type space. Once arriving, we had a chance to meet some of the teachers and the head master that work at the school. That was the easy work for the day and then we headed out to our brick making area. It was much harder work than I thought it would be. The sun was beating down and the heat was much more than I am used to. But still, after our first day our group used two bags of cement and made 54 bricks. Our goal for the rest of the trip is to use 3 bags of cement every day, or about 75 bricks. Tomorrow we will test to see if we can reach that goal.

Once we finished our brick laying we headed into the classrooms. I am co-teaching a level 5 classroom with about 35 to 40 Ghana students. I, as well as the rest of the group, am amazed at the kids’ eagerness to be at school learning. This is something we aren’t used to seeing back in the United States. All of the kids are so happy and try their hardest, something we are all trying to use to our advantage as we create our lesson plans for the next two weeks.

We finished off the night by listening to a local community leader share about traditions, culture, and marriage in Ghana. Many of us,
including me, were amazed at his ability to talk about his beliefs but still listen openly to ours. Talking about our beliefs and how they vary from those in Africa led us to a very interesting conversation, one that we will all certainly remember.

Tomorrow we go into our first day of teaching with open hearts and minds to a new culture.

– Kendra Cashman

7/10/2015

After a delicious and nutritious breakfast of pineapples, crepes, and beautiful glorious toast, we headed  to our brick-making activity in the avette-anloga primary school and anseco – avuma basic school in our separated mentor groups. After a hard morning of work we proceeded to our pairs to start our first day of spectacular and fun classes. I taught P6 with Rachel Selvin, and I liked it a lot because the kids are fun and creative but at the same time they are disciplined so the class is more manageable. Finishing our informative and well-prepared classes we headed back to home base to rest and have a delicious lunch, so we could have enough energy to go to the fabric market and seamstress to choose our clothing. Then we came back and had dinner.

Sincerely, Student Leader Of The Day,
Daniel Girault

7/11/2015

This morning we started our day out with a wonderful breakfast full of protein and nutrients. Then after that we split up into our two groups
and made our ways to the service sites. It was a Saturday, so class was not in session. In my group, we made three bags of concrete, but we couldn’t have done it without the help of some local children who decided to come along. After we finished the three bags of concrete, we walked back to the Pin Drop hotel and had our lunch.

We had chicken, rice, and apples, it filled our stomachs and we were ready to carry on with our day. We met up as a group and talked about qualities that make a good, strong leader. For about 30 minutes, everybody shared their ideas, expressing what they thought made good leaders. We then began an activity where we all discovered everybody’s various leadership qualities. We then switched up into our mentor groups and went to the places of the day. The group I was in went to an Island in the area that was known for practicing a religion that involved the healing of human bodies through spirits and sacrifice. I never thought I would ever encounter people who believed in this type of religion, and I really appreciate the fact that I was able to learn about it and the people who have dedicated their lives to it.

To get to the island and back we had to all get into these two long and skinny wooden boats that were powered by the arms of two men using long sticks with a pointed end to reach the bottom of the lagoon and push the boats forward. When we got back to the hotel, we played with the local children for a little. They always have such a loving smile on their face and are always happy to see us. As it got dark, we went inside
and ate out dinners prepared for us by the great cooks who have been making all of our meals. After finishing our food, we all came together again to have our daily reflections. Today it was about what is happiness and what is it to you. This went on for a while, so by the time it was finished, we all went to our rooms and settled in for the night.

-Oscar Paul

7/12/2015

Today on this glorious Sunday morning, we had the incredible opportunity to visit a local church. It was such an eye opening experience; every person was full of life and energy while dancing to live worship music. The church as a whole welcomed us with open arms and we were all truly touched by how hospitable they were towards the strange foreigners, or as they say in Ewe, “Yevus”. I believe that I will be able to come home with a new way to express my religion with new insight on how other cultures celebrate my similar religion.

After our new experience, we had a delicious lunch which involved a new Ghanaian delicacy. This certain food is dome-shaped and it is dough called Banku which we dipped into peanut soup with fish. It was very interesting to try this new flavor from a completely different culture. We then were split up into our host family groups and were dropped off at our host family’s home. My group went to a teacher’s house where we played common Ghanaian board games similar to our “Sorry” and “Chutes and Ladders”. She also showed us how to properly pick and cut a coconut that she grew in her backyard and as we left, she promised that next time she would demonstrate how to make coconut oil.

When we came back to the home base, we all played with the local kids. I personally played a lot of soccer, not well may I add, and brought some American culture by teaching the locals how to throw a perfect spiral with the football. It was awesome to see how their faces would light up when they performed an action well. The ice cream man made an appearance and I got to witness first-hand the selflessness of a Ghanaian child when trying to buy me ice cream with the only money he had. It boggles my mind how kind they are.

Our discussion tonight was based around how Africa is perceived in the media. We all shared our personal stories regarding our expectations on Ghana versus what we actually saw. We all came to an agreement that the media portrays Africa in itself in a much worse way than needed. The truth being that Ghana is a beautiful place with kind-hearted people and a very traditional culture. Now, we all are preparing for another great day of new adventures.

Sophie Schmit

7/13/2015

Every morning GLA students head to service site after they finish their breakfast. Today at service site my team members and I, also known as “Good Vibes,” had more energy than usual and decided to use four bags of cement. That means we were able to make exactly 100 bricks that day. We felt really good about creating that many bricks because we knew what a great cause it was going towards. With each brick we formed we knew that it would help. We worked very hard with each and every brick because it was going towards building more classrooms. Every brick mattered because, just as the ocean would not be there without that one drop of water, the classrooms would not be built without that one brick. After a period of resting and recess with the kids my teaching partner, Rebecca, and I headed to our KG 1 classroom. Today we taught the eager kids math, specifically touching on counting coins. The day before I went to the local store up the road and purchased 24 chocolate coins for exactly 24 of my students. Rebecca and I laid down a white sheet of paper over the sandy floor of the classroom and formed our kids into a large circle. We laid out the coins and asked our kids to count them, and then continued to take coins away and add them back. The kids were practically unstoppable with their correct answers. Finally the best part came when the kids were able to eat the coins. I would take a chocolate coin toss it to one of the students and ask how many were left. This continued until all the coins were gone and every student received their treat. After a successful day of teaching we headed back to our home base. After eating lunch and resting the van came and brought team Good Vibes to Father’s House International. Father’s House International is a safe haven for 12 boys who were rescued from child slavery along Lake Volta. It all started when the owner, Jeremiah, realized his young friend Christian was missing. After asking around Jeremiah came to the knowledge that Christian had been taken to Lake Volta for child slavery. That information had started Jeremiah’s journey to saving Christian and 12 other young boys from child slavery. Jeremiah has been caring for these boys for over 4 years now. My team and I had the
honor of meeting these boys and playing soccer and volleyball with them. We were also given the opportunity to see a beautiful view of the shores of Ghana because Father’s House was conveniently located on the beach. It was a beautiful and meaningful way to end a successful day in Anloga, Ghana.

~ Katelynn Tewksbury

7/14/2015

We started out the day with a delicious breakfast of omelettes, oatmeal, and toast. We then headed off to the service site at Anseco Basic School. Our team, called Positive Vibrations, used three bags of cement, which made 72 bricks. These bricks will be used to help build a new kindergarten classroom at the school. I can personally see how helpful this new classroom will be because I, along with Paxton, teach the kindergarten classroom which is currently located in a room called the library, in which there are 80 kindergarten students. After brick-making we headed to the classrooms. Paxton and I started the class off with a game they call “Stand Up Sit Down”. Then we reviewed counting and ABC’s. We also went over the hand movements to “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”, which all the students absolutely love. We then taught the students how to sing “Mary Had A Little Lamb”. They had some difficulty with the words, however tomorrow I’m sure we’ll have much more success as they continue to try their best. We ended the class with an exercise from the workbook where they had to copy patterns. We then went back to home base to have lunch. After lunch the group “Good Vibes” went to the market to buy food and then came home to cook it. My group, “Positive Vibrations,” stayed at the base to get our hair braided. After that we had free time to relax and to do stuff such as shower, nap, and talk. Then we had dinner, which was followed by playing with the local children. Every day the local children come to our base to play games and talk. They are always extremely happy, and it’s a very cool experience to be around so much joy. Then we all gathered inside to hear Jeremiah from Father’s House International talk. He spoke of his life and how Father’s House started. His talk was so inspirational. I know that I was extremely moved by his words, and I’m sure the rest of the group was too. So, all in all today was a great day full of experiences I’ll never forget.

– Claire West

7/16/2015

Today we woke up and then ate breakfast at 7:00am. After breakfast our group walked to one school, and the other group took the van to the other. As we walked it started to rain, which felt refreshing in the hot sun. When we arrived at school we made bricks. Both groups used three bags of cement, which made about seventy bricks. Then it was time to teach the kids. Even though some kids don’t have a pencil, paper, or even shoes, they are full of energy and always smiling. It is so inspiring to see them filled with excitement to learn each day.

After service we came back to home base and ate lunch. Then we all got in the van and rode to the slave fort. First I saw a broken down stone building. It was hard to comprehend that I was standing in the place where so many terrible things have happened in the past. We walked in and saw the small rooms where slaves were kept with no windows or view to the outside world. We felt the scratches on the floor where slaves tried to find a path to escape. We touched the blood stains on the walls, which still remain from torture so many years ago. I can’t imagine how it was justified to dehumanize these men, women, and children.

After visiting the slave fort, we walked down the road to the beach. We relaxed there for a while, and then came back to home base. It makes me happy seeing the neighborhood kids all waving and running alongside the van as we come home each day. Then we played with the neighborhood kids for a few hours. At 6:00 we all went inside to eat dinner together. Next we went to our rooms and packed for our trip to Ho. We are leaving tomorrow morning, and I am so excited for our trip this weekend!

-Amira Garewal

7/17/2015

High HO

Today we’re headed off to Ho for the weekend! We all packed last night so we could quickly have breakfast and hit the road for the long car ride.

At 7:30 we got in the bus for the ride to Ho. Unlike in America, instead of putting our luggage in a trunk, or by our feet, our luggage was wrapped in tarp and put on top of the bus. Very cool. We all passed out right away and slept most of the ride so it didn’t feel so long. We stopped once at the gas station about an hour in, and bought snacks to last us. Our favorites are Hobnobs, Digestives, Vanilla wafers, Bourbon Cream cookies, and cream crackers dipped into peanut butter and Choco-delight spread.

After a 3 hour car ride, we finally arrived in Ho. Our first stop was at the Kente weavers, where we learned how to weave. There was 6 weaving stations on a big platform. We each got to try it. It wasn’t as hard to figure out as I expected, but it took me so much longer to do a stitch than the professional weavers. The weaver that helped me told me it can take him 3 hours to complete a full Kente fabric. It’s amazing that they do so many stitches quickly and accurately, with different colors too.

After lunch, we made batiks. We each got 1 yard of white fabric. We picked the color we wanted our batik to be, and chose a stamp for our pattern. When my name was called, I brought my fabric into the super hot room where there were big pots of boiling wax. One of the workers helped me maneuver the wax. I laid out my cloth on the table. The worker dipped my stamp into the wax and I pressed it into the cloth in the pattern I wanted. This was much harder than it looks. I had some trouble making sure each of the prints was lined up well with the last one, but regardless, they turned out beautiful. After we finished the wax imprints, the batik makers dyed our cloths, and then put the cloths into boiling hot tub of water to melt the excess wax off. They all looked so cool while drying, and came out so well!

Next we went to visit Village Exchange Ghana, which is an NGO where they take in pregnant women or women that lack the economic means for education. Village Exchange trains the women in local fields such as sewing or jewelry making. Their products are then sold and the proceeds go to the advancement of the lives of these women. We got to see and purchase some of the products they made in their small gift shop, which were really beautiful.

Finally after the long day out, we were off to the hotel. We were told we would be staying in a cave, so when we pulled up to a beautiful hotel on the top of the mountain, we were so excited. We swam in the pool with a beautiful view, and then had an amazing dinner in the banquet hall and went to bed.

This was a long but amazing first day in Ho!!!

-Mallory Pease

7/18/2015

Today was quite an eventful day, our only full day in Ho. We all relished in having hot showers and air conditioning for the brief time we were there, but didn’t mind leaving the comforts of our spectacular hotel to go on our adventures for the day. We woke up really early, as breakfast was at 6:00. Then we were off in the bus on our way to the Monkey Sanctuary. It was a long but beautiful drive as we drove through the green and foggy landscape of Ho. We wanted to get there first in order to feed the monkeys their breakfast before they got too full off of other tourists’ bananas. Once we got there, we all received two bananas to feed to the monkeys. The tour guide came to lead us all into the rainforest. We walked for a long time waiting quietly to hear the noises of the monkeys hopping through the trees. Finally, they emerged from the branches and began trying to snatch the bananas from our hands. When they realized we weren’t just going to give them the bananas, they jumped off the trees onto our shoulders and arms and sat there eating the bananas. We got some absolutely amazing pictures as we experienced this once in a lifetime chance to have a monkey sit on your shoulder and eat a banana out of your hand.

After the monkey sanctuary, we headed off on the bus again to go to lunch. We went to this tiny pizza shop and all ate super delicious pizza. We needed energy for our next activity, a hike to the biggest waterfall in West Africa. It was such a pretty hike through the rain forest, we were all very hot and dying to go swimming in the promised cool water awaiting us. Once we got there, we raced to change into our swimsuits and hopped into the water. The spray of the waterfall was so heavy as we got closer and closer to the waterfall that we couldn’t see anything as it stung our eyes to open them. It was lots of fun to swim around, and the waterfall was so stunning to see, as it towered over us. Thousands of bats hung on the walls surrounding the waterfall and it was cool to see them fly around although.

Once we were done swimming, we all hiked back down the mountain, through the forest. Afterwards we went shopping in the local craft market, where we purchased and viewed the beautiful works of the Ghanaian artists. Lots of us bought souvenirs for family and friends back home. Afterwards, we went to dinner back at the hotel. The food was soo yummy and delicious. Once all the food was eaten, we all participated in an activity where we wrote about our favorite memories and challenges of the trip thus far. It was interesting to look back and see all the fun we had done.

Very fun day.

-Rio McLellan

7/19/2015

Today we got a late start and woke up around 7:30 to get ready for breakfast which commenced at 8:00. We were all exhausted from the mesmerizing waterfall hike, monkey sanctuary, and driving, so it was nice to get some extra sleep. Breakfast was a feast which consisted of eggs, sausage, oatmeal, beans, and toast. After we were all stuffed, we headed out to visit the local orphanages, “Living Widows and Orphans Development Centre” and “Remar International”. Since there were so many of us, we split into our mentor groups as usual. My group “Positive Vibrations” headed over to the “Living Widows” orphanage. As soon as we arrived, a swarm of excited kids rushed at us and were all happy to meet us. We were welcomed by the entire organization of people and they taught us how to culturally dance as well as taught us about what their organization is about. The organization cares for 22 kids and provides them a free education as well as food and a place to stay. It was all an extremely interesting organization and situation and I am glad that we got to experience it. Both mentors groups joined back together at the hotel and we ate our last meal in Ho. Lunch was amazing with what seemed like a million different options to eat. Then, we all headed out on our adventure back to home base which was relatively quiet because we were all exhausted from the weekend. Ho was definitely one of the most incredible experiences and places that I have visited in my entire life and I enjoyed every bit of our little vacation from teaching and work site. Once we got back to home base in Anloga, all the local kids around the area greeted us with hugs and smiles and were glad to see that we had come back. I never knew how much I would’ve missed them all in just a few days so I was ecstatic to play and interact with them again. It was an eventful night with two hospital visits, however everything turned out okay and nothing major occurred. Dinner was delicious as usual and I was happy to be back to the place that has become my home away from home. Everybody crashed early so that we could all wake up early and be prepared for work site early the next morning. Thanks for reading.

-Samantha Kubota

7/20/2015

We started this morning with omelets apples and oatmeal and then headed off at 8:00 for service site. Positive Vibrations stayed true to our name even when we were short on numbers today due to various traveler’s sicknesses. Today was Eid Mubarak, the last day of Ramadan, so the students at our usual schools did not have class today. Instead, we visited one of the local high schools to meet some of the students boarding there. We sat in small groups and got to know the students and what their interests are. We were given maps of Africa and the United States and we had to work in our groups to fill out as many countries and states as we could. After my group struggled with the countries in Africa they shared with me that schools here do not value geography as much as we do in the United States. This was interesting to me because in my school experience we had to memorize all of the countries in different continents throughout the years. Learning about the culture of Ghana through the eyes of people our age was very interesting. It was great to be able to have conversations with them and learn about what they want to be when they grow up. I loved having a conversation with students whose views are different but yet so similar to ours.

After we left the high school we returned to home base for lunch and free time to play with the local kids who visit us every day. Then we all got into vans and went to visit chiefs in Keta. Their names were Torgbi Kumassah and Torgbi Dzelu. We learned about how they became chiefs and what their responsibilities to the community are. They have duties and responsibilities to defend and protect their people. We returned to home base for dinner and then finished the night with watching Girl Rising, a documentary about the lack of girls’ rights and education around the world.

-Jane Servin

7/27/2015

6/13/2015

Greetings from Ghana!

The entire GLA team was ecstatic to welcome the first group of students – with one student still enroute at time of group photo but has since arrived – at Home Base in Anloga. Despite the long overnight flights, everyone powered through admirably. It certainly helped to have a welcoming committee comprised of the neighborhood children who could hardly wait to play with their new friends. Some are heading to bed early tonight, as tomorrow promises to be a full and engaging day of fun activities, community building, and cross-cultural interactions.

As the International Director, I could not be more excited about starting this journey with these new students and nurturing their growth as leaders and travelers. I encourage you to check this blog for updates and photos from our students so that you, too, can be a part of this experience wherever you are in the world.

– Laura Ribitzky

6/15/2015

Greetings from Ghana,

Today we went to the primary school for the first time. We learnt how to make bricks, which will be used to construct a kindergarten
classroom for the kids. Then we met the students we will be teaching for the following 3 weeks.

The kids were very happy and eager to learn, and respected their teachers and their fellow classmates. One of the interesting things we
noticed was that there was a range of ages in the classes, from 10 to 16 years old in the fifth grade. The reason for this is
that school fees prevent some families from sending their kids to school at an early age or that they are needed at home. After dinner
we met Chief Togbi Kumassah who taught us about traditional marriage in Ghana, which is vastly different from marriage in the west.

After the service site we went home and played with the local kids, who were very fascinated by the Polaroid camera that Julia T. brought.
They all wanted to touch and see the photo that was printed out. The kids were also fascinated by our shoes and other things.

The quote of the day chosen by the one and only student leader Gavin Humphreys is “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese”.

Love, Gavin

6/17/2015

Author: Taylor Keena

This morning we headed to the work site. Our group did not have much energy and we dragged through but we still completed 50 bricks. When we went to the classrooms we were much more structured and it was easier to teach the class. Most of us had positive feedback after us teaching. Then we headed back to home base and ate lunch. After lunch we had a little free time before we headed to the island.
At the island we took two boats to the island. Once we got to the island we walked around and went to see baskets weaved, we then got to try and do it ourselves. After we went to a shrine and learned about traditional religion on the island from the priest. We walked around the island some more and learned about how the people on the island catch crabs and fish. After we headed home and did not do much in the evening.

[Note from Int’l Dir: After dinner, we also celebrated Taylor’s 16th birthday with a chocolate cake, candles, and a birthday card that the group and staff signed.]

6/18/2015

Author: Lara Galligani

Today was a great day! Morale was a lot higher at service site, so we managed to make 74 bricks. Teaching was better today too, since we’ve all become a lot more comfortable with our classes and they feel more comfortable with us. They’ve understood what each of us expect from them as a class, and have adapted to that.

After school, we ate and then visited Fathers house. Father’s house is a boy’s home for former child slaves in the fishing industry in Lake Volta. A lot of children get taken there at a young age because of poverty in their families. The fishing masters will offer to pay for their education if they work at the lake from 3 years old to 6, but most are never returned. This home helps the rescued boys both physically and emotionally, and they help the families in the area with feeding and such, so they won’t have to send their children to the lake.

We meet the boys and then we played a soccer game with us. It was so much fun, but they were really good. They make up 90% of their school team, and crushed us.

Overall, it was a fun and interesting day!

6/19/2015

A week ago 14 strangers left their homes to “Be the change” and today woke up as a family who has already made 316 bricks for a kindergarten classroom. Every day we become more comfortable in the brick making process and each person has found their niche. We have set a goal to make 1,000 bricks by the end of our time here, which will be halfway to the amount needed to construct the building. The first full week of teaching went very well. We have all grown tremendously in the classroom and are finally beginning to find how to give the students tough love. Game time is now incorporated into all of our lesson plans as a way to re-energize the kids and get them focused for the second half of class.

This afternoon many of us got corn rows and NONE OF US CRIED- I PROMISE. Later, we visited a local high school and had an opportunity to talk to the students and learn a lot about how their school system works. They were very interested in American schools and it was fun connecting with locals of our age for the first time here. Tonight Jeremiah from the Father’s House (mentioned in yesterday’s blog post) visited our base. He spoke about children’s rights and challenged us to take a look at social injustices in our home communities. As Jeremiah said, “A minute of your time can change someone’s life.”

– Jenna

6/20/2015

A Very Interesting Day

I started the day with my roommate, Claire, yelling my name because I didn’t wake up to my alarm. I dragged myself out of bed and went down stairs to meet with another person in our group, Gavin. We went to every bedroom to wake up the others. That was my morning. Everyone else’s morning started with a knocking noise and the Circle of Life from the Lion King blasting outside their door. We all ate breakfast together (porridge, sunny side eggs, toast, and cereal). Afterward we quickly brought our dirty clothes to the basket outside because it was laundry day. After we were all ready we went to the school. Even though we weren’t teaching because school is off on the weekends, we still made bricks. We only used two bags of cement, a total of 53 bricks. We had already decided our total brick goal for
the entire time we are here is 1000 bricks. Today we decided our second goal is to do more than 102 bricks in a day (4 bags).It was an easier day because we didn’t want to be tired for our guest speaker.

Our Guest speaker later was Dr. Andrew Ayim. He talked to us about the medical system in Ghana and we were able to ask him questions about it. It was an interesting speech but some tended to doze off. We came home. Some of us went outside to buy some fan ice for the neighborhood kids. Then we quickly ate lunch so that we could leave for our river tour. We were decked out in our swimsuits and cover-ups with optional sunglasses. We rode in two buses to the river then we got on a giant wooden boat. The seats were almost as tall as my legs (I’m short). On the river we got to see where the river and the ocean meet. It was hecka cool. We finally got to the beach. We all put our stuff down and ate some snacks. One girl, Hannah, had brought a hammock which she quickly set up. Most of us went swimming in the river, which mostly consisted of playing Never Have I Ever. It is a great way to get to know others. As soon as we got out of the water a storm hit. The wind was blowing everywhere. Sand blowing on you really hurts. We all huddled in a small space with other people from the beach. Then we waited till the storm had calmed down to get into the boat again to go home. It was still raining and we were all soaking wet but we made the most of it by having a sing-a-long on the boat. We got back home, showered, and ate dinner (fried rice, cucumber, watermelon, and chicken). Then we had a leadership workshop where we discussed why people feel the need to go “help” other countries and not their own. We spent the rest of the evening having free time. I used the time to write this.

Love,
Elizabeth

6/21/2015

Today was fantastic. It was probably the first slow(ish) day we’ve had since we arrived. Our day began with an optional visit to a Christian church. Ten of us went and four of us stayed back at Home Base. Compared to Church back in the U.S., the Ghanaian service was rather loud and exciting. I think the music and sermon was so interesting because the people had so much passion for what they were professing. One woman even stood up and raised her hand to the sky. The congregation welcomed us after we went to the front and introduced ourselves.

After Church, we had free time. Some of us played with the kids, while others lounged and read or talked. I took a nap. Around 3:00 we all scattered to the houses of our Host Families. I did not witness everybody’s experience, but I can share mine. I am in a group with Elizabeth (nicknamed Ewezebeth by me), and Jenna. Our Host mom welcomed us in and had us sit down outside. For a few minutes we asked her questions, and at one point she went inside and grabbed bracelets that she had bought for all of us. After we thanked her for the bracelets, we began playing a board game that sat on the table. At some point a man came in and introduced himself. He seemed nice enough. As we were playing the board game though, the guy addressed me and said, “Clara” (my name is Claire) and I acknowledged him. Right after that he said, “Will you marry me?” I was a bit flabbergasted, to say the least. I assured him that no, he could not marry me. Apparently Ghanaian men joke about marriage to women a lot. You learn something new every day.

As it began to rain, we all gathered downstairs for a weekly evaluation. During this time, Shene referred to the term “OG.” For anyone who doesn’t know what that means (like Shene), it stands for “Original Gangster.” Shene was under the impression that it stood for “Old Gangster.” We cleared that one up quickly.

A little while later, a group of us walked down to the store in the rain. We bought snacks and candy. Though it doesn’t sound too exciting, it was a good bonding experience.

The last part of the day prepared us for our trip to the slave fort tomorrow. We watched a clip from the film Amistad. The part of the movie we saw portrayed the life of a slave on a ship to the New World during the time of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Graphic but informational, the clip gave us a quick look into what we will be learning about tomorrow. I’m sure we’ll learn even more, and I know we already have numerous stories to share when we return home.

– Claire Plump

6/22/2015

Fort Prinzenstein – June 22
As we arrived to service site today we had 369 bricks completed from week one. With our music speaker being out of battery, I could quickly tell that energy was low – BUT we worked through it. As we worked, I personally tried new jobs. I learned how to mold the bricks (actually very hard) and counting the buckets of sand we mix with cement (also very difficult being easily distracted). After flying through 3 bags of cement we reached our daily record of 75 bricks. I was so proud that we worked so well, each willing to switch jobs frequently. After we changed into teaching clothes the FanIce bike came by so I bought some for everyone for working so hard. We are now up to 444 bricks and tomorrow should break our ½ way mark of our goal of 1000 bricks.

In the afternoon we got the chance to visit an old slave fort in Keta about 20 minutes away from Anloga. Fort Prinzenstein was built in the 17th century and though over half of it has been washed away, there was still partial standing that we got to walk through. There have been between 4 and 5 million slaves that have passed through this fort. I thought this was a very educational tour – teaching us about some of the history and hardships that have happened right here in Ghana and learning how we can move forward from it. After the tour we got a chance to walk around and take pictures and process everything we had just seen and heard. Then we walked down to Emancipation Beach. Here, we got the chance to lie in the sun, put our feet in the water, drink some soda and just enjoy each other’s presence.

Day 10 means that today we are not quite half way done with our trip but tomorrow we will be over half way done. I cannot put into words how close-knit our group of 14 (yevu squad) is. I am grateful for the experience that we will forever share and can’t wait to make more memories on the second half of this trip.

Stay tuned,
– Lizzie Anderson

6/23/2015

Today we successfully beat the GLA Ghana record with our brick making skills. The previous record was 102 bricks and this morning we
made 106 bricks. This accomplishment brought us past our half-way mark for our goal of 1,000 at a current total of 550. Though we were awfully tired, everyone’s teaching skills improved and we are consistently getting more comfortable in the classrooms.

When we arrived back at home base and finished lunch, we had our third leadership workshop conducted by Shene. The topic was human
rights; she taught us all 30 rights put in place by the U.N. after Worl War II in 1948. We questioned if each right applied to us personally and
then if it was always applied in different parts of the world (to everyone). All of us here are very privileged in many ways that we were
born into or have no control over which can determine if we have all the rights we are intended to. In our discussion we found that many people all over the world, and even in the United States, do not receive all of the rights that they should. This talk made all of us appreciate how privileged we are; now we can recognize this and see the topic of human rights from different perspectives than our own.

After the leadership work shop, we did an activity called “Bucket of Dreams” in which we all worked together to get out “bucket of dreams” out of the “ocean”. Laura led the activity and it tested out our collaborations skills more than we thought.

The day ended with a game of handball outside with the neighborhood kids. We always have so much fun with them and they bring us all so much joy. Ghana is amazing.

– Mary Malone

6/24/2015

Perhaps the most wonderful thing that can happen to an imaginative youth, aside from the blessing of imagination itself, is to be exposed
without preparation to the life outside her or her sphere- the sudden revelation that there is a there out there.” This is a quote from the book Jitterbug Perfume, by Tom Robbins, a book that I have been devouring here in Ghana. This quote seems to capture what each and
every young mind on this trip is going through, namely, realizing that there is a there out there. Each day is filled with new smells, sights, tastes, and more. Everyday each one of us realizes that there is more in this world than we ever imagined. It’s magical.

The magic starts with an early awakening, breakfast, and then it is off to brick making for us. Today we made 76 in the broiling sun, taking multiple water breaks to combat the ensuing midday sun. We then headed for the classroom for a full hour and fifteen minutes spent in
front of a class of young children. My grade 6 class has sixty three people, ranging from ages eleven to twenty three. It is a range of
emotions, and comprehension levels each day as my teaching partner and I start another day, filled with solving and deciphering the classroom this new day.

After, we all headed back to home base to enjoy lunch, and after, it was off to the market we went. We have been to this market once
before, but this time, it was time to buy groceries to bring back to the kitchen at home base. As a group we went across the market looking
for tomatoes, plantains, tiger nuts, dish washing detergent, chickens, yams and more. The sights and sounds that surround left me speechless. All I could do as we hustled around the market, sweating, and watching as the locals grabbed my arms, calling “yevu,” or making hissing sounds to call our attention to their stands. We are strangers in a strange land. It is a land filled with multi colored fabrics, sea salt
out of the lagoon, and dried fish steaming their stench into the hot air, as their glistening scales seem to be roasting in the midday sun.
Each fish in a different position, dried in place as the strangers watch disgusted and fascinated at the same time.

We all piled into the van and headed down the dirt road filled with multiple pot holes. The driver maneuvers around these with great skill with the turn of the wheel left and then right. It’s a maze, a maze that we enter, and always exit once we are home, at home base. Once
arrived there, we pile out of the van in time to take cooking lessons from the kitchen at home base. They taught us how to mince garlic and
onion together in a mortar and pestle to make seasoning for the beef that was to be placed in the finished product, Jol Lof rice. This kind of rice is a traditional dish here in Ghana, and is delicious.

Once cooking was done, my favorite part of the day comes. This was when the seamstresses came and brought us back the clothes that had been custom tailored for us over a week ago. Each day since we all were measured, we have been talking about the day we would get our
clothes back. Most of us loved the clothes we received. I can say that I am completely enamored with the new Ghanaian clothes I can now wear. Some of us even bought more clothes that the seamstresses had brought to sell. I know I did. As I write this, each of us is lesson planning with our new sasa pants on. The mentors are doing the same. We really look like a team now, all bound together by Ghanaian fabric. I guess you could say that that is magical.

– Ona Hauert

6/25/2015

Today in the beautiful country of Ghana started much like it does every day. I woke everyone up with a tap on the door and a “good morning, time to wake up”.  Breakfast was devoured and everyone piled into the van for another day of brick making and teaching. This process has become routine for us, every day starts the same and is followed by another day of hard work. I personally am really enjoying the teaching part of this experience as it teaches me not only about how I act as a leader to younger people, but how I interact with my co-teacher when teaching a lesson.  I teach fifth grade and a few of the boys in my class will come and sit by me during the break they have around ten o’clock every morning. At the end of the break they will fight over who gets to carry my backpack to class, and hold my hand as we walk to the classroom. Every day, it puts a smile on my face to see how excited they become when it is time for the Yevus to teach. The whole group has improved tremendously in terms of teaching and managing a class. At the end of class, we play a game. The kids absolutely love heads up seven up, actually running to the front of the class so that they can be picked to be the ones at the front.

We came home and ate a wonderful lunch, followed by some downtime where we were left to relax and talk. After that, we went to a palace in Keta where we were greeted by two chiefs. One of whom was the chief we spoke with during the first day we were here. The other was a more powerful chief and was dressed regally in bright fabric and gold jewelry. They told us of the duties of a chief and their role in society. Elizabeth is famous for asking many questions when we have guest speakers, and this time was no exception. Every time she raised her hand, she had not one, but two questions to ask, which the chiefs found amusing. In the end, they were very good spirited and answered every question that was thrown at them, even asking a few questions of their own. Somehow, the conversation was steered towards marriage and one of the chiefs even asked Elizabeth if she would like to marry an African chief. It was all fun and games obviously, but it was incredibly funny in the moment seeing as the chief is about seventy two years old.

We returned home and were given time to play with the local children or have some free time. Of course, I chose the children and couldn’t get the smile off my face the whole time. The children are always full of energy and happiness, and are always excited to come and play with the Yevus. We are almost like a special toy that they only get to play with for a short time before they have to give us back, and they take advantage of every second of it. We finished off the night with Jollof rice for dinner and the movie Girl Rising. The movie told the story of several girls and how they grew up in their separate parts of the world, coming from an assortment of backgrounds and upbringings. I wish we had gotten time to watch the whole thing, but due to time constraints, we could not finish. However, it is on Netflix, so that will be the first thing I watch when I come back. We also packed for our trip to Ho tomorrow where we will be for the weekend. I know that personally, I could not be more excited for what the capitol of the Volta region has to offer the Yevu Squad.

Signing off,

Hannah Mosher

6/26/2015

My alarm went off at 6:45 this morning, and I climbed out of my mosquito net to start waking the others.  Despite the early rising time, it wasn’t a difficult task to wake Yevu Squad this morning.  Many were already up and out of bed when I knocked on their doors, since everyone was anxious to begin our journey to Ho. We were greeted by a pleasant surprise as we entered the dining hall and peered out the window. The large bus that carried us on our journey from Accra to Home Base on our first day in Ghana was parked in the driveway of the hotel.  We brought our bags out to the bus to be packed onto the roof, before returning to the dining hall for breakfast.  We were devastated to learn that we had run out of peanut butter, but enjoyed our meal nonetheless. With stomachs full, we made our way outside, and we started boarding the bus.  As the seats started to fill in, we noticed that we were one member short of the complete Yevu Squad. As we discussed the absence, a member of our staff boarded the bus with the answer we were waiting for, but not expecting. We soon found out that during the night, one of our fellow students had boarded a flight back home. We have become a family in the past couple of weeks, and it is never easy to lose a member of your family, but we can’t blame her for her decision, and we are glad that she will soon be in a place where she is happy and comfortable. She has had a positive impact on this experience, and she will be in mind as we complete the final week of our program.  Once the information sunk in, we pulled out of the hotel and began our journey to Ho.

After a long three hours on the bus, we arrived in the capitol of the Volta Region.  Our first stop was a visit to a local Ken-Te weaving business. After a brief history of this unique type of weaving, we were given a chance to test our skills. Some were more fit for the job than others, but it was an interesting experience for everyone. While preparing to leave, we were given the opportunity to purchase Ken-Te items that were already completed. As we took these items in exchange for very little money, we thought back to the time we spent weaving. Imagining the amount of time it would take to complete the items in our hands, we developed a much greater appreciation for the work put into them.  We walked back to the bus, and made our way to lunch.

With stomachs full once again, we drove to our second stop, where we would learn how to make Batik fabric.  Batik is a method of fabric design that involves wax stamps that remain the original color, when the fabric is submerged in dye.  We were all given a yard of white fabric, and there were several stamp options to choose from.  After stamping our fabric, we were given several color options to dye our fabric with.  Everyone created a unique design, and each one was beautiful.  After purchasing some ice cream, we boarded the bus for our final stop before heading to the hotel.

We arrived at Youth Village Exchange, and we led inside by a leader of the NGO. We were sat down, and given the history and vision of the organization.  Youth Village Exchange aims to help young mothers develop the skills that are necessary to support themselves and their children in the future.   We were given a tour around the facility and an opportunity to purchase items that were sold to fund the organization.  Once we had finished our purchases, we rushed back to the bus in hopes of arriving at the hotel before the pool shut down for the night.

With nearly an hour to spare, we arrived at the hotel and ran straight to the pool.  We swam for a while before heading to our rooms to get washed up for dinner.  Faces were filled with excitement as we arrived in the dining hall and saw pizza and fries, ready to be eaten.  The food was devoured in very little time, and everyone began to exit the dining hall and head separate ways for the night.  I was given the opportunity to sit on the pool deck with a view of Ho illuminated against the night sky.  As I sat and talked to a few other students in the final hours of the night, we tried to discuss our favorite memories of the trip thus far.  Few could develop a single answer to this question.  Every moment of this experience has been unbelievable, and I can’t wait to see what the following days in Ho have in store.

– Julia Bell

6/27/2015

We woke up early today at around 5:30. Some people woke up earlier because they wanted to see the sunrise. When the students who woke up early went outside, they found out that it was extremely foggy and that it would be impossible to see the sun rise. Despite this everyone was in high spirits because we were going to see the waterfall. We all ate breakfast at 6:00 and then we got on the bus and drove to the monkey sanctuary.

At the monkey sanctuary there were mixed reactions. Some students were ecstatic to hold the banana and have a monkey climb on their arm to peal the banana. On the other hand some students were very nervous to have a wild animal on their arm. Most of us eventually warmed up to the Mona monkeys and let them climb on our arms. A certain mentor was terrified of the monkeys and didn’t let one come near her. One monkey got the great idea to climb on a student’s back and surprise the student from behind. This student freaked out and screamed and the monkey ran off. Overall most of us had a great time with the monkeys.

When we arrived at the forest that the waterfall was located in, everyone was eager to get to the waterfall. The hike to the waterfall was about a 45 minute walk through a beautiful rainforest. As we got closer to the waterfall we could see the outline of it and we got more and more excited. Everyone was enchanted by the waterfall when we arrived. Most people got into their swimsuits and ran into the water. Many pictures were taken. Everyone had a fun time. When we were walking back it started pouring and everyone got soaking wet, but by the time we were back the sun was out and the rain had stopped.

There was a small village near the waterfall where there was a little craft market. We got our money and we bought a lot of cool souvenirs. After everyone was done shopping, we drove back to the hotel. We ate dinner.  Some people stayed up late and talked, but I crashed into my bed because I was exhausted and I fell asleep right away.

– Abigail Walters

6/28/2014

Today we started off our last day in Ho a little later than usual, with a 7:30 wakeup call and breakfast at 8. After breakfast, we got on the bus at 9 to go to Remar Ghana, which is a small orphanage located in Ho. When we first got there the man that is the head of the orphanage told us a little bit about the facility. He told us that there were 6 boys that currently live there ranging in age from 12 to 16 years old. After he finished telling us about the facility and how it works we were able to talk to the boys and some of the local kids and get to know them a little bit. Most of us played with the new soccer ball that Dodzi had brought for them. They seemed very excited to play and I have found that mostly all of the kids we have met here are pretty good soccer players. Some of the other kids were hanging out with the smaller local kids that don’t live at the orphanage but hang out there. After about an hour and a half of being there, we took some group photos and then got back onto the bus to head back to the hotel. When we arrived at the hotel we had about 30 minutes to pack our stuff up and head down for lunch. We all ate our last lunch in Ho together in the dining room and took in the amazing view we had while we could. After lunch we headed back to the bus to begin our drive back to home base in Anloga. It was a pretty quiet car ride as mostly everyone was exhausted from the very eventful day we had on Saturday. It was sad to leave Ho because we had such a fun time, but I think a good majority of us were happy to be headed back to our home away from home.

– Julia Thornton

6/29/2015

Today we started the day by eating breakfast then heading to service site. When we got there we found out there was only two bags of cement there. So we planned to only do two but once we started the two bags we got more cement. We made three bags of cement which was 73 bricks. Then we got ready for teaching. Two people were missing during community service so staff had to help people during teaching. Teaching went well and nothing major happened. After lunch, we had a workshop called “Story of Stuff”. We learned about the processes of consumerism and waste. The seamstresses then came and gave people their clothing items. Once that was finished we left to Father’s House International again to play another game of soccer. They had about eight players on their team while we had about fifteen people on our team. They beat us six to one. Even though we lost it was a fun time. Once we came back, we got ready for dinner. We had reflection circle and talked about our day and then we listened to Stephen’s story and lesson planned.

– Taylor Keena & Mary Malone

8/6/2015

All students have safely arrived! We’re excited to tour Old Town Quito tomorrow!

– Lauren

8/6/2015

The group started their first big travel day….starting at 3 am. We took a bus to the airport and flew to Baltra island. We were already starting to miss José. After that, we took a combination of boat and bus rides to reach Isabella Island. Were we met our new tour guide…Faci. We walked around the town and eat a nice home made meal. We are all excited for the adventurous day ahead of us.

– Jack

8/9/2015

Contributed to the Wall of Tears today after a lengthy bike ride but it’s okay though we had a good time.
Found the entrance to the ocean after swimming/exploring in the Mangroves.

– Natalie

8/10/2015

Today we did our long 10 mile hike up Volcan Sierra Negro where we saw many different land formations created by the multiple eruptions over time. Although it was overcast and rainy for most of the day, we all had a lot of fun on the hike and in the mud, keeping a positive attitude the whole way. All in all, it was a good day of exercise and a good bonding experience for the very one in the group.

– Madie Keller

8/11/2015

Today was our first day of service, we came into the service and instantly started working. We moved branches and twigs with rain, cockroaches and spiders challenging us many times. We worked around tortoises and got a chance to feed them fresh oranges and bananas which we indulged in ourselves, picked right from the tree. Everyone stayed positive and motivated, it got tough to stay on track but we pulled through. Although it was tough work we were up for the challenge, you couldn’t stop us from getting our hands dirty. After the job was done we headed back to the hotel to reenergize. Once our meal was finished we were off to see the tortoises. Our tour guide showed us around filling us with knowledge about tortoises telling us about how he got into saving and helping them. We saw the baby tortoises and the adult tortoises who are very playful but very slow. We got back to the hotel to have a scavenger hunt, there we went around town with our teams of four to make today even better, we still have yet to see who wins but it is a close race. We spent the rest of the time at the beach watching the sunset over the mountain, all in all everyone worked hard and worked together while having a lot of fun on the way.

– Tessa

8/12/2015

Note:

Today, the group heads to their next stop – San Cristobal!

WiFi will be limited during this portion of the trip, so blog posts will be sporadic over the next few days. Fingers crossed for dolphin sightings on our journey!

From Matt:
Today we woke up early in an effort to finish our service work at Campo Duro. Before we started working on the lagoon…we went to a local school and played games with them and taught some English.  After that we went back to work on the lagoon.  With some tough shovelling and carrying, we were able to lay concrete for about 1/3 of the turtle lagoon, marking a nice finish to our project at Campo Duro. We played some soccer and in the afternoon had some free time to hang out and go to the beach. For dinner, we cooked instead of the family who usually prepares it for us. After some long work to make grilled cheese and ceviche, we enjoyed our food and had some group time, followed by sleep for an early morning.

8/14/2015

At 6:40 everyone was up and about getting ready for a long day in San Cristobal. We ate breakfast at 7 and departed up the mountain to start our service work. At the mountain, we worked together to destroy the invasive species(blackberry and guayaba plants) to allow more indemic plants to grow there. This would allow more land turtles and birds to nest and thrive in the area. Afterwards, we ate a delicious lunch and departed to Tijeratas where we snorkeled by the side of the native Galapagos wildlife. To dry off, we relaxed in the beautiful city until we departed back to Home Base. Then we ate dinner and went star gazing/owl watching which was the ending to an amazing day.

– Varun

8/13/2015

Today was quiet an interesting travel day. The day started with a hearty last breakfast at our Isabela hotel that consisted of mostly jam n’ toast and eggs. After departing and arriving at the boat dock and proceeding to file onto the boat, we cruised along the surface of the ocean as the sun rose. Arriving at Floreana Island, we were greeted by crabs of various colors and sizes. We walked to a black sand beach where we snorkeled and lounged until lunchtime. There was a baby sea lion that made sounds like that of an infant human who entertained us as the day drew on. We later unhappily embarked on our last boat ride of the trip; a three hour one. It all turned out okay in the end though because San Cristobal was a beautiful sight to behold after a day of endless sea. Our living quarters are much different than in Isabela in that there are giant spiders on the wall constantly and were in the middle of nowhere. Overall, it’s unbelievably beautiful.

– Avalon

8/15/2015

Today we went to the beach and chilled with some sea lions. The. We went to town and bought some souvenirs for all you folks back home. For our service we planted many endemic trees in the area we cleared yesterday. On the hike back to home base we got to witness the end of a local horse race. It has been a long day full of fun and and meaningful activities and it felt great to shower. We are excited for a good nights sleep and another full day tomorrow.

– Chloe

8/17/2015

Hey families!! We have safely landed in Quito! This morning started out with the group getting to sleep in late and have a delicious last meal made by our host family. After that we packed all our things and headed to the town for one last souvenir run. Our flight was short and we had about a half hour stop in Guayaquil where we played a question game with Skittles. We landed a half hour later in Quito International Airport. Everyone is very excited to be back in Quito and excited to see what the last full day of our time in Ecuador will bring.

– Annalea

8/18/2015

Our final day in Ecuador has been bittersweet. We started off this morning with a trip to the Equator museum where we learned about native Ecuadorian peoples as well as how being directly on the equator effects the way things work.

We were enthralled with trying to balance an egg on a nail. Most of us were able to ( we got certificates to thing home for those of us who succeeded). Many souvenirs were bought before we headed back to the bus and back to the hotel. Once there, we made a quick excursion to the local supermarket before we headed back to the hotel for a delicious lunch. After lunch we headed for the local artisan market where we had a ball buying and bargaining with the local sellers. Now we are settling down for the night and getting ready for our super early flights but we are excited to be heading home.

– Annalea

8/19/2015

All students have departed and are on their way home!