Time Capsule Letter
Dear Ghana COA 14 Session 3,
Ladies and Declan, look how far you’ve come!! We remember looking across our table at you lot by day 3 and thinking, “Look at them…these guys are so cool…they don’t need us to interact and have fun with each other!” We really appreciated that you all supported one another, had wonderfully deep interactions with each other, made new and hopefully lasting connections and overall had fun out here.
You had a wonderful attitude coming into the trip and kept it up even when it was difficult. You faced the challenges head on-the Boti Falls hike for instance, changes in the service needs when the primary school had exams, working with kids at the nursery and doing the hike up and down, primary school construction and on top of that always having energy for the park…you guys are legends!
Henry and his team remember you fondly and thank you for the appreciation you always gave to their efforts as well as the relationships you formed with them. The kids still ask us about you guys by the way… That should show you how deep of an impact your love, kindness and self-giving nature towards them made. Just like we discussed countless times, they are full of happiness and love, always remember that about them. For those who can, consider how you can keep giving back to this, and many other communities when you can.
Finally, you are strong. Pursuing self-growth was a goal for many. Please keep finding ways to do this. Coming in, some people had doubts about being able to make it through but the way you all were able to take care of each other-not letting age, background or other factors hinder your interactions was beautiful. Keep it up with your family, friends and people around you- we agreed that the world needs some Krobo-Love…spread it! Krobo is shinnninnnn !!!!
Your Group goal when we did OMG (One Meaningful Goal) was: To use our knowledge and personal experience to proactively educate and pass it on through:
-Giving presentations at schools, to family and friends.
-Using media as a healthy and honest platform to share our experiences and knowledge.
-Sharing pictures, videos and memories of the happy lives in Krobo
-Being active in school newspapers, art, writing and other different forms of expression to share our experiences.
-When asked about our trip, be honest about the knowledge we gained and the experiences we had.
-Changing the Single Story Narrative
From Liz, Breezy, Dee, Nana-Ama, Henry and Jazz- we love you all!
Go out there and be the change!
Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!
Saturday July 13, 2019
After some people spent 9 hours at jfk and some who barely made the flight, all 16 of us made it to ACCRA! Liz and Henry, the best directors, took us to the party van, to go to home base. While we were driving up we got to see everyone in the village including the kids we waved to. We got to home base with a warm welcome of hugs and drums. We all introduced ourselves and saw our rooms and bathroom. We had a really good dinner of Vegetable rice with chicken curry (vegetable curry for our favorite vegetarians) and some fresh watermelon. Since we are all good kids we went to bed 2 hours before bedtime:))
Sunday July 14, 2019
Even though rest of the town was having a party throughout the night: including the animals, we still woke up early in time for church. We had a delicious breakfast of french toast, omelettes, and fruit. We also got introduced to plantain and cassava chips during breakfast which have changed all of our lives. There are constant arguments about which one is better and everyone is always snacking on them.
We then walked down to the church and joined their service. The service was so fun to see because everyone was dancing and singing and they were all so passionate. then we walked through the town and got a tour of the house. Then we had lunch and after we went to see the nursery and the primary school, where we’ll be helping. Then we played more group games then got to go to the park. All the little kids were the cutest things and made everyone so 😍😍😘😘😀😀😀😃😃😄😄😁😁😁😆😆😆😊😊😊😌😜😜😜😋😋
-by Krishna and Sam
Monday July 15, 2019
Hi there! Today was a day packed with smiles, new friends, and fun!! We started the morning off with a delicious breakfast made by our amazing chefs! (We personally love the french toast!) After breakfast we piled into the van and headed to Cedi Bead Factory! We spent the first half of our morning at Cedi Beads learning how they handmade their beads. After watching a “tutorial”, we had the opportunity to make our own beads! We also got to purchase some of the beautiful beads in their shop to bring back home to our family and friends!
After Cedi Beads, we came back to Homebase where the Seamstress was ready to fit us to make our individualized clothes! We got to pick from vibrant fabrics and different styles of clothing. After the seamstress left, we ate our lunch which was a special dish here in Ghana! It was called “Kontomire” and we ate it with yummy rice!
After lunch, we went back to Cedi Beads to pick up our final products! The beads all turned out amazing and we are super excited to have them to remind us of our time here! Cedi Beads Factory has a beautiful property that we got to do some activities in. We played games and eventually broke into our mentor groups to talk about the importance of different cultures!
We left Cedi Beads and headed to Homebase where we rested for a little and ate some Cassava Chips (the BEST!). We then planned the games we wanted to play with the kids at the park and headed down to meet the kids! Today we played duck duck goose, limbo, jump rope, and simon says with the kids! Soooo fun!!!
After our yummy dinner of chicken and veggie pasta, we were dressed and painted by GLA staff in traditional Ghanaian style! We had a presentation about “Dipo”, a ceremony that all girls in Krobo do! We finished off the night by receiving our Krobo names! (Callie = Koryo, Keely = Darley)
Today was such a fun day continuing to bond with our new friends in our new home!
Keeks & Cals send loads of love to Bevmo, Dave, Keara, Ross, and all the sissys!!! We LOVEE U!!!
Xoxo,
Darley & Koryo
Tuesday July 16, 2019
Today in the beautiful, warm village of Krobo, Ghana, the students of GLA traveled to Boti Falls to absorb the rich history of the land. We hiked on a trail and learned about the giant who left its footprint on the rock, the fertility rock beside the three headed palm tree that blesses you with twins or triples if you stand/sit on it (sorry Audrey’s mom, your daughter was accidentally blessed), and the cave that sheltered the hunter and preforms music if you cover the holes lining the wall. Some people became tired, but persevered and were rewarded with the stunning view from the top of the umbrella rock.
The rolling hills of the sanctuary were a green delight that will forever be valued in our impression of the falls. Afterwards, we hiked to the massive waterfalls, another stunning view. The entire ride back to base consisted of joyous singing taught to us by our welcoming host family. Sam and Aly were especially charmed and belted the lyrics they learned. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at home base, and some GLA students rallied up their energy and spent the evening playing with the children.
Finally, after stuffing our faces with delicious homemade fries, golden chicken, vegetables, and ripe mango, we gathered together to watch an incredibly powerful TedTalk, “The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda, and the prospective altering video, “How to Get More Likes on Social Media.” The discussion helped us challenge our biased view of the people of Africa, and how media and perspective influences our interpretation of countries far from us.
We learned about how dangerous it is to only acknowledge something through limited knowledge and perspective. Olivia, Meg, Callie, Hannah, and Lindsey brought up compelling ideas and helped truly elevate the conversation. We are entirely grateful for the amazing and jam packed day we received, and everyone felt satisfied. There’s more to see tomorrow, and we know it’ll exceed our expectations.
Sincerely,
Liv (hi mom and dad, love you)
And
Audrey (hi Mom, Dad, Ethan, Matthew, and everyone! Love you all so much!)
Wednesday July 17, 2019
It’s Wednesday my dudes! Today was an eventful day. We started out the morning with splitting the group in half and escaping from human knots. At breakfast we ate oatmeal, ring donuts, mangoes, and toast. Then we headed outside to make bricks with Sammy! We each got to give it a try. Then we came back, exhausted, to do a GLA activity discussing values and global issues- it was very interesting to see everyone’s positions and beliefs.
After a delicious lunch we rested and made friendships brackets in front of the fan as we waited for our next activity. Then we had a mini competition between the mentor groups (go Team Dee!). Then we met our host families and learned some Krobo words- we will be sure to be fluent by the time we get back! After that, we met at the park and played with the kids for an hour; they are always such a joy! We finished the day off with a cultural dance performed by Universal Music and Dance Group! Everyone joined in and danced their hearts out! It’s time for a big day of service work tomorrow!
Lots of love to our families back home!! ❤💛
~ Bailey (Tsaako) & Meredith (Terko)
Thursday July 18, 2019
Hello GLA blog!
This morning we woke up to our favorite breakfast of oats, bread, and the freshest pineapple you’ve ever tasted. The people working in the nursery had a very successful day today as they were able to get the hang of things after a challenging first day. They taught things such as shapes and numbers and had fun with the coloring books. Over at the primary school, the construction workers pushed through their sore muscles from lifting heavy pick axes. They finished crushing the old concrete and filled one corner of the classroom with fresh concrete (with help from the amazing Sammy).
After our service and lunch, we were introduced to the art of batik fabric dying. Each one of us got to stamp a cloth with a hot wax design. After stamping the fabric, we got to choose a color that a specialist dyed for us. We can’t wait to see how our fabrics turned out. After batik, we we went to play with the energetic kids, a highlight being the intense game of keep away. Aly and Sam stepped up to be amazing team leaders during the game. Park time ended with a beautiful sunset over the village of Krobo. Friday night dinner was a party with sing-alongs and dancing. Tomorrow we look forward to our weekend market trip, cooking class, and hawking lesson.
Hugs and kisses,
Lindsey & Olivia aka Ayongo & Koleki
P.S. Happy birthday Liv!!! We all love you so much.
Hello lovely GLA blog readers! This is Meg reporting on 7-24-19. It’s crazy that there are only two more days left, what?!? Anyway…
Today we all got up and some of us weren’t feeling so great, but our amazing mentors and directors totally understood and were totally amazing. Before breakfast we played a quick game where we all shared one thing about each other that we didn’t know. It was a great way to start the morning and continue to build friendships through this experience.
We went to our service sites for our last day of service. The primary school finished up the floor that they made from nothing. With help from the infamous brick making genius Sammy of course. At the nursery we went to our classes and continued to form bonds with the kiddos. Who are ADORABLE!
We came back and played a fun game before eating lunch. The mentors & directors were so kind and gave us a few hours to decompress and relax after our last day of service.
They played The Lion King and Moana. After we went to the park and I was able to get pictures with everyone and the kiddos! We had a blast with them, although it was sad that today was our last ‘official’ day playing. Tomorrow we go and say our goodbyes. 😢
We had dinner and talked about the highlights and lowlights of our day. After dinner we had a guest speaker come in and talk with us! Monica who owns EdMon preschool (the nursery we go to) did a marvelous job. This extraordinary woman is a mother of 2, the owner/ founder of EdMon Preschool, Manager of Human Resources for one of the rather larger banks in Accra, AND has her own store that sells home appliances!!! #superwoman .
After listening to Monica we hung out, talked with each other, played games, and more. Today we had a blast! Yes it was sad being the last day of playing and teaching, we know we have made unbreakable bonds with each other and the kids. I hope you enjoy some pics from the park!
Ps. All pictures below were taken by Meg, and no filters were used.
