TIME CAPSULE LETTER
Written by Dodzi, Maggie, Stephen, Wisdom, Eugene and Jerry
Greetings from your GLA Ghana team!
We hope all of you are doing well and staying the same adventurous, funny, and curious people we met. Now that you are back at home, we don’t want you to forget all your adventures and lessons from our program in Ghana, so we decided it’s time to bring all the memories back!
Think about the first time you entered the classroom at the Avete School, how you were feeling slightly nervous but at the same time incredibly excited. Remember how the students greeted you, the moment you felt a connection with them and pulled a smile out of their faces. Think about the days shovelling, mixing cement and laying the bricks, to build the wall that would make the school a safe environment for local children.
All your planning and dedication to show up every day to the classroom with unshakable enthusiasm and such a positive attitude was not disregarded, and it clearly showed from how the students came running to hug you every morning! You became such a celebrity with all the letters you got at the end. And we will not forget how emotional the last day at school was, it was a goodbye with some tears and many “I’ll miss you” and “It was so good to meet you”.
It’s unbelievable how we packed so many amazing adventures in our 21 days together, there was so much laughter and interesting conversations every day! All the memories that made this experience so incredibly special would not fit here, so we’ll leave with a few special ones:
·We all became better dancers! Every chance we had, we would dance. It started with the lesson from the Keta music group, but let’s not forget the first day of service where dozens of kids joined us to dance the macarena and the YMCA.
·Visiting the Father’s House International. Such a special place that we will save in our memories!
·The cooking lesson where we cooked one of our favourites: red red. Thank you Freeheart and Chef Dodzi!
·The football game with the local students, which finally the GLA team won, after so many years loosing.
·The afternoon spent with the Ghanian High School Students, with who we felt such a deep connection (Did anyone stay in touch?).
·The sight of the Wli waterfall was so amazing and we couldn’t resist the urge to swim!
·The excursions to the market! For some of us it was the craziest market they have ever been.
·The last day at school, when we had to say our final goodbye, or hopefully “etso mia do go” (see you later)!
Do you still remember when you planned your One Meaningful Goal? As a group you decided to have regular calls to help each other stay on track of bringing the lessons from this program to your lives back home – each one in their own way. The calls are scheduled for November 8th 2023, January 8th 2024 and April 8th 2024 – how is this going? We hope you stay in touch and help each other make some progress! And hopefully you are also working towards your own personal One Meaningful Goal and being a step closer to be person who would make your future self proud.
We can’t say enough what a wonderful group you were and how absolutely amazing it was to share this experience with you! We admire you for embracing this challenge with an open mind, flying all the way to Africa to teach in a Ghanaian school and help build the wall for them! Every single one of you made an impact and left their own mark in the projects you contributed to and the people you met – the students from the Avete school and the kids from the local community will not forget you! The future holds great things for each and every one of you, and we trust you will find the path to be the change!
We wish you all the best!
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
Here are a few things you can expect:
- We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
Cell Phone Policy: The GLA cell phone policy is currently in place this summer to help foster meaningful connections between students. This means your student’s phone will be collected every day and returned to them after activities are completed to have with them through the night. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location and time zones. During designated ‘tech time’, your student may use their phones as they wish. Please note that your student may not always choose to use this time to get a hold of their parents. If you are not hearing directly from your student each day, you can assume that no news is good news! We strongly recommend you follow the blog to follow your students’ experience without talking to them every day. If you are a parent and would like to get in touch with your student directly, you can call us at +1-619-758-3031 and we can set up a formal time for you to connect with your student.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR JULY 18
Hello GLA families and friends,
Today the program Ghana – Children of Africa begins!
We welcomed our students at the airport, and they looked tired from the flight but very positive and excited about finally starting this amazing adventure.
We arrived at the homebase around dinner time, and after everyone ate some delicious food, students called it an early night to charge their batteries for what’s ahead. Angelina and Lou arrived later, so they’ll join the group tomorrow morning.
Woezor to all of our students, we are very excited to have you!
Stay tuned to follow our adventures!
Your GLA Ghana Team,
Dodzi, Maggie, Stephen, Wisdom, Eugene
BLOG POST FOR JULY 19
Hello GLA families and friends,
Day one started off with breakfast at 8.30 am. The first agenda was introducing the students to the both program staff and support staff; thereafter the students were oriented to the home base code of conduct, GLA policies, program expectations and an overview of the 3 weeks service program. They had a chance to visit the Anloga beach front, 100metres from home base, then came back for delicious lunch of chicken, fried potatoes and salad.
At 2.00pm, there was an Ewe lesson and later Ewe traditional dancers, The Emancipation Group, crowned the afternoon with folk music and dance.The students also had a chance to interact with the local community kids who were eagerly waiting for them.
Fast forward, dinner was served at 6.30 pm then followed by Ewe naming ceremony at 7.30pm. Having known their Ewe names, the day was done and everyone went to rest in readiness for the day ahead.
The Ghanaian adventure awaits them!
Your GLA Ghana Team,
Dodzi, Maggie, Stephen, Wisdom and Eugene
BLOG POST FOR JULY 20
Written by Maddie and Isa
Today we started off the morning with moving blocks. These blocks are for a wall which we will be building in the following days and weeks. The wall is important because they will use it for the safety of the students. Then we taught different grade levels. We all enjoyed getting to learn new things today. After teaching, we went to the market to buy fabric. This fabric is being used for clothes that we designed. Then we went to Fathers’ House International and learned about what they do for the community. Then we came back and had the best dinner we have ever eating. The fries were AMAZING! After dinner we saw a beautiful sunset and waited for Dr. Jeremiah to come by. While he was here, we learned about leadership and how we can make a change in our community. Overall today was a breath taking amazing adventure!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 21
Written by Whip and Grant
Today was only our 4th day in Ghana yet everyone feels as if we have known each other our whole lives. So far we have had two productive days of teaching. We started our service today by continuing construction on a wall that will eventually surround the school. After working on the wall we danced and played with the students before beginning our class period. We have formed pairs to teach in and each group was able to pick their desired grade/age . We choose what lessons and subjects we want to teach, and create lesson plans the night prior. We can choose between math, science, English, geography, and literature. This is the first time teaching for many if not all of us, and it is both interesting and challenging to think like a teacher and try and come up with lesson plans that will be effective and keep our classes engaged. The kids are a joy to be around and the teachers are appreciative of our help, and we thank them for being so welcoming to all of us.
After, we ate a beautiful lunch with local hosts families. We exchanged stories about our culture and were able to ask all of our burning questions about different aspects of life in Ghana. We then conducted a model conference in which we debated about the effects that a proposed oil drilling operation would cause in the Volta region. We each portrayed different groups including global oil conglomerates, students, local farmers and fishers, and the Ghanaian government. Then, we spent time with local children at home base, playing soccer and drinking from coconuts among other things.
We ate another amazing dinner together and finished our night with a discussion about the dangers of stereotyping. We discussed how our perceptions of Ghana before we arrived were often based on stereotypes. Similarly, we agreed there were common stereotypes about each of our home countries that people in Africa are drawn into just as we are. We concluded that the best thing we can do to combat stereotypes is to try our best to not find things true until we have actually seen them for everything they are, not just the stereotypes we are so accustomed to hearing. Overall, we had another amazing day and there is much anticipation for the weeks ahead.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 22
Written by Meron and Isa
Today was a very eventful day. We started out by having our service in the morning. We made really good progress on the wall, and it is coming along well. After service we had an amazing lunch and then took time to hang out on the porch and make bracelets with the community children. Then we went to Xenui island and learned how to weave baskets for carrying money and mats for sleeping. We came back to home base to eat a delightful dinner and then started our last activity which was talking about our triggers. Then we ended the night with games of Down by the Banks and Musical Chairs.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 23
Written by Lou and Kezia
We started the day by waking up everyone by playing the drum and yelling «breakfast!!»
We had an amazing breakfast as always and went to church – it was some of us’ first time!
Church was loud and exciting, and we had a great time as women took us dancing and the Sermon was interesting to hear. After church we had lunch and time to play with the kids during which we made bracelets, danced, and played football. In the afternoon we went to the Host family’s houses and discovered what a Ghanaian household was like. After dinner we had a discussion on voluntourism. Overall, it was a great day!
~Lou and Kezia
BLOG POST FOR JULY 24
Written by Jordan and Donovan
This morning our group started off with a slow start. We enjoyed a nice breakfast and went straight to service. We had fun working on the wall that we´ve been building for the past few days. After working on the wall, we taught the students, who were prepared and excited to come back to school after the weekend. We then went back to home base where we enjoyed our break by napping, learning to wash our clothes by hand, and getting new haircuts. After everyone got back from their free time activities, we had the privilege to listen to Dr. Etoko Dupey about the history of Ghana and the hardships the country faced to get to where it is today. The rest of the day we spent talking and getting to know each other before ending the night with a movie about the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. We´re excited about the days to come!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 25
Written by Justine and James
Hello Families!
We started the day off strong with a continuation of the construction work we have been doing. Each passing day our progress and skills have drastically improved thanks to Wonder and Savior (the two locals teaching us the necessary skills)!
After a small break in which we played with the local school children, we were able to teach our classes once again. Each day is better and better, getting to know our students and adapting to their needs!
Once we finished eating a wonderfully tasty meal at homebase, we piled up into the bus all the way to Keta. There, we had a guided tour of the Keta Fort, a stronghold where slaves were held before being transported. We were guided through the history of the fort along with each individual room. We learned that part of the fort was flooded due to the rising tides of the nearby coast, which was fixed by a rock wall donated by the US government.
We then were able to explore the beach a little further down the coast. We went to a local beach vendor and bought various drinks such as Coca Cola or Fanta. We had lots of fun running along the waves and sitting on the sand.
We ended the day with a discussion with Dodzi about education in Ghana and a retelling of his own life story.
Overall, this was another incredible day in Ghana!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 26
Written by Meron and Angelina
Today began with a short breakfast of omelettes, toast and some watermelon sliced into rectangles. Due to a field trip involving the students of our respective classes, we didn’t teach today. This allowed us to wake up at 8am instead of our usual 7am, which had us out of the door by nine. Service was as usual with the mean jobs being mixing cement, placing mortar, and carrying bricks.
Lunch consisted of fries, chicken, and a selection of vegetables and took place at the regular hour. We had a spacious schedule today, allowing us to spend a nice amount of time conversing and spending time with one another.
At 2pm, we were treated to a cooking class hosted by our kitchen staff. The meal of choice was a native dish called Red Red. Aside from the helpful directions and occasional intervention by staff, we chopped, stirred, and fried everything ourselves. Red Red includes tomatoes, onions, plantains, and carrots (all of which were sliced by us) and other miscellaneous ingredients including the main ingredient black-eyed peas.
After enjoying a well deserved portion of our hard work, we again had free time. Many of us played with the local children from the village, who came to the home base to play with us. Later, we took them to the beach and, although we got slightly wet and sandy, we enjoyed it and the children enjoyed it, so I’d call that a success. Following a quick shower, we had a dinner of beef fried rice with pineapple and settled down to discuss our imminent departure for Ho.
We ended the evening with a documentary about the struggle and importance of girls’ education. It told the stories of 9 underprivileged girls from around the world with one common goal. To go to school. By the end we were ready for bed and said goodnight.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 27
Written by Written by Lou and Justine
We started off the day with service, some shovelled a trench to build a new part of the wall while others were building the part we had already started. We are amazed at how tall it´s getting! We then happily went back into the classrooms to teach. After a delicious lunch, we went to a high school for a football match which, we are proud to say, we won! Finally, we ended the day with fun communication activities. Overall, it was a very good day!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 28
Written by Kezia and Maddie
Today we woke up to the sound of drums at the early hour of 7am. Once we had risen from our slumber, we had a wonderful breakfast. We got ready for service and left at the usual time. For service today, we started a new portion of the wall in a different area, which involved lots of concrete carrying, as some of us continued on the other section of the wall. Once we had wrapped up the wall building and had time to play with the kids, we got changed and taught our respective classes.
After lunch, we had some downtime before heading to the market, where we played a scavenger hunt game. This game involved a shopping list in Ewe, in which we had to talk to locals to translate and hunt down the items. We also got some shopping time at the end.
At 3:30, we went to the high school, where we got to talk to other high school students and then do some fun games and activities with them! We came back and some time to pack for our weekend trip to Ho, and then ate dinner.
The evening activity consisted of learning about the Ghanaian funeral ceremony, which was very interesting. We ended the day with Wi-Fi time, and then bed. What a day!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 29
Written by Jordan and Whip
This morning the group woke up a little earlier than usual. We got up and started our journey to Ho. We arrived in Ho and got straight to the fun experiences. We stopped at a market to buy plenty of snacks for our stay, and we were even able to find some ice cream sandwiches! For our first activity in Ho, we learned about the history of Kente weaving and got to try our hand at it. After we left the weavers we arrived at our hotel, just in time for lunch! After lunch we explored the hotel, played on the playground, and found all different kinds of animals, some we had never seen before. Everyone was excited to jump in the pool, but first we had to take a swim test. Luckily everyone passed and we all were able to have a good time swimming and talking by the pool. Before dinner, a lot of us spent time in our rooms and getting to know our way around the hotel. At dinner we enjoyed pizza, pasta, and watermelon, among other delicious foods. So far, we love Ho!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 30
Written by Lou and Donovan
Today was our second day in Ho, we had the chance to learn how to make the typical cloth called Batik. Batik is made by applying prints dipped in wax on white cloth and then dying it. For lunch we tried the local Fufu, which most of the students found very spicy. After lunch we went on a beautiful hike in the jungle. It was an amazing experience with a super cool thunderstorm! We quickly arrived at the waterfall. There we went on a very fun swim. We walked the end of the hike under pouring rain which made it very fun. On the way back we stopped by a craft market with very beautiful art and jewellery. Overall, it was a fun day, rich in emotions and laughter.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 31
Written by Angelina
Our last morning in Ho was spent relaxing in the hotel until it was time to gather our things for our return to home base. We started the day with a breakfast of both hot and cold options and a 10am swim session. Lunch was equally as tasty and immediately afterwards, we began the around 3 hour drive.
Having stopped twice, we arrived back at home base and were greeted by seamstresses and a sea of clothes for sale. We collected, reviewed and paid for our clothes that we had previously ordered before digging into the piles.
The night came to an end with a final activity involving writing nice messages to each other to be read at a later date.
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1
Written by James
Today we started the day off stronger with breakfast, eggs, toast and fruit, before heading off to volunteer for the day. Like typical, we started with the construction of the wall by creating cement and adding rocks into it to create a base layer for a new section of wall we are creating. Using the trench we dug out a few days ago, we continued to fill it, preparing for the process of layering bricks. We also started to carry some bricks to the trench to make it easier to fill up later in the process. After, we taught all of our students teaching them as best we could.
Once we got back to homebase, we had a quick lunch before a local hair braider came and braided some of our hair. She was extremely nice and braided three people´s hair. After that, we had our main afternoon activity which was a photo scavenger hunt. The three teams got a list of photos with specific objects or people that had to be included in them. We had to walk around the local community and ask about our list and where to find items or if it was okay to take pictures of people.
After a break, we had dinner proceeded by our nighttime activity “trash your values” where we had to write down our top ten most important values. Slowly we had to shrink our list, by eliminating, swapping with a partner, or reviving some values until each GLA student had three values left on their paper. Overall, today was an exciting day and we are all excited for what tomorrow has in store for us.
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2
Written by Whip and Maddie
Today we woke up at 7:00 AM and got ready for breakfast. After breakfast we got ready for service. Today’s service was a lot of brick carrying and cement making. We all worked hard today, and it was cool to see our work paying off.
After service we played with the kids before getting changed for teaching. Teaching was so much fun, we are really starting to build a relationship with our students. After teaching we headed back for lunch and then went to visit the chief.
We had an inspiring conversation before heading back for dinner. After dinner we played volleyball before the night activity. Today’s night activity was all about goal setting both as individuals and as a team. Overall, we had a wonderful day and we can’t wait to do it again tomorrow!
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 3
Written by Kezia and Whip
Today we woke up with the knowledge that today was our last day of teaching, so we were all feeling a little down and sad about saying goodbye to the kids at the school. After breakfast, we had service, and then had playtime with the kids before we taught. We got lots of hugs and goodbyes, and it was very sweet, although sad! We came back for lunch at noon, and then about an hour later, we left for an island that we got to by boat. The island was very nice and relaxing, and we had fun swinging in the hammocks, playing volleyball, and swimming in the river. We had a fun afternoon there, and then took the boat back and arrived at home base for dinner. In the evening we had time to prep for the talent show which is tomorrow. Today was a mix of emotions, although it was sad saying goodbye, it was an exciting and eventful day.
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4
Written By Justine and Isa
Yesterday, we started off the morning by waking up an hour later (8am). We went to service to continue building the wall. Then we came home, had an amazing lunch, and played with the kids for a while. After that, Makafui Awuku, founder of Mckingtoch Africa, which is a brand that makes stuff out of recycled items, came to talk to us about his mission. We built a Christmas tree using used plastic bottles with him. Finally, we had a talent show where everyone performed a talent, which led into a dance party that ended the night.
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5
Written by Jordan and Meron
Today was a chill day. We started off with our last day of service, which was sad, but we did some great reflection on all the memories we´d made together. After service, we came back home to a wonderful lunch before a few hours of free time to play with the local kids and relax. We then got together as a group to talk about what we could do to help this community that we have come to love. We explored options like sponsoring kids by paying for their school fees, raising money to pay for school supplies, and much more. After that, we went to the beach where we played sports and enjoyed the music with the kids. Later, we came back home to enjoy a delicious dinner and ended the night with a super fun bonfire! We´re all so sad that this trip is coming to an end, but we´re making the most of what’s left!
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6
Written by Lou and Grant
Today we were able to wake up later as it’s Sunday! After a good breakfast we left to clean the beach beside Home Base. It is common for women in this community to carry baskets on their heads while their child is strapped to their back. That said, this afternoon we tried the same. This task was quite difficult and no one from the GLA group was able to replicate the art of this task. Before the start of the next exciting activity, we got to play with the children from around the village and had to say our final goodbyes. We had one final chance to practice our Ghanaian dance moves with a local traditional music group.
After this amazing activity, we got dressed in our local Ghanaian attire that was tailored to us by a local tailor. Then we attended our final dinner which was great because the dinner included great food, music, and quality time with our friends, before we depart tomorrow. Our final activity was very heartfelt, which was a displayed the appreciation and gratitude we had for each other. Finally, we enjoyed a movie together. This trip has been great and we were all glad to enjoy one last moment of conversation and quality time between the amazing people we met through GLA.
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7
East or west, home is best. Departure day had finally arrived and the west was calling. Breakfast was served at 9am thereafter students did their final round of packing. Lunch was served early and this time in the summer hut. Time was moving fast and by 11.50 am all was set for departure. The students did a detour at the Anloga Avete School to say their last goodbyes. The atmosphere was filled with emotions for about an hour. It was a bitter sweet moment for both GLA students and Avete students. At 1 pm the journey to Accra begun and after 3 hours we were in the city. As a tradition, we visited the craft market to grab some souvenirs with the last coins remaining from our stay in Ghana. Thereafter went to Accra mall to have our last supper. It was no surprise that we missed American food. Pizza and fried chicken were top on the menu.
7pm we set off for kotoka airport. It finally downed on everyone that our stay in Ghana had finally come to an end. GLA staff and students alike were overwhelmed with emotions as we saw each other off probably for the last time or with the hope that fate would reunite us in the future.
To the students this was an epic experience of 3weeks of adventure. As the curtains close for the season, we applaud all the efforts and skill that made the summer worth remembering.
To all the students and staff, best wishes in your future adventures.
Your GLA Ghana Team,
Dodzi, Maggie, Stephen, Wisdom and Eugene
