7/18/2017
Just a quick note to let you know that all students (and their luggage) arrived safely and we are currently driving to Home Base.
Group photo to come tomorrow!
Greetings friends and families from Children of Africa, Krobo
Our program has been in full swing for 2 days now and we are going to be blogging by tomorrow!!
The following Leadership Positions have been chosen by the GLA CoA Krobo students to facilitate and manage throughout the entire session:
Bloggers – Erin and Soumya
Time Keepers – Shanna and Natalia
Game Leaders – Gigi and Alex
Daily Agenda – Katie and Megan
Site Leads – Ally M and Quinn
Head Counters – Willa and Amanda
Clean Space Reminders – Annie and Sarah
Health Reminders – Ali C and Ella
Thank You’s – Nicole and Bianca
Stay tuned for MORE from our student bloggers Erin and Soumya …………
Hello from Ghana! This week has been filled with nothing but excitement and joy. A majority of us landed in Accra Tuesday evening and after going through customs and a long bumpy drive we arrived at Home Base. We were greeted by a delicious dinner and warm Ghanaian hospitality which we all have come to know and love. We were assigned rooms and were in bed shortly after.
The next day after a much needed night of sleep we got up rested and ready to go. Most of us were wide awake after our cold bucket showers, and headed to the dining area for our first breakfast. It consisted of rice porridge, bread, and fresh pineapple which was all delicious especially the pineapple. As most of you may know in Ghana it is extremely important to stay hydrated, but the water isn’t safe for us to consume, so instead of drinking tap water, we were introduced to a cooler filled with bags filled with purified water. Today was a chill day, we met with a local seamstress named Angela who taught us about the history of fashion and fabric in Ghana and offered to sew traditional Ghanaian clothing for us. We then enjoyed a nice lunch of chicken, rice, and fruit, which by the way is the MOST amazing fruit any of us have ever eaten. Angela then took us to the local market so we could purchase the fabric that was needed. The market was bustling with activity, we then divided and conquered. Walking through the market was another whole new experience. So many different sights, smells, and noises made it an experience to remember. After an hour and a half of shopping we returned with vibrant fabrics for Angela to turn into our desired clothing. We then went over group norms and our expectations for this trip drew a very cute giraffe as a group. We then travelled to the local park, our first service trip. Meeting and seeing these children will definitely be a major highlight of this trip. They are all so loveable and so kind, opening up to anyone who approaches them. As soon as we came into their sight, they were all over us, hugging and jumping on us. They were truly happy to see us. This is already becoming such a rewarding experience. After getting all of our energy sucked out of us by the children we were all excited when it was dinner which was then followed by a proper orientation.
Thursday was such a busy day. We got up quite early and showered before breakfast. During breakfast we discussed leadership roles. After finishing up breakfast, we left to go tour the nursery and elementary schools where we would be teaching. What we thought would be a ten-minute hike turned out to be at least 3-4 miles uphill and in sweltering heat. As harsh as this sounds, it was eye-opening to see where these children grow up. We got to the nursery and got introduced to the head teacher named Veronica, who was such a sweet person. The ages ranged from as little as 6 months to 5 years old. We then continued our trek to the elementary school. It was such an incredible reaction. All the children swarmed us just like at the park where many of them go to play. Leaving the school was difficult because many of the children don’t/don’t want to understand the concept of “goodbye” but we finally managed to leave the school and head back to Home Base where lunch was then served. Following lunch we did leadership and trust activities which helped to strengthen the bond between all of us. The majority of our evening was spent with our “host families”. The purpose of the host family is to help us understand and experience their culture, language and way of living. After we finished our mini lessons with them, they took us to the park where we then played with the children again. After a hearty dinner, we headed outside for a bonfire, which was led by our local director Henry. Henry taught us a local song and traditional dancing. The campfire was another great way for us to bond and become even closer friends. After a long day, we all headed to bed shortly after the bonfire.
Waking up on Friday was a reality check that this was all going by so fast. We all hustled to quickly shower and eat breakfast so we could meet Cedi, the owner of Cedi Beads. After a short drive, we arrived and jumped right in to learning about the history of beads and how Cedi got into this trade. These were not ordinary beads; they were made from recycled glass bottles. Watching Cedi work during his demonstration, he made it look easy, but we soon found it to be much harder than it appeared. After all of us finished making our beads of choice and sending them off to the oven, we played team building games, ate freshly picked coconut and papaya and bought some beautiful souvenirs. We stayed busy, and by the time we were done with all of this, our beads were ready to the cleaned and polished. Cedi was very kind and generous and made this a fun learning experience for all of us. After a late lunch, we toured the Krobo all-girls high school and met many great new friends. It was very interesting to see girls our ages and how their daily lives compare to ours. Although we wished we had more time, we headed out to spend time with our friends at the park. After a quick dinner, we were instructed to wait in our rooms for a surprise ceremony. We all waited curiously until our guests arrived. We were dressed in colorful African cloth and had our face, chests, and arms painted with clay. We then headed into the dining area where our naming ceremony began. First, we were given a historical explanation of the traditional womens’ rite of passage called “dipo”. After, we were all given Krobo names based on our birth order. This was very exciting for all of us because every day at the park, we would have kids come up and ask what our Krobo names were and now we could give them an answer. After such an exciting ceremony, we were all worn out and called it a night.
Signing off for now,
Erin Lachance (Demayo) and Soumya Atnoor (Tsako)
GLA receiving information from Henry (local director) before heading into the market to shop for fabric.
Weaving our way through the local market on our way to purchase our fabric.
Shopping for fabric
July 23, 2017
Saturday we had the opportunity to hike Boti Falls and Umbrella Rock. The hike was not easy but getting to the top was well worth it. From there you could see the beautiful Ghanaian landscaping. We spent some time at the top taking photos and admiring the beautiful view. We then started our descent and when we got back down, we headed to the waterfall. In order to get there, we had to climb 250 stairs. Although we could not swim in the water, it was still amazing to be there. After all that hiking we worked up a large appetite and enjoyed a nice lunch outdoors. When we got back we headed to the park but plans were soon changed after a storm began to roll in. We got back to home base just in time before the skies opened up. After dinner Henry, our local director, came to talk to us about the culture of Ghana and some of the history. Some topics discussed were the economy, government, religion, and both traditional/modern practices.
On Sunday, we all enjoyed a well-deserved extra hour of sleep before putting on our Sunday best and heading to church. Henry introduced us to his local congregation where they worship “traditional African beliefs” which closely follows Christianity. The energy in the church was contagious and all of GLA was soon out of their chairs, dancing. After the sermon, we all enjoyed a hearty lunch at Home Base. Next on the agenda was traditional Batiking, the act of stamping and dyeing cloth. This took a lot longer than expected and we were grateful for Stella’s patience and commitment to her work. After our daily park visit, we headed back and enjoyed a late dinner. Every 3 or so days, a member of the kitchen staff opens up a ‘convenience store’ in our dining area where we can purchase local Ghanaian candies, sodas and other treats. This is always a highlight of our evening. To finish of our day, we began to prepare for our service in the classroom that begins tomorrow.
Your GLA student bloggers,
Erin and Soumya
July 26, 2017
Monday was the first day of service for us. We split into our groups based on where we were teaching. The day wasn’t easy for either group. Getting to know the children, how the schools worked and making lesson plans were all part of the difficulties but also made it an enjoyable challenge for everyone. After a morning of service, we all met back at Home Base to eat lunch. Following lunch, we watched a TED Talk called ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ that discussed the issues based on stereotypes and how these stereotypes can affect a race, culture, religion etc. We finished our group discussions and had about an hour of down time before we headed out to meet with our host families for the second time. Our host families continued to discuss about their local language and their experiences living in Ghana. The mini lesson was very informative and after it was done, they walked us to the park so that we could play with the kids. Dinner came next followed by preparing for our second days at the schools.
On Tuesday, we all woke up excited for our second day of teaching. Although we thought the second day would be easier, it was just as much of a challenge as the previous day. After we did the teaching, it was our turn to be taught so after lunch, we headed to the nearby Krobo all-girls boarding school so we could attend a class. Each person got to take part in a different class and afterwards, it was interesting to talk about all of the different experiences that each one of us had. It was a pretty rainy afternoon so some people decided not to go the park but those who did, played soccer and danced in the rain with the children that showed up to play. After dinner we had a guest speaker named Monica. Monica is the owner of the nursery, where some of us do service everyday, as well as a successful business woman. She came to share her story with us and talk about her life growing up in Ghana. She was super inspiring for young women like us and we all took a lot out of her coming to talk to us. Lastly we ended our day with another prep session for our day of teaching tomorrow which hopefully will be a little easier.
Signing off,
Erin and Soumya
GLA students attending classes at Krobo Girls School.
GLA students learning the Krobo language from their Host Families.
GLA students teaching at Edmon Nursery School.
GLA students teaching the grade 4, 5 and 6 students of Asitey Elementary School
Brick making – part of service done by students who are also teaching at the elementary school
Last day of brick making!
Some Class 4 students (and Class 2 students as well) on their first day of vacation!
A few students from Class 5 on their first day of vacation.
Some of the Class 6 students showing up to school on the first day of their vacation.
Hi Everyone
So sorry, we got so darn busy on our last few days with our GLA students saying good bye to the kids of Asitey Village as well as ‘chillaxing’ at Sajuna —- we just couldn’t find the time to blog!!!!
By now your daughter is home safe and sound and I’m certain sharing her stories of the time spent here in Ghana.
Here at Home Base we are resting up after an amazing 2 weeks shared with our third group of CoA Krobo students.
Please find some photo’s below of our time spent on the Volta River as well as some photo’s of our last few days at the park.
