GHANA – Children of Africa – July 2

Greetings from Odumase-Krobo Children of Africa program!!
Just a quick note to let you know that all GLA students arrived safely from Canada, Brazil, Spain and the USA.
One of our students missed a connecting flight and arrived today at 4am – to be greeted by Henry, our Local Director. Yea!!
We are a full compliment of 17 youth ready and excited to meet the challenges of our 2 week program!!

Students have chosen Leadership Roles to participate in over the next 2 weeks – so, this will be the only blog I write!
The following students will be our ‘bloggers’: Gabby and Ava.

Other leadership duties are the following –
Time Keepers: Paige and Kyra
Game Leaders: Claire and Sabrina
Agenda Writers: Caroline and Marcella
Site Leads: Jed and Leah
Head Counters: Alex and Jen
Clean Space Reminders: Isabelle and Izzy
Health Reminders: Christian and Setah
Thank You’s: Amy

Stay tuned for an update from our student bloggers in the next few days.

July 4, 2017

We have arrived in Ghana, and started out our first day with a tour of the village and Primary schools. While on the way we got to meet many of the children, and we played with them in the park which is in the center of the village. Everyone is so friendly, as soon as the kids see you they wave and come running to hold your hand, piggy back or give you endless hugs. We all feel so welcome by the locals but have also begun to get to know one another. Sleeping in bunks beds, 8 or 6 to a room it is hard not to get comfortable with each other. That being said bug spray, sunscreen and water will definitely remain are closest friends.

Today we visited the Cedi bead factory and got the chance to make our own glass and sand beads from scratch as well as pick out some lovely souvenirs. Then we were introduced to our host families in small groups, we learned some Krobo (the local language) and some of us even got to hold baby goats. Afterwards we once again headed to the park where we were swarmed by little children. It is safe to say if you were wearing a white shirt it now passes as brown and all of us now have back pain due the high demand for piggy backs…that being said it is all totally worth it. We finished the day off with a celebration for the 4^th of July. We roasted marshmallows as an American treat over a bonfire. We were also taught some traditional songs that you will get to hear when we are home!

The first two days have already been such an experience. We have all been assigned leadership roles and are quickly getting used to the routine. We are lucky to have such great directors Henry, Wendy, Kaye, Nanama, as well as amazing kitchen staff (the traditional meals have been delicious so far). Looking forward to what is yet to come!!

Vous me manquer notres familles!

Ava et Gabby

Photo’s of our Village Tour on Monday

Learning how to make beads from world renowned master bead maker Cedi – at Cedi Beads.

GLA students designing their own beads

Fresh papaya and coconut straight from the trees – thanks to Mark from Cedi Beads.

GLA students at service at Asitey Park!

July 5, 2017

On the morning of the 5^th, we started our day with being introduced to a local seamstress, Angela, who took each of our measurements so she can tailor traditional clothing of our choice. We then toured around a local market and were able to look through probably more than 1000 fabrics and patterns with the luxury of choosing whichever ones we wanted. Walking through the market was culture shock and there were several questionable smells but a good experience for sure. In the afternoon as per usual we went to the park and played with all the kids. That evening we were told that we were in for a surprise. Staff from the home came to our rooms and dressed and painted us in traditional costume, we then were given a brief history of Ghana’s culture and beliefs, specifically towards women. We were each given our Krobo names and now use that to introduce ourselves to the locals.

Today we were split into groups, we went to teach English at a nursery and elementary school both in walking distance from our home base. Each group is assigned a grade and are given a one-hour period for a planned lesson to do with the students. It was amazing to see how excited they were to learn but more so how excited they were to have us in their classrooms. It was almost impossible to leave as at least 10 of them were clinging to you as you attempted to leave their class. They are all absolutely adorable. After lunch we visited Krobo Girls High School which is located right next to us. The campus is home to 3500 girls, who are all extremely intelligent as it is one of the most prestigious schools in the country. We got tours from girls our own age and were able to talk to them about everything and anything. It was very cool to see just how similar we are to them, we even exchanged social media names so that we can all stay in touch. After that we had a soccer game at the park. We played against a local high school soccer team, we lost very badly even though they were going easy on us… yet it was still a hoot.

Tomorrow we look forward to another day where we will be teaching at the school and then attending a few classes at the Krobo High School.

Ava & Gabby

Shopping for fabric at the local market in Odumase Krobo.

Working with the students at Asitey Elementary School.

Getting ready for the Krobo Naming Ceremony at Home Base.

Taking a tour of Krobo Girls Secondary School – led by the Head girl and the prefects of the school.

Saturday July 8 – Monday July 10

This past weekend we covered a lot of Ghana’s territory. Starting Saturday, we thought what was going to be a relaxing sight-seeing excursion turned into a very sweaty long hike. That being said, the views were absolutely incredible. We climbed close to 300 stairs to what was called the Boti Falls. We also hiked up to Umbrella Rock which was worth it, as we got panoramic views of Ghana’s beautiful greenery. Afterwards we were all so tired, we came back to home base and napped. Then we went to Asitey park to do our service. After dinner we watched a Tedtalk which explained the concept of a “Single Story” and engaged in a rich discussion afterward. It was interesting to realize how we can form an opinion or perspective about things such as race, culture etc but be naïve towards the actual facts. As an example, in this Tedtalk the women spoke about how her American roommate thought that just since she was from Nigeria, she grew up in poverty.

On Sunday we put on our best clothes (whatever outfit wasn’t dirty) and walked to a local church. When we got there we danced and sang to live Ghanaian music which was followed by a sermon. Two hours later before we left, the whole church called our group to the front and they all said a prayer for us which was very special. After lunch, we attempted (strong emphasis on the attempted) Batik. We used hot wax to print Ghanaian symbols on white fabric. We each had the chance to make our own and then dye them. We had another wonderful afternoon at the park, followed by dinner and then we prepped for an early morning of teaching. For those volunteering at the nursery, parents in the community were eager to meet them therefore we started an hour earlier on Monday. And the students working at the elementary school had a two hour lesson to prep for. We had our hands full with building bricks and then teaching the rambunctious grade 4, 5, 6’s.

This afternoon we had the pleasure of souvenir shopping at our home base. A man by the name Rasheed who has a booth at a local market, brought his items to us. So you can all get excited for some gifts! We also just finished a group discussion with a women named Monica who is the owner of the nursery but who is also extremely ambitious and successful as an entrepreneur, mother and wife in the Krobo community. We had the chance to ask her questions about her life and how she has managed to be where she is today given the circumstances of Ghanaian society.

Now we are taking bucket showers, playing spoons and prepping for our lessons tomorrow morning. Goodnight!!!

-Gabby and Ava

Hike to Umbrella Rock

Hanging on for dear life!!
Don’t worry family and friends – the students are actually standing on the earth!!

The entire student group at Umbrella Rock

Boti Falls

Church

Heading home after church

GLA students teaching the awesome kids at Asitey Elementary School.

Hanging and playing games with the elementary kids after class!

Chillin’ at Asitey Park after many active games with the kids of the village.

Hello family and friends!

Sadly, this will be our last blog post but that means we are close to talking about our adventures in person rather than over the web. On Wednesday we taught at the nursery and elementary school. We had a cultured afternoon as we helped prepare with our lovely kitchen staff, a traditional meal for dinner called ‘Red Red’. Then we learned the skills behind hawking (carrying heavy objects on our heads). This proved to be just as hard as it looks. Big shout out to Sabrina and Seta for being champs and Jen for being the biggest sport about it despite her clumsiness. Afterwards as usual we went to the park for a couple of hours and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. In the evening we took a short drive over to another neighborhood where we were greeted by live music using traditional bamboo instruments. Many locals were there, singing and dancing along with us while we learnt new Ghanaian music and dance moves. We will have to show you when we’re back!

Today was a treat as we got to go to a special place called Sajuna beach. GLA had rented out the entire area just for us which was awesome. We spent the day swimming, kayaking, playing beach volleyball, eating and most importantly having a nice chance to relax after the hard work we have been putting in. It was a lot of fun, except for those who tried to get their tan on but are now a little (a lot) red. On our way back to going to the park we stopped at a market bead shop. There was lots of variety and all for a great bargain! The park today was a little bitter sweet as we know that tomorrow will be our last day with the kids. It truly will be heartbreaking to say goodbye to all the locals and the friends we’ve made this trip. As cheesy as this sounds, we’ve all made friends that will last a lifetime. This group has bonded more than we ever anticipated and the locals have been so so friendly. There will be many tears tomorrow, we are looking forward to our last day and a special goodbye dinner to follow.

Saturday morning is going to be an early one for those on the JFK flight, which has ended up being 1/2 of those here. They will be setting their alarms for 4:00 A.M L . Those flying through Europe will spend the day doing more souvenier shopping at some markets. Easy to say it will be a long and emotional day for all but we are all very excited to see our families and share with you our experiences face to face. Love you!!!

P.S Thanks to all who have read these posts and commented. It’s been great to read what you guys have said. Extra special shout out to our second parents on this trip; Wendy, Kaye and Henry. You have all been very good at your jobs and have made us feel at home since the minute we walked out of the airport. Another shout out to our fabulous kitchen crew for the delicious meals. Also to Nanama and Francis for being the best.

See you soon!
Gabby and Ava
Preparing the ingredients for ‘Red-Red’, a traditional Ghanian dish

Learning the fine art of ‘Hawking’. Beginning with a piece of wood balanced on the head, and working our way up to plastic containers used for carting water and then bundles of firewood.

7/14/17

Photo’s of GLA students at service at Edmon Nursery Odomase Krobo.

GHANA – Children of Africa – July 2 – July 15, 2017

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