Lemonade Stand

When I was little, one of the things I looked forward to the most was selling lemonade in my neighborhood.  I remember convincing my mom to let me sell lemonade with my brother and sister and loving every second.  Granted, I only lasted an hour out there because it got boring quickly, but the experience with money and selling was important in understanding business and what being an entrepreneur is.  Later, I spent so much time at a neighbor's house--the Oliver's--where we played a store game.  We would round up as many things as we could find and sell them.  Some people sold newspapers and others sold random school supplies.  These days were so much fun because I thoroughly enjoyed making a "fake" profit and competing with others.

In Ghana there are little stores EVERYWHERE...and I mean everywhere, next to the hospital--three stores--next to my dorm--fifteen stores.  This market friendly environment is generally classified as a West African atmosphere.  Everywhere I go now, I can think back to my little entrepreneur experiences and relate to them...a little, but then I have a realization: these are their LIVELIHOODS.  They live off the profit they make daily, which leaves a standing impression on me.

My child's play growing up is the reality for so many Ghanaians and the sad thing is, many of these Ghanaians are children.

How will my "Happy New Year" turn out...and pictures

You know when it is new year’s eve and you do the count down until the new year?  When everyone is extremely excited and just can’t wait for this new year.  Well, here in Ghana,  I thought my count down to leaving would be exciting and new…but it has only brought nervousness and sadness.  Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to see all my loved ones and eat some American food, but honestly I hate loosing this wonderful support system I have created here.  I also have this fear of reverse culture shock.

Questions swim through my head daily.  Will I like the America I will see?  Will I be able to handle going back to the chaotic business of the U S of A?  Will I have changed too much?

Looking back, I have grown throughout this semester, but something I really dread is telling people.  The last couple of days I have tried to brainstorm how I will tell people.  What can you say to describe your experience?  COME AND SEE FOR YOURSELF, is the only thing I can come up with right now.

I am loving it here…I am loving the vivid colors that people wear, the food people eat, and living in the moment.

Now…in 11 days a new journey will being.

Two Weeks Left: Tribute to all that touched me

It seems like just yesterday I was preparing for Ghana, not knowing what to expect.  Now, I am gathering a list of the last things I want to do before I go...what is happening?  I created a support system, people I can turn to here, and then everything is taken away.  I have opened my heart and received beautiful love in return.

Looking back on my semester (which is something I never do, I am very future oriented), I have realized how much I have grown and learned from this study abroad experience.  Besides choosing to go to Hendrix for college, this has been the best decision of my life.  I have learned to deal with pain and sorrow, but also build myself back up and experience more.  I have traveled to four different countries, seen 9 of 10 regions in Ghana, and met so many amazing people along the way.

I would like to thank the ISEPers.  I have had so many great nights of playing cards and eating dinners.  If I did not have that as a part of my daily life...i would have probably gone a bit insane...SERIOUSLY!

I would also like to thank my core travel buddies: Katie, Emma, Avery, and Lisa for giving me the support and inspiration to see what is out there.  I managed to travel almost every weekend, when I was not sick and that is a great accomplishment.  Thank you Katie and Emma for dealing with me through the thick and thin...it seemed like just yesterday we met at the airport...and now we are preparing to go home (some sooner than others...cough cough Katie is leaving in 3 days).  But really, thank you for helping me through the semester.  Our "creative" dinners and long tro-tro rides will stick with me for life!  I can't wait for our safari one day!

I want to also thank Mawuvio's Outreach Program (MOP) and specifically Kwame and Renee for giving me the confidence to teach.  MOP was perfect right before I student teach...I did not have the full confidence before and now I truly do.  So many of the kids changed my life...thank you.

Ben, Daniel, and Kulwavi: the three musketeers, these three boys gave me light and life looking into teens.  I never thought I could work with teens on an educational level.  I was always so scared that they would over shadow my teaching, but they showed me I could...maybe one day I will.

Primary One: this is the class I got to know the best.  These are first graders and their undying love showed me how affection and love can exist in the classroom.  I will miss each one because they made the classroom environment amazing!

Kg and kg 1: these little kiddos truly showed me that teaching kindergarden can be amazing (I have always been afraid of teaching that age, and now I am not)

Thank you MOP!  I will never forget you.  These kids and all the adventures will always stick with me...from the field day I ran, to Abrui two times, to every day in the classroom.

Thank you Ghana for showing me how to love and hate you all in one.  It is indeed the ying-yang!  At times I wanted to punch Ghana for all of my troubles and at times I wanted to cry from happiness.  I have learned to embrace my emotions...which is not easy for me...and except that sadness is an important part of my development.


FIELD DAY

This last week I ran a field day at MOP.  This field day was initially just an inspiration, but turned out to be a REAL dream come true.

We divided up the boys and girls into 4 different groups and then we had some events:

Short sprint
Long sprint
Long distance run
Long jump
Softball Throw

All of these events the kids took seriously!

I had 7 volunteers come and help with the day.  They all enjoyed themselves and understood why I was so passionate about MOP in the end.


What is my plan for the next two weeks?

Well, I have a final tomorrow to study for...and then a 7 day break, which I hope to do a bit of traveling...then I have two more finals...and then I have 4 days to hit everything on my bucket list and I'm off.

I am scared and excited.  I don't want to leave all of the friendships I have created, but I can't wait for some American food, family, and fun!

Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round

This past weekend I went to Aburi (Ghana’s hilltop haven) with Mawuvio’s Outreach Program.  This was the VERY FIRST excursion MOP has ever been on.  I arrived at MOP and discovered that every child was on time and excited to rock and roll.  We managed to fit 60 kids on a small tro-tro bus.  It was crazy to see how hectic it was.  Kids were on other kids laps and they sang the entire way up.  Some kids gasped when they saw the mountains of Aburi.  They couldn’t believe they were in a different region.  They were ALL ADORABLE!

Once we got there, we found a spot to play games and just discover the gardens.  It reminded me of all the days I spent in the park looking for bugs and climbing trees.  I felt like a little child released into the woods.  We found caterpillars and I talked about how they turn into butterflies.  Some of the kids were so fascinated by this that they proceeded to ask me questions throughout the day. 

We moved places several times in hopes of finding a flat ground for the older boys to play football (American soccer).  This happened to be right next to a helicopter.  The children jumped in and around fascinated with this new jungle gym.  One of the teachers climbed in and made it into a tro-tro calling out places it would go.  Then the children told Renee and I that they would fetch our families.  Oh how I miss being a child, where your imagination takes you to so many beautiful places.

I took several of the children to the bathroom and at that moment I did feel like a mother to them…checking in on them and holding their hands.  When we returned, so of the kids wondered off discovering other parts of the garden, while three of the children and I lay in the grass.  They confided in me, telling me that they loved me and saw me as an important friend and “aunt” in their lives.  I almost cried in front of them because what they were telling me was so moving.  I opened my heart up to all of these kids and I received love in return.

At that moment, I did NOT want to leave.  I don’t want to leave Ghana for that reason.  Just as I am starting to really impact children’s lives I have to get up and go back.  This is indeed how life is…but sometimes it is rough to swallow.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with Ghanaian games.  Mommy was a very popular one—this is where one person is picked as a mom and everyone swarms that person until they fall down. Another, was a version of duck-duck-goose, called fire on a mountain.  This was HILARIOUS to watch because some of the 5 year-olds would pick a 11 year old to chase them…what a sight to see.

I was blissful the entire time in Aburi…what more could you want?

Finals and the Wet Season

Finals have been…interesting.  What is very curious indeed, is how serious Ghanaians take their finals.  Many of them only show up to several classes but the finals are treated as AP/IB tests.  You are only allowed to bring your ID card, pens, and yourself.  Everything else you have to leave outside the building.  I finished my first history final thinking…well at least I am done with that one. I had to write three essay in three hours (I left the room with over an hour to spare).

For the dance final, you had a number pinned onto you so they could identify who you were at anytime.  During the dance final I felt like I was on “So you think you can dance?” but I was obviously not going to make it past auditions.  For the third dance we learned…I LOVED IT…it was about life and the different stages.  You started by working hard and then sliding on through and finally you showed off your talents with the free style (this is where I did a front handspring).  Finally, everyone ended up as an old person.  The dance had a lot of meaning for me.  The previous two dances were fun, don’t get me wrong, but they seemed more important to Ghanaian culture than myself. 

It is indeed the rainy season, and it has been so for several weeks. Mosquitoes are more prevalent and bugs in general seem to appear out of nowhere.  The rain is interesting because it does not rain all day; it rains hard for 30 minutes to 3 hours and then stops…leaving everything wet and muddy.  The vegetation everywhere is lush and green.  I am going to miss this green area a lot.  I have worked up to running twice a week and every time I do run all the lush foliage that engulfs me mesmerizes me.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

This poem seems to fit everything I am going through.  I have experienced new and exciting things...but soon there will be a new era of excitements.  Will going back be too boring?  Will I be able to handle culture shock? Will I be able to relate to my friends and family?  What will happen?

One of my high school teachers constantly reference this poem...and every day here...I understand it more and more.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

by Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets.  Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry.  Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted.  But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out?  Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.  there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame!  You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

Finishing Strong

It seems crazy that I have less than three weeks left in Ghana.   Time flew on by so fast.  I can’t really process the fact that I have been here for almost 4 months!  This study abroad experience it hard…because just as you become comfortable with your environment, they pull you out (or you have to pull yourself out).

As I try to motivate myself to keep studying (which is REALLY HARD), I realize, it is almost done.  I am afraid and scared to say good-bye.  These are people I have learned to love and appreciate.  I have adjusted to the culture…I even crave fufu, which I did NOT enjoy in the beginning.

Looking back and understanding whether I met my goals:

Goals for going abroad:

* Embrace everything with enjoyment and really understand why I am there, to learn, not to save the world.

I think I did a fairly good job of doing this.  I tried to embrace every occasion.  When I was sick in the hospital I thought…hey it is a story to tell.  I still have a hard time wanting to save the world though.

* Connect with at least one Ghanaian on a deeper level

I have connected with my roommate on a deeper level.  We have had religious discussions…which is very deep for me!

* Learn how the education system works in Ghana

I have learned how crazy the education system is in Ghana.  It is sad to see kids caned (hit) and getting yelled at…but I also see the beauty and love all around.

* Learn how the political system works in Ghana.

I tried to learn this one…but it is a bit more confusing than I thought. (It is very similar to the USA)

* Learn what stereotypes I have developed about AFRICA and how most of the DO NOT APPLY TO GHANA.

Yes, this is very true.  I thought typical Africa would like up north in Ghana…and it is not all the same!

* Fill my time with people. I am an EXTREME EXTROVERT and people help me discover who I am in the situation and what it means to me.

Yes, I have learned to depend on other people through the thick and thin.  I have cried to various people and learned to support them.

* Learn not to judge situations in Ghana and understand TIA: This is Africa, a completely different world.

This was not easy at first, but no I can comfortably laugh at a situation and understand it is just different here.

* Understand what a third world country and what makes it that way and maybe they are living life better than we are. In Cuba I think their overall well-being, besides being trapped in the country, is happy and a community. Every corner we turned people knew each other and basked in that ideology.

Well…this one I am still working on…it takes years to understand this.

* How does Cuba compare to Ghana?

Similar in livelihood and energy, but different in their approaches to the environment and tourism.

·      What does education mean to Ghanaians?

It is very prized, just like the USA.

HOLY MOLE and Is it a goat or a sheep? The trip up to northern Ghana

Throughout the entire trip Emma, Katie, and I would look at goats and sheep and try to decide what they were…it was more like Katie and I because Emma was always spot on.  Sheep in northern Ghana do not have the thick coats…understandably BECAUSE IT IS HOT.

Travel to Mole National Park

When this journey began everyone on the trip: 9 girls (including me), our driver, and our guide (Moses) woke up at 2:30 in the morning and left campus at 3:00 in the morning to get to our destination, Mole National Park.  This park is famous for its large mammals: ELEPHANTS.  The park takes about 15 to 16 hours to get to from Accra.  For our group the dirt road added on an EXTRA TWO HOURS…but these dirt roads are especially bumpy, yet the scenary was beautiful and unique.

So we made it to Lindador Rest stop (this is the known rest stop) along the way to Kumasi. Then, we got a pee break in Kumasi and then headed another 5 hours to Kintampo, which is a region that I had not been to before.  The Brong-Ahafo region is the heart of coca and kola nut production.  The foliage is very tropical, but does not have a beach sense to it like Kakum.  As we approached the northern region the environment drastically changed.  Looking outside, there were less trees and more shrubs.  We were indeed in the savannah.  Naturally, since the was my first time in the savannah (although the prairie is similar it does not have the same animals) I took WAY TOO MANY pictures…trying to record this moment in my life…fairly similar to the first time I saw I tropical rain forest in Ghana. We then ate lunch in the Brong-Ahafo region in Kintampo.  After this long journey we started on the bumpy road…the suppose to be 2 hours…that ended up being 3.  When we saw the sign for MOLE NATIONAL PARK…everyone in the bus went stir crazy.  We had been on the bus WAY TOO LONG…and just wanted to get to our destination.  Something neat along this dirt road was the high presents of mud circular huts and the constant sight seeing of more traditional clothing.  In my head, before I embarked on the journey to Africa, this indeed (the north) was what I thought Ghana was. While on this dirt road, I checked off another region: the northern region (full of dirty savannah).  Goats, sheep, and donkies are the animals that dominate this territory.  There was also a different attitude towards obrunis (white/foreign people).  If I waved passed everyone in Accra to say hello, most of them would give me a dirty look or be really surprised, but in the north everyone smiles and waves back treating us like equals…not some outsider.

We finally reach Mole National Park and it is dark outside, so we really can’t see around us.  We eat a dinner at the mediocre restaurant at Mole.  This restaurant is known for being slow and not efficient.

SAFARI…so far away

So we go to bed with elephants in our dreams, hoping that we will see one the next day.  Unfortunately, throughout the night I got sicker and sicker taking over the health that I had acquired.  By the morning, I was super weak and could not really walk to far without feeling light-headed.  I sucked it up…this was the WHOLE REASON why I signed up for this trip…so I HAVE TO SEE AN ELEPHANT.  We load into the car…me with some new boots (all I brought were my chacos and apparently you need toe covered shoes so I got some fancy rain boots from the park that I returned once we were done).  We saw many types of animals: wart hogs (I was expecting it to break out in Hakuna Matata…but it did not), two types of antelope (one was water buck and the other I was too in and out of to catch but it looked like my high school mascot…THE IMPALA), a monkey with a baby on her back, several beautiful species of birds, cat foot prints, and ELEPHANTS (ya we saw a herd of them at breakfast at a watering hole and another one we got VERY CLOSE TO, like 50 ft away from).  During this safari I went to the bathroom in the woods from being sick…I feel like I can check Mole National Park off my list of places I have pooped.  The elephant that we got super close to we tracked down to get to.  We started off by looking for elephant footprints.  Then, we started to see poop…that got fresher and fresher,  All of the sudden, we saw an elephant appear out of the bushes and there it was…a GIANT ELEPHANT, in its natural habitat.

After this highlight OF MY ENTIRE ADVENTURE in Africa, we ate a breakfast of toast and eggs.  I did not eat much because I was under the weather.  We packed up and left for the next adventure.  Along the way, the van stopped various times so I could relieve myself.  After this long experience, I think I got some sort of food poisoning because it was relieved pretty fast (within 48 hours).

Larabanga Mosque and Mystic Stone

A village on the way back…with the bumpy road is a famous Mosque and rock.  The Mosque is the first EVER BUILT in Ghana.  I found this fascinating (even though I felt like I was going to pass out at any moment) because I am in an Islam in Ghana class and we talked about this Mosque.  It has black points sticking out and is painted in all white.  The children of the village swarmed us wanting to hold our hands and practice their English.  I felt completely embraced at this site. 

After the Mosque, we made a quick drive over to the “Mystic Stone”.  It is known for having healing and spiritual guidance powers.  It was neat to touch it…I did not feel anything…but I secretly hoped it would help with me feeling really sick.  Travel and sick do not go together.

Travel to Tamale

We hopped back in the van and journeyed to Tamale, the capital of the northern region.  It is like the 5^th largest city in Ghana.  On the way, we were all gazing out the window excited to see something new at every turn: from motos (they are WAY more prevalent in the north) carrying too much stuff, to trucks with people on top of them, to children carrying logs on their head. When we finally made it to Tamale we went to their craft village…where I might have gotten a few things…and socialized with the people.  I attempted at learning the local language around there…but I failed…because it was too different to Twi.

We then ate some dinner and fell fast asleep knowing the next day will be just as filled with adventure.

Paga Crocodile Pond

We hopped on the van again (this seemed to be the trend on this journey…LONG CAR RIDES) and went further up north, to the upper east region of Ghana.  This allowed me to say that I have been in every region of Ghana…except one.  We made it to a border city: Paga and touched some crocodiles…THEY WERE HUG…AND I WAS VERY SCARED.  It was odd to think that these locals raised these animals so it could be used for tourism.  The lake that the crocodiles lived in children fished at with not caring that crocodiles were in their mix.  But, I can say I have NOW touched a little crocodile and A BIG crocodile. 

BURKINA FASCO

After the croc adventure, we drove to the border of Ghana: Burkina Fasco.  Our guide, Moses…who was AMAZING…convinced the guards of Ghana and Burkina Fasco to cross over and stand in Burkina Fasco.  I know it is not the LONG DRAWN OUT TOUR OF B.F. but hey that is as close as I could get (I have looked into traveling there…but the visa is 100,000 CFA which is A LOT OF MONEY).  So, at that very moment, I had been to four countries in 2 weeks…not bad…not bad at all.  I was feeling a lot better as the day went on…happy that by body pushed out what ever toxins I ate.

Bolgatanga and crafts

We then, went to Bolgatanga, which is the capital of the upper east region of Ghana and had some lunch.  We then went to the craft village there…and shopped around.  I did notice a difference in crafts there, with a high presence of basket weaving.  And then we headed back to Tamale.

Dance like a Ghanaian…dance…dance

On our way back to Tamale, we happened to see a village dancing.  I spotted that they were doing OUR DANCE…yes the northern dance I learned at the beginning of the year.  So, we stopped and watched of a little bit.  Yet again our guide Moses stepped up his game and asked the locals if we could join in…so Soul, Alexandra, and I danced away.  The dance was not exactly the same as the one we learned in our class…but it was pretty close, WHICH WAS SUPER AWESOME!  At that very moment, I knew…everything about studying abroad was perfect.  I have learned so much…and here I was applying what I have learned to connect to local Ghanaians, beautiful indeed. J

The LOOOOOONGGGGGGG JOURNEY HOME

The next morning, after eating and sleep, and saying goodbye to our sanity…we took the 13-15 hour ride home.  There was a lot of seat changes and hair pulling.  I would like to make a shout out to my mother who wrote a book…and I was able to listen to it on tape for our voyage back.  If it weren’t for this book on tape…I WOULD HAVE GONE INSANE. My mother, with the pen name Ainsley Davidson…wrote this amazing book: Lesserblood Lies…check it out…hehehehehe (I am not trying to advertise at all) :D Love you mom!

But we had it back alive…and I recovered from being sick..all in the course of 4 days.

Facts:

HOURS ON A BUS FOR 4 DAYS? 40 HOURS!

Countries I went to in 2 weeks: 4.

Regions of Ghana I have been to: all but one, so 9.