Waterfall

We went on the bumpiest bus ride of my life today. Potholes covered the roads, which were mostly made of dirt. No one is allowed to complain about the roads in America anymore, good grief! It was a 5 hour drive to a waterfall and then we went on about an hour ride to go hold monkeys! (The monkeys are in another post btw...) We had to go on a 30 minute hike (more like a stroll) through this beautiful trail to get to the amazing waterfall. It was huge! I cannot describe the beauty of it all and the pictures do not do it justice. It was 50 shades of green and the water was white and rushing and unbelievable. I wish I had a way with words so you could understand the masterpiece of God's creation, but these pictures will have to suffice.

The Chief's Palace

Imagine a palace. What are you thinking about? Marble floors, tapestries all along the walls, decorated rugs covering the floors, colorful paintings and artifacts scattered throughout?

Now, get rid of everything you were imagining. The chief's palace is actually a hut in the middle of a village. You would pass by it and think it was a random house with a farmer and his family living in it. It was a shock to all of us students when we were being led "inside." Inside was actually like a porch. It was a cement floor with lawn chairs that had the chief's name, Nana, etched into it and a covering was laced over to protect it from rain. 

The chief, the queens, and the elders were dressed like you would imagine a chief or queen to dress like. They had robes made of beautiful textiles with gold etching and the speaker (called a linguist I believe) carried the staff with a gold bird on top. They were all stunning to look at, if only they were in an actual palace rather than a hut...

When we got there he gave everyone a water bottle and then he went through some traditional welcoming  sand gift exchanges. We gave him schnapps because the ancestors enjoy schnapps; so we bring 2 bottles, one for him and one to give to the ancestors. He then led us through that short giving of gifts to the ancestors. 

He started a school, which we visited, and it was really interesting to see what a public school was like. The education level was so different from the kids at GLONA. These were smart kids! They also didn't have a lot though. The kindergarten level classes didn't have full walls, so if it rains they are cold and most of the time get wet. But the older levels are in a complete building. All the kids were so sweet though; they loved for us to hold them and they liked to touch our hair. I played volleyball with some older people...I wasn't that great...but whatever! It was still fun!

He is the chief of a pineapple farming village, so before we left he gave each of us pure pineapple juice and a pineapple! It was literally the best pineapple and pineapple juice I have ever had. Like, we need to import that juice into America because it was delicious
It was also really interesting learning all about the pineapple farm. One person can plant 2500 pineapples a day! It is insane! And the farms are absolutely gorgeous. The rows of pineapple look like they go on forever.  We got a nice tour of the whole farm. Then we "modeled" with our pineapple juice made from the farm for an advertisement (of course not a real advertisement...).

This Breaks My Heart...

In a lecture we learned about how important children are in Ghanaian society and how they are valued. Today, we found out why they are so important--it is so they can be used for labor, sacrifice, or status. They are innocent and vulnerable, which makes them easy targets.

First, it is important to know that in Ghana, children are to be seen, not heard. Children know not to challenge authority; they are seen as property of the adults, so the adults decide what to do with the children...

~ in the Voltar Region, trokosi is a common practice. Trokosi is when virgin children are sent to a shrine to "atone the sins" for the adult community member. Basically, the children are given to the priest and are four end to live the rest of their life in the shrine. The priests are culturally married to the girls and only the priests can have affairs with the girls. This is a lifetime bondage; if the child were to run away or die, the family would be required to replace her with another virgin girl. If the priest and a girl were to have a baby, e child would have to grow up and live in the shrine forever. 

~ arranged marriages are common among the Muslim societies in Ghana. Even before birth a marriage can be arranged, but the man cannot take the girl home with him until after her first mensie.

~ another practice, mainly done in Northern Ghana, in cutting off female genetalia (the clit). This is done to "clean" the female and to prevent premarital sex or temptation. About 20% of females have this procedure done between the ages 4 and 13. Many children bleed out and die during the procedure or become ill due to contamination of the tools used during the procedure. 

- child labor is also an issue, especially in household activities and in mining communities. Children don't have to be part of the household to work there, a lot of the time they are hired help.

These are just a few terrible things that children are put through. These things are illegal, but the law is not enforced. These practices are embedded in the culture so people don't see it as corrupt and wrong. There are some groups that speak out against it, and many of them are led by people that these things have happened to, but it is important to make people aware of what is going on. Physically their isn't anything you may be able to do, but you can tell others and you can pray about it. You never know, maybe someone you tell will be the person who makes a big difference. 

Let's Be Real For a Second

I know that in my posts I have talked a lot about how amazing Ghana is and how I love it so much, but I don't want to mislead people; Ghana is not a resort. It is still a third-world country and a developing country. It is crazy coming from America which is so advanced to Ghana which is in the beginning stages. I compare it, in my mind of course, to what America was like in the late 1700s, specifically during the time of the election between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. For America, that was a major turning point to see if the democracy was going to work because it was the first time the two party system fought for a place in office. Ghana is going through much of the same thing; they are figuring out what works and what doesn't and praying for the best. Ghana is in their Fourth Republic now and throughout the lectures I have heard many people say that they believe this republic will stick--which is awesome. But there are still a lot of problems.
A major divide is becoming more apparent between the upper and lower class. Markets and houses line the roads, which are in poor shape. People think roads in America are bad?! Roads in Ghana are awful! And a lot of the roads are just dirt. Also, a lot of wealthier people who have very nice houses but electric fences above their walls so people can't climb over them. People who don't have electric fences on top of the walls have nails or shards of glass sticking up all around it. Also, goats and chickens just roam around everywhere. I don't know if they are a free for all, like you want some chicken then catch one, but I highly doubt that. I just don't know how someone could keep track of which one was theirs.
The houses in the village are not that nice either. They are very run down and they look like they would leak if it were to rain. They are very dirty because their is dirt and dust everywhere and most do not have any air conditioning, which is awful here because it is super hot. Their are also a lot of unfinished houses. People begin housing projects but often run out of money. So they stop building for a while and go back out to work and try and earn enough money to finish. A lot of houses can take years to finish because the owner runs out of money over and over again.
The economy is not doing very well either. The exchange rate is $1.00 equals 3 cidis. Good for us tourists, but bad for Ghana.






So I just named a lot of bad things about Ghana, so why do I like it so much? Easy.
The people. The children. The families.
Everyone is so nice and welcoming. They are God-loving people who cherish what they have, even if it does not seem like a lot to us. They have a smile that will warm your heart, especially the children. My heart overflows with love and compassion for all of them :)

I Held a Monkey!!

Like a live, real, breathing, crazy monkey!! I cannot even! It was crazy and awesome and the most insane thing! It was amazing! They used us as trampolines to go from one tree to the next. Let me explain, so we went to this random place in the middle of no where (like everywhere in Africa) and we went down this trail and the guide made this weird noise with his mouth...I am not sure how to describe it, but when he made that noise all the trees started moving and it was so frightening! It was like that part in Tangled when the leaves rustle and she flips out and jumps on Flynn's back, but it ends up just being a bunny rabbit? It was like that, except instead of a bunny it was like 20 spider monkeys! It was one of the wildest experiences of my life. The guide then gave us some bananas and the monkeys jumped on us and just ate them out of our hands! They peeled the banana and ate it! IT WAS SO FLIPPING AWESOME! Once we got back in the van I needed a few minutes before I got back to reality because it was so sick! Oh man...I love Africa.

I Can't Even

In 2 weeks these children have completely stolen my heart. I cannot even imagine leaving them right now! They have so much potential and they really do want to learn, life is just not fair for them because they have to work during the day so they don't have the opportunity go to school. It breaks my heart because they all have these big dreams, but the reality of it is that they will never be able to obtain the education needed for the professions that they want. And I just want the to succeed so badly.  They are a group of amazing kids, I mean, just look at their smiles! They are so happy with what they have, which is not that much. They really need school supplies that we take for granted. They really need pencils, erasers, and paper. I have already bought them some pencils, but the demand is just so high. They also need workbooks for kindergarten level and up to 3rd grade maybe? They just need everything...I am going to include the address in case some people feel led to send them something. They would greatly appreciate it and I plan on doing a fundraiser through my sorority next year.
But on a happier not, I love these kids! Here are some great pictures of what we do during play time :)

I always race some kids to the play area, I don't ever win though...you know it's bad when a bunch of ten year olds beat you. I think you can clearly see me in the picture too. Then, "Sir" led us in some really strange stretches...they were rather awkward but they made the kids crack up, so it was worth it!

This is Daniel! He has completely stolen my heart! Look at that smile! He is also really quite smart. Right now we are working on reading, well more like vocabulary. You can't read english until you know english...it is so hard..he also calls me "Auntie Lexie" or "Sister Lexie".

And this is Mabel! She also has my heart. She is so sweet, but she is really shy. She will not talk louder than a whisper. I have to like shove my ear in her face to hear her, but you can tell she is warming up to me though, which totally warms my heart. She waits for me now to walk to play time and her face lights up when we play games and race! I love it!

Here is crazy Coby, he is Daniel's older brother. He is in the level 2 class, which is taught in the same room as level 1. He cracks me up! On the first day we were there he was late to class and "sir" asked him why he was late and he said his aunt (I think) was in the hospital. "Sir" then asked who could vouch for that and Coby goes, with a smirk on his face, "God" and sits down! It was so funny! He is a clown. He also likes to play let's break Alexa's back and jump on it and have her play soccer at the same time. Not my favorite game in the world, but his laugh makes it mildly worth it.

And I have no idea who this acrobat is, but he wanted to play with us and he was doing these crazy, intense tricks! He looked at me and goes, "Your turn." I just laughed. I can't even do a cartwheel! 

All About the Kids!

I cannot imagine leaving these kids. My heart is overflowing with love for them all! I was going to wait to post about them until I had pictures, but I just couldn't wait any longer, they are the reason I am here and I have waited too long to share everything.

I work with the lowest level, so these are the kids that barely speak English. We go to GLONA when it starts (at 330) and leave when it is over (at 6). So these children only go to school for 2.5 hours! And let me tell you, it is so draining. The language barrier is unbelievable, it makes everything 100 times longer. The main thing we worked on in the beginning was the alphabet, just to see where they are.

Here is a copy of Daniel's writing. Speaking of Daniel, I want to take him home! Can he be my carry on? Him and Mabel. They are so cute and they totally have my heart. Mabel talks super quietly, in the beginning I could barely get a word out offer, but now she is feeling more comfortable and starting to speak up! And Daniel has become so comfortable that he holds my hand now. 

Their teacher sucks. He is awful! He wacks them with a cane! Like a full on beating! Not okay. We talked to him and told him that we didn't like that and we didn't think it was effective because the children are too scared to answer a question because if they get it wrong he whips them! That is crazy. He also tells the kids he's going to kill them when they act up. And if they are drawing or talking he smacks the desk with the cane and tells them to stop because he hates that. These kids have so much potential and they have done so much better since we have been their because we are encouraging them! 

Let me tell you, my favorite thing is when they answer correctly. The smile on their face when they get 2+2 correct or when they tell me where their arm is. I can't even describe the beauty of it. It warms my heart and gives me hope for them. I fist bump them when they get it right and they love it! Now they put their fist out when they get it right before I do. 

We are in a routine now (well...kind of...). When we get there I have each kid come up tithe board and write their name--when we started, most of them didn't know how to spell their name! Today, most ofthemwrote it without my help :) I could not stop smiling! That proves the difference we are making and the fact that they are smart and want to learn! Anyways, after a child writes their name on the board, they point to each letter and the entire class says the letters and spells it aloud. This helps the students recognize the letters of the alphabet. They just really enjoy it and after they spell their name correctly they have the biggest smile :) it's awesome

Here are their names (and mine, after I wrote it Daniel wanted to write mine) but this is from the second day. They are so much better now, and they are all spelled correctly. 

Please pray for everyone teaching these kids. It is really emotional and drains us and we need to keep being positive. It is a really negative environment and it is like nothing many of us have ever seen before. Also, different opinions about the way things are handled in the classroom are coming up and just pray that it doesn't form a wedge between any of us, that we all stay friends and stay focused on what is best for the kids. Thank you so much everyone for all of the love and support :) 

I'll try and post up pics tomorrow of the kids because I'm bringing my camera with me tomorrow!

World Cup 2014

Nothing like watching the World Cup game USA v. GHA in Ghana! It was crazy! We went to this lace we call the "dirt patch." It's like a bar, but outside, and not really a bar at all, but you canbuy alcohol, and they have outdoor chairs to sit in outside on the dirt and stuff...okay, so that wasn't the best description, but hopefully you understand a lite bit...but anyways! There was a big screen and a projector set up and they were steaming the game. The place was PACKED with Ghanaians and when we walked in they hooted and hollard at us. Matt, Brad, and Lauren were waving an American flag as we walked in--because we clearly didn't stick out already. Within the first minute of the game USA scored and all of us stood up and screamed. But the. We all whispered, "if US actually pulls this off and wins, should we leave early?" Ghanaians eat, sleep, breath football (soccer). But after half time Ghana scored and all 200 people jumped up and ran around and yelled and danced and threw chairs; it was so scary!! I watched with my mouth gaping open...it was insane. USA ended up winning 2-1 which was sweet because I called the score before the game started. Nailed it! and everyone was Ella nice to us and came up and shook our hands and said things like, "good game."

It was such an awesome experience! 

Leaving for Akosombo

Lauren and I are on the bus and ready for our next adventure--we went to Akosombo for the weekend and it was soooo beautiful. It did justice in showing off God's beautiful creation The scenery was stunning and we all had a very good weekend.

Our hotel was awesome! They had monkeys just chillin there! When we were looking around we saw a guy feeding juice to the baboon.

A few friends and I decided to walk around a bit and explore the town. We went to the market and ended up talking to some people. We talked to a lovely young lady who was selling things (she is the one with the box on her head) and her mother showed us how she wrapped her baby around her. It was really neat, but I don't think I would trust a piece of cloth tied around me to hold my baby...I would be far too nervous.


We also went and saw the dam. It creates a ton of power for Ghana using the Volta River. It was pretty cool, but I was more impressed by the view on top of it! Here is a  picture of the whole crew with our tour guide :)

The night ended with Lauren breaking her door knob off! We had to get the manager to break into her room by climbing through the window.