Goodbye is never easy

As I sit and stare at this blank page, trying to put my thoughts and feelings into words, I realize it may never be fully possible.  Nighttime has proven to be the hardest of all hours, because as things go silent, my mind runs.  I never thought it would be possible to find a place where you wake up each day happier than the one before.  The frustrations fade away, and the many happy memories rush in as I try to express how much these 5 weeks have changed me.  To get to school each day and be welcomed by a sea of children who love you no matter what is an unexplainable feeling.  As painful as it is, as tears hang in my eyes writing this, it has not fully set in yet.  My clothes still lay scattered in the room, side table by my bed is full with books and notebooks for planning, and it remains the same as it has for the past 5 weeks.  I know tonight when I return from playing with the kids, I’ll have to pack it up, and prepare to fly home, back to life and work, and somehow back to how things were.  But I know that is not really possible, because I know how it was returning home last time.  Back to a world filled with those who care more about material than much else, or those who are ignorant to the rest of the world.  Back to that world, from a place where love trumps all else, where happiness to be alive overtakes the everyday struggles, and where children learn what it means to be grateful, and not to take anything for granted.

As I ate my breakfast this morning, I watched a woman at her house cleaning dishes outside.  Simple things we take for granted at home, save us so much time on a daily basis.  Washing clothes for instance: you put them in the machine, hit start, and walk away to do other things.  But here you have to scrub each item, dump the dirty water, scrub again, dump that water, and then get fresh water to rinse.  The same process comes with the dishes.  The things we hate doing at home, that only take a few short minutes, can take an hour here, yet no one complains.  The 11, 12, 13 and 14 year olds at Happy Kids wash their own clothes, and those of the younger children.  They wash the dishes each day, without a word of resistance.  They are responsible and mature, and yet at the end of the day, they are still children who play soccer, and read books.  But they are respectful, they are kind, aware of their actions, and protective of the young ones.  My days are happy here because I see the children and know I have impacted them greatly.

I held back the tears as I listened to each child in my class get up in front and speak about my time here.  “I want to thank you.  Since you came we have been happy about all you have taught.  When you go we will miss you so much.  I thank you for all you have done during your stay.” –Vera

“When you came, you taught very well, so God should bless you.  You did not get angry with anyone while here.  I thank you.  If you go, God shall get you home safely, and I will pray for you.” Mary

“Since you came, you have been teaching with happiness.  On Sunday you made a party for us.  We ate, drank, and danced.  If you go, I will always remember you.”  George

As I finish writing this, I prepare to write a letter to my kids.  I will thank them for all they have taught me, about compassion, determination, strength, and true beauty both inside and out.  I will remind them that they will reach their dreams if they follow their heart, and never ever give up.  I will remind them that I will think of them each day, and promise to write.  And my final promise will be that I will return again. 

My crazy, loud, goofy, beautiful, determined class of dreamers <3

I can leave with peace of mind, knowing these 3 amazing people are watching over these kids, Emmanuel, Pat, and Elizabeth

Wisdom and Elizabeth

As the rain falls, it seems to represent the sadness I’m faced with today.  Goodbye is never easy but as a saying goes, how lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard…

    

A Feast

The world stops on Sunday here in Ghana.  Stores are closed, and people are at church, singing, dancing, and praying.  We had planned to leave around 3:30 to bring the children their food.  The rain came pouring down as usual, and it was about 3:45 by the time we left for the orphanage.  The kids were anxiously waiting, and came rushing to the car when we got there.  They all grabbed a pot and carried the food to the long table that had been set.  It looked like Thanksgiving dinner, with 25 children packed in, eyes wide with excitement.  Jess and I set up a little assembly line: I started with the plates, spaghetti, and chicken, and she took care of the rice, two different kinds, jolof and fried.  Each child got a fresh water sachet to go with dinner as well.  Their faces were priceless, as they smiled so wide and kept thanking us.  They each prayed before they ate, and then dug in.  I was not surprised that the older ones had seconds (since we had plenty to go around), but I was shocked by how much the little ones ate!!  They all had seconds, heaping plates of rice and spaghetti.  The children danced and sang, and were so grateful for what we had done.  If we work out the price we paid for each child, it was about 2.5 USD.  But no price could ever be put on the way these children felt even for an hour.  Although we found that even today (Monday) they were still thanking us over and over. 

We went to school today, and knowing that we only have 3 more mornings left, is absolutely painful.  Followed by every question of “when are you leaving” comes “when will you return?”  Today Johannes and Sarah held my hands and asked if I will return.  I told them I will do my best and work very hard to come back, and Johannes said “you must come, I will miss you.”  They are so sweet, but hearing those words makes my stomach turn.  Leaving is hard enough, but them vocalizing their sadness is even harder.  I have begun to run thought my mind when I would be able to come back, and no date seems soon enough.  We have been running ideas through our heads, and speaking to Emmanuel about a way we could come back and live for less.  They hope to build a place for volunteers to stay that is close by and would be free once built.  However, until then, there are some rooms on the compound being used solely for storage, that could be used temporarily as a room for volunteers.  That would mean no paying for living, or for taxi rides each way.  The ideas are there, putting them in place is the next step.

Truly a feast

One happy family, now a great piece of my heart 

Last night we sat and had a drink with Marcella, another volunteer staying at the hotel.  We talked of ways to raise money, and things she does for the orphanage she is at, sharing ideas and coming up with possible solutions for some minor problems we have faced.  While talking, she told us a story about Princilla, the girl who works at the hotel, and how she hopes to be a teacher.  Princilla was asking Marcella if she was married or had children, and if there were black people in Scotland (where she lives).  She said yes, and Princilla proceeded to ask if a black man and a white woman have a baby, if it will come out white because they are in Scotland?  And further she asked if two black people in Scotland had a child if it would be white?  It took a minute for it to sink in, but it is an eye-opening story that shows how sheltered people can be.  It shows that the children here simply learn what they can see, and little else outside of their immediate world.  It is sad to see happen, because these individuals have dreams, but may never get there because of the lack of education here.  However, if they keep dreaming, and working hard, they can do amazing things.  People have beat the odds before, so why can’t they?  With the help of people they can do great things, and I remind them each day they are worth so, so much.          

500 more...

If I have taught the kids as much as they have taught me, then I will have been successful in my time here.  If I could wish for anything right now (besides staying for another few months) it would be for everyone back home, kids included, to spend even one day here.  These children are grateful, they are smart, they are determined, they dream big, and yes they may argue at times, but they know that at the end of they day, they are family and they love each other.  The past few days have brought about so many emotions, and as the days wind down, I try to stay upbeat even though I feel the sadness begin to kick in. 

On Friday, we went to school, again to find that the little ones remained at the boarding house.  The class consisted of all ages again, so we had to think of something that would work for different levels.  Jess and I put together a little game with the kids, using a big world map and an atlas.  We had them try to stick the pieces with names of continents, oceans, and some countries onto the felt map.  After finding Japan over by Brazil, we decided to help fix the pieces, and then had a few kids come up one at a time.  They would close their eyes, and spin around 3 times, then point to the map.  Wherever they landed, they had to look at the atlas and read something about the place.  After a couple people, it was clear they were bored, and by then the CCS volunteers had arrived.  One of them is a music teacher and decided to take over for a while.  Fridays are short days, and most of the time is spent playing games outside.  But as our luck would have it, 5 minutes before break, the rain came pouring down.  Thinking on my feet has become a skill since being here.  We grabbed some puzzles, crayons and paper and let them chose what they wanted to do since soccer was no longer an option.  One of the other volunteers drew hop-scotch on the floor with chalk and the girls played on that for a while.  We decided to give them some music since more often then not, they are singing and dancing around.  They had us laughing so hard watching them in the middle of the room singing every song, and dancing like they were professionals.  The faces were priceless, and once they got over being shy, they all joined in. 

The afternoon was spent at the field since the weather had cleared up by 3.  The boys played soccer while the little ones chased each other, chased me, and chased the goats.  Espi, a tiny spitfire of a thing who is about 3, thinks he’s a big boy, and can be rather scrappy.  He will run up to the older boys and push them around, only to be defeated quickly after.  The boys love it though, and always play nice with him.  He began to run at me and yell “yevu” and I would pick him up above my head, throw him into the air as he giggled and returned him to the ground.  He’d then run away, turn around and do it all over again.  These kids are a work out, they always want to be picked up, saying “teacher, take me.”  After about the 5^th time of throwing him into the air my arms were tired, so when he ran and jumped into them, I would spin around 4 or 5 times.  By then I was dizzy, but watching him stand up and try to walk was priceless.  He would giggle and stumble, and kept coming back for more.  I will miss the days where we play in the field for hours, such a simple thing but where so many memories come from.  When I told Josuha we had 5 days left, he said “no, you have 500. You will stay for 500 more.”  The children can tell the time is ending, and it is clear they are just as sad.  Johannes, a boy from my class, has always been one who hangs close by my side.  But in the past couple days, he has seemed sad.  Yesterday was the worst day of all, and it doesn’t take much for me to tell when he’s down.  The normal Johannes is creeping around the corner to sneak up behind me and start a tickle war.  The sad Johannes lingers around me, head down, hands in his pockets.  I’ve sat with him and tried to figure out what is wrong, but he clams up and just shakes his head.  Saying goodbye is hard enough, but knowing me leaving might the reason for his continuing sadness breaks my heart.  An extra hug or two will be given each day, just so he knows I’d never forget him.
 

Ice cream and a movie on a rainy day!

My loves - Johannes and Shadrack :)

Some big plans we had simply didn’t work out, and weather has really stuck a wrench in things.  We had planned to bring some of the kids to Mt. Afajado, the tallest mountain in Ghana, today.  I was really interested in doing this, and Jess and I had planned to go ourselves from the start.  Initially we talked to Emmanuel about taking the kids to the waterfalls, but due to all the rain, they felt it was unsafe, and the mountain would be better.  There would be about 21 of us in all, therefore renting a tro-tro would be necessary.  Prices simply were not what we expected, and the driver said he would only do it if he stayed and waited while we climbed, and he told us a price about 70 cedi more than had been expected.  Last night we scratched the idea, and decided to do a field day today instead.  We came up with about 10 different relays, and decided that after we finished we would bring all of the kids fanmilk- their ice cream.  As soon as we got to the orphanage today, it started to rain.  I have learned to be in the moment here, and patience truly is a virtue.  I was both disappointed and frustrated because our plans were just falling apart.  I pictured the 4 movies sitting in my bag at the hotel, and was angry that I ddin’t have them with me.  By then it was 1:00, and we decided to quickly go back to the hotel, get the movies, grab some fanmilk on the way back, and do a movie day instead.  A lot of driving for us, but it was worth it when we got back.  The kids were so excited, a treat that is rare for them.  We spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies and just hanging out.  We are learning to make the best of things, and that is something these kids know well.  We will save the list of games for an afternoon this week.  As we left the kids questioned, as they do every time we leave, “will you come tomorrow?”  We simply said yes, without many details regarding time or what we had planned, because we have a big surprise.  We have asked Hilda to prepare food for us to bring to the kids for a big Sunday dinner, and they have no idea.  The menu consists of: fried chicken, jolof rice, some spaghetti, special drinks, and biscuits.  Their usual meals consist of porridge, or rice, sometimes fish or banku.  Hilda explained to us that this meal is like Christmas for these children.  We wanted to do something special before we left, and although we have been doing little things all along, these kids deserve this, and you can’t put a price on making such an impact.  We bought two big packs of pure water, each containing about 30 sachets.  It is a luxury compared to the river water they usually drink.  Tomorrow will be a big day for the kids, and I couldn’t be happier.  This is one thing that rain will not ruin, and what better way to end things then with a “family” dinner.             

Check it off my list!!

When we flew over here, Jess and I both brought an extra bag, stuffed full with school supplies.  Yesterday we finally emptied the bags at school and did some cleaning and reorganizing.  There was a cabinet that had some construction paper and other supplies but nothing too substantial.  By the time we were finished, the shelves were full of construction paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils, play dough, pens, pencils, notebooks and more.  We had wrote in a notebook some ideas and activities for other volunteers to do with the kids using the supplies.  We based these ideas off of what had been successful for us, and other things we hadn’t tried but might be helpful.  We left room for them to write their own ideas for other volunteers, and hope that it will be filled with different things. 
Back at the orphanage, the kids were working on puzzles we had brought back from the school.  They take pride in their work, and some of them had saved the finished puzzle in the box to show us.  The others kicked a ball around, while some played cards, and Joe and Wisdom played a game similar to our checkers.  They had lines drawn on a desk, up down, and diagonal, and moved rocks along the lines, jumping over their opponents rocks and taking them.  Rocks, a pen, and some wood, and they create a game.  Amazing what these kids do with what they have. 
As are time grows shorter, we are often asked when we are leaving.  No sooner do we finish saying “next Thursday,” they are asking “when will you return.”  Their gratitude for us is expressed daily, and we are reminded how happy they are for us to be a part of the “happy kids family.”  I assure them I will be back.  I don’t know when, but I can promise them, and know that it won’t be broken.


Rain is a game changer around here, but I guess the best comparison I can make is to us having snow.  The little ones don’t walk to school in the rain; instead they stay at the boarding house and learn there.  We arrived unaware that Jessie’s class wouldn’t be there, so she decided to say at school and help me today.  Last time this happened with the rain, I was the only teacher for the kids of all different grade levels, 1-6.  It was overwhelming and we both thought that it would be best that she helped.  We had brought letters here from home, written by the children at the daycare we work at.  So today we spent the morning having the children read the letters, and write their own for us to bring home to our kids at work.  Meanwhile, some CCS volunteers came, 3 of them, and it actually worked out well.  My kids have a hard time reading and writing, so with some extra hands, we made sure everyone read a letter, and wrote one back that was actually readable.  The kids enjoyed it so much.  The older kids were so serious and into what they were writing and drawing, and wrote beautiful things.  I had written some things on the board for my class to use as examples and for them to have the correct spelling.  “My name is, my favorite color is, I like to eat… “ etc.  The younger ones stuck to the basics but they drew pictures and loved having some time to be creative.  After break, one of the CCS volunteers did a short music lesson with the kids.  He is a music teacher back home and had come prepared.  They had a blast, and we decided to ask him to write up a couple music lessons for us to have on record incase any other volunteer wanted to try something like that.  The days have been great, but it makes leaving them harder.

This afternoon we headed back as usual, and brought Abigale, the hotel owners daughter, with us.  She is friends with some of the kids, seeing as Hilda’s sister-in-law (Elizabeth) is the owner of Happy Kids.  Abigale was so happy to get away from the hotel since she lives here, and had time to play with her friends.  We didn’t spend too much time with the kids though, since we had other things planned.  We headed to the field a short walk away, and as my hands shook with excitement, I was about to cross something of my “list of things I’ve done” that I never would have expected to be doing: learning to ride a motorcycle.

"A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere."

Jess is signed up for a course to get her license back home, but wanted to learn here on the field first.  I went along with it, thinking that I really wouldn’t do it, I’d just watch her instead.  She went first and did awesome, first with someone on the back teaching, then she did it on her own.  The kids that had come to the field with us were laughing and yelling and clapping, so excited to see it.  I was shaking when I got on, wondering what on earth I was thinking.  I’ve driving a quad many times, the difference being where you give it gas.  On the quad its done with the thumb of your right hand, but on the bike (as many people know I’m sure) it’s on the right side but it’s the whole handle.  The first few times around, he (Emmanuel’s friend) sat behind and showed me what he was doing, then it was my turn to try.  I could get the hang of shifting and accelerating just fine, but my struggle came when I had to turn.  We were doing circles in the field, making only right turns, and as I went to turn I’d accelerate.  Frustration came quick and a little embarrassment too.  There were other people on the field too, not just us, and as I struggled I began to do worse.  I got off before I got angry, and Jess went on again.  Thinking we were finished I went to thank Korku for helping us, and he said he was saddened.  He asked me if I drive a car at home, and when I said yes he shook his head.  Emmanuel explained that he was sad I did not learn more and he wanted me to know so badly.  With some coaxing, I got back on, with Emmanuel this time.  He took more time explaining it to me, stopping and having me practice starting the bike, then going from a standstill.  Still going to the right, he had to help me turn, but as people were kicking a ball we somehow ended up changing directions, and were now making left hand turns.  I told him to take his hands off, and the change of direction had made all the difference in the world.  Turning left was easier since the gas was on the right hand.  He took his hands off and just sat as I did 3 or 4 more laps around the soccer field by myself, shifting gears and making the turns.  I felt accomplished, and was glad he had encouraged me to try again, because leaving defeated would have been a bad feeling.  Korku was very happy as well, and said he will return tomorrow so we can practice.  They will not stop until I can do it on my own.  It started to rain just as we finished, and Jess and I left feeling giddy.  It was a site to see, since females do not ride motorcycles around this town, let alone two little white girls.  Hopefully there is no rain tomorrow so I can try again.

Tomorrow is our last Friday here, and on Friday’s the kids usually finish school early and play games.  I had planned a while back to do Jeopardy tomorrow, and I told the kids we would be playing a game during the morning.  They are very excited and have been asking about it all week.  I asked Godwin to stop tomorrow for me to get them lollipops as prizes.  This weekend we plan to climb the tallest mountain in Ghana, located about 45 minutes from here.  The weekend will be spent with the children, taking advantage of the little time we have left.      

Forever a place in my heart

It was great to see the kids after being away for the weekend.  Today they were very clingy, and they realize that we are leaving in less than 10 days.  Today I worked on fractions with the kids, and gave them play dough to work with, to visually see that breaking them into parts and putting them back together doesn’t change the amount they started with.  They were very excited when I walked in with it in my hand.  It went fairly well, some children really got the hang of it, while others remained confused. I only went over halves and fourths but that was enough for today.  Some children really surprised me today.  Sarah, who struggles in all other areas was doing very well with the problems I gave them.  I drew different pictures and had them tell me how many halves were in the picture, and how many fourths.  The first picture was of 3 boxes, so there would be 6 halves total, and 12 fourths.  I did quite a few problems like this, and she was done quickly and had everything correct for the most part.  They were a bit distracted though, because some CCS volunteers came to observe and see how this school was run.  They were all placed at different schools, but it’s always interesting to see how the other ones function.  Some taught little lessons to the younger kids, but mostly they were just watching.  After break I did some one on one with my Shadrack and Sarah, working on phonics.  I used flash cards with 3 and 4 letter words on them and had them sound out the letters in order to figure out the word.  He struggled greatly, and I would see him looking around the room and not paying attention.  He would guess letters and make up sounds, and yell out words that started with completely different letters.  Definitely frustrating but I haven’t given up.  He would look at a card, we would read the word, I’d flip it over to read the other one, and then by the time we got back to the first word he had no idea.  Within a minute’s time, all was forgotten.  Sarah did better, and actually sounded out some words on her own, but most of the words she knew right away were memorized.  The kids learn my memorization not recognition.  They will repeat words over and over until they learn it that way.  But she has made some progress and I was proud to hear her work through words on her own. 

The afternoon was fairly usual, as we walked to Beatrice, a seamstress who has been making some things for us.  We dropped off more fabric to her, and picked up a few things, then headed to the hotel for a quick snack before we were off to the orphanage again.  The weather was nice in the afternoon considering it had rained all morning.  We decided to take the kids to the field so the older boys played soccer, and some of the other kids played on the wooden slide and bars.  They sang and dance, and I played them music.  They loved to be videotaped dancing, and go crazy when we watch it.  They are such goofballs, and always good for a laugh.  When we went over to watch the older boys play soccer, there were some goats hanging around, nothing out of the ordinary.  Goats and chickens are everywhere all the time.  A little goat was eating leaves and David had grabbed a branch full of leaves and was bending down calling for the goat.  Tentatively, he came, and began eating off the branch.  The kids were so excited, and even when we had walked away a bit, he remained with the goat.  It reminded me of a child at home playing with a dog, and it was awfully cute. 

Next Wednesday will be our last day with the kids since we fly out on Thursday.  Waking up each morning gets harder, because I quickly am reminded that another day has passed, and we are one day closer to saying goodbye. I have told the kids that I will be back, and I mean it.  They have such a big place in my heart, one that will never go away, and I know that I’ll be back again one day. 

Cape Coast

By now, I should know how “Ghanaian time” works.  Considering this is my second time here, I have seen that time is not really of the essence here, and people move at their own pace in no real hurry.  We arrived at the tro-tro station at about 8:15 and had Godwin explain that when we got to Accra we needed to then get to a station to get on a Cape Coast tro-tro.  We knew we were all set to get to Accra, but after that we were more or less on our own.  It wasn’t until 9:30 or so that we actually left the Hohoe station.  The way the long distance tro-tros work is that they wait until they are full before they leave, so with 15 open seats, we had to wait a while.  Packed in tight, we left for Accra with at least a 3 hour ride ahead.  About an hour in, we hit a police check-point, and all had to file out.  Jess and I had to get our passports checked, while the rest simply hoped back on.  The ride was fairly uneventful, but as we got into Accra, the driver pulled over at a stop and had us get out, only to usher us right into a taxi.  From there we had to drive to another place to get on the Cape Coast bus.  A drive that should have cost us 15 cedi, cost 30, one of the first times we have been ripped off here.  Things happen so quick and it was all a little overwhelming. We jumped out of the taxi and onto another tro-tro, filling the last two spots before we were off to Cape Coast.  My vision of arriving a short time after 2 was off by about 3.5 hours.  After getting ripped off a second time by about 10 cedi for our taxi ride from Cape Coast to the town we were staying in, we arrived at our hotel, Ko Sa Beach Resort, right on the water.  We had made a reservation for a bungalow, with our own bathroom.  The other rooms consisted just of a bed and a communal bathroom.  It was after 5:30 by the time we had checked in, and both of us were feeling weak seeing as we had no food or water since breakfast at 7:30.  We ate dinner, and were ready to crash early after the full day of traveling.  Our beds had bug nets hanging and good thing, because between the lizards, bugs, and small droppings (from a mouse maybe) we were feeling a little uneasy. 

I didn’t sleep all that well, probably concerned that I would wake up with a lizard next to me.  We were up for breakfast early, overlooking the ocean and palm trees.  The shoreline is gorgeous, a whole different side to Ghana than what we are used to in this little town.  We left the hotel by 8:30 for the Elmina Slave Castle.  I had been 3 years ago, and it was very moving, and quite sad to hear about.  I thought that maybe I would have a different reaction since I had experienced it already but it was just as sad to see this time.  We stood in the room where 40-50 slaves were put at a time, until they all had died.  We stood at the door of no return, the last pass before they were transported by boats.  We stood in a room where 150 females would be kept for months at a time, with 4 buckets at each corner for them to relieve themselves.  We stood at the balcony where the man in charge would chose which woman he wanted to join him in his bedroom.  In all the places we stood, I tried to picture what it was like, but it was painful.  It’s not possible to imagine it, because it’s hard to accept that people could be so inhumane.  Our guide left us by saying that these castles remain to show the history, as horrible as it may be.  We could sit and point fingers, but that would do no good at this point.  Instead we can see how far we have come, but to also realize we have a ways to go in many areas.  But as I have said many times throughout my blog about the children, you have to start somewhere.   
After returning to the hotel around noon, we headed straight for the beach.  We were lucky to have such amazing weather with no rain the whole weekend.  We sat outside for about 4 hours, walking the beach a bit, and seeing all the boats lined up.  It is amazing how they take these wooden boats out through the huge waves.  The water was packed with them though, and with men fishing.  By 4 we were a little crisp, and the sun was getting low in the sky.  It gets dark really early here and we are eating dinner in the dark each night.  After dinner we returned to our room to find our light was out.  A man came to help us, and it was an eventful 10 minutes.  As he stood on a chair on top of a table to change the light, he looked panic stricken, as if he was afraid of heights.  When he got down and went to get the new bulb, he said “I’m coming.”  That is a phrase used so often here, in the wrong context.  Whenever someone leaves us and intends to come back, they say “I’m coming.”  We would say “I’m coming back,” or “I’ll be back,” but I’m coming is used here for leaving and coming. 

This morning we were before 7, hoping to get an early start so we didn’t make it back too late tonight.  We had breakfast then paid our bill for the weekend, and left shortly after 8.  At the station we were directed to more of a bus then a tro-trop and when we asked if it went to the station for Hohoe, the man said “get on.”  Good start.  I then went to the driver to ask him, and he said he would tell us where to go once in Accra.  A couple hours later, around noon, we were told to get off, and instead of being ushered to a taxi, we were sent to a true tro-tro.  The reason I say “true” is because the ones we had been on is a tro tro but you pay about 8 or 10 cedi and no one else gets picked up along the way.  The tro-tros for short distances are very cheap, but move very quickly, hop in hop out style, and are packed in tight.  The driver from Cape Coast sent us into a beat up red tro tro.  Jess was in the front seat with 3 people, and I was in the back with another 3, with about 10 others.  For 40 cents, we traveled to another stop where we got off and walked with some random woman to the Accra station to get on yet another tro tro to Hohoe.  It all probably sounds crazy and confusing, and it was.  But as we sat in the red tro tro for less than a dollar, we both were laughing, feeling as if it was something out of a movie.  Two tiny white girls in a van of about 13 Ghanian men, hanging out the window for air.  We followed the girl through side streets of Accra to the station, and only had to wait about 30 minutes.  The trip from Accra back to Hohoe felt like days.  We were losing feeling in our feet from sitting for so long and I desperately had to pee.  When they pulled over to let us pee, I couldn’t pull myself to do it.  I’m a spectacle already, let alone peeing on the side of the road.  It was almost 4:30 by the time we got back to the Hohoe station, and standing had never felt better.  It was a long weekend of travel, but worth it for the gorgeous sites.  I must say, I’m awfully happy to be back in this little town.  It will be an early night so we are ready for the week – our last full week here.  My heart is hurting already when I think about saying goodbye.    

Family

Some days I wish I could just say, “things went perfectly as planned,” but it doesn’t matter where we are, because more often than not, plans are thrown out the window.  I arrived at school only to find out Emmanuel was sick today so again I was on my own.  They children informed me they were to have a test today on plants for their natural science subject.  I had seen them taking notes yesterday, but so quickly realized, half of the children were simply writing words.  They can’t read, so how can they be learning by taking notes?  Before giving them a 7 question test, or quiz I would say, I had Vera read to the class what the notes said, 3 or 4 times.  Then they repeated after her.  As I had expected, almost ¾ of the kids had less than 3 right.  I let them finish and quickly moved on to math, something I could teach and they could work through without having to read.  Until their reading skills develop, they will have trouble learning much else.  During their “test” I put together their artwork from yesterday and before they went to break, I had them all stand for a picture.  What a bunch of goof balls!  No picture can be serious, as they yelled and made silly eyes and faces.  They make me smile, and although it can be frustrating at times, they are kids, and they are doing the best with what they have.

Back at the orphanage today, the seamstress came to work on some dresses for the girls, and shirts for the boys.  We brought the new fabric we had gotten for them, and they were all calling dibs on which they wanted for their clothes.  With the help of Della, it’s amazing how well they do.  They just need the guidance of someone who truly knows what they are doing.  Moda’s dress was nearly finished after today, and by next week, she will be proudly showing it off.  As Moda (9 years old) worked to perfect a line, she was showing signs of struggle.  Joshua (13) who was sitting next to her is very good at sewing.  He leaned over to help her, and it was so sweet to watch.  Not related at all, but like brother and sister, he leaned over her shoulder and guided her hands and showed her what to do next.  As I watched I thought to myself, if this doesn’t say family, then I don’t know what does. 

Kids with their artwork!  So goofy.

Joshua and Moda, priceless.

We said our goodbyes as we left, sad that we wouldn’t see them until Monday.  At the same time, this weekend will be a nice break, a chance to clear our heads and prepare for the next week.  We are heading to Cape Coast, about a 6 hour drive.  We will be hoping into a tro-tro (public transportation) at 8 tomorrow and with any luck, will be there some time after 2.  The Elmina Slave Castle is one stop we will be making this weekend.  Our “hotel room” is a bungalow on the beach, something we both are looking forward to.  Two weeks from today, we will be at the airport, leaving these beautiful children, and simplistic lifestyle behind.  Although we still have 14 days, the thought is tough already.         

Grateful for Pillows

We woke up to pouring rain on Tuesday morning, and no power again.  With it being the rainy season here, it is to be expected, but it’s unfortunate for the kids to not be able to play.  As we arrived at school at 8:30, no one was there, but after calling Emmanuel, he insisted they would be right there.  The 3 older classes showed up, but the nursery school children, and KG1/2 (Jessie’s class) remained at the boarding house because it was too cold for the little ones to walk to the school.  As I sat and waited for another teacher to arrive, the children came to me and said, “We are ready to learn.”  I looked around the room and realize that I not only had my class of P1/2’s, but also the two upper level classes.  Without another teacher around, or any other adult for that matter, I had to think on my feet. How could I teach 24 children, who range from 7-13 in age, and from grade 1-5??  I had planned on working on phonics with my class, so I did a couple exercises to work on the sounds letters make, then grabbed books for the kids to read.  I matched the older kids with younger ones, and asked the upper level grades to help my P1/2’s sound out the words.  I then walked around to help some of mine who were really struggling.  I’m at a loss because I can’t continue to teach if they can’t read what I write on the board.  I had hoped to do one-on-one with reading and phonics, but as I stood alone, I had to just erase that idea from my mind.  As the kids began to squirm and the older ones started to just tell the younger ones the words without making them sound them out, I realized this was failing miserably.  So I told them we would play a “game.”  Two children would come to the board and I’d ask a question, the first person to write it correctly first stayed at the board, and the other sat.  Then the next person in the row would come up, so on and so forth.  They seemed to like this and started getting silly.  I ran into small problems when I had first graders up against fifth graders, but all in all, I kept them under control.  It felt like a wasted day, and almost as if I had been defeated.  I was simply trying to keep everyone in order, and there was no way to teach to 4 different grade levels.  If the rainy season comes every year, and rain comes each day, you’d think they would have a better system set up.  Then I wonder, what would happen if I wasn’t there??

When we returned to orphanage in the afternoon, we brought fabric that we had gotten on Monday.  We had decided last week that having the kids make pillows would be a fun idea.  Many of the children end up falling asleep on the floor.  They have bunk beds, but not enough to fit all of the children who sleep there.  Pillows, such a simple thing that we take for granted, would make all the difference in the world.  Jess and I cut the squares out, and then let them sew 3 full sides, and 1/3 of the last.  We told them we would buy the filling and bring it on Wednesday.  With 13 children, and 2 machines, which kept breaking, it took us the entire time we were there to finish the sewing.  But it was clear the kids were excited, just as we were for them.

Every Wednesday, the children have worship in the morning before they learn.  Since our classes were doing that, we jumped in the nursery room to watch what happens there.  Well not much apparently, because the teacher was watching worship.  Because we were there I guess she felt that she didn’t need to be.  As more people dropped off their children, the room began to quickly fill, and as soon as we picked up one crying child, another was being hit or in tears.  It was pure chaos, as an 8 year old was leading them through their songs and rhymes.  I began to count the children and after I reached 65, I stood in shock.  One teacher is in the room during the day, with 65 or more nursery aged children.  It is enough for me to manage 12 children who are 7-13, but 65 three year olds??  Something needs to change.  Even if another person is hired simply to aid and keep the kids in line, it would help so much.  When worship ended and I returned to my room, I was alone again, and my hopes of one-on-one reading quickly vanished.  I decided to do a project I had planned for last Friday, but never did because of the test they were taking.  I gave them each a piece of construction paper, and told them to do an “all about me” page.  They wrote their name, age, and what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Then their favorite color, food, soccer player… whatever they wanted.  I wanted them to be creative and they got to use markers, something that doesn’t happen often.  They came out great, and some of the kids really got into it.  These kids have big dreams, as they told me they would one day be doctors, nurses, football (soccer) players, bank managers and police officers.  They are kids, just like any others.

Today after school we brought the foam pieces to stuff the pillows for the kids.  They were all so excited, each pushing their way through to be first.  Jess and I stuffed them, and then they had to hand stitch the rest closed.  They might have been able to close it with the machine, but we thought that some practice hand stitching wouldn’t hurt.  You would have thought it was Christmas, because the smiles on their faces were amazing.  As I watched their excitement, I realized how much we take for granted at home.  A pillow, something that cost a total of 28 cedi total for all of the children who participate in sewing (about 15 USD), made their day.  To break it down even further, it cost us about $1 USD per child.  I would be that everyone at home could go in their house or car and scrounge up 1 dollar right now.  One dollar can make a child go from sleeping with their head on the floor, to having something soft under it.  It’s amazing to me, and something we need to not lose sight of.  Think of all the things you take for granted, and maybe tomorrow, realize how damn lucky we are to have what we have.    

Where to go from here...

I went into today excited to see the kids, after being away all weekend.  I knew I still had a lot to do with the one-on-one but after a weekend away I figured my mind would be clear.  Upon arriving, I saw that Emmanuel was not there, and therefore I had to teach instead.  Luckily, on Friday, I had come up with some exercises I wanted to try with the kids.  We started out by working on verbs, adjectives, countable nouns, and uncountable nouns.  I had never heard of the countable/uncountable concept until last week, but it’s something that they are taught so I went with it.  I made two lists on the board:

Verb                                                                                              Green
Adjective                                                                                       Coffee

Countable Noun                                                                            Run

Uncountable Noun                                                                        Goat

The purpose was to match the list on the right, to the one on the left.  They would draw a line from green to adjective, from run to verb, etc.  Some children understood completely, while others were simply guessing.  I continued to do similar exercises, then changed them a bit, simply writing at list of 8 words, two verbs, two adjectives, two countable nouns, and two uncountable nouns.  Next to the word verb, they were two fill the two blanks with the correct words from the list of 8.  I had one student out of 12 get 100%, while the majority had 3/8.  I was beginning to get frustrated, because we go over what a verb is almost every day.  After a few of those exercises and hearing children tell me that “goat” is a verb, I had Shadrack come to the front.  I asked him which word on the board was a verb and he pointed to brown.  I said “please show me how you ‘brown’ since a verb is an action word.”  After repeating myself with words such as goat, blue, grass and water in place of “brown” they realized those words the told me were verbs couldn’t actually be acted out, therefore they weren’t verbs after all.  I then wrote the following list on the board: smile, cry, brown, laugh, yell, grass, goat.  I said “there are 4 verbs, Sarah, tell me one.”  She would point at the board and then I asked her to come up and she pointed to brown.  I asked her to say the word out loud, and she couldn’t.  It took me an hour and a half to realize the problem wasn’t that they didn’t understand the concept, it was that they can’t read.  Well – half of the class can’t read.  My class is divided into P1, and P2, yet they learn the same things each day.  Those in P2 are like our 2^nd grade back home.  That side of the room can read fairly well, but the P1’s can’t.  During break I stood staring off, asking myself, how the hell can I teach things such as parts of a sentence if they can’t even read them??  When I arrived, I figured the only way we could go was up.  We would work with the teachers, help them teach better, and get all the kids on the same page.  I never thought that I would be backtracking so far that I’m at a loss for where to start.  The time I was there after break was spent reading, or trying to.  I gave the P2’s books that were at the KG 1 and 2 level (kindergarten) and I gave the P1’s nursery school level books.  From there, I asked them to read.  For the most part, the P2’s could read the whole books (only 15 pages or so).  And FOR THE MOST PART, they are not having trouble.  I say it that way because out of the 6 P2’s, only 2 or 3 fully understand it.  The other 3 were getting 3 or 4 out of 8 on our exercises.  I worked primarily with the P1’s, as best I could considering I was by myself in the room, again.  I tried to get the kids to sound out the letters in the words, but when we got to the word “cake” and I asked them to sound it out, they were making the “s” sound for the letter “c.”  They don’t know phonics, and I’m really at a loss as to how to go back to the basics and build them up again, in 2 weeks.  What I have trouble understanding though, is how the kids get from A to B.  How did my P2’s get to be able to read if they never learned the phonics.  I’m trying to stay positive for the week ahead, but I’m unsure how to go about this one. 

Today was the first full day of sun without a drop of rain in at least 5 days.  Before we left school today, Elizabeth had mentioned that they would practice sewing today.  But when we got to the orphanage and saw that no rain was coming, we asked her if we could take them to the field instead, and sew tomorrow.  She told us it was fine, and the kids were so excited to get out and play.  The older boys played soccer, and some of the younger kids played on a little wooden slide and old metal poles from a swing set.  Espi, a tiny one, maybe 4 years old, was off looking to catch bugs.  He caught a moth the other day, and today he was after grasshoppers.  You could just tell the kids were so happy to be out instead of cooped up avoiding the rain.  When we walked back to the orphanage before Godwin picked us up, I told Elizabeth I wanted to learn to wrap a baby on my back.  It amazes me how the women walk around with a piece of fabric that holds their child on.  As Espi held on, Elizabeth, with the help of Moda, taught me how to wrap the fabric.  I must say, it’s a pretty good method, with some tucking and twisting, it’s rather secure.  Obviously meant for smaller children, Jess and I both felt a little uneasy seeing as the kids on our backs were walking, and talking, and probably 30 pounds.  But the concept was there, and it was a fun experience.      

Lake Volta

As we set up this trip, were in touch with Kelsey often before arriving.  She gave us all the details we needed, down to things such as that we should tip the people who wash our clothes at the end of our stay.  Since she has stayed here multiple times, I trusted her word, and after the woman had washed our clothes last week, we thanked her and went on our way.  On Friday we had asked if we could have some laundry done, and Jessie was told by Princela that “the woman will no longer do work for you because you did not pay her.”  This was news to us, and as confusion and guilt set in, we became worried that she was mad.  We had never really gotten a rundown of how things worked around here (people just assume you understand).  So we left for school and when we got back we talked to Hilda (hotel owner).  We explained the situation and also what Kelsey had told us.  We explained that we plan on leaving money for them when we leave at the end of June.  She said “you are right that is what you do, when you stay for a long time there is no need to pay every time, just the end.”  We walked away feeling better, but as we were approaching our room, Hilda stood yelling at Princela.  Most of it was in Ewe but the facial expressions on both parties made it clear what was happening.  Hilda then began to spoke in English, and in front of Princela said “she’s the new girl, she thinks she knows everything because she interacts with the people who stay here.  I’ll bet the woman who did your laundry didn’t even say that, I could ask her right now!”  As Princela stood quiet, we felt extremely uncomfortable and explained again to Hilda that we were not upset by any means, we just didn’t want anyone to think we were being rude or ripping them off.  We went into our room but could hear out the window the conversation continue, and then the woman doing our laundry was called in too!  Hilda’s tone was of sheer anger.  I can understand where she is coming from, it is her hotel, and all decisions go through her, but for the remainder of the evening, it was extremely awkward.  We weren’t looking to point fingers, but only to understand.  Leaving for the weekend was definitely good timing, and was a nice break for us.

We headed to Lake Volta (the largest man made lake) on Saturday morning.  The drive was about 2 hours long, but gorgeous.  For the entire ride, I couldn’t stop looking at the enormous hills and trees.  The trunks of some of these trees were so big, and the roots extending for a couple feet from the base.  Such beauty is something we lack back home at times.  The trees and mountains extended for miles with nothing else in sight.  Back home so often the trees are cut for commercial things to take their place.  These are simple things we take for granted back home, but here I am reminded to appreciate the little things.  Another little thing we take for granted back home is water.  Running water, clean water, hot water.  All aspects are things we over look, until we, for example, lose power.  Here, people go to the river to fetch water, or have pumps they walk to in town.  We drink bagged water here, small sachets that fill my water bottle.  It is safe, and we get about 25 sachets for about 2 or 3 cedi, but some people can’t afford that here, and they have to drink water that may be unclean.  Although there is running water where we are staying, it is cold.  Most of the time it feels good because the weather is so hot, but lately its been raining and the cold has not been very refreshing.  At the hotel we stayed at this weekend, there was hot water, and let me tell you, I appreciated every second of that shower.  Jessie did as well, but she didn’t enjoy the friend that decided to join her.  As she opened her eyes from washing the soap out of her hair, she let out a scream.  On the knob for the water, a small frog sat.  Ghana has kept me on my toes with various animals – snakes, spiders, goats, and now frogs. 

We had sat outside in the sun by the pool for a while (yes a pool!).  But as the sky got dark, we knew rain would be coming soon, and decided to head to the bead factory.  There we saw how 5 different kinds of beads were made.  Some were made from other broken beads, re-fired, melted and molded again, making for a mixture of many colors.  Others were created from glass from bottles such as Sky Vodka (the deep blue) and some from green Champaign bottles.  Any color bottles can be used depending on the color desired for the beads.  Watching them work, it was clear how much time and effort it takes to make the bracelets and necklaces.  Everything is done by hand, and can take days for the beads to cool and harden.  Then they must be strung.  It’s amazing to see it all be done by hand, where as back home, we have factories creating things in mass production. 

The ride back to the hotel after the bead factory was long due to the heavy rain, and bad roads.  The potholes grow bigger each time the rain falls and washes away the dirt.  It’s amazing that some aren’t worse than they are with the amount of rain that has been falling.  By dinnertime, it was pouring so hard, there were tiny rivers flowing outside our door.  With nothing to cover us, we were drenched by the time we got to eat.  After being attacked by enormous mosquitoes, we finished our food and headed back hoping for a decent night sleep.  The previous night (Friday) we woke at 1 AM to knocking on our door, then the doorknob being jarred.  A little concerned, we both did not get the best sleep after that.    

This weekend was relaxing and a nice change of scenery.  Eating breakfast overlooking the lake was a nice way to start our day, and end the weekend away.  We returned back to Hohoe in the afternoon, unpacked our stuff, and began to look ahead to our next week.  We are in the process of figuring out prices and setting up getting transportation to bring about 15 kids to see the waterfalls.  We are also planning to head to Cape Coast on Friday, so we have many small details to iron out.  I’m currently prepping for Jeopardy for the last Friday I am with my class, and a couple other games and projects I hope to do with them.  Being away was definitely nice, but I look forward to seeing the kids tomorrow!

"I bless the rain down in Africa"

School went well Thursday, I didn’t teach however, because they were doing natural science and I was not prepared.  I was planning on doing one-on-one some more, but I didn’t feel it was good to take the kids out of class when they were learning something new in science, only to work on math.  I did some planning while they took notes, and thought that Jeopardy would be a fun thing to do towards the end of my time teaching.  It would include parts from Math, English, and Science, and anything else worked on from here on out.  I also planned on doing a creative art project for today (Friday) but when I got to school, they were taking a test, so maybe next week. 

It has been pouring in the afternoons here for the past couple days, starting around 2:30, just before we head back to play with the kids.  The seamstress came yesterday to work with the kids on their sewing, but the rain came on quick, and hard, and sadly it ended early.  We were all soaked, even though there is a roof over where we usually sit, the wind blew so hard it was blowing the rain into where we were sitting.  We all gathered into the rooms where the children sleep and waited it out.  It was still pouring by the time we left, and we got back to a room with no power.  Halfway through our dinner (as we sat on the floor with a tiny flashlight) it came back on. 

Today my class spent the morning taking a test, and the teacher in Jessie’s class was out sick.  So I jumped in to help Jess with her kindergarten aged class.  What a handful they are, and without someone to translate, frustration was apparent.  We both experience stressful situations, but just different.  Often times her frustration is due to lack of attention, but the kids are young and can’t sit for 2 hours at a time to learn.  Mine comes from the children not understanding, because they missed the basics in the previous years.  After the break, the children played games such as volleyball and soccer, which they do every Friday.  I guess it’s the equivalent of gym class. 

We went to market today, and from then on, our day was filled with some really funny moments.  The number of times Jess has had to explain that her tattoo on her arm does not come off would probably be up to 100 by now.  Today in market some woman grabbed her and was pointing at it and making comments in Ewe.  The concept is so foreign to them, and most try to wipe it off.  As we walked home there was a baby goat crying (however a goat in distress would be described).  We saw its mother and another baby goat across the road, but this little one was stuck and had to jump over a gutter, about a foot wide to get to the mother.  Jess and I couldn’t just watch it suffer, so without thinking much about it, she walked over to try to pick it up.  We stand out like a sore thumb around here already, but a white girl going over to a goat is just crying for more attention.  The goat looked scared of her, and the fear made him leap the gutter.  Just as it went to cross the road a taxi came flying towards it, and Jess practically jumped out in front of it to save the goat.  I, on my knees with tears down my face I was laughing so hard, then saw each person in the cab laughing hysterically.  Perhaps the heat has gotten to us…. Whatever it may be, the goat was reunited with its mother, and we walked home feeling accomplished.

Of course it poured today around 2:30, and we felt awful because the kids had set up a soccer match with another school for today.  Due to the rain, it was canceled and the kids were really bummed.  When we first arrived, the children were still walking back from school, and as it rain poured down on them, we saw the older boys pick up the little ones, put them on their shoulders and run them back to the orphanage.  They would drop one off, and go run for others.  It was one of the cutest things I’ve seen, and again shows the community and family bond these kids have.  The older boys could have run and saved themselves from being soaked, but they stayed out to help the young ones.  The older boys then got silly and as they always do, they put on a show.  They ran out in the rain, and danced on the tables, soaking wet, but laughing their hearty laughs.  These children even make dark, rainy days become bright and beautiful.  We watched a soccer match on a small TV they had, and all the children crowded around, cheering and clapping when Ghana scored.  As we left, they were sad to learn we wouldn’t be around this weekend.  We told them we were going away, to Lake Volta, but they took it as leaving perhaps for good, and they quickly questioned, “Won’t you be here Monday??”  I can already tell that leaving here is going to be very hard.  With 3 more weeks to spend with the kids, the attachment will only grow stronger.    

On our drive back to the hotel tonight, the trees were gorgeous as the sun hit them right before it set.  Although the rain puts a damper on things, the beauty it brings is amazing.  The trees glistened, and the enormous rainbow above topped it off.  Up in the mountains, the clouds and fog hung, creating a really great landscape.  Pictures of the land here don’t do justice.  Pictures of the children don’t either, because they can’t bring to life their amazing personalities.  But I’ll continue to try to capture the beauty.