March 30-April 3
Day 1, March 30
Travel buddies: Stacey, Holly, Anaeis, and Angel
A HOT day in Takoradi, Ghana! I went to Market Circle, a
local outdoor shopping market where they sell everything from fabric to fish to
household items. I sweat literally everywhere and stumbled upon a Post Office
where I bought postcards at a tiny shop next door. I wrote my cards and mailed
them off. The postcards cost 1 Cedi and the postage was 3 Cedi. So, for a $1
USD I bought and mailed a postcard home.
After lunch at a local restaurant with a huge fan, I went
back to the ship and changed into a bathing suit to head to the beach. We went
to Takoradi Beach where there was a hotel that let us swim for free. The water
was warm and we bought local beer, french fries and a hummus/pits platter.
Heading back to the ship as the sunset was the ending to a great day!
Day 2, March 31
Field Program Trip Liaison, Senase Village & School
Engagement
Travel day! The 41 people in our field program met at 6:00am
and after 12 hours on the road made it to Senase right before the sun set. We
had lunch at a restaurant in Kumase and made a few quick bathroom stops at gas
stations along the way. The things I remember most are that there were only two
lane roads. The roads were paved but very bumpy and at moment possible street
sellers would approach the bus to sell drinks, food, and other items from
baskets and buckets on their head. These quick exchanges are something I
remember fondly from my first trip to Ghana in 2011.
Dinner was baked chicken and jollof rice. A ton, probably
50, kids from the village came to the house as soon as we arrived and taught us
Twi, asked questions about where we came from, and played games/danced with us
until the sky was dark, sweat was dripping, and it was time for bed.
Day 3, April 1
Field Program Trip Liaison, Senase Village & School
Engagement
The day started early with roosters waking us up and morning
chores to observe. I walked across the dirt road to the SAS school at 6:30am and
was immediately put to work. I hung a poster up high in a grade 1 classroom,
served breakfast, and entertained the kids as they arrived via the bus or on
foot.
After breakfast was the morning assembly. We danced, recited
pledges, and sweat! Our entire group took a tour of the school and learned
about the structure, the order of buildings being built, their needs moving
forward, and how land is acquired (by the Chief of the Village). We had
breakfast of rice pudding, bread, scrambled eggs, and hot cocoa or coffee. I
volunteered in grade 3 classroom and helped the students read as well as write
their lesson that was based on their comprehension of the story.
We helped serve lunch and played with the kids on break. The
teachers created activities for the kids to play like tug-a-war and soccer. It
is standard for the kids’ fingernails to be checked. They must be clean and
well manicured (cut) in order for them to be able to play. Also, most everyone,
kids included, bring a handkerchief to the playground to wipe his or her sweat.
I had a towel that was soaked by 9am.
The afternoon was spent back in the classrooms and then I
elected to attend the music afterschool program. There was one main teacher,
two others in attendance, and about 7 kids. They warmed up, sang a few songs
and then turned it over to us. We had about 6 semester at sea students and
myself. We decided to teach them a few songs that were faith based. We taught
them Silent Night, Amazing Grace, and There is Power in the Name of Jesus. I
lead the teaching (ha!) and we practiced “performing” so everyone could hear. Standing back and listening to the choir made me smile and I
know God beamed with joy as He heard His children sing praises.
We had dinner back at Fred’s home, danced with the village
kids, and recapped our day on the bus in air conditioning. Another walk back to
the Volunteer House made this day complete.
Day 4, April 2
Field Program Trip Liaison, Senase Village & School
Engagement
To get a full taste of life in Senase, I woke up at 5am to help
with household chores. The morning chores typically consist of: sweeping the
dirt front porch area, fetching water from a nearby well, making porridge for
breakfast, and bathing, and taking care of any animals (chickens, roosters,
goats, etc).
I grated okra for the lunchtme soup that the kids at the SAS
school would at that day. The Volunteer House, where I stayed, is special
because it was built with the intension to house volunteers who come to visit
and support the school. The outdoor kitchen is where all of the meals are made
for the school. There is a small group of 4-5 women, mostly students’ mothers,
who come each morning to make the porridge and prepare the lunch meal.
I also got to ride the big bus to do morning pick up. A
visual that I won’t soon forget is of a 2-3 year old little boy who saw the
school bus approaching from the opposite side of the road and jumped up and
down, with his backpack on, with sure joy! He was so happy to go to school and
even happier that we were on the bus to greet him. I sat with the boys in the
back who had smiles from ear to ear. After arriving at the school we helped
with breakfast and then made our way to the morning assembly.
My favorite parts about the morning assembly are the SAS
scholar pledge, reciting of the Ghanaian National Anthem, and dancing. The
pledge talks about using their talents for good, being smart and strong, and
committing to a positive day at school and home. We danced to popular tunes
like “right foot left stomp” and “YMCA.”
We had sweet bread for breakfast and them painted the wooden
ship in the play yard. It was hot, the paint was watered down but we got it
done. The before and after pictures are quite impressive!
Our visit to the government school by Fred’s home was
arguably the most impactful hour of the entire experience. The kids, 50+ in
each class, were all over. There are approx. 1,500 kids in the school and the
teachers had no supplies. No books, paper, pencils, or electronic equipment to
use when teaching. They made a few posters and hung them on the walls and some
had vocabulary words written on the board in chalk. But other than that, there
wasn’t much.
It was overwhelming to see all of the kids begging to simple
and basic necessities like water, or to hold my hand were so desired.
Day 5, April 3
Field Program Trip Liaison, Senase Village & School
Engagement
3:30am wake up call and 4am departure time. With an arrival
back to the ship at 6pm, that makes our total travel time for the day approx. 14
hours. We had a few quick rest stops for bathroom breaks, one for an early
lunch, and another at the Arts Center in Accra for food and shopping. I
bargained my way to a 30 cedi painted and fabric canvas of Africa and paid 30
cedi for a coo black and African print shirt for Lewis, for his birthday!
We had our last shares of sweet bread, bus karaoke, and a
few long reflection discussions about our time in Senase and at the different
schools and life in the village. We arrived back to the ship tired and
thankful, full yet longing for more, and happy to have had the experience we
did.
