Days 56 (and a half)-59

These past few days have been slightly more eventful than the last, more in an emotional sense than any adventures I set out on, beginning with Monday shortly after I made my last post. My friend Erin asked me to accompany her to the post office since that seems to be one of my areas of expertise here. On our way back to the hostel we were on a road with multiple lanes driving in the left lane. Our cab driver decided to take a left turn & we were then T-boned by a tro tro (a bus).  Luckily it hit the back end of the car so no one was injured. I was honestly surprised that this was my first wreck considering the way people drive around here but I am thankful that it wasn’t a very bad one. Both drivers got out & yelled at each other for a couple minutes, hit their vehicles a few times in attempt to get the dents out, & continued on their journeys.

Tuesday morning I woke up in a little pain, I think I just got some whiplash from the wreck. I took some Aleve & tried stretching the pain out as much as I could but still had a pretty bad headache so I spent the majority of my day relaxing, which tends to mean reading for me here. In fact I have completed 7 books now, and some I’ve read more than once. This may not seem like much to people who read a lot normally, but I think this more than I have actually completed since starting college almost 3 years ago. I hope that this is a habit I keep up when I get back home. There was a section in this book about giving up all of your comforts in order to do what you feel God has called you to do. This kind of struck me considering the fact that I’m in Africa at the moment. I may not be on a mission trip or with any religious program over here but I know that there was something calling me here when I first decided to come last year. I am not exactly sure what my reason for being here is yet. I may not know until my last day here or years after I leave, but I know that I do feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. There have definitely been things about home that I have missed (food being a huge one) but until reading this section of the book, I hadn’t actually given it that much thought. There are countless things that I enjoy at home that I don’t have here, but most I haven’t even taken the time to miss. I wonder how I will adjust when I am back home.

I walked my 30 minute walk to class that night but the power had been out for a lot of the day so I didn’t have high hopes for class since it was already getting dark when I left. Sure enough class was cancelled so I turned around for another 30 minutes back. I don’t mind the walking though. I usually just put my headphones in & listen to country music to pass the time. It feels a little odd listening country while I’m in Africa, but to my surprise they like country here! I remember being on the bus to the Volta region a few weeks ago & one the guys started playing Boys Round Here by Blake Shelton. And he couldn’t get enough of that song the entire trip.

Wednesday morning I met the orphanage kids for chapel. I was feeling a little better that morning so I decided to go on with life as usual. After chapel we went back for school. I worked with the younger kids that day, learning numbers & letters. While the kids worked on writing their letters I had a side conversation with one of my friends who also volunteers there. We were discussing how some of the kids there are HIV/AIDS positive when she started telling me about her brother who died from AIDS a few years ago. I was in shock about how little I really knew about it. I wish there were many more hours in the day so I could do some work for the AIDS foundation here & educate others as well as myself, but unfortunately I just don’t have a lot of free time during their open hours.

That day I was sitting in the volunteer office responding to one of my grandma’s emails when it hit me that I only have 10 weeks left here, and I think it hit me pretty hard. I think that was the moment that I fell completely in love with this place. I have never been in love before, but I imagine that’s kind of how it goes, very slowly at first & then out of nowhere it just happens. I couldn’t imagine my life without Africa & I don’t really want to. I can’t even recall who I was before I came here or what my everyday life was like & my heart breaks a little for the people who haven’t experienced it. 10 weeks is not a very long time & I’m afraid it’s going to fly by faster than I want it to, but for now I’m going to enjoy every second I have here & soak in everything it has to offer.

I was supposed to go fill out a few forms to extend my visa that afternoon. For some reason when we arrived they only granted us 60 days until we basically had to go pay the government for something we already had paid for before we left, but I guess that’s how it goes in the developing world. My director wasn’t back from an errand when I arrived back at campus so I got some coffee & did a little more reading while I awaited her arrival. Just as I was getting ready to leave, one of the workers came up & handed me a pineapple juice & told me my friend bought it for me. I looked around & didn’t see anyone I knew, I think the confused look on my face gave that away to her as well. Then she told me that he had already left but handed me a piece of paper the read “Andy” followed by a Ghanaian phone number. I kind of laughed at this, feeling slightly embarrassed. While I was a little flattered by his silent approach, it still didn’t break me. As part of my nature I wanted to thank him for the pineapple juice, although I didn’t drink it, but I know better by now than to let these men have your phone number so I continued on with my day after it had been made just a little bit brighter. I filled out my paperwork & dropped off all the materials needed to have my visa extended through my stay & then went back to the hostel to begin on the second homework assignment I’ve been given since my arrival here. I actually sat at my desk for the first time that day & it made me feel quite accomplished.

That night I had a long talk with my roommate for the first time. This probably seems extremely weird that it took 2 months for this to happen, and honestly it’s really weird to me too. She told me that I was her favorite roommate that she’s ever had & that this was a big deal because she was really nervous about living with a white person. She told me I wasn’t anything like she expected me to be & that she liked how my parents raised me, so mom & dad – good job :) I think it’s really cool that we have both broken each other’s misperceptions & stereotypes. We discussed our families with each other. She asked what my parents did & I reciprocated the question. She told me that her mom worked in a school & her dad had been a preacher but that he died a couple years ago. She started to cry when she told me this & it brought tears to my eyes listening to her talk about it. I am so incredibly humbled by my experiences here each & every day. It blows me away how blessed I truly am. I have an amazing family. Not only do I have my mom, dad, & a sister who is my very best friend, but also I have incredible grandparents, aunts, uncles, & cousins on top of that. They have all been so great supporting me throughout my entire life & now I know more than ever that a lot of people never get to experience that. I have so much more than I could ever ask for. I don’t know how else to put how it feels into words other than that my heart feels so full, like it could burst out of my chest. I talked to my sister on the phone for a while that night before I lost connection & then went to bed feeling like a different person than I did when I woke up that day.

I had class this morning followed by another cup of coffee with a book on the side. Now I’m back at the hostel waiting until it’s time for me to head to the orphanage for the afternoon. I am going on another trip this weekend so will report back when I return. Love to you all,

Kasey

Sorry for the lame photo booth picture, I had a lot of requests from family members for a picture of me on the blog so here I am, living life under my mosquito net.

Days 49-56

After a week back in the swing of classes & a weekend trip to another part of Ghana my homesick stage has worn off again! I had learned it was normal to go through stages where you would get frustrated & miss home but so far the only 2 little downfalls I’ve had here have been quick & painless. In fact, now that I’m so settled here I get a little terrified at times to go back home. It’s a place that is supposed to be so comfortable & familiar but I feel like everything will be so different when I get there. None the less, I will be very excited to see the beautiful faces of all my friends & family back home :)

Monday was a pretty ordinary day. I had class & had some hangout time in the hostel. I had forgotten it was St. Patrick’s Day until my mom texted me to have a happy one. I feel so unfamiliar with all American things. I see on social media that March Madness has begun & honestly I still don’t even know who won the Olympics. When I first decided to go on this trip I almost forgot that life is still happening back at home even though I’m not there. Sometimes it’s weird to let that sink in, not that I would ever think the world was supposed to stop & wait for me, it’s just weird to think about what will have changed that I didn’t keep up on while I am over here. Anyways, a few of us took a trip to a different mall that day that we hadn’t been to yet. It was in the most upscale part of Accra so definitely a little more westernized. It’s always kind of nice to get back to that, even if it’s just for an hour or two.

Tuesday morning I sat through 2 hours of drumming outside in the heat. I swear it gets hotter & hotter here each day. I even sweat walking to class at 6:30 in the morning. They say the rainy season is supposed to pick up within the next month & I’m pretty excited for that! I love rainy days & it will certainly help cool things off here. I spent the afternoon at the orphanage. The kids swim on Tuesdays so took up most of the afternoon. Then I had to run back to campus to make it for my night class. 

 Wednesday morning the kids had chapel at the American International School. It’s great that they get to go & be involved there but I also feel bad for them. All the teachers know every kid there by name & our kids are just the Beacon House kids. This week they had some musical guests come sing & rap some gospel music. All the students were up in the front dancing & having a good time while all of the orphanage kids just sat in the back quietly watching everyone else. We tried to get them to go up & dance, a few did but most weren’t up to it. It made me sad to watch but also motivated me to teach them so that they can reach the level required to start attending a regular school. The performers that were there started with an R&B rendition of the “Jesus loves me, this I know” song. I love R&B so my heart melted a little listening to them sing in the microphone & all the kids singing along in the background. After chapel we went back to the house for school. Today the kids worked on writing a new story & doing some math problems. We all broke for lunch & I ended up at a little outdoor restaurant where I got some tea & finished a book I had been reading. I made it back for campus in time to get to my night class. We were there for about 20 minutes before the power went out & we were set free to return to the hostel. 

Thursday was my early class. I began my walk there not long after 6:30 that morning, sweating head to toe by the time I made to the classroom. Class was set to start at 7:30 but this is Africa, so naturally it started at 8. After class I had a little time to kill back at the hostel so I re-showered & got ready for an afternoon at the orphanage. When I arrived the kids were all napping so I was really glad I brought my iPad that day. While they slept I read another book that my mom had suggested for me that morning. Once they woke up I colored with a few of them in the books my Auntie sent for them. I ended up at the same outdoor restaurant for dinner since it’s close to the orphanage & has some decent food – a place that isn’t all carbs & fried food. I talked to my mom & sister on the phone that night for me, morning for them. Mid conversation my mom says, “Hold on a second, I’m ordering coffee.” This killed me just a little bit. I really miss real coffee. Everything here is Nescafe instant coffee. I am used to it by now, but I still had to live a little bit vicariously through them so when she put Sydney on the phone I had to ask where they were & what they were ordering. It was nice to talk to them on the phone. I haven’t done a great job of keeping in touch with everyone back home. In fact I think that was only my third or fourth time actually talking to my mom on the phone, not just sending quick messages back & fourth. She’s the one I’ve talked with the most as well. I think I start to miss home the more I talk to people from home so I’ve held off on it probably more than I should. I do love getting messages & emails from friends & family back home though! Always makes my day a little brighter.

After we ended our chat on the phone I packed up for my weekend trip & began to watch It’s a Wonderful Life. I’ve never actually seen the movie but have heard it’s a classic & a Christmas movie (my favorite) so I thought it might be time to watch. Unfortunately I only got about 45 minutes into the movie before my internet froze up & the movie wouldn’t load. I’ll have to try again another day or save it for a rainy day back home.

Friday morning we took off for Kumasi at 7 am. It was about 5 hours in the car so traveling took up most of the morning. When we arrived at lunch I got a call from my dad, which was another pleasant surprise. I enjoyed a little chat with him while he drove to work in the snow & I tried not to melt sitting outside of a little restaurant. We started the afternoon by visiting the palace for the Asante people. I could Google a bunch of facts for you about the palace, but honestly I don’t remember that much about it. I know that every chair the ruler ever sat on was brought to the palace & no one else could sit in it again. The “touristy” things aren’t as exciting now that I’ve been here for 2 months, but of course it’s all interesting to see. After that we went the cultural center, a little market outside of Kumasi’s giant open-air market. The big one is actually the biggest market in West Africa. After a little window-shopping there we went to our hotel & had some dinner. We ended the night sitting outside listening to my friend Micah play guitar while we all sang along to the songs we knew.

Saturday morning we got up for some more touring. Nearly everything that is sold in markets in Ghana comes from Kumasi. We got to go to one village & see how they weave all the fabrics & materials. On our way out there we got stuck in the middle of a funeral parade. As I’ve said in earlier posts, the funerals here are a big party. All the little kids would wave & dance for us through the windows & laugh when we danced back. When the adults came through things got a little more interesting. Farther outside of the city there isn’t a lot of diversity so they go a little crazy when the see white people. They were yelling at us through the windows, banging on them with their hands, not in a violent way but I actually felt like the fish that were in a tank at my doctor’s office when I was little. Kids would always do the exact same thing to them & now I understand why there was always a little note asking us not to. It started to feel like we were just a little display for them, which gets uncomfortable but it's manageable. Then we got to go to the village where they stamp different fabrics with cultural symbols. 

The dye comes from tree bark. It is crushed in a bucket with a big wooden rod. After it’s all mushed, they melt it over a fire. After a day or 2 it turns a dark red color, then a brown, & then after about it a week it becomes a solid black. The stamps are carved out of wood & then printed on the fabrics by hand. 

The people here love Obama so there's his face on a lot of things.

The kids living in the village saw I was taking pictures & wanted me to snap a few of them.

 These are the houses that people in the village live in. 

It amazes me how self-sufficient the people are here. Next we went the woodcarving village. There were many beautiful things but I don’t think I’d ever get any of them home in one piece so I just looked around. Afterwards we went back to the cultural center & I bought some beautiful paintings. We were supposed to go to the open-air market next but it was pouring rain so we weren’t able to go. When we arrived back at the hotel we got some pizza from the restaurant & relaxed. Our director who is originally from the states claimed the hotel had the best pizza she’d ever had. I must say it’s not the best I’ve had in my whole life, but definitely takes the prize for Ghana. Following pizza we had an accidental girl’s night in the room I was sharing with my friend Jade. People stopped by for all sorts of random reasons but all ended up staying so we talked & laughed into the night until eventually we all made our way to our beds.

This morning we got up for breakfast & then got ready for a journey back home. Since I tend to wake up so early here I was awake in time to check out some more artwork outside of the hotel. I ended up buying a lot from one guy who signed all his work “BA”- which he claims stands for Best Artist. He made me laugh & I liked his stuff so I picked out quite a few that looked like good gifts for my family members back home. I told my mom she’s have to help my decided which grandparents, aunts, & uncles get which piece. She’s good at decorating & interior design type things so I figure she would know better than I would.

We packed up the bus & headed out for Bosomtwe Lake. We took a boat ride around in the lake, which made me ache for a Montana summer. 

There was a little monkey named Issac on a leash at the lake. He was so cute!

Then we went to a little restaurant for lunch to learn that it hadn’t opened yet. We were the first costumers & it’s all set to open tomorrow. The guy opening it is from Tennessee. He came to Ghana on a study abroad trip in 2006 & moved here for good that same year. It was very cool & we got to test out his delicious food. This was hands down the best food I’ve had since I’ve been in Ghana. We just arrived back from about 6 hours in the bus. I was thinking a lot about how I’ve probably changed quite a bit here but haven’t recognized it yet. Then I was reading my newest novel and stumbled across an Elf reference. I’m sure everyone who knows me is aware that this is my all-time favorite movie, but there was a problem in the text. The author referred to Steve Carrell in an elf costume but the actor is Will Ferrell in the movie. I tried to keep reading on but this bothered me so much I looked up the author online, found her website, & began typing her an email about how she was mistaken in the book. Then I realized how ridiculous this was & never actually sent out the message, but it’s nice to see I have some defining qualities that haven’t changed :)

I wrote all of this last night & then fell asleep waiting for the pictures to upload. But I spoke too soon about the rain because I woke up to the pouring rain this morning! Finally the air has cooled just a little bit.

Hope all is well back home & that spring in Montana starts acting like a real spring soon! Love to you all,

Kasey

Days 44-48

And will  you succeed?

            Yes! You will, indeed!

    (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

        KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

Not too much has gone on since my last post, but thought an update was in order. Wednesday morning I took the kids to chapel & then spent the rest of the morning teaching. We are learning some new words & then got to play some math bingo. After my time at the orphanage I went to the post office yet again to pick up another package from my wonderful mother. She sent my some more food & some new clothes! I am very happy about the clothes because I didn’t pack enough to get a good variety here. One suitcase of clothes isn’t much when you’re going somewhere for 5 months. I’m pretty sick of the ones I brought so she definitely made my day with that package. That night I went to one of classes that didn’t actually happen so I took a dinner break until my next one. We arrived at that class to find out it had changed venues so we ran across campus to make it there in time. The class is abnormal psychology. Our professor brings up homosexuality a lot in class and while he may be ok with it, the rest of the class is not. They are actually pretty immature about the matter, laughing & making jokes every time it comes up. It’s really frustrating coming from a place that is getting more accepting of those differences each day. My American friends & I had quite a discussion regaurding the issue after class. It’s a cultural difference for sure, and that is taking some getting used to. The whole culture shock sunk in more than ever this week & it took me a step back I think. I think it’s normal to get homesick & frustrated at times even when you really try not to. I am about seven weeks in now though, so I made it a lot longer than I originally thought I would.

Thursday morning I had class & then wasn’t feeling too good again so spent the afternoon napping & resting.

Friday we went to get our national ID cards. They cost 120 US dollars for a little piece of plastic with your name & picture on it, but I guess that’s just another way for the country to make money. 

A group of us went to the mall after that & saw another movie. We went to the Lego movie & it was way better than I had expected. I didn’t know all those actors were in it so I enjoyed it a lot. That afternoon we watched a rugby game that some of the girls in our hostel were playing in. That is a rough sport  to watch. We’ll see how many more games I make it to. That night my friend Erin & I found a little restaurant that had some really good food! We spent a few hours there because it was so nice & the food was the best I’d had since I left America.

I spent my weekend relaxing. It was the first weekend I have stuck around town for awhile so I soaked it up. I was lazy & tried to get the rest of this sick bug out of me. I did a little grocery shopping & watched a few movies. It was kind of boring actually, but nice at the same time. We have a big trip coming up this weekend & another the weekend after that so I thought I might as well enjoy a break! Another storm is moving in here so I'm in the middle of one of my favorite movies, Sleepless in Seattle, & will probably fall asleep early tonight.

Hope everyone had a good spring break & an easy transition back to reality tomorrow. Love to you all,

Kasey

Days 37-43

 

"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 & great tact

  And remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act.

             Just never forget  to be dexterous & deft.

And never mix up your right foot with your left."

This past week has been both busy & relaxing at the same time. Wednesday was my first day of being sick here, but luckily I didn’t get it too bad, mostly a hoarse cough & a little flu, but much less than I expected to have here. I started out at the orphanage, but didn’t last too long since I wasn’t too hot. I had 2 more packages at the post office so I decided to rally & go pick them up later in the afternoon. This ended up being a 4-hour event, but I got some good treats & some things for the kids from my Grammy Di & my Auntie. That night I just laid in bed & hit the hay early.

Thursday was Independence Day here in Ghana so we had the day off of school. I had planned to go on a 4-day trip to the Volta region, but they cut it down to 2 days at the last minute. I already had all my obligations excused for Thursday & Friday so I got to relax a little bit for possibly the first time since I got here. A few of us went to the “parade” at Black Star Square that morning. I put parade inside parenthesis because it was mostly a bunch of government/military officials standing in the center of the square & a band playing a few songs. But there were a ton of people there despite the rain literally pouring on us. Again Ghanaians are very proud of their culture so the turnout didn’t surprise me. By the end we were soaked head to toe & spent the rest of the day snacking on Girl Scout cookies & watching Friends in the hostel. 

Friday I slept in & read my newest book for a large portion of the day. I don’t have classes that day & had planned to be out of town so I didn’t have too much to do. We went out for some pizza & a movie that night to add a little American entertainment to the day as if the cookies & Friends wasn’t enough the day before. The pizza was of course spicy so I opted for a not so spicy treat instead. We bought tickets to see Robo Cop, walked into the Robo Cop theater, but didn’t get to see Robo Cop. They played a different movie called Winter’s Tale. It was very different & not a great movie but I wasn’t too excited for Robo Cop anyways so I didn’t mind.

Saturday we were supposed to be up & outside for the bus at 6 am sharp to leave on our adventure to the Volta region. I forgot that time doesn’t mean very much here in Ghana as we didn’t leave the parking lot until 7:30. It was about a 5-hour drive to Mount Afadjato, which was our first destination. It is the tallest mountain in West Africa & they decided we should hike it at 12:30 pm, the hottest time of day, without feeding us lunch while most of us didn’t even eat breakfast at 6 am. It took around 2 hours & was just about the hardest hike of my life to say the least. It is 2,904 ft tall and the hike is basically vertical. We had to use our hands & knees to get to the top. A lot of people only went half way since we didn’t do our research thoroughly enough to come prepared. I made it to the top though so I felt pretty accomplished about that. Bruised, scraped, and covered in dirt I made it to the beautiful view. I took a few pictures, but it’s the kind of beauty that a camera can’t capture. The area has several mountains, which was a nice reminder of home to me. I miss the mountains A LOT & I think all my friends here know that by now :) I love them so much that I’ve convinced quite a few people to make Montana their next vacation spot. 

After the hike we went straight to a waterfall, yet again without any lunch. It was quite a walk to get to the waterfalls, but another active journey worth the view at the end. After a few people swam in the water we traveled up another mountain to get to our hotel. We finally got some dinner, a hot shower, & fell asleep. 

This is how pineapples grow.

 This was a giant centipede on the trail. Coiled up it was about 3 inches in diameter.

Bats flew all around the top of the waterfall.

Sunday we woke up for some breakfast around sunrise & noticed a beautiful view outside of our window that we hadn’t seen in the dark the night before. 

After we ate we went to the monkey sanctuary where we got to feed some Mona monkeys. There are about 400 monkeys living in that jungle. There are 4 tribes, each consisting of one male & the rest female & babies. It took awhile to find them & once we did we were getting eaten alive by ants. The bites actually hurt pretty badly so we ran down the trail until the ground wasn’t covered by them anymore. The monkeys followed & we got to feed them bananas. We started out by crouching down close to the ground and reaching out our arms. They peeled the bananas & ate them right out of our hands! After we got comfortable with it we stood up & held out our arms, they jumped right from the trees onto us! It was pretty cool to hold a monkey for a few minutes. 

 After monkeying around for bit we packed up & went back to Accra. We stopped at the Volta Lake to get a look at the freshwater there. It reminded me of times at the lake with family in the summers & how I can’t wait to be back out there this year. We got some lunch afterwards, possibly the best, somewhat American, food I’ve had yet. Unfortunately it’s about 3 or 4 hours from where I live so I won’t be getting it often if ever again. I’m sure it wouldn’t have tasted great when I first arrived 6 weeks ago, but after eating the local food for that long I can’t really tell what is good anymore. We got back around sunset so I just read until I fell asleep.

Yesterday morning I went for my usual jog, got some coffee, & went to class. After class a few of us went to the International Trade Fair in town, which ended up being really cool. There were vendors from several different countries all over the world. I got a couple gifts to bring back home & a dress from India for myself. Since then I’ve had my usual white rice for dinner & wrote this blog to the sound of another intense thunderstorm. I wasn’t able to upload it last night because my internet connection was incredibly slow. The uploading process usually takes a few hours for the pictures. Life doesn’t happen quickly here, but I can’t complain. The slow pace is pretty peaceful.

This morning I had class & then spent the afternoon at the orphanage. They went swimming again today so that's been pretty fun to watch. Little Silas was sick so he cuddled up on my lap & hung out with me until I had to walk the older kids to the pool. He's become one of my favorite little guys. On my way back to campus I had a very interesting cab ride. The driver didn't want to sit through traffic so he drove on the other side of the road honking his horn like crazy. I was terrified the entire time but made it home safe, though if I ever see him again I will not get in his cab. The power went out before I left for the orphanage & was still out when I got back. I went to my night class anyways hoping maybe it would come back on. It didn't. But we held class anyways. We all grabbed our chairs & went outside where it was a little lighter until the sun was all the way down. When I got back to the hostel we had power again so now I can finally post this blog :)

 I sleep under this net each night to save my skin from mosquito bites. It certainly helps, but my skin is pretty covered with them anyways. These bites aren’t like the ones at home either. They are much bigger & actually hurt when you are being bitten. They come to a little yellowish scab in the middle where the insect made it’s bite. That soon turns into blood after scratching them because man, do they itch! Pretty gross really, but just another fact of living here in Africa.

Back to my normal routine in the morning! Hope everyone is having a wonderful spring break, wherever your travels have taken you. Felt a little homesick when I saw all the fun everyone was having, but for some reason if I listed to a few Christmas songs, especially "I'll be home for Christmas," my homesickness lifts pretty easily. Love to you all,

Kasey

Days 32-36

“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 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.”

“Spring” is here! And while it sounds like everyone at home is doing everything not to freeze, I’m just trying not to melt! The days have been getting hotter & hotter since I showed up here so I am VERY excited for the rainy season to hit.

Friday morning was spent at the orphanage. It was really awesome having all the kids there! We split into 2 groups; I took half & watched a movie on animals building their habits. All the kids were so curious about all these animals they had never seen. They even featured some critters in the Rocky Mountains so I told them that’s where I live :) They constantly asked for help on spelling every word, as they decided to take notes on the video even though it wasn’t a school day. They’re enthusiasm towards school & learning inspires me so much each day. I think they’ve already taught me so much more than I’ll be able to teach them the whole time I’m here.

This adorable little James! He's 4 years old and so much fun!

This is Joshua, Jennifer, & Sandra.

Another volunteer took the other half & worked on some breathing exercises to help the kiddos with their anxiety. A lot of them have it pretty terrible though they have learned to cope it with it very well after their time at the orphanage. They all come from pretty dark places, Heather told me that out of 300 kids that have come through the orphanage there has only been 2 or 3 that weren’t sexually abused. It breaks my heart a little each time I hear these stories but at the same time, it’s pretty amazing to see how far they’ve come & to know that they are all being cared for now. After both groups had watched the video, we got out the parachute & played a few games. 

I stopped at a grocery store on my way home & found some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream! I was so excited about it that I had to make it my lunch.

I arrived to class that afternoon to find that it has been moved to Thursday mornings now. It’s very odd that they can change it whenever they please, but at least I have Friday’s off now!

Saturday I took my trip to Cape Coast. I met Brianne in the pouring rain in the town of Kosoa & then we continued the trip to Cape Coast by tro tro. When we arrived, we walked around looking for food. We found a cute little place that served delicious food! A European woman owned it so I finally had some familiar foods, my first salad in 5 weeks! We took a walk on the beach & spent some time at the University of Cape Coast campus with a few people she has met through volunteering.

Saturday morning we woke up & some food at a little vegetarian place, another great find! I had some pretty tasty breakfast consisting of eggs & pancakes with cinnamon sugar. I almost wish I were in Cape Coast considering how much better the food is! Then we spent a few hours sitting on the beach, talking to all the children as they came by. One little girl was selling waters on her head. She looked like she was about 6 years old; though she told us she was 9. She was all skin & bones so I don’t know how she carried that bowl of waters on her head. We asked them how much it weighed & they told us 45 kilometers…. Since that is a totally inaccurate measurement, I decided to test out the bowl on my head & that thing is heavy! How they walk around with it all day & keep it balanced is a mystery to me. I once saw a man carrying a medium sized fridge on his head. Every thing I ever thought about humans was proven inaccurate at that moment. Then he went up the stairs like that and I was completely mind blown.

I made it safely back to Accra that afternoon & relaxed until I went to bed.

Monday I had class that started 15 minutes late & ended an hour early, but what college student would really complain about that? I went to the mall that afternoon but just to do some grocery shopping. I finally got some pots & pans so I can make some meals myself. When I returned to the hostel, I made some no bake cookies so share with my American friends here. I gave a few to some Ghanaians but they don’t have a sweet tooth like we do!

This morning I slept in, which means about 7:30 for me these days, then made my first breakfast by myself since I’ve been here & had a cup of instant coffee. I spent the afternoon at the orphanage, playing games & helping with homework. On my cab ride back to campus the driver told me to get his number & I can call him whenever I need a ride. I told him only if he gave me a fair price since all the other try to charge me extra since I’m an Obrani. He must have thought that was pretty funny cause he started laughing really hard & then told me it was true.

I went to my night class & the power went out right as the sun set so we sat in the dark listening to lecture for about 45 minutes, which makes it extremely hard to concentrate when you’re used to looking at a power point the whole time. He let us go early since the power wasn’t coming back on. He told us to write a paper answering the question: what is the normal curve? I have a very hard time understand the accents still so I had to ask around. I heard “what is the normal cave?” so I was very confused. Even when I ask the Ghanaian students it still sounds like cave so I have to ask about 10 different words that sounds something close to cave until I get it right.

A girl in our group got braids put in her hair & decided to take them out tonight so we all sat around unbraiding fake hair while the musical people in our group sang “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” which was a pretty pleasant way to end my day.

I have a lot of made up husbands, boyfriends, & fiancés back at home. The men here are so forward that it’s about the only way to get no across. They ask you to marry them often & some even jump right into calling you their wife. It is very odd. I also have a lot of broken phones & computers because if you make the mistake of giving them your number, you’re phone is blowing up constantly. Its not really creepy, just a little overwhelming when you’re not used to that kind of aggressiveness.

I see these strands everywhere I go. The first time I saw one I thought it was a dead snake. After a few days I realized it was just a piece of rope, but most recently I have discovered that it is neither of these things. It’s hair that fell off of the women’s heads! They all either have braids or wigs for the most part so I guess the braids occasionally just fall out! 

The little guy is Silas & the older one is Sandra. When I first met her a couple weeks ago she could hardly speak English. Now she talks in full sentences & runs around asking everyone how to spell their name & records it on paper!

Jennifer is in the pink, Freda is behind me & Silas is on my lap again.

Another picture with Jennifer & Silas. Jennifer is such a sweetheart. She is always holding my hand & cuddling up to me. Today they didn't want to let me leave even though I had class. It already makes me sad thinking about saying goodbye to these little angels when I head home.

Missing all of you back home! Love to you all,

Kasey