Farewell To Ghana, Jambo to Tanzania!

It has been one week since I left Hohoe and traveled from Accra, Ghana via Ethiopia to meet Brad in Tanzania to start our safari.  We have finally made it to the central part of the Serengeti, and we actually have wireless internet service for the first time - no phone service while we travel the park, but a treat to have a quick chance to blog!  We do not think we will have internet access again until we arrive home at the end of next week....but will try to post pictures when able.

It was with very bittersweet feelings that I said good bye to my new friends in Ghana - the wonderful staff at the Cross Cultural Solutions home base, my Lilly colleagues from around the globe, and my incredible headmaster, teachers. and students at St Teresa's Primary School.  The experience that I had teaching in Ghana, living as member of the community of Hohoe, and immersing myself in the culture and customs of Ghana has made me think more clearly about the things that are most important in life.  Every time I brush my teeth, turn on a shower with hot water, or flip on a light switch, I cannot help to reflect on the common amenities that we have available to us in the United States.  I had so many villagers share with me their goal to one day visit the US or at least offer their children the opportunity to get their education in the States.  I feel blessed to have had the chance to spend time with the joyful, faithful, and humble people of Ghana.  My life has been changed and my priorities too...I am still considering ways that I can make a difference with those I have met from afar or those within my own community once I return home.  The Ghananian people make you realize immediately that family, friends, fellowship, and the church are the cornerstones of life.  I will share more stories and thoughts on my volunteer placement in Hohoe next week when I can download pictures.

The Serengeti...words cannot describe this extraordinary park.  The landscape is beautiful, the Wildebeast migration is powerful, and the circle of life playing out before us each day has Brad and I awestruck.  Enjoy the pictures! xoxo

The Road To Ghana - Day 12!

During a presentation on child labor tonight, the topic of fishing along with other industries like mining and oil came up.  For families who have many children, often the parents will sell their children into child labor in exchange for money that will help them care for their other children.  The government is trying to police this practice and have set up task forces to prevent child labor, but often there are just not enough resources available to manage this challenging social welfare situation.  As the discussion continued, I was thinking about the many children I witnessed working on the fishing boats in Cape Coast or the many children under the age of 18 selling items on the streets of Accra.  The speaker left us with one parting thought: What can you do to benefit a Ghananian child that has no food or shelter or a Ghananian woman who is facing a similar situation? What will you say or do to make a difference?  Very powerful.

I visted the Hohoe hospital early today with the hope of meeting with the main physician before my placement started at St Teresa's.  I was not able to meet with him due to his very busy schedule of rounding in all departments of the hospital, but I was able to get a full tour of the facility from the ER to the surgical unit to labor/delivery.  The staff were very helpful and efficient, but I quickly noticed the great number of people waiting to be seen by the physician.  I saw many people with their sick children waiting patiently to get care and those standing in line to get dental help or to see the nurse.  They may have been waiting for hours to see the only physician that covers the Hohoe hospital.  Another moment of gratefulness struck me, very blessed to live in the United States and have access to the amazing healthcare system that is in place.

I have now started teaching Communication and Technology at St Teresa's.  I used my laptop to show the student all facets of a computer.  They were so curious and had many questions.  They were most interested in how I save pictures from my camera to my computer.  I spent even more time in 1:1 sessions with the teachers.  I had one teacher who had never typed a word on a computer...she gave me 3 high fives and a hug!  Heart warming experience...I will continue with this lesson plan tomorrow and Friday. 

We visited the Monkey Sanctuary today....will download pictures as soon as possible!

"I know this sounds a bit much, but if I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa." Ernest Hemingway  xoxo

The Road To Ghana - Day 9!

Good Morning from Cape Coast Africa!  I am so excited to have access to secure wireless!  Once I return to home-base I will have spotty access, so I must take advantage of the opportunity.  Boy, how much I take for granted on a daily basis.  I am usually multi-tasking with a cell phone, computer, kindle, camera, and maybe even an ipod, and the assumption is always that my electronic items will work, immediately. 


Here in Ghana, life revolves around going to market, going to school, finding food for the family, and worship.  Material items are immaterial.  Life is so busy in the States, and I never seem to slow down long enough to smell the roses and enjoy the small things.  In Ghana, I have noticed that life recolves around connecting with family, working together with friends/family to make a living, and taking advantage of every moment.  Because there are no competing interests like TV, internet, and technology, there is something very pure about Ghananian life.  Of course, the western way of thinking is slowly influencing villages and the people.  People gather around TV's at the street market - once they have had a taste of media and what is going on in the world, they crave more.  The good news is that technology is helping to prevent Malaria, diseases like Polio, and stop the spread of Cholera and Typhoid (which is rampant.)  So the balance between technology and living life to its fullest seems to be key.  This experience is making me very aware of just how blessed I am to have so many things that make life easy...hot, running water, air conditioning, food that is hygenic, and reliable electricity.


I bring this up as I sit in front of the beach and watch villagers make the long trek to Church this morning.  Many are dresses in their finest clothes and wave as they pass me by.  Some people are passing with large (very large) bowls balanced on their heads filled with fruit, rice, bags of water (sachets are common here - we are no allowed to drink though), and goods to sell on the side of the streets.  Imagine carrying items on your head all day from sun up to sun down - heavy items - they do it with finesse and never lose a single item from the bowls.  In the ocean, I see many wooden fishing boats that dot that horizon.  They are catching fish, starfish, different crustaceans, and bringing back shells to sell in the market.  It is very interesting to see all of the sea creatures lined up for sale on wooden tables at roadside stands in the village.  I am already wondering what we might see being sold when we leave Cape Coast today. 


I hope you all have a wonderful week!  I will be in touch....xoxo

The Road To Ghana - Day 8!

Hi!  Thursday night I had the amazing experience of attending an Evangelical Presbyterian Church service at a Hohoe village church.  The church was in the middle of a week-long revival to raise money for a bus.  After speaking Ewe to the minister, my Lilly colleague, Chin Chin (Charles), and I were invited to attend the service.  The church has over 3,000 members and have 15 plus choral groups.  Several choirs performed Thursday evening including the adult women’s and men’s groups– the service was spoken in Ewe, and I understood very few words except “Papa” for Father.   They performed Holy Night, How Great Thou Art, and He Has the Whole World in His Hands.  Incredible!  I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to come together with the Hohoe community for praise and worship.

Friday, I went to the fifth day of my placement.  My plan was to teach Creative Art to two classes, but when I arrived, the girls were finishing out-door morning assembly and were “weeding” the grounds.  When the grounds become over grown with grass and weeds, the girls spend a morning cleaning the grounds with machetes.  They do a great job – definitely a sight to see!  I was then invited to attend a special Citizenship Class at the Teacher’s Training College with my fifth grade girls.  Wow!  They were training the children on the special Queen Ceremony that take place in all Ghana villages when a new Queen is named.  One of my teachers offered to take pictures – double Wow!!  I could not believe that I was getting such special treatment.  I will share pictures once I am able to download the large files. 

Suzanna - The girls love both books!!  Janet - The Golden Egg book/drawing/letter exercise is going well!  The children continue to enjoy the pictures from First Presbyterian Pre-School and Holy Trinity Pre-School - thank you so much!!  They also love the Charleston, SC and Hunterville, NC art/pictures/letters!

So, we left yesterday afternoon after placement for our weekend trip to Cape Coast, Ghana (no surprise, this is a resort spot on the coast!)  The drive took us 10 hours from Hohoe, and we were very relieved to find that our hotel was in a perfect seaside location (we spent 2.5 hours sitting in traffic in Accra which is the norm.)  We were also thrilled to have running water (hot water!), western toilets, and electricity.  The area is quite beautiful!  In addition to learning Ewe, my teachers have been teaching me Twi.  Twi is spoken in the Northern region of Ghana which is an excellent fit for communicating in Cape Coast where Twi is the main language. 

Today, we spent time at the Kukume National Park.  The park is an hour from Cape Coast and is well known for the incredible Canopy Walk through the rainforest.  There are 7 swinging bridges suspended 120 feet from the ground.  Although I do not enjoy heights, I decided that the experience was well worth overcoming any fear that I might have!  The walk through the clouds was breathtaking.  Many animals make their homes in the forest including various monkey species, but they become scarce when they hear noise.  We witnessed a very cool marching ant line that had formed at the entrance to the park – because the ants bite and are quite aggressive, the staff members of the park ushered us away from the ants (National Geographic at its best!)  After the rainforest hike, we visited the Slave Castles in Cape Coast.  The Castle has a long history and was owned by many nations before becoming a slave deportation site.  Today the Castle serves as a museum and offers tours – very informative!  Around the castle, wooden boats come in from a morning of fishing.  The people here live off of the land/sea, they have very little, and the village does experience great poverty.  In true Ghananian fashion, a torrential rainstorm broke out and briskly ended our walking tour.

We head back to Hohoe tomorrow, and we all will begin our second week at our placements on Monday.  The week will be filled with lesson planning, Ewe lessons, a visit to the Monkey Sanctuary, a mountain climb to the top of the highest peak in Western Africa, and a special speaking presentation on Child Labor which has become a big issue in Ghana.  I can hardly believe that I have already been in Africa a full week – time is passing by so quickly!  Thank you again for all of your thoughts, prayers, cards, notes, and scriptures.  I am making certain to enjoy every moment of my experience – life-changing for certain. 

Next weekend, Brad will be meeting me in Arusha, Tanzania (Kilimanjaro.)  I will continue to blog when able! Love To All!! XOXO

The Road To Ghana - Day 6!

Greetings again from Ghana!  Now that we have been in Hohoe for six days, we have acclimated to our home-base and have connected with all of our new friends in the CCS group.  I must admit the fans throughout the houses are quite effective (when we have electricity) even with the 90 plus degree weather and 90% humidity.  All laundry is done by hand and hung to dry; definitely an experience.  Clothing dries quickly (as you can imagine!) - you just have to be cautious of the torrential rain storms that can come on at a moments notice.

Although we have been to our placements four times, it feels as though I have been part of St Teresa's Primary School for much longer.  The Headmaster, teachers, and students continue to welcome me with open arms and are treating me as though I am a fully trained member of  their staff.  Very satisfying!  I have taught creative art to half of the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders at the school and this morning was asked to teach any subject I would like...I discussed the solar system, planets, and asked the girls to write a letter to a friend about their favorite planet and why.  They were extremely curious about the universe.  Because the school curriculums are so structured, this is a very cool opportunity for creative/imaginative thinking!  Next week, I have been asked been asked to bring in a computer and teach their computer technology class.  This is one of the approved subjects, but challenging to cover the material because they do not have computers/electricity  and many of the teachers have never used a computer.  They are quite excited to learn about the functions of the desktop, folders, files, and even creating and saving a word document.

For a fun cultural experience, we traveled to the Wli Waterfall yesterday afternoon.  The bush as they call it (rainforest) is only a 45 minute drive from Hohoe.  Much of the land is undeveloped although there are small villages nearby that use the land for farming.  Wli is a beautiful area, and the waterfall is the perfect place to cool off and check out the throngs of bats that roost all around the cliffs.  The water is deemed safe for swimming, but instead of joining the group in the water, I opted to take photographs of the spectacular views instead!

We continue to take Ewe lessons.  I am certainly not a pro at the language, but the people of Ghana appreciate the effort in trying to speak their native tongue.  My Headmaster and teachers seem to be more trusting and receptive to me because I am trying to seamlessly fit into the community.  I must stress that this is a work in progress, but very fun and rewarding!

Our guest speaker last night was a physician working with Ghana Health Services.  Ghana has national health insurance, and the goal is to deliver health services to all communities.  The main issue at GHS is having is training the adequate number of specialists to staff all hospitals in all communities.  This is an ongoing issue, but one the government is trying to address.  GHS is also focusing on education to prevent such diseases as malaria, HIV, diabetes, and hypertension.  Infact, this week is a national immunization week in Ghana.

Before I left the States, I did register my travels with the US embassy.  The process takes about 20 minutes if you have not already set up a profile.  Although we feel very safe in Ghana, it was an easy extra step to take that is recommended by the state department for any overseas travel.

So I leave you with this story.  Today, as I was collecting art from a 5th grade class, one of my sweet students politely asked me to be her friend.  She waited for me after class, took my hand, and offered me the only piece of paper she had to complete her assignments (she is one of many students that has very little resources.)  I was so touched; the children want only your time and attention; they ask for nothing else...this is Ghana.

Ghana - Day Four

After arriving four days ago in Ghana, I am finally able to blog!  After a four and a half hour drive from the Accra Airport on Saturday, the Ghana bunch all made it safe and sound to Hohoe village.  The ride was not bad at all, a bit bumpy at times, but the sights and sounds were amazing...we drove through village after village where vendors sold goods from baskets balanced on their heads, saw many children waving from the roadside, and enjoyed beautiful flora and fauna once we made it into the Volta Region.  Although, one does see the challenging signs of poverty in areas, the spirit and joy of the Ghananian people is evident and their brightness does not seem to be impacted!  A fantastic journey!

Once arriving at our home away from home, we were warmly welcomed to the CCS home base by very friendly staff.  We have electricity most of the time, although we do not always have the option to shower in the second set of living quarters.  A bucket shower has been necessary for the past couple of days - an invigorating experience for sure! - this is the showering option for most households in Hohoe, so we are definitely immersing ourselves in the culture.  The CCS  home base is comfortable, clean, and the food has been good - fresh pineapple and mangoes daily along with rice and a protein - spicy Ghananian fare too!  We have been advised not to eat meals outside of  home base unless we are certain it is safe, but we have pleased with the meals in the house and there is no need.

We have received two Ewe lessons thus far, and we are doing our best to at least master basic words and phrases to connect with the community quickly!  We have a very patient teacher who taught us our Ghananian names today - I was born on Tuesday, so my name is Courtenay "Abla" Fields.  I would definitely recommend brushing up on basic Ewe for those traveling to Ghana on the future CHA trips. 

We visited the bustling Market yesterday, and we were able to purchase fabric and beads.  We took  our fabric to the seamstress and will get our items back in a few days - wow! Last night we had a traditional African dance and drumming lesson.  It was so much fun dancing with the group and trying my hand at drumming!  These cultural activities are allowing all of us to seamlessly become part of the community where we are living and working!

We all started our placements yesterday, and I had an amazing time meeting the Headmaster, teachers, and entire student body at my St. Teresa's Primary School.  The teachers are hospitable, the children very sweet and well behaved, and the campus open air.  I was able to observe all of the fourth through sixth grade classes and spend time with the girls throughout the morning since I will be teaching creative art to all students in those specific grade levels.  I started teaching today with a plan to rotate through all 6 classrooms twice throughout the next two weeks.  I started my first project after preparing my lesson plan in the well stocked CCS Resource room (Janet - Thank you for all of the help!) I was able to share photos of the children from Greensboro, the pictures and postcards from Charleston, SC, the art from Holy Trinity and First Presbyterian Pre-Schools; the children were thrilled! The girls loved the photo of Carolina, Gray, Mary Marshall, and William.  I plan to introduce them to Suzanna's books later this week. 

The government schools in Ghana have introduced Creative Art to the curriculum, but unfortunately do not have resources such as paper, crayons, markers, glue etc to complete this requirement.  It has been quite rewarding even in a short amount of time to see the impact Creative Art can have on a classroom of children when all of the necessary materials are provided - the children and faculty take nothing for granted - very inspiring! 

As we walked into the village tonight, I passed many chickens and goats in the streets (Newton and Graham, Victoria, James, Samantha, and Nicholas), children hand in hand with their parents, and roadside shops selling various foods and goods...I was once again reminded of the incredible cultural exchange that is taking place in Hohoe, Ghana!  Until the next blog (not sure when!).....Take Care! xxxoo

Leaving For Ghana!

Hi all!  I feel as though time has flown by since I first received the news that I would be joining a group of Lilly Connecting Hearts Abroad Ambassadors for a service experience in Africa.  In fact, less than eight weeks have passed and somehow Brad and I have managed to get all of our required vaccinations, secure required visas for Ghana and Tanzania, prepare for my volunteer program in Hohoe, and plan a safari in Tanzania.  I must admit that we have spent most weekends in March and April purchasing items like mosquito nets, bug spray with deet, filling numerous prescriptions, and wondering if I had packed just enough socks and t-shirts to last me the 16 days in Ghana.  I am still in amazement over this opportunity…humbled, honored, and blessed really!  As Brad and I left for the Greenboro, NC airport this morning, I was assured that I had packed more than enough as I could not fit one more snack into my carry-on!

So, if you are wondering what vaccinations are required for traveling to Africa…here is the latest list…MMR, Polio, Typhoid Oral, Yellow Fever, Hep A, and Hep B (received round two last week – one more round to go.), DPT vaccine (diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus), Meningitis, and flu (Brad actually received his first flu shot!)  In additional to anti-malaria meds, we did fill prescriptions for Cipro, Z-Pac, and an Epi-Pen for me for good measure (bees and I do not have a good history.)  I also have packed the CDC recommended OTC medications.  Even this morning, Brad continued to joke that I had packed a small pharmacy…I will keep you posted on how handy my twenty pounds of pharmaceuticals just might be in Ghana and Tanzania!  My mom has given us great advice to wash hands often, use hand sanitizer, and not to miss a dose of our anti-malaria meds!

So what did I pack for Ghana?  I have a back pack, carry on (extra change of clothes in case my luggage is lost), and my duffel bag.  I plan to wear a money belt and use my back pack when efficient.  I tried to pack light…cotton clothing including tanks, t-shirts, and cargo pants that will dry quickly.  Since I am teaching at St Teresa”s Girls Primary School, I am required to bring collared shirts for my placement,  I brought a raincoat (edge of rainy season) and a one piece bathing suit/cover-up for our activity to the falls…Ghana is known for their waterfalls and beautiful hikes!

In my luggage, I also carry artwork from the children of First Presbyterian Church Pre-School and Holy Trinity Pre-School in Greensboro, NC.  Thank You Caroline, Gray, Mary Marshall, William, and to all of the classes and teachers at these fantastic schools who took time, energy, and put love into every piece of art and note!  I also received beautiful pictures/letters from Lydia and her friends in Charleston, SC and Brady, Caroline, and Riley in Huntersville, NC.  Suzanna in Georgia sent a sweet letter and her two favorite Pink books to read to the girls!  The Ghananian children will love and cherish these heartfelt pictures, letters, and stories!

Of course, Janet and Jenny (and Les too!) have helped prepare me for my teaching experience by giving me great suggestions for teaching English by using music, pictures, and “action.”  They offered up terrific websites for playing games and making learning fun and effective! My iPod is full of wonderful children’s music (Thank You, Janet!), and I have received special permission to bring the iPod with me to my school/class (as long as the on-site CCS Coordinator and headmaster give final approval) as this has never been done before!

I am currently in flight to NYC from Atlanta, where I will start my last leg to Ghana.  The time difference is not so bad, just 5 hours ahead, but the flight will take 13 hours plus or minus from JFK.  Once I arrive in Accra, Ghana tomorrow, I will travel 4-5 hours to the Cross Cultural Solutions Home Base in Hohoe where I will meet up with other Lilly CHA Volunteers and various volunteers from around the world.  Brad will be spending the next two weeks in Greensboro getting ready to meet me in Tanzania on May 21^st where we start our journey together in the Serengeti….powerful stuff for sure!

If you have not already seen the movie, Emmanuel’s Gift, narrated by Oprah Winfrey, I would highly recommend that you watch the DVD.  The movie tells the very passionate, moving, positive story about an orphan from Ghana….Emmanuel Yeboah.  You will not regret the time spent watching this inspirational movie!

I will continue to blog when I have access to the internet access…keeping my fingers crossed!  Thank you for all of the love, support, encouragement, and prayers!  I look forward to sharing pictures/video of this incredible, life changing experience!  xxxooo