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