Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello there!

I am down to my last few days in Ghana and I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I leave this Saturday and it'll take me a few days to get to Dakar. Once there, I will spend a week seeing my host family and friends before I finally fly home.

I first want to send a shout-out to my lovely mother, Pam, who is celebrating her 30th birthday (again) on Sunday! I will be in transit so I can't promise she'll hear from me on her actual birthday. But I will be thinking of her on Sunday from a hot, sweaty bus somewhere in West Africa.

I also want to spend a moment in the spirit of the holiday for there are many things that I am thankful for this year.

I am so thankful for safe travels ( so far) and so many wonderful experiences during my time in Africa. I have learned so much and met a multitude of awesome people.

I am thankful for Lucy and my Ghanaian family.

I am very thankful for my family and friends back home who have supported me. It has been immeasurably helpful to have people that believe in me during this adventure.

Thanks go out to Ethel, Nelly, Zachary, Shark Tooth, Nancy, Giggles, Ivy, PP, Abigail and all my creche babies who somehow make the stress of a long day melt away with their tiny wonderfulness.

And for some conclusion to my stay in Ghana...

Things I love about Ghana:

Sunny days

Ethel
Red-red

Lightning

Plantains

My star students: Lily, Grace, Emmanuel, Sarah, Dau-Mensah

Lucy
Awesome sunsets

Lizards and geckos
Being so close to the ocean
Dinner, showers, reading, etc. by candle light.
The children

Frogs

Things I don't love about Ghana:

Cockroaches
The (over-friendly) men
Kenkey
Rain
The humidity
Power outages
Mosquitoes

Being called "Obruni"

My trouble-makers: David, Prince, Lieon, 4th grade

The children

Anyway, it has been a hell of a stay here but it is time for me to move on. I have learned a lot and this experience has certainly deepened my respect for teachers. I will miss all the great people I have met and become close to here but I am ready to head home after nearly a year away.

I'll be back on US soil in no time and I can't wait to see all of you!

Cheers.

Gotta love a spud

Hey everyone!

Well, my time in Accra is slowly coming to an end. It has been an amazing experience but I am ready to go home.

After 10 months in Africa, I got an American surprise this week. Thursday night we picked up a new volunteer and in one of the biggest coincidences in my time in Africa...he's from Idaho! It has been really cool to get to know him and it's nice to have another American around.

Saturday I got to experience a very key part of Ghanaian culture. I went to the funeral for the father of my school's headmaster. Funerals in Ghana are very big affairs. This one was held in Akatsi, about 3 hours east of Accra, towards Togo. The deceased man had 16 children, so there were a ton of people in attendance. Everyone wears black, brown and red. The funeral was held at his house, outside with tons of event canopies and plastic chairs.

One very different feature was the displaying of the body. His body was laid out on a bed and we all filed around it before the service. Then they had music and dancing which contrasted sharply with the somber mood of seeing the corpse. There were representatives from the family, his church and his work who read tributes. The service was conducted in Ewe and simultaneously translated into Twi (both local languages). At least the tributes were read in English but everything else was a mystery. The service lasted about 4 hours before the casket was taken to the cemetery. Also, he was a pastor of his church so his casket was shaped like a giant bible.

Sunday I hung out at the house and took Daniel (the spud) to Coco beach, near the volunteer house in Teshie-Nungua. It's been nice to show someone new around because I get to see things with fresh eyes myself. I've been in Africa for so long now that I sometimes forget that things work very differently here.

This week things have been normal. Classes are still interesting and challenging. I have finished poetry with my 7th graders and we are moving onto drama tomorrow. I am still doing a poetry unit with my 8th graders. In all the other classes, I generally treat grammatical subjects.

Tuesday was a holiday for Eid so I spent the day in Accra. I got my bus ticket out of Ghana for Saturday, November 27th. I am taking a bus to Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and then from there, I will find a bus to Dakar. It will be my last, crazy African bus ride. I showed Daniel around Accra and he got to experience his first loud, harried African market.

Hope everyone is well. I will be back in Boise in a month and I can't wait to see you all.
Cheers! Daniel and I at the funeral
Gabriel, adorable kindergartener at school
Me and my boys