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
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
My dear Jessica,
ReplyDeleteWonderful blog last Wed. Say "Hi!" to the spud for us. We were able to read your blog from the Sports Bar internet cafe, but I couldn't post a comment. We also couldn't access our e-mail. Oh well. We had a great time. Got home about midnight on Sun. High 80's when we left Cancun - 30 and snowing when we got to Boise. Brrr! I'm sending an-email with more info. Love, Mom