Time to move on...

With our time in Ghana coming to a close, I wish we had more time to experience and explore this fantastic country. Since my last update, we have had a very productive orientation, and an excellent introduction to the world travels that await. After our stop at the internet cafe on Wednesday, we went to a local kitchen to sample authentic Ghanian food. The menu included strange sounding things like fufu, red red, waakye, and banku: spicy dishes made from maize, plantain, and beans. The main course was fried fish, which still had its head, tail, and eyeballs attached (we were told that the eyeballs were the best part, but were not brave enough to indulge). After slowly and painfully digesting all of the cuisine, we decided to spend the evening at a local bar called "Hillyz", an upstairs, open air restaurant at the top of the hill near our home. The atmosphere was relaxed, and we enjoyed some of the local brew "Club" while shooting pool and watching a game of fútbol.

The next day came awfully early, and we made a trip to the largest slum in Africa, called Old Fadama. While it is technically illegal by all government standards, some forty thousands Ghanians reside there in small shacks. For years, the area has been the site of electrical waste dumping, where millions of tons of old computers, cell phones, and other electronics and taken each year to be disposed of. Many of the residents make their living by burning the waste, earning about a dollar or two per day. As we made our way through the overcrowded alleyways, we had to step over the rivers of sewage and trash that ran under our feet. The smells were almost unbearable, and immediately I could see how the slum earned the biblical nickname "Sodom and Gomorrah" or "worst of the worst." Finally, we came to a small school, where we were to perform our medical outreach. Upon entering, we were greeted by hoards of young children, all chanting the word they know for white person, "Obruni." The excitement was almost unbelievable, as the children had never seen so many Obrunis in one place. Once the children had settled down, we set up a small table in the court yard with basic first aid (bandages, disinfectant, and malaria tests) and treated those in the school who needed attention. Two children quite casually failed malaria tests, as if it were a common cold, and many more had small cuts or wounds that needed treatment. In such an atmosphere, it was hard to comprehend the happiness and vibrancy of the people there. It was amazing to me to see human energy in its most raw form conquering such a depressing situation. That afternoon we made a trip to a local historical park, where national hero Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is buried and honored. It was fascinating to learn about the role he had played in gaining Ghana's independence before he was eventually overthrown by a military coup staged by the American CIA in the heat of the cold war.

Friday brought a trip to another local orphanage, where the other projects abroad volunteers at our residence have been working the past two and a half months. I was moved to see all that the volunteers had done for the school there, making donations in both finance and labor in order to fully repaint the school, install windows, and do numerous other tasks to make learning easier for the children. After playing with the children, and noticing their excitement towards education (which was not at all supported by the teachers), I made a small donation to the orphanage myself, in hopes that I too could improve the lives of the kids there in some way or another.

Over the weekend we took a trip to the neighboring community of Cape Coast, where we visited the infamous Cape Coast Castle, the epicenter of slave trade just a few centuries ago. The tour was chilling and somewhat depressing as we experienced what has come to be one of the worst crimes against humanity know to man. The many dungeons and punishment rooms were a grave reminder of the hate and ignorance that can infest itself in a society, and I hope that never again will such an institution be established. In the evening, we went to an extremely impressive African cultural display at a local community center. The performance consisted of various types of African drum and dance, and we were able to join in at the end and get a little tribal with the locals. It was an excellent way to truly bond with the people through creative expression. On the way home the following day, our van broke down and we were able to improve our hackey sack skills during a couple hour wait for a replacement to get us back to Accra.

We took a trip to an underprivileged children's school on Monday, where we got the opportunity to paint educational murals on the walls there. The best in my opinion was a "solar system"  mural by some of the girls in our group. While the work was exhausting and very messy, it was wonderful to see the smiles on the kids faces upon seeing their new classroom. Nothing is better than having a lasting impact at a place were they need in most. Last night we took a trip to the local cinema, which was very similar to our own movie theaters, and was even located in a mall very similar to our own malls. The movie (Taken 2) was not all that great, but it was still a nice way to spend an evening.

Today we must pack, and prepare for the next leg of our journey. We are going to return to the orphanage this afternoon and say our final goodbyes before we head to the airport this evening. Ghana has been such a warm and welcoming country, and I wish we could stay longer, but I'm afraid it's time to move on...

Hope everyone back home is doing well. Much love to all my friends and family, and anyone else who has taken the time to read this. Your support means more than you would ever know!




Until next time...