Today was a really good day. In the morning, we got our hands dirty and really felt like we made a difference at the JoshKrisDan Home. We split up into three groups. One group built a retaining wall with pavers and cement. Another group cleaned the entire house. They scrubbed the floors on their hands and knees and helped wash the laundry by hand. And the third group spruced up the boys bunk beds with a fresh coat of paint. We worked hard but made it fun by signing, dancing, and enjoying each others company.
After lunch we headed to the village of Old Ningo where we got a taste of what it is really like in Ghana. We walked through the residential area, bartered at shops on the road, talked with the people, and enjoyed some roasted peanuts and frozen chocolate milk.
Favorite Memories:
1. Julia bartered for a really nice beaded necklace and ended up getting 5 cedis off the price!
2. Mary made a friend with a village girl.
3. Jill got yelled at for taking pictures of a man in the village and she didn't even take his picture!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Day 3: "Peanut Butter M & M's...it's a wonderful snack"
This morning, Emma G & Kristin went with John to Tema to pick up supplies at the hardware store, so that we can do some projects at JoshKrisDan - we're going to paint the bathrooms and bedrooms. The rest of the crew were ready to head over to JKD at 8:15...the bus came more than an hour later, which let us get all the jerseys organized. We set up a kind of "store" inside and outside at the home, so that we could fit all of the children in soccer jerseys and shorts. Inside, Joanne fit each of them with a nice hooded jacket or sweatshirt. All of the clothing was new or nearly new, and the kids looked so terrific - like a legit football team, (even though little Bernard's shorts were pulled up to his armpits). Comfort came out to get a jersey too - number 25, which she wore all morning in the kitchen.
After that, we spent quite a bit of time with individual kids - teaching guitar, photography, and friendship-bracelet-making, tickling and playing music and singing, and just hanging out. We were trying to get "Wagon Wheel" ready to perform it at a school this afternoon, and by the end, Libby and Monica were belting it out. Today there was some tension between a couple of the children, which is understandable, but very upsetting because the house is in-between regular house parents right now, and the children really need to be there for each other. We left the home around noon to grab some fruit and head to two schools in the afternoon.
The first school - Pram Pram Senior High School - was, by a pretty wide consensus, our favorite school. It was a school of about 200 kids, and they were dressed for football practice and SO PSYCHED that we were there. They sang the school anthem beautifully - it was less a religious song, and more of a school - and - Ghana pride song. We sang "Wagon Wheel" not too badly, once we got going, and people actually sang along. Then we broke out our standards: Mo mo Jesu mo and Da Na Se. The best part was that after we finished, the students of both schools interacted in a more substantial way, with them running over to us. (And one boy trying to run out of the room with Kayla). After that we visited Wisdom's school, a vocational school where sewing, fabric dying, hairdressing and cooking are taught. Wisdom is the only boy in the school right now! The students were in the middle of their practical exams, so we got to see original clothes, and a timed cooking exam. We got to taste many of the results: fish with the skin on, that Mary was brave enough to try, home-made noodles, fancy rolls, and a stew that was the spiciest dish we have yet had in Ghana. The teachers were pretty stern, but we think they passed with flying colors!
Finally, except for a few, we went back to the Home for chore time and a big game of tag. The chance to experience the rhythm of the house, including the ups and downs, the quietness and the high energy, is a gift. Tomorrow, we paint.
Favorite Memories:
1. All week, everyone in the group has been making friendship bracelets out of string we brought from home. Today Emma F. taught a boy at the home named Joseph to make a bracelet (one of the more complicated ones), expecting he would stay and try to learn for a little while, and then go do something else. He ended up staying, working on the bracelet for almost 30 minutes before we went to go play music. It was amazing to see how persistent and patient he was.
2. Mary got proposed to for the first time today by a young man named Charles, who then proceeded to propose to Emma G. Both were flattered, but decided they were too young to marry.
3. Emma G went to a hardware store in Tema and received a well-worn Manchester United necklace from a man that worked there. She tried to refuse his prized possession but he insisted and she attempted to repay him with a bracelet.
4. Monica, Libby, Mary, and Julia (with Emma F on the uke and KHavs on the guitar) sang Wagon Wheel-an American song we sang for them a few times-very loudly at the Johnkrisdan Home.
After that, we spent quite a bit of time with individual kids - teaching guitar, photography, and friendship-bracelet-making, tickling and playing music and singing, and just hanging out. We were trying to get "Wagon Wheel" ready to perform it at a school this afternoon, and by the end, Libby and Monica were belting it out. Today there was some tension between a couple of the children, which is understandable, but very upsetting because the house is in-between regular house parents right now, and the children really need to be there for each other. We left the home around noon to grab some fruit and head to two schools in the afternoon.
The first school - Pram Pram Senior High School - was, by a pretty wide consensus, our favorite school. It was a school of about 200 kids, and they were dressed for football practice and SO PSYCHED that we were there. They sang the school anthem beautifully - it was less a religious song, and more of a school - and - Ghana pride song. We sang "Wagon Wheel" not too badly, once we got going, and people actually sang along. Then we broke out our standards: Mo mo Jesu mo and Da Na Se. The best part was that after we finished, the students of both schools interacted in a more substantial way, with them running over to us. (And one boy trying to run out of the room with Kayla). After that we visited Wisdom's school, a vocational school where sewing, fabric dying, hairdressing and cooking are taught. Wisdom is the only boy in the school right now! The students were in the middle of their practical exams, so we got to see original clothes, and a timed cooking exam. We got to taste many of the results: fish with the skin on, that Mary was brave enough to try, home-made noodles, fancy rolls, and a stew that was the spiciest dish we have yet had in Ghana. The teachers were pretty stern, but we think they passed with flying colors!
Finally, except for a few, we went back to the Home for chore time and a big game of tag. The chance to experience the rhythm of the house, including the ups and downs, the quietness and the high energy, is a gift. Tomorrow, we paint.
Favorite Memories:
1. All week, everyone in the group has been making friendship bracelets out of string we brought from home. Today Emma F. taught a boy at the home named Joseph to make a bracelet (one of the more complicated ones), expecting he would stay and try to learn for a little while, and then go do something else. He ended up staying, working on the bracelet for almost 30 minutes before we went to go play music. It was amazing to see how persistent and patient he was.
2. Mary got proposed to for the first time today by a young man named Charles, who then proceeded to propose to Emma G. Both were flattered, but decided they were too young to marry.
3. Emma G went to a hardware store in Tema and received a well-worn Manchester United necklace from a man that worked there. She tried to refuse his prized possession but he insisted and she attempted to repay him with a bracelet.
4. Monica, Libby, Mary, and Julia (with Emma F on the uke and KHavs on the guitar) sang Wagon Wheel-an American song we sang for them a few times-very loudly at the Johnkrisdan Home.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Day 2: I Don Know Why Yo Mommy!
Day 2: Our first full day in Ghana was pack full of eye-opening experiences and everlasting memories. We started off our day with our first devotion at 6:30 am and our first Ghanaian breakfast of eggs. After our breakfast, we headed to the JoshKrisDan Home for two hours of bonding with the children. Following that, we made our way to the first school we would visit- Ningo Senior High School. Ningo Senior High School was made up of over 1200 students and all of them piled into the auditorium to welcomed us to their school. They showed us several traditional African dances, African drumming, as well as a piece of African Drama. We surprised the students by performing two Ghanaian songs as well as a classic American song. We also had the amazing experience of getting to sit in on a couple of classes. A couple of us learned more about Introduction to Business while the rest of us were given a grammar review in an English class. Having the chance to sit in on these classes gave us a new perspective of education and allowed us to have an awesome interaction with the students. Once we were all done with Ningo Senior High, we headed to the second high school of the day- Global School. Global High School was a private boarding/ day school that consisted of roughly 200 students. We had a spontaneous assembly where we introduced ourselves and gave them the gifts of Millbrook jerseys and a couple of soccer balls. Following the assembly, we spent a good twenty minutes interacting with the students and exchanging bracelets and just getting to know them. We then concluded a very full day with a wonderful performance given back at the JoshKrisDan home and a full dinner back at the hotel. We're visiting two middle schools tomorrow, and we're looking forward to meeting more children and getting a better feel of Ghana and the Ghanaian people.
Favorite Memories of the Day:
1) A few seconds after we got on the bus while leaving Ningo Senior High School, Kayla was pleasantly surprised when she was tapped on the shoulder by a cute Ghanaian boy who put on a necklace for her, one of his only possessions from home. Kayla tried returning the favor by giving him a friendship bracelet and taking a picture of him to keep the memory clear. He told her to never forget them.
2) As we were introducing ourselves to each of the schools, Mary was always greeted with the loudest applause and cheers. It was such a wonderful feeling knowing that the kids were so interested and excited to get to meet us.
3) Gib wrote an elaborate song about peanut M&M's on Emma F's ukelele (lyrics and/or video to come)
4) The Emmas were both proposed to (and politely declined) on the bus ride back to the hotel tonight by 20something year old Ghanaian drummers, Joe and Emmanuelle.
Favorite Memories of the Day:
1) A few seconds after we got on the bus while leaving Ningo Senior High School, Kayla was pleasantly surprised when she was tapped on the shoulder by a cute Ghanaian boy who put on a necklace for her, one of his only possessions from home. Kayla tried returning the favor by giving him a friendship bracelet and taking a picture of him to keep the memory clear. He told her to never forget them.
2) As we were introducing ourselves to each of the schools, Mary was always greeted with the loudest applause and cheers. It was such a wonderful feeling knowing that the kids were so interested and excited to get to meet us.
3) Gib wrote an elaborate song about peanut M&M's on Emma F's ukelele (lyrics and/or video to come)
4) The Emmas were both proposed to (and politely declined) on the bus ride back to the hotel tonight by 20something year old Ghanaian drummers, Joe and Emmanuelle.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Day 1: After two days of traveling, we've finally arrived in Africa! After our plane ride, we took a bus to the Sealane Hotel and then traveled to the Joshkrisdan Home. We visited with all of the children for a few hours, dancing, drumming, and learning about one another.
A few memories from the day:
1. Jill, by some miracle, got moved to first class for the length of the ten hour flight.
2. Gib almost got arrested in JFK/ threatened national security when he left his bag unattended.
3. Emma G. (aka 'squirt') made a new friend on the side of the Ghanaian highway, and traded a friendship bracelet to prove it.
4. Bonded with our bus driver, Michael, over Michael Jackson and Rihanna.
5. Got to meet with the kids at the home and had lessons in African dance and drumming.
We all thought it was amazing how open and welcoming all of the kids at the home were. As soon as we stepped off the bus we were getting hugs and hearty hello's from everyone around us. They were all stoked for us to be there, and so ready to teach us new things as well as learn from us. (We taught a few of them the Macarena). All in all, it was an amazing first day and we are all unbelievably excited for what tomorrow brings.
A few memories from the day:
1. Jill, by some miracle, got moved to first class for the length of the ten hour flight.
2. Gib almost got arrested in JFK/ threatened national security when he left his bag unattended.
3. Emma G. (aka 'squirt') made a new friend on the side of the Ghanaian highway, and traded a friendship bracelet to prove it.
4. Bonded with our bus driver, Michael, over Michael Jackson and Rihanna.
5. Got to meet with the kids at the home and had lessons in African dance and drumming.
We all thought it was amazing how open and welcoming all of the kids at the home were. As soon as we stepped off the bus we were getting hugs and hearty hello's from everyone around us. They were all stoked for us to be there, and so ready to teach us new things as well as learn from us. (We taught a few of them the Macarena). All in all, it was an amazing first day and we are all unbelievably excited for what tomorrow brings.
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