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26 November 2008
05 November 2008
Norma-Dean
A few weeks ago, I found out that a good number of my 6th grade class own or have owned turtles as pets! Now, I have always wanted to have a turtle as a pet, but in the states you need expensive cages, heat lamps, special food, etc. It just always seemed like too much work and money for one pet. However, learning that a number of my students had them, made my ears perk up a bit. Could it be possible that I own a turtle!!??! Now, my 6th graders and I are pretty tight. We have conversations; I ask their advice; we talk. So I began asking them about turtles. Pretty soon I had the entire class involved. Someone's parents knew where to find good turtles, someone's aunt's turtle just had eggs, someone else's uncle could build me a cage...hmmm maybe this IS possible! This very day (November 5th), one of my student's mothers offered to pick me up after school and take me to the pet store where I might buy a turtle! I decided I could go and see how much work and money this might take. When I showed up to the pet store, learned that it would only cost 8 Cedis (about $8), that I could keep it outside in our garden, and that it ate people food like veggies and fruits, I was sold! Well, except for one little thing. The only smaller turtles that they had were female! Quick back-track: for some reason, when my family and I were visiting an aquarium when I was younger, my mother and I decided to name one of the sea turtles Norman. Ever since then, we've been calling ALL the turtles Norman. So of course, if I actually OWN a turtle, it's GOT to be named Norman. Now if my turtle were a female, I wouldn't be able to call it Norman, you see my dilemma?? This was quickly solved by my adopted mother for the day..."Just call her Norma". Well, duh, Meg! So, I decided her full name would be Norma-Dean because it was Dean and his mother that brought me my Norma. Here are some pictures of her...Isn't she cute!?
02 November 2008
Character Day 2008
Normally the 31st (in the U.S.) is called "Halloween", but not at A.I.S.! We had Storybook Character Day last Friday and it was a BLAST!! There were PLENTY of creative costumes with a book-in-hand to match! Some stretched it a bit (me included), but costumes are hard to find when your closet is limited! Here are the costumes and characters our school came up with...
I KNOW Jack Sparrow was from a MOVIE, but SOMEone has published a storybook SOMEWHERE about Pirates of the Caribbean right?? So TECHNICALLY I was a storybook chracter...Jack Sparrow-tattoo and all :) I won a contest in case you were wondering...one of the three most elaborate costumes on the teaching staff...woop woop! I better have won! I stayed up LATE man.
I came to school thinking my costume was pretty sweet...then I met up with DaVinci and his hand-made beard!!!! Rock on Davinch!
Look at the Little Princess and Helen of Troy (who lost her wreath)
Early in the morning kids were showing up in costume, everyone was in a fabulous mood that day :)
Indiana Jones came out to play!
Zorro!!!!!!
Ladies from the Archie Comics-sorry girls I don't know your names
Huckleberry Finn with the biggest hat I've ever seen!
And another winner in the "Most Creative" category...The Doppler Effect! (Those are sound waves. On her back they are farther apart-she's a science teacher, she can explain it better than I can of course)
SpiderMEN
Secret Service/The Joker/Stormtrooper...or something
Nancy Drew was there too!
Frank Hardy and friend
The Joker and his melting face
My 6th graders who dressed up...they rock :)
Okay, I can't remember all the characters, but I know Cat In The Hat, Ester, and Oliver Twist
Zorro, Frank, Rugby Guy, and Indiana
Two of my 7th graders decided to team up to be Nascar
I had to get both angles because they were SO COOL! They ALSO won "Most Creative" for middle school.
7th grade rocks too
High School and some teachers
Crazy 6th graders :P
Funny Face 7th graders
And last but not least, I had to show a picture of the very first day our new/used couch arrived! We've had wicker-backed furniture for as long as we've lived in this house, where our beds were the only place our bums could find comfort. Well, turns out, the school decided to bless us with an EL couch!!!!! Hooray. Ever since it has arrived, we have spent countless hours on that piece of Heaven, watching movies, chatting, and laughing. Oh it's just been glorious....What a great Character Day!! :)
I would LOVE to see costumes of yours if you have pictures to share through e-mail or something. The day felt so odd without pumpkins on every porch, leaves crunching underfoot, OODLES of candy on sale at the store, or little kids shrieking and running around in costume after dark. I hope everyone had a fabulous end to their October, you know this means Christmas is coming soon right? :)
I KNOW Jack Sparrow was from a MOVIE, but SOMEone has published a storybook SOMEWHERE about Pirates of the Caribbean right?? So TECHNICALLY I was a storybook chracter...Jack Sparrow-tattoo and all :) I won a contest in case you were wondering...one of the three most elaborate costumes on the teaching staff...woop woop! I better have won! I stayed up LATE man.
I came to school thinking my costume was pretty sweet...then I met up with DaVinci and his hand-made beard!!!! Rock on Davinch!
Look at the Little Princess and Helen of Troy (who lost her wreath)
Early in the morning kids were showing up in costume, everyone was in a fabulous mood that day :)
Indiana Jones came out to play!
Zorro!!!!!!
Ladies from the Archie Comics-sorry girls I don't know your names
Huckleberry Finn with the biggest hat I've ever seen!
And another winner in the "Most Creative" category...The Doppler Effect! (Those are sound waves. On her back they are farther apart-she's a science teacher, she can explain it better than I can of course)
SpiderMEN
Secret Service/The Joker/Stormtrooper...or something
Nancy Drew was there too!
Frank Hardy and friend
The Joker and his melting face
My 6th graders who dressed up...they rock :)
Okay, I can't remember all the characters, but I know Cat In The Hat, Ester, and Oliver Twist
Zorro, Frank, Rugby Guy, and Indiana
Two of my 7th graders decided to team up to be Nascar
I had to get both angles because they were SO COOL! They ALSO won "Most Creative" for middle school.
7th grade rocks too
High School and some teachers
Crazy 6th graders :P
Funny Face 7th graders
And last but not least, I had to show a picture of the very first day our new/used couch arrived! We've had wicker-backed furniture for as long as we've lived in this house, where our beds were the only place our bums could find comfort. Well, turns out, the school decided to bless us with an EL couch!!!!! Hooray. Ever since it has arrived, we have spent countless hours on that piece of Heaven, watching movies, chatting, and laughing. Oh it's just been glorious....What a great Character Day!! :)
I would LOVE to see costumes of yours if you have pictures to share through e-mail or something. The day felt so odd without pumpkins on every porch, leaves crunching underfoot, OODLES of candy on sale at the store, or little kids shrieking and running around in costume after dark. I hope everyone had a fabulous end to their October, you know this means Christmas is coming soon right? :)
27 October 2008
Oreos and Grocery Shopping
So I made the mistake/wonderful decision of telling the church ladies that my housemates and I love Oreos. I've received 3 packages from the church ladies and EACH ONE contained a package of Oreos. You know how many Oreos are in a package right??? Well, I opened the package once for women's Bible study (there were 8 of us present), we finished it in 20 minutes with 3 shared cups of milk for dunking. Then another time was when just our house was around the table (that's six girls). The package was completely devoured by the end of the snack time. I'm not sure people realize that here in Ghana, it's humid...all the time. Therefore, cookies/crackers do NOT come out of the package crisp, yummy, and dunkable like those wonderful, edible Oreos...they come out soft and pliable...mmmmmm So I just wanted to take this time to THOROUGHLY thank the church ladies for those fabulous little pieces of Heaven.
The grocery shopping I wanted to comment on was just a little observation my friend Elyse and I made at the store the other day. It’s the perfect way to describe shopping in a country where most things that we are familiar with have to be imported (hence no Oreos). So, Elyse and I were shopping for our cheese, which I have mentioned before as being over expensive, when our eyes caught sight of something we had never seen before in the whole of our time spent in Ghana….PHILLY CREAM CHEESE!! Shrieks followed to exhibit our excitement. Of course the price was 7.44 cedis (which is basically the equivalent of $7.25-dollar’s not doing so hot currently) for one package. Then our eyes saw something we couldn’t fathom to be true. There resting directly to the left of the cream cheese was yes, you guessed it, caviar? Also, quite disturbing was the price…6.39 cedis. Yes folks, Philadelphia Cream Cheese was more expensive than caviar. Funny little anecdote isn’t it. It needs one more line to finish it off. On our way to the cash register we passed a 22.00 cedi package of grapes that looked to be about a three serving size tray. Fabulous…that’s why we eat bananas that come from ladies’ heads.
The grocery shopping I wanted to comment on was just a little observation my friend Elyse and I made at the store the other day. It’s the perfect way to describe shopping in a country where most things that we are familiar with have to be imported (hence no Oreos). So, Elyse and I were shopping for our cheese, which I have mentioned before as being over expensive, when our eyes caught sight of something we had never seen before in the whole of our time spent in Ghana….PHILLY CREAM CHEESE!! Shrieks followed to exhibit our excitement. Of course the price was 7.44 cedis (which is basically the equivalent of $7.25-dollar’s not doing so hot currently) for one package. Then our eyes saw something we couldn’t fathom to be true. There resting directly to the left of the cream cheese was yes, you guessed it, caviar? Also, quite disturbing was the price…6.39 cedis. Yes folks, Philadelphia Cream Cheese was more expensive than caviar. Funny little anecdote isn’t it. It needs one more line to finish it off. On our way to the cash register we passed a 22.00 cedi package of grapes that looked to be about a three serving size tray. Fabulous…that’s why we eat bananas that come from ladies’ heads.
26 October 2008
Sunday Mornings
I’d like to start this blog out with a dedication to my friend Andy. He yelled at me, via my mom, saying it has been almost a month and a half since my last update. So this one’s for you buddy, thanks for caring so much, sorry it took me so long and thanks for getting my butt in gear!
Quite a lot has commenced ever since my last update. My struggle is where to begin.
I’ll try starting with my weekly routine. Every school day starts off with a different mixture of five of the six-6th and 7th grade classes that I teach (2 Readings, 2 Language Arts, U.S. History, and World History/Map Skills). Luckily they are all before lunch. Without a lot of extra staff people, we take turns for morning, lunch, and after school duty. After lunch until 5:00pm I grade papers and plan for the next day, unless it’s Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. On Monday I have Spanish tutoring for my Korean student who wants to learn Spanish on top of the Korean and English she is already fluent in, as well as the French class she has during the day. Tuesday is for our staff meeting and if you remember from last year’s blogging, about 30 of the neighborhood kids come over to our house for praise songs, activities, games, a vitamin, some cookies, and a bag of pure water.
Wednesday is when I’m able to visit the nearby orphanage and play soccer with the coolest under-ten year olds in Ghana. To de-stress, two of my housemates and I have dubbed Wednesday night as Bread Night. We take turns providing the bread, the cheese (very sacrificial), and the tomato paste. We sit together at the end of the day, make this fabulous bread in the oven, drink wine, and play a card game. We totally forget about school drama, being single, and being homesick. This is when we talk about our future dreams, the latest jokes (that’s usually me of course), and the movies we’ve recently watched. Thursday night is our women’s Bible study night. We alternate who leads and prepares a short activity/message for the week. It is a refreshing time of study, encouragement, prayer, and a little bit of raggin’ on Beth Moore, which turns into our comic relief. Friday I’ve decided after almost a year at AIS (American International School) is my day. I’ve abstained from making any plans to tutor, hold soccer practice, or develop a Spanish club. I usually stay until 5:00 because our lesson plans are due for the next week before we leave. Then, I only leave room for going out to dinner or watching a movie with friends. Otherwise, I stay home. I am always grateful, come Friday, that I have saved it for me.
The weekends are a whole other unpredictable story. Two weeks ago 5 other teachers and I left for Ada. Do you remember the place with the sandy floored-huts; the place that is so remote there is hardly any cell phone service and it takes a 45 minute canoe ride just to get there? Let me refresh your memory with a photo taken from last year, because it looks the same:
Although there are just holes in the ground for toilets, and a big bucket of water for the shower, not to mention the 5 hours of tro-tro-ing it took to get there, the seclusion and relaxation made it all worthwhile. I did pay for it the next weekend. I spent 10 hours on Saturday and 5 hours on Sunday grading book reports and papers in preparation for report cards that were due this previous week. An added little bit of fun was the fact that the power was out, so after 5:30 when the sun was going down, it was all done sweating by candlelight. It was quite romantic. If grading papers can be romantic.
However, I have to talk about my favorite part of the weekend, my Sunday mornings. If I am home on Sunday, (two or three times a month) I wake up early and make breakfast. While I put together granola and yogurt, cereal, toast and jam, or pancakes made from SCRATCH, Mick’s (my pastor from home’s) latest sermon is downloading at the kitchen table. I am able on Sunday mornings to eat a glorious breakfast and listen to a message I can relate to in a familiar voice. It is the comfort I expect Jesus wants us to feel on the Sabbath. This morning Pastor Mick prompted the congregation to make a list of all the great things God has done for us. Immediately, my current activity came to mind. Being this far away from home is HARD! I thought maybe that feeling would go away, after living here for over a year, but it hasn’t. It’s still hard being away from my family and church home, and familiar activities. But having the ability to enjoy this kind of morning is such a blessing. The only thing that might make it even sweeter, would be if mom and dad, you could maybe laugh really loud at one of Mick’s jokes? The benefits to this plan would be two-fold: Mick would feel good about the joke he just told, and I could hear your voices for free! So, I thought I would finish off this month’s blog with the rest of the list…
Great Things God Has Done For Me:
Brought me into an incredible family
Showed Northbrook to my parents
Brought soccer into my life
Led me to Spring Arbor University, to Latin America, to New Orleans, to Ghana, to A.I.S.
Provided funds for all these opportunities
Stayed with me through all my hard decisions and struggles
Blessed me with strong prayer warriors
Gave me 25 sisters when I became part of SAU Women’s Soccer Team
Blessed me with an effortless best-friendship
Gave me multiple moms to dote on and look out for me
Produced five VERY agreeable, godly housemates for me to share
Sooooooo much more
Thanks for that project Mick. I would encourage you all to try it. It makes you realize how incredibly blessed we all are.
Lately I’m in need of prayers for two major things. The first is to be proactive. I seem to be very good at procrastinating, which is cancer to good teaching. The second is for my students. I have a number of students with learning disabilities and over half of my students’ first languages are not English. Just prayers that I would be knowledgeable in how to properly aid them in their educations. Thank you all so much for your constant prayer and support. You're the reason I can be happy where I am.
With love,
Meg
P.S. I decided that if I don’t post a blog update at the end of every month, you all have permission to ridicule me. That will keep me on track with my updates. ☺
Quite a lot has commenced ever since my last update. My struggle is where to begin.
I’ll try starting with my weekly routine. Every school day starts off with a different mixture of five of the six-6th and 7th grade classes that I teach (2 Readings, 2 Language Arts, U.S. History, and World History/Map Skills). Luckily they are all before lunch. Without a lot of extra staff people, we take turns for morning, lunch, and after school duty. After lunch until 5:00pm I grade papers and plan for the next day, unless it’s Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. On Monday I have Spanish tutoring for my Korean student who wants to learn Spanish on top of the Korean and English she is already fluent in, as well as the French class she has during the day. Tuesday is for our staff meeting and if you remember from last year’s blogging, about 30 of the neighborhood kids come over to our house for praise songs, activities, games, a vitamin, some cookies, and a bag of pure water.
Wednesday is when I’m able to visit the nearby orphanage and play soccer with the coolest under-ten year olds in Ghana. To de-stress, two of my housemates and I have dubbed Wednesday night as Bread Night. We take turns providing the bread, the cheese (very sacrificial), and the tomato paste. We sit together at the end of the day, make this fabulous bread in the oven, drink wine, and play a card game. We totally forget about school drama, being single, and being homesick. This is when we talk about our future dreams, the latest jokes (that’s usually me of course), and the movies we’ve recently watched. Thursday night is our women’s Bible study night. We alternate who leads and prepares a short activity/message for the week. It is a refreshing time of study, encouragement, prayer, and a little bit of raggin’ on Beth Moore, which turns into our comic relief. Friday I’ve decided after almost a year at AIS (American International School) is my day. I’ve abstained from making any plans to tutor, hold soccer practice, or develop a Spanish club. I usually stay until 5:00 because our lesson plans are due for the next week before we leave. Then, I only leave room for going out to dinner or watching a movie with friends. Otherwise, I stay home. I am always grateful, come Friday, that I have saved it for me.
The weekends are a whole other unpredictable story. Two weeks ago 5 other teachers and I left for Ada. Do you remember the place with the sandy floored-huts; the place that is so remote there is hardly any cell phone service and it takes a 45 minute canoe ride just to get there? Let me refresh your memory with a photo taken from last year, because it looks the same:
Although there are just holes in the ground for toilets, and a big bucket of water for the shower, not to mention the 5 hours of tro-tro-ing it took to get there, the seclusion and relaxation made it all worthwhile. I did pay for it the next weekend. I spent 10 hours on Saturday and 5 hours on Sunday grading book reports and papers in preparation for report cards that were due this previous week. An added little bit of fun was the fact that the power was out, so after 5:30 when the sun was going down, it was all done sweating by candlelight. It was quite romantic. If grading papers can be romantic.
However, I have to talk about my favorite part of the weekend, my Sunday mornings. If I am home on Sunday, (two or three times a month) I wake up early and make breakfast. While I put together granola and yogurt, cereal, toast and jam, or pancakes made from SCRATCH, Mick’s (my pastor from home’s) latest sermon is downloading at the kitchen table. I am able on Sunday mornings to eat a glorious breakfast and listen to a message I can relate to in a familiar voice. It is the comfort I expect Jesus wants us to feel on the Sabbath. This morning Pastor Mick prompted the congregation to make a list of all the great things God has done for us. Immediately, my current activity came to mind. Being this far away from home is HARD! I thought maybe that feeling would go away, after living here for over a year, but it hasn’t. It’s still hard being away from my family and church home, and familiar activities. But having the ability to enjoy this kind of morning is such a blessing. The only thing that might make it even sweeter, would be if mom and dad, you could maybe laugh really loud at one of Mick’s jokes? The benefits to this plan would be two-fold: Mick would feel good about the joke he just told, and I could hear your voices for free! So, I thought I would finish off this month’s blog with the rest of the list…
Great Things God Has Done For Me:
Brought me into an incredible family
Showed Northbrook to my parents
Brought soccer into my life
Led me to Spring Arbor University, to Latin America, to New Orleans, to Ghana, to A.I.S.
Provided funds for all these opportunities
Stayed with me through all my hard decisions and struggles
Blessed me with strong prayer warriors
Gave me 25 sisters when I became part of SAU Women’s Soccer Team
Blessed me with an effortless best-friendship
Gave me multiple moms to dote on and look out for me
Produced five VERY agreeable, godly housemates for me to share
Sooooooo much more
Thanks for that project Mick. I would encourage you all to try it. It makes you realize how incredibly blessed we all are.
Lately I’m in need of prayers for two major things. The first is to be proactive. I seem to be very good at procrastinating, which is cancer to good teaching. The second is for my students. I have a number of students with learning disabilities and over half of my students’ first languages are not English. Just prayers that I would be knowledgeable in how to properly aid them in their educations. Thank you all so much for your constant prayer and support. You're the reason I can be happy where I am.
With love,
Meg
P.S. I decided that if I don’t post a blog update at the end of every month, you all have permission to ridicule me. That will keep me on track with my updates. ☺
11 September 2008
God knew...
Apparently I am able to do my best writing in the middle of the night. Or perhaps I feel my writing muse comes to visit me or maybe it's really the only time I have to space out of life for an hour or so to put some things down on 'paper'. Anyway, that's a lot of blah-blah's and what I mean to say is that my resting time would suffer severely were I ever to become a 'professional writer'. Yikes.
Well, today was September 10th. My 24th birthday. Oh, happy day! For the past few weeks here at school in Ghana, I've been at the end of my energy pole. It's like I'm a little video game character and my energy has been in the emergency red section for the last 300 levels, BUT I'M STILL HANGING ON!! haha...I arrived in Accra on the 12th of August after an INCREDIBLE mom/daughter road trip to New York City, me being the daughter and Kathy being the mom. It was AMAZING. We laughed and hung out and sight-saw...d? and just roamed about like two best friends. On the 13th us-teachers had to report to school for our first in-service day for the 2008-09 school year. In one week we were able to cram in getting to know the new teachers on staff, getting to know the new rules that had been established over the summer, acquainting ourselves with our new classrooms, holding a new parent/student orientation night, and finally (on the back burner) beginning to plan the lessons that we would be teaching for the upcoming semester. A running/tripping/skipping-but not falling-start.
So by now school has been in session for about three weeks and it feels like three days. I don't know if many of you have ever tried to teach 6th grade, but it's like 15 little-unpotty-trained-puppies running around an all-white house. Your eye must be on them at all times, with your hand full of newspaper because if you blink...you might have missed your chance to throw the newspaper down when one lifts his/her leg and now you've got some bleaching to do. And SOMEtimes you can't use bleach. SOMEtimes there are some special puppies that decide to find the one spot of light blue carpet, so you have to take a special cleaning solution to fix his/her mess. And of course, with 15 puppies, if you're cleaning up after one puppy, that gives the others a free opportunity to 1 and 2 all over the house. But on the same coin, on the other side those tiny little puppies have THEE cutest faces, give the BEST hugs, and make you feel all happy inside whenever you see them start to run. Just to keep you up to date, I am teaching 6th AND 7th grade. However, it's like one class is a bunch of puppies and the other a set of tailored college professors. And currently my hard work is focused on the class of 5th graders which I am training to grow into the 6th grade and my students that need personal attention with each assignment because of English language difficulties. Along with language barriers are the missing teacher's editions. Ya know the ones with all the answers? The reason teachers can teach? haha, or the practice in teaching I had was at schools that have things like construction paper, glue, white-out, staples and even computers on TAP. As a start-up international school, these hitches are part of the every day. Eesh-looking up it looks like I'm complaining. I'm sorry for that. But I think I just wanted to be real with everyone to help you understand the norm in our school.
Something out of the norm was a few days ago we had some computers stolen. Because our supplies/salaries are paid for with the student tuition money, we are working under a tight budget. We were stretching the budget by buying 10 computers, now we're down to 8. It seems that things might be looking down. But after all these stresses...God knows how to bring us all up. I have not had ONE MOMENT of doubt that I should be where I am. Every day, my kids (although sometimes they may be hard to work with) bring me jokes and stories and signs of improvement. Every Wednesday night the other lady twenty somethings and I get together to have a women's Bible study which has been our saving grace in these crazy times. On a few occasions I have ridden my bike to the nearby hotel to sit at the pool with a book and my music to just get away. Lately I've been adopted by a fabulous family to have dinner with every Monday night! And these are just some of the little blessings from above. But the most RECENT incredible blessing was the one that God has been planning for 24 years. Twenty-four years ago God was like, I know that Meg is gonna be stressed out a few weeks before September 10th, 2008. So I'm gonna make sure that she's born 24 years before on THAT day so it will be the perfectly timed release that she needs. Yesterday (the 9th) was one of those terrible days where nothing works and things aren't accomplished that should have been. So waking up this morning on my birthday, to find an e-mail inbox of e-cards and wonderful notes was PERFECT. An interlude of a teacher's morning meeting with more issues to deal with, but then on to 6th grade. They knew it was my birthday and when I walked into the class, they were all hiding behind the walls and desks with the light out. They jumped out at me when I turned on the light, then a student walked up to me with an ENORMOUS chocolate cake that he had bought with his OWN money:
and from that point on, the day kept getting better and better!!
A cherished cream soda from South Africa and a bunch of necklaces:
A scavenger hunt to find my DREAM car!
And my favorite (bran) muffins with a coin baked inside and BLUE honey butter on top! mmmmm!!
Whoever said middle school is no fun to teach never taught 6th and 7th grade at American International School in 2008. Because I love these kids. I know this is getting long but I have to tell you that although my roommate is JUST as pressed for time in her days as I am, she spent yesterday afternoon preparing a cappuchino flavored ice cream cake with home-made DARK chocolate covered coffee beans (a delicacy) sprinkled throughout. SIMPLY AMAZING...also possibly the reason I am still awake at 1:30am. haha. So I apologize for the length, but I miss you guys! Again, I just want to say how happy I have been since returning. I have felt so much peace from being around my friends from last year and new friends from this year. This is an established second home. While it can never replace the first, it has etched a part in my heart and I already know that this year will be unforgettable! :) Thank you for continuing to support me in this journey and a HUGE THANK YOU to the mission committee for my bicycle!! With LOTS of love...
24 year old Meg
Well, today was September 10th. My 24th birthday. Oh, happy day! For the past few weeks here at school in Ghana, I've been at the end of my energy pole. It's like I'm a little video game character and my energy has been in the emergency red section for the last 300 levels, BUT I'M STILL HANGING ON!! haha...I arrived in Accra on the 12th of August after an INCREDIBLE mom/daughter road trip to New York City, me being the daughter and Kathy being the mom. It was AMAZING. We laughed and hung out and sight-saw...d? and just roamed about like two best friends. On the 13th us-teachers had to report to school for our first in-service day for the 2008-09 school year. In one week we were able to cram in getting to know the new teachers on staff, getting to know the new rules that had been established over the summer, acquainting ourselves with our new classrooms, holding a new parent/student orientation night, and finally (on the back burner) beginning to plan the lessons that we would be teaching for the upcoming semester. A running/tripping/skipping-but not falling-start.
So by now school has been in session for about three weeks and it feels like three days. I don't know if many of you have ever tried to teach 6th grade, but it's like 15 little-unpotty-trained-puppies running around an all-white house. Your eye must be on them at all times, with your hand full of newspaper because if you blink...you might have missed your chance to throw the newspaper down when one lifts his/her leg and now you've got some bleaching to do. And SOMEtimes you can't use bleach. SOMEtimes there are some special puppies that decide to find the one spot of light blue carpet, so you have to take a special cleaning solution to fix his/her mess. And of course, with 15 puppies, if you're cleaning up after one puppy, that gives the others a free opportunity to 1 and 2 all over the house. But on the same coin, on the other side those tiny little puppies have THEE cutest faces, give the BEST hugs, and make you feel all happy inside whenever you see them start to run. Just to keep you up to date, I am teaching 6th AND 7th grade. However, it's like one class is a bunch of puppies and the other a set of tailored college professors. And currently my hard work is focused on the class of 5th graders which I am training to grow into the 6th grade and my students that need personal attention with each assignment because of English language difficulties. Along with language barriers are the missing teacher's editions. Ya know the ones with all the answers? The reason teachers can teach? haha, or the practice in teaching I had was at schools that have things like construction paper, glue, white-out, staples and even computers on TAP. As a start-up international school, these hitches are part of the every day. Eesh-looking up it looks like I'm complaining. I'm sorry for that. But I think I just wanted to be real with everyone to help you understand the norm in our school.
Something out of the norm was a few days ago we had some computers stolen. Because our supplies/salaries are paid for with the student tuition money, we are working under a tight budget. We were stretching the budget by buying 10 computers, now we're down to 8. It seems that things might be looking down. But after all these stresses...God knows how to bring us all up. I have not had ONE MOMENT of doubt that I should be where I am. Every day, my kids (although sometimes they may be hard to work with) bring me jokes and stories and signs of improvement. Every Wednesday night the other lady twenty somethings and I get together to have a women's Bible study which has been our saving grace in these crazy times. On a few occasions I have ridden my bike to the nearby hotel to sit at the pool with a book and my music to just get away. Lately I've been adopted by a fabulous family to have dinner with every Monday night! And these are just some of the little blessings from above. But the most RECENT incredible blessing was the one that God has been planning for 24 years. Twenty-four years ago God was like, I know that Meg is gonna be stressed out a few weeks before September 10th, 2008. So I'm gonna make sure that she's born 24 years before on THAT day so it will be the perfectly timed release that she needs. Yesterday (the 9th) was one of those terrible days where nothing works and things aren't accomplished that should have been. So waking up this morning on my birthday, to find an e-mail inbox of e-cards and wonderful notes was PERFECT. An interlude of a teacher's morning meeting with more issues to deal with, but then on to 6th grade. They knew it was my birthday and when I walked into the class, they were all hiding behind the walls and desks with the light out. They jumped out at me when I turned on the light, then a student walked up to me with an ENORMOUS chocolate cake that he had bought with his OWN money:
and from that point on, the day kept getting better and better!!
A cherished cream soda from South Africa and a bunch of necklaces:
A scavenger hunt to find my DREAM car!
And my favorite (bran) muffins with a coin baked inside and BLUE honey butter on top! mmmmm!!
Whoever said middle school is no fun to teach never taught 6th and 7th grade at American International School in 2008. Because I love these kids. I know this is getting long but I have to tell you that although my roommate is JUST as pressed for time in her days as I am, she spent yesterday afternoon preparing a cappuchino flavored ice cream cake with home-made DARK chocolate covered coffee beans (a delicacy) sprinkled throughout. SIMPLY AMAZING...also possibly the reason I am still awake at 1:30am. haha. So I apologize for the length, but I miss you guys! Again, I just want to say how happy I have been since returning. I have felt so much peace from being around my friends from last year and new friends from this year. This is an established second home. While it can never replace the first, it has etched a part in my heart and I already know that this year will be unforgettable! :) Thank you for continuing to support me in this journey and a HUGE THANK YOU to the mission committee for my bicycle!! With LOTS of love...
24 year old Meg
07 August 2008
Bringing Ghana to Michigan
The title may sound quite poetic, however, that was not my intention. Tonight, Ghana LITERALLY came to Michigan. A good friend of mine was coming over for dinner for the last time before I was to leave for another 4 months. So I decided that would be a good time to prepare a Ghanaian dish. My mother and sister were also present while I fumbled around the kitchen chopping up vegetables and dousing everything with oil. Clearly I was stressed out, but things were slowly moving according to plan, and soon various dishes would grace the table with their presence. This was UNTIL the power went out.
When I’m over in Ghana, this is a weekly occurrence, and not too big of a deal because it IS so common. We are prepared for it over there. But in the middle of suburbia, plenty of things go wrong. Dinners are screwed up, the washing machine doesn’t finish its cycle, and commercial sized freezers begin to defrost. It was also a bit inconvenient that my mother had just done her massive grocery shopping that morning. So, the slowly warming fridge was chock full of fruits, veggies, and new bottles of condiments. Apparently some power line went down and our mile block and a few extra places were out of power. You may not find this to be much of a coincidence, but I sure do!! The ONE and ONLY night that I plan to make Ghanaian food, my family, our neighbors, and I have ourselves a Ghanaian-style, electricity-free night. Funny huh? After a frantic switch to our outside gas grill and with some MAJOR help from my loved ones, I was able to finish preparing the yam balls and chicken. After our yummy meal, we had no Internet, no television, no video games, and no excessive phone use (save those batteries!) to keep us busy. Instead a few of us sat around a candle in the kitchen and chatted until bedtime. Even though it caused a few extra stressful moments, I thank God for the opportunity to share with my family, a little glimpse into the Ghanaian life.
Haha…
A quick update from my life this summer…
I’ve been able to visit with many friends and family members.
I have had WONDERFUL Sundays with my church.
Also at Northbrook, I was able to share my stories and life experiences from the past year in Ghana during the ice cream social that was hosted. It was just an incredible program and couldn’t have gone smoother. I would like to thank everyone who attended. It meant SO much to me that you were all there. I ALSO want to thank all the people who couldn’t come because I know there were plenty of you who would have come had you the time or ability. So THANK YOU everyone!!! ☺
With two days left in Michigan I have plenty to do, so I’ll bid you adieu!!
I’ll miss you all so much, I can already feel it!!
With love,
Meg
When I’m over in Ghana, this is a weekly occurrence, and not too big of a deal because it IS so common. We are prepared for it over there. But in the middle of suburbia, plenty of things go wrong. Dinners are screwed up, the washing machine doesn’t finish its cycle, and commercial sized freezers begin to defrost. It was also a bit inconvenient that my mother had just done her massive grocery shopping that morning. So, the slowly warming fridge was chock full of fruits, veggies, and new bottles of condiments. Apparently some power line went down and our mile block and a few extra places were out of power. You may not find this to be much of a coincidence, but I sure do!! The ONE and ONLY night that I plan to make Ghanaian food, my family, our neighbors, and I have ourselves a Ghanaian-style, electricity-free night. Funny huh? After a frantic switch to our outside gas grill and with some MAJOR help from my loved ones, I was able to finish preparing the yam balls and chicken. After our yummy meal, we had no Internet, no television, no video games, and no excessive phone use (save those batteries!) to keep us busy. Instead a few of us sat around a candle in the kitchen and chatted until bedtime. Even though it caused a few extra stressful moments, I thank God for the opportunity to share with my family, a little glimpse into the Ghanaian life.
Haha…
A quick update from my life this summer…
I’ve been able to visit with many friends and family members.
I have had WONDERFUL Sundays with my church.
Also at Northbrook, I was able to share my stories and life experiences from the past year in Ghana during the ice cream social that was hosted. It was just an incredible program and couldn’t have gone smoother. I would like to thank everyone who attended. It meant SO much to me that you were all there. I ALSO want to thank all the people who couldn’t come because I know there were plenty of you who would have come had you the time or ability. So THANK YOU everyone!!! ☺
With two days left in Michigan I have plenty to do, so I’ll bid you adieu!!
I’ll miss you all so much, I can already feel it!!
With love,
Meg
17 July 2008
I'm Back!
So I'm home. I've been home since July 2nd. It's been the busiest, best, most fun, plus a little stressiness week and a half ever. And gosh I wish there was a way that I could see everyone and tell all my stories and show all my pictures in one night....OH WAIT! THERE IS!!!
It's called an ICE CREAM SOCIAL!!! And I'm having it on Wednesday the 23rd of July at 7:00pm at Northbrook Presbyterian Church (located at 14mile and Lahser). I know it's sort of a late notification because it IS a week from today and all, but I would be SOOOOOO grateful if a bunch of you showed up! :)
I was able to see a good number of my supporters at my sister's graduation party, but I wasn't able to see everyone. So I DO hope you all can make it. And it would HELP if you didn't wear any clothes so that it would be easier for me to speak. Thank you. JUST KIDDING...don't do that. But seriously...7:00PM, July 23rd, Northbrook Presbyterian Church.
There will be ice cream.
There will be pictures.
There will be talking/question time.
THERE WILL BE ICE CREAM.
I have love and missed you all soooo much this year I hope hope hope hope hope you can come :)
With lotsa love,
Meg
It's called an ICE CREAM SOCIAL!!! And I'm having it on Wednesday the 23rd of July at 7:00pm at Northbrook Presbyterian Church (located at 14mile and Lahser). I know it's sort of a late notification because it IS a week from today and all, but I would be SOOOOOO grateful if a bunch of you showed up! :)
I was able to see a good number of my supporters at my sister's graduation party, but I wasn't able to see everyone. So I DO hope you all can make it. And it would HELP if you didn't wear any clothes so that it would be easier for me to speak. Thank you. JUST KIDDING...don't do that. But seriously...7:00PM, July 23rd, Northbrook Presbyterian Church.
There will be ice cream.
There will be pictures.
There will be talking/question time.
THERE WILL BE ICE CREAM.
I have love and missed you all soooo much this year I hope hope hope hope hope you can come :)
With lotsa love,
Meg
17 June 2008
Newsletter From May
This is a newsletter I typed up in May and is currently posted on the PC(USA) website (you can find the link on my page...above...to the right). I wasn't sure if you all knew that it was there so I thought you'd like to see it :)
Hello Friends!
I have broken into a new world. I came from a Ghanaian school within a Ghanaian community, where I seldom saw a light-colored face. When I switched to my second placement for the year, I went through a bit of a culture shock. I am now living on the other side of Accra, where I am teaching at an American International School. We have about 100 students that attend this pre-K through twelfth-grade facility. Including the staff and teachers, we represent over 20 different countries! I am living with four other ladies that are in their twenties and are from various parts of the United States. The environment in which I am living might be completely different from where I started, but it is just as enriching as the first.
My daily teaching schedule goes something like the following: From 8:00 to 11:15 I am working with a 16-year-old-student who has autism; from 12:00-12:45 I teach an eighth-grade Spanish class, and after lunch from 1:25-2:10 I teach a seventh-grade American history class.
In the beginning, working with my student in the morning was a very large challenge. I have had little to no experience with children with autism, so it was a jump in and swim type of experience. However, after a few months on the job, I’m swimming laps! I have received suggestions and help from all over the world, while I was also doing as much of my own research as possible on the subject. It was amazing to see how God answered my prayers for help immediately and with gusto! I feel very comfortable with the progress my student, his family, and I are making together. He and I have developed a relaxed atmosphere that really seems to suit him. I now recognize when he is about to be stretched too far and also when I can continue to challenge him. His mother and I are corresponding daily in a notebook that he brings home every night, which really helps to inform each of us with how he is progressing either in the home or at school. Suggestions are made from both sides and seriously considered by both parties.
My other two classes are going very well. Each of my students finds a way to make me laugh at some point during the day. I am so grateful that I have been blessed with them to start off my teaching career. They challenge me, but also accept my mistakes when I make them.
Every other Tuesday at our house, three of us, girls, participate in what we call “Kids Club.” For approximately an hour, we invite into our compound about 30 children from the neighborhood who are 11 years old or younger. We invite them to listen to a story from our big book of Bible stories, sing songs together, and play a few fun games. After a full day of kids at school, it is sometimes difficult to come up with the energy for 30 eager and excited Ghanaian children. However, when we have spent the hour listening to laughter, then watch as they walk away with a bag of pure water, a cookie in their hands, and a huge smile on their face, we realize the temporary fatigue was all worth it.
So, my switch in placements has been big, but it is a positive change and I have recently signed a contract to stay on for two more years at this American International School. God brought me into this situation for a reason, and I take comfort knowing that He is in control of what will become of my future.
I try to update my personal blog at least once a month, so please feel free to visit it at himandmeg.blogspot.com. Thank you for your interest in my discipleship!
In Him,
Meg
Hello Friends!
I have broken into a new world. I came from a Ghanaian school within a Ghanaian community, where I seldom saw a light-colored face. When I switched to my second placement for the year, I went through a bit of a culture shock. I am now living on the other side of Accra, where I am teaching at an American International School. We have about 100 students that attend this pre-K through twelfth-grade facility. Including the staff and teachers, we represent over 20 different countries! I am living with four other ladies that are in their twenties and are from various parts of the United States. The environment in which I am living might be completely different from where I started, but it is just as enriching as the first.
My daily teaching schedule goes something like the following: From 8:00 to 11:15 I am working with a 16-year-old-student who has autism; from 12:00-12:45 I teach an eighth-grade Spanish class, and after lunch from 1:25-2:10 I teach a seventh-grade American history class.
In the beginning, working with my student in the morning was a very large challenge. I have had little to no experience with children with autism, so it was a jump in and swim type of experience. However, after a few months on the job, I’m swimming laps! I have received suggestions and help from all over the world, while I was also doing as much of my own research as possible on the subject. It was amazing to see how God answered my prayers for help immediately and with gusto! I feel very comfortable with the progress my student, his family, and I are making together. He and I have developed a relaxed atmosphere that really seems to suit him. I now recognize when he is about to be stretched too far and also when I can continue to challenge him. His mother and I are corresponding daily in a notebook that he brings home every night, which really helps to inform each of us with how he is progressing either in the home or at school. Suggestions are made from both sides and seriously considered by both parties.
My other two classes are going very well. Each of my students finds a way to make me laugh at some point during the day. I am so grateful that I have been blessed with them to start off my teaching career. They challenge me, but also accept my mistakes when I make them.
Every other Tuesday at our house, three of us, girls, participate in what we call “Kids Club.” For approximately an hour, we invite into our compound about 30 children from the neighborhood who are 11 years old or younger. We invite them to listen to a story from our big book of Bible stories, sing songs together, and play a few fun games. After a full day of kids at school, it is sometimes difficult to come up with the energy for 30 eager and excited Ghanaian children. However, when we have spent the hour listening to laughter, then watch as they walk away with a bag of pure water, a cookie in their hands, and a huge smile on their face, we realize the temporary fatigue was all worth it.
So, my switch in placements has been big, but it is a positive change and I have recently signed a contract to stay on for two more years at this American International School. God brought me into this situation for a reason, and I take comfort knowing that He is in control of what will become of my future.
I try to update my personal blog at least once a month, so please feel free to visit it at himandmeg.blogspot.com. Thank you for your interest in my discipleship!
In Him,
Meg
Racing to the Finish
Hi everyone! I apologize for my long extended stay away, I am going to do my best to catch you up on all of those previous and exciting activities!
Well, those last two weeks of school truly flew by!
First, there was the formal high school banquet, which turned out to be this fanTABULAR event. It took a LOT of planning on the part of the PTO and the student committee, but in the end it was well worth it...I know, cuz I was there! It was awesome! I was asked to chaperon the event with 4 other fellow teachers. There were appetizers, games, music, pictures, dinner, dessert, and at the last minute a TINY bit of line dancing. The girls were all gorgeous with their 'hairs did' and beautiful dresses; while the guys also looked very handsome. It was quite a change from the everyday red, yellow, and green AIS polos we're used to seeing them dressed in. Both of the Hallead boys attended the bash, so I had to get a family shot!
Carol got a SLAMMIN' deal on that dress as well ($3.00-Not lying! She rocks.)
Next came the fashion show fundraiser! A few of our high school girls were able to help out by modeling in a fashion show to raise money for a foundation that provides heart surgery for children whose families cannot afford it. They looked fabulous in designs by a mother of two of our students here at AIS. Children at the local orphanage down the street also did a little modeling, swaggering their hips and posing for the cameras. Near the end of the show, they also performed a few dance numbers:
It turned out to be QUITE a night and over $20,000 were raised!!
After the fashion show my mind sort of went on auto-pilot as my fellow teachers and I struggled and stressed in order to get those end of the year things in order. In all honestly I had about a week in there were I felt like I was being dragged behind a motor boat. One hand on the rope and the rest of me face-down, smacking the water, being pulled at full speed. However, as all things do, it passed. Then came some more fun stuff! My roommates all left me, while I don't judge them for going back to see their families as soon as they were able, I DO judge them for leaving all their chocolate behind for only ME to finish. The things I have to deal with...
Anyway, since they left, I've been spending quite a bit of time outside the 6 bedroom 'palace'...
First was a night at the Callis' (a couple who also teach in the high school at AIS). What I thought might have been a quiet dinner and movie with a few friends, turned into tons of people, barely enough food, cookie-decorating contest, hilarious movie night, with MORE FUN than we could handle!!! Obviously...
Haha, after THAT awesome evening I took a trip back to Kaneshie to visit Grandma, Grandpa, Amakye, and my old school! The visit at home was wonderful. I can't remember if I've told you all before but Grace has moved on to begin studying to be a seamstress like her older sister. Now there was a new cook, who didn't speak hardly any English, but I loved her laughter. I was able to share in quite a few conversations full of advice from both Grandma and Grandpa as I travel to the states and back. And from Amakye was the best gift of all! Amakye, as I've previously told you all, is studying at an art school. I've seen his paintings and have definitely been quite impressed. After telling him this quite often, he began to promise that he would paint something for me before I go back to the states. Now even though he knows I'll be coming back, he wanted to bring me a gift anyway. Now this painting was assigned to be an imaginative painting, because obviously Amakye has never actually SEEN a snowy mountain in person, but here it is, big as life!
Cool huh!
From there, my visit to Kaneshie Presby went SO well. As usual on my visits, when I walk into the room, my previous students burst out into the streak of songs that I taught them. It's incredible that their little minds can remember all of them, word for word, MONTHS after I've gone!
Next, was a bus to Ho to visit my buddy Kristy and our new German buddy Dori! The evening I arrived, I accompanied those two to their friday-night street kids program, where we were blessed by some local drumming. The next morning we left for Wli Waterfalls. I'll let the pictures talk for themselves...
We were staying at a hotel in town, so after we waited for an hour for a taxi with 8 people in what was supposed to be 5 seats, and a full load in the back, our taxi driver decided to take the back roads once we got into town. After a long process, of arguments in the native language that we did not understand, asking them to explain, and not really getting answers, we were dropped off at our hotel just after finding out that the cargo in the back of the taxi was a bunch of bags of illegal merchandise brought over from Togo and we had to take back roads in order to bypass the police station...haha. The next few days were packed full of things we wanted to accomplish, as it would be my last time in Ho. Among those were climbing to the highest point in the area in order to see Ho in all its glory.
It truly was fantastic...and the longest walk of my life. A few other great moments commenced among some good friends and sadly my time in Ho came to an end. I will definitely be going back for a visit within my time next year, but it is quite sad that it's goodbye for now. This also reminds me that within these next few weeks, I have that same feeling to 'look forward to' as I try to say goodbye to my Accra family. I will for sure be needing prayers in these last two weeks as I begin this process of leaving this place that has been my home for the last year. Thank you for your continued support and time and interest in what I'm doing over here. I TRULY TRULY TRULY look forward to talking to you all in person QUITE soon!!!
With TONS of love,
Meg
Well, those last two weeks of school truly flew by!
First, there was the formal high school banquet, which turned out to be this fanTABULAR event. It took a LOT of planning on the part of the PTO and the student committee, but in the end it was well worth it...I know, cuz I was there! It was awesome! I was asked to chaperon the event with 4 other fellow teachers. There were appetizers, games, music, pictures, dinner, dessert, and at the last minute a TINY bit of line dancing. The girls were all gorgeous with their 'hairs did' and beautiful dresses; while the guys also looked very handsome. It was quite a change from the everyday red, yellow, and green AIS polos we're used to seeing them dressed in. Both of the Hallead boys attended the bash, so I had to get a family shot!
Carol got a SLAMMIN' deal on that dress as well ($3.00-Not lying! She rocks.)
Next came the fashion show fundraiser! A few of our high school girls were able to help out by modeling in a fashion show to raise money for a foundation that provides heart surgery for children whose families cannot afford it. They looked fabulous in designs by a mother of two of our students here at AIS. Children at the local orphanage down the street also did a little modeling, swaggering their hips and posing for the cameras. Near the end of the show, they also performed a few dance numbers:
It turned out to be QUITE a night and over $20,000 were raised!!
After the fashion show my mind sort of went on auto-pilot as my fellow teachers and I struggled and stressed in order to get those end of the year things in order. In all honestly I had about a week in there were I felt like I was being dragged behind a motor boat. One hand on the rope and the rest of me face-down, smacking the water, being pulled at full speed. However, as all things do, it passed. Then came some more fun stuff! My roommates all left me, while I don't judge them for going back to see their families as soon as they were able, I DO judge them for leaving all their chocolate behind for only ME to finish. The things I have to deal with...
Anyway, since they left, I've been spending quite a bit of time outside the 6 bedroom 'palace'...
First was a night at the Callis' (a couple who also teach in the high school at AIS). What I thought might have been a quiet dinner and movie with a few friends, turned into tons of people, barely enough food, cookie-decorating contest, hilarious movie night, with MORE FUN than we could handle!!! Obviously...
Haha, after THAT awesome evening I took a trip back to Kaneshie to visit Grandma, Grandpa, Amakye, and my old school! The visit at home was wonderful. I can't remember if I've told you all before but Grace has moved on to begin studying to be a seamstress like her older sister. Now there was a new cook, who didn't speak hardly any English, but I loved her laughter. I was able to share in quite a few conversations full of advice from both Grandma and Grandpa as I travel to the states and back. And from Amakye was the best gift of all! Amakye, as I've previously told you all, is studying at an art school. I've seen his paintings and have definitely been quite impressed. After telling him this quite often, he began to promise that he would paint something for me before I go back to the states. Now even though he knows I'll be coming back, he wanted to bring me a gift anyway. Now this painting was assigned to be an imaginative painting, because obviously Amakye has never actually SEEN a snowy mountain in person, but here it is, big as life!
Cool huh!
From there, my visit to Kaneshie Presby went SO well. As usual on my visits, when I walk into the room, my previous students burst out into the streak of songs that I taught them. It's incredible that their little minds can remember all of them, word for word, MONTHS after I've gone!
Next, was a bus to Ho to visit my buddy Kristy and our new German buddy Dori! The evening I arrived, I accompanied those two to their friday-night street kids program, where we were blessed by some local drumming. The next morning we left for Wli Waterfalls. I'll let the pictures talk for themselves...
We were staying at a hotel in town, so after we waited for an hour for a taxi with 8 people in what was supposed to be 5 seats, and a full load in the back, our taxi driver decided to take the back roads once we got into town. After a long process, of arguments in the native language that we did not understand, asking them to explain, and not really getting answers, we were dropped off at our hotel just after finding out that the cargo in the back of the taxi was a bunch of bags of illegal merchandise brought over from Togo and we had to take back roads in order to bypass the police station...haha. The next few days were packed full of things we wanted to accomplish, as it would be my last time in Ho. Among those were climbing to the highest point in the area in order to see Ho in all its glory.
It truly was fantastic...and the longest walk of my life. A few other great moments commenced among some good friends and sadly my time in Ho came to an end. I will definitely be going back for a visit within my time next year, but it is quite sad that it's goodbye for now. This also reminds me that within these next few weeks, I have that same feeling to 'look forward to' as I try to say goodbye to my Accra family. I will for sure be needing prayers in these last two weeks as I begin this process of leaving this place that has been my home for the last year. Thank you for your continued support and time and interest in what I'm doing over here. I TRULY TRULY TRULY look forward to talking to you all in person QUITE soon!!!
With TONS of love,
Meg
12 May 2008
R.I.P.
I got him! Er...Daniel got him. May his little mousy soul rest in peace...
(referring to the story below)
(referring to the story below)
28 April 2008
Visitors!!!
Well hello friends!!! I'm so sorry everyone (and Bob;) that I've been away so long. You know I lead a pretty quiet life here and there's not much to write about!
ha
So, June is coming quick, which is not only the end of the school year, but is also the ending month for many terms that are being served by close friends in our big-little expatriate community. So our 5-person house decided to have a dinner party before everyone started to get too busy with goodbye's, packing, and visiting those last minute places during those last minute weekends. We invited about 22 people to come, so from the moment we all woke up last Saturday we began shopping, cooking, and preparing the house for some fun! Around about 12-noon, power goes out. Normally this doesn't stress us out so much because it's been happening once or twice a week for the past few weeks (we believe the dam is low and no one is telling us). Usually we just open our windows for the cool air to come in, read a book, listen to the radio, use the gas side of the stove for cooking, and be SURE that whenever we go into the fridge we know WHAT we're looking for and EXACTLY where it is to let as little cool air out as possible. Well, when you're planning a dinner that has recently changed from 22 people to 24, power sometimes matters, ESPECIALLY when the dinner party is scheduled for, dum dum dummmmm AFTER DARK. We continued with our business, just being careful to stress the importance of the Quick-in-and-out-of-the-Fridge strategy, and sending a few prayers up to the Dear Lord Jesus Christ that he bless us with some power. Let me just pull you from the edge of your seats and tell you the ending, the power stayed off until 11 something the next morning. But don't you fret or frown, although, we did have plans with a borrowed projector and a good movie, and it also would have been fun to see each others faces as we were jovial in each other's company, the party went on without a hitch. We sat around a dozen tea lights, ate the best dinner most of us had had in months (it was done in what I would call a good Presbyterian Potluck fashion), and even finished the night off with an hour of laptop-battery-powered-SALSA (taking full advantage of our Salsa teacher's presence at our party). Our guests slowly trickled out, as the SWEAT continued to trickle down our backs (good thing the lights were off to hide it!). The evening was a HIT, even with the power off. And you may think our 24 guests were the visitors I was referring to in the title of this story...but you're wrong. Let's see how the story continues...
It's about 10 pm, and when you come out of a good gathering with fun people, you're not really ready to sleep right? Well, because I have SUCH a good friend/floormate named Amanda who is so giving that she allows me to use her laptop whenEVER I need it, I had about an hour of battery power left, so I opted to start a movie entitled Brothers Grimm. You may have heard of it, consequently my opinion is that it's that one really bad movie that actors can allow themselves (Matt Damon and the late Heath Ledger*tear*). Anyway, as I began to watch this movie (which is pretty much based on spooky fairy tales) IN the dark, BY myself, I was just a little creeped out. Not so much that I stopped watching the movie, but I had my cell phone close by in case any of those enchanted horses decided to jump out of the screen and eat me too! Well, being in a mood like this heightens your sense of hearing right? Every noise pricks your ears. Normally, you can go through a scary/creepy movie without hearing a scary/creepy sound to satisfy that FEAR and adrenaline inside you. Well, this time was different. I started hearing this SCRAPING sound coming from the opposite corner of my room. So, obviously I would pause the movie (wasting precious battery time) and listen, only to find that the noise had stopped. It happened a few more times, but I was thinking it must just be a bad copy of this DVD. A short while later the power had run out and I shut the laptop, settling in to go to sleep. Still a little creeped out, making SURE to say a prayer to the Lord before I slept, asking Him to make whatever was causing that noise go to sleep so I could just pretend it had gone away, even to pay the price of finding it in the morning. After about 5 minutes of no noise, I said out loud, "THANK you Lord!" and began to drift off. THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, I heard rustling in my bathroom (possibly in the wastebasket). And it was NOT quiet enough to ignore. I ssllowwllyy picked up my glasses and put them on my face. I then noiselessly sat up in bed to directly face my bathroom. I then ever so quietly reached for my mini-maglight and shined it directly at the threshold of the open door, knowing that there is NO WAY OUT of my bathroom, except through that door. After sitting for a long, heart beating-frantically minute, I realized I should some how ACT on this knowledge rather than by-stand. I called Amanda. She COURAGEOUSLY came immediately to sit by my side and stare at the bathroom door. We then decided we had to do the inevitable...call Daniel.
Daniel is our day guard. He lives in a small apartment outside of our house, within our gated compound. He is the one who monitors who may come in and out of our gate, friend or foe. He also takes care of our shrubbery and the cleanliness of the outdoors. And he is most importantly...a male. We call him inside quite often to brave the squishing of LARGE insects and the retracting of dead mice from the inside of cabinets (another long story). He is a trusted friend who respectfully chuckles at us during our wimpery, but never the less is ALWAYS there when we need him. Tonight was no different. When he was awoken by my late night apologetic call he rose quickly to the task, Amanda went to let him in and I continued to stare at my enemy's one escape route. Amanda came back to my side while Daniel listened intently to my story, borrowed my flashlight and explored my bathroom. He lifted up everything that could be moved and found NOTHING. It's safe to say he was searching through things for a good 5 minutes. Without any significant discoveries, Daniel went back to his room, Amanda retired to hers, and I finally fell asleep, slightly depressed that I may look like a crazy person and knowing there was SOME kind of critter running around without the license to do so.
When I woke up the next morning, I used what inner strength I had at 7am to pull open my dresser drawers, one at a time. Well, ladies and gentleman, I didn't find a mouse that morning, but I found plenty of evidence (if you know what I mean) that one had been having a little party of it's own that night...in MY DRAWERS!! Also, shown below is a picture of the tie of my favorite LINEN PANTS (you all know how much I love linen!) chewed right off and found in a different drawer from where the pants were located!! This little mouse had GUTS!
Well, needless to say, I spent the entire day cleaning, rearranging, and disinfecting my room. Furthermore, I have NOT seen nor heard any other warm-blooded creatures within my four walls. The positive side is that my room is impeccably clean and God found a way to keep me awake at night if I were ever to be falling asleep, reading His word. :)
I know this was super long, but it has been awhile, so I had to make up for it right?
hehe :)
At school, I feel very comfortable with the progress my special needs student, his family, and I are making together. My student and I have developed a relaxed atmosphere that really seems to suit him. I now recognize when he's about to be stretched too far and also when I can continue to challenge him. His other teachers and I have tried a few of the suggestions I received from 'my readers' (thank you), with both positive and negative outcomes. His mother and I are corresponding daily in a notebook that he brings home every night, which really helps to inform each of us with how he is progressing either in the home or at school. Suggestions are made from both sides and seriously considered by both parties. My other two classes are going very well. Each of my students finds a way to make me laugh at some point throughout the day. I am so grateful that I have been blessed with them to start off my teaching career. They challenge me, but also accept my mistakes when I make them. Thank you guys!
Ever since my last post, we have sent out report cards and also had an entire week of school wide standardized tests (remember we are an American International School). Also, for my program we went on a retreat weekend to a hotel called Afrikiko. It's a beautiful place, right on the Volta River, that has SO many great aspects including a pool, a great restaurant, CABLE IN THE ROOMS, and my personal favorite, a roaming DONKEY. THAT'S right! It just roams around, standing wherever it wants. Don't be alarmed guests! haha. It truly was a wonderful break.
Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is home. I think because maybe I only have two months left, I'm beginning to think of the people I'll be able to see, the places I'll be able to go, and the FOOD I'll be able to eat! And it's just so close! But thinking of these things are making it harder to focus on all the great stuff that will be happening HERE in those last 2 months. So prayers would be helpful to take away my focus on home, because I'll be there shortly. Prayers to help me live it up while I'm here, so that I can be content to live it up while I'm at home! Thank you for your continued prayers and support! I miss and love you all like the Dickens (why do people use 'the Dickens'? what does that mean?)!
Until next time!!
Love,
Meg
ha
So, June is coming quick, which is not only the end of the school year, but is also the ending month for many terms that are being served by close friends in our big-little expatriate community. So our 5-person house decided to have a dinner party before everyone started to get too busy with goodbye's, packing, and visiting those last minute places during those last minute weekends. We invited about 22 people to come, so from the moment we all woke up last Saturday we began shopping, cooking, and preparing the house for some fun! Around about 12-noon, power goes out. Normally this doesn't stress us out so much because it's been happening once or twice a week for the past few weeks (we believe the dam is low and no one is telling us). Usually we just open our windows for the cool air to come in, read a book, listen to the radio, use the gas side of the stove for cooking, and be SURE that whenever we go into the fridge we know WHAT we're looking for and EXACTLY where it is to let as little cool air out as possible. Well, when you're planning a dinner that has recently changed from 22 people to 24, power sometimes matters, ESPECIALLY when the dinner party is scheduled for, dum dum dummmmm AFTER DARK. We continued with our business, just being careful to stress the importance of the Quick-in-and-out-of-the-Fridge strategy, and sending a few prayers up to the Dear Lord Jesus Christ that he bless us with some power. Let me just pull you from the edge of your seats and tell you the ending, the power stayed off until 11 something the next morning. But don't you fret or frown, although, we did have plans with a borrowed projector and a good movie, and it also would have been fun to see each others faces as we were jovial in each other's company, the party went on without a hitch. We sat around a dozen tea lights, ate the best dinner most of us had had in months (it was done in what I would call a good Presbyterian Potluck fashion), and even finished the night off with an hour of laptop-battery-powered-SALSA (taking full advantage of our Salsa teacher's presence at our party). Our guests slowly trickled out, as the SWEAT continued to trickle down our backs (good thing the lights were off to hide it!). The evening was a HIT, even with the power off. And you may think our 24 guests were the visitors I was referring to in the title of this story...but you're wrong. Let's see how the story continues...
It's about 10 pm, and when you come out of a good gathering with fun people, you're not really ready to sleep right? Well, because I have SUCH a good friend/floormate named Amanda who is so giving that she allows me to use her laptop whenEVER I need it, I had about an hour of battery power left, so I opted to start a movie entitled Brothers Grimm. You may have heard of it, consequently my opinion is that it's that one really bad movie that actors can allow themselves (Matt Damon and the late Heath Ledger*tear*). Anyway, as I began to watch this movie (which is pretty much based on spooky fairy tales) IN the dark, BY myself, I was just a little creeped out. Not so much that I stopped watching the movie, but I had my cell phone close by in case any of those enchanted horses decided to jump out of the screen and eat me too! Well, being in a mood like this heightens your sense of hearing right? Every noise pricks your ears. Normally, you can go through a scary/creepy movie without hearing a scary/creepy sound to satisfy that FEAR and adrenaline inside you. Well, this time was different. I started hearing this SCRAPING sound coming from the opposite corner of my room. So, obviously I would pause the movie (wasting precious battery time) and listen, only to find that the noise had stopped. It happened a few more times, but I was thinking it must just be a bad copy of this DVD. A short while later the power had run out and I shut the laptop, settling in to go to sleep. Still a little creeped out, making SURE to say a prayer to the Lord before I slept, asking Him to make whatever was causing that noise go to sleep so I could just pretend it had gone away, even to pay the price of finding it in the morning. After about 5 minutes of no noise, I said out loud, "THANK you Lord!" and began to drift off. THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, I heard rustling in my bathroom (possibly in the wastebasket). And it was NOT quiet enough to ignore. I ssllowwllyy picked up my glasses and put them on my face. I then noiselessly sat up in bed to directly face my bathroom. I then ever so quietly reached for my mini-maglight and shined it directly at the threshold of the open door, knowing that there is NO WAY OUT of my bathroom, except through that door. After sitting for a long, heart beating-frantically minute, I realized I should some how ACT on this knowledge rather than by-stand. I called Amanda. She COURAGEOUSLY came immediately to sit by my side and stare at the bathroom door. We then decided we had to do the inevitable...call Daniel.
Daniel is our day guard. He lives in a small apartment outside of our house, within our gated compound. He is the one who monitors who may come in and out of our gate, friend or foe. He also takes care of our shrubbery and the cleanliness of the outdoors. And he is most importantly...a male. We call him inside quite often to brave the squishing of LARGE insects and the retracting of dead mice from the inside of cabinets (another long story). He is a trusted friend who respectfully chuckles at us during our wimpery, but never the less is ALWAYS there when we need him. Tonight was no different. When he was awoken by my late night apologetic call he rose quickly to the task, Amanda went to let him in and I continued to stare at my enemy's one escape route. Amanda came back to my side while Daniel listened intently to my story, borrowed my flashlight and explored my bathroom. He lifted up everything that could be moved and found NOTHING. It's safe to say he was searching through things for a good 5 minutes. Without any significant discoveries, Daniel went back to his room, Amanda retired to hers, and I finally fell asleep, slightly depressed that I may look like a crazy person and knowing there was SOME kind of critter running around without the license to do so.
When I woke up the next morning, I used what inner strength I had at 7am to pull open my dresser drawers, one at a time. Well, ladies and gentleman, I didn't find a mouse that morning, but I found plenty of evidence (if you know what I mean) that one had been having a little party of it's own that night...in MY DRAWERS!! Also, shown below is a picture of the tie of my favorite LINEN PANTS (you all know how much I love linen!) chewed right off and found in a different drawer from where the pants were located!! This little mouse had GUTS!
Well, needless to say, I spent the entire day cleaning, rearranging, and disinfecting my room. Furthermore, I have NOT seen nor heard any other warm-blooded creatures within my four walls. The positive side is that my room is impeccably clean and God found a way to keep me awake at night if I were ever to be falling asleep, reading His word. :)
I know this was super long, but it has been awhile, so I had to make up for it right?
hehe :)
At school, I feel very comfortable with the progress my special needs student, his family, and I are making together. My student and I have developed a relaxed atmosphere that really seems to suit him. I now recognize when he's about to be stretched too far and also when I can continue to challenge him. His other teachers and I have tried a few of the suggestions I received from 'my readers' (thank you), with both positive and negative outcomes. His mother and I are corresponding daily in a notebook that he brings home every night, which really helps to inform each of us with how he is progressing either in the home or at school. Suggestions are made from both sides and seriously considered by both parties. My other two classes are going very well. Each of my students finds a way to make me laugh at some point throughout the day. I am so grateful that I have been blessed with them to start off my teaching career. They challenge me, but also accept my mistakes when I make them. Thank you guys!
Ever since my last post, we have sent out report cards and also had an entire week of school wide standardized tests (remember we are an American International School). Also, for my program we went on a retreat weekend to a hotel called Afrikiko. It's a beautiful place, right on the Volta River, that has SO many great aspects including a pool, a great restaurant, CABLE IN THE ROOMS, and my personal favorite, a roaming DONKEY. THAT'S right! It just roams around, standing wherever it wants. Don't be alarmed guests! haha. It truly was a wonderful break.
Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is home. I think because maybe I only have two months left, I'm beginning to think of the people I'll be able to see, the places I'll be able to go, and the FOOD I'll be able to eat! And it's just so close! But thinking of these things are making it harder to focus on all the great stuff that will be happening HERE in those last 2 months. So prayers would be helpful to take away my focus on home, because I'll be there shortly. Prayers to help me live it up while I'm here, so that I can be content to live it up while I'm at home! Thank you for your continued prayers and support! I miss and love you all like the Dickens (why do people use 'the Dickens'? what does that mean?)!
Until next time!!
Love,
Meg
30 March 2008
Beach Tour '08
So I have recently returned from my latest traveling. As you all know it is Easter time and to celebrate Jesus' raising from the dead, we get to take off school and bask in His awesomeness right?! Thank you Jesus! Therefore, Kristy (the other volunteer) and I teamed up with my housemate, Mariah (another teacher at American International School) and her friend, Jonathan, who is staying close by in Nigeria! Now I am not going to stretch this vacation on for 3 months, so I will summarize it in this nice, concise list for you all to enjoy:
8 days
7 nights
5 beaches (each was a fishing village-as are most beaches in Ghana)
1 Tour of a Village built completely on stilts
1 Tour of a slave castle
20 minutes of running
Approximately 572,639 kilometers of walking!!
4 tro-tros
1 bus
1 taxi
3 million beads of sweat
400 pages in 'Gone With the Wind'
LOTS of street food (with a little sickness on the side)
And none of it paid for with a mastercard :-P
but of course all of it was PRICELESS! :)
The four of us had some incredible experiences together. On the flip side, it was actually a perfect chance to be alone and to do some reflection, reading, and relaxation (so...R and R..and r?). So thank you Lord for cheap travel in Ghana.
Also, I must say that I was told by one of my high school students that I write my blogs backwards. She thought perhaps I didn't know and was very stern in trying to get me to understand that I CAN'T write about New Years Eve in MARCH. Haha, that being said, I would like to quickly wrap up my last two days of holiday vacation.
New Years Day we woke up at 3:30am to catch a 4:00am bus. After frantically pushing and pulling ourselves through the mobbish group of people trying to get on the ONLY bus to Tamale for the day, Kristy, Bianca, Dayne (two Aussies we met at Mole National Park), and I settled in to sleep for a few hours. We woke up in Tamale, searched for a bus to Kumasi, failed to find one, hopped on a tro-tro and 5 squished hours later began to walk to our faithful Presbyterian Guesthouse. Bianca and Dayne continued on towards Accra, but Kristy and I wanted to stretch our vacation out for as long as possible. We found our restaurant with a pool table again; then came back to the guesthouse for a lovely shower and a comfy bed.
Our last day of vacay was spent hopping from Kumasi to Accra for lunch and back over to Ho to eat dinner and collapse into bed. Who knew vacation was so tiring??
What did you all do for Easter vacation (don't answer that if you're bitter because you didn't go anywhere :-P)? I would love to hear some fun stories :)
My Special Education student and I have really found our niche. Together, his occupational therapist, his other teachers, and I have been working on techniques to help with outbursts and extra energy. Thank you to everyone who has been e-mailing suggestions and encouragements in this area! My Spanish and American History classes are both going well and I am looking forward to this next/last quarter! Just so everyone knows, teaching actually works! My students are REALLY learning what I teach! hehe (Even those one or two mistakes that we had to go back later and fix...oops!)
I would like to give a quick 'shout out' to two very important people in my life. My brother Matthew turned NINETEEN and my agent/other mother Sherrill Heinrichs turned SIXTY!! woo hoo!!! I love you both so so so so much, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Well, I would like to thank you all for reading. It is such an encouragement to me to know that my friends and family take the time out of their crazy, busy, Obruni days to read what I think. Can you believe it's April already!?
Happy Spring to those of you who have access to seasons. hehe :)
Miss you!
Love,
Meg
10 March 2008
Day 5: December 31st, 2007
NEW YEARS EVE!!
So, after a night and early morning of calling to prayer announcements in the village of Larabanga (a 100% Muslim community), we woke up at 6am to leave at 6:30 to taxi (there are only two taxis in the village-not an exaggeration) to Mole National Park. The early morning safari walk was supposed to be the best avenue to see the most animals. When we showed up, we were two amongst a group of about 25-30 Obruni waiting to set off on our hike around the park. After making sure that everyone was wearing close-toed shoes, they divided us into 4 or 5 groups. There were a few clumps of people that decided to be together, so Kristy and I not making any clique decisions got 'stuck' in the mish-mash group of pairs. So as best as we could at 7 in the morning, the ten of us '20-somethings' began to get to know one another. At the same time, we set off for the morning led by our guide and his rifle.
"The reason I am carrying this firearm is only a precaution for your safety in case any of the animals decide to become hostile."
Thanks Mister.
Our first stop was just up a dirt path to a chunk of trees where all of a sudden we realized we were surrounded by a bunch of sprinting monkeys! So, there were probably about five...but that was a lot when you come from a house full of NO monkeys! Then we walked through the area of staff-housing where we saw a bunch of humans on two-legs and THEN a bunch of WARTHOGS on four!! They were just roamin' around making nice with the humans. Then our guide, on his walkie-talkie got word of an elephant in some important direction. So as quickly and quietly as we could we followed the man with the rifle on a mission towards the possibility of an elephant!! Shortly after we started walking we came to an open area and caught a glimpse of the biggest behind I've ever seen in real life!! Just like in The Lion King, the elephant also had a few of those white birds hanging around with him. It was incredible!!! Although some may think elephants are large and lumbering, he was completely graceful in his slow, purposeful movements. I believe I would go back to that park if only to watch that animal move through his daily activities. After that WONDERFUL development, we made our way through the rest of the park, spotting a herd of antelope, a few crocodiles, and plenty different types of animal feces, haha. :) However, the end of the hike was the part I will not forget. We were making our way up this hard-to-climb-hill. Nothing really in sight except for the rocky earth-steps we had to focus so closely on. After climbing a few minutes, our guide stopped. He "about-faced" which caused the rest of us to turn. What we saw left us all speechless. I felt as if all of Africa was before me! When you are in the thick of 'the bush' you don't realize the land on which you're walking goes on for MILES! Below us was a beautiful watering hole, surrounded by a dusty landscape with a variety of trees and animals. We stood silent for a few minutes just taking it all in. To finish off the tour, we made our way up the hill and did our tourist duties by taking BOOCOO pictures.
We quickly found the Mole National Park Hotel's restaurant for breakfast which overlooked the beautiful sight we had just taken in. Somehow, two Australians, a German, three Canadians, and two Americans bonded quickly and easily in the morning, that they decided to hang out for the rest of the day! Kristy and I had plans just to get back to Larabanga before dark in order to see the OLDEST MOSQUE IN GHANA. This meant that the rest of the day could be spent sitting next to the hotel's pool, overlooking the wildlife park while enjoying the company of our new found friends. It was glorious!
The afternoon came quickly, but not without a few elephants bathing in the water hole and a few warthogs invading our space. We learned through our friends that their reservations were being toyed with and a few things had fallen through for ALL SIX of our comrades. Kristy and I realized there were open rooms at the Salia Brothers Guest House and offered this outlet. It WAS New Years Eve and how much fun would it be if we could all be together to celebrate! The decision was made and it took our taxi driver two trips to get us all back to Larabanga. Finally together, we asked Yaya (the son of the Salia Bros-about 12 years old) to show us this mosque! Little did we know, Yaya's older brother was given the opportunity to train in Accra to be a tour/guide. His specialty? The oldest mosque in Ghana, which is also one of the oldest in West Africa. We learned a lot from him and were able to take all the pictures (of the outside) that we wanted. We next mozied over to the local soda spot and sat down with 20 locals at our heels. We quickly made a few friends, who then invited us to watch a traditional dance performance that night! AWESOME! We sat for a little while longer, then went back to our place where we organized who would sleep where. You see, there are only three open rooms at this guest house, and there were eight of us. Problem. This actually turned out to be no problem at all, because Kristy, Daphne (Canadian-cycling across West Africa with her other Canadian friend Eli), and I opted to sleep on the roof!!! With this problem solved we had another incredible dinner and set out to meet our friend and his fabulous dancers! When we arrived we were met by about 70 young girls, ages 5-12, all dressed in traditional clothing. Somehow this afterschool program was started in order to teach these children homemaking skills, traditional dancing, as well as the English language. It seemed like an incredible program and when the celebrating began we knew it was going to be a good night. We were able to observe many different dances, until they decided it would be a good idea to make fools out of the obruni and have us participate, rather, try to DECIPHER, the rhythm and bounce and technique to various circle dances. WOO! It was hard!!
The show was spectacular and they even presented quirky poems afterwards which I imagine were tools in learning English. It was nearing 10pm or so when we arrived back at our place for the night. Immediately we grabbed a few sodas, and Bianca (Australian working at an orphanage here in Ghana, visiting Mole with her Australian friend who came to visit-Dayne) turned on her iPod WITH speakers! After the awkwardness of who-was-going-to-start-dancing passed, we were all up and dancing 2007 away (you know SOME of us were dancing MACHINES)! And we KEPT boogy-ing until the 'ball dropped' or until MOST of our cell phones said it was 12 am. We screamed our countdown, shouted and hugged, then winded down with a GREAT game of charades. Shortly thereafter we made our way to our respective sleeping quarters to catch a few hours of shut eye.
This was definitely my favorite day of the entire holiday :) Thanks for sharing it with me...and by the way, the stars were INCREDIBLE to fall asleep under in a town with no street lights. :)
So, after a night and early morning of calling to prayer announcements in the village of Larabanga (a 100% Muslim community), we woke up at 6am to leave at 6:30 to taxi (there are only two taxis in the village-not an exaggeration) to Mole National Park. The early morning safari walk was supposed to be the best avenue to see the most animals. When we showed up, we were two amongst a group of about 25-30 Obruni waiting to set off on our hike around the park. After making sure that everyone was wearing close-toed shoes, they divided us into 4 or 5 groups. There were a few clumps of people that decided to be together, so Kristy and I not making any clique decisions got 'stuck' in the mish-mash group of pairs. So as best as we could at 7 in the morning, the ten of us '20-somethings' began to get to know one another. At the same time, we set off for the morning led by our guide and his rifle.
"The reason I am carrying this firearm is only a precaution for your safety in case any of the animals decide to become hostile."
Thanks Mister.
Our first stop was just up a dirt path to a chunk of trees where all of a sudden we realized we were surrounded by a bunch of sprinting monkeys! So, there were probably about five...but that was a lot when you come from a house full of NO monkeys! Then we walked through the area of staff-housing where we saw a bunch of humans on two-legs and THEN a bunch of WARTHOGS on four!! They were just roamin' around making nice with the humans. Then our guide, on his walkie-talkie got word of an elephant in some important direction. So as quickly and quietly as we could we followed the man with the rifle on a mission towards the possibility of an elephant!! Shortly after we started walking we came to an open area and caught a glimpse of the biggest behind I've ever seen in real life!! Just like in The Lion King, the elephant also had a few of those white birds hanging around with him. It was incredible!!! Although some may think elephants are large and lumbering, he was completely graceful in his slow, purposeful movements. I believe I would go back to that park if only to watch that animal move through his daily activities. After that WONDERFUL development, we made our way through the rest of the park, spotting a herd of antelope, a few crocodiles, and plenty different types of animal feces, haha. :) However, the end of the hike was the part I will not forget. We were making our way up this hard-to-climb-hill. Nothing really in sight except for the rocky earth-steps we had to focus so closely on. After climbing a few minutes, our guide stopped. He "about-faced" which caused the rest of us to turn. What we saw left us all speechless. I felt as if all of Africa was before me! When you are in the thick of 'the bush' you don't realize the land on which you're walking goes on for MILES! Below us was a beautiful watering hole, surrounded by a dusty landscape with a variety of trees and animals. We stood silent for a few minutes just taking it all in. To finish off the tour, we made our way up the hill and did our tourist duties by taking BOOCOO pictures.
We quickly found the Mole National Park Hotel's restaurant for breakfast which overlooked the beautiful sight we had just taken in. Somehow, two Australians, a German, three Canadians, and two Americans bonded quickly and easily in the morning, that they decided to hang out for the rest of the day! Kristy and I had plans just to get back to Larabanga before dark in order to see the OLDEST MOSQUE IN GHANA. This meant that the rest of the day could be spent sitting next to the hotel's pool, overlooking the wildlife park while enjoying the company of our new found friends. It was glorious!
The afternoon came quickly, but not without a few elephants bathing in the water hole and a few warthogs invading our space. We learned through our friends that their reservations were being toyed with and a few things had fallen through for ALL SIX of our comrades. Kristy and I realized there were open rooms at the Salia Brothers Guest House and offered this outlet. It WAS New Years Eve and how much fun would it be if we could all be together to celebrate! The decision was made and it took our taxi driver two trips to get us all back to Larabanga. Finally together, we asked Yaya (the son of the Salia Bros-about 12 years old) to show us this mosque! Little did we know, Yaya's older brother was given the opportunity to train in Accra to be a tour/guide. His specialty? The oldest mosque in Ghana, which is also one of the oldest in West Africa. We learned a lot from him and were able to take all the pictures (of the outside) that we wanted. We next mozied over to the local soda spot and sat down with 20 locals at our heels. We quickly made a few friends, who then invited us to watch a traditional dance performance that night! AWESOME! We sat for a little while longer, then went back to our place where we organized who would sleep where. You see, there are only three open rooms at this guest house, and there were eight of us. Problem. This actually turned out to be no problem at all, because Kristy, Daphne (Canadian-cycling across West Africa with her other Canadian friend Eli), and I opted to sleep on the roof!!! With this problem solved we had another incredible dinner and set out to meet our friend and his fabulous dancers! When we arrived we were met by about 70 young girls, ages 5-12, all dressed in traditional clothing. Somehow this afterschool program was started in order to teach these children homemaking skills, traditional dancing, as well as the English language. It seemed like an incredible program and when the celebrating began we knew it was going to be a good night. We were able to observe many different dances, until they decided it would be a good idea to make fools out of the obruni and have us participate, rather, try to DECIPHER, the rhythm and bounce and technique to various circle dances. WOO! It was hard!!
The show was spectacular and they even presented quirky poems afterwards which I imagine were tools in learning English. It was nearing 10pm or so when we arrived back at our place for the night. Immediately we grabbed a few sodas, and Bianca (Australian working at an orphanage here in Ghana, visiting Mole with her Australian friend who came to visit-Dayne) turned on her iPod WITH speakers! After the awkwardness of who-was-going-to-start-dancing passed, we were all up and dancing 2007 away (you know SOME of us were dancing MACHINES)! And we KEPT boogy-ing until the 'ball dropped' or until MOST of our cell phones said it was 12 am. We screamed our countdown, shouted and hugged, then winded down with a GREAT game of charades. Shortly thereafter we made our way to our respective sleeping quarters to catch a few hours of shut eye.
This was definitely my favorite day of the entire holiday :) Thanks for sharing it with me...and by the way, the stars were INCREDIBLE to fall asleep under in a town with no street lights. :)
27 February 2008
Up late-procrastinate
It's currently after midnight, but you know how moms are REALLY good at giving guilt trips? Kathy Bauhof reminded me that I hadn't updated in a while. And of course it would be quite easy to blame her for my staying up late, but it's just my knack for procrastinating until the very last minute that has caused me a lack of shut eye. So mom, it's not your fault...
It has been about two months since I have come to East Legon to work with American International School (AIS). Goodness, how the time has passed! As you can imagine quite a few things have happened in that time. First of all, I have gotten to know my STELLAR housemates.
Amanda (22)-from Seattle, teaches 1st grade
Ashley (21)-from Ohio, teaches Kindergarten
Jules (26)-from Canada, teaches 3rd grade (previously taught with the NICS program in Suriname for two years)
Mariah (27)-from North Carolina, teaches 4th grade (previously taught with the NICS program in Argentina for two years)
The five of us are from all over and from very different backgrounds, but teaching and living together is a blast! After a recent house meeting we decided that our house verse would be 1st Timothy 4:12-Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. That has currently become our day-to-day mission. It's an incredible high to live in a house with 4 other strong believers who are walking a similar path.
Speaking of paths, God has finally led me to a decision regarding the one for MY upcoming future. After many discussions with family, friends, respected elders, and my homeboy Jesus :) I feel the best next step for me would be to stay on in a teaching position at the school here in Accra. Among other reasons, there is a huge need for willing teachers at AIS that is hard to ignore. I have of course been back and forth with the pros and cons, but the bottom line has become that I feel God leading me back here, something that is hard to explain in words. It is going to be another 2 years to undergo the stress of being away from loved ones, but it will also be another two years to connect with this community of which I have worked so hard to be a part. Your support has been the cornerstone of my emotional stability here in Ghana...that sounds a little dramatic, but when it's broken down, I am truly surviving with your prayers, notes and letters of encouragements and humor! So it is to you all that I attribute my ability to stay out of my comfort zone for another chunk of time, God willing. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH for your continued support, EVERYONE, thank you. If any of you have any specific questions about the program or my plans feel FREE to write, and I would be happy to delve a little more into the details.
Another life altering moment happened in this past month...I GOT MY HAIR CUT! You know a girl's hair is as close to the meaning of life as you can GET! Hehe...I thought, since I'm in Africa, why not? Here's a pic:
Teaching updates:
I am learning an incredible amount about Autism through books, print-outs, and internet research, but would LOVE any insight that anyone might have as to some teaching strategies for a one-on-one style work environment. Prayers for my student's continued learning and improvement would be appreciated.
Is it bad to say that I am learning a lot as I develop curriculum for my U.S. History class?? I'm LOVING it.
My eighth grade basic Spanish course is fun. I get to use my favorite teaching techniques from MY favorite high school Spanish teacher. How interesting when you can see it from the other side! :)
Thank you again for your continued prayers and encouragements...they get me through my days!!
Love and hugs :)
Meg
It has been about two months since I have come to East Legon to work with American International School (AIS). Goodness, how the time has passed! As you can imagine quite a few things have happened in that time. First of all, I have gotten to know my STELLAR housemates.
Amanda (22)-from Seattle, teaches 1st grade
Ashley (21)-from Ohio, teaches Kindergarten
Jules (26)-from Canada, teaches 3rd grade (previously taught with the NICS program in Suriname for two years)
Mariah (27)-from North Carolina, teaches 4th grade (previously taught with the NICS program in Argentina for two years)
The five of us are from all over and from very different backgrounds, but teaching and living together is a blast! After a recent house meeting we decided that our house verse would be 1st Timothy 4:12-Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. That has currently become our day-to-day mission. It's an incredible high to live in a house with 4 other strong believers who are walking a similar path.
Speaking of paths, God has finally led me to a decision regarding the one for MY upcoming future. After many discussions with family, friends, respected elders, and my homeboy Jesus :) I feel the best next step for me would be to stay on in a teaching position at the school here in Accra. Among other reasons, there is a huge need for willing teachers at AIS that is hard to ignore. I have of course been back and forth with the pros and cons, but the bottom line has become that I feel God leading me back here, something that is hard to explain in words. It is going to be another 2 years to undergo the stress of being away from loved ones, but it will also be another two years to connect with this community of which I have worked so hard to be a part. Your support has been the cornerstone of my emotional stability here in Ghana...that sounds a little dramatic, but when it's broken down, I am truly surviving with your prayers, notes and letters of encouragements and humor! So it is to you all that I attribute my ability to stay out of my comfort zone for another chunk of time, God willing. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH for your continued support, EVERYONE, thank you. If any of you have any specific questions about the program or my plans feel FREE to write, and I would be happy to delve a little more into the details.
Another life altering moment happened in this past month...I GOT MY HAIR CUT! You know a girl's hair is as close to the meaning of life as you can GET! Hehe...I thought, since I'm in Africa, why not? Here's a pic:
Teaching updates:
I am learning an incredible amount about Autism through books, print-outs, and internet research, but would LOVE any insight that anyone might have as to some teaching strategies for a one-on-one style work environment. Prayers for my student's continued learning and improvement would be appreciated.
Is it bad to say that I am learning a lot as I develop curriculum for my U.S. History class?? I'm LOVING it.
My eighth grade basic Spanish course is fun. I get to use my favorite teaching techniques from MY favorite high school Spanish teacher. How interesting when you can see it from the other side! :)
Thank you again for your continued prayers and encouragements...they get me through my days!!
Love and hugs :)
Meg
26 February 2008
Day 4: December 30th
So MAYBE I was in over my head when I decided I was going to track my holiday trip on this blog...seeing as though it is currently the end of February...but I figure I kind of left ya'll hanging, so I'll do my best to keep this thing goin!
We left off with falling asleep in a tree house...
We woke up FREEZING and TIRED, BUT ready for a new adventure. Our guide came to lead us back to the office in order to be picked up by a car to go back to Wechau. In Wechau, we headed straight for the bus (there was only one). Once a week is market day in Wa (The Marketday company that you order from on the pretty piece of paper that comes home with your student from school is QUITE different than the marketday in Wa). Small towns from all over join on the bus from Wechau to Wa, because THIS is the day of the week when all the supplies come from the south. So things you can't get out of your own backyard will arrive on market day. Lucky for us, that was today. We got on the bus in a fairly comfortable seat. There were about 30 rows, each with 5 seats (when you fold down the seat in the aisle). Today, for market day, if you could fit on the bus, you had a ride. Of COURSE the mate on the bus is going to let on as many people as will fit. Each new person is another Cedi (about $1)! So our rows (with no aisles) of 5, turned into rows of 7 or 8, with many people sitting on the stairs and on top of seats. With no way to get out of our current position, we were quite happy this was a short hour and a half bus ride. SHHEEEESH! If you're claustrophobic, don't try to travel in Ghana, you won't survive. Happily hopping off the bus in Wa, we made a bee-line for a tro-tro to Sawla which is about 2-3 hours west of Larabanga (which is 30 minutes south of Elephants!). A few hours later we were in Sawla, where we were told to sit and wait because the tro-tro 'was coming'. Three hours later we got into the tro-tro that took us down a dusty, bumpy and...DUSTY road to Larabanga. Larabanga...a 100% muslim populated town and the home of THEE oldest mosque in Ghana. It is also our destination for the night. We had read all about the Salia Brothers Guest House in Larabanga. If they have a room open, they will arrange for you to get to and from Mole National Park (elephants), as well as provide you with dinner and a personal guide to show you around the small town of Larabanga. When we got off the tro-tro, a man walked straight up to us and said, "You're probably staying with me." Apparently, everytime a tro-tro comes in, the Salia Brothers Guest House sends a representative to the stop to pick up any foreigners. Well, he was right! We followed him about 20 yards to the guest house where we were relieved to find that, yes, there WAS an open room and we weren't going to have to sleep on the street.
Please take a moment to breathe a sigh of relief...
The Salia Brothers Guest House is a 6-roomed + kitchen/bath mud-with tin roof house. Three of the rooms belong to the "staff" (family) that runs the guest house. That leaves three rooms (each with a bed and a table and a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling) and the roof for guests. Bathroom is separated into two small rooms. One with a hole (covered by a wooden slab) and a basket for paper, the other with a bench and a bucket [Bathroom and shower]. Kristy and I were pumped. CULTURAL EXPERIENCE!! We got right down to business, playing cards with the couple from Holland (who had seen elephants and wildlife earlier that day) and Yaya (the son of one of the Salia brothers). We had dinner cooked to order, which was fabulous, arranged our taxi to the park for the morning, then fell asleep to the resounding call to prayer.
Day 5 to come soon :)
We left off with falling asleep in a tree house...
We woke up FREEZING and TIRED, BUT ready for a new adventure. Our guide came to lead us back to the office in order to be picked up by a car to go back to Wechau. In Wechau, we headed straight for the bus (there was only one). Once a week is market day in Wa (The Marketday company that you order from on the pretty piece of paper that comes home with your student from school is QUITE different than the marketday in Wa). Small towns from all over join on the bus from Wechau to Wa, because THIS is the day of the week when all the supplies come from the south. So things you can't get out of your own backyard will arrive on market day. Lucky for us, that was today. We got on the bus in a fairly comfortable seat. There were about 30 rows, each with 5 seats (when you fold down the seat in the aisle). Today, for market day, if you could fit on the bus, you had a ride. Of COURSE the mate on the bus is going to let on as many people as will fit. Each new person is another Cedi (about $1)! So our rows (with no aisles) of 5, turned into rows of 7 or 8, with many people sitting on the stairs and on top of seats. With no way to get out of our current position, we were quite happy this was a short hour and a half bus ride. SHHEEEESH! If you're claustrophobic, don't try to travel in Ghana, you won't survive. Happily hopping off the bus in Wa, we made a bee-line for a tro-tro to Sawla which is about 2-3 hours west of Larabanga (which is 30 minutes south of Elephants!). A few hours later we were in Sawla, where we were told to sit and wait because the tro-tro 'was coming'. Three hours later we got into the tro-tro that took us down a dusty, bumpy and...DUSTY road to Larabanga. Larabanga...a 100% muslim populated town and the home of THEE oldest mosque in Ghana. It is also our destination for the night. We had read all about the Salia Brothers Guest House in Larabanga. If they have a room open, they will arrange for you to get to and from Mole National Park (elephants), as well as provide you with dinner and a personal guide to show you around the small town of Larabanga. When we got off the tro-tro, a man walked straight up to us and said, "You're probably staying with me." Apparently, everytime a tro-tro comes in, the Salia Brothers Guest House sends a representative to the stop to pick up any foreigners. Well, he was right! We followed him about 20 yards to the guest house where we were relieved to find that, yes, there WAS an open room and we weren't going to have to sleep on the street.
Please take a moment to breathe a sigh of relief...
The Salia Brothers Guest House is a 6-roomed + kitchen/bath mud-with tin roof house. Three of the rooms belong to the "staff" (family) that runs the guest house. That leaves three rooms (each with a bed and a table and a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling) and the roof for guests. Bathroom is separated into two small rooms. One with a hole (covered by a wooden slab) and a basket for paper, the other with a bench and a bucket [Bathroom and shower]. Kristy and I were pumped. CULTURAL EXPERIENCE!! We got right down to business, playing cards with the couple from Holland (who had seen elephants and wildlife earlier that day) and Yaya (the son of one of the Salia brothers). We had dinner cooked to order, which was fabulous, arranged our taxi to the park for the morning, then fell asleep to the resounding call to prayer.
Day 5 to come soon :)
05 February 2008
Day 3: December 29, 2008
Another early morning for Kristy and I, but we didn't mind because hippos awaited us at the end of our day's journey. We left the key to our room and started walking our way to the tro-tro station. After one half hour we were guided to sit in another jam-packed vehicle. An hour and a half of dropping off and picking up (people AND bags of supplies to send to the next town), we were in Wechau. We got off and didn't even have to ask where to go. We were white, and the hippo sanctuary office was "that way". We walked in, discussed packages for tours, housing, and transportation, and a few minutes later got into a car and were 'transported' to our destination. A small dusty spot in the middle of no where, with no cell phone reception means when tourists show up, the little village has to accommodate. There are no open or closed hours for this hippo-centered life they lead. When we arrived, Agba was just enjoying his quiet cup of tea with jam and bread. Apparently two girls from Belgium had come before us and were already on the river, and Agba had thought he was off the hook for the day. Sorry buddy, you're with us! We dropped off our stuff and began the half hour hike to the riverside. When we got there, we met Malik and his three "sisters" doing their laundry, who all shouted "Agba!!" when they saw their cool older friend (Malik and the girls are probably 12-16 years old/kids from the surrounding village). While Agba went to find us a canoe, we were entertained by the kids. They spoke barely any English, so we communicated with our goofy faces and our digital cameras (they knew what to do for those!). Twenty minutes later we hopped in a canoe with two young boys who paddled us across the Black Volta, where we switched to a lighter canoe and I TOUCHED BURKINA FASO!!! Our new "driver" was named Abu, who couldn't hear OR speak, but somehow told Agba (our guide) how his entire morning of fishing went. Cool. So, at 11am we finally set off down the river with HUGE SMILES, life jackets, and cameras at the ready. The first 20 minutes of paddling we learned all about hippos. What they weigh, what they eat, and other miscellaneous information. The only thing he said that I can CLEARLY remember was the fact that mama hippos can MATE with their BABIES!! Eww!! "National Geographic" facts ingested, we kept a 'weary eye on the horizon'. After staring at this far-off rock for a while, thinking, 'That would be a GREAT place for a hippo to come up and sun itself', Agba spoke up. "You see that thing in the water that looks like a rock?" Kristy and I in unison, "Yeah". "That's a hippo."
WHOA!!!! (snap! snap! picture! picture!)
Of course by the time we got close enough (not too close, if you get between a mama and her baby on accident, SHE'LL EAT YOU) mama hippo was fully submerged. We stayed close to the bank and parked. Now, I don't know much about bird watching, but with HIPPO watching, you just sit and wait and watch and wait...AND THEN FREAK OUT WHEN IT COMES ABOVE WATER AND WIGGLE ITS EARS AND LOOK AT YOU AND YOU SCRAMBLE TO TURN ON YOUR CAMERA AND TAKE A PICTURE BEFORE IT TAKES ONE MORE GULP OF AIR...and then it goes back under and you wait. We were out on the water for about two hours. It's basically a guessing game of where they will pop up so you just have to keep your eyes peeled for any breaks in the surface. We were lucky enough to see two sets of mama hippos with their babies! They were soooo cute! And they really do wiggle their ears! Agba laughed and Abu smiled at our silly excitement, but the only time we've seen hippos in real life is when they're in a SUPER dirty tank that smells so terrible that you can't even enjoy the experience!
Unfortunately, we were paying by the hour, so after two hours we reluctantly decided it was time to head back. Just as we were turning to come back, we were passed by the girls from Belgium. What do you call females my age? Ladies? Girls? Post-teens? Well, anyway, we all met up back on site and together enjoyed our mid-day snack. After some visiting and exploring and resting around the area, Agba prepared the rice and tomato paste we brought with us. Kristy and I decided he added some spices for us, because what we thought was going to be a bland meal turned into pretty darn good reddish rice! We must have misjudged the amount of rice to bring because there was a whole pot-full. Good thing though, because the Belgium post-teens misjudged their hunger! Their crackers and oranges weren't gonna cut it for the night and oh look! We have plenty left over! Haha, bread and fish story coming to anyone else right now? Well, there wasn't enough left to fill 12 baskets, but just the amount that the four of us ladies needed. At about 4 pm, when we were scheduled to hike to our housing for the night, we noticed some smoke in the distance. Then people were rushing back and forth to the water pump, ut oh. Brush fires are common right now, but are usually controlled. This situation didn't seem to be controlled. It's just before the dry, windy Harmattan season, so most villages set their fields on fire now. So later there is nothing to burn when the wind picks up and can carry fire for miles. We learned that this fire was started an hour earlier than planned, so the right people weren't in the right places to help to control it. Hence the rush with water and hence our wait to walk. About an hour later the manager of this hippo program (I never did catch his name) led us on another 30 minute walk toward our housing (walking right through the burning field of course-completely safe;)). I bet you're TOTALLY curious about where we decided to stay the night...
IN A RIVERSIDE HIPPO HIDE!!!!
So basically, it's a tree house right next to the river! Rock on! Isn't it every kid's dream to sleep in a tree house at least once? Well, it works for post-teens too. Our manager-friend set us up with our mattresses, mosquito net, and showed us the toilet (down the ladder/50 feet away/logs over a hole with grass around it). Then he left us to unpack and explore. We found a pathway to the river, washed off our dirty piggies, and had some nice quiet time with God's creation. Agba showed up as it was getting dark to check to make sure that we had settled in 'comfortably' for the night ahead (it's going to be cold-he warned). Then he left us.
You know how in your tree house at home, your mom and dad and favorite flavor of ice cream are just 20 yards away in the big, real house? Well folks, the nearest 'big, real house' was about 30 minutes walk, and mom, dad, and the ice cream are a little farther than that. So as it was getting dark, I'm not gonna lie, I was a little spooked. But, big girls that we are, we managed. We had a late dinner of strawberry cookies and water, made an "MTV Cribs" video of our 'pad', and listened to the sounds of nature as we drifted off to sleep.
Coming soon...Day 4
WHOA!!!! (snap! snap! picture! picture!)
Of course by the time we got close enough (not too close, if you get between a mama and her baby on accident, SHE'LL EAT YOU) mama hippo was fully submerged. We stayed close to the bank and parked. Now, I don't know much about bird watching, but with HIPPO watching, you just sit and wait and watch and wait...AND THEN FREAK OUT WHEN IT COMES ABOVE WATER AND WIGGLE ITS EARS AND LOOK AT YOU AND YOU SCRAMBLE TO TURN ON YOUR CAMERA AND TAKE A PICTURE BEFORE IT TAKES ONE MORE GULP OF AIR...and then it goes back under and you wait. We were out on the water for about two hours. It's basically a guessing game of where they will pop up so you just have to keep your eyes peeled for any breaks in the surface. We were lucky enough to see two sets of mama hippos with their babies! They were soooo cute! And they really do wiggle their ears! Agba laughed and Abu smiled at our silly excitement, but the only time we've seen hippos in real life is when they're in a SUPER dirty tank that smells so terrible that you can't even enjoy the experience!
Unfortunately, we were paying by the hour, so after two hours we reluctantly decided it was time to head back. Just as we were turning to come back, we were passed by the girls from Belgium. What do you call females my age? Ladies? Girls? Post-teens? Well, anyway, we all met up back on site and together enjoyed our mid-day snack. After some visiting and exploring and resting around the area, Agba prepared the rice and tomato paste we brought with us. Kristy and I decided he added some spices for us, because what we thought was going to be a bland meal turned into pretty darn good reddish rice! We must have misjudged the amount of rice to bring because there was a whole pot-full. Good thing though, because the Belgium post-teens misjudged their hunger! Their crackers and oranges weren't gonna cut it for the night and oh look! We have plenty left over! Haha, bread and fish story coming to anyone else right now? Well, there wasn't enough left to fill 12 baskets, but just the amount that the four of us ladies needed. At about 4 pm, when we were scheduled to hike to our housing for the night, we noticed some smoke in the distance. Then people were rushing back and forth to the water pump, ut oh. Brush fires are common right now, but are usually controlled. This situation didn't seem to be controlled. It's just before the dry, windy Harmattan season, so most villages set their fields on fire now. So later there is nothing to burn when the wind picks up and can carry fire for miles. We learned that this fire was started an hour earlier than planned, so the right people weren't in the right places to help to control it. Hence the rush with water and hence our wait to walk. About an hour later the manager of this hippo program (I never did catch his name) led us on another 30 minute walk toward our housing (walking right through the burning field of course-completely safe;)). I bet you're TOTALLY curious about where we decided to stay the night...
IN A RIVERSIDE HIPPO HIDE!!!!
So basically, it's a tree house right next to the river! Rock on! Isn't it every kid's dream to sleep in a tree house at least once? Well, it works for post-teens too. Our manager-friend set us up with our mattresses, mosquito net, and showed us the toilet (down the ladder/50 feet away/logs over a hole with grass around it). Then he left us to unpack and explore. We found a pathway to the river, washed off our dirty piggies, and had some nice quiet time with God's creation. Agba showed up as it was getting dark to check to make sure that we had settled in 'comfortably' for the night ahead (it's going to be cold-he warned). Then he left us.
You know how in your tree house at home, your mom and dad and favorite flavor of ice cream are just 20 yards away in the big, real house? Well folks, the nearest 'big, real house' was about 30 minutes walk, and mom, dad, and the ice cream are a little farther than that. So as it was getting dark, I'm not gonna lie, I was a little spooked. But, big girls that we are, we managed. We had a late dinner of strawberry cookies and water, made an "MTV Cribs" video of our 'pad', and listened to the sounds of nature as we drifted off to sleep.
Coming soon...Day 4
03 February 2008
Africa Cup of Nations '08
So every two years, the 16 best teams in Africa come together to decide who is the ULTIMATE best. My friends Kristy, Simon, Jane, and I attended the opening ceremonies and match OF COURSE. It was such an incredible high to be around thousands of people who love their country and their football this much. I haven't been to a game since, and we don't have a tv in the house, but whenever there IS a game, you know when we score because the entire neighborhood ERUPTS. Its AWESOME. Then today was the first quarterfinal game, in which Ghana played. THEY WON!!!! So far they are undefeated (knock on wood). My friend Jules and I were running and stopped on the way back at a local shop that had a tv out for anyone who wanted to watch. When they scored their last goal and then won 15 minutes later, we screamed and danced with the rest of the neighborhood. I wish they showed the games in the states so you could all keep up, but I'll let you know later what happens. GO BLACKSTARS!!!!
This was all to explain my profile picture. Jane painted my face with colored eye-liner. Sweet right!?
This was all to explain my profile picture. Jane painted my face with colored eye-liner. Sweet right!?
29 January 2008
Lately in East Legon
Hi everyone!!! I just put up day one and two below of my holiday season, but I realized, with some help from mom and family, that I haven't really updated anyone on my status as of late. So, this blog doesn't have to be chronological does it? Basically, a lot of discerning went on between my site coordinators and I, and we decided that the best placement I could return to would be in East Legon at the American International School. It just so happens that during THEEE very same month that I am looking for a new placement, a need was revealed at AIS.
www.aisaccra.com (website for the school I'm working at right now)
So being that it's hard to live overseas, let alone teach overseas, there is a need for teachers. A big need. This Christian based Pre- through 11th grade school is an incredible witness. About 40% of the students who attend are children from missionary families. The remaining students are either Ghanaian, or sons and daughters of families who have come to Ghana to develop a business or diplomatic relationship. It is an INCREDIBLE atmosphere. These students have come from all over the world and from all different backgrounds (which includes different religious beliefs). What a wonderful opportunity we have to share God's love with these children!! I am currently filling in where needed. This means, during the morning I am one on one with a 16 year old Special Needs student. Just before lunch I am teaching an 8th grade Spanish class and after lunch is a 7th grade U.S. History class. Haha. You're allowed to laugh. Looking up I'm laughing myself. What a MIX. However, this school is in need. God opened up this opportunity and I've gotta jump in. I'm stressed to the max, being busier than EVER, EVER, EVER.
On top of that I am currently trying to make a decision for my future plans. Whether or not this school is in the picture is still to be decided. Just know that this decision is harder than the one to COME to Ghana was. So please prayers for my busy-ness, MY DECISION (BIG PRAYERS PLEASE), and missing home.
Speaking of missing home...
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU NORTHBROOK!!!! To all of you who don't attend my church, first of all, you should at least visit because it rocks, they did something FANTASTIC for me for Christmas. My church family, is really that...my family, decided (without telling me) that they would take up a collection of Christmas cards. So (because the Ghanaian mail system is a litttttle slow) I have been for the last month receiving some of the most wonderful cards. And not just one or two...but STACKS of cards and letters. Some cards are small, some are big, some were hand made by young kids, some by older Grandmas and Grandpas, and ALL of them had a personal message! EVERY ONE! I have never felt so loved. I'm not writing this to brag (well maybe a little) about the AWESOME people I love from Beverly Hills, MI, but I'm writing to thank all of you. It may have taken a while to get here, but it was PERFECT timing. Just a few short weeks ago I moved into this new house with new people with a new placement. And it's kinda lonely, even when the people are warm and friendly. My site coordinator dropped me off that first night with my bags and a stack of mail that I had no idea was coming. I unloaded some of my stuff and began to read. Just so ya know, people, you made me cry. But it was one of those good cries. And since that night, almost every week I have a new stack! It's coming in shifts, so each week I have another blessing. You have been a blessing to me Northbrook. I'm wondering how all those other volunteers are making it without you. You've made one little girl in Ghana very happy. So thank you so much. You have no idea how perfect that was.
www.aisaccra.com (website for the school I'm working at right now)
So being that it's hard to live overseas, let alone teach overseas, there is a need for teachers. A big need. This Christian based Pre- through 11th grade school is an incredible witness. About 40% of the students who attend are children from missionary families. The remaining students are either Ghanaian, or sons and daughters of families who have come to Ghana to develop a business or diplomatic relationship. It is an INCREDIBLE atmosphere. These students have come from all over the world and from all different backgrounds (which includes different religious beliefs). What a wonderful opportunity we have to share God's love with these children!! I am currently filling in where needed. This means, during the morning I am one on one with a 16 year old Special Needs student. Just before lunch I am teaching an 8th grade Spanish class and after lunch is a 7th grade U.S. History class. Haha. You're allowed to laugh. Looking up I'm laughing myself. What a MIX. However, this school is in need. God opened up this opportunity and I've gotta jump in. I'm stressed to the max, being busier than EVER, EVER, EVER.
On top of that I am currently trying to make a decision for my future plans. Whether or not this school is in the picture is still to be decided. Just know that this decision is harder than the one to COME to Ghana was. So please prayers for my busy-ness, MY DECISION (BIG PRAYERS PLEASE), and missing home.
Speaking of missing home...
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU NORTHBROOK!!!! To all of you who don't attend my church, first of all, you should at least visit because it rocks, they did something FANTASTIC for me for Christmas. My church family, is really that...my family, decided (without telling me) that they would take up a collection of Christmas cards. So (because the Ghanaian mail system is a litttttle slow) I have been for the last month receiving some of the most wonderful cards. And not just one or two...but STACKS of cards and letters. Some cards are small, some are big, some were hand made by young kids, some by older Grandmas and Grandpas, and ALL of them had a personal message! EVERY ONE! I have never felt so loved. I'm not writing this to brag (well maybe a little) about the AWESOME people I love from Beverly Hills, MI, but I'm writing to thank all of you. It may have taken a while to get here, but it was PERFECT timing. Just a few short weeks ago I moved into this new house with new people with a new placement. And it's kinda lonely, even when the people are warm and friendly. My site coordinator dropped me off that first night with my bags and a stack of mail that I had no idea was coming. I unloaded some of my stuff and began to read. Just so ya know, people, you made me cry. But it was one of those good cries. And since that night, almost every week I have a new stack! It's coming in shifts, so each week I have another blessing. You have been a blessing to me Northbrook. I'm wondering how all those other volunteers are making it without you. You've made one little girl in Ghana very happy. So thank you so much. You have no idea how perfect that was.
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