So not two weeks into being back in Ghana, I got a call from my Ghanaian sister Grace, remember her? We've stayed in contact on the phone once a week since I've been here, but we've hardly been able to see each other. She had told me that she was going to be in Accra when I got back from Jerusalem and she wasn't playin'! She came in the afternoon and hung out with me and my friends for a little while (hardly saying a word). She's quite shy in big groups, but once it was just my roommates and I she started to open up. The girls had somewhere to go for dinner, so while they were gone, Grace and I set up an e-mail account for her so that when I leave Ghana, she'll be able to write back and forth with me. We spent a LOT of time working on my computer. Turns out her hometown doesn't even have an internet cafe, so she had never used a computer before. I had no idea! How do you teach something that you yourself have used all your life like it's an extension of your hands! How do you teach someone to use their hands!!??
It was a challenge, but after a few hours of logging in and logging out of her new account (which is like a post office box) with a new password (which is the key), she could do it on her own!! I logged onto a friend's computer and we wrote a few e-mails back and forth for practice. It was fantastic!! We had so much fun laughing and joking and talking about boys. Grace was my closest girl friend during my first year in Ghana. She kept me alive when I was so far from everyone else. I realized that night how much I'm going to miss her when I leave. Thank you Jesus for bringing her into my life. :)
We took a few goofy pictures for fun (while she wouldn't get off the phone).
I'm not sure if any of you know this, but GHANA WAS IN THE AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS FINALS!!! This is the biggest soccer tournament in Africa and Ghana hasn't been to the finals in years! My friends and I went downtown and stood in the middle of the street to watch it on the big screen. We lost 1-0 but the team really played well! I was proud of them, they just couldn't finish. Classic problem.
So it's sort of a goofy picture of all of us, but we had a blast. :)
I believe I have written about going up to a city north of here, more out in the bush before, right??? Called Kitasi? A co-teacher at A.I.S. has bought some land and has been running a reading/math after school program for the children in her neighborhood. The program is known as Children of the Light. It was been running now for a number of years and recently she has received a grant from New Zealand (her home country) to buy MORE land and to build up a play area with a pavilion! So lately, we have been going up there early on Saturday mornings to pull up weeds, collect rocks, chop out stumps, or lug water/dirt up to the site for construction-all in preparation for this play area. It is incredible to be a part of this, knowing that soon the program will be able to be held on this land with the pavilion, protecting the students from the rain AND the heat!
I'm not sure if any of you know this, but GHANA WAS IN THE AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS FINALS!!! This is the biggest soccer tournament in Africa and Ghana hasn't been to the finals in years! My friends and I went downtown and stood in the middle of the street to watch it on the big screen. We lost 1-0 but the team really played well! I was proud of them, they just couldn't finish. Classic problem.
So it's sort of a goofy picture of all of us, but we had a blast. :)
I believe I have written about going up to a city north of here, more out in the bush before, right??? Called Kitasi? A co-teacher at A.I.S. has bought some land and has been running a reading/math after school program for the children in her neighborhood. The program is known as Children of the Light. It was been running now for a number of years and recently she has received a grant from New Zealand (her home country) to buy MORE land and to build up a play area with a pavilion! So lately, we have been going up there early on Saturday mornings to pull up weeds, collect rocks, chop out stumps, or lug water/dirt up to the site for construction-all in preparation for this play area. It is incredible to be a part of this, knowing that soon the program will be able to be held on this land with the pavilion, protecting the students from the rain AND the heat!
Once we arrive by tro-tro we hike down about 15 minutes to the site. The view is WONDERFUL and PERFECT when normally we're spending all of our time in the city.
This area that is being cleared will be the play area where the children can run and play games until they're so tired they can't play anymore!
One of the weekends, some of the kids showed up and brought out their self-made slingshots. Our big boys bought them and turned into little boys for a while. They practiced quite a bit, but couldn't even come close to the way those Ghanaian boys could wack a target.
Auntie Jean and two of her cutie-pie kids.
Two weekends ago was the toughest physical work I've done in a while. In the week following our visit, the workers were going to begin making/pouring concrete on the land. Rather than pay some workers to lug-up the supplies, Auntie Jean got her some volunteers! My friends and I spent the day lugging water and/or dirt on top of our heads like our Ghanaian pals. We realized how much easier it is than carrying heavy loads with arms! We ALSO realized that Ghanaians are EXTREMELY talented at balancing. Gallons of water on your head spills when you walk (alllllll over your body), UNLESS you use your arms and body weight to balance it out. Coach, if you read this, I think it would be perfect pre-season training.
This area that is being cleared will be the play area where the children can run and play games until they're so tired they can't play anymore!
One of the weekends, some of the kids showed up and brought out their self-made slingshots. Our big boys bought them and turned into little boys for a while. They practiced quite a bit, but couldn't even come close to the way those Ghanaian boys could wack a target.
Auntie Jean and two of her cutie-pie kids.
Two weekends ago was the toughest physical work I've done in a while. In the week following our visit, the workers were going to begin making/pouring concrete on the land. Rather than pay some workers to lug-up the supplies, Auntie Jean got her some volunteers! My friends and I spent the day lugging water and/or dirt on top of our heads like our Ghanaian pals. We realized how much easier it is than carrying heavy loads with arms! We ALSO realized that Ghanaians are EXTREMELY talented at balancing. Gallons of water on your head spills when you walk (alllllll over your body), UNLESS you use your arms and body weight to balance it out. Coach, if you read this, I think it would be perfect pre-season training.
First you fill up the buckets...
Then, you balance-walk-lug them up the 5 minute hill.
Then you dump them in these big buckets. After you fill the buckets all the way, your friends named Ben get in to cool themselves off and spill out a ton of the water you spent all day bringing up the hill.
Then the Bens fix it.
Here are the girls luggin' dirt all day. They said it was approximately 30-40 pounds of sandish-dirt. HEAVY! They still looked good doing it! Multi-taskers.
Then, you balance-walk-lug them up the 5 minute hill.
Then you dump them in these big buckets. After you fill the buckets all the way, your friends named Ben get in to cool themselves off and spill out a ton of the water you spent all day bringing up the hill.
Then the Bens fix it.
Here are the girls luggin' dirt all day. They said it was approximately 30-40 pounds of sandish-dirt. HEAVY! They still looked good doing it! Multi-taskers.
More has happened since I've been back...I'll update soon...I hope :)
Love all!
Meg
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing. I know it’s just kinda ‘normal life’ stuff that you post about sometimes, but I, at least, do enjoy reading it. And the pictures… just get me excited for stuff. and excited to get back overseas...wherever it ends up being
So, thank you
-ryan
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