Sunday, September 16, 2012

List of my favorite things in Ghana - Week 3 update


Week Three September 7 - 13th
Day 15. Talking about American racism, Ghanaian hair styles, Osama Bin Laden and Halloween with a student intern.
Day 16. Watching Ghana vs. Malawi at a bar with mu fired snacks and cold beer.
Day 17. First day of being a homemaker in my new house and feeling like I really am living in another country, a long time goal of mine: touching up walls, making pillow cases and doing laundry.
Day 18. Going shopping for dinner with Vivian and learning some new foods.
Day 19. Reading The Beaver and the Echo for reading comprehension exercises in Stage 4. The absolute ecstasy of students getting stickers on their homework.
Day 20. Singing and drumming in worship service with all the students which made up for the appalling sermon.
Day 21. Impromptu reading time in the library with stage 1.

Week Two August 31st- 6th
Day 8. Whole day was amazing from the hike to the upper falls with Mathew to an afternoon of reading, chocolate ice-cream and a talking grey parrot.
Day 9. Making wonkey curtains with a mini stapler, twine, and not enough fabric.
Day 10. First day of school and super rainy but got to hang out with 4-5 very cool, mostly quiet girls as they helped clean up the library. Also finding a mostly intact game of National Geographic Planet Earth board game that is a Dill family tradition/inside joke.
Day 11. First day of teacher training, and observing the totally un-PowerPoint/un-American professionalism of the presentation but not in a bad way. It was more like a motivational speaker, or coach pep talk before the big game. 
Day 12. Making my first, hot, successful meal in my apartment. Sauteed eggplant, onion, garlic, tomatoes with beans and rice.
Day 13. Handing out the extra provisions to the students most in need. It is both happy and sad giving a student soap, gari (dried cassava chips that is cheap and helps fill up a tummy), milk powder and toothpaste. Happy that the most needy are helped the most, feeling the guilt when you realize how these supplies, worth 5 USD, families can not afford and I spend that on a pint of beer, half a movie ticket, frappachino regularly.
Day 14. Hearing a beautiful, barber-shop-esque acapella song walking past 3 men singing in Ewe on the side of the road, one wearing mechanic jumper, one student and one other random guy,

Week One August 24 – August 30
Day 1. Being in the middle of a purchase, in the middle of the highway between driver and electric-device hawker.
Day 2. Freaking adorable mini goats, and their tiny little baby goats everywhere
Day 3. Watching the Ghanaian version of The Bachelor and talking with three amazing women, two daughters and their mom.
Day 4. First tro tro trip, not my favorite 1.5 hours but a staple of transportation here and everyone has their best “One time, on a tro tro...” story.
Day 5. Group reading with 4 students in Ho a Fraggle Rock book. Who knew Dozzers would make an appearance in Ghana.
Day 6. Exhausting but great 3 hours in massive Ho market day with Patricia. Ex-nun, ex-Bostonian, Ghana local, totally amazing woman to watch interacting with vendors, kids, and everyone we encountered.
Day 7. Getting help from several random strangers to carry all my crap 3 different times, just to be nice. And a very good local beer, Castle milk stout.

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