In the last five days, I was often covered in a layer of brownish/orangish dust, was stung by a bee, and was bitten repeatedly by tiny black ants. In spite of this disgust and pain, I couldn’t have been happier!
This journey of dust and bugs began last Friday when my colleagues Sonia and Amy S. arrived in Bechem. Amy hasn’t been feeling well, but I think getting out and about was just the anecdote she needed. My roommate helped me prepare some jollof rice and chicken for their arrival. Actually, my roommate did most of the work, and even with my efforts, didn’t really let me do much. I’m pretty certain she doesn’t trust my cooking skills, but regardless, it all turned out absolutely delectable! That evening I introduced Sonia and Amy to Father Matthew, and the entire student body, much to everyone’s surprise! After leaving Father Matthew’s house, we decided to check out the end-of-semester assembly. We tried to sneak in and chill in the back, but of course were immediately spotted and invited to the stage. The assembly was mostly just announcements and pieces of advice from the administration for the student body in regards to their month off from school in between semesters. As I quietly sat and attentively listed, a young man tapped on my shoulder and asked if I would like to offer any advice. Seems I didn’t really have much of a choice. I didn’t say much, but I would have to say that my message was well-received and likely the most memorable of the night. Midway through my ramble, I said, “Spend less time on Facebook and more time in books.” Everyone seemed to enjoy this message as chatter spread through the assembly hall with this piece of advice. After I spoke, the principal even repeated my message with a little call and response action from the students. Sonia, Amy, and I decided I should patent this message and make some posters. Sorry Mark Zuckerberg. I love Facebook just as much as anyone else, but it seems that these kids would benefit from a bit of balance between books and the world wide web.
Our goal was to tour the sights of the Brong Ahafo region, the 
second largest region in Ghana. Saturday morning we journeyed to Sunyani for lunch at the Eusbett hotel, and then it was on to Techiman, which was a brand new destination for us all. We managed to get into a fairly descent hotel and wandered the market a bit. Techiman is known for having a ginormous market, but we missed the popular market days for that week and only got a small preview. Our dinner was brought together by some hunting along the streets where you can buy all kinds of delicious, authentic African cuisine. We gathered jollof rice, fried yams, and fried plaintains mixed with groundnuts. A little leftover pizza on the side for Sonia and Amy, and we were all set with a few Savannahs to drink. Ede!
Sunday morning, Amy and I journeyed to Buoyem while Sonia 
attended church. It is about 25 minutes outside of Techiman and is called the Belly of the Rock because it is surrounded by mountains and is a quaint little place with about 800 residents. Here, Amy and I were guided to the African Rock which consists of several huge stones and a smaller, flat stone that is shaped like Africa. From here, we experienced a phenomenal view of Buoyem and the surrounding villages. It was a scene from The Lion King. Actually, it was better. We even got to see tortoises, which are living near these rocks. Tucked back inside of some disregarded stone plots sat two fifteen-year-old tortoises. This area is very, very, very dry this time of year and these poor little guys were crispy as toast.
I'm certain they loved our attention. From the tortoises, our guide, Romeo, led us to a small waterfall. This kid was great. He was completely enamored with us American girls.Though it was approaching ninety degrees and the sun was blazing down, Romeo didn’t spill even one drop of sweat. I however, was panting and filthy, but blissful nonetheless. This Buoyem is a hidden treasure.
From Techiman, we hopped a shared taxi to Nkoranza where we stayed one night at the guesthouse on the grounds of Operation Hand in Hand.
http://www.operationhandinhand.nl/engels.htm
This is a home for children and adults with disabilities because unfortunately, in Ghana, many intellectually or physically disabled persons are abandoned by their families. Thankfully, along came a lovely Dutch woman who decided that these children and adults deserve a place. The residents attend school and participate in beadmaking and weaving workshops as well. They even have a specific room for individuals with autism called the Snoozle Room full of textures, colors, and visual stimulation.
Monday morning we explored Boabeng-Fiema Wildlife Sanctuary which houses about 900 monkeys! Two species live here: Mona and Columbus. The monkeys are considered sacred and a part of the community. So sacred that when a monkey dies, the community has a funeral and buries the body in a monkey cemetery within the forest. Believe it or not, around 7am each morning, monkeys wander into the local homes to gather food. We were able to feed them bananas and were within inches of these frisky little critters. Amazing! I also got to stand inside of a tree that used to have another tree growing inside of it. Does it get any cooler than that? Our journey of exploration ended in Kintompo, which is the exact geographical center of Ghana. Here we enjoyed beautiful, cascading waterfalls.Fuller Falls
I won’t be back for a few weeks. I’m of to KENYA and TANZANIA on Friday!!!!!!!! Camping safari trip. Truly livin’ the dream here.
Very nice pictures. Miss you :(
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement about Facebook. Right now I don't do a lot of reading because I read in school and I work but I hear that once you graduate then is when you read more. I know people who spend hours on Facebook rather then doing there homework. I personally don't find Facebook or Twitter that much fun! I love the pictures you post on there. It helps me kind of picture what you see everyday!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you have had a wonderful time in Ghana and are enjoying every minute of it! I think it would be a great experience to do what you are doing. How long will you be in Ghana and was it hard to get use to the differences in living conditions?
ReplyDeleteCaley---I will be in Ghana until mid-June. I arrived in September. It has been difficult at times to live in a different culture. Being here has made me appreciate the United States even more!
ReplyDelete