Pictures from Ho and Hohoe

Here I am at the Tafi Atome Monkey Santuary. It was really fun to see the monkeys and have them eat from my hands.

Here is the "chief" monkey.

 

Wvli (Vlee) Falls

I was just looking on the shore, then I rolled up my pants and put my toes in the water, then I just couldn't resist--I dove into the waterfall with all my clothes on. It was amazing!

Here is me emerging from the waterfall--I tried to walk behind the falls but there was too much pressure.

This is the Sidwells and the local kids on our little beautiful hike to the falls.

The Infamous Grasscutter

This very large "rat" is called a Grasscutter. They are a delicacy here. People actually like to catch them because they can kill them, sell them (for food), and make a nice profit!

Kpong

Today was another full and exciting day! We went to see the biggest Dam in Ghana where most of the electricity is generated. We took a tour and the man told us lots of interesting facts. The design of the dam is American, the investors are Dutch, American and a few others, the builders were Ghanian and so forth.

After the Dam visit we headed back to Kpong and went to a bead making place called Cedi beads. I can't believe how long and intricate it is to make glass beads. Here is our guide that took us on a tour and explained/showed us how they make the beads from colored glass bottles. Come to find out he is a member of the Mormon faith also.

They start with colored glass bottles, then they grind them into tiny pieces. In a seperate process they make the bead molds (this is an entire other process). then they put the glass shards into the molds and bake them in a oven/kiln for maybe 45 min. then when they pull out the molds from the kiln the glass is malable so they poke holes in the center and round the beads. then they let them cool off for 1 hour. then they polish the beads with sand and water. Once they are polished they are strung together for braclets or necklaces. The other kind of beads they make are much more difficult. They take the colored glass bottles and grind them into a powder, then they color the powder with a colored pigment, then they make designs in the molds (sort of like the sand designs in glass bottles you might have seen before). then they go through the same baking process. when the beads come out they have these cool designs. Also there is another process for painting desgins on the beads also. Each of these processes takes so long!

I bought a couple necklaces but they are just the plain glass. I really liked the design beads but I figured I wouldn't wear any of them very much. then we went home and watched a few DVD's. See in Ghana all the Ghanians go out at night because it is cooler outside. As Americans this is HIGHLY dangerous as there are many mosquitoes at this time. So we go in early. Thus we need to find things to do. So Playing card games, DVD, computer time, etc. is what we do.

Hohoe

Today was amazing!

Wli (Agumatsa) Falls (pronounced 'vlee')
One of the main reasons I wanted to come the Volta reason was to see the Wli water falls. So when we woke up this morning I was very excited. We packed a lunch and set out on our way. The falls are located in Hohoe (ho.hey) a village about 1-2 hours away from Ho.

We took this beautiful hike up a foot path that never really got the steep and crossed the Lake Volta 9 times. It was leisurely and only took about 40 min. then the beautiful falls appeared! I loved every minute of it. I hadn't brought my swimsuit because the missionaries can't swim but while I was standing in the water just getting my feet wet the falls were calling to me.

So after tinkering a bit I decided, why not, so I just jumped into the water with my clothes on. It was wonderful. I got as close to the falls as I could but there was a lot of pressure and I couldn't see. The Sidwell's took some pictures but they were far away on dry land so I don't know if they will turn out or not. I had a great time splashing around in the water at the bottom of the waterfall!

Lunch
We drove a little outside the Falls area and found an empty church (sort of a stick house with some upturned benches inside and decided to eat our lunch there. It was shaded, quiet, and very peaceful. Lunch was great after the hike in and out and then we headed to the Monkey Sanctuary.

The Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary
We arrived late in the day at the monkey Sanctuary around 4:00 pm. We paid our entrance fee and then this young boy started leading us down this path into the forest. He was making these very loud kissing/smacking sounds. I guess he was calling out to the Mona Monkeys in the area.

After only a few mintues of walking around we found the monkeys! the Sidwells had brought bananas for us to coax the monkeys out of the trees. Sure enough they would peel the bananas from your hand, eat it, and then dig in for some more. It was so much fun to have the monkeys so close and they would tease us and try to grab the entire banana from our hands.

This was a great experience and the Sidwell's took some great pictures that I hope to upload soon!

What a great day!

Ho

After relazing for one day I decided to head out to the Volta (East) region of Ghana to visit my friends Kris' parents. The Sidwell's are serving a mission for 18 mo in a village named Ho. I had brought over many Christmas cards and gifts from their children and needed to deliver the goods to them.

So I left Wiamoase around 7:00am and headed to Agona to catch a tro tro back to Kumasi. No problem. Once in Kumasi I got a taxi to take me to the Aseda House ForEx where I could exchange some money and it was just a few feet away from the STC station so I stopped in to see if they had a bus to Ho but they didn't. So I took another taxi to where the tro tro for Ho is located only when I got there the tro trp had already left. So I decided to go to Kpong (the K is silent) that is only 1 hour away from Ho and then catch a tro tro to Ho. Little did i know I would be waiting for 3 hours for the Kpong tro tro to fill. Then Once I got to Kpong I waited another 45-1 for that tro trp to fill until I finally arrived at the Sidwell's house in Ho around 7:30 pm. It was an awful traveling day full of heat, awful tro tro's, and little to eat.

Once I arrived though the Sidwell's feed me, they had running water, and air condionting so it was all good. I will be staying in Ho and visiting nearby areas for 4 or 5 days. This area of Ghana is very different from the Ashanti region where I have been living. They speak Eweh here instead of Twi so I'm back to square one (they also speak English). It will be nice to discover this region for a few days.

Tamale & Mole

I haven't had time to upload any pictures of my recent adventures yet this might be a bit boring for some--if so stay tuned for some fun pictures soon!

New Year's Eve

• Watched prison break most of the night and actually missed New Year's by 1 minute.
• Sang the parts of the new Year song we knew, got a few birthday wishes, and continued to watch Prison Break.
• Chelsea & Mike (C&M) surpised me with a few gifts and brownies for my birthday. We had it early since we were going to be traveling all day tomorrow.

New Year's Day

• We went to bed late and Chelsea wasn't feeling too well so we got a late start (10:00 am) so we ended up not getting to Kumasi until late. We decided on the way (in the tro tro) to just stay in a hotel in Kumasi and take the STC bus to Tamale (Tom.ol.ay) tomorrow.
• Went to STC and found the earliest bus would leave the next day at 10:00 so we didn't buy tickets-thinking we would catch an earlier tro tro. There is a connecting bus (the only one)that leaves Tamale some time between 2-5 that takes everyone to Mole (Mole.ay). We wanted to be sure to make that bus.
• C&M rested in the hotel while I went down to explore a little at Kejetia Market. This is Ghana's biggest outdoor market and you could get lost for days in the market. It was amazing and you can get just about anything you need.

Friday (01/02/09)

• We woke up at 6:00 am in order to catch and early tro tro. We walked down to the tro tro station/lorry and found the Tamale tro tro and bought 3 tickets. We had no idea it would take so long (we wait until about 9:45 am) and decided (Chelsea was still not feeling better ) that we would chance it and go see if there were still tickets on the STC bus.
• We ended up having a really hard time getting our money back from the mate (the helper of the driver in the tro tros). Finally we gave him 6 Cedi ($6.00) for free if he would just give us the rest of our money. He, after having quite the discussion, an officer, and such, conceded and we took a taxi to the STC station.
• We arrived just in the nic of time and bought 3 seats on the very nice, air conditioned, and well maintained STC bus.
• On the STC bus I met Eva, a 31 year old 6'2" woman from Holland. She was travelling to Tamale/Mole alone and we ended adopting her for the rest of the trip.
• We boarded the bus for the very long bus ride. It went really well except that I needed to go to the bathroom before we reached Tamale. Well in Ghana there's no readily available toilets-and even if there are some they are usually disgusting. So I had to go out into the bush on a quick break. I rushed to the bush, my toilet paper in hand, and squatted. Thing is I was more looking to go somewhere where the entire bus couldn't see me and less looking where I was actually squatting. I ended up standing in this bush of pricklies. I had them all over me and had to pick them off me one by one under a blanket on the the rest of the bus ride to Tamale! What an adventure!
• When we got to Tamale I had another bathroom adventure. We all had to go but Chelsea said that the stalls at this particular station were the worst in all of Ghana. So when Eva & I reached them, paid or 2o Pesua (20 cents) and grabbed our toilet paper, she took one look at bolted. I, on the other hand, just shook my head and squatted over the hole in the ground. After thorny bush squatting this was not much in comparison.
• By the time we got to Tamale we had missed the bus to Mole by 1/2 hour. So the four of us, C&M, Me, and Eva decided that we would just hire a taxi to take us to Mole. We bargained and finally got a taxi to come down from 100 Cedi ($100) to 70 C ($70). So we were on our way. Chelsea warned up about the dry dusy red horrible road so we all had hankerchiefs on our faces covering our noses and mouths and looked like bandits. I tell you what the road was by far the worst I have ever seen in my life and speaking of life, I feared for mine a few times along the way.
• We arrived at Mole National Park around 9:00, checked into our room, got some dinner, went for a quick night swim (the water was turned off and we were covered in red dirt), and then went to bed.
• It was a crazy day of travelling all in all around 14+ hours!

Saturday (01/03/09)

• We all woke up around 7:00 am to take a guided Safari hike to see some animals (I really wanted to see some Elephants). Come to find out it's mating season so most of the Elephants are deep in the reserve. Bummer. I did get to see some Bok & Cob (sort of like Antelope), Mona Monkeys, and Baboons.
• Then Eva & I decided to rent 2 bikes and bike to the nearest village, Larabanga, to see the famous Mosque they have there. It was hot and so I got sunburned a bit but it was a great ride to the village. Once there were got hassled so much we decided to leave, but the boys grabbed our bikes and wouldn't let us go unless we paid them, so we had it out with them. Both Eva and I were yelling and so forth. They finally let us go when we paid them 1 Cedi for the picture Eva took of the Mosque. It was crazy!
• Then we went for a swim in the pool, ate some overly expensive food, and took another hike around 3:30. During this hike we saw Crocodiles, the Green monkey (that is not all all green but is usually found in the green leafy tops of trees), and no Elephants. I was really sad.
• Then at night Eva & I went to the female dorms and slept while C&M got their own double room. We had to wake up at 3:30 am to board the bus back to Tamale so we were all really exhausted. Chelsea was still feeling awful so I felt really bad for her. The bus ride on the awful dirt road was much better on the bus, at least I thought so.
• Since Eva and I became so buddy buddy she invited me to stay overnight in Kumasi with her at her Ghanaian boyfriend's house. The next day we would go together to Lake Bosumtwi. So C&M went on to home to Wiamoase and I stayed the night in Kumasi.
• Kojo's (Eva's boyfriend) house (well technically his sister's house since he lives in Holland and was just visiting for the Holiday break) was about as American as it gets in Ghana. This family is loaded. They had 2 fridges, running water, an ice maker, microwave, TV, computer, cars, and so forth. I was amazed!

Sunday (01/05/09)

• It was nice that we weren't on any schedule and so we got to sleep in a bit until about 9:00 am. then we all got ready and took a taxi to Lake Bosumtwi (Bos.umm.chwee). I loved the lake and went swimming in it most of the day. Eva & I were trying to teach Nana, Kojo's niece for hours how to swim but she was terrified of the water and drownding (even though she could stand up in the water.
• At some point in the afternoon I decided I didn't want to swim alone anymore (Eva was reading a book) and so headed over to the nearby village and started swimming with the kids-they loved it- and I even taught a group of boys how to play 500 with their beach ball! I had a really great time and parted ways with Eva and headed to the Kumasi tro tro station.
• I boarded a Wiamoase tro tro and headed back home. I got home about 8:00pm and it was nice to be back in my own room, and have a good night's rest!

I had a great time goint to Tamale & Mole. I loved meeting and hanging out with Eva, and even thought it was quite the journey I had a great time making some crazy memories. I had a great birthday trip!

Ashanti Deaf School

Here I am with the Headmaster, Samuel, and he gave me a wonderful tour of the school. Unfortunately the school is on Winter break for the Holidays and so there were no students. I signed a bit with Samuel but he spoke great English so we didn't sing much.

There are about 50 teachers for the 450 deaf students and all the teacher, of course, know ASL. There is a strict English or ASL policy at the school so there was no problem talking or signing with everyone I met on the campus (though I was very sad that there weren't any students). The facilities are great and it seems that the structure of the school is also going well.

Samuel told me the biggest problem for the deaf students is once they finish school and even vocational training there aren't many places for them to work because of the language barrier so they either have to work for themselves or live with their parents etc.

I really enjoyed talking with Samuel and getting to know how the Deaf school system works here in Ghana. I wish I could do more for the school but it was just bad timing as they don't start again until the day before I leave to go home.


Here is a pictures of the grounds.


This is the sign I saw on my way to the Mampong Babies Home!

More Pictures

Here I am with Kofi, the Headmaster at Okomfo Anokye Secondary School, where Chelsea & Mike live and teach. I brought the school some medicine that they were in need of and he was very happy to accept them.


Here are some of the Asamang Branch members with their new white shirts & ties. I was able to bring some stuff for the branch from my ward back in Arizona. The Branch was very happy. It was amazing that the day we had planned to deliver the goods it seemed that everyone from the branch came and more. See people came into town to vote for their next President and so there were too many people and not enough stuff. Everyone seemed to be okay though and we told them that we would send more later!


These are a few of my new friends Celestina & her husband Emmanuel. They invited all of us to dinner the other day and prepared Banku. This is a Ghanaian meal that is ground up corn meal that is cooked in a certain way. We ate it with fish and some pepe. It was good but like other Ghanaian food a little goes a long way and I am full just about when I begin.

Here is the Banku

mike, David, Emmanuel, Hilda, and Chelsea. These are 3 of the 4 children that Esther and Samuel (works at the Salvation Army Clinic) have.

Here I am with the ladies that cook for the students at the school. They were making kenkey, beans, and some soup stuff. It was fun to see them cooking away and they were all so happy to be cooking all day! I could learn a lot from them!

Here is the path from our house to the school. It also leads out to the main road to the center of the village. If you go to the far right there is a foot path that we take to cut across and get on the red dirt road when we are going to "town."

Here is comfort, she helps at the Babies Home, and I Boxing Day.

Here are some of my new Christmas items! Wahoo!

It was great to be back at the Babies Home and helping out for Christmas!

Here are the children in my branch. They are holding up little handouts that my roommate Jodi had left over and donated to me to bring to the kids. The handouts had colorful ribbons on them and I let the kids pick the ribbons they wanted. Every kid got one and they were so excited! Thanks jodi!

Football (soccer) is really big here in Ghana. My branch here has a football team but they have been lacking jerseys. Thanks to my cousin they now have a team's worth of jersey's and they are very happy about them!

Boxing Day

The day after Christmas is really big here. They call it Boxing Day. We spent most of the day at the Babies Home in Mampong. We got there early and helped dress the kids in their new clothes. They were new pretty dresses socks and cute shoes for the girls, and also new little shorts suits with ties, socks and shoes for the boys.

There was a huge celebration at the Home with a live band, a DJ, and lots of other people, kids, and churches donating things to the Home. After a while the Babies Home took some time to announce to the audience that Chelsea and Mike had donated new uniforms for the workers at the Babies Home. The workers were so grateful since everyone always donates to the kids and they do all the work to keep them healthy, fed, washed, and in bed etc. It has been great to see that good that Chelsea and Mike are doing here on an ongoing basis!

I got to dance with kids, just enjoy spending time with them and most of all help them enjoy just being kids! All in All this Christmas Season has been one to treasure!

On a side note multiple times as I was on my way from Agona to Mampong I saw this school for the Ashanti Deaf. I hope to be able to get over to that school and see if I can volunteer. I hope the are using ASL or I will have no clue what they are signing!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I just want to wish you all a very merry Christmas and let you know how things are going here. Last night we went around to many of Chelsea & Mike's friends and a few a of mine. We gave some gifts and even did some caroling. At one house, Madame Esther's place, I even got to play on her son's (Emmanuel) keyboard. I played lots of hymns and people sang along.

Then last night (Christmas Eve) we read the Christmas story, sang some carols, and of course, opened our presents. We all got African Dashiki's to wear to bed. Mine is bright and amazing! Like I said Chelsea did a great job of keeping with traditions.

This morning I woke up and we had mike video tape us finding our "santa" gifts all laid out with our homemade stockings. I got lots of goodies, a new skirt, some Ghanaian candies, and a few other items.

After eating some of Chelsea’s cinnamon rolls (they didn’t turn out quite right but they still tasted good) we just relaxed a bit, read some, watched a movie, and just enjoyed being a bit lazy.

Then we decided to open the wrapped gifts. There were candies, Ghana flip flops, books, books on tape, and more. It was fun to see people open the gifts we had secretly bought for them. I was really excited for Chelsea and Mike to see the gift that I had asked Isaac to make for them. He made them a Kente Cloth in the Ghana flag colors with the word Ghana in the center. It turned out fabulous and he also made me one so that I can take it home and frame it.

After opening gifts we did some more relaxing, had some visitors and phone calls, then we each called family and friends to wish them Merry Christmas! It was nice to have a relaxing day and to just think about all blessings that I have in my life. I am truly blessed! I wish you all well and hope that you are making some great Holiday memories wherever you are!

Mampong Babies Home

Today I took my first solo trip. I took a taxi in town (Wiamoase) to Agona, then I took a shared taxi to Mampong, and instead of getting dropped down the road he took me to the Babies Home. After I was finished I did the same trip but backtracked. I was a little nervous to go by myself but it went very smoothly.

When I arrived at the Babies Home Mable sent me to work with a worker named Mary. Mary and I ( and a 3 other European Obruni’s) had the task of getting the babies (children under 2) fed, bathed, and clothed for their naps. The entire thing was quite the process. First we had to gather all the babies (no easy task) and then we waited for their food. Some babies needed to be fed with a bottle and some could feed themselves with cups full of some milk mixture or formula of some sort. The kids loved the stuff and there was plenty so they could eat until they were full.

Next we set up a sort of assembly line. Mary washed the kids in the big sink, then I dried them off, then I handed the clean baby to another girl who rubbed oil and baby powder all over them, then she handed the baby over to another girl who put a shirt or something on them, then she handed the dressed baby to the last girl who put a diaper on the baby and then put the baby down to sleep.

Since there was a lot of babies this eating, bathing, dressing, sleeping process took quite a while. When we were all done I was told I was done for the day. I asked permission to go play with the preschool kids and we had a blast. I pushed the kids on this sort of above ground merry-go-round, we danced, the kids climbed all over me, and then I went home.

I will return tomorrow and do the same thing. It is nice to be in the Babies Home, to be able to hug each of the cutest Ghanaian kids ever, and to be giving back a bit. It helps me get into the Christmas spirit!

In the Spirit of Christmas

Even though there are no Christmas trees, Christmas carols, or shopping malls for thousands of miles I can feel Christmas in the air. It has been fun getting gifts for Chelsea, Mike, and my friend Precious. I am so happy that I acted early and got all my Christmas cards and gifts done early, before I left for Ghana, so I could just relax and enjoy this very unique Christmas in Ghana. This year it is not about the tinsel, or toys, or Santa. It is really about being with people you love, trying to keep up family traditions, and giving.

My sister is really amazing and she is making sure that we keep our family Christmas traditions alive as best as we can. So we will have a movie night, crazy dinner, open Christmas gifts on Christmas morning, and have a great Christmas dinner. She is even going to make Cinnamon rolls!

I just keep thinking over and over again how grateful I am for all the little things I take for granted in America. I am thankful for running water, for my beautiful car, for paved roads, for stores that stay open at all hours and have anything you need at a moments notice. For electricity that is constant and predictable, for air conditioning, and so much more. I also can’t help but think of how much Ghana has to offer me. Wiamoase and the surrounding Villages are truly amazing. They are eye candy, the people are so kind, and there is always something new to learn.

And of course I am grateful for Christ-the reason for this wonderful season! The people in Ghana are God loving people. It is everywhere you look. It is written on most of the taxi’s on the buildings, and I have been invited numerous times to church. They understand, more than many, the goodness of God!

Mamapong

This morning I woke up and went to pick up a few things in town. I picked up a skirt and shirt I had made and the Kente cloths I ordered from Isaac. Then I waited at the taxi spot for Chelsea & Mike to join me. We went to Mampang today. Of course we first had to take a taxi to Agona, then a tro tro to Mampong. We were dropped off on the road that leads to the Mampang Babies Home. Then we got a taxi to take us to the Babies Home.

I am going to volunteer at the Babies Home a few days this week so I needed to get an orientation and needed to be shown how to get to the Home. I have heard about the Babies Home for years from Chelsea so I was very excited to get there. Once there I went through a brief orientation with a whole bunch of other obruni’s that just showed up. We toured the center and got to play with the babies under 2 but the other children (ages 2-4) were taking their afternoon nap.

There were a few kids around so Chelsea, Mike & I played with them. Later we got to meet the Arch Bishop of Kumasi as he just happened to be stopping by the Babies Home. He was very nice and it was great to meet him. Then I talked to Mable and Margaret about the details of the week and we left the Home. I am very excited to go back tomorrow and to see all the children awake.

A little history about the Babies Home is that the children here are not orphans-only ½ orphans. Their mother’s died giving birth or soon after so they all have other family and most have fathers that are farmers. So the children are placed here to grow and be nourished until they are around the age of 3 or 4 and then their fathers come to get them and take them home. This gives the place a little different feel than a regular orphanage.

After we left the home we headed to Mampang and went to an Internet Café. I was only able to upload a few photos but a few is better than none and I will try to upload more later. We ate a late lunch/dinner and I had another authentic Ghanaian meal: Ground Nut Soup with Rice Balls. It was good. The soup has a sort of peanut taste to it and is a bit spicy but not too much. So far I really like the Ghanaian food I have tried but there is still a lot to discover.

The Asamang Branch

Today we woke up early (7:00 ish) so that we could get to church in Asamang in time for it to begin at 9:00. Of course we had to take a taxi and since he drove us straight to the church we got their almost ½ early. That is so typical here in Ghana-you never know if you will be late or early depending on the transportation.

The branch is held at a Secondary School and it is nice. There are benches and hymn books. I got to meet the Branch President and let him know that I had brought clothes and things for the members from America. He was very happy and we will distribute the things next week following the meetings. Chelsea & Mike were asked to speak next week and I was asked to share my testimony and explain the things I brought and why. It should go well next week.

I was also asked to lead the music throughout the church blocks since Chelsea volunteered me. This means a bit more than just leading like in the USA. This entails the Branch President choosing a hymn, announcing it to the congregation, then I stand up and sing the first line (yes as a solo) and then everyone joins in at the beginning with me. It was very interesting but worked wonderfully well. I even got to teach them 2 new Christmas hymns this way. They pick up the melody very fast!

Most of church was in Twi (pronounced Tchwi) so I didn’t understand a great deal. One of the missionaries (visiting the area) shared his testimony in English so I could understand that. Also Mike was asked on the spot to teach the Elder’s Quorum. The Women also joined and didn’t separate so I understood his lesson. He did a great job of talking about giving were you are able. He also shared about how Americans celebrate Christmas and asked how they celebrate Christmas in Ghana.

They also give gifts, they have big group gatherings, many of the Ghanaians get drunk, they have lots of food, and so forth. Mike explained the Christmas tree, the gift giving, and the Christmas feast. At one point during Sunday School or Mike’s lesson the Primary children were outside and they started to sing, “I am a Child of God” and I loved it! I could understand it and it was beautiful being sung by these little Ghanaian children.

After church we were invited to one of the member’s house, the Secretary of the Branch Presidency, to eat dinner. He and his sisters fed us Red Red and it was wonderful. After we finished eating he and his sisters dressed Mike, Chelsea, and I up in the official Ghanaian clothing that would be worn to ceremonies, funerals, etc. It was fun to get all dressed up!

Random Pictures

This is just a typical family visit here in Wiamoase. Everyone gets very excited for me to take their picture.

Here I am with Madame Esther. She is who Chelsea & Mike used to live with and she is wonderful. She is their mom here in Wiamoase!

Here is the room I am staying in. It is very nice and I even have a wonderful fan!

Here are Chelsea & Mike being Ghanaians in the traditional dress.

Here is Isaac and he is weaving his Kente cloth that I explained earlier

Here I am in the traditional ceremonial clothes. Also you can see my braids!


This is the view from the front porch of the flat that I live in. Chelsea & Mike live here on the school campus where they teach. This is just a taste of the beauty & magesty that is Ghana!

I wish I could upload more pictures but it takes a very long time to get them uploaded. So these will have to do for now. I hope that you enjoy them and I will put up more when I get a chance!

Braids, Kente Cloth, and Spirits

Today was an exciting day. I gave in and decided to get my hair braided for a few weeks while I am here in Ghana. My hair was getting crazy and unruly so getting it braided would help solve that problem. I didn’t realize it would weigh so much so now my head is much heavier. Since I haven’t gone to Mampong yet (where we can upload photos) you will have to imagine me with long black braids all over my head. The local Ghanaians think I am much more beautiful with my hair like this.

Which reminds me that everyone here who knows Chelsea and meets me thinks I am her. It is very funny here but I tell them I am her senior sister and they laugh and say that we are the same except I am fatter than her. They are very honest here and supposedly fat is good so they are giving me a compliment.

It took about 3 ½ hours to finish my hair and amazingly enough it was only ten cedi or $10. I think it would something in the hundreds in America to get the same hair style. So I am getting use to my heavy head, long black braids, and all this new hair style entails.

After getting my hair done I met up with one of Chelsea’s friends named Isaac. He took me to his workshop where he makes Kente Cloth-the ceremonial cloth Ghanaians wear here. They wear them around their necks at graduation, for weddings, and other special events. He is going to make something special order for me that I will tell you about later.

Isaac was very kind and he even gave me a thorough introduction to the tools of his trade. He even had Precious write then down for me. They are: Briks ( in English Horse), Akrokrowa, Widea, Waitst stick (ayasedua), Nsadua, Pullar/ Budosar (Ntwisos), Nidai (in English Turner), Kyereye, Gia, Turnt, and Stepper. It was really amazing to watch him weave the cloth and I’m excited about my special project.

Later that night Chelsea Mike and I played a mean game of Phase Ten, Mike one. We have been playing Rummy every once in a while but Chelsea keeps winning so we decided to switch it up. We were going to go to this famous cave tomorrow but it is the day the spirits are there so we can’t go.

The story goes that the long ago the people of Wiamoase we taken to a large cave to be protected and told that they cannot shot inside or around the cave or it will collapse. After a long time the people got very hungry so they sent out a hunter to get them some food. He forgot that he can’t shoot near the cave and shot an animal to feed the people but when he shot then the cave collapsed and all the people died. So there are only certain days you can go or the spirits and demons will be there. Precious thought that on Saturday we would be okay so we planned to go tomorrow but when I was getting my hair braided she was talking to some women about and they got all anxious and told her that the spirits will be there tomorrow and that we can’t go.

So I think that we will clean the house, do some laundry, go to the market, and few other simple things.

Some Things Just Take Time

As I was getting my hair braided for a few hours I had a lot of time to think. I kept seeing Ghanaians walk by with heavy loads on their heads. This is commonplace. Hardly anyone carries things in their hands. Even purses sometimes are carried on their heads so that they have their hands free. They even carry their children on their back wrapped up like a little Jo-Jo kangaroo.

As Americans we cannot carry these heavy things on our heads because our necks are not strong enough. We have not trained our muscles to carry such weight and so it continues to amaze me the amount of weight that is carried on the head of these beautiful Ghanaians.

I had an experience that doesn’t exactly relate but it is close enough. One day in my ASL class my eyes were getting so tired I could hardly keep them open and I looked around to see that many other students in my class felt the same way. After serving my mission among the Deaf society, learning ASL, and being an interpreter I have learned something about those of us who hear. Our eyes are very weak. It is amazing to me how lazy our eyes are! We actually rely on our hearing much more than we would ever imagine. Just think about when you are in class, or in a meeting, or at church. Often we don’t look at the speaker, or teacher and we are writing notes, looking at something else, or day dreaming. Yet because of our hearing we can multi-task. When a person is deaf they have to be watching not only the teacher or speaker but sometimes also their interpreter. Thus their eyes are very strong.

In both these examples it is true that you can gain a strong neck or strong eyes but it takes a lot of work-sometimes it takes years to gain the strength you need to accomplish the task at hand. I think this is true about a lot of little things in life. We are currently in the “instant gratification” stage in America where we want everything now. Some things just take time.

"Obruni, Obruni, How are you doing?"

It was only 2 days in when my first tragedy hit. I was having a friend of mine, Precious, take my picture and she accidentally dropped my camera. Because it was turned on and ready for her to take the lens was out and it hit the ground the wrong way and it no longer works. In America this would not be good but I could get it fixed or heaven forbid I buy another camera. Here in Wiamoase it is devastating!

There are so many things that I want to capture and bring home for others and for my memories so I hope to figure something out soon. Also we had another problem. Mike woke up this morning and stepped on the floor into water. The toilet had leaked all night and flooded part of the house. So we all got up very early to hand mop the floor until there was no more water. Then we hung everything that was wet out to dry.

I am sorry there are no pictures yet as we have to go to a bigger city, Mampong, in order to put pictures up. But as I sit here typing I will describe the scenery. Everything is very green and lush. There are chickens and cows wandering around, and the dang rooster that don’t shut up all day. The school campus I live on is very quiet today because the students went home for the semester and will return a week before I leave. There are short palm trees dispersed among some other kinds of trees we don’t have in America. I love trees so you can imagine my joy of being here in Africa.

I was walking down the red dirt road today and I was thinking how hot and beautiful Wiamoase is and how grateful I am to be experiencing it first hand. I hadn’t walked to far when I was surrounded by school kids all yelling, “Obruni, Obruni, How are you Obruni?” Some little kids are scared of me and don’t know what to think-they think I am a ghost with my white skin. Other kids just want to touch me and so they wipe their hands and gather around to touch. Some kids want to share with me their limited English. It is very heart warming and I feel a little bit like a celebrity. There are more marriage proposals, people who jokingly want me to take their child with me to America, and always the Ghanaians are so kind and loving!

A wise man, Samuel,that I met today told me that it is good that I have come to Ghana so I can be grateful for all I have in America. He said that when things might be rough with Obama and the economy that it is okay because it is worse in Ghana. He told me to be grateful and to share that message with my people. And so I am humbled by his words and my first hand experience here in Ghana.

Akwaaba!

I have arrived in Ghana safe and sound! After flying to Salt Lake City, staying the night and then flying to New York I was on my way to Ghana!

My sister Chelsea and her husband Mike were there to greet me when I exited the airport. I was lucky all my bags arrived. When I say all my bags I mean my one carry on bag with all my clothes, shoes, etc for my entire trip, my backpack, and e HUGE bags full of goodies for the Strayers (my sis and her hubby) and the Ghanaians!
After meeting up with them we had a long journey home. We headed to the Circle, where we could take a tro tro to Kumasi. While we waited for the tro tro to fill I ate some local food. I ate a boiled egg with some sort of spices and I had some amazing fresh pineapple.

First we took a tro tro (sort of like a mini van) from Accra (the city I flew into) to another main city called Kumasi. I guess because it was Sunday it was pretty much a ghost town and that made the transportation faster and run a bit more smoothly I should mention that I had a great seat on the tro tro. I got to sit up front next to the window. So although it was around a 5 hour drive in the sweltering heat-it turned out okay!

Once in Kumasi we stopped for lunch before our next tro tro ride. We ate at a place called Chopsticks. Mike ordered fried rice and chicken and Chelsea order Spring rolls, chicken and fries. We all shared some meat kebobs: goat, beef, and chicken. I like the goat the best but after seeing so many cute little goats on the sides of the road I did feel a little guilty. We ate our food outside and enjoyed our Cokes and then we headed to the nest tro tro station.

Once we got to the tro tro station we found a tro tro going to Wiamose and loaded in. The thing you have to understand about the tro tros is that they don’t leave until they are full so you could wait a long time or just a few minutes. We waited for a while and then headed home. Once we got to Wiamose we loaded in a taxi for the next little bit and then arrived at the Strayer’s flat.

I met the neighbors, moved in to my cozy room, we unloaded the bags I brought (I felt a bit like Santa) and my sister and her husband were really excited about the goodies I had delivered, and then I headed to bed exhausted.

So far Ghana is amazing and I look forward to many more African Adventures!

And so it begins...

Just so everyone knows the little bag on the right is my bag-the only one with stuff for me (clothes, medicine, etc.) The other 3 bags are chalked full with things for Chelsea, Mike, and the Ghanians. I feel a bit like Santa with so much goodness to share when I get to West Africa!

Thanks Jacob for helping with the shirts, skirts, tie clothes drive and for the pill bottles. The first aid kits were a smashing success thanks to my Enrichment night in my Ward. Thanks ladies for pitching in and putting all of them together!

Thanks Mo Mo for helping out in so many ways to get me off and on my way to Ghana! I will miss you but can't wait for the butterfly!

Here I am a bit overwhelmed by the amount of "stuff" we have to go through to determine what makes the cut and goes to Ghana and what stays behind.

Again thanks Jacob and everyone who helped out. Thanks to those who wrote their testimonies for the Ghanian saints, donated time, money, and other items. A little really does go a really long way!

So I begin my journey to Ghana, West Africa! I am very excited, a bit nervous, but mostly I can't believe the time has actually come. Though initially the trip was going to be my entire family (I am sad they weren't able to come). Then it was going to be me and some of my amazing cousins (I am sad they can't come either) now I go alone.

This trip will be and already is much different than my Italy trip I did on my own. I am so excited that Chelsea and Mike will be on the receiving end to help me out a lot while I am in Ghana!

A BIG shout out to everyone who helped make this trip possible and know that you will be making many people happy. I will try to update the blog when I can. I can also access my email and facebook so drop me a line when you get a chance.

Again many thanks!!

In the Spirit of Gratitude & Thanksgiving...

Well as you can see above I am just scratching the surface of the things that I am gathering to take to Ghana with me.  If you haven't taken the time to check out Give to Ghana you really should! I know that times are tough but just think it's also the season of grateful and approaching the season of giving.  Every little bit helps.  If you would like to help donate items please leave a comment. If you would like to donate some $$money to help also leave a comment and I will send you my mailing address. Remember that a little goes a long way!

I also have a wonderful friend who is gathering things to send to the Ghanian Branch (LDS) such as CTR rings, white shirts, ties, skirts, old church magazines, and so forth. He would love to have help in this endeavor.  Again I can connect you to him if you leave a comment.

Lastly my ward (again LDS) is going to put together First Aid Kits (from off the website) so if you would like to help out in that endeavor please let me know.

I will be leaving in only a few short weeks so stay tuned for much more exciting news!!!

A Fountain of Gas

So the other day I was getting some gas and talking on the phone (yes I love to multitask) and I wasn't paying much attention to the gas (it usually does its own thing). Then all of a sudden I see gas spewing out of my gas tank like a raging fountain. So I run over and pull down the stop thingy but the gas just keeps spewing all over the place. My care was literally taking a shower in gasoline.  It was late at night so nobody else is at the gas station so I run frantically into the store part and start yelling....gas spewing....gas all over the place...shut off the gas... and I notice that there is a little old lady attendant who didn't even flinch at my yelling or the fact that I wasn't making much sense.

At this point I run back outside and to my relief the gas has ceased spewing and not instead of showering in gas my car is simply taking a bath in a lake of gasoline.  this guy (who literally appears out of nowhere (and there is no other car around) tells me to slowly back my car up. So I repark and get the receipt for gas. 

The mystery guy and I walk inside and I tell the little old the happenings. She asks me about how much gas I think is outside on the ground. I look at my receipt and tell her 7 gallons. She asks me why I think that much and tell her that my gas tank holds about 10 gallons and my receipt has me charged for 17 gallons. Mystery guys pipes in and tells me my Toyota Corolla (which I have named Bella) can hold 12.75 or something gallons and it only looks like there is about 3 1/2 gallons of gas on the ground! (I am annoyed by mystery man at this point--how does he know either of that information--I'm pretty sure I could never get 12 gallons of gas in my car and I'm also pretty sure by the lake of gas that there's more than 3 1/2 gallons of gas out on the ground.

Mystery man does redeem himself however when he helps little old lady attendant figure out how to reimburse me for the 7 gallons of gas not in my tank but outside on the ground.  So in the end I didn't have to pay for said lake of gas.

However I'm pretty sure that any good I have done in the entirety of my 28 years to help the planet (namely recycle etc.) was undone by the 7 gallons of gas that spewed forth from Bella!  yikes!

November is National Adoption Month

I love November!  My mom, sister, and brother-in-law all celebrate their birthdays, we have Thanksgiving, and it is National Adoption Month!

In the years past I have been able to really work on the adoption awareness campaign leading up to November as the NAM!  I love adoption and all that it represents, it's what I want to do when I finish grad school, it's personally in my family currently, and it's about love!

Take a minute to do something- even if it is just learning more about adoption this month. You might be surprised at how many people you know have their lives touched by adoption in some way or another!

5th ward talent show

Me, Laura, & Pamela.  I love my friends!

Jacob & Brett doing some Yoga!

Pamela & I. She sang a fun song & I read a few poems.

Happy Halloween!

I went Gothic for Halloween and loved it! I even sprayed my hair black!

Here is Kris as Clark Kent/Superman!

Here is Cory & I.  IT's always great when Cory comes to town!

Here we are getting ready to go to the big ASU dance on the top of the parking garage!

Aren't my roommates just beautiful!