Coopersville Colorguard Kristen Cnossen Emily Whelpley Gabby Eisen April Walker Christi Wiltenburg Eliza Zahm Loralee Zemaitis Jocelyne Denhof Emily Hill Joslin Lampe Kassie Reminga Rebecca Draper Coach: Christina Orefice 2010
Hello everyone! Sorry there has not been an update in a while... I've been a bit busy. Today we are going to Amsterdam:) and then on Monday, the 21st, I'll be back in the States. My flight comes into GR at 9:01 pm for those interested in coming to the airport.
I promise to give an update on my travels once I return to the US. Until then, I love you all and may God bless you in all you do! Christina
My time in Ghana has ended. I admit, I am so incredibly sad. Leaving the village on Thursday was probably one of the hardest moments of my life and a memory I will never forget. Being in Ghana was the happiest time of my life and I wouldn't have changed anything about it, except for the fact that I wish it was longer. BUT, from talking with Mr. Ofie (the principal at my school) I may return in August!!
Friday was a day of goodbye again as I left my group in Amsterdam. While I was incredibly sad, I knew that I was going to see Victoria in a few hours. I borded the train and took a 3 hour ride to her. It was totally a scene from the movies when I got off the platform, we ran into each others arms! We ended up having to lug all of my luggage to her house because the busses were on strike. After an amazing lunch at McDonald's, we went shopping around Maastrict! It was so fun and nice to just hang out with my sister, shop, and see her city. I have really missed her. After shopping, I took a shower... with hot water and actual pressure!!! It felt amazing. Matt came home, and then we went out to a chinese dinner. It was pretty good. After that, we all just hung out and talked. I love it here.
Yesterday was my graduation day, and I spent it in Germany!!!! We went to Achen where they have a giant Christmas market. We talked around the market and then met up with Victoria and Matt's four friends from school. We all walked in the market, ate food and drank gluwijn (pronounced glue) wine which is a hot spiced wine. It tasted good. I admit, I was freezing and am pretty much cold all of the time. I'm not use to the weather here! At about 3:30 here, 9:30 Michigan time, I celebrated my graduation, in the middle of the Christmas market! It was fun, and I will never forget it!
Today, we went to the Christmas market in Maastrict. We went on the big ferris wheel, and I saw a lot of the city. I also purchased boots, a hat, and some scarves so I'm not so cold now. We then went to their church which was a lot of fun. Life is so different here, but I love the culture. This week will bring more adventures, and I'll keep you updated!!
Wow... I cannot believe that my time here is coming to an end. I am sorry that it has been so long since my last post, but we have not had internet in the village, and there was one day we had no power!!!
Warning... THIS IS LONG!
Here is a quick (not really quick) update: Wed. - Last day of exams at SOS -HGIC Thursday- We woke up at 3:45 AM to leave by 4 AM to travel to Mole National Park. It was about a 16 hour car ride because our driver got us lost. One of the best memories of this day was when we were lost and driving around the jungle of Africa, all of us started to sing Christmas carols. It put me in such a better mood and everyone seemed happier. On a sad note, we learned that if we would have made it on time, an elephant would have been right next to the place where we were staying. Many of us were saddened by this, but we had hope that we would see one the next day. Friday- We woke up for our 7 am Safari! We loaded into a Jeep and began to drive around the park. It was a VERY bumpy ride, but we are used to that by now ;) We were lucky enough to see bush buck, water buck, baboon, warthog, Patas monkey, and cob. We were able to see whole herds of the bucks and cobs and we learned a lot about them. They are such beautiful creatures and they can jump extremely high! Oh another highlight... Nicole and I found a baby alligator in our toilet! After our 2 hour Safari, we laid out by the pool. This place was amazing. We were laying by the pool, looking out over the jungle of Africa, seeing various animals. It was obvious that God was present. After lunch, most people napped, but I decided to read. Then, at 3:30, we went on our walking Safari. We tried to track an elephant, but were unsuccessful. It was still quite an adventure. Also, we were able to see a baby warthog who was only one day old! After dinner, we sat around and played cards and watched the World Cup draw. Saturday - We slept in a bit and then left Mole for Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana. About 20 minutes after leaving, I realized I had forgotten my I-pod! Everyone agreed that it was ok to turn around. Thankfully, it was waiting for me! We arrived in Kumasi at about 4:30 and went straight to the cultural center to do some shopping. This center was set up like a mall with various shops instead of like a market. Also, there really wasn't any bartering, so most of us did not buy very much. We then traveled to Kumasi University where we were staying the night. This guest house was one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever seen! We arrived and freshened up for dinner. I took a shower for the first time since Wednesday because we had not water in Mole! It felt SOO nice to shower! At dinner, we all ate WAY too much, but it was So good. We had Kelewele (cut up fried plantains). I then chatted with Dr. Magarry about his life while he finished his coffee. It was a very good conversation. Then, some of use went to me and Nicole's room and we watched a movie. It was pretty funny, but only Adam and I were able to stay awake! Sunday - We had a yummy breakfast and then headed to Accra. Here, we went to the cultural center to finish our shopping. I purchased the last of my gifts and then just walked around. I met a group of shop keepers, and I sat down and chatted with them. They asked about snow, Michigan, and they asked about my dating life. They were shocked I told them I was single and asked me if I would date a black man. I said I would. I also told them that I was happy being single and they thought that was interesting. It was an awesome conversation and I'm so glad I had that opportunity. They told me they liked me because I talked to them and treated them with respect. We finally arrived him to find dinner was going to be late, but it was worth the wait! We then divided all the supplies we had brought over to give to the 13 houses of the village. It was a fun night. Just after I finished showering, the power went out. Monday - We woke up... VERY HOT! A whole night without a fan was tough! We still had no power. School was fun because I was able to teach classes! It was my last day with 2 classes, and many of them told me they were sad I was leaving. I also invited some students from a visiting school to my class. They were visiting from St. Claire's International School in Oxford. It was fun to have different students in my class. I wrote my name on the board and one of the boys jumped up and said, "Your surname is Orefice?! You are Italiano?!" It was cute! Tuesday - School was great again... And we had power! I had some of St. Claire's students ask me if they could come to my class. I ended up doing a interview activity with them and my students. It was great to see barriers being broken and questions being answered. My students later told me they had made new friends and were very glad they did this activity. After school, we had our going away party with our teachers. It was a good time. We then went around to each house in the village and sang Christmas carols and gave them their supply boxes. It was so much fun to see the kid's faces. Wed (today) - Is my last day at SOS - HGIC. I cannot believe I am finished student teaching today and that I will be a college graduate in just a few days!!
Words cannot describe how amazing this trip has been. I hope that God continues to bless you all. This will probably be my last post until I get to the Netherlands, so I wish you all well. Peace and love from the bottom of my heart, Christina
It is official... I am in love with Ghana! :) Last night, I Francisca did my hair! It was awesome because I was able to have a one on one conversation with her for about 1.5 hours! She asked me a lot of questions about the US, and told me she wanted to be adopted. Of course, I would totally take her home with me! She has a twin brother, Francis, who I also love, so I'll take them both!! (PS. There are 13 pairs of twins in the village and 3 sets of tripelts!) Here are some pictures of her doing my hair. In return, I gave her my WWJD bracelet because she told me she liked it the first day I was here. I have not taken that bracelet off in so long, but it made me realize that holding onto material things is stupid and that something so small could mean so much to someone. I also think I'm going to give her a few of my shirts, because honestly, I have way to much stuff as it is!
Hello! Sorry this is a little late, but Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Our internet has been down in the village because the building where we get out internet is being redone. They hope that it will be up and running by today, but who know?!
Wednesday - Nicole and I walked to school to find out it was a day of revisions. My teacher didn't even end up coming to school, so I spent the day reading in the courtyeard and trying to keep myself entertained for the entire day. I did answer some of my student's questions, which was nice because my teacher was not here to answer them.
Thursday - Nicole and I took the day off because it was the first day of exams. We woke up and ate breakfast with everyone and then went to the pool until about 11:30. Then, we went to Whitney's class and observed her. She has about 35 3rd graders in one class and does a great job with them. She was teaching a lesson on body odor and she controled them, while still having fun with them. I also gave them some supplies that my students in Rockford gave me! They were very thankful!
We then all went to the pool and relaxed and celebrated Thanksgiving! We ended up going to a Chinese resturant rather than trying to find a turkey somewhere. It was an amazing meal, and the company was excellent.
Friday - Friday was a National Holiday for Ghana, so we all had the day off. We went to the pool and played around. Francesca, August, and Francis joined us! They are great kids and I'm really going to miss them. After a relaxing afternoon, we joined up with our friends from England, John and Nina. They moved to Tema in June for John's job. We all went to Accra and saw "New Moon". I forgot I was in Africa because the theatre was so nice on the inside... and AIR CONDITIONED :) The movie was pretty ok too. They took us home and we ended up playing some cards before heading to bed.
Saturday - We woke up and went to the Volta River for a boat trip. We purchased some jewelry and then got on the boat. It was a 2 hour ride to the island, and then a 2 hour ride back. The scenery here was so beautiful. We played cards and chatted. Also, we had an amazing lunch of chicken, rice, and spag! When we finally reached the island, it was like a scene from a movie. There were villagers playing drums and children waiting for us on the dock. A child would just come and take your hand and then lead you up this path. It was very sad because all along the way, children were asking for money. I gave my guide some coins because she told me she wanted to buy a book because she loves to read. I hope this is what she uses it for, but I know food is more important. On the way home, we met Maximus and Abraham on the boat. They are 2 guys from Nigeria who were visiting. Jen and I neded up dancing with them towards the end of the trip and it was a lot of fun. We even taught Maximus how to play cards!
In the evening, we went to the World Aid's Day Concert in Accra. It was amazing! The crowd was so diverse, and there were so many good acts, from a doctor speaking, to a theatre group, to rappers. I am so glad we went.
Sunday - Since we got back late on Saturday night, we opted to not go to church and to have our own service. We slept in... I slept that latest I have here... 8:30! and then, of course, we went to the pool. We had our service at the pool and it was great to just hear what people had to say and to talk about God with them. I feel so blessed to be here with this group. I know all of them are going to be wonderful teachers, and will go on to do wonderful things in their lives. I will be so sad to leave them. We have all joked about going somewhere and teaching together, but who knows?!
I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings! I will sadly, be leaving Ghana in 11 days. The happy thought I have though is that I will be with my sister and Matt for 2 weeks and then back with my family for Christmas!
If you need to contact me, just send me an e-mail, as our internet has been down in the village. I love you all and I hope God continues to bless you all!!!!
Many of you have been asking me about what we typically eat here, so here is the run down.
A typical breakfast consists of bread (they cut off the crusts here) with butter, orange pineapple, or apricot marmalade, or occasionally peanut butter (if we beg). We also either have cream of wheat (Which I have not tried because it looks like vomit), oatmeal (Which I did try and actually, I really enjoyed it!), corn flakes cereal, and once in a great while, eggs. Now, we get bread every day, but we will only get one other option, if we are lucky. Some days we have fabulous fruit juice, and we always have coffee and tea. I love the tea and drink it almost every morning. Most of the time with milk. The milk here comes in a box, and is rarely refrigerated.
Lunch is provided for me at the school. Here is the menu: Monday ~ Boiled plantains, white rice, beef stew with a red sauce, or a spinach beef mixture Tuesday ~ Banku (fermented corn dough) and Watch-ey (rice mixed with beans) and fish that sometimes still looks at you Wednesday ~ Fried Plantains with white rice, beans, and fish Thursday ~ Spaghetti with rice and red sauce with tender chicken on the bone Friday ~ Fried rice with a chicken stew in a brown broth
My favorite days are Monday and Wednesday because of fried plantains. Really the only day I don't like is Tuesday. Banku is probably one of the nastiest things I have tasted, but I did try it. The Watch-ey is not bad, but not my favorite.
Dinners consist of some sort of rice (I have never tried so many different kinds of rice) with a meat/vegetable sauce. They love fish here and somehow, I have managed not to eat any of it yet! They also make things rather spicy. There is so much flavor to the food here! I love of the spices. We also have yam balls (a breaded mashed potato with onions) they are actually pretty ok. Peanut soup and rice balls have become a favorite of the group. No one in our group is a real picky eater, so that is nice. We are for sure not going hungry and I think most of us are gaining weight! For dessert, we usually get a fruit of some sort. I must say, I have become a huge pineapple fan! Sometimes, if we are really lucky, someone in the group will bring cookies!
To drink, we typically have bottled water or juice. When we go out, we usually drink orange Fanta, Sprite, or Coke. Also, Alvaro has become a favorite. This is a carbonated pear or pineapple juice. It's so good.
I love the food here so much that I have already looked into buying a West African cook book!!
an jump extremely high! Oh another highlight... Nicole and I found a baby alligator in our toilet!
Kelewele (cut up fried plantains). I then chatted with Dr. Magarry about his life while he finished his coffee. It was a very good conversation. Then, some of use went to me and Nicole's room and we watched a movie. It was pretty funny, but only Adam and I were able to stay awake!
rd graders in one class and does a great job with them. She was teaching a lesson on body odor and she controled them, while still having fun with them. I also gave them some supplies that my students in Rockford gave me! They were very thankful!
