What a weekend!!!!
On Friday, after school was out, I had a dance party with the kids! Everyone else from CMU had gone on a walk, because at the College, we have the CAS (Community, Action, Service) program until 5 on Fridays. Nicole and I walked back and some kids were waiting for us. They told us everyone else went on a walk. We were sitting talking, when Edwin asked if I knew how to dance. Of course, this sparked the idea for one of my famous dance parties. I grabbed my I Home and started to blast the Cha Cha slide! They loved it!! Everyone else came back and we all danced until dinner. It was awesome!
After dinner, all of the CMU students and John (a teacher at my school who lives in our complex with us) played cards. We started with BS, then moved onto a violent game of spoons, but with Laffy Taffy. We ended the night with "Never Have I ever" and "2 truths and a lie". I haven't laughed so hard in a LONG time! It was a great night getting to know my group and getting comfortable with them. We even ended up talking about poop, so you know that means we are comfortabel with each other :)
On Saturday, we woke up early to take a 4 hour long ride to Mount Afadjato. Mount Afadjato is the highest mountain in Ghana, at an altitude of 880 m (2900ft). The mountain is located in the Agumatsa Range near the villages of Liati Wote and Gbledi, at the border with Togo. We were going to climb this mountain. About 3 hours in, one of the girls, Jen, had to go to the bathroom. So we stopped in a village. Keep in mind, we are in Africa. A public restroom is usually just a wall. If there is a drain, you are lucky. She decided not to go to the bathroom, but it did give us a chance to talk to some locals. I even got a picture!
So, we continued our journey to the mountain. Everyone was getting really excited. We were all awake because there are HUGE potholes along the road. Now, I know everyone thinks Michigan is bad... but compared to here, Michigan roads are great! We eventually found a nice guest house (hotel) for us to use before we hiked up the mountain. We also took the opportunity to put on sunscreen and bug spray. Bismark, our driver, could not get the van to start. He added in some fluid though, and it started up. We were all thankful for that.
We then began to head down a small dirt road... and I mean SMALL. It was a two-track road that seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. We ended up driving into a place where the road ended. Bismark said he had made a mistake and the road forked a while back. So, we drove backward about 15 minutes back. Bismark turned down the road... and...
On Friday, after school was out, I had a dance party with the kids! Everyone else from CMU had gone on a walk, because at the College, we have the CAS (Community, Action, Service) program until 5 on Fridays. Nicole and I walked back and some kids were waiting for us. They told us everyone else went on a walk. We were sitting talking, when Edwin asked if I knew how to dance. Of course, this sparked the idea for one of my famous dance parties. I grabbed my I Home and started to blast the Cha Cha slide! They loved it!! Everyone else came back and we all danced until dinner. It was awesome!
After dinner, all of the CMU students and John (a teacher at my school who lives in our complex with us) played cards. We started with BS, then moved onto a violent game of spoons, but with Laffy Taffy. We ended the night with "Never Have I ever" and "2 truths and a lie". I haven't laughed so hard in a LONG time! It was a great night getting to know my group and getting comfortable with them. We even ended up talking about poop, so you know that means we are comfortabel with each other :)
On Saturday, we woke up early to take a 4 hour long ride to Mount Afadjato. Mount Afadjato is the highest mountain in Ghana, at an altitude of 880 m (2900ft). The mountain is located in the Agumatsa Range near the villages of Liati Wote and Gbledi, at the border with Togo. We were going to climb this mountain. About 3 hours in, one of the girls, Jen, had to go to the bathroom. So we stopped in a village. Keep in mind, we are in Africa. A public restroom is usually just a wall. If there is a drain, you are lucky. She decided not to go to the bathroom, but it did give us a chance to talk to some locals. I even got a picture!
So, we continued our journey to the mountain. Everyone was getting really excited. We were all awake because there are HUGE potholes along the road. Now, I know everyone thinks Michigan is bad... but compared to here, Michigan roads are great! We eventually found a nice guest house (hotel) for us to use before we hiked up the mountain. We also took the opportunity to put on sunscreen and bug spray. Bismark, our driver, could not get the van to start. He added in some fluid though, and it started up. We were all thankful for that.
We then began to head down a small dirt road... and I mean SMALL. It was a two-track road that seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. We ended up driving into a place where the road ended. Bismark said he had made a mistake and the road forked a while back. So, we drove backward about 15 minutes back. Bismark turned down the road... and...
Yup... we got stuck.
We all tried for about an hour to push the van and dig it out. Bismark went to the village for help rescue. Thankfully, a group of local villagers was walking by. There was one woman and about 6 children. They were carrying bowls of plantains on their heads. They did not speak Twi, or much English, but somehow, we communicated and they began to help us. They grabbed their machetes and started to dig out the van.
These complete strangers came to help us. It reminded me that there are wonderful people in this world. Bismark came to rescue us in another van. We loaded in, thanked the locals for helping us, and decided to forgo the mountain. We found some lunch at a place owned by a cute German couple near Wli Falls. This place was like a paradise. It was so beautiful.
The Wli Waterfalls is the highest waterfall in West Africa. It has two distinct falls --the lower falls, and the upper falls. It was about a 45 minute walk through the forest to get to the lower falls. The area of forest is part of the Agumatsa wildlife sanctuary and contains a large variety of butterflies, birds, and a huge colony of bats.
This place was beyond words. It was so beautiful. I felt as if I could truly see and feel God around me. His work is so wonderful. After the falls, we headed out to dinner a local place. The owner was extremely nice and most of us ate macaroni and cheese. It is a little different than the US, but it still tasted SO good.
We had about an hour ride to our hotel. After many police stops due to smuggling and armed robbery, we arrived at our hotel. It was actually REALLY nice... and we had air conditioning for the first time :)
On Sunday, we woke up early to go to the Monkey Sanctuary. The monkeys took the bananas right out of our hands! It was SO cute! We also met a guy from Michigan. His name is Tom Cruz :) So I met Tom Cruz in Africa! He is studying abroad in Accra, and he is interning with the World Aids Organization. He is in charge of a big concert on the 28th of Nov. and he invited us to come! All of us are really excited to go.
We all decided we want to see the upper falls of Wli. So, we climbed. It took about 1.5 hours to get up. This was very dangerous. There were many slippery rocks, and places where you could only fit one foot. Somehow, we all made it to the lower falls.
I conquered the highest waterfall in West Africa! The views on this hike and the hike it self was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I thought about a lot of different things and what I truly want out of my life. I felt so close to God in those moments. I wish I could have taken you all on this journey with me, but know that this is a moment I will talk about for the rest of my life. This hike challenged me in a way I never thought possible. One thing I thought about: While many college kids are wasting their lives drinking and partying in the US, in Africa, many are striving to stay alive. Education is important to them and they want to do their best. They feel as if they are privileged while many Americans feel like they deserve it. I have a new perspective on a lot of things now and I know my life has already been changed here.
So I just google mapped it...and you should meet Mags in the Congo. hahaha she's in Tanzania with the Peace Corps if you didn't know. I know that's on the other side of the country and kind of impossible...but there's someone else you know in Africa!!!
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