Almost a REAL teacher!

The past few days have been amazing! Yesterday, I truly felt like a teacher. On Monday, I attended John Kamua's class. John lives on our compound and he is a history and theory of knowledge teacher at the SOS-HGIC where I teach. He let me attend his class, and then gave me papers to mark! (that's what they call grading) Well, yesterday, my teacher saw me marking, and she asked me if I wanted to mark her student's work! I said yes! I think that because she saw someone else trust me with marking that she trusts me! :) So now I have a bunch of paper's to mark!!! :):):)


After school on Monday, John took Nicole and I to "the office". It is a local place where many business people gather after school. It was fun to just sit and chat and unwind from the crazyness that is school. The students are preparing for exams next week, so the teachers are stressing out about making the exams, and the students are stressing out about taking them.


Last night, we celebrated Barbara. She is leaving us today and many of us are sad. Nicole and I went to a shop after school yesterday and we purchased a cake, Fanta, and a tonic water because that is Barbara's favorite. It was nice to see how happy she was just because of a small gesture. I'll miss Grandma Barb. We also met our new professor last night, Dr. Magarry. He seems really nice so far, so that is good.


Other than that, things are wonderful! I realized that in 23 days, I will be a college graduate, with a teaching certificate on the way, in the Netherlands! I'm so excited for all of these things! It's crazy how much my life has changed in these past few weeks and how much it will change in the weeks to come.


I hope all is going well for all of you and I look forward to your e-mail updates!
God bless and love,
Christina

PS. I have started to run almost every night here!!! CRAZY!

Give a little, take a little

This weekend was amazing! On Friday night, all of us played Phase 10. Now, I must admit, I am AWFUL at this game, but it was fun. Then, Gradyon, myself, Jen, Christina and John (our friend who lives in our complex who teaches at my school) went to a gas station to pick up some snacks. I found popcorn!!! Then, John, me and Gradyon sat around outside talking. We stayed up very late, but it was extremely funny and a great time getting to know them both better.

On Saturday, we traveled to Accra, the capital of Ghana. We were able to see many sites including the first president's memorial (pictured here), the University of Ghana, the Gold House (like our White House) and a huge market! We all tried this corn malt drink. It was probably one of the nastiest tasting things of my life, but I'm glad I tried it. We also walked around the huge market. It was pretty overwhelming.

We then went to the cultural center. You barder for everthing here. I was nervous at first, and I know I paid too much for some things, but I did get a great deal, with a good story. So, I had been ripped off by a man selling some paintings, so I was very frustrated. I verbally stated I wasn't going to buy anything more. A man asked me to come and look in his shop. There was a beautiful mirror in the shape of Africa with shells and a giraffe print aroudn it. The problem was it was HUGE! I asked him if he had anything smaller, and he said he would check. He came back and did not, so I left. He kept tyring to get me to stay though. Well, I found a table that I fell in love with. I offered the different shop owner 10, but he said 20, then I offered 15, and he still said 20. I knew that he wasn't going to budge, so I was going to leave, when the original guy (with the mirror in his shop) came over. He told me he had a table and woudl give it to me for 15. I told him I really wanted the symbol on it, so he said he would crave it in, with my name. So, I am now the proud owner of a table shaped like Africa, with an elephant stand, with my name on it :) I was pretty proud of myself!

After shopping, we were all super hungry, so we went to Frankies. Here, we were able to eat pizza, which was amazing and ice cream!!! It was proabably the best meal I have had in a while. I just have really missed those foods. I was stuffed.

We then traveled to the Accra Mall. It is very similar to malls in the US, except the power goes out from time to time. I was with Adam and Nicole when this guy approached us. Turns out he graduated from CMU. Adam had been wearing a Tigers shirt and that is why Scotty approached us. It is so crazy to think that the world is so small!!! We were in the middle of the Accra Mall, and met a CMU Alum! CRAZY!!

On Sunday, we went to church at my school. It was the 19th anniversary of the school opeening and the very first church service there! It was so amazing to see my students in their traditional African dress. They looked so beautiful. Also, the singing was amazing! Words cannot describe how powerful and beautiful the voices singing were. The message was about how Jesus came to Earth to expereince what humans experience so he could understand it better. I think the kids really liked it, and many of them were excited to see me.

After church, we went to the pool for 2 hours. It was SOOOOO relaxing, and exactly what I needed. Then, we had lunch, and relaxed all afternoon. I took a nap and read for a little.

I miss you all and I hope things in your life are going well. Remember to always thank God and I hope he continues to bless you!

Peace and Love,

Christina

A mini life rant and things I miss

I am at the point where I am starting to miss some things from home. Of course I miss my family, friends, youth group and chruch friends, my rockford "family", and my dog. I know everyone is doing wonderful things in their lives and I am growing so much here too, but I honestly thought I would grow differently.

I have come to realize there are many people in my life currently who are just bringing me down. They are fakely happy for me and my growth, because they are so caught up in their own lives to honestly care about someone else. They don't seem to understand that I have to make an effort to come in contact with them. It is just frustrating. I have learned that in Ghana, any person, and I mean ANYONE will go out of their way to help you. For example, I have an old resident who is from Ghana. I recently talked to her and she gave me the phone number of her father and her sister because they both live in Ghana. She said if I needed anything, to just call them and let them know. That is like someone going to Iowa and me saying, "Oh I have an aunt there, you can stay with her!" But honestly, no one does that in the US.
Also, everyone smiles here!!! I LOVE IT! People are SOOOO HAPPY! Everyone says hello and asks how you are doing, and truly wants to know how you are doing!! :) Even strangers!

That's my mini-life rant. Now onto things I miss:
Chocolate, snack food (especially chips and dip and chips and salsa!), hot water for a shower, vegetables, hugs from my family, good conversation with my friends, playing piano, knowing where everything is, driving, fast food, ICE CREAM!, tap water, ... that's all I can think of right now

Things I DON"T miss:
TV, Having internet all of the time, a cell phone, the constant need to be in communication with others, text messaging, being on time (In Ghana, everything runs on Ghana time which is always being late!), stress, and being in a rush.

Life is just so laid back here and people live day by day. They want to help one another out, and will do so. People sho emotion in their faces and will look you in the eye to tell you about things. People love God and are thankful to him for being alive that day! They don't worry about what will happen in 20 years, or how they will pay their bills because they know He will provide for them, and if he doesn't, they have a family they can count on to help them. I love that the family unit is so important here. It doesn't matter if you aren't blood related, but if you see another Ghanaian in the US, he or she would be your brother or sister. It is a love for their country and each other that makes their society so strong.

I know this was sort of a crazy post, and not very informative about what I have been doing, but I'll up date on that soon.

God bless you all and I miss you!

A challenge and life changing weekend!

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...

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.

My first week of school

Well.... I just wrote this really long post, and the internet went down! We been losing internet and power all week, but I guess it is just something I have to get used to. We didn't have power in the village last night until about 7 pm, and there has been no internet for about 2 days now. It's nice I can get on a school though!

My first week of school has been interesting, to say the least. I have about 4 - 5 hours of prep time each day!!! Insane right?! Also, I have not schedule yet, so I'm not even sure what I'm teaching. I will probably teach about 3 hours a day, if my host teacher lets me take over all of her classes (which I don't think she will). I am worried I will not get in all of my hours of teaching. Also, we have midterms in 3 weeks, which means NO teaching will take place! Also, I believe they placed me in the wrong placement. My teacher was so exctied about speech. Well, I found out that speech here is for English Langauge Learners, which means all of my students for that class, just started learning English in August! My host teacher said to me, "I'm so excited to teach the Oral lesson today so that you can see how we do it here. Next week, you can show us how you teach English in America!" Again, I remind you all, I have NO experience with this. I do believe my time with the Deaf students and studying communication disorders may help me, but I honestly have no clue. I have talked to my professor about it, but there has been no changes yet.

On a more positive note, an English teacher here asked me to come to her class to help teach about speech writing (she gets the whole speech thing!) I ended up totally taking over the class and taught the full 80 minutes! She was extremely impressed because she asked me about 5 minutes before class started to help. She gave me some really great feedback as well. I finally felt good about teaching here. Also, the students asked her if I could come back to their classroom and teach because they like me and my style of teaching. Again, it made me feel really good because all of my time thus far has been spent sitting around, not teaching.

I love living in the village too! Coming home after a day at the College is wonderful! The kids literally sit outside our compund and wait for us. The only bummer about being at the college is that we get our of school about 2 - 3 hours later than everyone else. Therefore, a lot of the kids are already at the pool or playing, but we just join in.

Two days ago, Emil, an 8th grader at the village, asked me to come to his "art" class at night. I agreed, so I went. Turns out this class is really just a time for the students to get extra help. Emil happens to always draw during this time. He made me a beautiful picture of 2 huts. I will try to take a picture of it and post it, but it's hard without internet in the village!

After the tutoring session, August, another 8th grader, and I walked back to our houses because we finished at the same time. We were just chatting about swimming because he is on the swim team and he wants to race me sometime. Then, I realized we had past his house! I said to him, "August, didn't we just pass your house?"
He replied, "Yes, but I will escort you home."
I kindly thanked him and told him I thought I could make it on my own. It was really cute and sweet.

I love living here and being with the kids. I cannot wait to start going out into the city and exploring it. Tonight, some of us are going to go to Community 1 (like a county) and go to a market! This weekend, we are going to Wli Falls, a huge waterfall and a monkey sancutary. We will also be climbing one of the tallest mountains in Ghana. The food has also been very good here! At school, we get to eat authentic Ghanaian food! It is very spicy, and there is a lot of fish, rice, and beans. I love trying new things though! Also, we get to each fried plantains (bananas). It makes me think of San Chez in Grand Rapids, but these plantains are SOOOOO much better tasting!!!

I hope to be able to post more pictures, but without internet at home, it gets to be pretty difficult. I hope all is well with all of you and I look forward to hearing how everything is going.

Also, I hope you enjoy the weather! My dad told me it's snowing :) It's about 89 here... on a cold day! ;)

God bless, Peace, and Love!

Me on top of Elmina Slave Castle with the Atlantic Ocean in the back ground!

The Tema SOS Children's Village consists of children from all over Ghana. The children are either orphans, or come from families that do not have the means to support their children through education. The children live right within the village and there are 15 family homes in the Village. Each home consists of a mother, and a up to 10 children. The village emphasizes community and family and wishes to provide the best education possible for the kids. People from around Ghana also send their kids here because the education is so good here.

Today, I met my host teacher. Though she does not measure up to Mrs. Lang, I know she will be a good fit. I will be teaching different classes, in 4 different grades: Literature, 2 writing, and 1 oral English for English Language Learners. I was also asked to help out with the Drama club and the debate team! I am so excited.

Prince Michael Djan, a real prince, his father is King Djan Kwesi II, and talked to us today about the culture of Ghana. He is the Prince of Akuapen Adonteman and he teaches at my school! He answered a lot of our questions which was great. I love learning about their culture! It is so incredibly different, but so great!

I hope all is well with the rest of you and I look forward to hearing from you!
The town of Elmina


Love and God bless,
Christina

My first few days in Ghana!

So, here it is.
My flights were great to Ghana and I was able to see some pretty cool things too. I saw the Swiss Alps, the Meditereanian Sea, and a first look at Africa! We landed safely in Accra, Ghana. Then, we went through customs. Now, I was the first to go through customs. I walked up to the booth, and the man took my passport and asked my why I was here. I told him to teach in Tema. He asked how long, and I replied "Two months." He looked me straight in the face, and said "I'll give you one month."
At this point, I about had a heart attack. I didn't know what I was going to do! I turned around to look at my coordinator for help, and then I heard the strangest noise... I heard laughing!!! The customs man was laughing at me!!! He told me he was just kidding and then let me through. It was awful at the time, but a great memory to have.
We all grabbed our luggage and the packed into a van to head to Tema. It was about 20 minutes. We were greeted with a snack of chicken and then we all crashed in bed. I'm staying in hut number 11 with my suite mate Nicole.
The next morning, we woke up at 7 am and got a tour of the SOS Primary School. Some of the kids sang us welcome songs that were really cute! After that, we had a little bit of a break which was very nice. After lunch, we headed out for a tour of Tema. We first stopped at the SOS International College, my school. I found out that I'm teaching GRADES 10 - 13, not ages!!! I'm excited about that, but also nervous!
After the SOS HGIC (me school), we had our tour of Tema, and I purchased my first object, Hello Panda cookies (similar to a Koala Yummy). They were yummy. I also brought a map of Tema, some cookies, and a Ghana scarf at a market. We finally got home for dinner, which was delicious. After dinner, we relaxed and hung out!
The next day, HALLOWEEN (which is not celebrated here), we traveled by van to Kakum National Park. We walked through a canopy walk and I saw my first monkey!!! Upon finishing the walk, we went to the Coconut Beach Resort in Elmina (al-me-na). Elmina is a big fishing city. We were SOOO spoiled here! Our resturant overlooked the ocean. So, we were sitting in a cabana... the coconut groove cabana (I personally thought of it as the coco cabana ;)) eating lunch. I also went in the Atlantic Ocean!!!
After that, we headed to Elmina Slave Castle. It was so amazing. Words cannot really describe it. We then started home to Tema. It took us VERY long because we were stuck in traffic, but some of us played Euchre to pass the time.
Today, we had a totally relaxing day. We woke up and ate breakfast at 8. Then, some of us went swimming. Some of the kids joined us, so it was really fun!! Then, we ate lunch and headed over to Barbara's (my coordinator) hut. She lives in more of an apartment. We played Blind Baseball and Spoons for 3 hours! It was really fun and a great way to get to know my fellow classmates. We then played with the SOS kids for 2 hours! I LOVED IT! Here is a picture:
So far, I love it here! It has been amazing and I feel great! I miss everyone and I hope you are all doing well and had a safe and fun Halloween. God bless you!!!