Birthday Celebrations!

My birthday was a week and a half ago and I was thinking it wouldn't be a big ordeal. Just another school day. Giving homework, dealing with kids...

But actually the country of Ghana decided that my birthday should be a national holiday! So school was canceled! So what did I do instead of teaching? Of course I went to school! Yeah, I know. It seems ridiculous, but I did. The container from America came and we had to organize all the new books and materials. I was not in a very good mood, but it had to be done. I was excited about my new algebra books though!

After the work, the celebrating began! Christy and Meghann who are two of my closest friends here in Ghana took me out for lunch. We went to the Koffee House where you can get pretty much any kind of food under the sun. Do you want chicken and rice? Ok! Do you want Chinese food? Sure! How about cheese cake? Why not!?

So what does a thirty year old do on her birthday? She and her friends go on a scavenger hunt like when she turned ten! It was so fun! A group of eight of us teachers got together and split up into two teams. We went around East Legon doing silly things like catching chickens, pounding fufu, and holding snails. We all took pictures and videos of the craziness.

Me failing at playing a Ghanaian game with a couple kids.

Tonya pounding fufu - a favorite dish of Ghanaians.

John holding a chick after the Simple Brothers guys ran around trying to catch one for us!

Holding a snail - apparently it makes a good stew! Yuck!

After that Christy, Meghann, and I watched Chuck episodes that Christy had brought back from America. We are so hooked on this dumb TV show! I guess that's what happens when there isn't much to do in the evenings! But I must say, my favorite part about "Chuck Night" is the fact that I get to hang out with Christy and Meghann. We laugh, share concerns, and even complain to each other. It is definitely needed weekly! I am amazed at how God provides everything we need including friends to encourage you and fun times to remind us to enjoy life. Another great perk to "Chuck Night" is that we EAT a lot! We had chips and salsa from America, popcorn, chocolate from Germany, and frozen strawberries! What a great night!

But the celebrating wasn't over! Thursday when we went back to school, Meghann and Christy and Ardell's family made treats for my classes! Meghann came up to my room on the third floor every class period with cupcakes or homemade doughnuts! It was amazing! It's so nice to know people care. And the kids LOVED it! No homework and food! What could be better!?

And the partying didn't stop there! Friday night, a group of us went out to Chez Afrique (a local Ghanaian restaurant). It was fun just hanging out talking with the teachers. And Chez Afrique has the BEST fries in the whole world! I am not joking, they are AMAZING! I don't even really know why I get chicken there. I should just get more fries! After dinner, everyone came back to my house and we had FanIce (ice cream) and brownies and we watched the movie Red. Mr. Crosby our director even let us borrow a projector from the school so we didn't all have to sit around a computer screen!

All in all, it was a great birthday. My sister and friends at home threw me a fabulous "13 going on 30" party before coming back to Ghana and then my friends here in Ghana threw a three day celebration. I am very honored to have so many that care about me.
Hannah painting my nails at my "13 Going on 30" party!

A throw back to the 1980's - Allison getting her hair crimped.

Rachel and I with our 80's hair and makeup! Why is it that Rachel can pull off pretty much any look she wants? Where as I look completely ridiculous!?

Silver or Gold

We have some people visiting Ghana from the NICS home office. They are supposedly here to discuss plans for the new school building that will be built in the next couple years, but I think they are really here to take us all out for a fabulous birthday dinner in honor of me! Ok, maybe not, but it will be a nice addition to the birthday celebration! Not only will we be getting a nice dinner on Tuesday night, but also in honor of my birthday, we will be getting Wednesday off of school! Ok, again, it's not really for me! But I'll take it! We are still trying to decide what to do with our day off...the beach would be fun, but it's still not really beach weather here in Ghana. It's still not that hot (really I'm not complaining!) and it's been rather cloudy.

Anyway, one of the NICS visitors did a devotional this morning in our morning meeting before school. He talked about the Golden Rule and the Silver Rule. We all know the Golden Rule of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The Silver Rule is the flip side of that. "Don't do to others what you don't want done to you." It's amazing how much more powerful Jesus' version is than this! You can do a whole lot of nothing and still abide by the Silver Rule. God has so much more for us! We must be active in caring for others and loving those around us. This was a great reminder to me to be loving the kids I teach, the teachers I work with, and those I work for here in Ghana. Sometimes I feel like a total failure when it comes to the Golden Rule. Even after hearing this message only this morning, I became angry, frustrated, and disappointed in those around me. Praise the Lord for new beginnings each day and an unconditional love to show me again what love really looks like.

Back For Year THREE

Coming back to Ghana...

No big deal right? I've been doing this for two years now. I have my routines. I get excited about trying new airlines and visiting new airports, but other than that I know the drill now.

I was thinking about this...I know how to travel overseas...I know what to pack...I know what to expect when I get there...I know what I will be teaching...I know a number of my students...I know EVERYTHING!

Ok, not really! It's scary how easy it is to rely on myself when I should be relying on God. Just because I know somethings, does not mean I am in charge. I have been learning the past few days that I need to submit to God and give Him control especially when I think I can do things on my own. Gye Nyame is a common symbol here in Ghana. It means except God, meaning you can do nothing except through God.

I was also given a little reminder of what it was like to come to Africa two years ago. Two women sitting near me on the plane were traveling to Africa to teach at an international school for two years. They had no idea what they were getting into or what they would be experiencing. I was excited at once for them. I tried to answer some questions and reassure them as I reminded myself of the amazing-ness of this opportunity that I have set before me as well. Yes, it can become routine or even frustrating, but God is still using me and He is still working miracles in Ghana. I am blessed to be a part of it!

Clash of My Two Worlds

SO FUN!!! Erin came to visit me and it was an amazing week! God is so good how He knows just what we need. I was definitely struggling with the stress of school and just feeling kind of down, and Erin's visit was perfect timing! I was able to show her "my world" here in Ghana. It helped me remember what I like about Ghana and what I love about my students. It's amazing to think how God loves us so much that he plans things like "friend visits" to encourage us. Thank you Lord!

Erin's arrival started in true Ghanaian fashion. She had to borrow someone's phone to call me because I was late coming to the airport. What a great friend I am! Knowing she has no way of communicating with anyone and I show up late! I ended up getting a ride from a missionary family that was picking up a family member. We all crammed into their pickup truck. Five people in the back seat! I told Erin this would be the nicest car she would ride in while visiting me!

One of the greatest parts of Erin's visit was that she could actually see what it is that I do here in Ghana. I can show pictures to friends and family, but you just can't fully understand what it's like here. The sounds and smells just can't be captured on camera. Erin was also able to meet all my friends here. She has heard stories, but now she actually knows the people. Someone knowing both of my worlds is so exciting. When I mention her here, people will know what friend I am talking about. When I talk about people or places here to Erin, she will have a clear picture of what I mean.

A few favorite moments from the week...

Dragging Erin to the market right after she got off the plane. Jumping right in to Africa!

Talking late into the night knowing I had school in the mornings.

Feeling like it's Christmas getting goodies from America. Yay Oreos!

Sitting by the beach enjoying each others' company.

Helping with Sunday school at Pram Pram. We had gifts and a craft for each kid thanks to Erin!


Reading with the street kids at the kids club at some of the teachers' house.

Learning new games.

Watching Food Network! (If only for a couple minutes!)

Listening to children scream walking the canopy walk!

Seeing Erin experience a million "Africa firsts!" Yum, plantain chips!

Going to the Eye Doctor...In Ghana

So I had a recent adventure...

I had an eye infection last semester and it never fully went away so I had to find an eye doctor here in Ghana. I got a name and number for a couple doctors and when I finally got a hold of one (I had to keep calling because we don't have voice mail here) he had a fun time trying to describe the location of the eye doctor's office. He asked if I knew the area of Osu which I did. Then we had to identify several other locations including Koala grocery store and the intersection with the gas station on the right...After many minutes of difficulty understanding foreign accents, I finally figured out where I was supposed to go.

So I found a taxi driver to take me to my location. (I was kind of irritated because I had to pay more than I probably should have had to pay and I wasn't sharing the taxi fare with anyone.) I got to the eye doctor's office but I couldn't find the actual office in the building. There were no names on any of the offices! I wandered around the building for a little while until the eye doctor found me. Of course I had no idea who he was, but he knew who I was. Why else would a random white girl be wandering around the building?!

We walked into the office which had all the equipment an eye doctor in America would have. It was just kind of funny because even though it was so "American," it was so Ghanaian too. Eye equipment was randomly scattered around the office. The doctor took my information and wrote it down on blank paper instead of using forms or a computer. After looking at my eye, he gave me a long lecture about how contact lenses aren't good in the environment of Ghana. Heat, humidity, and dust everywhere! Then he wrote me a "prescription" for some eye drops.

I went next door to a pharmacy to get the eye drops. It's always amazing to me when I go to a pharmacy in Ghana because you don't actually need a prescription to get medicine! All you have to do is walk in and tell them what you want. When I pick up my Malaria medicine, they put it in my prescription bottle from America. The lady actually laughed when she read on the bottle "No refills - doctor authorization required." After getting the eye drops and a free calendar I was walking down the street to get a taxi back home. Another 6 Cedis to get home...

International Day

What is International Day at AIS? It's a day for students to take pride in their countries! I love seeing the kids come to school on International Day because instead of seeing all the yellow, red, and green polo shirts, I see tons of colors and beautifully designed outfits from around the world. All the students dress up in traditional costume from their home countries. Kids are dressed in brightly colored fabrics of Ghana, beautiful dresses from Korea, and jeans and t-shirts from America. :) Being from America is not nearly as much fun as being from somewhere else!

When faced with different cultures from around the world everyday, I am reminded of how God is God of all cultures. He is the same and He connects with people who come from completely different backgrounds. Our God is amazing! Here are some pictures from the day!

One of the teachers led some of the students in a traditional Ghanaian dance.

Our students from Korea make up one of the largest country groups at AIS.

Jessica (South Africa) and Fanny (Togo) learn about Iraq.

Tony (Scotland), Mr. V., and Ian (Kenya). Mr. V. shared information on Scotland with the students so of course dressed the part after watching Braveheart!

Sakura (Japan) and Mirela (South Africa) playing German word Bingo in my class.
Everyone was so upset when I said I would tell them the English word and they would have to find the German word until they realized that it wasn't as hard as they thought!

First Week Back...

I'm back in Ghana and work has begun again. It has been fun seeing the kids again, but I'm a little saddened about the kids that aren't returning to AIS this semester. We are adding new students as the international community is always moving and changing so that has been interesting. There's always something new (or someone new)!

Now that I'm back, I have made my decision about next year. I've decided that I will be returning for at least another year. I love working with the kids here. I love that I can have relationships with the students outside the classroom where we have opportunities to talk about more than just classwork. I keep praying that God would give me wisdom and discernment as I help shepherd these young people. It was kind of funny because before I signed my letter of intent to return the other day a teacher asked if I was coming back to Ghana next year and I replied "Yes, I'm coming back...probably." She looked at me curiously and I had to confess that I was second guessing myself because I had no power in my room the night before! No fan = No fun!

The power has been out several times since I got here Tuesday evening. I am just thankful we have a generator at the school so we can actually get some work done instead of all of us simply putting out heads on our desks and complaining! I keep asking God to help me stay focused on the positives instead of dwell on the inconveniences. No matter if you are in America or Ghana, you can find either one if you are looking for them!

Today my friend Christy and I went to the market to pick up some snacks for the senior class Snack Shack (to raise money for the senior class mission trip). It's always a fun time for the two of us. We always wonder and joke about what crazy thing will happen this week! Each time we go, we walk through the crowds of people and selling stands to find "our vendor." They greet us warmly and I proceed to try to remember what items the kids at school actually like! Then they box everything up and we find a girl who will carry all our goodies on her head to the "tro-tro station" a few minutes walk down the road. It's always hard to see the girls carrying our heavy boxes. It's their way to make a living, but I somehow feel like I am taking advantage of them. Almost like they are servants. Christy and I know we can't carry the boxes far ourselves so we try to be friendly with the girls and we like to give them a little extra money or food.

Each time we go to the market (after we have collected all our snacks) we stop at our favorite pineapple stand. We each get a whole cut pineapple and we eat it on the way home. This is often our favorite part of the morning! The people we meet at the stand are fabulous! Each person has a unique way of cutting pineapple and it is always entertaining. One time a woman who wasn't really the stand owner was trying to cut pineapples for us and we could see that she didn't really know how to go about doing it. A man who was trying to sell us maps decided to help her out. So then the two of them struggled for quite some time before we got our pineapples. Christy and I just stood there and laughed at the whole situation. Each day I am reminded of how generous and caring the people are here. They are always willing and wanting to help.
Our Favorite Pineapple Lady

Today we left the market in a tro-tro (old 15 passenger vans reorganized to seat about 20) with our snack shack items ready to eat our pineapple. We have a 2 minute walk from the tro-tro stop to my house and it's always another adventure trying to get the snack shack items to the house. I do not know how the girls at the market carry all of our stuff! It's so heavy! Today we were smart and asked the vendor to put our goods in two boxes so we could each carry one. The mate (the one who collects the money on the tro-tro) helped us get the boxes out of the back of the van and he actually put the boxes on our heads! It was so funny. Everyone knows it's the best way of carrying something here, but us white people NEVER do it! Christy was laughing so hard we only made it a meters before we had to adjust! So now I can say I have actually carried something on my head. Maybe one of these days I will be able to do it without holding on to whatever is on my head with my hands! (Probably not.) Tro-Tro Station

Well, that's the first week. More random stories from Ghana to come!