Pantomime

So this week I have been really busy with "the panto."

Every year the International Players put on a "pantomime" which is a weird British thing. It's a play that has to do with fairy tale characters and the lead guy is always played by a girl and there is a "dame" who is a guy dressed as a girl. There is a lot of silliness and audience participation is expected. You know, booing at the villain and cheering on the heroes. That kind of thing. Maybe joining in a dance or song too. They say they like actors of all ages, but really it's mostly kids. They were looking for more adults so I decided to try out and finally fulfill my dream of being on stage! :) Ever since high school (after trying out every year for the musical and not getting in) I have been wanting to be part of a production. My dream is finally being fulfilled!

I got in, but I'm only in the chorus/circus. So I don't have any lines or anything. Just a few dances and I'm a back ground character so I just have to react to what's be said by the main cast. Even though it's only a bit part, I was probably way OVER excited when I found out I had a part! It was really fun because a few of my students were also chorus members and I was able to give them the good news that they got a part while we were at school (since I could check my email at school and they couldn't)! I nearly cried when I saw how excited they were. Jumping up and down and screaming was involved!

The other chorus members are all pretty much the younger siblings of those with main parts in the panto. So I pretty much spend all my time hanging with 10 to 12 year olds. I feel a bit ridiculous, but it's still fun. Since several of my students are in it, I've really enjoyed being able to do something outside of school with them.

Anyway, our first performance was yesterday. It went really well. Two more, tonight and tomorrow. They put a promo on YouTube so if you want to see kind of what it's about you can look it up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asQmyKm4LfQ&feature=youtu.be

Another Day Off School...

So we had a day off school last Monday, so of course Christy and I asked ourselves where we were going! We finally decided on traveling to a waterfall that wasn't too far from the city. We dragged Josiah (the PE teacher) along with us. The three of us had no idea where we were actually going but a friend's husband (Gideon) was driving that direction back to his hometown for the day so he gave us a lift and helped us find the right tro-tro to get us to the waterfall. We started off fairly early expecting to be at the waterfall in a couple hours. We had no trouble getting to Sominya, Gideon's hometown. It took us a little longer than I thought, but that's normal. This is Ghana! Sominya was a larger town than I expected. It was fun to see a new place. Gideon introduced us to his mother and an area chief. We also saw where Liz (Gideon's wife) started her organization Overflowing Hearts. She works with the children of the area, sharing Bible stories and helping with basic education skills. I love being able to see new areas where God is working. So after seeing the town a little, Gideon took us to the tro-tro stop. While we waited for the tro-tro to fill up, the driver started a conversation with us. He wanted to talk to Christy at first and then he had me sit next to him. After a marriage proposal, we finally were able to get in the van. The driver wanted me to sit in the front seat next to him, but I found my way to the back! What happened next was one of the funniest parts of the day! A boy about a year and a half old was crying and I thought he might be kind of afraid of us. I tried to talk to him and his mom stood him up near me. I picked him up. And that's how I traveled two hours on the tro-tro! His mom sat near the front and seemed to have no concerns with me holding her son the whole trip! Every so often I looked back to the backseat at Christy and Josiah and Christy and I would burst out laughing. Only here would a mother willing give her child to a complete stranger! The boy fell asleep for quite some time which was amazing because the road was TERRIBLE. When he finally woke up we took a picture of him. He almost threw the camera when we tried to show him the picture! Then his mom took a picture on her phone (which the boy also tried to throw) and set it as her background. For years to come I will be known as that white lady her son sat on for hours! We finally made it to a junction where the driver put us on another tro-tro taking us to the waterfall. We finally got there, got a guide, and took a hike up to a rock. It was fun and beautiful and so nice being in God's creation and out of the city. And oh my, do I need to start working out again! I am so out of shape! But I did make it, maybe not with quite the spring in my step as Christy (Miss "I work out all the time") or Josiah (Mr. "PE") did. Then we walked down to the waterfall which was beautiful! Then we had a lunch of peanut butter pitas and apples. After that we started walking out to catch a tro-tro back to Gideon's town. We walked, and walked, and walked, and walked! We walked for about an hour and fifteen minutes without getting a tro-tro. Finally we started wondering if we were going the right way. At least we were able to entertain all the village kids we saw along the way! Josiah said it might rain and sure enough, it began to rain. We mildly cursed Josiah until we realized it was a blessing since it didn't rain very much, but hid the sun for a little while, giving us a break from the scorching heat! Christy started praying we would have clarity about our direction. We met up with some men walking and they told us that we were in fact going the wrong way! Then they walked with us until we finally found a tro-tro. We got on a tro-tro heading the wrong direction, but they said it was just going to the next village and turning around to head to Sominya. After several hours we finally made it back to Gideon's town. His mom made us dinner which was really nice! We took the food "to go" and headed back to the city. For being not very far away from the waterfall, we ended up traveling for probably over 7 hours! It's a good thing we are flexible! This blog is insanely long, so I'll stop here and just give you a few pictures!

To Togo...Here We Go!

So we had a day off from school because it was the end of the quarter. We should have been using the time to finalize grades and prepare for parent/teacher conferences. But what did we do instead? Traveled to another country for the day!

My day started out leaving my house just before 5am. I walked down the street to "Christian Center" which is the name of the "tro-tro stop" in our area. A tro-tro is an old van with 12 to 15 seats or so. It is the cheapest way to travel in Ghana. We found a tro-tro heading for the Accra station where we would be able to catch another tro-tro to the border between Ghana and Togo. After asking many people for the location of the proper tro-tro and a scolding from a driver I didn't greet properly before I asked for directions, we made it to a tro-tro to the town of Aflou. The we proceeded to wait for an hour and a half until our tro-tro filled up. There are no schedules, tro-tros just come and go as they fill up with travelers. Don't be in a hurry to get anywhere in Ghana! Two other teachers and I (Christy and Josiah) were finally on our way to getting one more stamp in our passports! After 4 hours of sitting in an old van, we finally made it to the boarder town. We passed the time with good conversation and MANY laughs! Mentioning every so often that we must be getting closer because we were seeing more motorcycles (a common way to travel around in Togo).

If you imagine immigration in the US, that is nothing like the picture before us at the border. Some police around, but no real tough security. We walked through a passageway feeling like cattle where we were not so warmly greeted by Togolese immigration personnel. Christy tried to be friendly and remembering as much French as possible, tried to communicate in their own language. We were told that the laws have changed and we were supposed to obtain a visa for Togo at the embassy in Accra. We panicked a little considering we traveled 4 hours to get Togo only to be told we had to return to Accra. Christy kept trying to communicate in French and I stupidly kept trying to interrupt in English. The man kept saying we had to pay a lot of money but he refused to tell us how much money! We assumed he was trying to get a bribe so we tried to haggle a smaller price and that did not make him very happy at all! Finally after quite some time and a painfully slow process of watching the man stamp passports and write information down and walking across the street and back to get another signature, we were finally welcomed into Togo!

Once we finally made it through, we looked at each other and wondered what we were actually going to do in Togo! So we walked along the beach near all the vendors selling bread and fish just like in Ghana. After walking for 20 minutes or so we decided to go swimming! There was no one in the water, but as soon as we started swimming, so did several others! White people sure draw in crowds. Several boys swam alongside us and several men talked with us on the beach as we rested from the rough waves. The water was amazing! The undertow was VERY strong. It was quite the workout trying to stay above water!

After a while, we decided that it was about time to head back to Ghana. A fun adventure! The only spoiler to the day was that my camera and phone were stolen right as we were packing up to leave the beach. It was startling how fast it happened. So alas, I have no pictures to share with you of the adventure. At least my passport wasn't stolen! Praise God!

Getting back into Ghana was a snap and it was nice to greet the friendly faces of Ghana once again! Then God blessed us again with an almost full tro-tro so we wouldn't have to wait for hours for it to fill up again! Josiah, Christy, and I took the last three seats! Soaked, sandy, and sunburned, we started our journey home to Accra. There were MANY police check points on the way back. They were always interested in saying a word or two to the Oburoni (white people). At one point, we all had to get out and show our passports. Then the tro-tro started going up the road and we thought we had been left behind! We started running after the tro-tro trying to get their attention when we found out the tro-tro was just moving up the road to wait for all the passengers. The ladies on the tro-tro had quite a laugh when they saw that we thought we were being left behind! Back on the tro-tro we ate some bread and prayed for safe travels back to the city.

Quite the adventure! No better way to spend a day off school!

Water...

So often in Ghana I see children or women walking down the street carrying water. Just another normal day in Ghana. People always walking to fetch water. I never really thought about it much. How difficult it must be to do this day in and day out. How time consuming this chore must be. I go back to my house and turn on the tap without even thinking how lucky I am. Then about once or twice a year, for some reason we run out of water. The pipes aren't flowing and our tank runs dry. All of a sudden, CRISIS!!! I can't do laundry...I can't do the dishes (oh wait, I don't cook so I don't really have that many dishes to do!)...I can't wash my face...Brushing my teeth is now a chore...another "shower" using a bottle of water?!...My toilet won't flush!...I forget how important water is and how I take it for granted when I have it. We often lose power here in Ghana, but that is nothing compared to losing water. Hopefully I can remember the next time we don't have power that at lease we still have water, even if the pressure is low because our pump won't be able to turn on!

The other day I was reminded about the importance of praise. How I need to be intentional in offering praise to God in all things. Even in the little things, I should be thanking God for working in my life. I find myself being selfish WAY too often. If I focus on praising God for who He is and what He has done, then my focus won't be on me quite as often. My prayer is that my focus would switch to Him more frequently...

A Trip to the Mall

So my roommate Meghann and I decided to hang out tonight at the Accra mall. Always entertaining! We had dinner at this Chinese restaurant we go to frequently. We hadn't gone there this year yet, so our usual waiter was happy to see us! So we ordered our water and prepared to look in the menu just in time for our waiter to inform us that they did not have any pork dishes available today...or chicken dishes for that matter! Have you ever in your life been to a restaurant where two thirds of the menu wasn't available?! Meghann and I just started laughing and ordered several beef dishes. You know you've been in Ghana a while when you just roll with the weirdness! So we enjoyed our beef dishes at the Chinese restaurant in Ghana listening to the background music of "Killing Me Softly." It doesn't get better than that!

Meghann and I also decided to see a movie while we were at the mall. There really are only two reasons to go to the mall. To eat or to see a movie. Rarely do people actually shop! It was fun seeing a movie especially since you get free popcorn and Coke on Mondays. After the movie we noticed a rather large group of people outside the theater...Then someone called out "Make a hole people!" and apparently someone rather famous came out because everyone went crazy! Security escorted someone down the steps, through the mall, and out the door. People were running after them with camera phones while Meghann and I stood wondering who we just saw. Well, now I can say I saw "someone famous." I don't know who it was, but I did see a famous person!

So there you have it, just another day in Ghana...

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!