It's great to be back home in the U.S. and back to my blog! I had hoped to post a few entries from Ghana (west coast of Africa) where I very happily spent the last month, but a blown transformer left the village without electricity for nearly two weeks and a "spoilt machine" (a server that went down at the only Internet cafe within miles) prevented me from updating my online writings.
So... what the heck was I doing in Ghana?
Teaching reading and math to middle-school-aged children at Heritage Academy and conducting a seminar on Appreciative Intelligence for their teachers at a small, developing village called Breman Essiam.
When my 15-year-old daughter was invited by her teacher - a native Ghanaian who is giving back with gusto! - to teach summer school at a school he founded, I agreed to let her go if she found an adult to accompany her. Without missing a beat, she asked if I would go. I could hardly turn down such an invitation, so the two of us found ourselves immersed in Ghanaian culture this summer.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are a few photos to describe out experiences and scenes from typical village life.
Our math class at Heritage Academy - how the students loved to come to school!
The site of the teacher conference - Compared to conference facilities in the U.S., it was unusual - no electricity, white boards or comfy chairs. But the participants were eager and enthusiastic learners.
Carol (me) handing out an award at the end of summer school
A typical village in Central Region, Ghana
Market Day! An outdoor market, lady carrying goods on her head, and baskets of red palm nuts for sale
Each day, mothers and children carry water on their heads from the village well to their little homes.
A young man pounds fufu, a traditional staple food of cassava andplantain, pounded into a gooey dough. Doesn't taste too bad, but I never got used to swallowing it - sort of like eating slime. To eat it, you dip your fingers into your soup, pinch off a mouthful of dough (fufu), re-dip it in your soup, then swallow it whole very quickly so it doesn't stick to your mouth or throat.
A wooden fishing boat, called a canoe, preparing to cast off
All in all, it was a wonderful, memorable experience!
For another perspective, please visit the blog of another member of our group, Bonnie Dalzell. You'll enjoy it.
http://bloggingbonnie.blogspot.com/
To read an excerpt from They Just Don't Get It, click here.