Life: Through the Lens

Children sat in their classroom groups, waiting their turn to participate in a Christmas program. Each class performed a song for the crowd. What a wonderful gift was given our group, as we approached the end of our time in Ghana. The kindergarten and preschool teachers decided that the Christmas program should be early, and that the student teachers should be in charge of planning and preparation, as well as implementation! Three young ladies were both excited, and nervous, and did an outstanding job pulling together a fabulous program for all. Santa needed to be cast as well, and Andrew pulled it off beautifully. Elizabeth made a lovely MC, dressed in her new African outfit, made to order in the Tema marketplace. Meghan also sported a newly created dress as she handed out Christmas crowns to her students. Ashley showed her students there wasn't anything in the bag...yet:). Her own African dress was a favorite, and came from our field trip to Cape Coast. Song and dance are in...

Less than a week away from Christmas and so glad to be home. It would be difficult to be away from friends and family at this time, but not impossible, as we found out when we spent Thanksgiving a world away. The students had found a scenic resort on the Beach Road between Tema and Accra. One of our favorite taxi drivers, Uncle Tee, was glad to stop and show the group around. When everyone got back "home" they excitedly said it was THE place for our Thanksgiving celebration. Sounded good to me. The fact that the Ave Maria Resort also sat on the Prime Meridian was an added incentive. I'd heard about "the rock," the point marking the exact Prime Meridian, and was excited to see it. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that impressive - but still interesting, and fun. When you know your meal is not going to be turkey with all the fixings, go to the extreme. The group sampled many dishes during our feast, including shrimp, steak, pizza, and octopus kabobs. And yes, those w...

The capital city of Accra is a growing force in the country - with eateries and tourist attractions and arts centers. Our first look at the city was upon landing in the country, at the international airport. Driving through the traffic circles and crowded roadways, billboards advertised the Ghanaian's sources of pride. On one of our field trips to the city we were introduced to "Frankies," which soon became a favorite of the students. Hamburgers, fries and shakes...what more could a group of Americans want? Government buildings were large and grand, with obvious British architectural design. And let us not forget the monument to the national sport - football. We did attend a match, and enjoyed the play immensely. The art center was beautiful to see. It's a shame we couldn't squeeze in attendance at a performance while there. It's on the list for the next group to check out. The country of Ghana is new, created in 1957. It is a country of contrast - these mon...

Sunrise, taken from the bus window on one of our first field trips . My teachers were asked to choose two of their images which best represented the first half of our time in Ghana. They could be of something which touched them emotionally, or just made them laugh, but in some way they visually represented the Ghana experience of the first 3 1/2 weeks. Enjoy their experience as told through photographs . Helping fishermen in the Bay of Guinea bring in their morning catch. Teachers celebrating. Trying unusual foods is the theme for these two photos - fish heads served at lunch at school, and fu-fu, a native dish. When in Rome..... A few of the students had drums carved at the Cultural Center in Accra, and received lessons afterwards . The waterfront in Tema, where we stayed for our 7 weeks. Our first field trip, to Mole, was also our first glimpse of native wildlife. Baboons are extraordinary creatures. The students also made a strong impression; many have high aspirations. Beauti...

The title of this blog post is double-edged. We have arrived home from our jaunt across 5 time zones and two seasons - from dry season heat of 90 degrees and sun, to Michigan cold of 15 degrees and snow. I will continue blogging about Africa for a while longer, as we just didn't have the technology to keep up my posting during our 7 week adventure. So this post is about another Amazing Race - the television program. A few weeks before our departure the show paid a visit to Ghana, and its capital city of Accra. When the students found out we were going on a day trip to the city, they came up with a "must see" list, and the coffin maker topped that list. In Ghana, coffin creation is an art. You can order a coffin to fit the personality of the deceased, including planning your own final event. There are not factories in Ghana to create fine art, so you are getting hand-crafted goods wherever you go; far cry from our U.S. assembly lines. Hand carved out of trees chosen just ...