From the School to the Shore: July 15, 2013

Caroline & Caroline

 

Today we awoke to the birds chirping, roosters crowing, and the beautiful rising sun of another day in Ghana. At 6:30 AM, we began our Monday morning with Spanish omelets, French toast, oatmeal, and the ever present sweet-as-sugar Ghanaian pineapple!  A light drizzle began to fall as our morning devotions came to a close. We climbed aboard Dominic's tro tro and took off for St. Cyprian’s Basic School, a small public school in Efutu-Koforidua village, a 30-minute ride from our guest house. By the time we arrived, the rain had stopped.

The students graciously welcomed us with songs directed by Mrs. Teresa Baidoo, the daughter of Ato Baidoo, headmaster of Tuwohofo-Holly School, and one of the few university-educated teachers at

St. Cyprian's School. After a quick walking tour of the school, the teams made their way to their respective classrooms. The St. Cyprian's teachers and students were preparing themselves for the end-of-term examinations that will be taking place all week. Some of our team members observed their classroom teachers' methods of instruction while others got the chance to demonstrate their own teaching skills. When the bell rang for recess, we played and hung out with our students and then said our goodbyes for today and left for Brenu Beach Park.

While our morning had begun with rain, the sun graced us with its presence as we arrived at the beach. With sand and palm trees lining the shore, we gathered in the open air restaurant where we would eat lunch. The less adventurous of us dined on grilled cheese sandwiches (which were actually toast and cold cheese slices) and tomato soup. Others had the small local lobsters grilled to perfection and served with piping hot, incredibly delicious French fries. 

When the table was cleared, some of us changed into bathing suits while others took naps in the hammocks that hung from the coconut palms. 

Three of our brunyis ventured into the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean along this beautiful stretch of African coast. Others took advantage of our free afternoon and went walking down the beach, collecting shells, sun, and reveling in the glorious ocean and beach views. 

Ben, Phoebe, and Caroline S. met some new friends along the shore. They were students at a local school and happily shared with them about their ways of life. These children walk thirty minutes to and from school every day and then wait on the beach for the fishing boats to arrive after school so they can help their fathers unload the day's catch. 

After inviting our amusing tro tro driver, Dominic, to try out the art of hammock swinging, we boarded the tro tro  and rode happily back to the Fair Hill Guest House.

Our dinner this evening, excellently prepared by Ann Hooper and her kitchen staff was a lovely meal of groundnut (peanut) soup with either goat meat or vegetables. About half of the group was adventurous enough to try the goat meat, which tasted a lot like stewed beef. 

After dinner, we heard a car drive up to the guest house and out came our talented seamstress, Victoria! She had come bearing gifts - the clothing we had been measured for last week!! Fair Hill was then busy with the sights and sounds of beautiful ladies parading around in their newly made Ghanaian attire. After a few minor alteration requests and some snapshots by Prof, Victoria was on her way home with the final alterations to complete. 

Another knock at the door revealed our friend, Gabriel, with all of our authentic Ghanaian license plates. Some plates had family names, some had Fante names, or school names, or the always-appropriate “Akwaaba”. As the evening draws to a close we are all busy planning our lessons for tomorrow, anxious to spend our first day teaching at St. Cyprian’s Basic School.