Go Stop Go

Half-way point of my trip already. And it's got me thinking. If you could sum up your trip in 1 experience, what would it be? For me, it's an easy choice.

Go Stop Go.  It's the game I created (hahah, well, like to think I created...) most often played with nursery kids. It's very simple. And it's not like I set out to create it. It just happened, like so many things do in Ghana.

Intruiged yet? I've aleady made it sound far more impressive than it is. Really, the name pretty much sums it up. So, here's how to play:

1. Go to the courtyard of the school. Or a classroom. Or a hallway. Anywhere will do.

2. Find 1 kid. Most likely they'll find you. Most likely it's never one, but more. Many more.

3. Dance. Jump around. Be a kid. Remember when you were 5 and did whatever you wanted.

4. Say "Stop!". Really, you're a teacher after all. And you're tired. It's hot out. And you just don't have the same inexaustable energy source that kids have.

5. Yell "Go!" Dance again. Enjoy it. Feel the hot African sun, and see the kids smiles.

6. Yell Stop. Yell Go. Yell Stop. And yell Go. By now you'll be surrounded by kids, all wanting to play the Go Stop Go game.

So, that's my game. Simple in concept. Summarizes my experiences to date. Go Stop Go. Go- do as much as possible. Be a teacher, see Ghana, and share laughter. Stop- take a moment to reflect, relax, and look around you. Maybe you're stopping because you got sick, you're worn out, or life just got hard. But then you Go again. You always do. You see the smiles on the kids faces, and you want to yell Go. Again, and again. You had your rest, and you're back at it.

Wednesday was the last day of Term 2 for Montessori and so I got to hang out with my students; playing with the younger ones, and talking with the older ones. I came to Timoskay later that day to spend the next 10 days here with Marisa and Mason. My fist class was the Nursery Class and I ended up playing Go Stop Go with them. I didn't plan it, it just happened. But what a wonderful introduction to their school.

The rest of the week has been making posters with the students for their classrooms. Once a Creative Arts teacher always a Creative Arts teacher! Pictures to come, I promise :)

Starting tomorrow, it's 2 weeks of vacation. Maybe it's the Stop in the Go Stop Go of teaching in Ghana. The midway point. The small break before things get going again. And the second Go is always just a bit better than the first. So, with travel plans for next week set (bring on the elephants), ideas brainstormed with Mason and Marisa  for Timoskay looking like real possibilities, and fresh ideas for my classes next term, it's looking like the next few months will be eventful. And I'm looking forward to it :)

I'll keep you posted!
Love,
Sarah

Ghana Dictionary

Small small- One of my favorite phrases here in ghana, used to describe anything small. Although really, I think it's one of my favorites because of the way they say it with their accent :)

You are welcome- To welcome someone into a home, a store, to Ghana, or simply a greeting in the Volta Region.

Sorry- Even if they didn't cause the problem, ghanaians still apologize. Examples: Another teacher throwing water at you and all the students go "Ohhhh, sorry Madam, sorry!" or tripping over your own feet while walking about in Takoradi and shopkeepers and passerby's comment "Oh, sorry" in sympathy.

Obibini- Translates as "black person" or "Ghanaian". I say it back to all the little nursery kids at my school when they yell Obruni (white person), and now whenever I enter their classroom they yell Obibini. Either I've done a fantastic job of confusing their 3 year-old minds, or they think if me as a local ;)

Lights Out- The expression for when the power goes out. Our neighboors always exclaim Lights Out loudly whenever the power goes out and cheer even louder when it comes back on.

Cockroach, ew.

I feel like every trip needs that hilarious moment involving a scary insect. And boy oh boy, did mine sure happen.

I walk into my room where Maddi and 4 of my students (also Dadzie grandchildren) were hanging out beading. I put my hand in my hair and literally a giant cockroach flies out (turns out, they can fly. Learn something new everyday!) and hits Diana's neck. We both scream and flail about for a bit cause we have no idea what to do. Meanwhile, the cockroach scurries under my bed.

We all approach the beds extremely cautiously to see if we can spot it. A few minutes go by. And then it scurries out- right at us! Little 3 year old Whitney had chips in her hand which she immidiatly threw into the air with fright, screams, and runs towards the door. Of course, that gets everyone screaming and sprinting to the corner of the room. We made Baduwin, a Class 6 student and the only boy in the room, trap it in the chip container. So much for gettting braver this trip!! :D

After a bit more confusion, we got the darn cockroach outside.
Enjoy your bug-free rooms!

Love,
Sarah

Real Life

Real life is realizing mango season is over and wishing you had eaten more.
Real life is meeting up with friends at Spikes Bar on a Friday night.
Real life is marking creative art exams with a constant smirk on my face as some of their answers are hilarious.
Real life is countless hours flipping through a guidebook knowing you're in a country where nothing goes as planned.
Real life is being incredibly proud of yourself for bargaining down the price of leggings to 12 cidis, knowing that you're probably still being ripped off.
Real life is panicking as the last 5 minutes of time at the internet cafe ticks down.
Real life is sending a text to my roomate "You home yet?".
Real life is seeing the young kids run to greet me with their never-ending enthusiasm.
Real life is seeing a student in town and being greeted as Madam Sarah.
Real life is sleepovers at Timoskay, laughing at the stupidest things.
Real life is getting back to my pink house and being grateful for my host-sister's delicious cooking.
Real life is a taxi ride through town, with the music blaring.
Real life is a walk though market circle, which seemed so overwhelming at first, but is now normal.
Real life is picking out colourful fabrics and getting a dress sewn for you.
Real life is the laughter of a Ghanaian at my limited Fante, but always in good humour as they appreciate the effort.
Real life is occasionally going to bed at 7:30 just because the powers out and there's nothing to do.
Real life is sitting on a stone wall by the beach with a friend on either side, toes dipping into the ocean.
Real life is enjoying a FanChoco on a hot afternoon.
Real life is full of small challenges, all getting dealt with one by one.
Real life is the smile of a stranger, the wave and hello of a little kid.
Even though I'm in Africa, it's still real life.

Volta Region with the Girlies

Girls weekend away? Hell yeah! But this wasn’t a typical girls weekend. It was more of a hike-up-a-mountain/ feed-some-monkeys/ ride-a-motorcycle type weekend. It was very gap year ;)

The prevalent theme of our mini-vacation was transportation. All day Thursday was spent waiting in Takoradi for a bus (3 hrs), on a bus to Accra (5 hrs), trying to find the right tro-tro (1 hr) and on the tro-tro to Ho, Volta Region (4 hrs).

We arrived late into Ho and the 4 of us (Felicity, Sam, Maddi and I) walked into town in search of food. Nothing was open, except there were quite a few street food vendors so we had one of the coolest meals of my trip yet. Where else can you get eggs fried on the side of the road for you for 60 cents?? That was followed by a noodle dish for 3 cidis, and it was absolutely delicious. And then of course, a FanChoco (frozen chocolate milk=heaven) The atmosphere of being outside at midnight sitting on plastic chairs chatting with friends and the women cooking our food, while watching the world go by is pretty hard to beat!

Friday was hiking day, and we had no idea what we were in for. We took a tro-tro to Adaklu Mountain and got off in a middle-of-nowhere village. Quite unsure of ourselves we glanced around looking lost until a man came up to us and asked if we wanted to go hiking. I suppose either no tourists come here for any other reason, or he took one look at our running shoes and deemed us not dressed for a Good Friday church service! He brought us to a hut that had the words Hiking Centre and a little painting of the mountain on it. We were welcomed into the hut, which was empty save a guestbook and some plastic chairs which were brought in for us while we waited for our guides. Sure enough, 2 young guys showed up (14 and 15 years old), machete in hand ready to lead us up the mountain!

Thus began a seriously hardcore workout. Luckily a childhood of climbing Moss Rocks prepared me for the 2 hour trek up the mountain. I’ve never been so sweaty and thirsty (If you’re planning on doing it bring WAY more than a litre of water…) in my life. But oh boy, the view and feeling of accomplishment at the top is well worth it. Looking out at the lush jungle was very much a “Wow, this is Africa” moment.

It took another 2 hours to get down, and our guides were wonderful. They would get oranges from the trees and cut them open with their machete for us J When we got to the bottom we drank an insane quantity of water, and then it was time to tro-tro to Hohoe!

We decided to take it easy on Saturday so we slept in and took a taxi to Wli falls. Even the drive was spectacular going through lush jungle, alongside mountains and especially driving through the little villages. People spent so much time outside here and I love seeing little glimpses into their lives. The Volta Region is quite different from everywhere else in Ghana that I’ve been so far, and I love it. We don’t get called Obruni 24/7, people aren’t constantly trying to get our attention, guys aren’t declaring their love for us, and the locals don’t try to rip us off. Very refreshing! This weekend was the first time I really got the feeling that I was traveling. The whole trip has been about settling in, teaching at school, seeing people, and experiencing new things. But I think it doesn’t take much more than a long drive in a foreign place to get that “travel” sensation!

Wli falls was the first attraction all trip that was exactly what I expected. I mean really, theres not that much variation or surprising elements to a waterfall. It was a nice 45 min hike there crossing over 9 bridges along the way, and there were tons of people at the falls. The waterfall is the biggest in Ghana, and the neatest thing about it was that there were a ton of bats clinging to the rocks around it. We took pics and then walked back, looked at the little shops, ate some FanChoco’s, and then taxi’d back to the hotel. I said transportation was a prevalent theme of our weekend, and this taxi ride was the craziest one of my life. Not only was it a bumpy road in a rickety old taxi, but there were 9 people in the car. There was literally someone in the trunk… Only in Ghana!!

Day 3 we woke up at 5am, grabbed our stuff, and took at tro-tro to Tafi Atome, the monkey sanctuary. We had to catch a taxi for the last 5 km into the village, and this time there were 8 people… at least none of us had to go in the trunk! We arrived, met our guide, bought some bananas, and went in search of the monkeys. We walked along forest trails for about 20 min when our guide made kissing/hissing type noises. Above our heads and we saw the monkeys swinging from the branches to approach us from the treetops. We held out bananas at arms length and all the monkeys would jump on us and eat out of our hands! A little startling to have a monkey jump on you, but it was pretty incredible.

To get out of the village there were no taxi’s. Our only option was motorcycles. So, my first time riding a motorcycle was in Ghana, which I think is pretty badass. Felicity and I were on the back of one with our driver, and it was pretty darn cool driving along the dirt road. With the lush jungle on either side and little kids in the small villages waving at us as we rode along it was definitely a gap year experience I won’t forget!!

The rest of the day was spent traveling home. Another million years on tro-tros to get all the way back to Takoradi. So, despite having no chocolate (actually, unless you count all the FanChoco’s…) it was an excellent Easter weekend. J

I’m now off to figure out what happens at school this week and next… Maybe exams? Maybe teaching? Maybe holidays? Your guess is as good as mine!

Until next time,

Sarah xoxox

Kid Profiles

Welcome to Western Royal Montessori! 

Helping one of my Class 6 students, Shem, with French homework

I realize I always mention that my kids are amazing, so I wanted to share some glimpses into the lives of a few of my students. One of the very cool things about having my dad and sister visit was that it really made me notice things I would have maybe missed, like Francis ringing the bell between classes with so much enthusiasm. So here's some brief profiles on some of my Class 4, 5, and 6 students!

DIANA- Age 9, Class 4.

Unofficially runs the whole school. Frequently rummaging through the back cupboard, perpetually handing out exercise books, and updating the timetable. She could easily be running the country one day.

MAXSWELLA- Age 9, Class 4.

Diana’s sidekick. Always found doing something useful. Prime example being the whole class is in chaos playing Math Quiz Competition and she is calmly standing at the front of the room keeping score. She always has to lend me her math notebook so that I know what the previous teacher has already covered… when I think back to my organizational skills when I was in grade 4, I’m even more impressed with her!

KELVIN- Age 9, Class 4.

Mr. Optimism. Guaranteed to be the first to have his hand in the air whenever I ask a question. Sure, he gets it wrong most of the time, but he never quits trying! Also is constantly the one asking me if we’re playing a game today in Creative Arts.

MUSICAL CHAIR BOYS- age 9, Class 4.

3 or 4 boys who sit in the back of the class who are constantly switching seats, but always quietly and subtely. You’ll rarely catch them if you’re teaching, but sure enough, it’s not often that all 3 will be in the same seats that they started class in.

FAUSTINA- Age 10, Class 5

If I hear a knock on my door and a voice saying “Madam, we have math class right now” there’s a good chance it’ll be Faustina. With strong leadership skills and a heart of gold, I have no problem lending her my personal art supplies, as I know they’ll always be returned on time and in perfect condition.

ISSACKA- Age 10, Class 5

Incredibly bright for his age and always the first to know the answer in math class. Reminds be of a lot of students in my math class from back home! He’s always willing to help other students, and very mature for being 10 years old. He’s also one of the drummers at Worship on Wednesday mornings, and is always found smiling.

SALLY- Age 10, Class 5.

The only student in any of my classes with a learning disability. Her disability prevents her from speaking, so it’s hard for me to tell if she understands what I’m teaching. One of the most inspirational things I’ve seen at my school is how much the other kids help her. They really do all look out for her, and do not need any encouragement to lend a helping hand. I’ve always said that my students take care of me more than I take care of them, and it’s the exact same with Sally. It’s the little things that prove that she’s like every other kid, whether that’s seeing her face light up when getting her picture taken, or telling me using body language and gestures to put the cap back on the board marker when I’m not using it!

FRANCIS- Age 11, Class 6

Francis is the school’s bell kid. His job is to ring the bell between classes and announce the period, snack time, lunch time, etc. You always know when class is going to change because he never muffles the bell as he walks down the hall. He manages to yell his announcement for the whole school to hear, and always looks pleased with himself to be the bell kid! 

Some Small Things I've been Noticing

GIRLS.

It seems like everywhere I go I find a group of young girls I want to become best friends with. I feel like kids grow up faster here, and the maturity the girls have is inspiring. A few examples are the Junior High School 1 (equivalent to grade 7) girls whose dedication to school is matched by their enthusiasm to sing and dance, and try to convince me to join in! A second example is a group of Timoskay students who walked with us to soccer practice one day. They answered all my questions I asked them, told me about their school, and then would imitate my walk. I would speed up, slow down, and pretend to run (Too hot to actually run…) and they thought it was hilarious. It really is the small moments that makeup the Ghanaian experience here. Another one is a group of young kids, mostly girls, selling water sachets and plantain chips in Cape Coast. My dad, sister and I bought stuff from them, and they were super enthusiastic, asking us where we’re from, and introducing themselves to us. I’m convinced there’s not a single shy kid is this country!!

FOOD.

I actually love the food. And I’m always hungry. I don’t know why, seeing as I hardly exercise, and at home I’m basically the pickiest eater ever. But my host sister is an excellent cook. The staple here is rice ‘n spice, which at our pink house is usually plain rice with a red tomato-based stew, and a boiled egg. There’s always variation in our dinners; plantains, yam fries, noodles, chicken, goat, fish, and of course rice and stew are the most common things we eat. And I was worried about big portions, but like I said, I just seem to be hungry all the time…

WATER.

Clean drinking water is sold in water sachets, which are 500 ml pastic bags which you bite the corner off to drink the water. It’s genius. I’ve never drank so much water in my life. You can lie down and drink water, and you can have full conversations while still drinking water. I honestly think that when I go back home I’m going to miss these water sachets so much, as I seem to have one permanently attached to my face…

RELIGION.

Religion is everywhere. One of my least favorite conversations is explaining that I’m not relgious (why I don’t lie, I have no idea) because seriously, every single person here is. Nothing is open on Sundays because of church. And it seems like so many little stores, hair salons, restaurants etc. have religious names. It’s amazing that there’s hardly any presence of religion back in Canada, and I never would have noticed it until I came here. It’s difficult to explain that religion just is not a big part of our culture back at home. Also- church is a dance party. On Sundays everyone is beautifully dressed in colourful, patterned African clothes, and you can always hear music and singing coming from the many churches in the area!

VOLUNTEER CULTURE.

I’m convinced that every single white person in Ghana is either a volunteer, working in the oil industry, or a missionary. It’s been very interesting to hear about what others are doing here. I’ve met quite a few nurses, doctors, and people running for, working for, or volunteering for NGO’s such as Free The Children. Honestly, volunteering is part of the culture here in Ghana. If you came here without an organization and wanted to lend a helping hand, you would not have to look far for someone looking for volunteers!

KIDS.

Kids are the same all over the world, no matter what their background is. And I’ve never met more enthusiastic kids anywhere. If I’m ever bored during a school day all I have to do is walk past the crèche, nursery, and kindergarten classes and I’ll either have kids wanting to be cuddled, played with, or someone to dance with! And whenever I leave the school, I can’t go anywhere without kids yelling Obruni and waving at me. One of the neatest experiences of my trip so far was in the evening at Busua Beach with Dad and Emma. We were walking along the main street after dark, and I can only describe it as African. Loud music playing from the spot (bar), people everywhere, women cooking outdoors, and a strong sense of community. What made it special here was that every woman cooking has a kerosene lamp see by, so it looked spectacular looking down the road. As we were walking along a group of about 5 young kids screamed in excitement when they saw us, and run up to us and hugged us. They were so little, so cute, and I’ve definitely never experienced that anywhere else in the world!