I AM in Damongo. This morning we went to a church service at the orphanage led by Abraham. The children were so beautiful. They started to sing and dance which was wonderful, but the most touching part of service were the prayer requests. When asked what the orphans wanted to pray for, each and every prayer was for others. Here these children are, with next to nothing in terms of material possessions, and they continued to care about the wellbeing of others. It was so humbling.
Abraham led a wonderful service. I stared in awe as I watched how he engaged both children and adults alike. Our eyes were glued to him and I fell in love with his energy. He told the story in both English and Gonja and transitioned so effortlessly which was also very cool.
Abraham told us about the complete lack of financial support the orphanage has received from the Ghanaian government. Although he is in love with his work, the stories that he shared made the physical and emotional distress his job brings very apparent. He has sacrificed so much for those children. His passion is an inspiration to me.
After service we got a chance to play with the children. I learned some hand games and sang some songs with the kids, which was great. They are such a delight.
They’re already calling me sister Zoë. I can’t even imagine leaving this place.
After lunch, Annie and I decided to walk back to the orphanage to spend some more time with the children. However, on our way home that evening we ended up getting lost. Walking along that dark road was unnerving. Luckily, we met a young man who was carrying water on his head. When we asked where Pastor Abraham’s house was, he immediately offered to take us there. He placed his jug of water on the ground and walked us fifteen minutes in the opposite direction just to make sure we made it there safely.
That kind of generosity amazes me. Most Americans wouldn’t even take the time to give you detailed directions let alone go out of their way to physically show you where to go. Although the amount of poverty in Africa saddens me, my faith in humanity has tremendously grown in my short time being here.
Monday, July 13, 2009
July 11
We left the guest home at 5AM to catch our plane from Accra to Tamale, the third largest city in Ghana. We arrived in Tamale and from there took the most uncomfortable bus ride I have ever experienced in my eighteen years of life to Damongo, a small village. Damongo is only forty miles from Tamale, however the road was so terribly bumpy it took us almost three hours to arrive.
The bus was hot, stuffy, and so cramped that I bumped my head more times than I care to remember, but the entire time I tried to think about who I was doing this for. I’m sure it will be worth it.
We met two girls, Tanja and Mieka, who are students at a University in Holland. They are also volunteering in the Damongo area with us for the next four weeks. They seem very nice and even helped make the tiresome ride go by faster by teaching me some Dutch.
Once we arrived to Damongo we went to the market place, which was packed with vendors. People stared and pointed like they had never seen someone who looked like me before. It didn’t help that in Damongo, which is in Northern Ghana, they don’t speak any of the Twi language that we learned in Cape Coast. However, I found a young man who spoke some English and he was able to teach me some basic words in “Gonja.”
I think I’m going to enjoy these next twenty-one days in Damongo. Although it’s not as busy as Accra or as beautiful as Cape Coast, there are people here who need our help and I AM so ready to start working. We will be spending the majority of our time at the orphanage and the medical center over the next three weeks and I can’t wait to start making a difference.
The bus was hot, stuffy, and so cramped that I bumped my head more times than I care to remember, but the entire time I tried to think about who I was doing this for. I’m sure it will be worth it.
We met two girls, Tanja and Mieka, who are students at a University in Holland. They are also volunteering in the Damongo area with us for the next four weeks. They seem very nice and even helped make the tiresome ride go by faster by teaching me some Dutch.
Once we arrived to Damongo we went to the market place, which was packed with vendors. People stared and pointed like they had never seen someone who looked like me before. It didn’t help that in Damongo, which is in Northern Ghana, they don’t speak any of the Twi language that we learned in Cape Coast. However, I found a young man who spoke some English and he was able to teach me some basic words in “Gonja.”
I think I’m going to enjoy these next twenty-one days in Damongo. Although it’s not as busy as Accra or as beautiful as Cape Coast, there are people here who need our help and I AM so ready to start working. We will be spending the majority of our time at the orphanage and the medical center over the next three weeks and I can’t wait to start making a difference.
July 10
This morning we checked out of the Abonaba Beach Resort in Cape Coast and made our way back to Accra. Before we left the city, we stopped by the Cape Coast School for the Deaf and Blind. There are no words that can describe just how wonderful those children are. They were all so warm and friendly and very eager to teach me sign language.
Even though the students had never heard music before, they loved to dance. The students spent some time showing me some of their favorite moves. Everyone wanted to see how Americans danced too so I showed them a few hustles, which they quickly learned.
The school also gives the students a creative outlet by offering art classes. We were able to see some of the pieces in the art gallery and I was absolutely blown away. The paintings could have easily been created by professionals. Many of us bought some of the paintings to support the students and their cause and to bring a little bit of Cape Coast home with us.
I also met their teacher named William. He was a very kind and welcoming man. I really admire him for the dedication and encouragement he has shown to the students.
The students of Cape Coast Deaf have inspired me to learn sign language. I am also very excited to write to them and send them copies of our pictures upon my return to America. These children have truly made such an impression on me and I know that we will meet again.
Driving back to Accra was very busy because of Obama’s arrival. The people of Ghana were so excited. “Barack! Barack! Barack Obama!” Music played in the streets as people celebrated his arrival that evening.
That night I met my friend Samuel, a friend I met two years ago at Grand Valley who is from Accra. It was so great to see him and to catch up. We have both grown so much since we last saw each other. He has just finished his studies at Cape Coast University and is hoping to study at an American medical school soon so I know we will meet again soon!
Even though the students had never heard music before, they loved to dance. The students spent some time showing me some of their favorite moves. Everyone wanted to see how Americans danced too so I showed them a few hustles, which they quickly learned.
The school also gives the students a creative outlet by offering art classes. We were able to see some of the pieces in the art gallery and I was absolutely blown away. The paintings could have easily been created by professionals. Many of us bought some of the paintings to support the students and their cause and to bring a little bit of Cape Coast home with us.
I also met their teacher named William. He was a very kind and welcoming man. I really admire him for the dedication and encouragement he has shown to the students.
The students of Cape Coast Deaf have inspired me to learn sign language. I am also very excited to write to them and send them copies of our pictures upon my return to America. These children have truly made such an impression on me and I know that we will meet again.
Driving back to Accra was very busy because of Obama’s arrival. The people of Ghana were so excited. “Barack! Barack! Barack Obama!” Music played in the streets as people celebrated his arrival that evening.
That night I met my friend Samuel, a friend I met two years ago at Grand Valley who is from Accra. It was so great to see him and to catch up. We have both grown so much since we last saw each other. He has just finished his studies at Cape Coast University and is hoping to study at an American medical school soon so I know we will meet again soon!
July 9
I AM getting used to waking up on a beach and having breakfast alongside the ocean.
Today we went on a canopy walk through the rainforest. I had no idea what to expect. First, we climbed about a half-mile uphill and got the chance to see the beautiful wild life of Ghana. The view was breathtaking. As it started to rain my excitement soon turned to fear. The plank that we were walking across was only wide enough to hold one foot at a time!
Luckily I made it! Never would I have thought that I'd be walking between trees in an African Rainforest.
After we left the rainforest we made our way back to Cape Coast. On our way home we stopped at a Crocodile Restaurant. We got the chance to actually touch the crocodiles. It was definitely a risk since these animals weren’t trained at all, but it made for a great photo opportunity. Quite honestly there was nothing stopping that crocodile from biting my hand off but sheer will! I know my mother’s going to love reading this!
We then went back to Samuel’s village. There was a huge rainstorm the night before and a majority of the village flooded. Fortunately Samuel and his family found temporary shelter.
While walking around the village, we found a dressmaker. She measured us and then sewed us our very own tailored outfits. I was absolutely blown away by the quality of the clothing and the design. What do you think?
While we waited for our dresses, we got the chance to connect with the people. There, I led all the children in a Twi song called “Danasi” which I learned earlier that day. It was so great to see their reactions to a foreigner speaking their language and singing along with them. That is exactly why I love music. It has the power to connect individuals from all different walks of life.
I also met a young girl named Abiza. She was so smart and very kind. Today happened to be her birthday. She took me deeper within the village to her home to meet her family. It was unbelievable to see the conditions in which these people lived. Both of her parents, her three sisters, and her baby niece shared a home the size of the average American bedroom. I couldn’t even imagine living that way. The level of poverty here is really getting to me. I am too often guilty of complaining about inconsequential material things when there are billions of people around the world who don’t even have the basic necessities of life. Abiza loves to read and I cannot wait to return home and send her some books. Please let me know if you’re interested in donating anything as well. I was happy to leave the village that day with so many new brothers and sisters.
We ended our day with dinner at the beach resort. The group of us got into a somewhat intense discussion of religion, morals, and ethics. Although none of us can entirely agree on anything, we realize that we all have the same mission while we’re in Ghana: to learn as much as we can and to make a difference in the lives of the people we meet over these next few weeks.
Today we went on a canopy walk through the rainforest. I had no idea what to expect. First, we climbed about a half-mile uphill and got the chance to see the beautiful wild life of Ghana. The view was breathtaking. As it started to rain my excitement soon turned to fear. The plank that we were walking across was only wide enough to hold one foot at a time!
Luckily I made it! Never would I have thought that I'd be walking between trees in an African Rainforest.
After we left the rainforest we made our way back to Cape Coast. On our way home we stopped at a Crocodile Restaurant. We got the chance to actually touch the crocodiles. It was definitely a risk since these animals weren’t trained at all, but it made for a great photo opportunity. Quite honestly there was nothing stopping that crocodile from biting my hand off but sheer will! I know my mother’s going to love reading this!
We then went back to Samuel’s village. There was a huge rainstorm the night before and a majority of the village flooded. Fortunately Samuel and his family found temporary shelter.
While walking around the village, we found a dressmaker. She measured us and then sewed us our very own tailored outfits. I was absolutely blown away by the quality of the clothing and the design. What do you think?
While we waited for our dresses, we got the chance to connect with the people. There, I led all the children in a Twi song called “Danasi” which I learned earlier that day. It was so great to see their reactions to a foreigner speaking their language and singing along with them. That is exactly why I love music. It has the power to connect individuals from all different walks of life.
I also met a young girl named Abiza. She was so smart and very kind. Today happened to be her birthday. She took me deeper within the village to her home to meet her family. It was unbelievable to see the conditions in which these people lived. Both of her parents, her three sisters, and her baby niece shared a home the size of the average American bedroom. I couldn’t even imagine living that way. The level of poverty here is really getting to me. I am too often guilty of complaining about inconsequential material things when there are billions of people around the world who don’t even have the basic necessities of life. Abiza loves to read and I cannot wait to return home and send her some books. Please let me know if you’re interested in donating anything as well. I was happy to leave the village that day with so many new brothers and sisters.
We ended our day with dinner at the beach resort. The group of us got into a somewhat intense discussion of religion, morals, and ethics. Although none of us can entirely agree on anything, we realize that we all have the same mission while we’re in Ghana: to learn as much as we can and to make a difference in the lives of the people we meet over these next few weeks.
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