Originally written Friday March 8, 2013

I have never been a more extreme mixture of exhausted and exhilarated. It’s been a whirlwind of a week, full of turbulent planes and culture shock. The first few days in Ghana were mellow, spent growing accustomed to our new surroundings. We visited Heritage Academy briefly and within minutes every one of us had at least four Ghanaian children trailing on our arms, asking “What is your name?” Later we visited the bustling markets of Mankessim. Everywhere we went we were met with stares and exclamations of “Obroni!” (foreigner). In the tight alleys men and women weaved about each other, expertly balancing immense baskets of vegetables on their heads. Almost everyone in our group left with several yards of rich fabric to be tailored into shirts and pants and dresses.

Yesterday was our first day teaching at Heritage. The kids ranged from shy and quiet to loud and excitable, but one thing they shared was an incredible enthusiasm to make new friends. Even though we were all fairly nervous standing at the front of the classroom, no doubt we are all excited to continue working with the students of Heritage Academy. With the second day we’re all more accustomed to being leaders, all the while learning as well as teaching.

As a group, we become closer each night. Emma’s quirkiness, Chris’s theatrics, Phil’s refined stoicism, Alice’s serenity, Ali’s sweet innocence, Taryn’s enthusiasm, Henry’s never-ending smiles, Simon’s  smooth jazz, Lola’s angelic sassiness, and my poorly executed puns have melted into a family dynamic of different people coming together in this foreign country.

The internet’s a little spotty here in this guest house but I hope I can upload this to the Senior Projects blog soon. See you later, Microsoft Word!