March 4, 2014

I woke up to the laugher of people outside of my bedroom. Luckily, it was cooler today than it was yesterday. I managed to get out of bed and get dressed in five minutes and managed to get a slice of bread for breakfast. I loaded up on sunscreen and opted out of walking to school with most of the other kids in the group (I figured that my boot might not have made it the ten minute walk to school).

When we arrived at school we began with two reading periods and snack. Everything went pretty smoothly. By the time class began, many of the kids were practicing marching for March 6th, Ghanaian Independence Day. Each school sends teams of marchers to compete. Apparently heritage academy wins every year. The classes were a little more difficult to keep under control today. The kids seemed to be more hyper than the day before. And much more sassy. When my free period came around, I finally felt like I could take a deep breath. Teaching is much more of a challenge than I though it would be.

My last two classes were just as hard as the first. However, games of hangman lightened the mood and kept the majority of the kids interested. Finally it was time for the last reading period, and again I spent it reading with Benjamin. He handed me a letter as if to thank me for spending the time with him. This was my seventh letter so far (most of them just ask for my friendship or to be my pen pal). He had a hard time reading, but we made our way through an entire book.

After classes we went to Mankessiem, one of the larger towns near us. The second we stepped of the bus we heard shouts of “obroni” and women shouting random days of the week trying to find the one you were born on to attract your attention. Mine, Wednesday, is Ekua. The outdoor market was full of smells and sights. There were rotting fish sold on the side along with yams and fabric. Our group spent a decent amount of money on fabrics, hoping to get the tailor to turn them into shirts and dresses. We finished our time at the market by buying frozen yogurt which we enjoyed on the van ride back to the house. I really enjoyed the rides to and from the market. It showed so much of the culture.

As soon as we returned I took the opportunity to take a cold shower. I felt especially dirty today after the trip to the market and the shower was rejuvenating. We ate dinner and hung out in the living room for the rest of the night. That is until somebody suggested that we all huddle around a computer to watch the Wolf of Wall Street. Bedtime could not come sooner, and hopefully tomorrow morning I will wake up in time for a proper breakfast!