Final Reflection

As I look back on my 11 weeks spent in Ghana I can’t hep but think about how grateful I am for the opportunity I was given. I was often told when I arrived in Ghana that it was better to come in a group of 2 or 3 because then you always have someone to travel with and someone to talk to about your experiences, good and bad, because they are also going through the same things.  While there were a few times I wish I would have had someone to talk to, being there with other people would have definitely changed my overall experience. I would not have been able to get to know the people around me more. I was forced to get to know Ghanaians, who are wonderful and caring people, but I think that I would have stayed quiet and shy as my usual self if I had another American to talk with and spend time with. My family was the absolute best. They always made sure that I had anything and everything I could possibly need. I was glad to be able to spend time with my host family. I can never thank them enough for all that they have done for me. My host mom also connected me with a college student from the University of Ghana that became one of my closest friends in Ghana. She took me to places in the area on the weekends, the touristy places and local places. She also notified me of events on campus such as drama and dance performances, and took me to the events whenever I said I wanted to go.I also could not have asked for a better group of colleagues at my school. I am very blessed for how much they cared for me and got to know me during my 11 weeks at their school. My cooperating teacher really took me under her wing and treated me like her child. She always had things to teach me about school and life. There were a few others in the school that I became close to in the office, so I always had to stop in and say high to them, or eat lunch with them when our schedules allowed. The sisters at the school were very generous and kind to me, even though I was shy at first and not greeting people is seen as rude there. They soon became people that I talked to regularly and became acquaintances.

There were some souvenirs that I saw that say welcome to Ghana the land of gold and culture, I can say that Ghana is definitely full of culture. A big part of the culture is hospitality. Everyone welcomes you into their home, store, or wherever you may be. They make an effort to communicate with you and make sure you are comfortable even when they don’t speak your language very well. I didn’t come across it often because most people I knew could also speak English, but there were a few occasions where I had to communicate with people who didn’t know English. Being hospitable means giving even when you don't have much to begin with. I had someone actually go out of their house to buy water for me because it is customary to serve someone water when they enter your house and they had just used the last of their water in cooking lunch. It was very humbling to see how the people gave without hesitation. Another thing about the culture that I enjoyed was that talking about God didn’t scare people. The area that I was generally split into 3 religions, christianity, islam, and traditionalists. People would say things like Praise God when you told them you made it home safely from a trip. They expressed their love of God clearly and they never had to be afraid of offending someone. Fabrics and beads are a big thing in Ghana. The fabric is beautiful with plenty of color and pattern. It is common for people to wear the traditional fabrics and designs especially to church on Sunday. I was fortunate enough to buy some fabric and bring it to a seamstress who did a beautiful job sewing my dresses for me. The dresses are better quality than some of the dresses you can buy in stores, and they fit a lot better because they were made just for me. I collected a few more dresses than I was expecting, because I was given a few in my last week, but I will definitely wear them all and cherish the time I was able to spend in Ghana.

The for was spicy, but delicious! If you like rice, fish and chicken with a lot of spice you will do great! My host family eased me into the spiciness of the food and I am very grateful for that. The first time I ate fried plantains I thought  it was weird to eat something sweet with the spicy beans and rice, but I learned to love it! Banku, fufu, and ken key are foods very different from anything that I have ever eaten before going to Ghana, but I learned to like them too. Banku is my favorite of the three, but the key to eating these types of food is to make sure you dip it into the soup or stew well, so it is not sticky. The first few times I didn’t dip it well enough and then it would get stuck to the top of my mouth. The water there is not safe to drink so I always drank bagged or bottled water. 

The living in Ghana seems simple compared to my fast paced life in the U.S. I learned a lot of patience and how to go with the flow because chances are things won’t go as planned, especially if technology is involved. It was common for the lights to go off (power outages) multiple times a day. There was no technology in my classroom, but that made it difficult for communicating back home to people. There were a couple days that I got to school early so I could send emails back home only to find out that the lights were off so the wifi wasn’t working. Some times even if the lights were on the wifi connection was too weak to navigate on the internet. I was very humbled to have a bed on a frame because many people just have a mattress on the floor if they even have that. I know some people just have a small blanket that they lie on the floor where they will sleep, so I felt like a celebrity when I was able to have a frame for my mattress to be off of the floor. Running water is not a common thing. Some people have poly tanks which are big water tanks. Some even have them on top of their house, so you can have running water for a shower like I did, but that doesn’t mean the pressure is strong. Sometimes using the buckets of water was an easier way to take a shower. Other people will have tanks outside their house so they will have to bring buckets of water into the house when they need it. The final option is to fetch water. You can go to a place, ours was pretty close to the house, where someone has poly tanks of water that you can buy just the amount of water that you need. I realized how much I take for granted living in the United States and I also realized how much stuff that I have that isn’t really that important. 

I learned a lot about myself, my teaching style, and the type of person I want to be through this experience. I will always remember and cherish the time that I had in Ghana.

The Last Hoorah!

The last day of the term was kind of like an open day that we had earlier in January, except a lot more fun! They call the day Our Day. All of the students brought in their own lunches, the tables were set up differently into a circle, and there were a lot of games. Some of the students even brought in gifts of appreciation for the teachers. Most of the gifts I received were drinks and food, but there was one student who gave me a beautiful pair of earrings. 

After lunch we played music and the kids could do more playing and dancing.

One of the sisters that works in the office took me out to buy me a few things to take back from Ghana. She really went overboard on buying me things. I like all of the things especially because they are handmade, but if I told her I liked something that automatically meant that she would buy it for me. 

I was supposed to leave Ghana on Thursday night, but the airline overbooked my flight and they ended up not having space for me on the flight. So, I tried to keep my emotions from showing too much, I was tried and just wanted to go home, and I felt that I controlled myself a lot better than some of the clearly unhappy customers. I knew that fighting with them wasn’t going to get me anywhere, so I kindly waited while they found another flight for me to take home. The hotel that they put me up in was really nice, even by American standards. I was to spend the night there and then the whole next day in the hotel until I left to go back to the airport. A good friend of mine that works at the school I was at came to the hotel on Friday to keep me company, so I wasn’t alone the whole time. I am very grateful for him and all of the people that I met in Ghana that made my time so wonderful. I already miss them very much!

My Final Weekend

I didn’t want to waste any of my time here, so I packed my weekend full of activities. Saturday I went with Doreen on our last program of my time here. We went to a charity event at a place called Children’s Park. The event was to raise money for children who are orphans and need help paying their school fees and improving the conditions of the schools they attend.

Afterwards Padiki and I decided to do some navigating of the market to buy some shoes and fabric! I love Ghanaian fabric and am excited bring some home to be made into a blanket. However, both of us generally know Madina, but not as well as we hoped. It’s a big place and we were not able to find everything that I hoped to find, but it was fun to do some shopping. 

Sunday I went to church with Auntie Monica and Padiki for the last time. The church service was long and they played a couple more songs than usual, so more dancing ensued. Afterwards Auntie Monica had me take pictures for the people in the church such as the pastors, worship team, and ushers.

Next stop was the beach. I spent Sunday afternoon and evening at the beach. I went swimming in the ocean and had fun with some great friends that I have met while here. I watched the sunset while floating in the waves of the ocean. It was the perfect way to end my last weekend here in Ghana. It is hard to believe that I have only a few days left here. 

Coming to a Close

Last Friday we had what they call here Open Day. The students did not have school, but it was a day for the parents to come in and see the work their children are doing. It is kinda like parent teacher conferences in the U.S. We set out the work the students have been doing at each of their spots in the room and then the parents could look at it when they came in. The parents had time to talk to the teachers about how things are going and if they had any special requests for helping their child to succeed more. The parents then wrote down some comments at the end. Some parents had more to say than others, but almost everyone wanted their child to write better. For first graders, most of the students write very well, but there is always room for improvement. 

Then this week was all exams. Monday through Thursday we had exams all day. 4 full days of testing with 36, 6 and 7 year olds can test the patience of even the calmest people. Each day there are 3 exams that you have to take and a longer snack break and lunch break in between each exam. With 36 students its hard to keep them quiet for 1 1/2 hours at a time. I taught them how to play Heads up 7 up and 4 corners for when the exams got done early and they still needed to be quiet. Everyone was happy for exams to be over by Friday, but I think the teachers more so than the students. 

The sad thing about exams being over is that it means my time here is almost up. I will definitely miss all the people I have met here. I couldn’t have asked for a better cooperating teacher. She taught me so much more than just how to teach, but many things about life that I will keep with me forever.

A Weekend of Celebrations

I know I usually always say that I had fun when I talk about my weekend adventures, but that is because it is true! This past weekend was no exception. I was able to partake in some Ghanaian celebrations. On Friday after school I went out to celebrate the birthday of one of my co-workers. I learned how to dance like a Ghanaian, but I will definitely need some more practice before show them off to anyone. 

Saturday while my family was at a baby shower celebrating my cousin’s soon to be baby, I was at an out dooring celebrating a newly born baby. An out dooring is when a family presents their baby to the public, usually family and friends. At the celebration they say the name of the child and who they named the child after (that’s really important here). There was a short ceremonial part where the grandfather gave the baby honey and water, so that when she grows up she will know the difference between right and wrong. Then there was dancing, because Ghanaians love music and dancing, and there was food. The people were surprised to see a white lady eating fufu and soup, with my hands at that. It was a fun celebration to be able to part take in.

Holiday Weekend in Cape Coast

The 6th of March is the Independence day for Ghana. The 7th is also a holiday, so this weekend I had a three day weekend. I spent Saturday washing clothes and relaxing at home, it even rained again! That’s twice in one week. Then Sunday morning I headed to Cape Coast for a few days with Partey and Doreen. Once arriving in Cape we met up with Seth who would show us around for the next two days. Auntie Agnes has connections everywhere!

The trip to and from Cape Coast was an adventure in itself. I don’t drive a stick shift, but I am pretty sure I could have done a better job than the driver we had going to Cape Coast. On the way there we took at 15 passenger van. That part of the trip was about 2 1/2 hours. Before the van though we had to take the trotro to where the vans run from which is at least another 30 minutes, and then we had to wait for the van to fill up before leaving…which seemed like forever. On the way back we took a small coach type bus that probably held about 25-30 people. We were lucky in getting to the bus stop right as the bus was full and getting ready to leave. The drive back was much nicer, but it seemed to take forever. It took about 3 hours and then again the ride on the trotro to get home. 

Once arriving in Cape Coast early afternoon on Sunday we visited some schools. Cape Coast is where all of the best secondary (high) schools are, including Auntie’s school. We visited her school which is the best girls school and the best boys school. Then we went to the University of Cape Coast. We also went to the little restaurant/tourist attraction that is known for having crocodiles. We walked around the pond and saw a few crocodiles, they were all sleeping because it was hot which was ok with me. The lady asked me if I wanted to touch one and I said no in the nicest way possible. Touching a live crocodile doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. 

The last stop on our first day in Cape Coast was at he Elmina Castle. That is one of the places where slaves were housed before being traded off and sent to the Caribbean and the Americas. It’s one thing to learn about it in history class, but it is another to be in the places that they were actually kept. The places that they slaves were held they actually call dungeons, and that’s a pretty accurate term. Stone walls with no light and very little ventilation in the places, not to mention that the areas were packed full of women or men and had no place to go to the bathroom or to clean yourselves. The door of no return, where they send the slaves out to the boats, is a very small passage that is hard for healthy people to pass through. The slaves would stay in the castle for 2-3 months until they were small/weak enough to pass through the door of no return. The tour is something that I will never forget. 

On Monday we got up and headed to Kakum National Park. The main attraction there is the Kakum walkway. This consists of seven, yes, SEVEN rope bridges suspended up over the trees in the forest. If you are afraid or heights or claustrophobic this is not the place for you. Let me describe the bridges for you. The part that you walk on is about the width of a 2x4 (piece of wood). It is actually a small steel ladder type thing with wood on top of it. There is netting that goes up on both sides of you and the bridge is held up by ropes and cables. I’m glad that I forgot that it was 7 bridges, because I probably would not have done it. After the first bridge if you are too afraid, you can take a short bridge to the end of the string of bridges, but you cannot turn around. I was ready to be done at about the 3rd bridge, but like I said, no turning back. The 6th bridge was the scariest. You could tell that it was the next bridge to have fixed or repaired. The netting on the bridge was loose, and it was kinda scary. It was also scary because you were close the end of the bridge and you walked to the same place that all of the people that were scared are also walking. Those people were screaming or crying which made walking on bridge number 6 all the more scary. Walking up to the bridge is a lot of stairs made from stones and wood built into the mountain. After the bridge I was shaking kind of how I feel after getting off a boat. Then we walked deeper into the rainforest to look at a treehouse. You can stay in the tree house overnight! That is now on my checklist of things to do: stay in a treehouse in the rain forest!

The weekend was full of fun and left me tired, but also very happy. I have been looking forward to this weekend of traveling since I came to Ghana. It is crazy to think that now I have just 2 short weeks left here in Ghana, but I am enjoying every moment of it. 

Ghanaian Schools vs. Wisconsin Schools

In case the title of this blog post wasn’t clear, I will be talking about the differences I see between Ghanian schools and Wisconsin schools. For those of your who read this to hear about all the fun things I’m doing you might want to skip this one.

Teacher’s Responsibilities

I touched on this topic a bit before, but I have a whole new appreciation for teachers in Ghana now that I have experienced the day to day routine for 7 weeks now. Prep time doesn’t exist here. There are about 3 hours a week where my cooperating teacher and I don’t have to worry about the students, and only one hour the students actually leave the classroom. We also are in charge of students during lunch time and stay late to teach extra classes and help students with homework. Some students don’t leave the compound until 6 pm. 

In Wisconsin schools at least a few times a week teachers have a prep time or a break from students when they go to specials such as gym, art, and music. There are teachers that stay later to work on things, but don’t have to try to get things done with students running around waiting for their parents or drivers to come pick them up. If the students do stay later for extra programs or after school programs there are specific people that come in to teach those classes.

Lesson Planning and Attendance

At first I thought the teacher just taught from the book, because I didn’t ever really see her looking at any sort of plans. However, since I have been here longer I have noticed and learned how they do lesson planning. There is a large book that the teacher has that is turned into the headmistress one a week with all of the lessons in them. The teacher writes her lesson plans and example problems. Then afterwards the teacher writes a reflection on what she taught and how the lesson went. The teacher also has an attendance book that is brought to the office every day. The gate to the compound is locked, so students don’t really come late or leave early, the students are either in school all day or not at all. There are some occasions where students will come late or leave early the students pass through the office.

In Wisconsin the lesson planning is similar, but it is all electronic. You submit your lesson plans the Friday before the week the lessons are for. You then make notes on how the lesson went in order to know how to teach the subject better. Again technology is used for attendance. The teacher marks in the student is in school or absent for the day. The students who come late or leave early also pass through the office and the attendance change is noted there in the office.

Lunch and Snack

The way that money for lunch is taken is very different. In our school here the students go to the bookstore to buy coupons for lunch. Then they bring the coupon to the teacher to hold on to for them (well at least for the younger grades) until lunch time. While this system is pretty good, it can get confusing because students can decide to only buy one coupon for the day, five coupons for the week, or any number in between. This means that every morning you are collecting coupons from students, and have to be organized so you know which students have given you enough coupons for the week or have yet to give you a coupon, so they should not take one for the day. In the lower grades is can be hard sometimes because if the students have an other sibling they are in charge of buying the coupons for all of the siblings and sometimes the older students will just come whenever they want to deliver the coupons. Snack time is also an interesting event. Some students bring their own snacks, but some go to the canteen (lunch room) to buy their snacks. The snack includes something to eat and something to drink. Snack time is combined with recess, so it is common to see students running around with food in their hands.

Lunch money in Wisconsin all goes through the office. Parents pay a certain amount and then are given a notice when they need to pay money towards the account. The students have a number that they say or type in, so the school can record who has eaten and then the money is removed from the account for the meal. Snack time can be seen a few different ways in Wisconsin. Depending on the SES of the families that attend the school, the state may provide snacks for the students in the school. The students can choose to take these snacks, but are also welcome to bring their own snacks to school. There are some schools where the students bring their own snacks each day, too.The school that I went to as a child did snacks a little differently. Parents would buy snacks such as a box of cookies or crackers that the teacher would then share with the whole class for a few days until the snack is gone. We were also able to take a milk from the lunch room and it was recorded who took milk and what kind you too. (P.S. I miss milk)