Fifth Graders have graduated, and the classroom is… partially cleaned and packed. Clothes and supplies for Ghana however are all cleaned and packed, with the exception of some day-of packing. My amazing friend Michelle came down from Philadelphia and helped me get organized and packed yesterday. I can proudly state my suitcase comes in at just over 30 pounds, and the limit is 50. I even got all of my snacks packed in my Wordy Traveler bag (a great book subscription for the adults reading), packed all of my sheets, towels, even some just in case toilet paper in storage compression bags and my bag is still underweight! I highly recommend these compression bags. I didn’t need a vacuum, they saved me a ton of space and were a lot of fun to seal and compress. There was a lot of sitting, rolling, mushing, etc. that results in seeing your pillow at a fraction of it’s original size and incredible satisfaction. I still have a few last minute items to add, but it feels great knowing I’m ready and packed. Almost all of the items on my before Ghana to-do list have been crossed off. The dogs have been bathed (they are not big fans, or more accurately when you bathe them they act as though they are going to die in the same manner as the Wicked Witch of the West), garden has been weeded, all of the laundry is done, got a pedicure (okay maybe that wasn’t totally necessary) and now I just have to teach my roommate, Carrie to use the lawnmower.
Packing and compressing all supervised very closely by Murph. (Moose has never had to move so he doesn’t seem to care about the packing.)
I leave from BWI on Wednesday evening, fly to Denver, then from Denver to Amsterdam. I have a 3 hour layover in Amsterdam and then I join a few other LRTT Fellows on the flight from Amsterdam to Accra, Ghana. We will be picked up from the airport by our hotel shuttle, which I have been warned can be a bit chaotic. The next day we will have a full day in Accra to do some exploring. Trying to plan out what I want to see has already made me wish I’d booked extra days in Accra. From the advice I’ve heard and read I would love to take a day trip to the Cape Coast and see Elmina Castle. Unfortunately that is a two hour trip out of Accra so I will most likely end up checking out the markets in Accra, or visiting the Black Star Gate. The Academy for African Music and Art sounds like it would be an awesome visit, but my internet research says it may be permanently closed. I would also love to visit the W.E.B. Dubious Center. (I expect all of my students to do some independent inquiry if they don’t know who that is! It would be a vast understatement to say he was an amazing man who worked for social justice.) So, I have my list of interests, and I am sure some of the Fellows also exploring that day will have some ideas. Between our research and asking some of the employees at the hotel for recommendations I’m sure it will be an exciting day.
Ohh, the drama of a bath. Melllllting!!!
I will be sure to get to bed early after my day in Accra because my flight to Tamale leaves at 12:30 (8:30our time, click the link to see the time changes) the next day. After flying for more than 15 hours to get to Accra, and adjusting to a time change, I am sure the hour flight to Tamale will seem like the blink of an eye, or perhaps (likely) a very brief nap. After stopping at the health check to prove that I have had my Yellow Fever vaccination, and showing my visa and passport at immigration, our team leads will pick us up from the airport in Tamale. We will stay at Picorna Hotel for one night while all of the Fellows arrive in Tamale. The next day we will all depart for Zebilla, but with a stop in Bolgatanga for lunch and visit with LRTT’s partner program Afrikids. That night we will settle into Hotel Amazin and the next day, Monday 6/24 we will begin our work with our team leads and Afrikids, and then on Tuesday we will start our school visits.
After our first week of working we get to explore Tongo Hills on our day off. Tongo is known for it’s Tengzug shrine, and whistling rocks. I can’t wait to tell you more about what those things are! After that weekend we work in the school with teachers, meeting teachers, having PD, observing teaching, etc. After we wrap up with the teachers, we travel back to Bolgatanga and visit the orphanage run by Afrikids, as well as some of their other projects. We will also get sometime to explore Bolgatanga and the great markets. In my previous life, before I was a teacher I was a textile designer, so I cannot wait to see the infamous Kente cloth produced in Ghana, and have a local artisan create a garment! (Because I know so many of my students are reading this blog, they will click the Kente link above and recognize the connection between Kente cloth and the Ananse tales we read in third grade!) After a few days in Bolgatanga we will travel to Mole, and go on a day and night safari in Mole National Park. After our day in the National Park we begin our trek back towards home.
Packed and ready to go. I haven’t told Murph he isn’t coming yet. Luckily he will be at home with Carrie who will make sure he is loved and happy!
I am so excited to share the details of this trip with you. In this post, I wanted to give everyone just a few of the items on my itinerary, and my students the chance to do some research and ask some questions! Several people have asked if my GoFundMe account is still active. It is and will stay open until I get home from my trip. I appreciate everyone that has reached out to support the trip both financially and with enthusiastic encouragement. The financial investments and time commitments I have made to this trip have been overwhelming at times, but the support from my friends, family and community have made it possible and so much more enjoyable.
To my, or any students reading; Please click all the links, explore and research! Ask a lot of questions and I will do my best to find the answers. I hope that my project leads you to consider your own social action projects. How can you become more globally minded? How can you make our world a better place?
Thank you all so much!
Love, Ms. O
Adventures of O 