Funny Face Photo Session

Random kids…a camera…and funny faces…what could be more fun?!

Cutest little boy ever!

Volta Region

Splunking, swimming in waterfalls, hiking, camping, and general exploring were all activities of the past weekend.  Us girls (me, McKell, and Liz) headed to the Volta Region for one last big hurrah together and it did not disappoint!  The Volta Region is on the east border of Ghana, right next to Togo.  It is near the large man-made lake and has a very mountainous terrain.  It is also endowed with many waterfalls and lots of bush.  It took us about 9 hours to get to our first destination and another hour or so to get to our final spot, but it was totally worth it. 

We stayed in a town called Hohoe the first night where we randomly ran into a kente weaving “factory.”  It was on our to-do list and we just happen to come across it – you gotta love how things work in Ghana!  It was incredible….

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I bought this piece from this nice man who made it.  He said they can make about 2 of these a day.  I'm not sure what they are called, but Kente is a very traditional fabric and pattern in Ghana - it is used when wearing traditional clothing and is a sign of respect and honor.

On Saturday we embarked on our adventure to Wli.  There we walked to a small village a few kilometers away and went on a 3 to 4 hour hike up a mountain!  When we got to the top, we looked out over Togo!  We even ran into some Togolese girls carrying wood.  

Oh and we ran into some cows. 

And is this not the best cow picture ever?!

We continued on to the caves where the ancestors used to sleep, meet, and basically live I think.  It was fun!  We climbed up to sit in them and then also down under the ground where there were bats flying around our heads! 

Then we went to a waterfall and went swimming!  Fresh, cold water has never felt so good! 

That night we had a fabulous dinner at the guest house.  I had macaroni and cheese, which I couldn’t finish…too much dairy, I’m not used to it!  Liz ate the entire fish down to the bone and McKell finished off her half of the chicken! 

Mac and Cheese!

McKell eating half a chicken.

Liz ate the whole fish!

I couldn't finish my mac and cheese...good thing I have friends who like to eat!

We met some friends, Sarelle and Liana, who couldn’t find a space at the guest house so we let them stay in our tent with us!  They were so nice!  We also shared a scrumptious breakfast of hard bread and fake butter – yum!

The next morning we went to Wli Falls, which is the biggest waterfall in Ghana.  Breathtakingly gorgeous!

 

 

 

It was a wonderful, smooth, physically challenging (all the hiking!), and hilarious weekend as always!  I told a guy my name was Beyonce.  He then went forward to tell us that he could be our JZ and then rapped for us.  I rode in a taxi ride with 7 obronyis (foreigners) plus the driver for about 45…so uncomfortable, but we made some new friends.  We went to an actual “bar” called the Happy Spot and conversed with some very drunk gentlemen…hehe.  We did some shopping in this one shop that sold wooden carvings and they had wooden penis’s – why?!  One day I ate bread and probably 8 oranges and I’m pretty sure that was it until our late supper.  Oh just random things always happen and they always make our trips so much fun! 

We made it back safe and sound, with many mosquito bites, lots dirty clothes, and a couple hundred photos to show for it!  

One Head is Better than Two Hands

One of my favorite things about Ghana is how people carry everything on their heads!  And the amounts of things they carry is incredible!

The most impressive carriers I have seen have been the women.  They carry SO much on their heads and then often carry their babies on their backs.  I once saw this young adult woman carrying a big standing stereo speaker on her head! 

People who are selling things on the streets often carry their goods on their heads.

This little boy, age 13, was carrying this big plate of oranges that was probably about 20-25 pounds!  I tried to put it on my head…I could barely hold it let alone hold it with no hands!

Here’s me and Liz trying to fit in!  Somehow we got more stares and laughs...of approval or ridicule I'm not quite sure.  :-) 

Women's Outreach

So since I have been here, HEPENS has started a women’s outreach in the community of Kakumdo.  Liz and I have served as the main teachers, with the wonderful Ghanaian woman Maggie as our translator and comrade. 

The women are just the greatest.  Usually, Liz and I go in really unsure of how things are going to go, not sure if they will accept what we say, and worrying about the fact that we are teaching on things that we have never experienced (such as pregnancy, breast feeding, menopause, etc.) whereas many of the women have.  But each and every time we have held the session, it has gone SO well and the women are so welcoming, so engaged and so appreciative.  It is so uplifting when we see them nodding in agreement, asking really good questions, asking for clarification, and asking us to come back next week and teach about such and such issue they want to know more about.

Each week Liz and I will prepare a topic, make popcorn or buy bananas, get water, and go to the shanty 90-year old Catholic church and wait for our women to come.  They usually show up 30, 40, 50, 60 minutes late, but when they come, we get so excited!  Then we teach.  Maggie translates into Fante because many of the adult women do not speak English.  And they ask questions throughout and then at the end we eat and drink and exchange greetings! 

We have taught about menstruation, fertility and pregnancy, family planning, and breast health.  We are hoping that once we leave, Maggie and others will continue with the weekly outreach!  Sustainability is always the goal!

A few weeks ago we made some popcorn for the women with our NGO leader's family members.  It was a riot chilling with these older women making popcorn over a coal fire stove.  

Then we went around the community to see the women.  We brought them popcorn and they were overjoyed!  It was a lot of fun just conversing with them.

This has probably been one of my favorite experiences here.  Women, when gathered together, share a special connection and that is no less true in this setting.  These women are so special.  I just love each one of them and I don’t even know any of their names!  They are so beautiful and are truly the epitome of the African women we think of.  They wear the beautiful head wraps and dresses and just have this wonderful motherly feel about them.  They are hardworking, stern, but loving women.