When in Ghana, do something stupid… to celebrate Canada Day?!

Well, all you lovely folks back home – Happy (belated) Canada Day! As the title of this post suggests, I perhaps did something that some might consider to be a little risky, but being as I’m typing away here, I’m sure we've all come to the conclusion that I am safe and sound (unless of course something happens between now and when I go to the post this, in which that would be a bummer - this is an awesome story!).

Oddly enough, July 1^st is a public holiday in Ghana as well, which meant, we were able to enjoy a day off. The Ghanaians celebrated Ghana, and us Canadians, well, we didn't really celebrate at all…

My day started off with laundry. So much laundry. For those of you who do not know what that means, I’m not talking about throwing some items into a machine and walking off. No, I’m talking about two solid hours of hand washing. Sure, I could do myself a favour and do a few things here and there, but, then what would I complain about? Anyway, laundry is actually usually put off due to pending rain. But, when you’re down to your last pair of undies, you don’t really have much choice. And, just like all the other times I have done laundry, I started off outdoors in the beautiful sunshine, and the moment I hung the last item on the line, the ominous clouds began to take over! I decided to ignore them, as my clothes were already soaked anyway, and packed my bag to head to town.

Originally, I had planned to venture into the market, find a place to sit or hangout and just people watch and snap some photos. But, by the time I arrived in town, I was fairly certain that it would begin to downpour at any moment, thus making it unpleasant/pointless to follow through with my plan. So, I did what any responsible, young lady would do – I jumped on a random trotro and made my way to wherever it was going. Why was this stupid you ask? Well, a) when it rains, they don’t usually operate, meaning I could be dropped off somewhere and become stranded, b) I didn't tell anyone where I was going, other than “to town to people watch,” c) my phone was dying, and d) because I’m a young, female obruni (white person)!

As the trotro headed out of town, it began to rain, but not enough for the driver to pull over. After about 45 minutes to an hour, a bunch of people were getting out and I could see a park of sorts across the street. With my “do one thing a day that scares you” philosophy in mind, I jumped out of the trotro (not actually, it was stopped, and I actually exited in my usual awkward, 'wrong foot first' way) and followed the masses. I can’t tell you, even now, where I was or what this park was, but it was freakin’ amazing! It was some sort of forest/botanical garden thingy, and there were hundreds of people there celebrating.

But, as I alluded to earlier, that rain quickly became a torrential downpour! So, what does a very white Canadian do when she’s in a place she knows nothing about? Well, she jumps on to a random bus filled with students having what can only be described as the best dance part in the history of “torrential downpour bus dance parties!” It was probably one of the most incredible moments of my life! Everyone was laughing, singing, playing instruments, dancing, and just living in the moment. They invited me back to join them, but I regretfully stood at the front smiling and chatting with the few people around me.

When the rain finally died down enough, I hopped out and did a little tour around the premises. It was so beautiful, and exactly what I needed in that moment. I woke up feeling slightly homesick, and wanted nothing more than to find a tree to plunk myself under and either read, write, or just process (ESST-style!). Unfortunately they rain began once again, so I wasn't able to do that, but I truly enjoyed my time just adventuring around and getting caught in the rain!

After an hour or so, I made my way back to the trotro station where I returned once again to the comfort of Koforidua. When I arrived back at the home stay, my clothes were dried, and I learned that it hadn't rained there at all while I was gone. This was the perfect way to end such a crazy-awesome day. And this my friends, is perhaps my best story ever. 

Half way to home and the return of the Karaoke Kab!

I’d like to tell you a story. My last post indicated at the end that there was some tension in the house. While thankfully this only lasted an uncomfortable meal or two, it didn't fully remove the strain of the group. As you may also remember, I had alluded to things not quite going as we’d hoped. And this first leads me to confession time…

Those of you who were around me pre-travel knew I was trying my hardest to arrive in Ghana with few expectations. I’d like to think I did a pretty good job of that, being as I really only expected two things: 1. It would be hot. 2. I would be insanely busy. Before I proceed further, I need to make it perfectly clear that what I’m about to say is not an attempt to paint the organization I’m here with in a negative light. But, when it comes to my expectations for this trip only one has been correct – it’s friggin’ hot here!

I spoke with a "special friend" last weekend who excitedly asked what I've been doing, and all I could say was, “we did two workshops and a seminar.” He sounded almost as disappointed to receive this news, as I was to accept the reality that this is all that we had accomplished in nearly six weeks. Most days we are done by noon, leaving us ample downtime. At first it was nice, because we had an opportunity to explore Koforidua, and return to Cape Coast. But, this past week, I think the five of us had collectively had enough.

It’s Monday morning, we’re all at our usual meeting spot, knowing that our anticipated Friday activity had to be rescheduled. We arrived with the intention of developing a game plan, but were quickly greeted with the news that Tuesday and Thursday’s activities also had to be postponed. This meant that we had nothing going on this week, as Monday was to be used for preparations for the week’s activities, and Wednesday was planned for our Mid-Term Reports. I felt so deflated when I left that meeting. Well, I suppose I should say I felt even more deflated when I left that meeting.

Wednesday morning we met with William (the project coordinator) to discuss the current schedule we have for the remainder of our time. The goal of this meeting: to see what we can add to make us busier. I felt we left that meeting one a positive note. It was great! We brainstormed some more ideas that were relatively cheap to execute, and beefed up the calendar for the next six weeks. I think everyone was feeling pretty good about things, but we were anticipating a visit from Fred the next morning, so we were also feeling hopeful about the outcomes of our time with him. When Thursday came and went, the group was on a high only seen in the first week or two after our arrival. We made additional plans with Fred that gave responsibility to each group member, with an attempt to level the playing field.   

So, here’s where I wish the story to begin. A week ago we saw a huge divide in the group. This led to a bit of tension for a few days, that I, personally, found challenging. We collectively felt demotivated on Monday morning, and then two days later, we came together to make the situation better! Now we’re on fire again, with new activities in the books, and little down time (It’s Saturday morning, and after breakfast I have to get to work for next week’s activities!)! This is what I came here for…or perhaps what I was expecting!

On Friday we broke into teams and tackled several items. I had the opportunity to travel to Nsawam with William where I feel we had the most productive meeting I've been in here. The partner we met with was responsive to the questions and ideas we brought with us, and I’m looking forward to the remaining activities we have planned for the area.  And this, my friends, sums up the tale of making lemonade out of lemons!

Police Escorts, Untrustworthy Toots, and Other Ramblings from the Week

Well folks, it is Day 33, which means there are 54 that stand between me and my return to Canada! Crazy!

Monday started with a meeting at 9 am for preparations for this week’s Seminar. As per previous comments, we were left waiting for several others to arrive for 45 minutes to an hour. I was a little annoyed but made a conscious decision to just accept that this is a way of being. Following what should have been a very brief meeting (meaning, we should have been done by the time the first person decided to join us), 5 of us piled into a taxi and made our way to four different schools in Koforidua to deliver the letters requesting their students’ participation in the Seminar scheduled for Thursday of this week. Yeah, that’s right… we asked permission to have students attend an event that was to take place a few days later! Imagine if we attempted to do this in Canada! It is this aspect of life in Ghana that I appreciate, but am also perplexed by. As the theme of the seminar was pollution, the schools all seemed to be eager to participate, which was awesome. One school was extremely enthusiastic, by stating that the topic was so important, that anything they could do to make a positive impact on the environment was something they wanted to be a part of. This was exciting, until we left the school, and I was greeted with an array of garbage strewn about on the ground just outside the building! Can’t win ‘em all, I suppose! Haha

This outing, I’m sure, seems really exciting to those of you reading, but I haven’t even shared with you the best part of this little adventure. The cab we took came equipped with a few television-esque screens, and music videos that had the words written out. This is a little something I now like to call “The Karaoke Kab”! I’m sure everyone who was smooshed into that taxi was surprised by the joy that I experienced upon the first song I happily belted out. It was Joe’s “I Wanna Know.” Pretty sure that was circa high school for me, meaning no one else knew it (it’s great to be so old! Haha)! The taxi rides throughout the rest of our time delivering letters transitioned from a sampling of Joe’s discography, to The Lion King soundtrack, and ended with the sweet, sweet jams of Whitney Houston’s Greatest Hits. Friends, I’m afraid life will never be the same. This was Monday, and today, as of Friday, I have yet to see Karaoke Kab since. Let us all please take a moment of silence…

The days in between letter delivery and Thursday’s Seminar were fairly slow. We spent a few hours each day putting together the outline of the two-hour event (that like everything else we've done so far ran well passed that!), and researching the latest information on the three main topics: Land, Water, and Air Pollution. I’ll give you one guess as to which theme I was assigned to talk about. If you guessed water, you’d be right. If you guessed either of the other choices, I’m questioning whether you know me at all! For me, this was a good challenge. The subject of water pollution is huge, and with only 20 minutes to present my section, it meant I had to make some pretty big decisions of what should stay and what should go.

The day of the Seminar I woke up so hyper I had trouble containing my energy. This was most likely the result of a few factors: a) it was the first time I slept through the night without waking up and b) it was the first activity we were doing that dealt with a subject I was actually interested in! The day was to start at 9:30 am, with students being picked up starting at 9:00. When a few of us arrived at 8:45 am, we were surprised to be greeted by William, and about half of the sixty students we were anticipating! This made for an exceptionally awkward set up, particularly as setting up the projector did not go so smoothly. Seriously, why am I always the “tech-savvy” one?!

Overall, I think the event went fairly well. There were, of course, those anticipated hiccups that occur with things like this, but the students seemed receptive to what we were saying. I started my session with a grim story about how much water we have on the planet versus how much we can actually consume. I’m pretty sure some kids had nightmares last night as a result of what I shared… And, for the record, using 1 liter of water to represent all of the water found on Earth, only one drop is what we have to use for human consumption. So… you should probably consider that for a little while (especially those of you who might be reading this that are known to take daily 45 minute showers… You know who you are!)!

After the seminar, I spoke at length with the representative from (and our main contact at) the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana, Cyril… *swoon*

As I've alluded to in this and previous posts, I’m finding we are enjoying more free time, and less time concentrated on project related things. Sometimes this downtime is nice, but being as I came to Ghana to actually work, this has been a huge source of frustration for me. So, my chat with Cyril was an inquiry about what I can be doing in this spare time to help them out. The answer – guess who’s the new head of the EPA?! Yeah, not me, and it turns out there isn't a whole lot that I can do, well, at least that is associated with the EPA. However, there are some potential outings that I may be able to tag along for, such as site- scouting for pending EIAs, tree planting, and other agency related things. Hopefully this will work out, because it would be an awesome networking opportunity, AND I’m interested to learn more about the practices here in the Eastern Region. Two topics I spoke to Cyril about in detail were the possibility of designing a plan for a recycling program start up, and looking into fog-water harvesting as a means for providing drinking water to the residents of Koforidua (thanks, Alice, for bringing that topic to my attention! The paper I wrote for you is proving to be quite useful!). Perhaps my time in Ghana will not end in two months…

So, as I stated in the beginning of this post, we've been in Ghana for a full month. The five of us are all quite different, but for the most part, I feel, that all things considered, we get along well. However, as can be expected in any group work situation, each of our work styles are also quite different. This has presented a few tensions between us to date, but not in any great way… that is until 10 minutes after the Seminar. I’m not going to go into detail about it, but we had our first outburst (which I’m actually surprised hadn't happened sooner given the fact that we didn't know each other prior to our arrival, and our obvious personality differences). Was it handled in a way I would have approached it? Not really. So, it’s going to be a very interesting few days. Well, it’s already been an interesting 24 hours. It’s been a little awkward, particularly as I seem to be torn by both sides of the indifference. If there’s one thing I hate more than anything, it’s conflict. Being the Mama Bear sucks in times like this. I just want everyone to get along…

Well, that’s about all I've got. My tan is continuously improving, my slight sunburn has disappeared, and I am still lovin’ the fact that I am in Africa!

I will make you something beautiful, and then they’ll be dead...

This week I find myself once again in Cape Coast. We made a team decision last week when we left, that we didn't have enough time to fully enjoy all that is this beautiful area of the country. It’s Friday night, and we have a fully packed day ahead of us tomorrow. Tonight, however, I feel tired. But, I just had the most amazing bowl of spaghetti I have ever eaten, so life is actually pretty great! Seriously… that spaghetti was great. It was so full of garlic. I may never leave this resort.

The past week has been slightly uneventful. Our return from Cape Coast last week was a little stressful, as we took a different type of bus from Cape Coast to Accra, and it took double the time, meaning we almost missed the last trotro to Koforidua. I’d like to think I handled it well, being as back home Emily would have likely had a complete meltdown the second I found out that there was a chance we wouldn't be able to get back home that evening. Instead, I just let things happen, and luckily, it all worked out. But, it was late when we returned.

Thankfully, Monday started with a fresh cup of coffee, from one of the packets of instant I had been given with my breakfast the day before (I know, I know, individual packaging is awful!). I think this is the time to inform you all that the cup I had on the Sunday was the first I had consumed in nearly three weeks. Instant or not, it was pretty amazing, and I happily drank it! Boy, do I ever miss Java Blend’s Dark Aztec (and you lovely folks reading this back home, as well…)! The thought behind saving this extra packet was so that when I felt I needed that caffeinated boost I would have one available. But, being as we got in so late, I threw that out the window and drank it with my breakfast. I put too much water in. And this was only the first moment of frustration for the day!

Look, I don’t want to seem like I’m complaining about my experience, but there are times when I’m in a meeting or working towards a particular project and something will happen, and it literally takes everything in me not to have the biggest temper tantrum ever. Monday morning, after my failed cup of coffee, I was sitting in our meeting room with my four other teammates and our program co-ordinator, waiting for our ‘mentors’ to join us, and nothing. No one shows. I get that things are different here. In fact, I actually don’t mind the “Africa way of life” as many like to point out, I think the thing that I found so frustrating was that the week previous we were 7 minutes late getting to our meeting point, and they made a big deal over it, and here, an hour past out planning meeting time there was no one. Grrr...

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent researching and preparing for a workshop, where I was scheduled to discuss budgeting and fundraising. Remember when I went back to school so I could leave the business part of my life in the past? Yeah, that hasn't happened yet! Haha! Thursday and Friday were supposed to be for our workshop in Nsawam, but when we arrived we were told that the venue had only been booked for one day, instead of two.  This of course, after we tried to convince the partner there that we could do it in one day, prior to this last minute decision. So, we learned to be flexible and go with the flow, and I have to say that under these circumstances, we did quite well. But seriously, I need to stop being the business-savy one in the groups I am a part of (not just here in Ghana – in ALL group work!). And also, that was a great bowl of spaghetti.

Because I feel like I’m being overly negative this time around, I feel now is the perfect time to say that had the workshop gone both days, we wouldn't have arrived in Cape Coast as early as we did. Things surely happen for a reason, and the need for sleep and sightseeing is most definitely it! Night for now…big day tomorrow!

Day Two/Take Two:

I try to live my life in a way now that includes doing something every day that scares me. Sometimes this is as simple as getting out of bed in the morning, other times, it’s straddling a crocodile, while patting his jelly-like belly, and attempting not to get eaten. Today was filled with lots that both scared and challenged me!

We woke early, as we had to be ready for the day no later than 7 am. Our driver from the previous day was waiting for us when we got to the top of the road. First stop – Kakum National Park, an approximately 40 minute drive away from the resort we were staying at. Our objective – walk along the canopy of the rain forest on sketchy walkways 14 feet off the ground. Now, I am not someone who would consider themselves to be afraid of heights. However, when the walkway you are encouraged to use is nothing more than rusty ladders with planks of wood that seemed like they would snap at any second, I was a little hesitant to participate. But, as of that point in the day, I had to do one thing that scared me, so off I went. There were seven walkways in all, and the views from each platform were incredible. We didn't see any animals while on our walk, but it didn't matter, the vegetation alone was breath-taking. It was so quiet and calm up there!

Next we made our way to the aforementioned crocodile pond. I actually don’t know what this place was called, only that I paid 3 cedi (a little more than a dollar Canadian) to snap some photos of a bunch of crocodiles, and then have the chance to be up close to one. This made me a little nervous, I won’t lie, but I also felt like I was in pretty good hands! I was surprised by the way it felt. I guess I was expecting something more hard and dry, not flabby and soft!

Our final stop was to the Elmina Castle – the largest of the three remaining slave castles in Ghana. The tour for this one was not as good as last week’s at the Cape Coast Castle, but the size and history within this place was far more difficult to grasp than the other. We learned that the Elmina had approximately 3 million slaves enter the castle, but only 1 million left by way of slave ship. The remainder died within the walls of that castle. It was pretty intense, and the same sentiments I found myself with last week returned this time around. How was this a thing that happened? And, how did it go on for so long? I just can’t get my head wrapped around this!

The highlight of the day for me, however, was none of these activities (although all three were pretty awesome!). The best part of my day happened as I explored the market near our resort, when all of a sudden, the sky turned dark. The clouds pretty much melted into liquid form, and I, soaked, walked slowly back to my room. I felt like I was five. It was amazing. I think I giggled creepily throughout the entire walk. When I returned, I sat on the porch of our room and watched the rain fall and the waves crash, all while taking in the sounds of the loudest thunderstorm I have ever heard! If anyone wondered what true happiness was, this is it.

The rest of the evening was pretty dark. Seriously, the power went out, so it was really dark. It was bedtime anyway… at 6:45 pm.

Day three:

We returned safely to Koforidua. It felt like forever since I had last been there. I was greeted at the door by our home stay Mama, who gave me a big hug. It’s good to be home. (…even if I did get my first sunburn after nearly a month. Who wins the bet?)

PS: Sorry…I know this one is long and rant-y, but I thought I should mention that there has been a lot of flooding taking place, particularly outside of Accra, and on the way to Cape Coast. The drive to and from was at times hard to witness, since it was evident that the rains from the last few days have devastated some areas. In one village there were houses and a car submerged. I am thankful to be in an area that isn't prone to this sort of thing, both here in Ghana, and back home in Canada. Be safe, my friends!

Oh, and also, I peed in a hole this week... so... I can pretty much do anything!

Oh! There's so many obrunis here!

Last time I posted I was doing so during an incredible rain storm, and I was pretty happy. Tonight I am sitting on a chair outside overlooking the Atlantic, watching and listening to the waves crash against the shore. I feel so close to home and yet so far away. I feel homesick, but at home all the same. It's weird. I tried to call a few of you at home, but like usual none of my calls went through, until I got a hold of Scott. There are amazing things happening here - and I will share them in a minute - but today for the first time on my long, knee-crushing trotro drive to Cape Coast, I started to question what I'm actually doing here...

This week was set to be short, given the Public Holiday we had on Monday, and especially since our Tuesday plans were cancelled due to an unexpected illness. Who remembers me saying that it wasn't me, that I was fine? Bonus point if any of you heard me jokingly say "the only thing I'll probably be able to add to my resume is 'had heat stroke for 12 weeks'"? Well, Wednesday after a long, hot, frustrating day, I returned home only to feel a massive headache. It wasn't the beginning symptoms of heat stroke, nor did it turn out to be anything too serious (thankfully), but what ever it was kept be bed ridden for a day and a bit. As a result, I also missed Day One of our first workshop. From the symptoms I was showing at the beginning, I was convinced that I had Malaria, but again, thankfully I did not. Luckily, as well, I wasn't presenting until the second day of the workshop.

Enter Friday. Still not 100%, but to quote a one Mr James Pineo (my Mom's late father) "there's stubborn and then there's stupid..." I was being stupid. I'm not so sure I was being stubborn either, perhaps just guilt ridden for letting my team down, regardless, I boarded the trotro for Asamankese and tried to mentally prep for the day ahead. My part was small - discussing roles and responsibilities - but I pretty much wasted all of my energy leading the group stretch 30 seconds prior. Again keep in mind, 24 hours before this I was on hour 9 of 12 of dry-heaving. Thankfully I was finished and spent the remainder of my time trying not to pass out. The thing is...we were told it would end no later than 12, including lunch, yet here it was 2:30. And after all of that, the partner we were working with on this workshop and one of our main projects (for which we still have events to complete over the next nine weeks) turns to us and pretty much says "well, I got accepted to a Masters program, I start Monday." Insert the origin of my sudden "why am I here?!?!" moment.

But enough about that. Let's skip this afternoon. Cape Coast, found in the Western Region of Ghana, and home of the Cape Coast Castle aka my number one must see while here. For those of you who do not know what this is, it is an incredibly well preserved fortress used during the slave trade. I can tell you that stepping through its entrance gave me such an immediate overwhelmed feeling, such a heaviness. One the one hand it was amazing to be there, walking through this very real piece of history. On the other hand, I just felt incredibly sad and deflated think about what had to take place within the walls of the structure for it to be of such relevance. Countless men, women, and children taken from there homes. I thought about Mrs. Smaggus' grade 12 African Heritage Literature class and how this moment related to what taught, and how that very class reshaped my entire way of thinking and how I viewed the world.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the whole experience, was doing so with a Ghanaian friend, Freddie. Prior to the one hour tour that is included with admission, they direct you to the Castle's museum. We walked from display to display carefully taking in what each info panel was telling, with Freddie close by doing  just the same. It was fascinating to be reading about this chunk of history through a non-Western view. After we finished I sat down next to Freddie on the bench in the middle of the museum, and asked him what it was like for him to be there, to be reading and seeing all of it. This allowed us to have a brief chat about the current forms of slavery taking place today in not only Ghana, or even Africa, but globally. Powerful, powerful day. And once again I'm reminded of why I'm here.

By the time we left, it was nearing game time... Ghana vs. Netherlands...aka my first ever football match. So where does one go to watch the game in Cape Coast? A bus station, obviously...where we ate a "local classic" called pizza. But let me tell you about the most terrifying part of this story. I had to pee. Bad. So I make my way to the washroom where I'm confronted by this small child who insists I pay her. Fine. But then she looks at me, noticing my necklace, and says "next time, I want that." Needless to say, I held it in after that!

Well it appears to be nearing midnight. I'd better get some sleep being as this is the first time we have made it past the 8:30pm mark since arriving to Ghana!

***

Day two:
It's 5:45am. A few of us get out of bed, hop over the wall and head to the beach (which is maybe 10 feet from our room). With both feet planted happily in the Atlantic, I take a moment to look around. Garbage. Everywhere. On the beach. In the water amongst the waves. Those of you who know me well know that the unknown of the ocean terrifies me, while the power of it all completely fascinates me. Nothing makes me feel more insignificant, and yet it creates a charge within me - especially seeing unnecessary pieces of plastic tangled within each wave. Water in all of its forms is the center of pretty much everything, although we wouldn't know it from the way way we take it for granted. I maybe insignificant standing next to this body of water, but I care enough to want to seek change, and that in itself, to me anyway, is pretty significant. I just need to find away to make everyone else understand this as well.

Me in front of the Cape Coast Castle...and in the Atlantic!

So much garbage...

Those black chunks you see floating around are plastic bags... Just sayin'...

Signing off from beautiful Cape Coast, Western Ghana,
-the Orange Canadian

PS: Guess who's developping a bit of a tan?!?!?! ...and no, not of the red variety!

He put me on hold and then Britney Spears Christmas came on....

I am sitting on the front porch of my home stay, and the beautiful African rain is just coming down! In the distance massive thunderclaps can be heard and are far more intense than anything I've ever heard back home. I'm in heaven. This of course is my state after being caught in the rain for the first time since arriving. We had our scheduled plan for the day cancelled last minute due to an unforeseen illness (not me...no need to worry!), so we had planned to get several errands done in town. Unfortunately, the only thing we were able to accomplish was some research and an unnecessary cookie purchase. By the time we walked the driveway home we were soaked...but it was marvellous! It's hard to believe that only a few hours ago I got up early to hand wash some clothes (which are now semi-drying in my room)! It's funny though, knowing the rain was getting closer the vendors at the market moved quickly to get their goods indoors, marking the first time in my two weeks in Ghana that I noticed anyone moving fast!

This past weekend we had a holiday on Monday giving us an extra day to explore and adjust to life here. After a fairly frustrating day on Friday, we were pretty excited to do some fun things that would give us a needed mental break from work. On Saturday morning we awoke at our regular time, quickly ate breakfast, and then made our way into town to meet up with some of our YMCA partners and boarded the trotro. Our destination you ask? Boti Falls and Umbrella Rock! Both located at the same park, the trip there is approximately half an hour give or take. The first stop upon arrival was down what seemed like only a few steps on the way down (but felt like twenty flights of stairs on the way back) to Boti Falls. Basically this is two waterfalls which cascade into a pool of murky brown water below. It is believed that one is female and the other is male. This is a common theme of this park, as there is also a rock that has an imprint of what looks like male and female genitalia (sorry folks - there's no photographic evidence of this, but it exists I can assure you!) and another rock that the locals believe if you sit on it you will have twins (and you can bet I avoided testing that theory without a second thought!). I think we spent about an hour or so taking pictures and taking in the sights before making our way up those dreadful stairs.

Next we took a short break to catch out breath, chug some water, and have a few snacks. Then we made our way to Umbrella Rock, which is a rock that has eroded in such a way that it creates an umbrella type shape.

Just hanging out under a massive rock that could crush us if it decided to fall... 

To get there we started by following a group of school kids, and it seemed fairly easy, until we reached what I will only refer to as the moment I realized just how out of shape I am, or a very steep decline down a mountain I was not even aware I was on. Good times. This might also be a good time to mention I have a highly arthritic left knee that doesn't usually take too kindly to what I was about to subject myself to. But, thanks to my stubbornness and my ever present willingness to fall to peer pressure, I began to make my way down the cliff. I'm not going to lie, it really hurt. And by the time we made it to "the cave that can hold over 300 people" I was pretty much done. Well, that was until someone said it wasn't to bad of a trek to the Rock. They lied. To get to Umbrella Rock we had to climb back up that same cliff but at a different spot. It was a struggle for sure, even though my teammate Megan (who also has a bad knee) managed to do it while carrying a baby someone randomly gave her! When we made it to the top, it was beautiful. I was pretty happy that I kept going. We enjoyed the views, had several photo ops and then began what I was told for the second time would be a much easier, much quicker alterative route back. And once again, they lied.

As we walked along a dirt road in the intense heat of the sun, I realized I was entrusting my safety (and that of my fellow volunteers) to two guys we barely knew. Hands down probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done. ...but it sure beat having to climb down and then up that mountain again! Scott - I had the necklace you gave me on, so I knew I was safe! Since our day ended much later than we anticipated, we returned home and to be honest I can't really remember what we did other than relax and then go to bed at our usual 7pm.

Sunday meant church day. As you may remember it wasn't such a great experience last week. This week  I went to the church across the street from home with my home stay family, and what a difference! I'm not willing to change my believes by any means, but I've gotta say hearing a room full of beautiful harmonies bouncing off the acoustics within this semi-constructed building was so incredible it made my heart smile. I didn't even know what they were singing about because pretty much the entire three hour sermon was in the local language of twi (pronounced ch-wee). Afterwards we returned home and had some watermelon with what I'm quite certain had a 4 billion to one ration of seed to bite! It wasn't quite as sweet as what we would get at home, but it was really tasty. The rest of the day we spent relaxing and reading.

Our Monday began with a quick breakfast, before we made our way out the door and headed to meet William (our program coordinator) in town for adventure number two over the long weekend. This time we met William (who was dressed as if he were preparing for a tennis match - towel and all) and began walking to a part of Koforidua we hadn't yet been to. The purpose of this trek was to climb "the mountain," which is he only way we've had it referred to, and what might also be referred to as "how to test if arthritic knee pain is real!" Hint: it is.

Hiking this mountain consisted of nothing more than walking up the road that goes to the top. But this particular mountain's peak is the highest in Koforidua. We were told it would take us an hour and a half each way, which you might realize doesn't make much sense, being as it usually takes less time on the way down (thanks gravity!). At the base of the road, it was 8:25am and after a very hot and at times steep incline, we successfully made it to the peak just short of 9:30. We found a side trail at the top that took us to a beautiful look off, where we could see the entire city! It was pretty awesome! William handed out a choice of apple or pineapple drink and we all happily sipped away while snapping photos. And this is where William transitioned from "William" to "William the can crusher"! After we each finished our drinks he proceeded to crush each can with virtually no effort and in no time. I have video to prove this. It was epic.

Koforidua from the top!

Yours truly and William

On the way back William and I discussed what the future of his son might look like when he reaches our age. Then I proceeded to scare the poor guy by telling him about Global Dimming and upon me finishing my rant my knee gave out and I slid "gracefully" down the road ...like 5 inches, but it's way funnier to imagine me doing so for a longer distance (I think anyway)! I also enjoy that this fall happened within 10 feet of finishing the hike. Classic Emily.

So there you have it...I climbed 2 mountains in three days and still sunburn free! I'll check in again soon!

- the Orange Canadian

Week 2, Attempt 2: Or, why technology and I are not friends!

I can't believe I'm finishing up my second week here in Ghana! So far there have been a few challenges, but nothing I can't handle. The biggest challenge is perhaps the pace of life here. I'm so accustomed to a usual routine of go-go-go, which is pretty much the complete opposite of how things work here. This week began with a series of meetings in Koforidua. For two days we went here and there meeting with our local partners, which was great except what should have taken us maybe half a day took us two not quite full days. The 'workaholic' in me is struggling greatly, but this is by no means a hindrance on my experience!

On Wednesday we travelled to Nsawam to meet with the partner we'll be working with there (and where I had the pleasure of experiencing my first bout of diarrhea - yeah, you're all welcome for that image!). The drive to and from was beautiful, despite being smashed in the back of the trotro! While in Nsawam, we visited three of the schools we'll be working with- all of which were quite different. The first was a wealthy-ish Catholic school. The second was a newly forming school for youth unable to afford private school in the area. Now, when I say newly formed, I mean they are literally building the school piece by piece as the students are studying. The third school was an all girls school, which was stunning. The drive to and from was beautiful, but was also where we all got a glimpse of "poor Africa". However, the most eye-opening point of the day was the realization that this third school, along with the surrounding neighbourhood, relied on boreholes as their main source of water. In this moment I felt this heavy overwhelmedness (which I'm fairly certain is not a word), that I have so much work to do, and none of it relates to why I'm a actually here! Writing about these issues briefly in my thesis does not compare to the reality of the situation staring you in the face. David (because I know you're reading this) - why did you encourage me to study water issues in Africa?! 

Thursday was semi-similar to to Wednesday, except we spent double the time smashed into the trotro headed to Asamankese. Again the drive was spectacular, and the purpose of the visit was the same. The highlight on this adventure, however, was our brief stop at the YMCA school, where we were surrounded by tiny children excitedly waving and trying to touch us... except for that on little boy we made cry because we we're white! (Still got it!) Seriously though, this quick stop was one of the most delightful moments of my life!

I look like a giant!

Check out those tiny little faces waving good-bye!

So, that's what life has been like for me this week. We have a long weekend ahead of us, so we're hoping to do a little hiking and sightseeing over the next few days.

Before I sign off, I want to address two things:

1. A number of you have asked what the washroom situation is like at the home stay. Well, we have two rooms - one has a toilet in it, but there is no sink (thank goodness for that excessive supply of hand sanitizer we all brought!). The second room is a shower, which just so happens to be home to the most amazing waterfall-like shower, thus making it incredibly difficult to stick to my 5 minutes or less rule. 

2. I had fully intended on uploading pictures to each of these blog posts, but unfortunately, the cord my tablet requires to attach to my camera isn't working. I am hoping to be able to fix this soon, but rest assured I am taking plenty of pictures and video to share with you when I get back. Handled! ...I hope!

I hope you are all doing well back home! Until next time... the Orange Canadian