Happy in Hard Transition

On the beach near Cape Coast Castle before our morning lesson
on the African domestic and Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Beautiful batik creation!

Hi everyone, I am now in Cape Coast and everyone is having a great time even though it was a very hard transition for us to settle. The group and I are just taking things in and making it into a unique part of the experience. One moment that I could say was hard was that my roommate and I had to walk along a long road and up a big hill to get soda. I try not to dwell on the fact that every block or road should have a corner store but that is how much small things impact us in LARGE ways. My second host family was very welcoming and polite, which made the stay better. My experience in Cape Coast Castle, and Elmina was very eye opening, and overwhelming. After being in the two castles made think very deeply about how people of any race were being treated from the beginning of time to today. Having my lessons in cape coast castle was wonderful because I was able to learn about a complex side of history where it actually took place. This is our last week hear in Africa and everyone misses home especially there family and food. But we aren't done yet!! The excitement is still lurking and we are learning every step of the way!!!!

View from Cape Coast Castle.

The Experience So Far

I cant even tell you how much I've learned an grown from this trip, my first week with the locals i looked like an American so i was considered an abrooni (white). Now I'm obviously not white but it was something i delft with for the time being until i blended in. When i started staying with my host family i couldn't have been happier. There was just so much love and fun in the house and i remember my first night there i was taken to a five hour prayer service from 8pm to 1am and when the preacher was blessing everyone one with the holy ghost in their language(Twi) he came to bless me and i just stood there i didn't know what to do, but everyone just smiled and laughed with me. Since then Ive made a number of friends that cant be replaced, Ive been able to go out and explore on my own and really experience Ghanaian night life, but my trip isn't done yet I have a lot more to do and more experiences to experience so don't worry there is more to come.

in cape coast

hey im in cape coast with everyone having a good time but i really miss accra and new york. The transition here was hard because we all were adjust to our families in accra but over all very thing was fun. i can't wait to get back to new york to see my mom sister grandma and all my other family members.

Family Forever

The first night with my host family

One of my main concerns in coming to Ghana was how my host family would be. Would they be like family at home? Would they treat me as a daughter or as an American stranger? Well once I got to the family I had nothing to worry about. I have four host sisters, 3 dogs and a mom and dad. My family is loving and caring. I feel so relaxed and at home. I can be crazy and laugh out loud. More importantly, I feel like a gained another family, people that I can trust and ready to share new things with me. Not having any sisters it was important to me to have a strong relationship with them. The older sister Tina and I are around each other all the time. She is 18 and loves art and dreams of coming to America to go to school and work. A special moment with me and her was when she was trying to teach me to wash. That experience for me was different and crazy for me. I looked a fool trying to wash and she would just laugh.  I was washing the same shirt for almost ten minutes as she went 100 miles a minute on her clothes. I told her my way of washing was the American way. After washing we had a huge water fight!! It was so fun! I am texting and calling her everyday since we moved to Cape Coast. To me she is not just my host sister but family and forever a part of my life.

Making bread with my family for the store

My Host Bros

Go Cape Coast!!!!! Yay!!!!!

college style slave trade classes

Cape Coast is different that Accra but I love the experience here. For the past week in Cape Coast I had many different classes, such as the Trans- Atlantic Slave Trade at the Cape Coast Castle. We had a teacher that tough us about the slave trade and I've learned so much. We also had art classes that I enjoyed so much. I created my own fabric and made my own creative style. It was so much fun learning a new type of art. We also had music classes that was surprisingly fun and awesome, considering me, a person that don't have rhythm or like dancing. This week was crazy and so much fun. I cant wait to see my family, love you guys!!!!
xoxoxo

doing the bump at dance class

the bump from the back :)

creating my fabric. I'm a artis

Hey people

Hello to those back home!!! Sorry I haven't been posting a lot. I am very busy trying to take on a leadership role in Ghana. Despite some minor difficulties everything is going pretty well. Ms. Orman and I for the most part make a good team watching over the group. I also can't wait to come back home because I miss my family and friends :(. One thing I love about Ghana is my host family. My host mom treats me very nice, the first week she said " You are my son so if anything happens to you I would feel extremely bad". That experience almost made me cry because at the time I was very home sick, but my host family treated me like one of their own and I soon forgot about my real parents lol!!  MY HOST FAMILY IS ALSO VERY VERY HIGH CLASS!!!! My host family has four servants, a personal driver, a cook, and a bartender. I honestly felt like that girl from the play Annie. My house is huge, Elmer and I have our own floor and bathroom. My host brothers played many games with Elmer and I like pool, basketball, soccer, table tennis, and Ps3. My host family changed my views about African families, because I was expecting to sleep on the floor and live under poor conditions. Well my time is up so I would soon post some more for you guys. Love you guys!!!!!!!

A Moment Like This

"Everything changes but BEAUTY remains"

Hard working at a community children's school in Adenta of Accra, Hard work and effort was placed into what  we did as play was also incorporated. 

This experience as a whole has been great! Struggle, Companionship, and amazing days. Out of comfort zone thing are difficult but everyone has had the ability to overcome. My experience here has opened my eyes as stereo types are defeated and memories are ever lasting, as i would like to write everything down and create a book on it somethings can only be told by pictures or cannot be explained on paper. My time spent here is valuable as i have made friendships that i know will last forever. This trip as a whole is a new beginning to my travels all over and because this is my first, i can better prepare for my future travels. If asked about this trip don't complain if i want to give a detailed description and start from the time i arrived at Long Island University until my toes landed right back in the United States airport.

"Some People Wait A Life Time For a Moment Like THIS"

Cape Coast!!

The waves on the beach near the Cape Coast castle have a sense of symbolism. The waves are rough, yet the beach is peaceful. To me, it shows a metaphoric tone; the slaves that were held in the castle were put through times of hardship, pain, and suffering. However, the beach itslef symbolizes peace because it is full of life.

Jerome in the Batik Cloth shop scraping of wax for future use. He's a trooper!

The teacher for the kids at the Cape Coast castle.

Cape Coast is much more different than the capital city, Accra. When I first stepped off the bus, the first thing that I noticed was the difference between the amount of people on the street in Accra and the amount of people in Cape Coast. Here, the air is filled with humidity and the beach is close by.
    Last week, we visited the Cape Coast castle and had an opportunity to take educational classes on the History of the slave trade. Those classes were held from Monday to Friday. At first, stepping into the castle was overwhelming. You can almost feel the pain that the slaves have been placed through. Every part of the castle holds a significant story that touched my heart. The part of the castle that really hit home was the male slave dungeon. It was dark, there was hardly any air, and there were stains from remains all over the walls. The disturbing part of walking through the slave dungeon was finding out how many people were in the dungeon at once. It was one of many moments here in Ghana that changed my view on the world.

   

Stars+Fufu= Memories

Cocoa Anyone?

Cape Coast compared to Accra is much more quiet. Back in Accra I was amazed at the fact that I was able to see some stars! But on Sunday night we had a little night beach here in Cape Coast. And to my surprise I saw stars...AGAIN! But this time it was different. Almost everyone was able to see one constellation which was the Big Dipper. That was just amazing! because I always thought that I was never going to be able to see a constellation in my life, but I guess I was wrong. Anyways I was so excited on Sunday as well because I got to try Fufu for the first time and its DELICIOUS! I eat so much Fufu with Ground Nut Soup that I had to struggle to finish it. But those were just two things that really made my time here in Cape Coast a memorable one! Today we went on a Canopy Walk at Kakum National Park. Those were some tall trees. As we walked on the bridge I was freaking out because I am afraid of heights and the park ranger continued to say, "Don't look down," because I obviously wanted to look down.  At the same time I wasn't worried about my safety because I knew it was safe, but I was worried about my cocoa fruit falling from my pocket. But it was still a fun day I had two cocoa fruits,, had fun with the other group and I got to rock an awesome cap. P.S. I love cocoa :P

Today After the Canopy Walk (I know I have an amazing cap)

Canopy Walk at Ka Kum National Park

Week 2 in the Life of "Team Go Hard"

Zane and Paul (our ASF superhero volunteer) just getting started.
The week of community service left us splatter painted.

A funeral procession for someone who rode motorcycles passes by my house.  There were 100+ bikes.

Hello from bedtime in Achimota Market. Outside my window it's as live as any block in Brooklyn.  I hear motor bikes, taxi horns, people talking, walking by, having friendly arguments, and loud music - hip-life is playing.  It's the new generation's answer to Ghanaian highlife music, influenced by hip-hop.   The music will stop after I fall asleep.  I will wake up at dawn, when I hear Constance sweeping below my window, sssssk sssssk sssssk, and the street will slowly come back to life.  If each student described their home and neighborhood to you, they would each be a bit different.  Accra is huge!  

This is week two, a lot has happened, though blogging was off to a slow start.  Getting up and running with the internet took some time.  Even now, please be patient as we handle the technical difficulties as they come.  Neighborhoods in Accra trade nights without electricity. Families store water in their bathrooms and kitchens as water pressure can be unpredictable.  So, you know, the internet connection operates in a similar fashion.

Laurence and David attempt blogging at the school.  We're trying.

International travel is exciting, but really takes a lot of energy.  We did a little reading on "cultural adjustment" and it seems there are four phases: 1) Initial Euphoria and Happiness, 2) Irritability or Hostility, 3) Gradual Adjustment, and 4) Adaptation.  We found it safe to say that we've moved through stages 1 and 2.  :)  On to gradual adjustment!  And there are always people like Zane, who announced two days in a row, "I haven't had a bad day yet."  If he defies the model and skips stage 2 completely, I wouldn't be surprised.

Our second week found the committed travelers bonding with host families, undertaking an intimate study in teamwork, hugging hundreds of kindergardeners, and gaining a better understanding of how to navigate Accra, a city large and busy enough to overwhelm even the wisest and savviest of New York City teenagers.

Our first day, but something like this happened everyday.

Best playground ever.  Eric and Laurence.

Our community service site was the Adenta Community Kindergarden.  See us painting and leading activities with the students.  This project was both rewarding and challenging, and provided an opportunity for us to discuss youth leadership - where we're at, and where we want to be.

Our initial design included adinkra symbols for Intellegence, Harmony, and Strength in Diversity.  But the existing nursery rhyme paintings on the outside of the school had to stay, so the team had to regroup.

And let the painting begin...

Vivian's a hard worker.

David was excited to use the sign language he learned from Ms. Creed to "spread love the Brooklyn way"
with the professional painter who schooled us in painting in the nicest way possible.

Games were fun.
We play "huggy bear" to show love to one another - so we taught it to five year olds.

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes

With ASF volunteers, headmistress, and Adenta Community Kindergarten staff.

Monday - Thursday we got real painty.  On Friday we debriefed the experience (very productively) and went swimming (also very important!).

Our bloggie and ninjas go underwater.

The name of our game: recover from setbacks with style.
We're too fabulous to let some mandatory swim caps get us down.
Especially Marisa, who's really into it.

We will spend this weekend with our LOVELY host families before departing on Sunday for Cape Coast, about four hours away.  There we will have morning lessons on Trans-Atlantic slavery at Elmina Castle, the fort where many people were held before boarding ships, never to return to Africa again.  In the afternoon we will be able to learn some of the rich culture and creativity that surrounds us daily in ways both big and small.  We will be taking batik dying, drumming, and dance workshops.  

Each member of this group is learning and growing everyday.  Be very proud of them.  I certainly am.