wow...internet is like gold here! Sunday in Jukwa, Ghana

After our 10 hour flight to the capitol city of Ghana, Accra, we were excited, nervous, and exhausted all at the same time. The airport was so much smaller then we expected. Everything is done by hand, very little technology is used. As we stepped outside, the humid heat hit us like a truck. Once we made it through customs and got through the airport, we were greeted by the three Amizade coordinators from Jukwa, Ghana. Their names are Kwame, Francis, and Isaac. They took us to our "hotel", but for us it was more like a hostel, but worse. We went through all of the prior conditions for safety, customs, etc of Ghana. We then ventured out and explored the city. People drive like maniacs. The traffic was insane, with cars constantly honking and swerving in and out. People actually stand in the road between cars, selling anything and everything. We were all amazed by this.

After an evening exploring Accra, we went back to our "hotel" and had dinner. The food was somewhat different and new for us. But, we managed. The next day we packed up our things and headed out to spend the day seeing the rest of Accra and eventually traveling to Jukwa, which is 3 hours away. We visited the museum of the first president of Ghana, took lots of pictures, and finally had lunch at a local restaurant. After eating we asked if we could use the "washroom", which is what the Ghana people call a bathroom. They pointed us down the hallway to what looked like a hole in the wall to us. We were confused, there was only a drain in the floor, no toilet. At most places if you want to use an actual toilet, you have to pay.

Once we got to Jukwa, we settled into the place that we would call home for the next two weeks. This place has a swimming pool, AC, and indoor plumbing...upgrade! Although it is first class to them, it would be considered a very cheap motel in the US. We met the Chief of Jukwa, Nana. We went on a walking tour of Jukwa with our 3 muskeeters (aka guides). All of the children in the town were amazed at all of the brunis (the Ghana word for white people). They all were jumping around happily, wanting us to take their pictures. All of the village is very welcoming. On our tour we visited both of our service learning sites; the library and clinic. You'd be amazed at how underdeveloped these important places in the town are. We all got to thinking; if Ghana is one of the more developed and better off countries in Africa, then we'd hate to see all the underdeveloped countries.

After our day out on the "town" and sweating profusely, we came back to the Rainforest Lodge and jumped into the pool. We taught our guides American swimming games and they taught us theirs. Their games consisted of nothing but splashing one another. We had a blast! =) After swimming for over two hours we ate dinner under the shelter by the pool. Kwame's mother made dinner for us, and usually makes our lunches each day which we eat at her house. We were amazed to find that we were having spaghetti, with their own sauces. The sauces consisted of leaves and fish, yumm! ;)

This morning we went to a Catholic church in the village. The entire service consisted of dancing, singing, and an auction after. We bid on a pile of plantains and yams and won them both. We then traveled to Cape Coast, one of the larger cities near Jukwa. There we visited and went on a tour of the slave castle, which is right along the ocean. We were amazed at what we learned of the horrors the slaves suffered there. It was definitely a humbling experience. We took many pictures and then headed out to find this internet cafe which is where I'm typing at now. Internet in Jukwa is very, very hard to come by. You have to buy little cards in town with codes on them in order to buy minutes, and you also must have a modem. So this is why we say, internet and computers are like gold. We're not entirely sure when the next time we'll be able to post is, but check by every now and then to see.

-Bridget & Kristy

Pre departure

Wow this month flew so fast I cant believe we leave in only two days! I am both excited and a bit nervous about the trip, but I know this trip will be an experience of a lifetime... I am packing my things up right now and getting last minute things I need it is really starting to set in that I am actually going!

first blog post..sweet :)

I've never had or wrote on a blog before, so here it goes. I'm so excited about Ghana I can hardly sleep! Anyone else feel the same? :)

Pre-Departure

In just 6 days, I will be traveling, along with 6 West Virginia University students to learn and serve in Jukwa Ghana.  We are all excited and nervous to participate in this 2 week endeavor! We thank Amizade Global Service Learning and Volunteer programs facilitating this experience www.amizade.org. We will use this blog to keep our families and friends updated on our activities and lessons. Hopefully, but depending on our internet access, we will submit posts every few days. We hope that you will follow us and thank you all for supporting our project! Melissa