I believe I forgot to mention in my last blog entry that I have been teaching alone in the class with brief interjections from my teacher when needed. One of my classes is very inquisitive and asks very detailed questions that I may not know the answer to or struggle to explain. So my teacher will help me by giving them the background knowledge. Other than that I have been teaching my students. It is very rewarding when the students are interested in the material and would like to know more information than what I am giving them. It has been going pretty smoothly. I am starting to feel like an adult! Being away from home, getting up everyday to go to a job that doesn't pay enough (or in my case nothing, i pay to go), its very humbling and fun.

This last weekend was our most adventurous yet, we went to see some waterfalls an hours hike into the forest. It was a very beautiful walk that crossed 9 rivers and had beautiful plant life. The guide found some berries for us to try, blackberries(nothing like our black berries) and a berry that tasted like pure sugar. The sugar berries were good, but they left the taste of sugar in your mouth for nearly an hour, everything I ate or drank tasted like sugar. When we arrived at the falls I was amazed how large it actually was, and how cold the spray from pool was. It felt like I was walking into a storm. It was very refreshing after a long humid hike to reach them. There was a vine almost 7 feet off the ground that Andrea and I managed to clime onto and use as a swing. It was a lot of fun. The man who showed us around the town and kept track of us, Anthony, was very nice and really helpful.

I am starting to get excited about leaving because the thought of being with friends and starting a new school makes me want to be home. But at the same time I am very sad that the time here has gone by so fast, and thinking about leaving my new "black family" (as we call it) tugs at my heart. It will be a sad and emotional day when I have leave here because I have made a lot of new friends and family. The students are a treat and I know I will miss them. So it is going to be a bitter sweet departure from this gorgeous but hot country.

Africa being a great place of unexpected delays I have not been able to blog until today. Monday the day I usually write about the previous week and weekend the Internet did not work. So I was forced to deal with the inconvenience and move ahead. I was planning on doing it Tuesday but I found out that Tuesday was a holiday for the school and many workplaces. It was the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, so we decided to enjoy the day by venturing into a market and botanical gardens.

It is hard for me to believe that in 2 1/2 weeks we have to leave this beautiful place and even harder to believe we have been here for nearly 5 weeks. I have picked up on my teaching an getting better, the students are starting to respect me, but that has not translated into better grades. I corrected a quiz they were given on Friday and the students did not fair very well. It was disappointing. I have to find out what caused these poor results because they knew they were having the quiz so they had time to study, whether they did is another story. Other than that the class is going well. I am excited to come back and compare the two school systems. There are many differences and both could probably learn from the other, and I am hoping to be the bridge to connect them.

Andrea and I decided on Saturday to venture out on our own and go to the market to get gifts for friends and family. I was nervous to go because I am not good or comfortable with bargaining. When getting out of the overpriced taxi we were bombarded by warm welcomes into the many stalls. It was hard to say no to the invitations but after visiting the first 3 shops we quickly learned to keep walking and say no. They didn't bother me as much as they did Andrea because they could tell she was eager to see jewelry, while I on the other hand didn't look interested. Auntie gave us some valuable info about the markets and it is that whatever they say offer about 40% of that and then settle on a price a little above half the original. Even after doing that I know we still got ripped off but I'm only here once and it is still cheaper than at home. Also the people here need the money more than I do so I do not feel horrible for maybe paying a cedi or 2 more than I probably should have.

On Sunday everyone played soccer, even Andrea! It was her first time playing here and she said she really liked it. Everyone was excited and when the boys saw her play they were surprised and very happy she was playing. That day decided to be extremely sunny and hot so it was tough to play in but we were having so much fun that dehydration couldn't stop us. A cold shower never felt so good in my life after playing with everyone on Sunday.

Over the Holiday Auntie took us to a new market and had us pick out some fabric so we could have a shirt or dress made. The market wasn't busy but I could still barely handle it in the market because the walk ways were so narrow and there was zero circulation. It was worth it though to get some nice fabric. Later that day we went to the botanical gardens, which was mostly just trees, and had a blast. It was a long trip to get to the gardens because it is high in hills. The trees were five times larger than any I have seen at home. There was this one tree that was hollow and I stood inside of it, it was the craziest thing.

It was a great week, and it is sad that soon these incredible adventures and learning experiences will be over.

The classroom environment is very different than the environment that I have encountered in the United States, the classes are a lot more note based than what I am used to for a middle school. The students are expected to take notes of what the teacher is dictating with use of highlight words and topics on the board. The big difference between the not taking is that the student write full sentences, and ask the teacher to repeat what was said many times. Every class does this and everyone's notes are expected to be almost identical. This is very different compared to the States where I dictate and the student jot down phrases or single words rather than perfectly constructed sentences that take a lot of time to write. The benefit to the way it is done here is that the teacher knows exactly what the students know and can evaluate them on what should be in their notes. The notes are the exact same as the previous years also with little deviation. Things are going well though and it hard to believe we are starting our fourth week of classes!!

As for our "home" life it is very, very nice. I feel very welcome and can go and come as I please but still have concerned parents. It does not feel like we are in someone else's home but rather we are "living" there right now. It creates an environment that doesn't allow me to get very homesick because I feel comfortable in the home. The boys that live there have become little brothers and we even have started teasing each other like family. It is very fun and Michael keeps us busy playing cards or watching him just run around. Partey and Michael started school this last week and are having fun because they get to see their friends and escape house work during the day.

This weekend was a blast!! Andrea and I did some incredible things. We went on a canopy walk that was nearly 100 feet off the ground. It was an awe-inspiring sight to see acres and acres of rainforest spread out in front of us. It was incredible. Then for lunch we ate at a little spot that had live crocodiles walking around!! You could walk up and touch them, at your own risk of coarse, it was a great time. After a nice lunch we visited El Mina castle and the Cape Coast castle. As a history teacher this was a great opportunity to snap pictures to show to my future classes. We stayed in a hotel overnight, but because of cultural aspects of Ghana we each had to have our own room, even though there were two beds per room. The rooms were only 13 dollars a night though so it was not a huge inconvenience. On our bus ride home that was only supposed to take 2 hours it broke down and we had to sit and wait for another bus for 2 hours in the heat. Overall this weekend was a blast even the broken bus gave me a great story to tell!!

After 5 Days Without The Net

My second week in the classrooms was much more valuable to my experience than the first week. In part due to the life lessons I have learned in and out of the classroom. The Internet had not been working in the school for 5 days and hindered me blogging also from contacting my family and friends. The thing one learns quickly when in Africa is that there may be many speed bumps in your path but if you take your time and go slow, one will come out of it unscathed. This idea was also shown to me in my home. The shower has not been running for the past 4 days, so I have had to use a bucket and pale. If the water did not work in my house in America I would be furious but the people here take it in stride because it is a common occurance and that has taught me to relax about small things like that.

In the classroom I have been becoming more comfortable being in front of the class and taking on responsibilities. The research is still very difficult and confusing but my teacher has shared his noted he uses to conduct the class in an organized manor with me. That is a very big help. We are more team teaching at the moment rather than either of us teaching a whole lesson. Soon I hope to take over full responsibility of the class!! The students are starting to become more friendly with me and see me as a teacher. I realized that marking assignments is a very tedious process that can take an exorbitant about of time. It may be only 10 questions but when I have to grade multiple classes it takes a lot of time for simple assignments.

Culturally, Andrea and I experienced a funeral this last weekend and saw the many differences. The Ghanaians tend to celebrate the persons life rather than mourn their death. There was much more singing and readings than the funerals I have attended in America. Everyone was invited to the house of the deceased person after the funeral. There was a band and food for people, we didn't stay long but it was a very nice thing for them to do.

Everything is going great with the family. I have been playing football a lot with the boys. My body is not used to the heat and makes it difficult to play for long because I get so hot. I try hard to keep up but these kids play regularly from birth and are very, very good at controlling the ball. Also they play in flip flops or barefoot which is amazing. I must look so silly running around chasing the ball they strategically pass to each other. I am having fun though, and I hope everything keeps getting better.

After A Week And A Half In Ghana

After my first week at school, and a week and a half in the country, I am loving it!! Everything has intrigued me, from the people to the weather. The people here all seem to be very caring and the community is as important than as an individual. I do not know if it is because I am a guest but everyone is very helpful and extremely friendly. Everyone is interested to see how I'm enjoying myself, or if there is something they can do to help make my stay better. Even the children at the schools say good morning/afternoon to me. A teacher and I were discussing the difference between American children and Ghanaian children. A major difference is their respect for elders and people of authority. A child in the states can walk past a teacher without even looking at them and not be confronted about it. But here a child almost always says "hello, good afternoon" and if they don't the teacher will confront them about it. That's how strong the sense of community is, it is expected and natural to say "good afternoon" to everyone deserving it. It is a nice change. Everyone loves to laugh and smile, I think everyone has a permanent smile on their face. A lot of the time it is because of something I have done, whether it is butchering a pronunciation of something or just how many questions I ask. The smile is not malicious and putting me down, it is more of an appreciation smile that I am interested in their lives. They respect that Andrea and I trying new things and broadening our horizons. They are more than willing to listen to anything i have to ask or show me how to do something.

The food is a lot different than the states, they have their own cuisine. I was trying to think of something specifically from the states that if a person from Ghana came to visit I could prepare for them. All I could think of is a PB&J , grilled cheese, and a hamburger. There is not very many things, we are just a culmination of many different types of cuisine. Here there is a strong sense of pride in their culture and they love to share it with anyone who is interested. The food is spicy, luckily I like spicy things! They take spice to a whole new level though, everything is spicy, even their juice. I had some pineapple and ginger juice, not my favorite but it was OK. Overall the food has been good! Using my hands was different at first but now is not strange and sometimes easier.

The schools are very different than what I have experienced in the U.S. I am not used to the private Catholic schools because I have been in a public my whole life except college. So the mass once a week and the everyday before school song is foreign to me. The teachers seem to be very relaxed and confident in their teaching abilities, it is a very supportive atmosphere for me because of this. No teacher is ever to busy to help if i need it. I haven't done much teaching yet, but I enjoy the class. I am in a Ghanaian history class, which is not something I have done extensive research on, a lot of my time has been spent reading and researching their history so I can be well versed in it. The classrooms are very airy and open, but both sides of the class are windows and that allows for a lot of distraction. Also it allows the noise from outside to flow right in. I have to really listen to hear the students and even harder to understand their answers because of their thick accents. I am working at it and getting better.

I feel this was the right choice for me, because the people are amazing and opening me up to be the confident relaxed teacher I hope to be in the future.

As a future educator I am a strong proponent of a well rounded multicultural view of important issues and education. It is very important to me to help my students understand the world as a whole. As the world gets smaller with easy access to people from all over the globe via email, phone, and other means it is important to understand and be sensitive to the racial and cultural differences. As a history major at St. Norbert College with a focus specifically on African history when the opportunity to study in such a prominent historical area presented itself I could not pass it up. While in Accra I will have to become more flexible when it comes to the teaching situations, as well as working with the students. In Ghana specifically in Accra the social atmosphere is much different than the one I am familiar with. The atmosphere is a much more relaxed fluid structure that allows for more flexibility when teaching longer or more complex lessons. With the relaxed attitudes I feel that I will be able to enjoy teaching even more and by loving what I do and not becoming stressed and uptight the students will benefit immensely. Besides opening my eyes to different forms of teaching while observing different techniques used, I will experience a social structure much different than the suburban Midwestern one I am used to. I am excited to see the caring much more friendly atmosphere in the city. The people are typically much more friendly than the keep to yourself attitude of America. Along with the friendliness the open air markets that I have experienced very little of are very busy and used by almost everyone. I am excited to view the market women that I have done deeper research on. I am interested in how the women control the trade in the areas and see how they have much of the power. Women have historically been held down but the women in Ghana have changed this long standing injustice. By viewing all the differences between the U.S. standard and the Ghanaian standard will give me a well balanced view of the world. Also as a history teacher I will have personal experience to bring to the lessons on different cultures and Africa. The slave trade had a major hub very near where I will be located, I will be fortunate to expierence this and can bring back pictures and personal expierence to inform my students.
I believe that my student teaching in Accra should not just effect me but I should have an impact on it. The students will benefit from me being there because they will be receiving a cultural experience that not many people are able to have. I hope to cause the students to become more inquisitive about the world and see that there is a broader world out there with really great people. Outside of the school I hope to make great friends and maybe have some impact on their lives and create memories that will last with them forever. There will be many differences between me and the cultural norm for Ghana but there will also be many similarities. Understanding and accepting the differences while enjoying the similarities I think will be a strong lesson in tolerance and acceptance.
I have always been interested on going abroad because limiting oneself and only seeing one way of life creates little to no personal and social change. This opportunity is amazing and I am excited to learn and develop as much as I can from my future students and friends.