off the beaten path

so this is the part in the trip where i start worrying about the trip ending too soon. i am still going to be here for over a month, but it doesnt seem like enough time. it is my goal over the next 5 weeks to get as much as i can out of Ghana and to get to know as many people as possible.

this past weekend was incredible. there werent any planned events through the program so we had a free weekend. on friday a couple of us went a couple of hours north of Accra to Koforidua and Boti Falls. it was my first time riding tro-tros, the main form of public transportation around here. basically a tro-tro is a converted van that holds about 10 sweaty passengers all packed in together. it is a great way to get to know some Ghanaians up close and personal. the tros take preset routes but will drop you off anywhere along the way and are incredibly cheap... 2 dollars for a 2 hour ride. Koforidua was beautiful... much different from accra. lots of rolling hills with palm trees and rainforests. women sell pineapple, coconut and mangoes at all tro stations and villages. it was nice to get away from the campus for a while and to be more in the daily lives of Ghanaians.

We took an incredible hike at boti falls... steep paths of jagged rocks and red dirt with giant trees and shrubbery all around. the path took us through a cave and up to a lookout over the rainforest and nearby villages. the falls were muddy because it had rained earlier in the day but were still beautiful. can't wait to show the pictures.

on saturday 4 of us were invited to the wedding of a music student here on campus. it took place in a shanty-town on the edge of accra. this was my first taste of poverty here in ghana. the living conditions are crowded and dirty but i definitely get the impression that people still manage to make a reasonable living and are relatively comfortable. people get by with so little.

the wedding was different from anything i have ever seen before. it was really cool being in a family environment and watching people interact with the local chief. we started off with the grooms family and walked in a procession through the streets to the bride's gathering. weddings here are marriages between families as much as they are marriages between individuals... kind of an interesting perspective. there was much singing and dancing along with some Western Christian traditions. like i have said before, this country is an amazing combination of West and African, old and new.

On sunday i was invited to teach English in an orphanage about 45 min from campus. a man i have gotten to know who works in the outdoor market next to my hostel just got it started up in his village about a month ago. a lot of the kids do not have opportunities to learn in the community as the government often times does not help to set up decent school programs. the kids here are incredible. i was the first white teacher that they had had so it was an amazing experience for all of us. we went over basic english grammar skills. we had a great time together. their favorite part was definitely my camera haha. they love having photos taken of themselves. i am hoping to go back over the next week.

school is winding up. on friday of next week we head to the village of Dagbamete in the eastern region to do field work. we will be compiling an oral history of the village and doing drumming and dancing for 4-5 hours a day... man that's a lot. i can't wait to see the village. we will be there for two weeks! anyways, tomorrow we are taking off for Kumasi in central ghana for a weekend field trip. internet time running out....ahhh! ciao.