Sabbath Day in Dodowa (Day Four)

Wow, this hotel is SO nice. My dad and I had breakfast here this morning, and it was excellent. The fruit here is so much sweeter than it is in the US, since it ripens on the vine/tree instead of in a grocery store. Today I had pineapple, watermelon, and mangos for breakfast, and it was all fantastic. One thing that's kinda strange here is that the oranges aren't orange. They're green/yellow and they have a really sour, slightly salty taste.

Anyway, today we went to the LDS branch in Dodowa, which is about an hour from where we're staying. Going into the church building was stifling for Ben, Chris, my dad, and I. It was SO hot in the building. The first difference I noticed was that they sing all of their hymns a capella. They asked each of us to bear our testimonies. After sacrament meeting, the guys went to their Sunday School class and their priesthood meeting. My dad said afterwards that he kinda started dozing off in the sleep, and there was a rooster IN THE ROOM that woke him up. Convenient!

Meanwhile, I went to the youth Sunday School class and then Young Women's. I thought I'd just be able to sit back and listen, but I ended up teaching both of the lessons. That was. . . weird. But definitely a good experience. A girl who is my age, Esther, is the Young Women's president there. I could tell that she was doing an excellent job with all the responsibility. We exchanged addresses, and I got a picture with her. . . but I'm pretty sure this was right before I sneezed. . . :)

We made a few stops to check on some merry-go-rounds, had a lunch of more pineapple, then we came back to Accra. Tonight my dad and I had dinner at the hotel, which was really tasty. We actually got ice with our drinks tonight, which was HEAVEN. Sprite has never tasted so good! Love it.

I was SO happy tonight, I sent Jordy instructions for how to install Skype, so my dad and I got to see and talk to Jordy and my mom. That was SO awesome! Well, we've got a busy day tomorrow, so I'm gonna go to bed. Please comment!

Day 3

So yesterday I wrote my post, put the pictures on, but I neglected to press "Publish". Whoops! Here's my post from yesterday! Enjoy!

Wow, it's been a long day. We got up and had breakfast beach-side at the Coconut Grove Resort. It was great, they had bread, pancakes, rolls, omelets, Ghanaian hot chocolate, fresh pineapple and watermelon, and pineapple jam.

We then embarked on an epic journey back to Accra. Along the way, we stopped to see West Africa's biggest tree.

They call it "the big tree" (I wonder how on earth they came up with that!) and believe that it has major spiritual power, and it even magically reappeared after being cut down by the enemy. My first statement upon seeing it? "Wow, that's a really big tree." How original! Our guide told us that we needed to put some money in the tree before taking a picture of it. Curiously, I didn't see any other coins there. . . And I seriously doubt that ours lasted very long after the guide walked past. And who says money doesn't grow on trees???

Our next stop was to one of the remote schools in which EPI will install a merry-go-round in October.

This one required a hike through the jungle; on the way we found all kinds of plantains, some kind of plant that collapses in when you touch one of its leaves, and snails, as is displayed here by Chris.

When we reached the school, we talked to Fontina Lardi, who is the teacher at the school. Ben explained to her what they were planning, and when he mentioned that the lights would "recharge" her face totally lit up.

I think the entire trip was worth just seeing her facial expression. There is no way that this village could realistically get power any time soon, so this will completely change their lives. What a cool place. (And my dad also made a friend)

Near there, we walked down the 166 steps to see the waterfalls, which were beautiful, but the hike back up wore us out.

We then drove back to Accra, and we ate at an Americanized restaurant. We actually had pizza! Let me say, the pepperoni here is funky. But it was still tasty. For the rest of the trip, my dad and I will be staying in the Oak Plaza Hotel, which has a nice shower, air conditioning, and an excellent internet connection! Thus, I've uploaded a bunch of pictures. So please check out my previous posts to see the photos I promised. Thanks for reading, and please comment!

Day 2

Yesterday when my dad and I went back to our hotel, we found out that we had overestimated our good luck. . . the hotel we were in didn't actually have running water. However, tonight we get to stay in Coconut Grove, a resort on Ghana's Cape Coast. I just saw a two-inch lizard run across the bathroom floor. Exciting!

Anyway, today has been spent making our way from Accra to the Cape Coast area, and we've had some pretty amazing stops. The day started out with a breakfast of more bread sold by the street vendors. It's really odd, the second the Tata Sumo (Ben's vehicle) stops, a dozen street vendors come out of thin air and come up to the windows and want you to buy some of whatever it happens to be that they're balancing in enormous qualities on their heads. The bread, butter, and jam are definitely some of the best food items you can buy. We also had plantains cooked in palm oil. It definitely qualified as tasty vittles :)
Our first stop along the way was at a school where there is an EPI playground. Ben wanted to check out the situation and see how the merry-go-round was working. Even though this school actually had a larger structure than the one yesterday, I couldn't believe how rough the conditions were. As soon as we walked into the school, the little kids rushed us. I was holding my video camera in my left hand, but my right hand was free, and instantaneously I had five little kids, each one holding one of my fingers. I also had one holding on to each of the pockets in my shorts. They're all so cute and so excited to have their pictures taken. I can't wait to be able to post some of my pictures! Today was their P.E. day (which is a normal Friday in Ghana) so the kids were out playing, and I got to look around in the classrooms for a few minutes--and trust me, they were a very short few minutes. For one thing, there's not much light in the classrooms. Secondly, the heat inside that cinderblock building with minimal ventilation is STIFLING. And probably worse, the latrines (bathrooms) just outside the school vent right next to the few windows on the second level of the school.

Not extremely pleasant. It's amazing to me to think that those kids spend most of their days there. . . and they're happy to be there. I would love to see U.S. students go to one day at that school--I think it would be provide a major attitude adjustment toward their air-conditioned school completely stocked with textbooks, computers, lights, and--my personal favorite--indoor plumbing. My attitude toward the schools that I'm gone to hasn't been the best; I've definitely done more than my share of complaining. Now I realize just how insanely lucky I was. I was going to a comfortable school that provided any tools it could to me, and sometimes I went with a very begrudging attitude. These kids go to school in awful conditions, and they're happy to be there.

The next stop was at a slave castle. We went through it, and it felt like a total out-of-body experience. I mean, how weird is it that today I walked through one of the places that I had looked at pictures of in my textbooks? To actually be in the dungeons and see the cannons and everything. . . wow.

On the way to our third stop, Ben stopped and had one of the vendors chop four of the Cape Coast pineapple she was selling into quarters. That was definitely the best watermelon I've ever tasted. Seriously, better than Maui. How good is it? Well, we each ate an entire pineapple. Absolutely outstanding! Anyway, our third stop was at Kakum National Park. We went on their "Canopy Walkway", which is a series of seven really high rope bridges.

The view of the jungle from there was spectacular, but it was SO hot. My clothes were completely drenched with sweat by the time that we had hiked back down the mountain.

Finally, we came to the hotel, where we actually have a shower (YES!) and I never thought I would be so glad to have soap in my eyes. We had dinner, and I had the fisherman's stew and an avocado salad, which was literally an entire avocado sliced and served on the plate with some vinaigrette. Well, it's getting to be bedtime here, which is really strange, and it's time for me to wrap it up. Good night!

WOW!

Plane ride to Ghana: not fun. It was SO long, and my dad and I were next to this very unhappy baby who wouldn't stop screaming and. . . yeah. Not fun. My dad managed a couple hours of sleep, and I managed a few minutes. The last couple hours of the flight was awful, and I stayed true to my recent habit of always getting motion sickness. So as my dad was waiting to turn in our landing forms, I put a few of the "Delta In-flight Motion Sickness" bags to use. Joy beyond all end. After clearing all of the official steps and getting our luggage, we were way happy to turn the corner and see Ben and Narteh, both sporting their Empower Playgrounds hats. Oh, and I forgot to mention that while in New York, my dad and I both had to go buy sweatshirts. It was cold and rainy, and we needed them for the chilly plane ride anyway. Needless to say that in ninety degree weather with major humidity, the sweatshirts came off faster than Ghanaians selling food surround an oncoming car. . . :)

After a short drive, we stopped at the hotel that my dad and I are staying at to drop off our luggage and straighten up. It's pretty nice; we were happy to test the shower and see that it actually worked! We then headed off on a two hour drive to the school where they were installing a playground today. On the way, we bought some bread (which is AMAZING) from a girl on the street. When we got to the school, I immediately felt like I had a neon sign over my head that said, "Stare at me!!!" For most of the people in the village, I was the first white girl (" old brunie" is their term for white person) they had ever seen. All of the kids were pretty shy at first until I reached out to give one of them a high five. Instantly dozens of kids were reaching out (and pushing and shoving each other out of the way) to grab hold of my hand. My skin looks as white as computer paper when it's next to theirs.

I was just marveling at the madness and really enjoying the whole thing until one of their teachers (all of their teachers walk around with large sticks or branches to whack any unruly students) came over and said, "Be careful, don't tear her skin!" I thought that he was kidding, but when I looked up, I realized that this was one of those teachers who never jokes. Ever. All of the little kids pulled their hands back, and I saw that, under the pressure of all their little hands, I hadn't felt their fingernails digging into my skin. I have battle wounds. After a few minutes of them just staring at me, I took out my video camera and taped them. A few waved, but none of them completely realized what it was.

Then I turned the screen around so that they could see what I was filming. Then they went NUTS. (I'll post video later.) All of them wave and yell; they just all want to see themselves on camera.

After a while, I sat down to rest for a few minutes. I looked around and noticed that a group of kids were all trying to imitate what I was doing. So that turned into a game of facial expressions. The little kids laughed and laughed at me moving my eyebrows, flaring my nostrils, and moving my eyebrows. It was fun.

The merry-go-round was installed in just a few hours, and instantly dozens and dozens of kids piled on it to play.

After a while the teachers tore all of them off of it and we listened to the headmaster of the school, the minister of education, and a few others speak, and the girls danced. . . I even joined in! (Again, I'll post video later) My dad got to "cut the ribbon", (take off the blanket) on the merry-go-round, and the ceremony was complete. They presented Ben and Narteh with a sheep--or a goat, I still don't know how to tell them apart here. I'll say sheep--to thank them for their service. They then treated us to "biscuits and minerals"--crackers and soda. (And yes, Trevor, they do have Coca-Cola here).

We had dinner at a chinese restaurant, and my dad and I are now looking for a new hotel for a series of reasons, which I might talk about later. For now, I'm signing off. Please comment! -Jazmyn

STOMP

STOMP last night was amazing. SO cool. Today we're going to go eat at Bubba Gump's, hang out for a little while, then we leave for the airport at 2:00. Our plane leaves at 4:45, and we'll have a 12 hour flight. I'm not too excited about that, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to get some sleep so that I'll be ready to go when we get to Ghana (when we get there, it will be morning, so we'll head straight to work). I'm getting a bit anxious about going through customs and the long flight and everything else, but hopefully all will go well. I can't believe that the next time I post, I'll be half way around the world in Africa. Insane!

Empire State of Mind

Yesterday we flew to New York. The flight was pretty uneventful, and we got to our hotel at about 4:30 after a very, VERY exciting taxi ride. The driver was more than definitely used to driving in New York and didn't hesitate to cut people off, change lanes when there was a car in the way, and constantly lay it on the horn. I was pretty anxious. . . but my life didn't flash before my eyes. Just countless billboards. :)

We went to Carvers, a deli near our hotel, the Crowne Plaza, that has spectacular pizza, then after a while we watched the Jazz game, which didn't start until 10:30 pm NY time. Needless to say, the game was really, really disappointing. Oh well, I guess that means we won't miss much while we're in Ghana.

Today we went to the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Plaza, which has an awe-inspiring view. From there you can see Central Park, the Empire State building, and countless others. After admiring the view for a while and a quick King Kong moment, we decided to walk to Central Park. Thanks to my "brilliant" navigation skills (go Jazmyn), we walked 15 blocks past it before we finally asked for directions. If you look at the photo below, which is the view of Central Park from the Top of the Rock, you'll realize how impressive that really is. . .

We walked all the way from the base of the building where the photo is taken, past the end of of the park, then walked several blocks over, THEN through the park! Central Park is beautiful, though. Around many corners we saw people playing saxophone or trumpet. We also saw an amazing juggler and a little boy who kept loudly singing, "I see a man with pink shoes! I see a man with a bike! I see a man with a drink! I see a man with black shoes! I see a man with. . ." well, you get my point. Under select bridges there might even be a teenaged girl from Utah doing a heel-click! Crazy place.

Tonight, we're going to Stomp (a percussion group I've wanted to see since middle school band) and tomorrow we head to Ghana. This is crazy stuff! I'm way, way excited. For now, I'm going to take a page out of my dad's book and take a nap. :)

Pre-Ghana Jitters

Wow! I can't believe that in just a couple days, I will be in Ghana. For those of you who aren't familiar with what my dad and I are going to do, here's a bit of background.

My neighbor, Ben Markham (excellent engineer, genius in general, and all-around great guy) and his outstanding wife, Julie, went on a mission to Ghana and saw that there was a desperate need for light for the kids to study by. Having a convenient source of light after it gets dark is crucial to the education of these kids since their work and chores keep them occupied till nightfall. Seeing this need got the wheels in Ben's mind (which I'm convinced is a finely tuned machine) turning, and he came up with an innovative solution: harness the energy of the kids and turn that into power.

After tons and tons of work, Empower Playgrounds was formed. A merry-go-round was designed that, when played on, generates power to recharge lanterns. It's so unbelievable to think that playground equipment can have such a profound influence on these kids' lives; the benefits of a merry-go-round at the school are innumerable. Obviously, it's FUN! And it provides the kids with the light they need to study and is an invaluable catalyst to their education. But beyond the obvious, the merry-go-rounds have clear panels so that the kids can see the parts inside it and how they work--a spinning science lab! Going even further, the kids are put into study groups, and each of the groups gets a rechargeable lantern. The kid selected to be the "keeper of the light" has the important duties of being study group leader. So from one piece of playground equipment, students are enabled with power, responsibility, hands-on learning experiences, and fun!

My dad was able to go with Ben to Ghana in February. After seeing my dad's pictures and video, I am way excited to be going with him for round two! Tomorrow we fly to New York, where we're going to stay for a couple days, and Wednesday we head to Ghana. Just to give you a taste of what I'll be seeing, click here to see a video recap of my dad's trip to Ghana with Empower Playgrounds.

Please click "Comments" below and leave your comments and questions! Thanks! -Jazmyn