My first days

Hey all! I survived the trip safe and sound, and now it's my 5th day in Hohoe. The first few days have been a blur, but I've enjoyed almost every minute of it. It's hard to know where to start. The people are so friendly and welcoming that it's hard to believe. We truly stand out in the town: I've only seen one other group of Yevu (white person), and the town is not as small as I expected. The streets are lined for miles with shops housed in open-air shacks, and it is very busy with taxis, pedestrians, bikes, and mopeds during the day. Yet we are welcomed generously by complete strangers that we meet. My fellow volunteers are all good people as well. I think we'll have some good times together.
It's hard to even explain how hot it is here; a day does not pass that I am completely soaked in sweat at some point, and it is usually the majority of the time. It often rains hard in the afternoons and evenings, which brings much-needed relief from the heat. Surprisingly, most nights I've slept well. We have some serious fans in the bedrooms which provide a breeze that keeps it just cool enough.
Enough of the mundane details--let's get to the exciting stuff. My first day at my volunteer placement was a surreal experience. One other volunteer and I were dropped off from a taxi on the side of a street. A CCS employee led us through an alley and to the back of one of the wooden "shacks" as I call them that line the streets. We walked through a small wooden gate and to a corridor between an enclosed building and a long open-air "pavilion", which I began to realize composed the tiny "quadrangle" of the school. Out from one of the classrooms (which are really just areas of the open-air structure sectioned off by nothing but wooden blackboards) came Momma Suzzy, the founder of the school. With a beaming smile she hugged us and thanked us generously for "coming all the way from America to teach her children". We talked for a moment, and then walked out to see the children in their uniforms marching to the beat of the drums to their classrooms, singing hymns, as they do everyday. Suzzy ushered me into the 1st grade room, full of about 15 students. For the first day I observed the teacher, and my only contribution was to introduce myself and show some pictures. Since then, I've split time teaching with the Fred, the teacher, and occasionally stepped in to teach other classes. It's very challenging work. Not only do me and the children not understand each other very well, the education style here creates another hurdle. They are mostly taught through memorization. Trying to teach concepts is difficult, but I am determined to teach that way, as I think it is the only way to truly learn. It has been overwhelmingly fun and rewarding. 15 first-graders can get somewhat crazy, but they are good, loving kids and they can always bring a smile to my face. Recess is probably the funniest thing. Dresses and shirts come off, the playground becomes a toilet, everyone is running around chaotically, and without warning a group of like 10 of them will run over and start climbing all over me. Pretty funny.
Yesterday we walked to the Wli waterfalls--the tallest in western Africa--and swam in the waterhole at the bottom. It was phenomenal. I wish you could see what I saw, but unfortunately the connection here in the sole internet cafe in town is too slow to upload pictures. If I take a really great picture I'll try to upload it, but it might take up to an hour if it works at all. If you want to see you might have to wait until I get back home.
This weekend the new volunteers are going to Lake Volta, a large lake about 2 hours away. It promises to be a good time; we'll have air conditioning and warm showers! Hopefully we'll make some good stories for me to tell about.
Thanks for reading and take care..the day is good!