Winding down

Things have been pretty quiet around here lately. A lot of the volunteers that I arrived with on June 5 left this weekend, so the group of people I've become closest with here is beginning to dwindle. Both the guys that I shared a room with left, and now I have a 4-person room to myself. I has its advantages, such as 2 fans aimed directly on me at night and more privacy, but I miss the comradeship. The other members of my group that haven't left yet went to Accra (Ghana's capital and largest city) this weekend, but I decided to stay at home. On Friday night I went alone with Koffie and Enoch (Ghanaians I met here) to Mountain Paradise Lodge, just about an hour from Hohoe. We wanted to go and camp for the night, but it was too rainy so we stayed in a room in the lodge. On Saturday we went on a hike right on the grounds to a set of small-ish waterfalls (although they looked fine to me based on what I've seen in the US). The hike was relatively mild, until just before the waterhole there was a 20-foot "cliff" that we had to repel down with a rope (of course without harness). I haven't done a lot of climbing so I was pretty terrified, but I made it down just fine. (Interestingly, the climb back up was much easier, perhaps it was the fear of heights looking down that made it seem so impossible.) The waterfall cascaded down the rocks into a small waterhole, surrounded on all sides by tall cliffs which made for a cozy, cave-like environment. It was also deep enough to actually swim in, which was enough to make it the favorite of waterfalls I've been to here. We played around in the water for awhile, then hiked back to the lodge and waited for the rain to stop before walking back down the mountain and catching a tro-tro back to Hohoe. I spent the rest of the day and all day Sunday lying around and reading, as I've been slowed down a little by a cold. Thankfully, I feel better now.

This morning I returned to placement as usual, and surprisingly it was a pretty low-stress day--usually this is not the case for Mondays. Fridays are always the best, because I choose to take it easy and just do fun things like storybooks, coloring, and games. They love dividing into 2 teams and competing against one another. On Friday I tried a new game to work on number recognition, and it got so intense that one boy cried when his team lost. Teammates also started putting each other down when one answered a question wrong. I was reminded that sometimes moral education must be put ahead of numbers and spelling, and I reprimanded the aggressors and tried to explain the importance of supporting teammates. Eventually I decided to stop the game early and let them color, which cheered everyone up. I brought my camera to school for the first time that day, which made for a great time during break. All the kids love to have their pictures taken, and as soon as the camera comes out they start excitedly posing for pictures. Sometimes I tried to take a picture of a couple kids, but a few more kids would try to jump in the frame, and before too long half the school was jumping around in front of my camera. I also took a few movies of the games they play and the songs they sing. They're really great--hopefully I can get them up here when I get home. The word that comes to mind to describe break time that day: joyous.

Today begins my last week of living in Ghana. It's truly hard to believe that the time has gone by so fast and that it's almost time to adjust my mindset back to life at home. For the first time I'm beginning to feel somewhat ready to leave; I think that I'm probably unconsciously protecting myself from the pains of leaving and the culture shock I'm sure to experience upon returning home by desiring to return to my normal life. I can't help but think that "normal" life might not be so normal anymore--it might not be quite the same as it has been, having experienced all that I have here. And I hope mightily that it won't be quite the same. What a disappointment it would be if in a month I found myself in the life just as I lived it before I left for this trip, as if this 6 week experience was erased away altogether. But I have a strong faith that I will not be disappointed. While I do think that there will be some adjustment back to the reality of life at home, I think that some of the experiences I've had and the person I've become here will integrate with myself at home and create a new reality of life for me. I'm excited to see what that life brings for the future.

I hear the heat is breaking records back home--apparently we sent it your way because it's been much cooler here, there have even been a few times that I wouldn't mind wearing a jacket! Now it's your turn to be jealous of my weather. Maybe the temp will return to normal there just in time for my arrival. If I don't have a chance to post again before I leave Friday, thanks so much for reading about my journey. I'll get some pics up soon!