Today has been a good day so far. Began before 7, though I didn't mind the alarm so much. Breakfast was the usual egg sandwhich from downstairs, plus a new found love: Nestlecafe latte in a can...that may sound funny, but it's a nice alternative to instant coffee everyday.
Things at Peace and Love went well too, which is a good thing, given that Monday was one of the most discouraging days there.
We arrived and things seemed in good order; had to be, really, since the lady who funds the whole orphanage was visiting today. Kwame, the 7 year old orphan who usually picks fights, was all smiles from the beginning, which I took as a good omen.
The teacher actually had somewhat of a plan for class today. And by plan I mean, she told me I could teach the kids a song, since I hadn't yet. So "Itsty, Bitsy Spider" it was. We went over the lines, the motions, and the melody quite a few times, and I'd say the activity as a whole was moderately successful. After that we did the hokey pokey (after all, that's what it's all about), and other songs the kids knew. We got cut off at one point, though, since the head lady was accepting a donation or something from a group of people, and the video camera was picking up all the noise.
So, plan B. We took our chalkboard slates and began drawing. It was suppose to only be for the 20 minutes the lady needed, but probably was more. At this point I just decided to have fun with the kids. At first I sat down next to this one little boy who kept showing me his drawings. Mind you, everytime he started over he erased the board with his hand. And everytime he wanted to show me his finished product he would tap me on the arm, so by the end I was almost as covered in chalk as the kids!
I did some going around and looking at the other kids drawings until I started getting asked to draw things. Before long the kids were clammering around asking for me to draw them "Zeblas", goats, lions, elephants, bicycles, horses, houses and the like. I did so with pleasure, though after a while started asking the kids back "No, you draw ME a rabbit", which they would giggle at and eventually relent to.
During the break in between playing with different sets of kids, I learned from one of my classmates that the statement we heard before about the orphanage not accepting HIV positive kids was not true; in fact, some HIV posititve parents send their kids to Peace and Love so that when they pass and the kids have to live there, they will already be used to it; a chillingly smart idea.
After break we left. The teacher didn't really have anything planned for the kids, since they were suppose to take a final exam today, but the exam wasn't ready. By that time, though, many volunteers had arrived, so I trust the kids were in good hands.
We took a trotro back, and I headed to the Agricultural Economics building in order to meet Dr. Asuming-Brempong (a professor who went to Grad school with some of my UF professors) and my roommate for lunch. Neither was there at first, but I ran into the department head, who I had met the week before. He took me to the computer lab to check my email, then eventually sat down with me and my roommate when she arrived.
He was proofing some papers on the Cocoa industry, and began telling us about it. Fascinating stuff! Seriously, I have a new appreciation for chocolate. We later got a little bit into the IMF, and infrastructure, and government, and NGOs. Basically, had the kind of conversation I've been wanting to have since I got to Ghana (I've had a few before in bits and pieces, but not extensive like this).
When Dr Asuming-Brempong arrived, we went to lunch. I finally tried fufu! It was...interesting. It's this doughy thing you don't really chew, but eat with soup. The soup I had was goat soup- pretty good, kinda spicy, with new tastes and smells. I also ate redred, which is probably my favorite of the Ghanaian dishes. It consists of plantains, accompanied by black-eyed peas in a palm oil kind of sauce. Mixed together (which i would never dream to do before) it is really tasty!
Next I went to the school computer lab, which provides us with limited free internet, and was unfortunately, only discovered at the end of the trip. The only downside is that it won't let me access my blog, so I had to write it email style, and am now posting it in our hostel internet cafe. The rest of the day was spent reading, cold-showering, napping (or trying to- our hostel gets really noisy when everyone is about), and eating dinner. My roommate and I successfully turned tomato paste into an acceptable tomato sauce for pasta! Woot!
I'll be in America in 10 days...I can hardly believe it!