Reports from Ghana

So I have been back from Ghana for about 3 months and I do miss it but i am so happy to be home. My friends keep on saying that i need to keep this blog going especially my very good friend Anna and i couldn’t think of what to do on it so i thought i would turn it into some artsy crafty type thing. Is that okay? Please comment with your feedback on this and with another idea you might have. I love photography so a photo blog is possible to. Thanks for you time
Julia

Well four months have gone by and it feels like I just got here. I have to say goodbye to my California King size bed… My crappy oven… bye extreme heat…bye School work :)… bye sandals… bye sewage beach… and goodbye Ghana. Hello Rome! Yupp! I dont think I told you but we are stopping in Rome for a week! I am so pumped! We leave tomorrow night! Thanks fans. You helped me though this… thanks friends… thanks Mom for being there with me and pushing me to try new things… thanks dad for letting me come… and thanks Ghana… for being my best friend though all of this.
Julia

In nine days we are leaving for Rome! I cant wait! After Rome we come home! I’m so exited to see my family back home! We have been packing and we have a final party with everyone who we made friends with while we were here. On Thursday we have our final retreat with the students and then after that its just the final party as our last thing in Ghana. Thanks for reading
Julia

Today we start packing! Next week is crazy with saying goodbye to people and packing up our house! After that short week the next few days are going to be crazy! Hugs and more hugs. But that also means that I need to finish so much school work so I don’t have to any in Rome! Ive been so busy that I have forgotten about Rome! For a whole week we get to be in fabulous Rome! I’m so exited. Our vacation on the beach was so great! I was so sad to leave! I can’t believe that after 4 months there’s only two more weeks. Well today we finish off our shopping in Accra at the craft market and on other favorite boutiques and resterraunts! I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving! Shop till you drop! Well don’t drop but you know what i mean. :)! Thanks for reading!
Julia

Tomorrow were are heading down the coast to a beautiful beach for a week! I’m so exited! Not much is going on around here. Just doing school work and running around. Also getting ready to leave the country in about 3 weeks. I remember the last 3 weeks that I was home and how stressful it was so I don’t want to imagine it when we have to leave Ghana. I just want to thank all of my readers for their lovely comments and support! Thanks again guys! The students are all very exited to come home but also very sad to leave and I understand that. I hope you all are doing well! Thanks for reading!
Julia

On friday we go on a 8 day trip to the North. We are traveling there very early in the morning to go to Kumasi to stop there for the night and on the way we are stoping at a kente weaving village, Kegetui market, and 2 bead markets! This is a chance for me to finish buying gifts! 🙂 Alright! I cant right very much because i need to do school work but I will get back to you soon! Sorry that i haven’t posted in a while! Thanks for reading!
Julia

So this last weekend we went up to Acrypong and went to the Odweara Festival. This festival is quite the crazy one! Haha if that makes sense! This festival is all about mourning for ancestors and giving them gifts and celebrating there lifetime. The first event we went to was the food event. This is when “possessed girls” (i don’t believe their possessed but people do) carry food on their heads to give to the dead. The legend is that no matter what the food will not fall off their heads. In Ghana carrying things on your head is not uncommon but in America these people would be put into a mental institution for sure. Then the next day is all about mourning and remember the great ancestors that died in this town. Really this festival is just an accuse for people to get really really drunk but who would want to spoil the festive holiday feel! :p. Now i am standing by watching all of this and thinking “wow… there is nothing like this in the entire world. but then again it is pretty awesome if you get right down to it.” This festival is one of the biggest ones ever to happen in the Ghana area. People from all over Africa come to witness this and so you get shoved and pushed around in crowds a lot. The last day we were there was defiantly the craziest. This is just the party day. People just dance and club all night. And then when it reaches six in the morning the town is a ghost town. I asked myself why they cant take just an hour break so that i can sleep but of course that never happened for a minute. At about 4 30 in the morning i woke up and we were staying at this religious studies intstitute that is guarded during the festival and very well protected so that we can sleep a little easier but still i could here people sing Jesus Love Me at the top of there lungs and it sounded like it was outside my door. Once that was all over the fun really began. Mountain Hike time! Serriously. A hour long hike up to the top of this mountain overlooking an africa plain that looks like this:

the top of that mountain is where we climbed. The plain below is full of Antelope and Baboons! 🙂

This whole week we will be gone up in Adencribi. I am so exited! We are going to learn how to tap palm wine, get a tour of the village, ask someone there life story and so much more. And this whole week i get to have the best bananas ever! Its going to be so great! Well i need to cram on my school work today so i have to go! Thanks for reading!
Julia

This weekend we are going on a two day trip to the volta region! We are going to a monkey sanctuary! aka where all the monkeys live and pray :). Apparently they might jump on you! ICANT WAIT! Then we are going to go to a bead factory to make some beads at a bead making workshop! The next day we are going to go on a 1 hour hike up to a waterfall and swim! I’ve already done it but it will still be fun! It is the highest in western Africa! Its called Wili Falls! Im really going to like that i think! Well i should study now! Thanks for reading! Sorry it took so long for another post but nothing was really going on for a while! Well thanks anyways!
Julia