2. Heat, Sleep and Church
A big part of this trip is to learn; which is both our motto as a school and one of today’s features. Yesterday evening’s events included a fiercely lit bonfire, a brief and tasty meal composed of spaghetti and tomato sauce, and a fantastic swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Today we have already gone to two local churches to pay homage to the community, share in their worship and prayer, as well as to advance as a group and in our own individual and spiritual enlightenment. Currently, we are eating lunch in Dutch Komenda (the village we’re staying in) and talking of what is to come later in the evening, which will include a trip to Elmina which holds a an old slave trade post. Also there will be a tennis match between the students and adults on the trip which will hopefully go well as we are in many ways ambassadors of both the Nottingham Emmanuel and Britain to the people of Ghana and showing that we love to play sport and have fun is a high interest of ours.
Eleanor’s been writing a list of things we’ve learnt so far, here is it currently:
Here, you are named by the day of the week you were born on and what gender you are- in the Catholic church this morning one of the ministers went around introducing is to the church using these names. It was so lovely to hear cheers as names that were also found in the community were announced.
In the Pentecostal and Methodist churches, the men and women sit on different sides of the aisle (but we don’t have to because we’re white).
The Pentecostal and Methodist were quite a lot louder than the Catholic one (that might have been because the microphone wasn’t working) but the atmosphere in each one is so incredible, whatever the volume!
A good way to describe the churches here is ‘like an African Soul Survivor, but with less people and more volume’.
Dancing whilst giving in the offering is FUN.
Our mosquito tents fall over really easily. Oh deary.
Medase- Thankyou.
Akwaaba- You are welcome.
The bread here is slightly sweeter than in England. It is also quite dense and they cut it into gorgeously thick pieces-it’s AMAZING.
Fresh coconut is…interesting?
The sand on the beach is like pale golden brown barley sugar in most places- quite large grains- but in others, it’s really fine and white.
Having a baby goat as an alarm clock is WAY better than some machine.
See www.facebook.com/partnerghana for photos!