DAY 1
We arrived in Accra at 22:30 and immediately we felt the heat as we stepped out of the plane. We then walked to the bus which has open sides which meant we had to watch out for branches.We got to the hotel at 00:00 and went straight to sleep.
The next morning we woke up at 05:30 to get straight on the bus to begin our four hour journey to Elmina. Driving from the city into town we got to experience the diversity of Ghana in a short moment of time. We stopped for breakfast of sausages, beans, egg and toast as well as pineapple juice and chocolate malt drink called Milo. Whilst eating we had our first encounter with the wildlife in Ghana: a black and red lizard.
We then continued on our journey to Stumble Inn, stopping at the Partner Ghana office to give in our valuables for safe keeping. We then arrived at our rooms which are two0 minutes walk to the beach. After unpacking, we decided to explore the coast until it was time to meet our buddies. We gave them their presents and exchanged stories. After they walked home, we enjoyed a delicious traditional Ghanaian meal of Red Red. Straight after dinner we went to bed at about 20:00.
DAY 2
After waking up early and enjoying some pancakes, we set off to Elmina with our buddies to go for a church service. It was much more intimate with lots of dancing and singing and less talking. After having to sing a rusty rendition of Shine Jesus Shine, All thing Bright and Beautiful and Tale This Moment, we left the church and walked with our buddies to the Elmina Castle.
There, we learned about the slave trade and the harsh condition they had to endure. Whilst walking back to Stumble Inn, we got to have glimpse into the Ghanaian in Elmina and how their lives are revolved around fishing.
After separating from our buddies we ate a well deserved lunch and relaxed for an hour until our buddies returned to play hokey cokey, ping pong, handball and slat. It was a great chance to bond with our buddies in such a relaxed atmosphere, as well as learning their favourite games.
It felt much more oriented around music and the participants, namely instead of long sermons spoken to around 100 people, there was only much less people and the Pastor only spoke for 30 percent of the time.
DAY 3
Today was the first day we visited the school. After the half an hour walk we were welcomed like celebrities with lots of waving, handshakes and photos. We were ushered into the Partner Ghana office where we got to see last year paintings and realised the standard our painting has to be.
An hour and a half later we were taken to an incomplete classroom which had been decorated with flower and cloths. Our buddies then joined us to watch the welcoming ceremony where we saw the some Ghanaian dancing and singing when some of us were invited to join in which resulted in claps and shouts from the other pupils who were watching. After we had sung a few songs and danced a typical country dance, we left to go the office but were intercepted by lots of excited younger pupils who wanted photos taken and to know our names.
The experience was quite overwhelming after a while but it was a very earthing experience. We then had a tour of the school and saw the classroom we are meant to decorate. After taking some more photos we walked back to Stumble Inn to plan the rest of the week.