Day 1 – Travelling to Ghana
Our flight was very long – about 8 hours, but to everybody’s surprise there were television screen per person, with new and classic films to keep us entertained!
When we got off the flight it was extremely humid and hot. It hit us like a wall, but we didn’t care, because we were so excited and it was still much better than the UK! When we left the airport, we took our cases away and searched for our bus. But instead of being a normal white bus, it was a giant blue truck that looked like it was used by the Ghanaian military! We drove for 20 minutes to the hotel, which was very small and basic. The rooms were for 2, and all had ceiling fans to help with the heat. Despite the noise everyone gradually fell asleep.
Day 2 – Meeting our buddies
We awoke to the sound of a screeching cockerel, for our first full day in Ghana. We got back in the military bus and drove for 2 hours out of Accra to our breakfast destination. On our way we saw a lot of bustling bodies going about their business from selling coffins to flogging food, and even selling a dead squirrel! The most shocking thing though was when we passed a sign talking about the mortality rate on the road and then we heard a wail of an alarm and saw an injured man in a van. After our delicious Ghanaian meal we travelled onward to Elmina. Some people tried some local Yam (like sweet potato) in the car that was also being used to transport people. As we neared our destination we were amazed by the sight of the deep blue sea. From where we were we could see the castle pointing out to sea.
The place we were staying in was very large and striking – much better than we had expected. The people here were very nice. We took all our luggage inside and ate lunch, which was very tasty. After this meal we were off on our journey to the school. When we arrived we were greeted by the sound of cheering children.
Almost immediately we were escorted into the hall, where the headmaster and 3 other teachers were sitting. A teacher who had previously come to our school ran the assembly, firstly introducing their teachers, the headmaster and all of us. Then some Ghanaian children performed a traditional for us as a welcome, and we exchanged gifts with our grateful buddies. Then we went outside and were treated like celebrities. We couldn’t walk 2 feet without being hugged or being snatched for photographs. Then we came back to our residence and tonight we are going to try Red Red, a very traditional Ghanaian dish. We are very eager to start tomorrows work, helping improve the school…
Today’s blog written by:
Adam Lake
William Glasson
James Glasson