Blog 09/04/2014
After a hot and humid night we awoke at precisely 6:45 in the morning. This was followed by a quick and rather soothing shower. After this we got dressed and had a spectacular breakfast; this consisted of sausage, scrambled egg, beans and buttered bread. It was incredible.
After clearing up, we left for the school. To our pleasant surprise a light shower came, which cooled us all off. On our way up to the school we saw some amazing sights such as, the beach, the slave fort, some cultural dancing and many smiley faces.
Upon arriving at the school, we were greeted by warm smiles and a welcoming cheer. This gave us all a boost for the day that lay ahead. Firstly, we had a tour of the schools grounds observing the differences between our school and theirs. We took lots of photos of buildings and children of which they were very excited to see us. They were ecstatic at the flashes of the cameras.
Whilst we were at the school we painted three classrooms with the help of the enthusiastic Elmina students. During their breaks we played with them and their rugby ball that we had brought from England to give them. They seemed to really enjoy this.
We continued painting and eventually made a start on the outside of the school. For lunch we had delicious, mouth-watering tuna sandwiches, which were absolutely amazing.
After we had finished with the painting we sat down with some of the younger students and they were very playful. They loved Addison throwing the ball for them to header it. They were very happy and loved playing with us.
Tonight, we have been relaxing with cards, charades, Frisbee and table tennis. For dinner we are having rice balls and chicken soup which sounds very tasty.
We are also heading down to an open TV by a garage where Bayer Munich is playing Manchester United in the Champions League. We are all looking forward to the atmosphere and the match itself. We will then come back after the game and probably head straight to bed. Ready for the day tomorrow.
Teacher’s Viewpoint : We just wanted to add a section from the teacher’s perspective. The students have been incredible so far and we wanted to just acknowledge their behaviour and enthusiasm in the first few days. Also we are very pleased with the accommodation at the Partner Ghana compound, it is all extremely safe and welcoming with the boys all having mosquito nets on their bunk beds. No-one has got ill yet and we are making sure everyone is taking their malaria tablets at the correct time and sun-cream and insect repellent are constantly being used (likewise with the huge amount of water we are consuming!). The faces of the Ghanaian children when they received the gifts from their ‘buddies’ has made the trip for us already as has been the case with the amazing welcome we have received from the school and everyone we have encountered so far in Ghana.
Jake Dennis, Jack Girling, Peter Mancktelow