Day one:
Following 19 hours of an eventful trip, involving one loss of a passport (Karim), the group finally arrived in Ghana. Upon arrival at Accra, the group were taken back by the heat, even at 21:30. As well as the sticky humidity, the students were also taken back by the mass of locals who desperately wanted to help carry our bags -especially James Morrison, who tipped them for their helping hands. After changing our money and collecting our luggage (finally), our bags were loaded onto the top of a small mini van, which resembled (worringly) the game of Jenga. However, all our bags were safe and we indulged on our ‘plantein chips’ on the journey.
The night in ‘New Haven Hotel’ was ‘spectacular’ according to Mr. Devonald, who laughed uncontrollably at the fact three students had to share a double bed. The relaxing night followed into the morning, where we were awoken at 7am by cockerils and Miss Deans’ shouting wake-up call which actually woke up the local neighbourhood. Such distress was eased quite quickly as we all sat satsified at breakfast, eating toast and drinking cocoa.
After breakfast we started our drive to Elmina which took around 3 hours. The views were a culture shock, as we were approached at the coach windows with food and water. The Ghanians seem to converse through the beeping of their horns and there are people everywhere, so despite the constant stalls, it was entertaining.
Finally, we arrived at Partner Ghana in Elmina, where we were fed fresh pasta and had time to relax. Such an atmosphere was contrasted by our quick visit to Elmina school after lunch, where the children were overwhelmed with excitement at both our group and our cameras – they bursted into laughter seeing their own pictures. The school then provided us with a welcoming ceremony, a large group of girls danced for us, while the boys provided them with music through drumming and other instruments. Following this, we were introduced to our buddies, we had time to introduce ourselves to both them and the students before we returned to the offices, where we are given the evening to relax. At present, Adam, Sam, Dan, Nathan and Kiran (years 8 and 9) are playing an intense game of monopoly, while the others are playing football in the field.
