Day 4
We got our hands dirty for the first time today, as we helped with the construction of St. John’s new library and IT suite which is being funded by the money everyone back at SJC has been raising over the last year. The four of us tried our hand at rendering and mixing mortar, as well as trying out carrying some on our heads! It is great to be able to see the fast progress being made on construction, as there is almost a new layer or two of bricks every day we have bene here so far.
We were also given our Fanti names, based on the day we were born. Those born on a Monday are called Kojo; on a Tuesday, Kobina; Wednesday, Kwaku; Thursday, Yaw; Friday, Kofi; Saturday, Kwame; and Sunday; Kwesi. We discovered there were three Kofi’s in our group!
After lunch, we headed down to Ayensodu to visit a kindergarten built by the Sabre Trust, part of the same organisation as Partner Ghana, they design and build kindergartens with a sustainable and innovative ethos focused around children throughout Ghana, using local resources which protect habitats and support local communities. Speaking with the engineer Lawrence, Ms. Shakes loved how the project worked, and the ethos of ‘learning through play’, saying that this was definitely something to try and replicate at St. John’s. Meanwhile, the students were being swarmed by kindergarteners (age 4-5) who were dragging us in every direction and even climbing on us!
After eventually wrenching the children away from the students, or in some cases the students from the children, we made our way along the coast to Elmina and the slave castle there. Walking up through the town, our senses were bombarded by the street vendors and their wide varieties of local cuisine . We were stunned to silence as our emotions were stirred by the stories of the castle from our guide and seeing the conditions many had to suffer in as they were kept like livestock. We were appalled to hear the mistreatment of women on the whim of the guards. By contrast, the area surrounding the castle has some of the most breath-taking views we have yet to have seen during our short stay in Ghana. Shortly afterwards we had our first experience shopping from inside the castle as we bargained and bought our way through the numerous shops at the encouragement of the enthusiastic vendors. The nicest of these was Mama Ogre. Another fabulous day on Ghana!
