Day 5
Today we went back to St John’s to help redesign their old school library. First we repainted the walls yellow. This took a lot of perseverance to make sure there wasn’t any more patches of the old wall and the colour was consistent.
For lunch we had Ms Shake’s favourite red red and plantain. After lunch we went back to the school and we decided what to paint on the wall. We decided on painting the St Joseph’s and St John’s badges and two hands joined together to make a heart. We had the Union flag in one hand and the Ghanaian flag in the other.
Ms Shakes lost her water bottle for about 4 hours and then found it in her handbag!
All in all another great day in Ghana, and rewarding for us being able to do something with a lasting impact.
Day 6
Today we all went down to Brenu beach for a well-deserved day of relaxation. Despite the long drive down, (which was the perfect time for a nap) it was well worth the wait; the scenery was spectacular and it appeared as though it had been untouched by humans. The sky was blue and the sun blazing, toasting our pale British skin; with the exception of Colm. Nevertheless it was a beautiful day, everyone dived into the sea which was a refreshing break from the scorching heat. The beach had everything. The nice cool sea, hammocks and deck chairs to lie-down on and huts to catch some get a nice refreshing drink.
We also brought along the chief’s son Kwaku for the trip. He and Tomasz were having a fun time searching for crabs in rock pools. An amazing relaxing day.
Day 7
Today we experienced church in Ghana. The service was very lively. The sermon was the parable of the sower. There was a lot of singing and dancing. Father Francis (the reverend) introduced us to the church and thanked us for our contribution to the community and St johns school. It was an experience to see a church service so different to those which we are used to in the UK.
For lunch, we were finally able to try a traditional Ghanaian dish Fufu, made of cassava and plantain, served in soup with chicken. We all enjoyed it a lot. In the afternoon we relaxed and played card games with our buddies.
In the afternoon, while watching the World Cup Final, we were able to experience a Ghanaian blackout, as the power cut just as the half time whistle went! We all ran for our torches and sat around waiting for the problem to be solved. Luckily it returned just as the second half started and we didn’t miss a thing, even if the power did go out again a bit later as we were going to bed!
Day 8
Today was cleaning day, when we were able to do some laundry for the last few days, but instead of being able to just hand it to mum to put in the washing machine, this time we had to do it all by ourselves by hand in cold water. Yet again our guide Yaw amazed us as he unveiled yet another of his skills by demonstrating the proper techniques to washing and rinsing, yet another talent to add to his long list!
After that it was a quick rush up to the school to try and squeeze in some more time to finish our mural in the school library. After adding the school names and making some little touches, we are now nearly finished. We are all proud of our work, especially as we had not known what we were going to be doing at the start of the trip! Yet again we had an audience and it would seem that our work is a very popular addition to the school which both the students and staff at St. John’s will appreciate for a long time to come.
After lunch, we headed for Kakum national park for the canopy rope bridge. After a quick second lunch at the café, we all made it up the hill to the bridge quickly, and then we had to wait for Ms. Shakes to catch up…
The rope bridge consisted of seven sections around 40 metres above the jungle floor, made of ladders with boards on and netting to hold on to. Most of the group were able to quickly bounce along and take in the beautiful surroundings, while some like Ms. Shakes and Francis, one of our buddies, only barely managed to cross; surviving only on a prayer or two, and were more than happy to reach solid ground again, even if it did mean another trip back down the hillside.
Once again another exciting and tiring day absorbing the wonderful land of Ghana!
