Ghana- Week 7: Zebras, Performances, and Nature?

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Firstly, I would like to apologize on how late this post is. I would mention about why I haven't written until now, but then I'd be taking away all of the writing material that I need for next week's post. Therefore, getting straight down to business, this is how my week looked summed up.

1. I saw Zebras...

I know, I know, I don't really understand it either... but I did, there were four of them at some "company" that I went to visit on Wednesday. The company, while not really a business yet, but more focused in the R&D side of things was founded by some man who ran for president a few years ago...and whose daughter is now the prime minister something... ?? Overall, to be honest, I'm not quite sure what was going on at the place but they were making electronic products out of wood, to show how things that we make out of plastic that ends up just sitting in landfills can be instead made out of wood so that it can decompose better overtime...? AND they had zebras, and goats that were completely half one color and half another color... so there was some animal testing going on that we didn't get to learn about. Oh, and another interesting thing about this place was that the workers were all being trained there but also attended the University of Ghana, studying a subject completely different from what they were doing in the field. (I.e. a mechanic taking classes in psychology) OH! (Seriously, this will be the last note on this) the same founder also established his own religion, so all of the people who worked there follow his religion... with his picture posted everywhere...so did I possibly walk into a cult that calls themselves a company?? Maybe... I did, but the main point is that they had ZEBRAs, so why should I be worried?

2. I celebrated Heroes’ Day

The following evening (Thursday), by watching a performance next to the Independence Square. The performance was choreographed by my friend and U-Pal, Atsu, who I've mentioned before, so that was really exciting. I knew most of the dancers in the performance that was dedicated and used to show the history of when Ghanaian men were shot down by the British when they were just going to demand the money that they were promised after fighting for the British during the war. It was a very moving performance that I luckily taped but probably won't be able to upload onto this blog to show the entire dance.

I ended up being out late that evening because the performance didn't end until right before 11pm; they had a couple of other people performing, some singer group and a very famous singer, as I was told at the very end.

Anyways, because I didn't get back home until later than usual (even though I told my Host mom that I would be late and kept her informed about my whereabouts when she texted me) I found my H.m with Kwasi sitting outside of the house, in front of the gate...waiting in the dark. Feeling bad, I didn't even want to ask about the next day

3. I visited the Ghana International School (GIS) to watch another performance.

This performance was a play by elementary/middle school students (not sure about their age) based on the story of the spider storyteller. Anansi!! (Yes, I had to Google that) So once again I went to go watch the dancing part of a performance that was choreographed by a friend, Sena (who I can't remember if I've mentioned before). So as a quick recap if I have, Sena is a dance student who I met as a T.A for my dance class, she's an amazing dancer, and each time I see her I learn something knew about her. She doesn't look it but she's 30 years old, has a 2 year old daughter, and her goal is to travel and dance and later on create a dance school, here in Ghana.

So she invited me to go watch her little dancers just the night before because she was part of the performance during Heroes Day and of course I had to go.

The performance was adorable and really good. The girl who played Anansi's wife was hysterical, made the play, hands down. And I swear, the children who danced, they danced better than I can.

GIS, itself...it was like I wasn't in Ghana. Completely different from what I'm used to seeing within a school in Ghana. There were white boards, printers, computers, SMART BOARDS (I didn't even have that as a kid!) and it was just so colorful and full of children's work on walls. It was in a gated commuted and when the performance was just about to start the parking lot filled with Mercedes, BMWs, Audis, all the nice imported cars. Wealth was clearly not a problem and somehow it was shocking to see it all, when I normally see a dirt road, 2 buildings, with the bare minimum.

It made me realize that I will be very confused once I get back to the States and see everything that I used to be used to once again...it's kind of scary to think about it.

4. I went to the Eastern Region

With the CIEE program that I'm on. We went to the first Cocoa farm in Ghana and learned the history of how the founder took Cocoa beans from his travels and hid them in a box under his suits in his suitcase when he re-entered Ghana... so the Cocoa in Ghana...smuggled and technically illegal. But it was really neat, besides that fact. And I got to try fresh and dried Cocoa. The fresh one tasted fruitier...somewhat lychee like... whereas the dried one, was extremely dark dark dark chocolate. YUMM (although I did miss the sugar in it)

And then we went to Aburi Botanical Garden...which was...not the typical Botanical Garden that many would think of. There were a fair amount of trees...randomly laid out...a random helicopter sitting on the lawn...which was molding over... and palm wine being sold right from the source. Some trees that I remember the name of was a cinnamon tree and a nutmeg tree... and then of course there were just some cool looking trees all around, the main highlight was lunch though, when there was some really good bbq chicken.

Afterwards we stopped off at the "wood carving village" which was just a block of side "shops"/stands on the side of the road, which sold...wooden things..

Even though that's how I describe it... the special part of it was the people, at every stand, because they wanted to sell something to you but knew that each shop sold pretty much the same thing... I easily started talking to all the shop owners or any other Ghanaian standing there, just having fun bargaining and shopping and getting to talk to new faces. The people there are artists, while they share the same techniques of wood carving and dying; they all have their own personality and are a family within their own community. (And there was a BABY!! who I got to play with for a bit)

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Photos

Clap on Clap off
tv system

Dirt Molds
Made to create parts for cars etc

ManyE
Doesn't like cameras

She's a cutie
I get to play with her before and after dance class (she's one of my dance instructor's daughter)
The girl next to her is named "Na" She's a fellow dancer

Singing Group
Before Atsu's performance

Chained Monkey
On UG campus?

Anansi Play
GIS

Ghana Seats
I just thought it was cute (@GIS)

First Cocoa Tree
in Ghana

The many types
of Cocoa

Teamwork
Ants at Aburi Botanical Gardens

Babson Pride
...in a tree..