KG2 Takes on Exam Week

   All my Kindergarteners have officially made it through final exams. On There ended up being 8 total: dictation, english, phonics, mathematics, writing, environmental, religion/moral, and creativity (coloring).  It was pretty cute- on Monday, after the kids took writing, english, and phonics, my teacher told them to rest for the last fifteen minutes of the day while we began correcting. When closing time came, I asked the kids to stand and say their prayers, but only 8 of the 26 stood up- the rest were out cold. Safe to say these exams take a lot out of them!
   Once the kids were done with each test they get a break while we do the correcting right away. I had to make a big spread sheet we used to record scores and rank the students off of the scores. For each test they get a score out of 100 and where that score puts them in the class. Once all 8 exams were done I totaled all their exam scores and used that number to rank the students overall. For preschool and kindergarten the only grade the students get is the grade they got on the exams, nothing from classwork appears on the report.
   Now that exams are done school days are very interesting for me. Teachers are supposed to use the class day to analyze the test scores, do the rankings, and finish the final reports. That means no teaching occurs, and the students pretty much get free time. It's definitely a different approach than the United States! Next week also sounds like it will be pretty relaxed- it will be a lot of Christmas lessons and festivities. Our last day, Thursday, is only a half day and that is when parents come in to pick up the final reports and chat with us teachers if they wish. I'm really excited because I also found out that after all the parents leave the teachers stay and have a Christmas party! How appropriate for our last day there. It will be a very nice ending to a very great experience at Ancilla.
    Since time is quickly winding down, Auntie has began making us all our favorite Ghanaian dishes so we get to have them one last time before we leave. We just had fufu and peanut butter soup tonight, and on the menu this week is all our favorite rice dishes (I'm still in shock I haven't gotten sick of rice yet!), yams, and lots of plantains. After my little Kindergarteners- the food will definitely be one of the things I miss most about Ghana.
   It's wierd writing this blog and thinking that at this point next week my experience here will be done and I will be on a plane from New York to Chicago. Just earlier today we went into Accra for what might be the last time until we drive to the airport. It seems everyday now I'm doing something that is my last for Ghana- last trip to the seamstress (I got more Ghanaian clothes!), last time grocery shopping, last trotro ride. I really can't believe how fast nine weeks has gone by! But with that I realize I should save my reminiscing and sappy talk for my final blog next week- so for now I will end and begin taking in my last days as a Ghanaian!

The Beginning of the End

     Now that December has started Ancilla has began its revision period before exams, which start next week. That means we are now done teaching new content and spend each day going over what will be on the exams. Even my Kindergarteners will spend five full days taking ten different end of the term exams. I'm interested to see how they handle those long days.
    I have also begun working on the students final reports. After exams, each student will get a report that has the score they received on each exam and where that score ranks them among their classmates in each subject. It also has behavior and student interest comments, which my teacher actually put me in charge of. I had to go through each report and list 2-3 adjectives that described the students work ethic and personality, and also list which subject they seem to take the most interest in. I was a little nervous to take on the job solo but was also happy that my teacher trusted me with it!
    This Friday we don't have school because Ghana has its election day. Schools close because that's where many of the polls are located. Even though Ancilla  doesn't host the polls we still get the day off. This is only Ghana's 5th presidential election, so it's a pretty big deal to the people here. Unlike many other African countries, all of Ghana's elections have gone smoothly and with no violence- so I'm hoping this one is no different. Just to be safe, we'll be staying in the area this weekend.
     It is crazy to think that in just over TWO WEEKS I will be coming home. I've become so accustomed to life here it's definitely going to be an adjustment coming back. Sara and I laugh because we realize how many things we say differently after being around British English all day every day. We'll say things like "my stomach is paining me" or call a flashlight a torch without event thinking twice. I also talk much slower here because most people have trouble understanding my accent.
    One last story to end this update- This morning at school I saw a parent that was wearing a Green Bay Packers Super Bowl Champions T-shirt! I stopped him and told him that's where I live and that they were my team. He then told me that he was at the Super Bowl in Dallas! I guess at the time he was living in Florida  and going to the game was something he wanted to before coming back to Ghana. What a small world! ( I admit it made me sad I couldn't watch a majority of football season)

Exploring Accra and Getting New Roommates

  It's hard to believe that tomorrow it will be December- the month I head back to America. Our remaining three weekends are quickly filling up with all the stuff we want to get in before we leave!

     This past weekend we headed into Accra to get some shopping done at the market. Anytime we go into the city we take these vans called Trotros. They are these rickety old vans that are crammed with wayyyy too many people. The nice thing about them is that a ride costs only 40 peswas, which is right around 20 cents in America. It normally takes only two trotros to get into the city, so it's quite the deal. The drivers are extremely reckless though and some of the vans look like they could crumble to the ground any minute. I've learned to just calmly look out the side windows as we ride because looking at how they drive could bring on a minor heart attack.

    Anyways, after safely making it into Accra we looked around at some sights like the U.S Embassy, Independence Square (home to Ghana's Independence Day celebration each March), and the Soccer stadium. Then we headed to the market where we spent a few hours. It was a little overwhelming because EVERYONE wanted us to come to their stand since we looked like tourists. Auntie had already let us in on the fact that you can always get the price down to about half of what they originally say. I got good at holding my ground and got some pretty good bargains if I do say so myself.

     School went very smooth this week. It was only a four day week of teaching for me because today was Open Day, which is basically parent-teacher conferences. Going into it I wasn't sure how much I would understand because I didn't know if parents would prefer to speak in English or Twi. Luckily for me most used English so I was able to understand what was going on. The parents were free to come in at any point during the day an look through their child's workbooks. Then they had a short chat with the teacher about how the student was performing. I had to laugh because at least five different parents told me that their child goes home after school and pretends to talk like me! Apparently the way I say "boys and girls" is entertaining to them. Since we were there over lunch, the teachers all went to the canteen for lunch and they were serving Kenke, which is a very common dish in Ghana. It's this lump of dough that is primarily maze, and you dip it in a pepper sauce that's really spicy. My teachers got a kick out of watching me eat because you eat it with your hands and I was really struggling. They make it look so easy but the dough is so sticky I had clumps all over my hand. One of my teachers got a call as we were eating and she told the person on the other end, "I'm eating Kenke with a white lady you should come see!" I think I'll stick to forks from now on.

     In other news, Sara and I have discovered two wall geckos living in our room this week. We had the kids come in and hunt for them since we were too scared. One has now moved on to a better place, and the other is still MIA. As long as I wake up alone in my bed every morning, I guess I'm okay with giving him a home.

Time Flies When You're Becoming a Local

     I have now officially reached the halfway point of my stay in Ghana. The first half flew by, and I know that the second will go even quicker. That is because we only have two more weeks of new material in school, and then we begin a three week period of revision and exams- but i'll explain more about that when the time comes.
   This past weekend Auntie took Sara and I to an engagement party of a friend's son. We got to wear our new Kente dresses we picked up from the seamstress so we fit right in with everyone at the party (kind of, haha). The party was very interesting, and much different than I had expected. Not knowing much about it, I assumed it was just a celebration of the eventual marriage, but it was actually a whole ceremony. The groom's family offered gifts to the bride's family, and when the bride told them to accept the gifts, it meant the two families had joined together. There was also an official church ceremony where the couple even exchanged rings. So after the engagement party, as far as the church is concerned, the two are married and the families have become one. The wedding day is really only to make it official with the courts. It was a pretty interesting thing to be apart of.
    On Sunday we took a drive to Ghana's Botanical Gardens. The gardens were neat, but truthfully my favorite part of the trip was the drive. The gardens are located up at the top of a mountain, so we drove right up the side of it to get there. The view was amazing. It was neat to see all the villages of houses with the mountains in the background. Where I live it's all clay and dirt so it was nice to see some nature again, and it was cool to see an image of Africa I wouldn't normally picture.
    Just a few side notes from the weekend- the kids in the house have begun teaching Sara and I how to do this trendy Ghanaian dance called the Azonto. We see the young kids and adults doing it anytime music is playing, so we thought we better start getting it down. I think the kids like teaching us because we are pretty entertaining to watch. I'll just say that we need some practice before taking it public. We are also encouraging everyone at home and school to speak to us in Twi, the most common tribal language in the area. So with my new recipes, clothes, dance moves, and language, I'm going to be heading back to America a real Ghanaian.

Let There be Light (finally!)

     Today is a good day. Not only has the power stayed on for three days straight (now crossing my fingers that I didn't jinx it and my computer doesn't shut off before this publishes) but I also had a great Monday at school. I'm now starting week number four (time is FLYING), which is also my first full five day school week since getting to Ghana (due to Holidays and Mid-Term break). I FINALLY have all 46 of my students names down, and am teaching lessons in both of my KG2 classrooms. The school days are becoming much more enjoyable now that I'm used to the daily routine and know all my students.
    Last week Sara and I went to the nearby Madina market after school with our guide Phelicia. I had heard it was a big place- but holy cow, it was endless. There was vendor after vendor selling pretty much everything under the sun. We spent a little time looking around, but our main mission was fabric. Most people here in Ghana don't buy pre-made clothes like in America. Instead they buy fabrics of their choosing and have everything custom made by their seamstress (Auntie says EVERYONE has a seamstress). Since Auntie is taking us to an engagement party (Ghanaian tradition) next weekend, she is giving us traditional Kente Dresses that we can wear to the party and then have for our keeping. Kente dresses our colorful, long dresses that people wear to traditional events or church. In addition to getting that dress made, Sara and I both bought addition fabric to have some skirts and dresses made too.
    This weekend, we brought all our new fabrics to Auntie's seamstress and got measured and picked out our styles. We will pick up the final products this week and are VERY excited. This past weekend we also went with Phelicia to the Accra Mall in the city. It is Ghana's only shopping mall and is decently new. It felt very wierd to be there because it was identical to any shopping mall you would go to in America. It was crazy how expensive everything was there, especially when outside the mall walls everything here is super cheap. I had to laugh because just like in Cape Coast, when we were in the mall we were no longer the only white people around. So basically the two place we see other white people are the beach and the mall, how typical!
    Since I normally write novels I'll cut this entry short(er). I'll end with the fact that at this time next week I will be halfway through my adventure in Ghana...AH! I can't believe how fast the time is moving.

Until next time,
J.

Weekend on the Coast

     Well today is the last day of our five day midterm break. Yesterday we got back from a three day vacation to the nearby town of Cape Coast. Sarah and I hopped on a bus very early Friday morning and arrived in Cape Coast about three hours later. We were met by our guide for the weekend, Seth, a local college student that Auntie knew.
    For the whole first day we had a driver that drove us around to many popular places around the area. We started at Kakum National Forest, which is a large rainforest near Cape Coast. After a short, extremely hot hike, we reached a chain of seven bridges that extend high up in the canopy of the forest. The view was breathtaking, and it was definitely an adrenaline rush being that high up on just a shaky old wooden bridge. After the rainforest we made a quick stop at Wesley Girls School, which is Auntie's old high school. It is one of the best secondary schools in Ghana and Auntie is very proud of it. Seth then took us to Cape Coast University where he is a student. I was surprised how much it resembled a college you would find in America, since the primary and secondary schools all look so different.
     By far the most moving part of our trip was visiting the two castles located in Cape Coast, Elmina castle and Cape Coast Castle. Both castles were several hundred years old, and are most known for their role in the slave trade. Although there are other places in West Africa that exported slaves, a vast majority passed through one of the two located in Cape Coast. Our tours brought us down into the actual dungeons where slaves were kept, and I can't even begin to explain what it felt like to be down there. I almost had to excuse myself from the tour because the thought of living down there for four months with no light, minimal food, and no bathrooms, all while literally being stacked on top of others was very sickening. In 2009 the Obama family actually visited Cape Coast Castle during a visit to Ghana. Our guide talked about how Michelle broke down during their visit because she had ancestors who passed through the castle. It was extremely emotional for even me to be there, I can't imagine having personal ties to someone who lived it.
    Both nights we were in Cape Coast Seth brought us to two great restaurants right on the ocean. Since the area is a hot spot for tourists, it was kinda funny not being the only white people around. For the first time in two weeks not all eyes were on us as we were in public. We did realize though that once we walked beyond to waterfront, to the real heart of the city, we were once again the only white people. It really showed us that even though we often feel like tourists, and everyone looks at us as one, we are seeing and experiencing things that most visitors would never know existed.
    Tomorrow we head back to a four day week of school. I'm hoping that after five days off I didn't loose all the progress I made learning everyone's names! Next update I'll focus more on my experience in my two classrooms and what each day is like- I'm still amazed  by the differences even two weeks in!

Until next time,
J.

Becoming "Teacher Jessica"

    Well Ghana's electricity issues are still going strong, so that is to blame for my lack of blogging once again. The lights have been off the past two nights from dinner until about ten p.m, so hopefully we make it ONE day with out them going off tonight.
     I have now been in my new school for six full days. My school is a ten minute walk from our house, and we are typically gone from about 7 until 3:30 pm. All the kids at the school absolutely LOVE Sarah and I. I wish I could say it's because we are really great teachers- but at this point I think it's mainly because of our white skin. The first few days I was there kids would come up and literally just pet my skin, telling me how soft it was. They also love feeling my long hair because no one here has it long. Anywhere I walk I have a parade of kids following yelling "Teacher Jessica, Teacher Jessica". It's very sweet, but also gets a little overwhelming at times, as one could imagine.
     I am teaching in two KG2 classrooms, which is equal to kindergarten in the United States. Between both classrooms I have about 45 kids, and right now my biggest obstacle is just learning all the names. Half of them I can barely pronounce, and on top of that they all have the same hair cut and uniform, so it's rather difficult to tell them apart at this point.
    The school day begins at 8 with an all school assembly outside which includes prayers, songs, and announcements. After everyone marches into the classrooms, there is two hours of instruction before a half hour snack break. The kids return to the room for about an hour and a half and then get a full hour for lunch. After lunch, the kids carry their chairs outside and the teacher sweeps the floor of the classroom and wipes down the tables. That goes until about 1:15, and then school closing is at three. The school days go by very quick, but even after six days I'm still amazed at how different it is from an American school day.
    I'm slowly getting more involved in the classroom each day. I can already tell that my biggest challenge will be classroom management, since many of the techniques used here in Ghana are ones that I will not be using myself. Since the kids are so used to the teacher's techniques, mine don't quite have the same effect at this point. I'm sure it will get better as time goes on, and I will just continue trying new things. It's a good challenge for me- that's for sure :)
   Today was our last day of school for the week, because now we have a nice five-day weekend for midterm break. Classes resume next Tuesday, and in the mean time, Sarah and I are headed to nearby Cape Cost for three days. We will tour the castle that slaves went through directly before being shipped to America, and also walk a bridge high up in a large rainforest nearby. I'm looking forward to getting out and seeing more of Ghana!