Home at Last

Were finally home from Africa! I definitely had an amazing time, and am very glad that I went. Experiences like this are really special and I'm so fortunate that I get to have them. I think what I learned the most from this trip was that, you never truly know how lucky you are until you see how part of the world lives. Living in America, we don't really see or think about people living in shacks and sleeping on the streets. The reality is that we really need to be more informed because when we jump to conclusions about the rest of the world, were the ones that need to be pitied. Thank you to my parents for a wonderful adventure, and a spectacular experience. :)

swing bridges, and a sad castle

What a long, long day. :) I am slightly relieved it's over, but also sad because we had such wonderful and unbelievable experiences! We woke up slightly earlier then usual this morning to meet a van that would drive us and four other people. It was very hot in the van and most of our ride was full of bumps and queasiness. For two and a half hours we sat in that van taking pictures of different settings. One minute we would be out on a dusty road looking at green vegetation, the next we would be dodging people in a crowded town. Overall, it was very fascinating to see all the different homes. When we finally arrived at the park, we found out that it would be thirty Cidis each for adults! My parents made the decision it would be best if just my sister and I went, we were only fifteen Cidis each. So we began to hike up the trail with the others. It was a fairly short trail and every so often we stopped to take pictures, and then we came to the swing bridges.We had a fantastic time walking accross the loosely swinging bridges. Taking videos, and pictures we were quite terrified that our cameras were going to fall down into the rain forest below. The bridges were soaring up above the treetops between many gigantic trunks. A few times we felt like we were going to fall, even though we were assured before we got on that it could hold two African elephants. By the time we went on the last bridge, I finally began to trust it. After our adventures at the rain forest, we got back in the car and drove to the castle. On the way we went through the busiest town, I have know idea how anyone drives through. It was one of the most beautiful sights. All of the colorful food, and dresses, and babies strapped to their mothers backs. Of course we wanted to walk around, but we got a little "chicken" after people swarmed around us at the castle wanting us to purchase items. The castle was a place where slaves were held until they were shipped across the ocean. The whole tour was very sad and depressing, all of these years after the fact and everyone still feels great sorrow as they walk through the castle. We walked through the female slaves cell, where we saw they had barely any room to breathe! up to four hundred women were crammed into a tiny space at once and up to six hundred men! It was heartbreaking that anyone could do such a thing to these innocent people. We saw the governors rooms, and walked around the top where we saw an amazing view of the ocean. There were colorful fishing boats that were along the shore and in the water. Finally, we ended the tour and I'll never forget what the tour guide said (not exact words) "This castle is not so that we can remember and feel bad about what happened, but it's for us to learn from it and understand it so it will never happen again." The castle was and experience I will always remember. As we began to drive back to the hotel I was asked the question, after seeing Ghana how does this make you feel. It makes me feel fortunate, and thankful for the life that I have. Compared to the people here living in little shacks with trash covering the roads, I have a life that should never be taken for granted.

Africa-first day-and the market

We have arrived in Accra, Ghana! It has been an amazing experience so far. There are so many unfamiliar sight, smells, and people but overall its been amazing. The first day we arrived on the plane we walked off to have a rush of humidity and warmth hit us. Wearing our long pants, and coats I have to say it was pretty nauseating. When we walked into the airport there was a faint smell of a porta potty and Christmas decorations were placed all over the place. Finally we all crammed into the van that would take us to the airport and that was when we truly got our first glimpse of Accra. It was very filthy, with an open sewer and people walking in the road trying to sell you things. It was very displeasing to experience all the poverty in the city, but at the same time I feel it was something everyone must eventually know about. The hotel was really nice with a pool and amazing food. This is where we spent the rest of our first day.

We walked on the beach that eventing and it was quite a sight. There were people riding horses and restaurants all over the beach. There was quite a bit a trash on the shore, but still many people were swimming. Up and down the beach people were trying to sell things, somebody offered my mom a horse ride. We also saw somebody making a sand sculpture and a group of people playing drums. You would definitely not see anything like it back in the states. We ate dinner and then went to bed fairly early that night. Our second day in Ghana was a lot of fun! We had a wonderful breakfast and then we went with another pilot to a local market in Accra. The minute we stepped out of the car, people came up and tried to get us over to their shops. The shops consisted of jewelery, clothes, and wooden items in little shacks. We ended us getting lots of jewelery because it is was so cheap. One pair of earrings were 2 cidis which is equivilant to about one dollar and fifty cents. I also got to watch my dad attempt to haggle. After looking around/ being dragged into more shops, we headed back to the hotel. It was still extremely hot out so we hung out by the pool for a while swimming and reading. The rest of the night we relaxed at the hotel. I can't wait until tomorrow!!!!

Hands :)

The pictures below show that something as simple as a pair of hands can tell alot about a person when you document where they've been.

homeschooled again

Soon I will be traveling again! I've decided that homeschooling is the right decision and I can't wait to go and see the world. There are so many places I would love to see. My first will be Africa. In Ghana we will be the minority which will be very different then usual. I'm hoping the people there will be nice like my dad describes. It will nice to get some warmth and out of the cold.