Photos

Kester, Uncle Simon, me, and Auntie Abigail (My homestay family in Accra)

Me, Jessie, and Claire in the bush in Asaam (aka on Adgyeboat's farm)

A cute little warthog from Mole National Park

Me in Mole National Park

Megan Gurrentz (Colorado) at Antoinette's shop (Antoinette being Ghana's only female master drummer)

Laura, Mara, me, and Jessie having a drum lesson with Antoinette in her shop

Me, Antoinette, and Lisa (who was an SIT student 9 years ago, then did Peace Corps in Swaziland and is now making a documentary about empowering women - aka she is extremely badass, in a really humble and passionate way)

 

 

In other news, we're moving around a lot the next few days. We're in the Volta Region, just left the Central Region, and very very soon we start our 5-week independent research projects. Megan (Colorado) and I went running when we were in the Eastern Region and climbed a hill that overlooked the whole valley, including the river, as the sun was coming up. So beautiful. They speak Krobo in the town we were in. We got to see a really interesting ceremony commemorating when the Krobos were forced down out of the mountain they inhabited. Megan (Colorado) and I got to be within like two feet of the paramount chief.

 

We're working on learning Ewe now, which is what they speak here in the Volta Region (and by we I may actually just mean me... we're not being given any formal classes in it, I just ask people and take the time to talk to the locals, who usually say something in Ewe than say it in English when I don't get it, then teach me the response). We made clay pots the last couple of days - still not finished, but we're leaving tomorrow for a new place so we'll come back for them once they've been fired (on a bonfire of corncobs, grasses, bark and palm fronds). Before that when we were with the Krobos we made beads, since they are apparently master beadmakers there, so we're really getting all sorts of creativity going on.

 

Megan (Colorado) finally gets to enjoy mangoes, which she has been waiting for the entire trip. They've been out of season, but there are lots of ripe ones here in the Volta Region. Life is good.

 

Going back to Cape Coast: I did try to get the fishermen to take me out on the boat, but unfortunately the day I chose to talk to them about it was the taboo day, so I helped them pull in their nets instead. They pull them in by hand using a long thick rope and a team of men, pulling in rhythm to a song they chant. They have several different songs, and each has a different purpose depending on how they are pulling. They always have people in alternating positions on each side of the rope, but the two methods I saw were they either all pull together at a certain beat and then grab lower and then pull again, or they each grab on to a set spot and walk slowly backwards in time with the song. It was fascinating. My hand developed a nasty burst blister pretty quickly from pulling on the rope, though, and I had to go back to the hotel for breakfast (we'd come out to the beach to watch the sunrise again), so I never actually did see either of the two nets I helped with break water. Those ropes are long! It would be really interesting to study the fishing chants, though. Maybe I'd actually get to go out on a boat...