June 9,

Hey, well it has been awhile. We did a lot last week. Every morning I taught English at the school and in the evening I either went to town, the village or the orphanage. On Wednesday we went to Jonas and Jonathon's house (they are some christian missionaries of the lighthouse church, both from Germany), Jonas made a rice dinner that was so delicious!! Most Ghanaian food is not my favorite but this was good... We stayed there for a few hours and just talked and played a card game, it was a good relaxing day for me! On Thursday we went to Kintampo Water Falls. It was sooo fun. The bus ride was three and a half hours though so kind of long. On the way there we stopped in a small town on the bank of a river and payed to get a canoe ride. The canoes were handmade, long and narrow. We fit 7 people in each canoe. They told us there were very few crocodiles in the river and not to worry. Ha. So of course I didn't worry at all... Not! The entire time I was bargaining with God to take another one of the volunteers and not me! Luckily we didn't end up seeing any crocs... The waterfall was made of three tiers on the base where all the water flowed into a river/creek we could actually swim. So we swam under the waterfall and could sit in a little cove between the rocks and the water. It was amazing! As we were getting ready to leave a group of High School kids came to the falls and started asking to get pictures with all the girls... Fred, our coordinator, explained since we were so far up north many of the guys hadn't seen white girls before and it was pretty much like being at the zoo and wanting a picture with a monkey. So we took pictures for about thirty minutes it was kind of awkward because they would pose so some of the pictures looked like engagement pictures other than the fact we were in swimsuits and didn't know each other. A few of the guys tried to kiss us, cause who wouldn't want a picture kissing a monkey right? We thought it was really weird and just ya... so we left. On Friday there was a huge party for the volunteers leaving on Saturday the entire girls school sang and danced and gave them gifts to thank them for teaching. The whole thing lasted about two hours. It was fun to see the culture come out of the girls. The dancing includes a lot of butt bumping where you dance in a circle and then bump and then choose someone else do a circle and then bump... You get really dizzy after awhile. Friday night everyone went out to say their goodbyes to the departing volunteers. Throughout the week we had already been to three bars and I don't particularly enjoy being the only sober one just sitting there, hence Friday night I opted out. They all got back home around 4 in the morning...really...really...drunk.... I wanted to be all motherly and yell at them for being all irresponsible, but instead I just slept more. None of them really woke up until about 2 and then they had dreadful hangovers. They were all talking about how much money they had wasted and how much they threw up and then they asked me why I didn't want to drink with them...Hahahaha. Watching them after every bar experience just makes me want to never ever drink. The volunteers here are really great though, we get along well and they teach me nifty card games that are impossible intricate and difficult to understand, but fun all the same. Yesterday I went to church and met the members of the branch. I think there are only ten members, one branch president and then four missionaries. By the end of the meeting there were about twenty people and I think most were just investigators. I met three of the four missionaries they are from Boise, ID; Denver, CO; and Nigeria. They are all really fun and  I felt quite at home there. On Wednesday this week we have a gospel study night I hope I'll be able to go to. It turns out two of the people in Fred's house are actually talking to the missionaries. I don't think they are taking official lessons but hey, progress right? Everyone here is so nice and I'm slowly learning Dagbani, I can say good morning, thank you, and good afternoon. It is a very tricky language though. Teaching at the girls schools is a little bit hard for me because I have been teaching grammar... my worst subject... it has truthfully helped me appreciate teachers more! We ran out of running water yesterday so now we are using a tank. We get one bucket of water to shower and then you have a smaller cup to pour over you so you pretty much get wet, put on soap, and then pour the rest of the water out... it's a weird method but it works. Yesterday I also did my laundry and I have callus's from wringing out the clothes! We went to a western restaurant for lunch yesterday and I got a hamburger and fries...They were divine! I sincerely miss american food so much... I have had two dreams of just the food... Yum. So yeah that burger was so good and I made myself some fry sauce too... It was heavenly. I was so full I didn't want to eat dinner. Everyone else felt the same, but it is rude not to eat meals when someone prepares them for you so we all ate a bowl of soup and a ton of fruit!! I laid down last night thinking I might throw up and woke up the same. I can never eat that much again! Phew. On the way home from the restaurant we had a crazy taxi driver!! I thought I was going to die! The people here are suicidal when they drive, there were a few times we almost hit pedestrians and he definitely ran like ten stop signs..Ah the culture here is so fun :) I'm starting to get used to everything though, we've only been to the large orphanage with 26 kids twice. I got assigned to the smaller one today, it has 7 children. I start tomorrow and actually got a schedule and everything. My shift is from 7 until 12. School ends at 1 so I wonder if I will even be teaching anymore. I find out later today. This week should be fun!
Love Emily :)