Akropong and then some.

We had some time with the internet today! So read your heart out on these journal entries from the past few days.

Aug. 16

Akropong is a wonderful place. We’re staying at a seminary and it’s been very peaceful.

I should mention that our bus is awesome. It’s air-conditioned and the seats are comfortable. So the ride up here was great.

On our way up here we stopped at the botanical gardens. The British started it up around 1820 as a way to test what kinds of things could successfully grow in Ghana for economic and scientific purposes. Because of this, there are a lot of trees from all over the world. It was really a beautiful place.

The meals are provided for us at the seminary, which has been fabulous. Tonight we had French fries and chicken. I’ve never been so happy to see French fries in my life. They were delicious.

After dinner, we got to share our autobiographies with each other. It was really intimidating, but I’m glad we did it. We learned a lot about each other in 2 and a half hours.

Later, we went into what looked to be “downtown” Akropong to find some chocolate. A lot of us were really craving it and thought it was absolutely necessary to find someone who sold it. We paid way too much for it, but I think it was worth it.

Last thought for the day: The beds here are like memory foam. I never want to leave.

Aug. 17

I had hot chocolate at breakfast. It was glorious. It’s actually been pretty cold here, so the warm drink was necessary. After breakfast we had an entire day of lectures scheduled. I didn’t think I was that tired, but I just couldn’t keep my eyes open during the first two sections. I wanted to listen because the subjects were interesting…but oh well. Someone gave me a piece of paper and a pen for the last lecture session so I was able to stay awake by taking notes and doodling.

After lectures we made our “group covenant”. Basically it’s just a charter of the things we want and expect from our group. We’ll see if we hold to it. ;)

After that, we had dinner (Spaghetti!) and watched a movie on Christianity in Africa. The seminary that we’re staying at was referenced quite a bit…so I think that had a lot to do with why we watched it.

Aug. 18

It was our last day in Akropong. We spent the day hiking. It was really great, but it kicked my butt. I’ve never really hiked before, so all of that walking and climbing was pretty exhausting. Our reward at the end of the hike was a swim at a waterfall. It was beautiful, but our guide told us that the rainy season wasn’t very rainy so the waterfall isn’t as impressive as it usually is. We didn’t really mind…it was still refreshing.

At one point during the hike we got to climb onto this huge “umbrella” rock that overlooked everything. The next stop was at a 3-headed palm tree. I guess those are pretty rare or something. At that stop our group of Americans attracted more attention than the tree. A lot of locals wanted to take pictures with us.

Me, Anna, and Krista on top of the "umbrella" rock

At the waterfall, we ran into our “friends” from the palm tree stop. They wanted more pictures. All the attention was really strange. I don’t usually get stopped in the street in order to be videotaped in the U.S. But the waterfall was great.

After a cold shower back at the seminary, we hopped back on the bus and returned to campus. A few of us decided to go back out into town to get pizza and then explore a nearby town called Osu. I got check out Global Mamas, which (to my limited understanding) is an organization that empowers women by giving them jobs making all kinds of cool clothes and accessories. We visited the store that sells the stuff that they make. It’s awesome. I can’t wait to go back and buy stuff.

It was a long day, but I enjoyed myself.

In other news, we still have no idea if we're getting Ghanaian roommates or not. It's becoming a little bit frustrating because we're still not unpacked, but we're trying stay positive. If we don't have roommates by Tuesday, then we'll just room with another Calvin student.

Aug. 19

Anna and I went to Legon Interdenominational Church (LIC) this morning. We left the dorm at 7am to be there by 8am (It’s a pretty long walk). They start with bible study in small groups and then the actual service starts at 9am. The people at this church know how to party. The offering is basically a dance party while the baskets are going around. After the sermon, there was a choreographed dance. I videotaped it, but I can't get it to upload onto my blog so you'll just have to miss out. 

We start classes tomorrow! Wish me luck!