(Aug 21)
Following our tour at Cape Cost Castle it was
back to the Anomabo Beach Resort for lunch and then another long bus ride to
Accra. At this point many of us were trying to come to terms with the reality
that our time in Ghana was almost through. People were busy calculating how
many cedis they had left to spend on food and souvenirs. As we traveled to
Accra, we started reminiscing about our favorite portions of the trip and
commiserating about how much we missed our teachers and the people in Kopeyia.
It was interesting being once again at the Afia Hotel in Accra. When we arrived
there at the beginning of the trip we all were strangers, yet now we had become
in a sense a family, a group of people from many different walks of life united
by this life-changing experience. Our journey had reached its end. Some
of us had different flight arrangements so goodbyes were scattered and even
frustratingly hasty at times. Many of us held onto the promises of keeping in
touch after our return… already photos are flying up on facebook!
Ten hours on the plane gave
us time to reflect and discuss how we could share this experience with the
Derby community… hopefully give back to the Kopeyia community in the future. We
hope this blog has given its readers a sense of the wealth and depth of our
learning we have encountered on ThisWorldMusic’s Ghana study abroad
program.
We
must extend heartfelt thanks to all who made this one of the most memorable and
fruitful of adventures in both of our lives. We would again like to thank Derby Academy for subsidizing the trip
and making our participation possible. The experience certainly would not have
been as fun and meaningful without the camaraderie of our colleagues with whom
we studied and forged strong friendships. Thank you to our talented and patient
instructors at the Dagbe Cultural Center. Last but not least, we would like thank Jeremy and Kristen for their superb leadership on this trip. For all of us, traveling to Ghana was a process of discovery. It meant coming together to learn, share, find inspiration and form new friendships through our love of art. Thank you, readers, for sharing in this experience with us.
Sincerely,
Laura and Mark
What a wonderfully vivid account of the journey! You took me back to last winter when my husband and I had the joy of discovering Ewe culture with Jeremy and This World Music. With nods and smiles of "yes, that's how it was," you have proven you ability to eloquently capture the spirit of the experience to draw us all in. Everything was spot on (except the break you got on the weather. It was HOT while we were there!) Thank you for sharing your experience with all of us.
ReplyDeleteGhana was the third stop along our African journey and I would invite you, Laura and Mark, and any of your readers to check out our photographic tour of our three stops - South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana - at http://LifeJourneyChurch.cc/docs/walsh-africa.pdf and/or watch the missions video that was presented to our church at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrtQtYPun6o. (Unfortunately the third video specifically focused on the Ghana portion has not been uploaded onto youtube. If this changes, I will post an update.)
The pulse of Africa will continue to live on within us regardless of where our feet are planted. I am certain that your students will receive a measure of the African inspiration that will be passed on to them by each of you. The time and energy you spent sharing your experience as it occurred has been greatly appreciated. Akpe. Miadogo.