Fanfare

(July 31st)

Yesterday morning, we left Accra took a private bus our journey to the Dagbe Cultural Center.  It was a smooth ride. The main highway from Accra (the capital of Ghana) to Togo (the country that borders Ghana on the east) passes right by Kopeyia. Between the traffic, speed bumps, bathroom breaks, and being stopped at one of the guarded speed checkpoints, what should have been a two hour ride took a full three hours.  Ghana is a former British colony, so I (Mark) was surprised that people drive on the right hand side of the road. 

Upon our arrival at the Dagbe Center, we were greeted with a jubilant welcome.   As soon as we turned off the highway into Dagbe we heard a fanfare of drumming. Smiling children waved and ran after the bus, stopping at the center's gate to watched as our bags were unloaded. It was clear that our leaders, Jeremy and Kristen, were reuniting with good friends and we were all enthusiastically greeted with hand shakes and hugs.

After the staffed helped us settle into our rooms and we had some rest, we went on a tour of the village. Along with the Dagbe staff, we had many precious little guides who walked us through three of the seven "branches" that make up the village. We were also formally welcomed by the elder at one of the villages. Some of the younger children from the village eagerly held our hands, while the older ones practiced their English throughout our tour. 

 As a Kodaly teacher (Laura), it warmed my heart when one of the girls sang our names in a minor third. "Ashley, Laura, Ashley, Laura" (sol-mi, s-m, s-m, s-m). During our walk some of the older girls also showed me the English songs they know... I think this will be a beautiful exchange!

After dinner, Jeremy (who is the instructor of the course) took a few of us who were interested to the bar, which after a phone call was quickly opened for us.  Beer and Fanta were the popular drinks that evening, and after just one round the ten of us had all but decimated its refrigerated stock.

We went to bed anxiously awaiting our first full day of instruction at the Dagbe Cultural Center