My fre Queen Mother of Development Nana Afoah Osei.

Today started off like a normal day in Ghana. We went to a school, talked with kids, then drove around Kumasi for three hours getting nothing accomplished regarding securing seats for our flight home. I do want to say that the school we ventured to first greeted us with drummers and dancers. Notice that this drum is a bowl turned upside down in water; the boy drums and the girl picks up the bowl to let water inside which contributes to the sound. You can't tell in this picture, but there was a group of girls dancing and singing a song that was welcoming us there, specifically naming each one of us. We each took about ten minutes speaking with groups of 30-50 children, answering questions they had. One 8-year-old boy asked, "What does your skin and body feel like?" I said "just like you", then I let each one of them touch me. They agreed that I felt just like them except my skin was softer.

I explained that it is probably because they are outside so much more than I. He then asked if I would turn black like him if I stayed out in the sun. He was quite confused when I said, "No, I turn red when I am in the sun for too long." They also asked questions about our constitution and our president. The kids very curious and so joyful. We were short on time there and they still had so many questions. We really needed to get moving though because we had several places to venture to before the day's end. And, boy, we had no clue what was really in store for us.


We made one last trip to the two towns where our partner schools are located, Mankranso and Dunyan Nkwanta. Our first stop was Mankranso where they presented us with gifts and expressed their sincere appreciation and commitment to this partnership. Then we headed to Dunyan Nkwanta where we expected much of the same.
Instead it ended up being a ceremony where I was named Queen Mother of Development, Nana Foah Osei by the Chief of Dunyan Nkwanta. I was escorted out about halfway through the ceremony and taken to an office where the Queen Mothers dressed me in wraps fit for a Nana (Chief/Queen). After being fully clothed complete with "Nana" sandals, we walked back out to the crowd where I was told to wave as I am now a Nana of their town. My seat was moved so that I was then seated right next to the Chief himself. He followed by announcing the name I would be known as from then on, Nana Foah Osei Queen Mother of Development. I have to tell you I really did not know what to think of it all. It was amazing and I couldn't believe it was happening and wasn't sure how to handle it all. The entire ceremony was amazing. They presented two poetry interpretations, one in Twi by a young man who was fantastic and a second by a group of children that was about the regions of Ghana. They also presented two dances, in which Ms. Perkins joined them in celebration by showing her great dance skills as well. It was so much fun and they loved watching her try the dances that the children were doing. All in all, I must say today was a day that we could have never expected.

The Ahafo-Ano South District has been wonderful and such a gracious host. It is truly an honor to have spent time in their communities; we have learned so much about them, ourselves, and what it means to work with people from completely different cultural backgrounds.

Kids will be kids....

We spent the first half of our day at Mankranso Sr. High, meeting with students who were preparing to take their Geography Exams. Before we could interact with the kids or see their facilities we had to have another formal ceremony where we were announced, addressed and asked our mission. After speaking to our intent for creating this partnership, we presented them with a school flag which seemed to make them all very excited and happy. The meeting was closed with a prayer and then we were set free to interact with the students. Our conversations began with them introducing themselves and sharing their favorite subjects with us, along with why they liked the particular subject. One young lady said, "I like science because you get to explore the universe and everything in it." Their was another young man who was so inquisitive, with great questions; he is also one of the 35 pen-pals that will continue with written exchanges. We talked about a variety of topics, such as: corporal punishment in schools, which they do practice; the importance of women being married by their 30s in their culture (it is considered a disappointment to family if you are not); beliefs around monogamy; the academic achievement of HPISD students; what can we (Americans) learn from them (Ghanaians); the difference between equity and equality; and much more. It is so great to have such rich conversations with young minds. I love my job!

We then went to work with primary and junior high school aged kids, at a school we had not been to yet; these kids were so astute. With each new day my belief that we are more alike then different is proven over and over again. They are kids just like our kids: eager to learn, polite and well-mannered, diverse in their interest, kind and family-like, and basically very happy.





As I met each child and attempted to pronounce all names, they shared with me their dreams. Just like all kids they have dreams: their interests varied from a nurse, doctor, to teacher, minister, soldier, football player, and even a president. We discussed... what student leadership teams do (they think and they act); what it is they thought about their school; what they wanted for themselves and their fellow students; and what actions they think would help them to accomplish their goals. Here are their words summed up: They like going to school because they have nice teachers who help them to learn and see things. They think students should be respectful, kind, learners, obedient, etc. If they could do anything for their school they would add more learning. In order to add more learning they voted to each try studying one extra hour (outside of school) next week. They will meet again next week to see if they think it helped and was enjoyable; if so, they will try to influence their peers to do the same. It was such a great day working with fun loving kids, just like the ones we are blessed to work with each day (HPISD).

Wednesday- The Gathering

Hey,
It is 6:50 am here on Thursday morning. Sorry I didn't write last night (Wednesday night), but to be honest the night slipped away from me; so, I will update you now on what we experienced and what I learned today. I do need to point out that we had to wear Ghanaian outfits today that they had made for us.

First, we started with an hour wait for our escort Manfred. The driver was here but he was not. He arrived an hour late because he had first tried to go to the tv station here where he was hoping to get the story of this partnership reported. It did not happen because he said they changed the price on him and he could not afford what they were now asking. Now, him being late did not come as a surprise to us because it seems as most things run behind schedule here. One reason for that is that most of them rely on public transportation, in which they cannot control much because the "tro tros" run late quite often or show up full so you have to wait on the next one. When we spoke about it he also said it is often because of the traffic. He was surprised when we explained that we have heavy traffic also, which we too did not always have control. Now, most of us do have our own vehicle which allows us to decide when we leave. One example of this is when we had to way 4 hours for a bus on Saturday that decided not to run after all so then we had to go to a completely different station. Anyways, we call it Ghanaian time; we have noticed things definitely move at a different pace. Another example is when the hotel restaurant had to open an hour late because the guy showed up late, which meant we did not get breakfast that morning. As Ernest (Manfred's brother said, "we cannot stay on 'Ghanaian time' because then we will always be behind and never progress. It is not good business." He felt strongly about this because of his experiences in the UK which is where he lives/works quite often.

Once we did get underway, we went to the district office where we prepared to meet the Mayor and other representatives of his team. After presenting our mission to him, his assistant, and Madam Chairperson of the Assembly, we went over to the assembly hall where they were to hold a public assembly for the 150+ head teachers (principals of KG, Primary and Junior High Schools). The purpose of this meeting was to present our partnership to them. It is important to note that we are only partnering with 7 of their 150+ schools because they have so many schools and we are only 7 in our district. Well, they were very excited about us being there but it did not go over so well when they learned that most of them were not included in the partnership. At that point, we couldn't help but to think that this is probably what it felt like in a DISD board meeting. They were really working hard to get their voice heard and their questions answered. The head council answered their questions and put them in their place when they were out of line. With all that said, that too was a learning experience where we saw many similarities to things we know and saw many things we are to be grateful for being a part of HPISD.

I have received many signs this week that we are doing the best thing by being here and creating a partnership with the Ahafo-Ano South District for our students and teachers. I realized that my conversations with Manfred started because of his desire to give back to the community where he went to school. Manfred is currently a student at the university, and is volunteering as the International Partnership Coordinator for the community where he grew up because he wants to give back. As I listened to him speak to his community about his desire to help them move their education system forward, I could not help but think of our district's motto, "Enter to learn, Go forth to serve." Manfred and Andrews are both living examples of this; they went to school where they learned the importance of an education and now they are working hard to serve their community.

A hot day in Africa!

We had an amazing day today! Our day began with meeting the District Executive Chief, who is the same as our Superintendent of Schools; this was our first exposure to the formalities of the Ghanaian people as we were introduced and our mission accepted. During this same meeting, we also met several of the head teachers and district administrators. They had a lot of questions and we all quickly realized that our countries have just as many similarities as differences.

Next, we met Nana Safre Owusu Amankwatia, Chief of Mankranso, where we were officially received into their community and therefore allowed to walk their land. After blessing us, our journey and this partnership, we took pictures with the chief before departing for our next adventure.

Our next stop was to meet Nana Boakye Agyemang, Chief of Dunyan-Nkwanta.I am struggling to express how it felt to take part in such rich cultural customs specific to the tribes of the Ashanti Region. I can say that I have never witnessed anything like it. It was truly an honor and impressed upon each one of us just how important our work is with these communities. As I will think of how to help walk you through the experience to the best of my ability, I will post pictures so you can see it for yourself.

The second half of our day was spent meeting children from three of the seven schools involved in the partnership between the two districts. We met hundreds of children; and much like our kids, they were full of energy, curiosity, and love. Many of them had never seen white people before and if they had, few had ever interacted with white women so closely. Not taking their eyes off of us, they smiled ear to ear waiting for us to acknowledge them. They do teach English in school, but many of them still at the very early learning stages; then, there were others who had very good English speaking and writing skills.

Tomorrow we have several more meetings, including a 9am assembly where I must give a speech to the entire community. Wish me luck!

Pictures as promised...

Akwaaba (Welcome in Twi) Coach Crane! She is still smiling after eighteen hours, two flights, babies crying, and plane sleeping (minimal). After leaving the airport, we picked up something to drink then headed to the bus station where we waited patiently to head for Kumasi. In the photo from left to right is Merci (manfred's sister), Miss. Perkins (Yearbook), Me, Andrews (Partnership Asst. Coordinator) and Manfred (International Partnership Coordinator).




We have now been in Kumasi for two days and have already learned so much about the Asanti people. Visiting the Manhyia Palace Museum helped to give us a historical background for the Ashante Region and its' people. This palace was home to three of the sixteen princes. The 13th, 14th and 15th Kings lived in this palace. The 15th King built the new palace behind it where the current and 16th King still lives. In addition to learning a little history, we also spent much of Sunday meeting people. Below is a picture taken of Manfred and his family outside of their family compound which is where they all live in the same apartment area. They prepared a wonderful lunch for us, a local delicacy called qoin quank (spelling?)
Now, one important thing to note about Ghana is that it is a market place. This means that there are markets everywhere for anything you can possibly think of. The market type setting that you see in this photo is very common here, versus an in-house building setting like our shopping centers and malls.


Well, I am off to sleep for now: I will be back in touch tomorrow with more photos and stories. We will begin meeting students, teachers, and leaders of the districts tomorrow. Coach Crane will be teaching three PE lessons tomorrow and we will be introduced to their newly formed student leadership group(s). Good night!

3 days in Ghana and oh what a journey thus far...

Greetings HPISD,

It is Monday at 7:15pm and I am just now being able to access the internet, which is why you have not heard from me sooner. You have been greatly missed; we have all missed the internet and our phones so much so it is nice to finally plug back into life, even if for a brief moment.

We arrived in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Saturday at 1:30pm Ghana time, which is five hours ahead of Dallas. With so much excitement, we met our host from the Ahafo-Ano South District in Mankranso, Ghana. They greeted us with huge hugs in great anticipation of meeting their education partners for the first time. They took us to get a drink before we were to take a 6 hour bus trip to Kumasi, which is the main urban area near their rural area of Mankranso. I will spare you the long, drawn-out story of why we did not actually board the bus until 6:15pm (now 5 hours after our landing); I will tell you that the bus trip was horrifying, even with very comfortable seats. The roads are great in spots and horrible in others; but, the main concern was the driving habits of taxis, buses, “tro-tro’s” (small buses packed like sardines) and individuals. Unlike the US, there are few road rules. At times, I felt like we were all in go-carts scrambling for the lead. Although a very rough and exhausting trip, we did make it safely to Kumasi at 12:30. After taking a taxi to our hotel, we ate; then, we were finally in our rooms and asleep by 2:30 am. Exhausted!

Still so tired, we prepared to attend a local church service at 10am-12 noon. The service was full of dancing and singing; the people seemed so happy. We even got to witness a wedding that was being performed along with the service, which was a new concept considering the fact that it was a general congregation of people. It is important to note that is was very hot, similar to the Dallas summer heat during August. The remainder of that day was full of visiting local sites and experiencing the culture first hand, including trying a noodle/fish dish which is named for the sound the spoon makes when it this the plate-qoin qaink (spelling?). I will upload pictures and videos soon. I wanted to post something quickly about our journey thus far.

We slept in today and went to the grocery store for a few items, and back to the hotel to get work done. Even though we are not at school, there is still much work to be done. We go to the schools tomorrow, which will be a different environment then we are used to; I am sure I will have lots to tell you tomorrow.

Until then...here is a brief video view of the streets in Accra...

Two days till it's go time!

So excited! We leave Friday at 4:45 from DFW to Dulles in Washington then straight to Accra. We will arrive in Accra, Ghana Saturday at 8am our time, which 1pm their time (5 hrs difference). We will be picked up by our school partners in Accra and escorted via bus to Kumasi, which is a 5 hour trip. It is expected to be a rough ride; however, I am expecting to see many great sites. I'm all packed and have taken care of the little things, like calling my bank and at&t. Manfred has sent the itinerary, which seems to have many great opportunities for us to connect with both students and teachers from their schools, district and community leaders, and explorations/excursions. Oh can't wait for the unknown.
I will post as soon as possible, once in Ghana. Bye for now.