Tini Falls- Ghana Republic Day

The Tini Waterfalls

We have been in Ghana for six weeks, which means that our time here is halfway over. We have six more weeks here, I can't believe we have been here this long. We have been having an amazing time getting to know the people of Abomosu. When we walk down the roads everyone knows all our names except mine, which they have a hard time saying. They will always yell Joe, Spencer (Spanky), and Abbie (Abigail), especially the children. It is fun to have everyone know who we are. We are always being asked where we are going, how we are doing, where the others are, etc.

July 1st is Ghana's Republic Day, which is a national holiday so there was no school today. Abbie and I did not have to teach and we wanted to celebrate the holiday, even though in the villages they don't really celebrate Republic Day other than not having school. We have been told that in the cities like Accra and Kumasi, they celebrate and either go to the beaches, waterfalls, etc. Elder and Sister Terry (the wonderful missionary couple in our area) told us about some waterfalls that are pretty close to us, about 45 minutes away near the city Anyinam.

We invited Gloria and Susanna to come with us, which was good because Susanna had been to the waterfalls before. We hopped into a taxi, all six of us, it was quite the squeeze but it is always an adventure trying to travel anywhere.

We got to the Tini Waterfalls after a small hike and they looked a lot like there name tiny. They were tall but just small amounts of water, or at least that is what we thought. We decided we wanted to climb up them to play in the water which was quite the adventure. The rocks were very slippery and the water was a lot heavier than we thought, so we were not prepared to be drenched but it was very fun. Gloria told us that the louder you scream the more water comes down the waterfall. This seemed to be true because as soon as Gloria and Susanna got to the top of the rocks they started screaming and there was more and more water. Also a large bus showed up right after us and they were all screaming and blowing horns (if you have been watching the FIFA World Cup, it was the horns that everyone has at those games.) It was because it is a common tale that if you scream more water will fall from the waterfalls. It has been fun to hear of all the old man's tales, such as ifa frog/toad jumps at you and you are a male you will become female and if you are female you will become a male. We love walking home from the church with Stephen because he always tells us Ghanian stories (many of which he is sad because no one has written them down and children are not learning them because families don't sit outside at night talking like they used to).

Joey and Emily in front of the Tini Waterfalls

Joey and Spencer gave their second loan last week. The loan is for a sugar cane farm which we have heard you can make a lot of money from sugar cane. Joey decided that he wants to move here and grow sugar cane. Hehe. Joey and Spencer have been meeting with over 12 other people to set up there business plans and trying to see how much of a loan they would need and if they will be profitable enough to pay the loans back. Sometime in the next two weeks they will go through all the business plans that have been presented to them and decide how many more loans they can give, according to how much money they have received from USU's SEED Program. It has been interesting to hear all the business proposals they range from farms, restaurants, market shops, internet cafes, and many more.

Emily being pounded with water from the waterfall

Adventures in Cape Coast and Accra

Since arrived in Ghana we haven't done much traveling outside of Abomosu. So this weekend we decided that we needed to go to Accra to do some grocery shopping and that we wanted to take a tourist trip into Cape Coast. The adventure started out at 1:00 am Saturday morning, where we walked into the center of the Abomosu village to catch the government bus. After a little more than an hour of waiting for the bus it finally arrived and we were off to Accra. We arrived in Accra at around 4:30 am, waited for about ten minutes for our ride and we were off to Cape Coast, which was another 2 hour ride.

We arrived at the Kakum National Park first. It is a national forest and has some endangered species including elephants which sadly to say we never saw. Most of the animals in the Park are nocturnal or are scared away from all of the noise of the visitors of the park. While Joey and I were waiting for our tour to begin we wandered off to look at the views. While I was looking up in a tree I noticed a black and white tail hanging down from a branch and instantly got really excited. I hurried and got Joey's attention just in time to see a monkey jump from a top branch of the tree to a lower branch where we were able to really see him. Then we noticed another monkey. I was satisfied with seeing the monkeys and said that it would be okay if we didn't see any other animals (although I would enjoy seeing more). Our tour began a couple minutes after seeing the monkey, we were off to the "bridge in the treetops" or the Canopy Walkway. These are rope bridges suspended in the air at the top of the trees which was about 125 feet above the ground. We enjoyed trying to walk with no hands, dancing, walking backwards, etc. The views were amazing, we tried to capture them in pictures but although they are great pictures they don't do it justice. (Look on our Facebook pages to see pictures, on Joey's computer he can upload pictures straight to Facebook using iPhoto but it takes a long time to upload them to our blog). These bridges were amazing and I really enjoyed the experience, the trees and roots were so cool, they would wrap around each other and make such amazing designs, one grouping of roots even looked like a bicycle (sadly our camera ran out of batteries so we weren't able to get a picture of it).

After the Kakum National Park we were off to Elmina to go to the Elmina Castle (formerly known as St George's Castle). It was a slave trade castle and passed through different ownerships, it was originally built by the Portuguese. We went on a walking tour and heard all about the history of the castle and those that had passed through it. We went into the slave holding cells, the punishment chambers, and the room of no return. It was quite an experience, it was hard to imagine all the people that past through there as slaves. They said that there had been somewhere around 12 million slaves enter the castle and only 1/3 of them left on boats to become slaves in many different countries around the world. The other 2/3 never made it out of the castle most due to self-induced starvation. The soldiers went to the extremes to feed the slaves by breaking off their front teeth so that they could force feed them with a spoon but the slaves did not want to eat, they would rather die. The stories of what occurred in the castle were heart wrenching but worth experiencing. Due to time we ended up not going to the Cape Coast Castle which was another slave castle but built by another country.

After the Elmina Castle it was lunchtime and also time for the Ghana World Cup football (soccer) game. We hurried and found a restaurant that had the Black Stars game playing and sat down to eat and watch the game. It was so much fun to be surrounded by fans that were really into the game, we have been following the World Cup but we just watch it inside of the Abu's house so it was very entertaining to be surrounded by fans and enjoy the excited environment. (Sort of like the feeling of an Aggie b-ball game :)

It was a very long day but very enjoyable, we ended our day by spending the night at Elder and Sister Dickson in the Area Presidency of West Africa. They took us in as family and fed us, gave us a place to sleep and were amazing company. They told us all about their lives and their experiences serving the Church all around the World (although they claim they haven't been very many places, which is true compared to how many countries their are in the World but they have been to pretty much every continent). Hearing all of their stories made me excited to get to that point in our lives where Joey and I can serve a couples mission for the church. This trip has been amazing, we are constantly surrounded by members of the Church and spiritual experiences. My testimony continues to be strengthened and grow each day. Sunday we attended a ward in Teschie which is near Tema, a larger city next to Accra. When we left church the roads were flooded from the rains, it didn't seem like it had rained that much but it never stopped. At points the roads looked like they were rivers with rapids, it was definitely scary. We later heard that there was a lot of damage caused by the floods and more than 11 people died.

Monday we spent in Accra running errands and getting groceries. Then when we got back from running errands the Dicksons took us to the Cultural Center in Accra. This is not like a Cultural Center that you would think of. It is like a giant swap meet. There are just rows and rows of little shops of African wood work, jewelry, clothing, Football (Soccer) jerseys, dolls, and anything else you could think of. It was really cool to see the ability that everyone had. There were many people making the wood work or sewing the clothes right in front of you. Joey and I weren't really looking for anything so it was fun to try and make it through all the people. (If you have ever been to TIjuana Centro and tried going to the shops, it was quite the same experience except these shops were in a very close vicinity of one another). Everyone tries to get you to go into their shop, which ins't necessary because you can see everything from outside of their shops and then they try to barter. It was a great experience and fun to see so many different things but at the same time same things all over the place. Joey got a Ghana Black Stars football jersey (#8 Michael Essien). Now he is set for the game on Wednesday. The other couple also got a jersey for Stephen Abu that we live with.

Today we are headed back to Abomosu as soon as we are able to get some 2 for 1 pizza. There are some foods that we crave while we are in Abomosu. If anyone has some really simple recipes we would enjoy them. The Abu's don't let us cook, but we want to come up with a very simple recipe to make them dinner sometime. They do let us bake so any easy desert recipes would be great as well.

So far we have tried no-bake cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies (all of which we had to improvise in some way but they turned out pretty good.)

We really love it here and are excited to be here for two more months. I wanted to say another Thank You to all those that made it possible for me to join Joey here in Ghana. We have been reminded on a daily basis how important it is for us to be together and how blessed we have been by being able to spend our summer here in Ghana. It has definitely been a life changing experience that will help us better our lives. Thank You again.

We love Africa.

So, we still remind each other that we are in Africa, because sometimes it still seems unbelievable. We truly love it so much. Today we went on a Sunday afternoon walk and just really enjoyed the scenery. There is a spot down by the river that I wish we could set up our porch-swing....then this place would be perfect. Seriously, if we didn't have school to get back to, we'd be tempted to stay longer, but alas...

Emily is loving teaching more than she thought she would and she is being so helpful to the school. I (Joey) went to school with her on Friday because Abbie was feeling sick...and I am not very impressed with the teachers. Emily even without specific elementary school training would be a huge improvement, but I guess the teachers didn't have much training either.

Spencer (the other intern) and I have found out that our loans are not going to be as "micro" as our director had thought. We'd been told the loans should be between $50 and 300, but we have found they need to be between $350 - 700.
But it is almost impossible for people to get loans here…unless they have a rich Aunt or Uncle. To get a loan you need:
1.) To have a bank account for 6 months at the bank you want to borrow from
2.) Make regular deposits into your account
3.) Have 30% of the the amount you want to borrow in your account
4.) A full business plan

Even making a business plan is very difficult for them. They do not have easy access to computers to type them up…this also means they don't have access to a spreadsheet to help with income projections.

So this is where we come in. We will probably end up helping about 10 people to make business plans that they can use in the future to get loans. And then we will probably give loans to 3-4 people.

Actually big news! We gave our first loan on Wednesday! We provided 800 Ghana Cedis to help a woman start a catering/fast food place here in Abomosu. She will do a wonderful job and should pay back the loan within 6 months. The "kiosk" as they call it here, is a wood structure that resembles a typical shed in America…so it is tiny! Kind of like a "Central Park" but smaller. I will upload pics to facebook.

Lastly, I woke up this morning with these strange blister things. I have no idea where they came from. It looks just like a oil burn blister, but it is a group of 4-5 of them. I have one above my knee cap and one on my calf. I hope they heal and go away soon.

Well, that is all. Oh, and we are enjoying watching the World Cup! Everyone here watches it. So we are all Black Stars (Ghana's team) fans! The power was out so we missed most of the USA vs. England game…which we were ticked about, but really enjoyed the South Africa vs. Mexico game. We hope Ghana and USA will play each other..just for excitements sake. Okay bye!

If we only had unlimited internet...

We apologize that we do not do a better job writing blog posts...but the other couple that we are with are doing a great job!!! So if you are really curious about what is going on with us, read Abbie and Spencer's blog. They do a really good job. Especially read about what lives in a tree. I was going to do the same post, but eh, it is easier to refer you there.

http://ourblog-dearinger.blogspot.com/

1st teaching, 1st anniversary,

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to a funeral here in Abomosu. Which was quite the cultural experience. Stephen Sr. Abu told us that here death isn't feared, everyone is expected to die at some time. Funerals are more of a celebration of the life that the deceased has lived and they are for multiple days. Also funerals are group funerals, instead of being for one person they celebrate the life of multiple people. The funeral that we went to was for four people. When you arrive you walk around and greet everyone, you wave at everyone that is there and then those that are sitting in the funeral area (behind the pictures of those that have deceased) you shake their hands. Then you either sit down and enjoy or you go to the middle and dance to the music. Which was quite an awkward experience, a lot of the people were drunk and trying to dance with us, so they had no bubble when dancing with us. Joey and I made sure that we were very close to each other so that we wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

Joey and Spencer taught their first business class on Friday, it was an introduction course and they got quite a bit of feedback from it already. They are meeting with those that are interested in starting or expanding their businesses. I feel like now that things are setup we will become more busy. Abbie and I will begin teaching two more classes on Monday, so we will teach four classes each day. Which I am excited about, the children are very responsive and enjoy the program that we are teaching.

Our first day at church Joey was asked to speak the next Sunday so Joey spoke in Sacrament Meeting today. It was funny because he didn't know if he would have a translator or not so he didn't know how much to plan for. Luckily he had a translator but at the same time it caused him to not get to all of his talk.

Today is our 1^st Wedding Anniversary, we haven't been able to do a lot to celebrate but it is still a great day. Hopefully tomorrow night we will go to a nearby village that has a “restaurant” and eat a nice Ghanaian dinner. The couple missionaries (Elder and Sister Terry) in our area found out that it was our Anniversary so they brought us some freshly baked brownies to celebrate. It was very nice of them and very much appreciated. We haven't had any baked goods since we have been here.

Due to our internet access it is hard to upload pictures to our blog so if you want to follow us through pictures look at our facebook pages. It is easier to post them on there than onto our blog.

We have been in Ghana for a week now and have had a lot of adventures but at the same time not a lot has happened. We have been trying to prepare our lessons. Joey and Spencer are working on their business classes, which they will teach their first introductory class on Friday.

Abbie and I taught our first ABC and All of Me classes today. Currently we only have two Primary 1 of First grade classes at the Presby School. We are hoping that we can get two more at the World Joy Zion school. Teaching has been a little harder than expected. The national language of Ghana is English but that does not mean that English is the main language spoken. It is interesting to try and speak to the children when they understand some things and not others. The children are well-behaved and seem to enjoy learning songs and being able to move around in the classroom. Hopefully we become more comfortable with teaching and the children will better understand us as we continue with the program.

Last night we had the opportunity of attending a baptism for Gloria. She is from Tema but is living with the Abu's for awhile. She helps out with the meals and other things around the house, so we have been able to get to know her over the past week. It was a wonderful experience. On our first Sunday at church, Joey received the assignment of speaking in church this week. I am excited to see whether they will have a translator for him or not. At church they speak both English and the native language, Twi, pronounced like Tree.

We are trying to learn the language, the Abu's niece, Esther has been teaching us some words when she comes over to the house to help with food. Yesterday was the first time we tried anything truly Ghanaian. We had Banku and Okra. The Banku is made with corn but tastes like strong sour dough. I had a hard time eating it but Joey really liked the okra. Usually they just feed us rice and chicken, which I can handle. Someday they are going to feed us Fufu, which is pounded cassava and plantains. It is really cool to watch them make. Margaret Abu (Mom Abu), says that they make it about three times a week.

Pictures to come later.

Abomosu

We have arrived in Abomosu. This place is crazy, but it will be great. Em and I are both sick...her stomach hurts and I have body aches and a headache. We don't think it is any thing serious.

We got swarmed by about 30 children. They all wanted to touch Emily's hair. Some girls braided it. And they wanted to touch her skin. They liked to squeeze her arm and watch it go pink and then go back to white.

We saw a little scorpion thing too (anyone know what they are called). It was dead, but now we know they are here.

Stephen Abu, the dad of the family we are staying with told us many stories about joining the church and starting in this area. Everyone calls him Master Abu or dad. He says we are his children.

"Dad" showed us his farm. It is just like a movie. He has cocoa trees and we had fresh cocoa seed things. They have lots of pineapple, papaya, BIG avocado, bananas (though they say they aren't good), plantains, cabbage, coconut, big potato things and yams. Oh and also lots of goats, chickens, hens, bunnies, and a dog just had puppies three days ago.

The power was out when we first got here, so it was HOT in the house. There is no AC but just ceiling fans.

Sorry we won't be able to post many pictures. Our internet is slow and also limited (we only have 5 gigs of data.

Anyway, life is good.