Schools, Parks and Things That Are Nice

Today was the first official day of our project. We are renovating the kindergarten block of a government school in a low-income part of Accra. The work had been interesting as we are sorely equipped for the work.

First we tried to scrape and sand down the walls of the building. It was hard and mostly seem to produce a lot of dust. We gave up after about an hour and decided to just begin painting. Except then everything peeled off. We eventually figured out that the rollers were the problem and stuck to paintbrushes. It went smoother after that.

Afterwards we went to Rufus Park which was amazing! Life size chess set, Ludo board and some other game. We see-sawed and played on the swings and just ha a good time hanging out. We need more parks like this in the United States (or at least in my corner).

Now we are at Peter Pan restaurant and the kids are gorging out on burgers and smoothies.

Overall, it has been a good day.

I definitely thankful for the group of kids I have with me. They have such great attitudes and are embracing every bit of our time in Ghana. Trying new foods, actively learning about the culture, and even attempting to speak the local languages. They do have silly moments. Like one of my kids was disappointed that her host family wasn't poorer (she feels she isn't getting the real African experience). 

We are here with another group of kids who are not all as embracing. They aren't BAD kids, but I would be stressed if I had some of them under my wing. Just a bit wild and reckless at times. Especially for being in a foreign country. In Africa.

But ultimately, it is important to me that my kids have a good time and see Ghana (and by proxy, the rest of Africa) as more than the poor, third world stereotypes that tend to abound. 

Between the school and the park, I think they got a good dose of balance. And each day is a new memory to cherish together.