Week Three!

It's hard to believe that I can already be writing in past tense about my third week living in Koforidua- time flies by so quickly!  After an eventful weekend, I was ready to get back to teaching and training with the girls.  It felt really good to go to the school with a clear idea about what was expected of me, and it was nice to teach with lessons pre-planned.

Because I am teaching three different grades the same subject, I get a little more confident with each class (poor grade 10's are always the guinea pigs for lessons).  By the end of the week, I found that was able to maintain control while also having a lot of fun with the girls.

We were discussing the benefit of participation in physical activity- a topic especially important as the school's physical education department is just beginning to grow and many parents oppose the idea of sport, worrying about it distracting their daughters from academics. 

Although I was informed that my students may have preconceived hesitations about participating in sports, I was excited to hear about what kind of knowledge the classes already had.  It was a pleasant surprise to hear ideas like stress reduction, physical, mental and social health, strong bones and muscles, and good opportunities being discussed; however, other questions served as a reminder that the education system in Ghana is still developing: "Madam Katie, does physical activity reduce the risk of pregnancy?"

Now that classes are in full swing, training is also starting to get serious.  The practices are mostly focusing on conditioning right now- but, I always try and throw a couple games in each session so that the students enjoy the work outs.  The girls are working towards doing a school track meet in the next couple weeks to determine talent and select athletes for the interschool competitions at the end of February.  Although we are practicing for these events, the school does not have any track and field equipment or facilities- so I have to be quite creative. Although it is challenging, it is also really fun. 

On the weekend, we headed up to Shai Hills in hopes to see some animals.  We took a relatively smooth tro-tro for about 3 hours, and then arrived at the park where we opted for a walking tour.  Within five minutes, we were face to face with a small flock of Ostriches!

We had a hard time processing how big the birds were.  Along with their shocking size, they tended to be a little temperamental and nippy.  Needless to say, we didn't hang out for too long- but it was very cool to see the birds (who, fun fact, can run at 70 km/hr! So nutty!)

After moving on from the birds, we walked up to a baboon-inhabited part of the forest.  Armed with a loaf of bread, we were ready to offer the monkeys lunch.  It was such a cool experience.  The curious baboons stepped out towards us, and accepted the carb-load with tiny little fingers.  

Once the baboons were well-fed, we were able to explore the park.  We trekked through the long grass, sat by a crocodile pond, and enjoyed the sun.

After an enjoyable day at Shai Hills, we walked back to the road to pick up a tro-tro home; but, ended up roadside-sitting for over an hour with full vehicles passing us much too often.  With a stroke of luck, one of cars passing was an acquaintance of Fred's- so, we were finally on our way home to Koforidua.

Saturday marked Justine's last day in Africa :( We decided to spend it relaxing by the poolside. As we were walking home after a lot of swimming, the sky opened up and it started to pour.  Forget about cats and dogs, it was raining rhinos and elephants! I've never seen anything like it.  Since we were already in our bathing suits-we dropped our dresses, embraced the showers, and ran around the compound; it was so surreal to be in the middle of a tropical rain storm.  After our extreme puddle jumping, Justine had to pack and it was pretty hard to say goodbye (it's amazing how close you can get in a couple weeks).

On Sunday, I was invited to work with a girls soccer team.  They had a game in a nearby town- so I hopped on the bus and went to watch.  Once we arrived, the coach asked me to give some words of encouragement- so I talked to the girls a little and they were off to start the game.  It was really fun to watch the game; the girls played hard, but with finesse- definitely a treat to cheer for them.

It is hard to believe how quickly time passes here; every week is filled with new challenges and adventures.  My third week marked the time when I started to feel more at home, got more comfortable in my teaching position, and got to have a lot of fun!