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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Chale Wote!

Last month, one of my Accra buddies informed me about an art festival that was going the weekend I was in town to visit. Chale Wote! is a street art festival held every year in Jamestown, a rather beat up part of Accra but during the art festival, a colorful place to be. Chale Wote! is attended by people of all backgrounds and ages and I was impressed with the orderliness of the day and the numerous activities to partake in. What I was really happy to see was that it was tailored for street children to enjoy as well. It was so much fun watching these kids learn how to play musical chairs and that game with the egg in the spoon:) There was a coloring book corner for them, a Ghanaian teacher is in the works of making an animation of Okomfo Anokye and she had little trinkets for them. Too cute. There was a masquerade exhibition, a street art section, fashion making center, a walk through an old slave castle, rollerblading demonstration,  breakdancing, etc... There was so much going on that day, I didn't see it all but what was there was truly entertaining and something to talk about. The creator of this a young Ghanaian man, quite introspective and creative in many forms. Every year the festival gets grander and expands artistically and I was truly impressed with it all. It's good to know that there are visually minded individuals who aim to bring a peaceful, exciting, and educational experience for all Ghanaians to partake in. 



                                   
                                     







Sunday, May 20, 2012

Choosing

In this life, there can only be two ways of searching for anything we want. We can begin from the places we know best, and search until we get to places we did not know even existed. Or we can begin searching from unknown places until we get to old and familiar places.
- From the  text, The Girl Who Can

Monday, May 14, 2012

The Money Shot

Just reminiscing getting sprayed at a party/funeral in Naija. Wish it was dollars.
If this was facebook, you would #like this.
Check the grin. Wasn't for the camera. Lol.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Our Reward is in Heaven


Some of my colleagues here mutter this phrase with scorn and wonder when they discuss how unfairly teachers are treated in Ghana. People here say that teachers shouldn’t worry about their low pay on earth, they will get a better deal after death… It seems to be that way around the world, teachers are constantly overlooked in the professional realm. The work extends long after the last bell rings, the meetings are constant and endless, and the paycheck at the end of the month makes you want to weep. But if our greater reward is in heaven, I will do all I can to enjoy the rewards I witness on earth.


I love my experience in Ghana, but by golly, I miss teaching the kiddos. I miss that one student who will come in every morning and tell me stories about his day that I eventually learned to care about. I miss the students who sneak into my cabinet to grab my “pretty paper” and beg me to let them have it. I miss standing in the hallways and hollering for kids to hurry up to the next class. I miss the monthly morning breakfasts with other teachers. I miss jumping up for joy once the kids finally understand the difference between the “tone” and “mood” of a story. And I miss sprawling out on the desks and staring at the ceiling after a long fulfilling day.


It’s Teacher Appreciation Week in the U.S. and if you can do anything to shout out an educator, I request that you do so. It’s the one week where we can go to our teacher cubbies and expect a daily treat. And really feel appreciated.


When friends and family learn that I am a teacher, they always say, “Yeah, I can see you being a teacher.” And that makes me so proud and happy. Aside from the fact that I have adopted the common teacher closet (flowery blouses, New York and Company slacks, etc…), I am what a teacher looks like: proud, exhausted, underpaid, yet… overjoyed.

Happy Teacher’s Week.