by Sierra Stewart
Culture: On one our first nights here we attended a cultural night at a local club in the village. There were all sorts of traditional dances going on and drums talking. Even before we arrived you cold here the music as we walked down the streets. When seeing the performances, it was more than just a performance, it was like the dancers and singers were taking you on a journey with them. The people actually felt the music and were sensitive. This is what I love about Ghana. You don’t have to go to some performance to experience culture, you can walk through the village and talk to people and experience the richness of it. The best thing about it is life is so simple here. Since being here in Ghana, it is amazing to me how simple life can be. I have limited access to the internet and my cell phone, and surprisingly I am actually doing well. It’s strange for me because I am used to being in Seattle, constantly on Facebook and waiting for the next text message. To American standards, a lot of people don’t have much here, yet they are happier.
Cheerful Hearts Foundation: So we started doing community service with elementary to junior high students in a few areas: HIV/AIDS, Core subjects, and surveying. I was a part of the surveying team. We went into the fishing village and interviewed young children from the ages of around 7 to 18. A lot of these children don’t go to school because they have to work on the boats making nets, or some are just there with family because they cannot afford to go to school. It was interesting interviewing some of the kids who were shy at first but then started to open up more. It was also a little hard because of the language barrier. Some of these kids could receive scholarships to go to school which I thought was amazing. But another thing that is unfortunate is that there were some there that were 16 and had never even been to school. Most of these kids are younger than me yet have been working way longer. It truly makes you grateful.