A Farmer's Home

Friday, July 24th.

We had a bit of a sleep in today and didn't go to the college until 10:30. We went straight to the assembly hall where the students were having snack. We were there to supervise the gender equity skits. The participants enjoy performing and the audience has a good time. I hope it gives them something to think about, things like girl’s access to school and women's roles in the home and at school. Then it was lunch time. After I ate I went to the resource centre and decided to walk through the small community there to get some more photos. I was photographing two kindergarten boys on a bicycle when I heard someone calling me. It was a man in his house, and he was gesturing for me to come to him. So I went to see what he wanted. I wasn't nervous as everyone here has been very friendly. He invited me into his house and showed me a large python in an oil drum! He had found it in the woods and intended to eat it. Then he showed me around his compound and took me up on the roof and inside his living area. He allowed me to take photos showing me his chickens, ducks and two monkeys, very cool. I would have stayed longer but I had to get back for the closing ceremonies. They were incredibly long again, three hours! It was really hot in there and the electricity kept going off so the fans stopped. After the ceremonies Thomas Baafi told me he kept checking to see how I was doing because I had said they were too long last week, and he was laughing to himself. Then they took us with all of the resource people to another building where we had a social and a couple of beers. I asked around about the village I want to see and I found a GNAT rep from the area who knows what I am talking about and he volunteered to come with us tomorrow on our excursion. From there we went to dinner, after which I went for one last walk and went to say goodbye to my kitchen friends and especially Mary, the head cook. Ghana Night was slow to start and it was still really hot in there, so I walked around the college grounds in the dark lost in thought about the schools and the project and enjoying some alone time. I could hear the music and the cheering as the participants danced. I went back and sat at the back of the hall where I met a young six year old boy who found me fascinating and kept touching my arm and arm hair. When the school drum and dance group came in I went and sat on the stage to get some photos. They were okay but not the best I've seen. They served drinks and food which turned into a bit of a melee as the participants tried to help themselves to seconds. After that the men at the table where I was sitting announced to the crowd that they had a container of cooked dog! Apparently it is a delicacy up here and the participants were excited about it. GNAT knew we would find that strange so were herded out to the van and Eric drove us back to the hotel by eleven.