We made it tonight to Accra, smooth flight, all are happy to be here and healthy. (By the time I actually am able to post this draft to the blog this will be old news… no internet connection here at Asaasi Yaa.) We exited the plane onto the tarmack and walked a few short steps to a shuttle bus that brought us over to the terminal building. We waited in line to clear customs, which was easy and we had no delays with that process. Sarah, our guide from SAGE Global Travel, was right there waiting for us when we came out of customs. We then headed over to baggage claim and I was hoping that all of our bags that we checked (personal bags + the donated Growing with Ghana international project gear) would make it and not be delayed or lost. All of our bags showed up, so I was happy about that!
Next we exited the airport and headed out to our bus (it’s about a 20 passenger or so, a smaller bus) to head to Asaasi Yaa in the town of Krobite where we are staying for the night. As we left the airport building we heard the distinct sounds of West African drumming… we walked over to the drum group and heard one of the drummers (named Powerful - he will be with us for the whole trip) yell, “Welcome, Minnehaha!” I think we were all surprised - was this drumming for us? Yes, it was! The same group will be giving us a drum and dance workshop later during the trip - what a treat for that to be our very first Ghana memory - it was so special! There were many people waiting outside near the drumming to pick people up from the airport, so we had no idea that the drummers were there to welcome us - it was very cool.
All is well and quiet as I type this - I think everyone but me is fast asleep. Tomorrow we get to sleep in a bit and have a nice traditional breakfast and orientation by the ocean - I can’t wait to see it in the daylight, I’m sure it’s very beautiful! For now in the dark, I’ll settle for the sound of the crashing ocean waves to lull me to sleep. Peace to all at home and thank you for your prayers and support! ~Julie
Students watching the drummers.
We got a quick tutorial from Sarah, our SAGE guide, as to the water that we’ll be drinking on this trip. These bags are called pure water sachets and are filled with purified drinking water. You snip (a.k.a. bite it with your teeth) one of the corners of the bag and pour the water into your reusable water bottle or just suck the water directly from the bag. Then we will be saving the empty plastic sachet bags because we’ll be reusing them in a different way for a few projects in the village of Okurase.
Waiting to board the bus for Asaasi Yaa in Krokrobite in the greater Accra area, where we would be staying for a few nights at the beginning and end of our trip.
A typical room at Asaasi Yaa - very comfortable.
African artwork on the wall in the guest room.
The name Asaasi Yaa translated means Mother Earth.
I went outside to hang something wet to dry and saw this dog (one of a few that lives at Asaasi Yaa) curled up outside one of the student rooms on the mat. We are already making friends on our first night here! :)
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