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So it's been a few weeks since my last entry. Much has happened so get ready.
This past weekend a group of ventured to Ada Foah. This is a little fishing community about three hours east of Accra. After an arduous drive in this cramped bus that kept making stops to unload random things off the roof, we finally made it. By the time we got there it was after nine and we were dropped off in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Lucky for us, some guy met us in the pitch blackness (I soon found out there were only a handful of light bulbs within a 10 kilometer radius), made a phone call and before we knew it all 12 of us were huddled on this boat cruising through the Volta River in the direction of where it emptied into the Atlantic Ocean. After twenty intense minutes of fearing the boat was going to tip over and being eaten by crocodiles we made it to this beach where Auntie Pat greeted us as if she was expecting us all along (there were no phones, so reservations were impossible). She showed us our huts and had us sit at a table in the sand where one of the few lucky light bulbs hung above us while she prepared our meal. Never in my life have I ever seen so many stars. It was simply unbelievable. I almost tripped several times because I insisted on walking with head tilted towards the night sky. While we waited for our food, I took a rest in this hammock outside our hut. This whole trip culminated into that one instant. As I lay in that hammock strung between palm trees gazing at the stars with the roar of the Atlantic Ocean in the background, I thought to myself "I really am in west africa, thousands of miles away from home, away from school and stress."
After eating dinner around one in the morning we went to bed. Our huts consisted of two beds sitting in the sand with a single candle in the middle to provide light.
We spent the rest of the weekend swimming in the ocean, eating unbelievable food, and watching villagers perform dances by the light of a bonfire on the beach.
The best part of this whole trip was how cheap it was. We stayed Thursday through Sunday and everything (food, lodging, transportation--including the boat ride to get to the resort) came to around $70.
Tuesday and Thursday I volunteered at an orphanage whose name translates to "My Best Friend." It's so amazing how happy some people can be when they have so little. I don't think I'll every forget Martin. This five year old said maybe three words, had no parents, no quality education, yet never once stopped smiling the entire time I was there. After going over the seven continents and four oceans, we all took a break and I helped the directors of the orphanage with their patchwork quilts. This is how they raise money for the orphanage: everyone works together making these quilts to be sold in the market. Hands down one of the most remarkable experience of my life. I signed up to help teach these kids, but I think I'm learning way more.
So much more to say....but I'll save it for later.
Still alive and well,
Patrick
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