Takoradi

Well here we are in our last day of the homestay here in Takoradi. It has been a fun two weeks for many of us with the ups and downs of figuring out the ins and outs of our host families. I think one of the most interesting aspect many of us have observed about our families is their fierce attachment to their faith, churches, and prayer. In fact just as I was entering the internet cafe today a man asked me if there are Christians where I come from and that is why I've been blessed to come here. Many of the people who visit my host family are delighted to know that I have accompanied them to church. In fact my host family not only goes to church on Sundays for about 4 hours, they have also been attending all night prayer vigils from 10pm to 3am since my arrival while still getting up to go to work in the morning. All in all they are good people with good intentions.

The sense of family is also very strong here and my host mother, although she only has four biological children has many other people who refer to her as their mother. She has even taken in a girl from an Nzima village to the west of Takoradi so that she may get an education. The children in Ghana are expected to stay at home until they marry. Thus, you will fnd many people in their late twenties and early thirties still living at home.

Takoradi as a town is fairly small and I think everyone knows just about evey last nook. There is a lovely beach where the experimenters as well as locals frequent to have a coke and relax. Tonight we will say our formal goodbyes to our families as we attmept to pull off the various African attire we have each gotten the past two weeks. Tomorrow we start on the final leg of the trip as we travel to other regions of Ghana, starting off with Cape Coast, followed by a visit to Kumasi the heart of the Ashanti region and then a long trip east to Ho and the hydroelectric dam and waterfalls in the Volta region. Our last stop will be Akosombo where we will see the highest mountain in Ghana. If I have my way we will climb it... :)