Fun Friday
“A friend is someone you love to play with. A good friend never forgets you.” D’Mya, CT Walker Magnet School
True to our declaring Fridays as “Fun Fridays” a couple of years ago, today was a fun Friday. We shared the morning with two RC Mixed P6 classrooms paired with Ogelthorpe Charter School in Savannah and Riverside Middle School in Augusta.The students oohed and awed at the scrapbook pages, especially the pictures of marshland, waters and creeks. They commented on how bombo (beautiful) the students at Ogelthorpe are, and appreciated seeing the family pictures. The kids here not only loved to be photographed; they love to take photos of each other!
In the second class the kids exchanged and created “peace catchers” with the kids from Augusta. They had fun decorating peace signs and writing letters to their friends in the US too. All the kids—at the whole school, not just in the classrooms we worked in today—were really excited for us to be there. There is a constant flow of onlookers, leaning in and peering at the activities. They love and appreciate connecting with their friends from the US.
On Friday afternoons the classrooms shut down at the schools and all the kids can be found on the “playground.” We put this in quotes because there is no formal playground or playground equipment here in Ghana. Typically the kids play either in a courtyard area or between school buildings. There is plenty of room to run and play but it is not what you might envision in the US. In some schools, the kids play organized futbol (soccer) or other games. In other schools, it is an extended recess. We moved from RC Mixed, back to EP Ho-Bankoe to end this week. Each volunteer found their own niche to participate. Kathee was surrounded by a group of kids playing and clapping. Christie had a great time dancing and playing tug of war, with roars of laughter that could be heard across the schoolyard. Steve, as usual, is surrounded by his own paparazzi of eager and budding photographers. Kelvin jumped into the futbol game. We all had a blast and came home very tired at the end of the day. It was such a blessing to be able to enjoy the energy, excitement, and beauty of the children—and to get to be kids ourselves!
The team is ready for a little downtime. Our opening week has been full and successful; many new friends have been made. We will reflect on this week of work and play, as we sort through over 3,000 photos, share more stories, and prepare projects for the next week’s classrooms, and more. We hope to fit in a hike on Saturday up Adaklu and to sleep in on Sunday morning. We need to rest up for another unforgettable week’s work, fun with the kids, and especially for the celebration on Tuesday!