Our Ghanaian Colorado Day
We woke this morning to an unseasonably cooler day; there is a lovely breeze, and cloud cover. As we set off for our day, Kelvin jokes that we are in America today. We take the serene drive to Sokode-Bagble, just a short drive past lush hillsides. The classes are smaller here, which makes for a more relaxed setting, although we are hands on assisting all day.
Our partner schools from Colorado are being shared today, and we open with letters and drawings from Vail Mountain School with Winfred’s P5 students. His students are the first to differentiate salt and fresh water, and their pride follows with further engagement and discussion. While our theme is Love Blue, we could also say Love White, for the VMS students have shared many beautiful photos of the snow, hut trip snow show hikes, down hill ski racing- all other worldly images in this heat soaked room.
We move to a nearly open-air classroom, which has two student teachers training today. Hanook’s P5 students at first appear a little bewildered about how to make the fortune tellers in return for Red Sandstone Elementary School’s 5th graders. Confusion progressively shifts to joy, as they follow Mika’s directions on folding, writing their own messages about water, and finally, adding water colors.
We complete the day with Jesbert and Medina’s P6 students, paired with 6th graders at Vail Mountain School. There is a banner now covered in dust and webs from 2009 that still proudly hangs in the back of the room from Wasauksing Nation in Canada. She shares she will take it down when we bring a new one, so will look for takers on that next school year. It is a reflection of the staying power of projects, some that stay in classrooms, and others like the letters from VMS that remain in backpacks held as special treasures sent lovingly from far away places.
After school, we head to check on one of our scholarship students that we learned was moved and walking 5 miles, in one direction, to school. We depart to meet the makers of the paper beads we have been purchasing, and request some design alterations. We didn’t realize we would be hiking the side of a mountain to reach them, as vehicles can’t climb the craggy mountain. The sun is close to setting, mist fills the lush mountainside, as birds call out their final whoop, whoop, whoop serenades. Our team is full of laughter, up and down the mountainside, as we truly feel connected to our Colorado friends today.