Sunday, December 28, 2008

Merry Christmas!

So I know I have been very lax about writing on this here blog of mine, but I thought since it was Christmas time it would be a good time to update everyone and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years. I had a decent Christmas, I enjoyed some hashbrowns and some cabbage stir fry was my big splurge on the meal....and listened to A Christmas Carol as read by Patrick Stewart. It was probably the highlight of my day besides chatting for a few with my family and getting a few random texts from the other side of the pond ;-)
But in case you're wondering, I did have a White Christmas! Because of the seasonal Harmattan (winds from the Sahara desert that blow a ton of sand on the area to the south) this far south in Ghana doesn't coat everything in dirt and dust as it does in the northern parts. Instead every morning I wake up to a thick fog that engulfs my house and the surrounding area, and doesn't usually burn off til 9 or 10 in the morning. No snow or Christmas decorations, but I had a ton of fog and some mulled wine! You can't have Christmas without some good 'ol hot wine....delicious.
But other than that, my travel plans to travel about Ghana have now been postponed til the beginning of January. With my friends Anthony and Tristen we're going to head up to the northern part of Ghana and visit a couple of friends and play tourist for about nine days or so. It should be awesome, I still haven't been to the northern part of the country. And never fear, I'll actually remember to bring my camera and take a few photos. So far I've really been slacking, and I promise I'll try to get some good pics for you all back in the states to drool over..
..on that note, I did take some photos of a couple of my classrooms. One is a shot of the desks and the view I have when teaching, and the other photo is of the chalkboard of one of the rooms, and believe it or not, the writing on it is mine. I was helping a small group of my students understand the importance of triangles and trying to show them how to critically think by presenting problems in a different way and encouraging them. I know my handwriting is pretty terrible, but just remember that the chalkboards aren't nearly as smooth as the seem. The one you see is pitted very badly and there are parts of it that you can't write on or erase from. It's always an adventure teaching in Ghana.
Today is the run-off for the Ghanaian Presidential election between the two parties NPP and NDC. It's going to be a close race and I really hope that the Ghanaian people can have a free and fair election with no violence. Let's hope so, we'll know when the results come back in a few days.
I hope you all have an awesome new years, I'll try to write more next year!