After a long day of training,waking up at 4am, we are sitting outside our hotel discussing the events of today and what really mattered. We traveled for 1.5 hours on dirt roads, surrounded by cars, people, and animals, trying to arrive at our final destination where we would train teachers who were patiently awaiting us. We planned on training 60 teachers but that slowly grew to 86. There were many unexpected twists and turns to our day, but what really mattered after all was said and done was that the teachers enjoyed the training. There were engaged, exuberant and open to learning.
One thing we have noticed in our travels in Accra is that this society is very religious. Each of the shops we've seen has a reference to God and there are Christian based churches all around - Catholic, Pentecostal, Evangelical, Methodist, Presbyterian, you name it. They are all within blocks of each other. This was reinforced today when we learned that traditional training sessions open and close in prayer.
Mr. Alexander Anoff led us in prayer as he kicked off the day, talking about the importance of having a vision and goals in order to fulfill one's dream. He supplemented this point by saying that we have to have zeal in our life -- start off the day with it and end the day with it. Although we weren't expecting this, upon reflection, it was actually the perfect way to begin the day and tie the key learnings from his message to the curriculum we taught.
The begining of training to a sea of faces with no expression set the tone for Melanie to become more animated. The room was packed, humidity was high, yet we we able to bring the attendees out of their shell. By the time Giulietta went up to facilitate, the attendees had opened open and were more engaged. As Giulietta presented, Melanie watched thinking, "wow, this is amazing. Never could I have imagined being in Africa, watching another person train teachers how to deliver Speak to Children's program." The day was filled with laughter, song and dance. The teachers were truly engaged. There were moments when we both couldn't believe we were in Africa training teachers. Thanks to you, we we able to witness some amazing moments. The teachers were understanding the concepts and were having fun. Initially, the teachers had a challenge understanding how to pronounce Appreciation, but by the end of the day, the teachers were chanting a-ppre- she - ate!
We also got to learn some local customs and language! In Ghana, when you are born, your first name is the name of the day of the week your were born. Then, when you are given a name, they add the ending of your name to the day of the week as a sort of nickname. So, Giulietta learned what her Ghanian name is...she was born on a Monday, which is Adjua for female (no clue if spelling is correct). Then, they added the last portion of her name to it, so she went by Adjuata during the day. Not only did Giulietta learn her name, but, as expected, she started picking up some of the local language, taking mini-lessons from some of the teachers. Anyone who knows Giulietta knows that she never passes up an opportunity to learn a new language, so she took advantage when possible! Melanie wasn't sure which day she was born, but we looked it up so we will be able to learn her name tomorrow. :-)
After the session, we got a chance to visit the ICRI Ghana headquarters where we met some of the preschoolers. As we walked into the preschool, there was a sea of toddlers running around that immediately paused and looked up at us in amazement. Two of the kids ran up to Giulietta, taking a hold of her legs and hugging her tightly. It was the cutest thing ever and even made her tear up a bit. One little boy in particular just held on, looking up at her with his big eyes. It's moments like these that fill one's heart with such joy and makes you appreciate what is around you.
The day was filled with challenges, traffic, heat, interesting foods and unexpected program changes. Yet, even though there were a lot of things that happened that we weren't expecting, it all worked out. What really mattered was that the teachers whole heartedly embraced Speak to Children's program. Because of your support, 86 teachers left the training understanding the concepts and will demonstrate what they learned tomorrow.
That's all for now, folks. We leave you with a quote.
"Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters"
Giulietta and Melanie
ICRI Ghana headquarters
Typical classroom.
Song and dance break!
Adorable preschoolers!
Look at these cuties!
Amazing day!
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