Day in Accra

Moses

Just a quick post before we get some sleep tonight: We have had a successful day in the city. Although it was a lot of waiting and a lot of traffic (as is to be expected), we have picked up the solar panels, set up in country phones for the team, met with Akunz to plan our van trip north, and tried some truly Ghanaian food. The day was hot and humid, a stark contrast to the weather that most of you are experiencing, but we have been enjoying it. We walked from lunch today so were able to see different parts of the city, and were able to get to know the people that will be so important to us during this trip: Moses and Dennis. They will be accompanying us to Yua and, along with many others, will be working with us in the community to coordinate our efforts towards constructing drip irrigation and rebuilding the solar plaza.

Thank you for your prayers.

Dennis

Day 2: Arrival

We made it! As we landed (two hours late) in Accra yesterday at four, we were met by the smiling faces of Isaac, Moses, and Dennis. The airport was a cinch, and there were no problems getting our luggage through customs. So far, Ghanaians are as friendly as we have been told.

Isaac

We were accompanied to the beautiful Afia Beach Hotel, where the girls' room is not even 100 feet from the beach. We went out to dinner with Dr. Akunzule (Akunz) and his wife. The team was excited to meet this figure that has had such an impact on our projects (Anna says he gave good hugs too). This great doctor, entrepreneur, and volunteer was busy however, as his three phones were active nearly continuously. I was able to speak with the woman from Las Vegas who had donated the van that we will be using. Thank you Las Vegas, maybe we will see you at the international conference.

It was a productive meeting as well. We were able to confirm the travel plans and rough itinerary for the month that we will be here in Ghana. Today will be our last day in Accra before leaving for Yua. We are planning on picking up the solar panels and running a few other errands before leaving.

And Mom, as promised, here is a link to a map: Sirigu, Upper East, Ghana
Sirigu is actually where Google maps says Natugnia is, and Yua is east of Sirigu on the Burkina Faso Border.


Matt

Left to Right: Matt, Kate, Moses, Max, Anna, and Dennis

Great summary Matt.
What a wonderful welcome we had! The air is warm and humid, a great contrast to the snow we left in Flagstaff. Isaac has been an enthusiastic tour guide so far and Akunz a delightful man. Dinner last night was just what we needed. Rice with Hibiscus juice. Akunz had also told us of an island he plans to take us to within Volta Lake. The Volta is the massive body of water you can see on most maps of Ghana. It was created by the Akosombo dam, and is the largest reservoir in the world (for surface area, fourth in volume). It is thrilling to be given the opportunity to visit it.

Dinner with Dr. Akunzule

This morning we enjoyed the beach while preparing for our day. We plan on picking up the solar panels and getting cell phones in the city.  It'll be great to explore the city we only briefly drove through yesterday. Hopefully we'll have internet again soon. In summary, this trip is starting off perfectly! We are ready to head up to Yua to begin our work.

Anna

July 3rd 2009, Back in the United States

My apologies for the long wait between blog entries. The team is now back in the U.S.A! We were unable blog for the last couple weeks of the trip due to a major internet line being cut outside of Bolga. However I can tell you the project was an overall great success!
Even with the difficulties the team encountered with the absence of John and Aaron we were able to almost complete the entire project. The only part of the clinic we were unable to complete was the solar array. Jessica, who will be staying in Ghana until August for an internship, will over see the final part of this project. It truly was a great success.
After saying goodbye to all our new friends and wishing Jessica good luck we were on our way home. We spent two days before we left the country touring the Cape Coast outside of Accra. The south truly seems like a different country from the north. Where as the north is hot and arid, desert like in the dry season, the south by comparison is rainforest. The sights were amazing! We particularly enjoy the hotel we stayed at called Hans Botel. The "Botel" was built over a lagoon filled with crocodiles and yellow weaver birds. It was fantastic.
Then it was back into Accra, onto a plane, and 36 hours later we arrived in Phoenix. It is overwhelming to be back in the states. Ghana really is a different world. It will always be an amazing memory, and though I can't speak for the rest of the team, I can't wait to go back some day.