Thursday

Today we had school in the morning and Desiree and I taught about hand washing and germs. We usually dont teach on Thursdays but the kids have exams all next week so we wont be able to teach next week so we taught today.
Our lesson was really fun. We had the kids put their hands in 2 different colors of glitter and then shake hands with someone with a different color to show how quickly germs spread. Then we went outside and washed out hands for 30 seconds to get all the germs off. The only thing was that they have a canister thing that holds their water and its cold and they dont have soap. So that part didnt work out. They did have a bowl of soapy water that everyone uses but that was the closest thing we had to washing with saop and warm water. But it went really well. Now we have a break before we have to teach again!
We finished up in Manya Krobo with the younger womens group about AIDS. My lessons both went well and they last longer than everyone elses because I have interesting topics that they like to ask questions on. Condoms and gettting tested. YAY :) Then we interviewed the girls again to see how much they had learned and it was so cool to see the results of what we had just taught. My girls did great on their questions about HIV and I heard most of the girls did really well. They were interested and actually listened. I really liked teaching the girls. The difference between the mens group and the girls group was huge.
The women in Ghana unfortunately dont have a voice and they should because they are very smart and they would do a lot of good. During one of the lessons today about women and AIDS, my group members talked about how if the man forces anything sexual then it is rape. They said that man and women should be equal in deciding what happens in their relationship. The translator (who was also a preacher) told they girls that men and women were equal only in the bedroom and no where else. That lesson also talked about how women can charge men for rape and the preacher asked if we were talking about America of Africa. He was getting upset because we were telling the girls to be strong enough to say no and that they DO have a voice. I couldnt believe the preacher. The thing that bothers me the most is that there is nothing we can do about it. We cant help those girls be strong. They have to learn it and its hard for them when all they have learned is that women are less. It was difficult for me.
One of the girls I interviewed was really cool and we talked for a while. She is 19 and her name is Augustina. She was really smart and a good girl. We exchanged contact information so I hope that we can stay in touch.
We got home late, it was after dark. Dinner was pasta noodles with a white sauce, potatoes with veggies, some meat sauce stuff, and fruit! We were all starving so we chowed down. haha
Tomorrow we leave early around 5:45 to drive all day to Mole National Park. Its a nature reserve and we will be going on a safari to see the animals. We should see elephants! We are also going to visit a remote village and learn the way that they live. But we arent staying with them, we are staying at a hotel.
I will be back on Sunday evening after the long, long drive!