Lawrenceville-Blue Med Ghana Trip 2012: Erica: Soaked in Yellow Paint with Flying Termites

Dear World~

Today was a relatively relaxed day. All of us slept until about noon today, not realizing how tired we were from the hectic nature from the past few days of traveling. While trying to get up, Jen stated "I feel like a snail", which sums up all of our feelings at the time. Throughout the night, all of us were tossing and turning in our sleep, because of the heavy rain shower that drenched the entire building and the group of roosters crowing in the distance. We could hear the individual raindrops hitting the roof like a bunch of marbles hitting a metal plate.

All of us had lunch together, consisting of rice and black-eyed peas, some DELICIOUS fish, all tied together with a chili-based sauce (courtesy of Alberta's amazing cooking). All of us agreed that the fish was more delicious than most restaurants back in the US, although there was no flavoring or sauce of any shape or form.

We then agreed to head on over to a local school to paint the walls a sunny yellow color. We headed into the marketplace of Ho, looking for some paint. After some bargaining, we purchased two large buckets of yellow paint. We then proceeded to carry the paint to a taxi station. None of us realized how awkward carrying the bucket of paint was, since it was heavy, cylindrical, and bulky in general. Despite a bit of difficulty, we managed to drag the buckets to the school.

The headmaster of the school came out to greet us, along with several of the local children. They all yelled at us "YEVU YEVU!!!" Yevu is the Ewe word for "foreigner", or more specifically, "white person". No matter what ethnicity we are, they all referred to us as yevu. The winning smiles and the enthusiasm that they had for our presence were simply priceless. Two of the older boys, about ten years old, brought over two large buckets of clear water to thin the paint with. We mixed the paint and water together with our hands. And then...the paint began.

Painting the walls of the school was both tiring and very very fun. Emily and some of the members of the organization grabbed rollers and started to paint the bulk of the walls. Chandler, Jen, Linh, and I grabbed smaller brushed and touched up corners. Four hours later, we were faced with a layer of yellow paint on the walls, on our hands, and speckled on our hair. But the job was well done and we were all happy that we managed to accomplish something.

The headmaster then treated us for some soda nearby. All of us forgot that soda was in glass bottles (everything tastes a lot better in a glass bottle). However, I was craving an Alvaro, which is a fruit-flavored malt-based soda. So we then caught a taxi, bade the headmaster and the adorable children goodbye for the day, and headed off to a hotel on the top of a large hill for an Alvaro.

A short taxi drive later, we arrived, and could only gasp at the staggering beauty of the town below us. The lights were on, and we stared for a good two minutes straight. The way to the inside of the hotel had a large edge that we proceeded to take pictures on. We then all had our first pear-flavored Alvaros, after which we felt full of carbon dioxide and thoroughly satisfied.

After driving home and grabbing a quick french fry (or chip in British English) dinner, we noticed FLYING TERMITES in outside courtyard. Yes. Flying Termites. According to the Ghanaians, the flying termites come out at night after a large rainstorm. Thousands of them swarmed next to the street lamps outside, convening for a major gathering.

We then headed out for a night of dancing and drumming in town, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.