Sadly our time in Cape Coast is drawing to an end …
We have enjoyed two bank holidays recently – useful time to catch up on jobs and shopping etc. One bank holiday was to celebrate a Muslim festival and the second was ‘Farmers Day’. We understand that in order to encourage people into farming, on ‘Farmers Day’ each year the government gives equipment and benefits to farmers in a different part of Ghana. This was the 25th ‘Farmers Day’.
Last week we both attended a service of 4 lessons and carols at Cape Tech. It was stressed that we should all be present for a prompt start at 5pm. Needless to say when we arrived at 5pm there was no sign of anything starting in the near future (as you can see!). In hind sight, with our 7 months experience in Ghana we should have been able to predict it would not have started promptly!
The service finally started at 6.20pm! We were invited to sit at the front behind the principle and the clergy on the top table. Steve was part of the service as he did one of the readings. It was an enjoyable service including traditional Christmas carols and very lively Ghanaian worship songs which involved the students dancing in a procession around the hall waving their handkerchiefs.
It has been refreshing here that the meaning of Christmas hasn’t got lost in excessive commercialism! However, there has in fact been surprisingly little sign of Christmas at all.
We are struggling to accept that it’s nearly Christmas as the way we’ve spent the last few weeks has been so different to how we’d normally spend advent in the U.K.
Our last two weeks at UIC (University Interdenominational Church) were both special services and were held in the partly completed new church building. The existing building is much too small to seat the big congregation for each of the two Sunday morning services.
We enjoyed the ‘Children’s Day’ service which was led by the children and youth of the church, with singing, dancing and drama.
Our last service at UIC was the Thanksgiving service. This is an annual service for reflecting on the past year and celebrating the things for which we are grateful. It was helpful as a way for us to reflect on our time in Cape Coast and also good for us to consider the things that are important in our lives, having experienced something of the challenges faced by many people in and around Cape Coast.
It’s been a busy few weeks tying up loose ends at Cape Tech, the Eye Centre and with the Mothers Union project. We have also been trying to see everyone before we leave.
On Thursday we had an informal gathering of people who we have met whilst here, at a local ‘Spot’ (bar). We had no idea of how many people would come as it was an open invite but it seemed to work out very well and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
We were both presented with a gift of traditional clothing by Mr Lyhall, the principle of Cape Tech.
When the ‘gathering’ ended we were invited to a MU (Mother’s Union) meeting where there was a presentation for us and we were each given a Ghanaian outfit. You will be seeing us wearing quite a range of Ghanaian attire on our return ! People have been incredibly generous.
Steve’s Update
The last two weeks of term have been spent with the students taking end of term exams. Ironic really as the first year students had only actually started having lessons 2-3 weeks before. This made it a little tricky thinking of exam questions to ask them. I spent some of this time invigilating exams in the subject I had helped teach.
There was a closing ceremony just before the final exam (not after the final exam to make sure students would attend). At the closing ceremony I was called up to the front and was presented with a certificate of thanks from the staff and students of the school for my work there.
Vicky’s Update
I can’t say I enjoyed the experience of invigilating (well sitting at the front not knowing what was expected of me!) during the orthoptics exam.
However, we met the students socially last week to spend some time with them in a more relaxed atmosphere (!) and to say goodbye. They surprised us by presenting Steve (who had also got so know some of them through his help with the lectures) and I with a gift each and made individual thank you speeches.
It was a very jovial and fun evening, and a great opportunity to chat and to learn more about them.
So, as we move on …….
We feel sad to be leaving in many ways. We have met some fantastic and inspiring people here and made some special friendships.
As we’re sure you will have realised we have had so many great experiences throughout our time here and found aspects of the different ways of life very refreshing.
So it is with mixed emotions we now leave Ghana to return home for Christmas. We hope you forgive the lack of Christmas cards this year (due to the unpredictable postal service in Ghana) but we do wish you a very Happy Christmas and very best wishes for 2010.
Hope to see many of you very soon!
