Senses, June 5, by Calhoun Maddox

Prompt: Focusing on three of your five senses, share your experiences today.

Day four of the Ghana excursion we started our first construction with a breakfast consisting of toast, sausage, veggies and boiled eggs.  Following our meal we boarded the bus to depart to the local school.  After a one and a half hour bus ride, filled with sing-alongs and song requests, we arrived at our destination.  Once Ms. Williams had carefully decided the groups, we split up into jobs as assigned, such as carpentry, electrical, cement working, and painting. 

Four hours of working later and the team was ready for lunch.  The lunch was full of foods new to us, such as ground cassava, a root vegetable used frequently in Ghanaian foods.  After filling our stomachs, we were ready to decide what to make for the cooking competition that would occur on day five.

Following the bus ride, we made it to the bustling market.  Since it was a market day, which occur on Wednesdays and Saturdays, we saw a massive amount of people purchasing and selling goods.  These good included goat and cow meat, cosmetics, bars of shea butter, and a variety of clothing items.  Smells such as assorted spices, dried fish, and baked good were prominent in the market as well.  While searching for the ingredients, we were introduced to new Fanti words and phrases, and ways of greeting.  One of the  ways of greeting included physical touch, such as grabbing your arm to get your attention.  This action startled some, including me, but once the intention was understood, I was able to listen to what they were asking.

After the bus ride we ate a hearty meal of chicken wings, fufu, and stew.  The day concluded with a discussion about the things we noticed at the market and how it feels to both look and act different from those around you.  The discussion both opened our eyes to the things around us and helped us learn about the experiences of others in our group in the market.