“Walking atop the towering trees’ canopies in Kakum National Park, ” by John Christopher Wooten

 

Emotional, Joyful, Crocs, by Cam Davis and Cole Tomichek

 

The day started off with a simple breakfast consisting toast, rice porridge, and hard boiled eggs. As the tired students boarded the bus after their hearty breakfast, we began to get ready for the emotional and life-changing experience ahead of us at the Cape Coast Castle. 

We entered the castle not realizing all of the rich history. The tour started at the Male Slave Dungeon. The dungeon had several parts and chambers. There was a little trench that runs through each chamber draining male body excretion. Our guide told us we were standing on compounded human excretion and sand that was typically cleaned up by domestic slaves. 

We ventured to other parts of the castle. We saw a jail cell for rebellious slaves that were warriors and fought back against the guards. The cell was airtight and was very hot. The cell was lacking of any and all sunlight. We exited the claustrophobic cell to the nice beach breeze. 

After, we saw other atrocities like the Female Slave Dungeon and the Gate of No Return. The Gate of No Return historically was where the Africans exited the castle to become enslaved in other parts of the world. This place was also where some enslaved people would jump into the water to commit suicide before getting on to the tight and cramped boats that would eventually take them to Europe and the Americas. We also learned about how Sweden participated in the slave trade. During this part of the tour many of us felt emotional realizing that people in the past would never get the chance to return to the castle’s walls, whereas we did get to return. After the tour ended we learned the term Akwaaba meaning welcome in Fante. 

The students then went to the market and got things like a guitar, soccer jerseys, and other hand crafted items. When the gentleman left the castle they reflected what horrific things happened in the castle such as rape, beatings, death, and human trafficking and how some of these horrific events still happen today. For Cam, he felt mournful for his ancestors since some came from Ghana and could’ve experienced the same terrible fate. For Cole, he felt the seriousness and heft of what had happened and where he was. Even though it was hard for Cole to connect to the atrocities in the castle, he understood that terrible things had happened there.

Though we went through an emotional journey in the morning, good things were to come in the afternoon. We got to go to a store where, from long distance, Ms. Williams treated each student to three treats. Now to the more joyful part of the day at Hans Botel with the scary crocodiles, we fed fish and some of us even fed a crocodile. To conclude the crocodile sight seeing everyone went on a slow paced paddle boat and later finished off the day with a game of cards.

Antigua, Guatemala: A Note To Dr. Daughtrey, by Jude Lathen

Dear Dr. Daughtrey,

Today was full of lots of activities. We woke up at ~6:30 and had a tasty breakfast. After, we gave our goodbyes to all of the people who prepared our meals and helped us throughout the week working at the complex we stayed in. Then we headed out for the day.

We began at the Antigua Overlook. We took lots of cool pictures before going on a walk to the town. Once we got there, we went to a Jade Shop. It takes a lot of time and effort to make jade jewelry. The people making them were really skilled. Everybody in the group got to find out what their Mayan spirit animal was based off of their birthday. I was the jaguar. We stayed and scrolled through all of the beautiful jade items, and some of us bought some to take home.

After the jade shop, we headed on to lunch at Pollo Campero. It was super good and everybody finished their meals with ease. I wish we had the restaurant in the US.

Then we went to the marketplace. It was super cool seeing all the different shops. The atmosphere was nice and it felt like there was something for everyone. I got a jersey for the Guatemalan football team. We had fun looking around and exploring the place.

Next, we went to a park. Everybody got ice cream. Now, most of us were running very low on money. In an attempt to round up a bit more money, we set up a performance where we sang some songs. The pigeons didn’t enjoy our singing very much. While gathering together after all the excitement, we caught Grayson wandering off. Luckily, we were able to retrieve him before he got lost.

We then headed to our apartment. We took some neat photos in front of a huge volcano before arriving. The hotel was nice and cozy. We settled down for a while before heading to dinner.

For dinner, we went to a popular French restaurant. The entire menu was made up of all kinds of crepes. I had no idea it was possible to have so many kinds of one food. There was lots of cool art scattered across that we took pictures of. We then celebrated Ford’s birthday (one day late). The workers came out with a ton of instruments and sang the Guatemalan version of Happy Birthday. We then went back to the hotel and fell asleep after the long day.

Guatemala is an amazing place that I love a lot. The community is warm and welcoming and the culture is super interesting. I definitely plan on visiting again. Thank you so much for providing me this opportunity.

Medaase, by Charlie Sewell

Medaase

(Thank you)

White man

Do you see what I see 

A person wiping our tears away

Putting smiles on our faces

Replacing the old bad with the good new

No little boy

I see our lack of help

A world we don’t know

A family we aren’t a part of

Something that’s irreplaceable 

No white man

I see a visitor we love

A god we learn from

A man that cares 

A brother we understand

Yes little boy

I now see a path to togetherness

A land that appreciates our work

A place where no one is judged by the cover of their book

A community that stands tall despite its differences

Medaase

Medaase

Yes little boy

Medaase

Medaase

Author's Statement: 

This poem is about a little boy having a conversation with a worker, like ourselves. The little boy is a student at the school we have been working at, and “white man” is what the kids call us at the school. The conversation starts with the little boy explaining to the white man how much he appreciates the man’s contribution to the community. The man doesn’t believe he has helped the community in the end. The little boy then assures the man that his help has made the community a better place. To end, the man changes his mind and the two exchange “thank yous."

One night, the teachers and students had a reflection over how we felt about Ghana.  One question that came up a lot was about whether our help to the Ghanaian community helped or mattered to them. Most people said they felt their lack of experience slowed down the process. People felt that the locals were moving a lot smoother when we weren’t around, and the people of the community laughed as we struggled. One thing remembered is that they were told we are here to help. 

No matter how slow we are, having workers in their community seems to mean the world to them. Whether it’s painting walls, working with the electrical system, or playing with the kids, everyone in the community seems to have a smile on their face by the end of the day. I believe we have made a difference in their community that we should be proud of.

Cooking Competition Fun: Indian Food and Chicken and Waffles in Ghana, by Hudson Strnad

Teams were separated into two teams: Yellow with Captain Cole, Red with Captain Jay. Cole’s team was making a very American dish of chicken and waffles and a dessert of chocolate covered donut holes. Jay's team made an Indian dish called Bhaji Pav with a dessert of cinnamon sugar chips. 

The competition started, and both teams started in a rut with limited supplies. Jay's team did not know how to make dough for their chips, and Cole’s team accidentally mixed up the salt and sugar. This made the saltiest pancake/ waffles ever. 

As time progressed both teams moved along and were trying to distract the other team. Everything was coming together, and burning oil was flying around. Once everything was finished both teams moved to the chopping block where the head chef and his assistants tried and rated the foods. With mixed reactions and emotions, the decision was made.  Winning the ultimate cooking competition was the Red team! With great joy and disappointment the cooking competition was finished.

MARKET DAY - Shopping for ingredients.

AND THEN TO THE VERY HOT KITCHEN

Day 3: Let the work begin! By Townes Bradley

Today the Big Red started work on the worksite. There were 4 groups that were divided into: Concrete, Electrical, Carpentry, and Painting. We worked From 8-12. Then, we made our way back to the bus and had lunch. Instead of working the whole time, some of the boys in electrical taught some kids how to play duck-duck-goose. Cole Tomichek and I somewhat mastered the art of slapping concrete onto a wall with the help of a local mason who was very good at what he did. On the bus ride back to the hotel, it started to rain, which unfortunately changed the temperatere from hot and super humid to a little less hot and even more humid. Then, about 5-6 boys walked out to a tiki hut on the hotel property and played cards. The meals today were very authentic to Ghana. For breakfast we had; porridge, hard boiled eggs, mango, and toast. For lunch, we had chicken and rice on the bus. For dinner, we had rice, stew and plantains. Then, unfortunately, some boys started to set sick after dinner and missed day 2 of work. Overall, it was a fun and amazing day in the beautiful country of Ghana. 

-Townes Bradley

Day 2 in Ghana: Seeking Blessings and Understanding Needs, by Xavier Van Dyke

Our second day in Ghana had a clear purpose: to understand how we could best support the community we had been assigned to. After an early breakfast at 7:00 a.m.—which, impressively, everyone attended despite the previous night’s festivities—we boarded the bus and began our journey.

The drive to the village was scenic but challenging, with rough dirt roads and plenty of bumps along the way. Still, we arrived safely by late morning, eager to begin. However, before we could begin any work, there was an important cultural step we needed to take: receiving the blessing of the community’s chief.

We made our way to the chief’s new, partially constructed house and lined up in single file. One by one, we introduced ourselves in Fante, the local language we had practiced the night before. As someone born on a Friday, I introduced myself as “Kofi-Xavier,” which translates to “Xavier born on Friday.”

After our introductions, the community leaders took their turn. With help from a government translator, we were introduced to the linguist, the three clan heads, and the chief himself. The atmosphere quickly became more relaxed and welcoming, especially when the community jokingly tasked anyone who shared a day-of-the-week birthday with a local resident with the “responsibility” of smuggling their match back to America—in a backpack, suitcase, or whatever it took.

After some nervous but sustained laughter, we shifted the conversation to the purpose of our visit. We shared our mission statement and our hope of service and the chief graciously gave us his blessing. We gave him some gifts, and he then accompanied us to the nearby primary school.

There, we took a quick group photo and were introduced to the assistant headmaster, who provided us with a tour of the school grounds. He spoke to us in English, which allowed us to fully understand the school’s current challenges. While they had many needs, one in particular stood out: bats.

One of the school buildings lacked a ceiling, and as a result, bats regularly flew in through the open roof to sleep during the day. Because they are nocturnal, they often remained still—but at times they would suddenly fly around during lessons, disrupting class. We actually witnessed this ourselves during the tour, even though no students were present at the time. Understandably, one of the school’s most urgent requests was for us to install a ceiling to keep the bats out and help create a more stable learning environment.

We also committed to assisting with other needs, including repairing a damaged wall, installing basic electrical wiring, and adding locks to classroom doors. While we were not able to address every item on their list, we focused our efforts on the most pressing concerns—projects we knew we could complete during our time there.

After gaining a clear understanding of the school’s situation, we said our goodbyes and departed to visit the previous year’s project site. Immediately when we arrived at the old project site, we were impressed by what we saw. The work done by previous MBA students clearly made a lasting impact. The orange-painted walls of the building stood out—they were vibrant and well cared for, a sign that the school truly valued what had been donated and repaired. It felt good to know the effort had endured. Naturally, we snapped a photo on the same steps that legends like Collin O’Neal once stood on, just for the side-by-side comparison.

After that, we returned to the hotel to rest and recover. People spent the afternoon in different ways. I ended up playing a classic game of Marco Polo in the pool with some of the guys, grabbed a few snacks from the pool room, and then did what turned out to be my favorite part of the day: walking around town.

As we explored, we asked questions and learned more about Ghana—everything from how the police system works to what kinds of food and government structures exist here. Thanks to the kindness of some locals, we were even invited into one of only two twin-towered Methodist cathedrals in all of West Africa. We took a photo, of course, and thanked them for the informal tour and the insights they shared about the site.

We finished our walk at the beach, where we bought fresh coconuts—fresh as in a guy had just climbed a tree to cut them down. We brought them back so our chef could clean and prep them for a meal. As we made our way back, the sun was beginning to set, and the 2.5-mile walk back was peaceful and beautiful—a calm end to a full and meaningful day.

Dinner that night was a standout: a flavorful chicken peanut soup served with rice and a wide variety of side dishes. Safe to say, everyone devoured it. During our group reflection afterward, both students and teachers shared how special the day had been. The most common complaint? The heat—but even that couldn’t overshadow everything we had experienced and accomplished.

To close the night, we had a short presentation from Halil about Ghana’s education and health systems, followed by what was supposed to be a discussion on demerit-worthy behavior, but honestly turned more into a round of funny confessions.

By the time we all went to bed, we were tired, full, and satisfied—ready for whatever the next day would bring.

Welcome to Ghana! by Jay Patel

The lads landed in Accra after a long 12 hours. I count the flight as the start of the trip as the boys and their seat partners began to bond as brothers. We trudged off the plane with big dreams and heavy luggage and made our way towards the customs gates. There were no issues there if we don’t include the couple customs officers who decided to crack some hilarious jokes about not letting us enter the country. We grabbed the checked luggage and were greeted by the cheerful Squads members as we exited the airport and went to the global exchange.

With our bags on our bus and with Cedi’s in our wallets, we began our voyage to our first destination of the day. Our first stop was a small market within the capital city of Accra. Some highlights in the market were intricate wooden sculptures, colorful canvas prints and patriotic national jerseys. We brigadiers learned to bargain and talked some vendors down up to fifty percent. 

We left the market around 11am and loaded the bus back up for the long haul to Salt Pond. The journey was something quite foreign to the most of us. Some of us may listen to songs like “Dirt Road Anthem” by Jason Aldean, yet our encounter with this dirt road was not as smooth as Mr. Aldean’s voice. Honking is as common as the turn signal in the US. After about 4 hours of seeing beautiful buildings and trying not to make eye contact with wandering street vendors we made it to the Swatson Hotel. Our accommodations are sleek and clean but the lack of water pressure was eye-opening at least to me. First, we ate a satiating lunch before being released to our rooms for a refreshing shower (My first in around 45 hours…).

A nice break recharged the crew and we met again to discuss the itinerary and do some icebreakers with the whole group of volunteers and staff. The staff members radiated good vibes and brought excitement to the group for our mission and learning experiences. We then explored the compound before another quick rest and then dinner. After dinner, we learned some Fante phrases and learned about Ghanaian culture. Everyone was about ready to wrap up the night and head to bed when there was a surprise birthday party for our very own Cameron. The cake was phenomenal and that fact was shown by how fast it was gone. Finally the boys retired to their rooms for an early night after a long day. Day 1 out!