A Quick Update

I haven’t been the best about blogging. I know that there are so many things that I have written about that needs to be updated. That is what this blog is dedicated to.

•    We never got the year 3 (2nd grade) classes split. Instead, Mr. Owusu and I each got our own assistants. So now, I have a full time assistant in my class and it makes a world of difference! Sooooooo thankful to have Ms. Apam with me!
•    I now have 32 students. I got a new girl named Iina, from Finland. She is a sweetheart, She doesn’t really speak a lick of English and I sure as heck don’t speak Finnish. It is challenging for sure, but I love the new dynamic that she adds to our class.
•    Amos is now a daddy! His wife Linda gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Pictures will be coming soon. Jordan and I went to visit them a few days after the baby was born. I got to hold him and love him! I was so happy. Little Amos junior is the cutest little thing ever! If you are wondering why I am referring to the baby as “baby” it is because they have not had the naming ceremony yet. Although Amos and Linda know the name of their son, it hasn’t been officially introduced to everyone. The naming ceremony will be in early January. Little Amos jr. better get ready for Auntie Obroni Jennifer to loooooooooooove him and spoil him!
•    MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO VISIT ME ON DECEMBER 27th!!!!!!!!! BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT ANYONE COULD ASK FOR. And of course, other presents are welcome too. Just FYI. Haha just kidding!
•    The trotros have not been spoiling my dresses lately! That’s a positive. Knock on wood. But today in the trotro, it was our stop and we told the mate that we would be alighting at the round about. So he started to open the door. However he was unsuccessful. So they pulled over, the driver got out and was trying to fix the door to the trotro….also unsuccessful. I have never been trapped inside of a trotro before, I guess there is a first time for everything. Anyways, we needed to get to church so we proceeded to climb all the way to the front of the trotro, over the drivers seat and pass through the passenger side door. And, I think I should get some kind of award because I did all of that WITHOUT ripping my dress!
•    We have finished our examinations. All my students did very well. They made their teacher proud. I have been busy grading their papers, and filling out report cards. But the report and assessment program is on the internet. And of course when you need the lights the most, that is when they go out! God is teaching me more and more about patience.

It is hard to believe that I have been in Ghana for 4 months now. The time has just flown by. Term one ends on Friday which is another hard thing to believe. I have finished my first semester of teaching in a foreign country! I have learned and I am still learning. I can't wait to see what the rest of the school year has in store for me and my class.

I hope everyone is finding themselves happy and healthy. I love and miss you all.

Thankful

Better late than never right? I know, I know, Thanksgiving has already gone and past and I am sure every last bit of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and rolls are long gone. I hope that everyone back home sincerely enjoyed their Thanksgiving spent with family and friends.
This Thanksgiving was a quite different for me. While all of you were celebrating your week or days off of work and school, I was here in Ghana working my tail end off. Can you believe that? How inhumane? Just kidding…but seriously.
Thursday I woke up, just like any other Thursday, checked my phone for the time and saw a text message. It was one of my friends from Ghana wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong, it was so nice of him to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving, but I’m not going to lie, the sadness sank it. For the first time in my life I wasn’t at home for Thanksgiving. The smell of the Turkey and stuffing wasn’t my wake up call. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade lost one viewer, and somehow the football that took place here in Ghana on Thursday wasn’t the same kind of football that took place in the US on Thursday. And Dad…you know I would have given anything to watch some football with you!
So, I’ll be the first to admit it, I was a little melancholy.  But to carry on the tradition of Thanksgiving, even here in Ghana, I was able to sit back and think about all the many things that I am thankful for.
I wrote and gave some cards to people here at the school that have been a blessing to my life since being here. I explained in my card what holiday it is and why I was thankful for them. It was good to share my thoughts and made me come to the realization of just how much God continues to bless me while I am in Ghana. He has given me friends: friends that I can trust, friends that I can count on, friends that would do anything for me, friends that make me feel welcomed and loved, friends that support me, friends that encourage, friends that help, and friends that have become my family. Many of you know that one of my greatest fears about coming to Ghana was feeling alone. On Thanksgiving, I really had time to think about this. I couldn’t help but smile and give all the glory and thanks to God for providing me with his blessings.
And for all of you back home, don’t worry…I DID NOT FORGET ABOUT YOU. The truth is, I thought of you all most of the day.
Mom and Dad, I can’t find the words to express my love and thankfulness to you. You are the best parents anyone could ask for. I mean you are flying all the way over to freaking Africa to visit me in just 18 days. How blessed am I???? You have been everything I need in life, you have given me all the support and encouragement, corrected me when I was wrong and have helped me get and be where and who I am today. I am honored to be your child and I am THANKFUL for both of you. And mom, I am also thankful that you are such a fabulous cook.
And to all my friends back home, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. You are there for me, you care for me, you accept me, you help me, encourage me, teach me, believe in me and most importantly love me. I want you to know that you are a blessing to me and I thank God for every single one of you. I miss you all, but hold the memories that we have made very close to my heart.
So despite my partially gloomy mood on Thursday, it wasn’t all that bad. I had rice for lunch AND dinner. Jealous? I know, but don’t worry, I just kept thinking SATURDAY. Want to know why?
We were cordially invited to Garrett and Kelly Nichols house on Saturday for a belated Thanksgiving celebration. Garrett and Kelly are missionaries here in Ghana and have been here for the past 8 years. We met them randomly at the Village of Hope when Jordan and I were there for our mid-term break. After some small talk, we all realized that we were all living in Kumasi! Garrett and Kelly have 3 grown girls in the US and have adopted a boy from Ghana, Seth who is 11 years old now. They travel all around Ghana doing mission work and are currently doing some work for Touch a Life Foundation. Well long story short, Garrett and Kelly invited Jordan and I, Andrew who is from Chicago, Ed who is from the UK and a few other people over for a traditional Thanksgiving meal in Ghana, Africa.


I am blessed. I am thankful. It was great to celebrate Thanksgiving here in Ghana, but I need to remember that Thanksgiving should be everyday. It’s not about the good food I got to eat, it’s the simplicity of being thankful. Let’s all remember to be thankful everyday, and count our blessings.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and is enjoying the Christmas festivities. I miss you all.

Blessings and love,
Jennifer