Auntie Alexandra

See Auntie Alexandra. See Auntie Alexandra dance. Dance Auntie Alexandra. See Auntie Alexandra play the drum. Play the drum Auntie Alexandra. Hear Auntie Alexandra speak Twi. Speak Twi Auntie Alexandra. See Auntie Alexandra dance. Dance Auntie Alexandra. See Auntie Alexandra play the drum. Play the drum Auntie Alexandra. Hear Auntie Alexandra speak Twi. Speak Twi Auntie Alexandra. See Auntie Alexandra dance. Dance Auntie Alexandra. See Auntie Alexandra play the drum. Play the drum Auntie Alexandra. Hear Auntie Alexandra speak Twi. Speak Twi Auntie Alexandra.

I began to realize that I really only fill in the blanks after I have returned from some adventure from outside Accra. Yes, I have now been to lush beaches and crazy safaris, but the adventure I am having right here at home, well Accra, is just as deserving of a blog post.

I have just come from my second Wednesday volunteering at the University Primary school, in class 1U, with about 45 little first graders. Does it show? According to these 45 little faces, on Wednesdays I am known as Auntie Alexandra. That was how I was introduced by Ruby, the 1st grade teacher who graciously took me under her wing and refuses to tell me her last name. Thus, from now until I return, I will be referred to as Auntie Alexandra, thank you very much. I cannot wait until next Wednesday. I did not realize how accustomed I have become to having children around me. I always have a long list of babysitting clientele or I am filling in at my Mom's daycare. I have been feeling some sort of hole in my experience here since I have not had much interaction with children. Well, I have filled that hole now. I only have a few hours to spend with them, unfortunately, but they are precious. The first day I showed up, all nervous like I was on a job interview, Ruby thrusted me into the spot light. She wanted me to simply take over the class and teach a lesson. Obviously, I had no idea what was going on and chickened out completely. Rather, I circled the classroom, meeting the children, helping them with their English assignments,and slyly ignoring the giggles that surfaced when my accent was not clear. During their lunch break, I was surrounded by a mob of children. You would have thought I was Santa Clause! The children were giving me lessons in Twi, and well making fun of me, a common theme for me around children in Ghana for some reason. Unfortunately, my experience at the primary school is not a perfect one, and I have been losing much sleep fretting over the way some of the children are treated. I was lucky in elementary school, when I got out of my seat unannounced or was caught talking in class, I surly was not beaten. Ruby explained to me that she does not like using the switch, but it is necessarily. She was nothing compared to the visiting Twi teacher, he would beat the crap out of a student after shouting out threatening warnings, unlike anything I would ever imagine would be remotely acceptable in front of any child. I want to let all that are reading this entry know that I am not sharing this for you to judge. That is a fear that has caused me to hold back so many of my daily experiences. Life is different here, and because all I can expose you to is through my words, I feel like there is a lot left to misinterpretation. The way children are mistreated here is a reality. It sucks. And I have no idea what I could possibly do to alter that. The children at the primary school are receiving a very valuable education, but I feel for them as they are being exposed to violence in the classroom. I understand there are various forms of discipline, and maybe certain methods work differently from place to place, but I cannot become accustomed to that which is used at the primary school. Regardless, I will not stop showing up, because I have so much to learn from these children. Just today, I had to give a "lesson," and of course having nothing prepared, I just asked and answered a million questions. Where are you from? What's your favorite food? What's your favorite hobby? Then I had the children draw pictures to answer this question. So now I have 45 drawings of kids playing football, or jump roping, or eating fufu. I feel very fortunate to have the time to get to know some of the children of Ghana, they may be one of my best windows into the country that is still vastly unfamiliar to me.