CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES!

GRADUATION DAY.

What can I say about this day...wow...it was busy, exciting, stressful, happy, sad, and amazing all at the same time.

We had quite a bit to do today so we woke up early. Good thing too, because even though we were on a schedule, Ghanaians don’t care. Leave everything until last minute, it’s okay, no rush...YES. RUSH!

We had to go over to Kujo’s wife’s in the morning, drop off some gifts, pick up some dresses, give her some things that were meant for Kujo but since he was gone he wouldn’t be at graduation. Then we had to go to the bank to change some money. We had to do some photocopying quickly and then get back home to finish other arrangements.

We had to wrap presents, sign certificates and get some final things ready to take the school. We piled the drinks with ice-blocks into coolers, picked up the small cakes that we ordered and called Isaac to help cart it all down the school with his taxi. We borrowed an extra 20 chairs from Auntie Joe and stuck them in the back of the taxi too.

I was NOT wearing bandaids in all the pictures today, so I piled on as much makeup as I could onto the front sore and it disappeared for the most part. The swelling has gone all the way down, it just has the sore left. So it wasn’t too hard to cover. The farther back one I had to leave the bandaid on still, but I wore my hair down to cover it and a big earring so that you didn’t see it as easily.

At 2:15, everything was completely ready and all we had to do was put up some streamers inside the school. We got there, and remember how I mentioned that the men came to put the ceiling up in the school yesterday? Ya...they didn’t finish, nor did they clean anything up. Their work benches, all the long pieces of ceiling tile were still stacked in the school. All the packaging from it was scattered everywhere, the whole place was dusty and the men were nowhere to be found. Disaster.

this is what it looked like 40 minutes before grad was supposed to start

 Again, Africa is all about adjusting to the situation, we decided to completely sweep the compound at the school and have it outside. This was actually ideal today: it had poured rain all morning so it was nice and cool out, the sun wasn’t shining hard on us and for the most part it looked like it was going to be done raining. We had the beautiful mountains in the background and the rainforest all around us...why NOT have the graduation outside?

So we put on our lovely kaba and slits, and we set up the chairs and the tables. We set up the area for the students to display their alphabet books and other work books, and we set up a place for the facilitators to sit.

My Kaba and Slit

The children from the village came for the graduation and they were even all dressed up! It was adorable.

 In good Ghanaian fashion, the women slowly trickled in until about 4 o’clock (supposed to start at 3pm) and then everyone was there except Cynthia. That had me a little nervous since she was exactly 50% of my business class, but we started without her for the sake of everyone else who had been...more on time. Smart came to support us and I gave him my camera, which I am SO glad I did; he took so many great pictures and took videos of the ceremony too! (THANK YOU SMART!)

My Business students and I

The ladies sang “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.” Then my level one students came to the front and recited two bible passages by heart and sang “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” Petra’s level two students came up and each recited a bible passage and then read something from their story books. EXACTLY when it was my business class’ turn, Cynthia arrived. Right on time, better late than never I guess. They recited a bible passage together and each read a little piece about what they had learned about business and why the level two literacy ladies should join the business class next time. They all did such a great job.

Singing Blessed be the Name of the Lord

We gave them each a certificate for their work, a Canadian flag sticker, and a Canadian flag pin. They said they were “true Canadians.” It was cute. We also gave the facilitators their gifts. We got them each 2 yards of fabric so that they can go and make a dress or a shirt and some nice pen sets.

Then the students surprised us! They had ANOTHER kaba and slit made for each of us!!! In Kente cloth; truly African. It was so nice of them and we weren’t expecting it at all. Mine fits perfectly, but Petra couldn’t get her bottom on. It was hilarious, Belinda was yanking it to get it up but it wouldn’t go past her butt. Belinda was giggling and jumping up and down to try and get it on. We will just take it to Kujo’s wife to have it taken out for her. They are beautiful!

My new Kaba and Slit from the students

Then Auntie Joe and Auntie Julie surprised us with more gifts! They got us scarves that say “Welcome to Ghana” on them. They are super nice and bright colours! I love them! We are so blessed.

Auntie Joe, myself, Petra and Auntie Julie

All the women wanted to take pictures with us and it was such a fun day! I honestly can’t believe that this is the last day with them. We will see them at registration again on Tuesday with the new interns, but this was OUR last day with them; they last time that they are just our students. It is bittersweet. I am so proud of all of them for their dedication and energy that they have poured into learning and coming out to classes every Tuesday and Wednesday, but I am sad to leave them. I really hope and encourage all of them to continue learning and to be the women that God has intended them to be!