Coming Home...

The time has come… for my last blog post in Ghana! Wow. I don’t even know where to start. 

The last four months has been quite a journey.

Before coming to Ghana in August I felt like I had a very narrow view of Africa, and of the world. I don’t think any of us actually realize how big the world actually is. We just go about our daily lives, not really thinking about what might be going on in another country or continent. We are just one person out of BILLIONS on this earth! And oh wow have I realized how many good people there are in this area of the world.

I know that when I get home that people will want to know about my experience here in Ghana. They will ask, “How was Africa?” and my short answers will include, “It was great,” “It was different,” “It was HOT!” I will not be able to really give an accurate description of what changes I have experienced here in just a few short words or sentences. It is similar when you are asked the question, “How was your mission?” Well, if you really want to know about how my mission went or how my experience here in Ghana was like, you will need to take more than three hours for me to even just scratch the surface.

I have contemplated what the biggest lesson that I have learned from this experience is… And I would say that I have learned about the importance of the individual. I know and believe that each person we meet or see is indeed a child of our Heavenly Father. He knows each and every one of us individually and by name. We are important to Him. Do we really understand the value that each person has as we pass by one another? I know that I didn’t. And I still don’t know if I ever will fully understand that. But this experience has taught me that we all need to SLOW DOWN our lives and take the time to get to know, to appreciate, and to love the individual.

There are many individuals who have impacted my life. I have developed relationships here with people that I want to last for a very long time. Although our paths may be taking us away from each other for a while, I know that we will meet again. I know that we will share the memories of this experience and keep them close to our heart.

I don’t know when/if I will ever get the chance to come back to this part of the world. But I know that I will never forget the time that I had here. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with this opportunity to come and to have had so many wonderful experiences with so many wonderful people. I leave on Sunday to fly out to London! I am very excited to spend some time there traveling and seeing some friends. I look forward to reuniting with my family and spending the holidays with them. I thank everyone who has taken the time to read this blog. I know that sometimes I can be long-winded (like today) but I appreciate it anyway. I hope that you have been able to see a little of what I have been experiencing for the last 4 months. I hope to continue to post on this blog and use it to share more about my life experiences. 

May we all find joy in our journey.

24 Years YOUNG!

What an incredible week! So much has happened that it is hard to remember what I did each day this last week. To start… I received an email that I have been selected to present my thesis research on African Drumming at the WRAMTA (Western Region of the American Music Therapy Association ) Conference in Tempe Arizona in April! I will be doing an interactive presentation for music therapy students, interns, and new music therapy professionals! This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time. I think this will be a great opportunity for me to get my foot in the door of the professional world of music therapy. Now comes the hard part… Actually finishing my thesis haha.

On Wednesday I spent the day with my friend Ernest. We went to Madina market early in the morning to shop for food and then we went to the temple site and found a kitchen to cook. He taught me how to make bean stew, cabbage stew, and fried plantains. It was not hard to do and the good turned out to be so delicious! I can’t wait to make it for family and friends at home!

Thursday was the African Ensemble Performance. My group performed mostly singing pieces and I was given the opportunity to sing 3 songs in Twi as a solo! I was really nervous but it all went well. I got to wear a neat outfit and the Ghanaian crowd was pretty impressed that I could sing some of their local songs. I even had one of the master drummers come up and stick some money on my forehead as I was in the middle of the song hahaha!

And then Friday and Saturday I travelled to the Volta Region with my friend Kristen! Our first stop was at Cedi Beads in Kpong. We were able to see how the local beads and jewelry were made. It was such an amazing process to see how much work goes into making every individual bead. Then we travelled to the village of Wli where we hiked up to the lower waterfall! The force coming from the waterfall was so overwhelming that I couldn’t get as close to where the water was falling. It was an incredible feeling to be swimming in a waterfall in the middle of Africa!!! It is an experience that I cannot put in to adequate words. We stayed at the Waterfall Lodge that night and enjoyed delicious food, stargazing, and sitting in a hammock! 

On Saturday we woke up early and travelled to the Tafi Atome monkey sanctuary. We walked into a forested area and saw so many small monkeys hanging from the trees! We held bananas in our hands and they would jump from the trees onto our arms and shoulders. How cool is that?!?! Then the last thing that we did on Saturday is hike Mount Afadjato, the tallest mountain in Ghana. The hike was VERY difficult because the path was almost a straight vertical, instead of switch-backs. As we hiked to the top we had an amazing view of the valley area and we were very close to the mountains that were on the Togo border. After all of those adventures, we finally travelled back to campus. It was a really fun but exhausting weekend and I am glad that I got to spend it with my best friend Kristen :)

Sunday was my 24^th birthday! I celebrated the day by wearing a new beautiful African dress to church, played the organ for sacrament meeting, bore my testimony, taught my CTR primary class about how to show our love for animals, and taught new Christmas songs during singing time! As I was getting ready to leave church I ran into a friend from the USU music therapy program! Kelsie Smalley is here with her husband doing some work with the USU Huntsman School of Business Seed Program. I knew she was in Ghana but I didn’t know when we would meet up. They randomly chose to come to the Madina church building and I got to see her and give her a big hug! It was fun to see someone from back home and catch up. After church I came home, took a nap, and prepared for the big PARTY! You all know, there is always a party with Marti hahaha! I invited all of the ISEP students and the LDSSA students over for some jollof, wache, cake, ice cream, and juice. It was fun to have everyone together and spend the wonderful day with my close friends. Then the best ending to the day was skyping with Dad, Mom, Sandi, Dan, Kelli, Casey, and Grandpa and Grandma Marchand! I am glad that my birthday was on a Sunday so that I had the chance to talk to all of them like I usually do. I felt so much love from everyone that day and I am truly grateful for all of the family and friends that I am blessed to have in my life.

Last week was so busy but it was also so great! I am down to my last two weeks and I am trying to make the most of my time with the people who I have become close with here. I love you all and miss you! I can’t wait to see you in a few weeks!

Thanksgiving in Ghana

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I can’t believe that November is almost over already! I think that I have had difficulty feeling like the year is ending because there are not really any dramatic changes in the weather like there is in Utah. The only climate change that I have experienced is hot and hotter! It is getting to the point where it is unbearably hot when I sleep, even with a fan on and as thin of clothes as I can wear. It will be nice to come home and have to layer on the sweatshirt and pile on blankets when I sleep in the cold basement haha. It was SO nice to talk to everyone on Thursday! It was good to see faces of cousins, aunts and uncles, and Grandma Johanna!

This week I spent some time studying for a final exam, working on human anatomy, and reading more research for my thesis. On Thursday all of the ISEP students had Thanksgiving dinner at Auntie Theresa’s house (ISEP director). She lives in a REALLY nice house out in Nungua (about 30-40 minutes from campus when there is not any traffic). She had lots of tables and chairs set up in her back yard and we were joined by her family and her friends and some students from another exchange program. The food was absolutely delicious! We had all of the classic Thanksgiving foods: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole,  rolls, sweet potatoes, and even macaroni and cheese! All of us were SO excited to eat and we piled our plates pretty high with as much food as we could fit in our stomachs. After we ate we all sat around the gazebo to let the food settle. I ate so much food that my stomach started hurting and I had to lay down on the ground to ease the pain hahaha! It was such a great night to spend with my closest friends here. Although I missed being with the family, it sure was a nice night with my ISEP family.

On Friday I woke up early and walked across campus for my first written exam. This test was for the Music of West and Central Africa class. The way that testing is set up here is quite strange… They give you the time/date/location of your final and when you go you are in a room with about 2-4 other courses taking their final as well. You have to find the desk that has your ID number written in chalk and that is where you have to sit. As you take the test about 2-3 different people come around and you have to show your ID card and sign a paper stating that you took the exam. We were given two and a half hours to write our exam. There were about 20 short answer questions and then we had to write 3 essays. I felt like I did really well on the exam! I knew almost all of the short answer questions and I wrote about 9 pages total for the 3 essays.

Later on Friday I went to Adenta to spend another Thanksgiving dinner with the Oparey family. I met them at stake conference last weekend and they invited me to join them. Natasha Oparey is an American from Alaska and her husband Emmanuel is Ghanaian. Brother Oparey served his mission in Provo and then went to BYU-Idaho where he met Natasha. They have been living in Ghana as a family for almost a whole year now. They have two ADORABLE and brilliant children, Dante and Iris. They had about 20 family members over for the dinner. They were all from Brother Oparey’s side of the family and it was their first Thanksgiving experience haha! The Oparey’s also invited Jackie and Julie, the two American girls that I met a few weeks ago. It was fun to see them again. The dinner was also very delicious! Two nights in a row of mass amounts of food!!! It was really interesting to hear about Sister Oparey's experience in moving to Ghana and being married to a Ghanaian. It really made me think hard about how I would react to all of those live changes if I was in her position. I think that it would have to take the right person (husband) and an amazing support system (family) for me to be able to pick up my life in the United States and decide to move (most likely for about 15-20 years) to another country with my family... It was definitely food for thought haha. After everyone ate and the dinner was cleaned up, Jackie and Julie and I stayed and played some board games with Brother Oparey. I beat him twice at Blockus! (Mom would be so proud of me haha). It was such a fun night!

Well, in 3 weeks from today I will be on my way to London! I am really excited to be spending a few days there on my way home. There are still some things that I want to do in Ghana before I leave. This coming week I am preparing for a performance on Thursday and then I will be traveling to the Volta Region on Friday and Saturday to do some mountain hiking, monkey watching, and waterfall swimming! That is where I wanted to go for my birthday weekend (wwwhhhaaaatt!?!?!? Birthday? I can’t believe it is next week… I’m getting so old haha!). Anyway, I love you all and miss you! Have a wonderful week!

Oh yeah... by the way... I'm losing weight!

Pre-meal bliss

Post-meal coma haha

After coma snuggling :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Final exam time is here! This past week I had 3 of my practical exams (2 drumming and then dancing). My first drum exam on Monday went VERY well! I played a song called Bema with another student and we used the dunno drum and the panlogo drum. It was actually fun to perform because the other student and I have studied this particular drum piece in depth and we were able to do some advanced techniques. My second drumming exam was alright. I messed up a little on the master drum part but was able to find my way back into rhythm again. Even though our group didn’t perform perfectly, we honestly were about 200 times better than any other group hahaha (most people in the class are not musically inclined and everyone in our group had musical background). My last practical exam was for Traditional African Dance and it was on Thursday. I performed in a group of 6 people and I had 2 improvisation solos. Overall I think our group did very well! We were able to follow the master drum and changed our dance moves at the right time. My solos went well! I just have a few bruises to show for it. I have 2 more written exams and one performance and then I’m done!!

I was supposed to travel up to the Northern regions of Ghana this weekend but my dance group was switched to perform our final from Tuesday to Thursday (we were going to leave Thursday to travel up North). I don’t want to write much about it because I am still quite angry and frustrated that the dance instructors would not let me perform on Tuesday and that I probably will not be getting all of my money back that I paid for the Northern trip. Let’s just sum it all up that I feel like the people here in Ghana and more specifically the administration here at this university have demanded that we just have a “go with the flow” attitude. But when I ask for the same flexibility on my behalf, it is not given.

On a happier note… Because I did not travel this weekend I was able to attend the Adenta Stake Conference! The general session on Sunday was a regional broadcast for the stakes and districts in the Africa West area and the Africa Southeast area. It was nice to hear from Elder Cardon of the seventy, a member of the young women’s presidency, Elder Christofferson, and President Monson. It was interesting to hear what they had to say to the people in this area of the world and what council they were given that might be different or unique to the people here. They talked about some of the cultural marriage practices here in Africa and how those practices are not in line with what the church leaders have counseled about marriage.

Well that’s about all that I have to post for now. I have less than one month until I leave and I have a lot that I have to do! Thesis research and writing, online human anatomy class, internship applications, drum practicing, studying for finals, and last minute traveling in Ghana! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving week!!! I will be excited to talk to all of the family. I will be spending Thanksgiving at our ISEP Directors house where all of the other international students in our program will enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving feast! But I'm sure they won't have my favorite funeral potatoes haha. 

Exams, Togo, and LDSSA

What an incredible week! It is hard to believe that my classes at the University of Ghana have ended and we are now entering the time for examinations to begin. I completed my first drumming exam today and I think that I passed with flying colors! I didn’t even mess up once and I received compliments from all of the drum professors who were there. I have my dance exam tomorrow, another drumming exam on Wednesday, and then it is off to the Northern Region of Ghana for a few days before I have more exams and performances.

This weekend I traveled to Togo! This is the country just east of Ghana. We traveled there by trotro for about 4 hours to the border city of Aflou. We passed through the Ghana side, and then went to the Togo side for our visa applications. Within just a few hundred feet, the atmosphere completely changed. There was something exhilarating about crossing a border that is hard to describe. There was a feeling of nervousness and excitement as we received our stamps in our passports allowing us to go into another country. It seriously made me so excited to fill up my passport with more stamps!

While in Togo we walked along the ocean line about 30 minutes away from the border to the hotel Le Galion. Togo is a French speaking country so we were lucky to have someone in our group who spoke French so she could translate for us. We ate out that night for my friend Rose’s birthday. On Saturday we woke up at 5:30 so we could walk to the beach to see the sunrise. It was SO beautiful! In my mind I was thinking how incredible it was to see the sun rise in another country. We spent the rest of our time eating French food, walking around the market, and relaxing at the beach. One of the scariest/best parts of the whole trip was riding the moto-taxi. In Togo they don’t use trotros as the way for public transportation, they use motorcycles to take 1-2 people around. I was scared to get on because of my nerves for riding something with two wheels but I managed to do it (twice I might add…) and I LOVED it! Such a great weekend.

On Sunday I taught the primary class for the first time. I think the class went well but I was just nervous. I think that the next time I teach I need to be more interactive with the children so that I don’t lose their attention haha. I registered for my last semester at USU! I am really excited for my spring semester schedule. I do not have too many classes but I will be working hard on my thesis and preparing for my internship. I am still in the process of deciding where I should apply but I definitely have it narrowed down to about 8 different sites right now. It is just hard to apply at this time because I need a lot of documents/recommendation letters that I cannot get while I am gone.

Something unique that happened today (Monday) that made the world a whole lot smaller for me…  I went out to eat lunch with 2 girls who I met at church and are here to do some volunteer work. They are about 18-19 years old and I met them at church. One girl told me that she is from California but spent her last year of high school at a boarding school in Utah. When I asked her what school she went to she said she attended West Ridge Academy!  She graduated in March from WRA and then I started working there in May! How crazy is that?!? It was good to talk with her about people that we both knew and things that we both knew about there.

The last thing that I wanted to share was an experience that I had tonight at our last LDSSA Family Home Evening meeting. Before we began the lesson, the LDSSA president had me come up and announced that this would be the last time that I would be with the group. He then proceeded to invite any of the LDSSA members to come up to the front and share any departing thoughts with me. About 8 different people came up and shared some stories and thoughts about my involvement in the LDSSA group. There were words that were shared which I will never forget. Sometimes you never know how what impact you will have on the lives of others until a moment like this. I was able to share my gratitude with them for their faith, their friendship, and their firmness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This group of students has truly been examples to me of those who let their light shine for those around them. In closing, Daniel and Lizy sang a duet to the hymn “Each Life That Touches Ours For Good.” This song holds a special place in my heart because it was sung at my Grandpa Truss’ funeral. They didn't know the significance of this song for me and it was a tender mercy from the Lord. I know that fellowship in the church is one of the most important things that help me to stay on the straight and narrow path. I have tried to surround myself with good friends who have the same standards and values that can help encourage me and be my support. I know that Heavenly Father has shown His love for me by bringing this group of people into my life.

Homework, Sleep, and General Conference

Writing on this blog every week reminds me of when I would email home every week when I was on my mission. Like those mission emails, some weeks you have SO much to write about. And other weeks, like this one, there is not much to say.

I didn’t do any traveling this weekend because I had a lot of school work to catch up on. I practiced my drums, wrote two papers, and got caught up on some sleep!

On Saturday morning I went to the Adenta Stake Primary Music Festival. All of the primary groups in the stake came together for a morning of musical sharing. All 9 wards/branches sang the SAME two songs. By the end of the event, I was more than ready to not hear “Nephi’s Courage” for a while haha. Although I love being involved with the primary, I think that I am a little timid around the children. According to the practices here in Ghana, any adult has the right/responsibility for the care and discipline of a child. I think that it just makes me a little nervous to pick up a child who I don’t know or to take a child out of the classroom when they are misbehaving. Hopefully I will be able to feel more comfortable as I spend more time with them.

Today (Sunday) we had our own version of General Conference. Because the churches here do not receive the conference broadcast when it occurs in October, the members here wait for the DVDs to arrive and then they watch two of the sessions on the first Sunday in November at the church building. It was really nice to spend the day watching the conference sessions. It made me a little homesick for our “traditional” conference weekend of coming home from school to spend time with the family. But there is always next conference!

The last piece of news that I have to share with you… I will be spending 5 days in London on my way home from Ghana! My mom has worked really hard to call the airlines and rearrange my plane ticket to leave Accra to London on December 16^th and then still catch my flight home from London to the USA on December 21^st! I will be traveling with my friends Kristen and Annie and we will get a chance to tour around London for a few days! I was really sad when I did not get to spend time in London on my way to Ghana, especially because the Olympics were happening at the time… But now I get to go on my way home! I am already preparing myself to go from 80+ degree weather to the lovely England winter haha.

The time I am spending here is going by so quickly.  I hope that everyone is doing well and is having a wonderful week!
(Sorry there are not any pictures posted this week. I will do better next time!)

Jamestown and Shai Hills

Hello everyone! Another week has come and gone. It is getting hotter in Ghana, and every picture I see of Utah has some snow in the mountains!!! I would really love to have some snow right now haha. Let’s just say that when I come home I will be the most “sunkissed” person you will see!

Not much to report on Monday through Thursday… Just school work. We are learning a new dance in my Traditional Dance class called fume-fume. It is quite fun and leaves me completely drenched in sweat at the end of class. Also, I wasn’t sure if I mentioned this… I am on the International Student Hostel Swimming Team! I have been going for training about 3 times each week and we might have our first swim meet this coming week! We will see if it happens. But it has been good to prepare workouts and go and swim hard. I think this will be good triathlon prep for me!

On Friday it was another Muslim holiday so there was no school. I went to Jamestown, an area just outside of downtown Accra. It is a place to see the ocean, the lighthouse, and the jail! As we got to Jamestown you could see the fishing boats about 1 mile off the shore and the smell of fish was VERY strong. We got to talk to some men who were building a boat. The view from the lighthouse was amazing! A nice day trip to a new place.

Saturday was a very long but amazing day. I woke up early to help with the church cleaning and then I went with some ISEP friends to go to Shai Hills Resource Reserve about 30 miles outside of Accra. Shai Hills is one of Ghana’s national parks that has hiking trails and a place to see monkeys and ostriches. We decided to take the hike up to the bat cave and a lookout over the park. It wasn’t too hot and we even had some rain to cool us off. When we got to the hilltop, the view was absolutely incredible! It was just as I imagined Africa to be before I came here. It was a great day to be outside and spend some time enjoying Heavenly Father’s creations.

Today I was sustained in church as a primary teacher! I will be teaching the CTR A class, the kids ages 4-7. I went to join the class today and they are quite the rowdy group! I also helped play the piano in their singing time practice. Even though I will not be here for much longer, it is nice to have some responsibility in the ward and feel like I am contributing.

It has been a good week. Now to prepare for the week to come. Only two more weeks of school to go! I am trying to keep focused during the week on school so that I can do well on my exams and get the research done that I need to complete while I am here. But it is always nice to have a break and do something fun as well. I miss you all and hope you have a great Halloween! (A few of us Americans might dress up and walk around our hostel handing out candy to people hahaha!)

Blackout

Hello everyone! We have been out of power the last 12+hours... Not just on campus, but the areas of Legon, Madina, and Adenta. So now that we have electricity again, I can finally use my computer to post yet another blog. We have had problems with our running water and electricity going out this last week and it has made me very grateful for those things that I probably take for granted.

This week has been wonderful and busy! Monday night we had the Missionary Fireside for FHE. At this fireside, we invited many people from the surrounding wards to attend so that we could “kick-off” the missionary work beginning on the campus of University of Ghana in Legon! We had some of the senior couples come from the temple site as well as a member of the Accra Ghana Mission presidency. We had a great turnout (we could have had more non-members come) and I got to wear my new African-made dress!!!

I am continuing to make progress on my thesis and other school work. This has felt like a very easy semester compared to the ones that I have had in the past… Probably due to the fact that most of my classes are performance based and not academic based. My last semester at USU is going to be a wake-up call back to my insanely busy reality haha.

On Friday I went to the Art Center to purchase 2 more drums!!! I am going to get a djembe and a talking drum (also known as “dunno”). They should be ready next week so I can go and pick them up. I also purchased a gourd rattle and a metal double bell. All of these instruments are ones that I have been using in my classes and are an integral part of the research that I have been conducting. It will be interesting to see how I am going to get all of these drums home with me….

Saturday I went with my LDSSA group to do baptisms at the temple. Because I am endowed, I was asked to assist the females by helping them with towels as they came out of the font and then escorting them to the changing room. It was amazing to feel like a temple worker for a few hours! As I watched the baptisms taking place, I had such a comforting feeling come over me. I know that no matter what mistakes I make my sins can be washed away, just like when someone is baptized. We just need to repent and we can feel that cleansing power as we take the sacrament. Later that night I enjoyed an amazing concert of gospel music! The choir was so talented and they had such passion for what they were singing about.

Well that is about all for this week. Short and sweet. I am down to my last 3 weeks of classes and then the traveling and studying begins!!! Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Djembe Drums

Talking Drum - "Dunno"

Waiting at TroTro station to go to the temple

Attitude of Gratitude

This week’s blog is going to be different than all the others. I had a really rough week but instead of dwelling on those negative things, I am going to make a list of all of the amazing blessings that I have been given in the past few months. I think the best cure for my attitude is gratitude.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR…

·         My family has been so supportive of my decision to come to Africa.

·         Technology is so amazing! I get to skype with my family every Sunday.

·         I love the funny faces that Dad and I make when we are on skype. He always knows how to make me laugh!

·         My wonderful Mom is always there to help me when I need someone to talk to.

·         Mid-week texts from Sandi make me so happy!

·         I am able to attend church on Sundays and renew my covenants through the sacrament.

·         There is a temple so close to me so I can attend regularly.

·         I am a part of the amazing LDSSA group here on campus! They have become my family and my best friends here.

·         I have been given an opportunity that most people don’t have, to come and study in another country and do research.

·         Many scholarship opportunities made it possible for me to be here without going into major debt.

·         I had an amazing job this last summer at West Ridge Academy where I not only earned and saved money for study abroad, but I was able to have a positive influence on teenagers.

·         I have a comfortable place to live during my time here where I feel safe.

·         I have amazing musicians as my instructors who take the time to help me learn more about African drumming and music.

·         I HAVEN’T BEEN SICK WITH MALARIA YET!!! (very grateful for this haha)

·         I also have been able to skype with my good friends Melissa, Jill, and Aubree. Good times catching up on life!

·         I am a part of the most amazing group of ISEP students! We are all there to support each other on this life-changing experience of study abroad.

·         Specifically, some amazing people who are there for me every day:

·         Kristen – One of my first friends in ISEP! I think we could talk to each other for an entire day and never run out of things to say!! She is such a hard worker and is always reaching to achieve her goals.

·         Annie – My swimming partner! She pushes me to be a better swimmer and to work harder. She is a good listener and is an amazing example of love for everyone she meets.

·         Brooke – She is one of the most open-minded individuals that I have met. She helps me to see the positive in every situation and recognize the growth that it taking place in my life.

·         Rose – A fellow musician who is an incredible percussionist! She has such passion for what she is doing and also understands the important areas of life outside of music.   

·         Ernest – A friend who is truly concerned for my well-being and happiness. He will come all the way to campus to bring me food and make sure that I am doing alright.

·         Portia – What an amazing guitar student and Twi teacher! She has been such a good friend to me and she gives the best hugs. She also has made me delicious Ghanaian food!

·         Bertelsen – He has taken the time to get to know me past the superficial level. I am able to be myself without fear of judgment as we get to know one another. He helps me to remember the importance of laughter and smiling!

·         Daniel – He has a laugh and smile that is contagious! I always feel so happy and lighthearted when we are talking and it makes my stress disappear.

·         Sheilla – She calls me on her way to Institute to make sure that I am awake and ready to go! She also makes me laugh and has a bright smiling face at 5am.

·         Doris – My dear sweet friend at the night market. She is always happy to see me and lets me sit inside her booth when it is hot outside!

And most importantly, I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. He is my ultimate source of strength. He is there for me on days when I feel tired and discouraged. He is there for me when I feel complete happiness. He is there for me when I am confused and need direction. He is there to pick me up when I fall short. He is there to help me see my weaknesses and find the courage to do better. 

I AM TRULY BLESSED

The Land of Gold - Kumasi Adventure

It has been quite a week. I have tried to condense this post but it seemed like there were SO many things to write about.
So here you go…

On Thursday morning I was in charge of teaching our early Institute class. The topic for our lesson was “The Quorum of the First Presidency.” I read through the lesson several times to try to find the important parts that I knew we should discuss as a group. I was SO nervous standing up there in front of the other LDSSA members. I think that my style of teaching was a little different but I did my best to answer their questions. I think this was a great lesson for me to study more in-depth so that I could strengthen my testimony of the importance of the First Presidency. Especially with the conference weekend, it was good to study that lesson. Speaking of General Conference, I think this weekend is one where I felt home-sick for the time we spend as a family watching General Conference. I have been able to read a little about what has happened (particularly with the revelation given about the age for missionaries) but I can’t wait to watch the talks for myself! I know that Heavenly Father has given His authority to those called in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and that they speak for Him. I am looking forward to hearing what council they have to give us.

This weekend everyone in our ISEP group traveled to Kumasi in the Asante region. Kumasi is the 2^nd largest city in Ghana and is embedded in a lush green forest of beautiful trees. We left early Friday morning and arrived at our first stop in the afternoon, the Asantehene  Menhyia Palace Museum. At this museum we learned about the history of the Asante people and their kings and kingdom. The Asante people are known most for their gold and their kente weaving. The Asante king is respected and honored throughout Ghana and has many people willing to fight and die to protect the “golden stool” that he sits on. The second place that we went on Friday was the Ghana National Cultural Center. At this center they had many different shops where you could find almost anything “African” that you wanted. We stayed at the Engineering Guest House on the university campus in Kumasi. It was a very nice place to stay and I even had warm water in my shower for about 3 whole minutes!!

Saturday we ventured to Bonwire, the kente weaving village. Kente is a very nice cloth that is made in about 2 areas in Ghana. The patterns can be simple or very intricate. I had fun choosing pieces of woven fabric and then bargaining with the seller in Twi! And the best thing is that if they do not agree on the price you want to pay, you simply tell them you will come back and you start walking away. Almost immediately they will call you back and sell it to you for your asking price. It is almost like a game of chicken haha. The next place we went to was Ntonso, the Adinkra cloth village. Here the people in the village make a dye for stamping Adinkra symbols onto pieces of fabric. Each symbol has a different meaning and it was fun to be able to stamp my own piece of fabric with the symbols that I chose. THEN we went to Ahwiaa, the wood carving village. There were SO many beautiful wood carvings and I used the same tactic as I did with the kente cloth… bargaining! If I was able to get them to reduce their original price by 50% then it was a pretty successful purchase. Too bad you can’t do that in America!   The last stop of the day was to largest market in Kumasi. We were all really tired by that point so we didn’t walk around the market too much, just looking at some fabrics. We were all exhausted by the end of our day but we had a lot of fun comparing gift purchases. Let’s just say that I think that I got my Christmas shopping taken care of on this trip! About half of our group left early this morning (6am) to return to Accra. There was hardly any traffic so we arrived back earlier than I expected! I had them drop me off in Medina on our way home and I was only 30 minutes late for church.

Once again, I had so many amazing opportunities to share about the LDS church with my peers and the directors of our exchange program. One guy in our program said to me, “You know Marti, you seem to thrive off of discussions about your church.” And it is SO TRUE! I really do love sharing about what I believe. I don’t want to leave any doubt in their minds that I love the church that I am a part of and that I do not shy away from talking about it. There will be a CES fireside on campus next Monday night and it is going to be the missionary kick-off for UG. I have heard that the mission president for the Accra Ghana mission will be attending and speaking! I hope that some of my friends will attend.

I am preparing for my test tomorrow in my Music of West and Central Africa class. I am not too worried about the test… But I think I am more worried about the fact that I am not worried haha! I know that the test will be 30 short answer questions and then 1 essay question. I hope all goes well. I wouldn’t want to get a bad grade in a class during my study abroad semester, that would just be lame!

This was the week that, for the first time, I did not feel like I was in a foreign place. I did not look out of the window of the bus and feel surprised to see people carrying things on their head, or seeing goats and chickens roaming freely on the street, or seeing laundry hanging on a line outside, or seeing little children playing games like soccer. In a way, Ghana feels like a home to me. I am having so many moments of self-discovery here that have helped me to broaden my scope for my future. Before I came here, I felt like I was not open to many aspects of diversity. I can now see myself looking for an internship somewhere new in America, maybe living away from Utah, traveling to more foreign countries, exploring the possibility of being in a relationship with someone who is NOT American, attending graduate school in another state/country. I am not saying that these things are necessarily going to happen for me, but I just feel like I am more open to them now than I ever have been in my life. Now that my eyes have been opened, there is no turning back.