Ye Behyia (We Shall Meet)...Some travels and last days at BTLA

How we do. 

Not quite the stairway to heaven but something about those white habits...

In Sunyani with Sr. Marie (left) and Sr. Pauline

Morning assembly donned in 'dove eggs'

Aduwa

Rodin's statue manifest

Love is an understatement.

Madame Grace

Dufie does Jesus

School

Feet of the future

Abrafi

Abdulai hates snack break. :) 

Little monkeys. Denice and Jeffrey

Prince is charming.

L to R: Jeffrey, Keneth, Denice and Paa Kwesi. BS3 boys.

Thompson and chicken.

Foufou-pounding postulants. 

Akokoamong roots.

Not as smile-provoking. Laissez-faire capitalism leaves far too many children behind. On the day when receiving an education is more lucrative for the family than child labor on a global scale, I'll concur that slavery is over. And it is hardly an 'African thing'. 

In Nkoranza

In the village adjacent to the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary

Monkey hike.

Look at that face.

Opposable thumbs and banana propensities... is evolution really still debatable? 

Petroglyphs at the Kristo Boase (Christ in the rock) Monastery in Techiman.

Mused by rocks and monks.

Brother Anthony expounds on the uses of the moringa plant. The monastery sustains itself and its monks through their moringa, cashew, mango, and star fruit products among other things. 

Cape Coast castle. The walls can't talk but the air still carries years of unimaginable suffering. One of the largest ports of the slave trade. 

From the governor's room. He saw the ocean while thousands of Africans spent months in darkness, excrement and tears underneath his floorboards only to be transported in comparable conditions to further hell. The governor's view remains the same. 

Elmina Castle. Same story, less than a twenty minute drive down the coast. Originally built by the Portuguese and later seized by the Dutch. The means and the end saw little change.

On Tuesdays, the fish around Elmina swim freely as this is the day for fishermen to rest and pray.

University of Cape Coast 

Statue at UCC.

Colleague and traveling companion Seth Osei. I'll miss this one.

I saw red.

Got fish?

The door's open for you Kwame.

The biggest impetus for me to get out of bed in the morning while in Ghana. My boy. 

Until next time. 

Do you want to contribute to Blessed Trinity Leadership Academy in Akokoamong, Ghana? Find out more at http://www.lorettocommunity.org or email me at paigerregan@gmail.com.

In the Heat of Harmattan

After School Psychedelia with Francis and Maggie Boakye

Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Mensah

The Heart of Blessed Trinity Leadership Academy 

Con Ms. Paige Sin Headmistress Sr. Martha Fosu Dansowaa

With Recently Professed Sr. Patricia (left) and Sr. Georgina (right). Two of my best friends; if I know how to live well in Ghana it is because of their guidance.

Boss #1 Sr. Martha (left) and Boss #2 Sr. Lydia (right). Joy is their most natural reaction to pretty much everything.

Kindergarten awkwardness of the sexes. Sheryl (left) and Stephen Twomase (right)

Ask me where I found this moth. 

Lunchtime chaos. Featuring James.

Anonymous parent at our last PTA meeting. 

Kwame and Mom at the PTA meeting.

Liberated from uniforms and class schedules at the PTA meeting.

These bugs rock. All that 'crap', quit literally, on its back consists of dead insect parts, leaf tidbits and other trash-like insect treasures. Their presence was a highlight of my last retreat at the Centre for Spiritual Renewal.

Taking care of business. 

Blood of life. 

There are two seasons in Ghana: the wet/rainy season and the dry season/Harmattan.  This picture is fairly illustrative of Harmattan...dry is an understatement. These lizards don't seem to mind. 

Crows are crows...awesome anywhere.

I had the opportunity to be a seminarian for a day. At the Lake Bosomtwe Grotto.

My homie and future traveling companion for April's adventures: Soon to be Father, Mr. Evans. 

Lake Bosomtwe. Originally formed by a meteor, it is reputed to be the largest naturally-formed lake in all of Africa.

Boat full of future priests.

Priestly cruise.

Favorites. KG2'ers from right to left Olivia, Manuella and Abrafi. 

Sr. Marie and Sr. Pauline came to visit for the month. Pictured here with Nursury 2 kiddos. 

Feasting party for the celebration of Sr. Martha and Sr. Christie's ten years of religious life anniversary at the convent. 

So cool.

Holy sandwich. Sr. Christie (left) and Sr. Martha (right) celebrate ten years as FST sisters.

In the newly improved, equipped with thirty laptops ICT lab. Prince (front), Charles Tutu (middle) and the ever-joyful Richmond

Anokye. I think he had fun eventually.

As Harmattan fades out, the millipedes are appearing in droves.

I don't appreciate how routine my visits to the hospital have become, but I have always been fond of the apartment complex that backs it up. 

Yeah, round two of malaria, with two more parasites in my blood count than the first time is unfortunate. My bed for the first day. After about a week and a half of bed rest and paranoia, I am back in the game.

Marie's description of the end-of-Harmattan rain storms as 'violent' is not an exaggeration. The Parkoso Junior HIgh School post-storm.

Term two at BTLA is coming to a close. Marie and Pauline's recent visit has been enjoyable and they are both very pleased with what they have seen at the school. We are in the process of converting all files to digital format, and this term's reports will be our first trial run at the print out-as-opposed-to pen method. In spite of my recent bout of malaria, the kids have been doing very well in computer class. They are getting the hang of typing with more than one finger and are creating documents using text and object illustrations. Although the rain has been detrimental to roofing in the village, the plants and air are more than gracious. As the Ghana goodness continues, I also find myself in a place of utter gratitude.