This past weekend we were invited to Serano, a small town 15minutes away, where we learned to pound fou fou (the most popular food in Ghana), kill a green mamba snake, pick cocoa and drink Apatashi, a VERY strong home brewed liquor that tastes decidedly like ethanol. When I wasn't busy doing these very important things, I was running around with the children , camera in hand and answering multiple: "What's your name?"
Enjoy the photos!

Hope your day was better than this little guys! x

Introducing the lovely children of Humjibre, Western Ghana, and my new home for the next year!

After lugging all that I own in the world (aside from a few boxes of books holed up at my parents house) onto 3 different taxis and 2 different buses, we finally rounded the last curved, cleared the last pot hole, and parked in front of the GHEI sign by the side of the road. Curious children ran to us to help haul my bags and to inspect the new "obruni" and welcoming drinks were arranged over fried chicken.

My village is small, remote, with 13 Christian churches and a handful of local watering holes. In the mornings I am woken by the passionate ramblings of local preachers on the loud speakers and the clanking of pots and pans as the children walk by to collect water. The first thing you are asked is "What day were you born?" and from that you are assigned a name that is the day of the week you were born on. I was apparently born on Tuesday (had to google that one) and my Ghanaian name is "Abina."

After only three days in Humjibre, I have already been give 2 avocados, attended an engagement ceremony where the bride and groom were in the States, eaten lbs of fried rice and omelet sandwiches and spotted loads of fresh fruits and vegetables!

This makes me a happy happy girl! ;)
In a very short time I'm learning loads of important things such as how to hand wash my laundry, kill massive spiders, amuse young Ghanaian kids with my camera, and shoot ginger alcohol!

Until text time! x

This big old house is starting to settle in around me and the jungle noises that emanate from the overgrown pond area and backyard, are starting to sound more like greetings rather than threats, as I walk home through the gate at night. Some of my favorite things in the whole world can be found here...loads and loads of delicious fruit, cozy little cafes to hide from the rainy season and sip a hot cup of coffee, fresh food markets whose loud bartering noises and jumble of people and fruits and veggies always bring a smile to my face and make me feel terribly lucky to be livign and breathing and experiencing all this. Burmese refugee children come play on my front porch in the evenings and we sneak around with my camera, surprising volunteers with our stealthy picture taking abilities. These kids adore using my camera, anyone keen on doing a photography workshop with Burmese refugee children sorta patterned after Listen to my Pictures? This is a photo workshop I've been dying to do for years!!

Land of a Thousand Smiles

Hello from sunny Chiang Mai, Thailand!
The chicken has official flown the coup! The Korean coup that is. So I made it. After flying all night and weedling evil luggage weight Nazis, and slipping them a few bills under the table (rolls eyes), me and all my respectable luggage have touch down in the Land of Smiles. And it's true! These people actually DO smile back at you! It was actually an almost uncomfortable sensation at first to have someone return my goofy smile. I think I even tripped in surprise at the toothless little Thai lady who seemed to find me tromping down the Chiang Mai backstreets as exciting and smile worthy as me! I haven't had much of a chance to do anything except make up for lost Zzz's slobbering on my new Apt veranda and getting lost a couple times down random back streets (which is the best way to explore a new city if you asked me!). For my first Thai food experience I channeled my inner Inge and scored a grilled fish popsicle from a friendly street vendor. It may not sound like heave but trust me, I got weak kneed at how delicious that wee stuck fishy was! I have made close buds with the fruit lady (pineapple for under a buck?!) and espresso lady on my Soi (alley). And yes, all you who had sneaky suspicions about my travels always follow the trail of delicious coffee, Thailand DOES grow its own delicious bean and YES I'm drinking massive amounts. It's so good I haven't even gone to Starbucks once! *gasp*
Yesterday, our ARI volunteers did their weekly Young Lions Art Program workshop with the local Burmese refugee children and I was able to sneak out of the office to spend some time and take some pictures of these beautiful children. Chiang Mai is home to approximately 120,000 Burmese refugees and migrants in search of freedom from fear and oppression. What they find here in Thailand is far different from what they expect. The family members are utilized for cheap construction labor and not given rights or residency by the Thai government. As a result, they have no choice but to live in construction camp slums and their children are not allowed to attend school. Instead, you will find them wandering the streets trying to put food on the table. Yesterday morning, three beautiful Burmese girls came up to me with strings of sweet smelling jasmine flowers clasped in their grubby hands and hopeful eyes. I smiled and told them that I was not buying and to my amazement the oldest one, who had bruises circling her neck, gave me the most incredible smile and told me how beautiful I was with thumbs up. As they walked away she kept looking over her shoulder reluctantly and called out the few English words she knew. I was so touched by these children. The Young Lions Art Program is an art workshop Zoe Lambe, the managing director of Cultural Canvas Thailand, put together to reach out to these children, to give them a chance to just be kids as well as to express themselves creatively. It has been a smashing success! We are trying to raise funds to reach out to the larger community of refugee children here in Chiang Mai. Take a peak at our project and lend your support! Young Lions Art Project
If you can't tell, I am a happy girl here in Thailand! I think I was made for tropical weather, fruit galore, delicious Thai food and working with this beautiful organization: Cultural Canvas Thailand