The human heart

This past week was sadly our last teaching at Gray Memorial Basic School but definitely the best. I cannot explain the joy I felt when walking into those gates each day to become encircled by beautiful black children screaming my name, “Ash-a-lee, Ash-a-lee”! I would not need this level of respect to be satisfied with the work I have done there because just the opportunity to watch them learn is such an remarkable feeling. However, the love is reciprocal and I greatly appreciate their overwhelming support and warmth. Shantel and I had a lot of lessons to complete in our two classes so we got to work. May I just say that I never understood the hard work a teacher takes on until I became a teacher here in Accra? Holy smokes, it is exhausting. Nonetheless, an excellent form of exhaustion that brings fullness to my life.

My crazy Basic 2 students

On Tuesday, we taught about world geography. This allowed me to present my favorite lesson I had prepared that discussed the difference between where I live and where my students live. We pulled out an enormous world map (which generated several oohs and aahs) to show them where Africa was in relation to North America. We discussed the differences between the two continents including climate, size, and customs. This shifted to talking specifically about Utah and snow. At first, they had no idea what I was talking about when I said the word snow. One confused boy said, “Madame, do you mean ice blocks?” Ha ha of course, ice blocks! They were mesmerized with the concept of ice crystals falling from the sky and creating a world of pure white. I showed them pictures of the Wasatch mountains, skiing, and a house covered in snow and icicles. They had a difficult time understanding how it could be cold outside since they live in a country that deals with 365 days of baking sunshine and warm humidity. Remember the reaction of the Siamese children in the King and I after Anna teaches them what snow is? Well, this reaction was nearly identical. For weeks before I came to Ghana, I searched high and low for Insta-Snow, a powder that when mixed with water creates snow-like crystals that even turn cold. Of course it cannot compare to the fluffy, perfect flakes that us Utahns are blessed with but it introduced the concept better than anything. I asked my classes if they believed that I could make it snow in Ghana. Most of them replied, “yes?” in a question form, as if they were begging me to be considering the idea. I pulled out two small cups from my bag of tricks, the magic powder, and a water bottle. Dozens of eyes were completely focused on me and an unusual silence filled the room. As I poured the water into the cups of powder, it expanded into snow and overflowed onto the dirt floor! They went wild! Well, that is quite an understatement….They began to act like the monkeys in the village I visited last weekend! I walked around the room, letting them all touch the cold substance called snow and watched their priceless faces. I know that the next time it snows in Utah, I will think of my astonished students that I love so dearly. 

Feeling the freshly made snow

They loved when I sprinkled it on their heads!

Two of my little princesses

Kindergarten students

On Wednesday, I had my last day of teaching and I was determined to make it the best. Well, I have always loved anatomy. Studying the elaborate compilation of the human body is more interesting to me than any other subject. I had come to the conclusion that my students probably had not been exposed to anatomy. Consequently, I made the decision to teach them about the heart. Since the circulatory system is no piece of cake, I simplified the information to their level. I taught them about blood flow through the heart and body, a song about how the heart is a muscle, how to feel their pulse in their temple, neck, and wrist, and ways to keep their hearts healthy and strong. We played a game where they ran in place and then felt the significant change in their heart rate afterwards. I showed them my stethoscope and explained how it worked. One by one I went down the rows of desks to each child and let them listen to their heart beating through my stethoscope. It made me so happy to see their faces change from a state of the utmost concentration to a huge grin that stretched from ear to ear. “Ash-a-lee, I can hear it!”, they would tell me. They all followed me around begging for another time to hear their heart beating. I never understood how exciting it is to be around children when they discover something momentous for the first time until now. I will never forget the amazement in their dark eyes after they heard something powerful booming inside their chests.

Introducing the stethoscope

Listening to their hearts beating

Thursday was field day. A day that I used to look forward to all year when I was a young one. Not necessarily because school was over but because I got to play games under the sun all day with my friends and classmates. Well, field day is probably the one thing that Gray Memorial has in common with elementary schools in the United States. We walked to the back of the school, surrounded by hundreds of children, to the large dirt field. Lynley divided us into several stations to be responsible for including football, parachute, three-legged races, Frisbee, and jump ropes. I was put in charge of balloon games which I had multiple ideas that I planned for. However, I was in for a big surprise. These balloon games never got to games. Within a nanosecond of pulling out that first balloon out of my bag, loads of students swarmed around me like killer bees yelling “oh please Ashalee, a balloon, a balloon!” At first, I held up the balloons as high as my arm could reach, determined that I could coordinate the balloon games. Nope, that idea was thrown out the window quickly as I was pinned against the wall. My arms grew tired and I was forced to ask the kids to pair up and get a balloon to share. I was never even able to explain a game. I saw fists fly, kicking, and screaming as they struggled to reach over each other for a balloon ha ha! I started to get light-headed from the excess of air I was expelling at such a rapid rate. As soon as I gave each partnership a balloon and asked them to stick around, they disappeared into outer space. I began to laugh out loud and realize that Africa never has any defined plans. Ghanaians go with the flow. Preparation is usually not beneficial in any way here since plans will ALWAYS change. It is kind of refreshing from the American state of mind. After I nearly passed out from inflating the balloons, I decided to just ask them what they wanted to do. The verdict? The Hokey Pokey. So in front of a billion children, I sang and screamed the Hokey Pokey. You would be surprised at how difficult it is to sing a song for an extended period of time at the top of your lungs, while shaking your body all about, after blowing up balloons ha ha. Hokey Pokey transformed into Bambalita, a game in which you sing a song while a person runs around a circle to find a friend who dances with them. Most likely my favorite game I have learned here. Bambalita turned into Umpay and other entertaining Ghanaian games. I was so impressed that these kids simply enjoy singing together. I thoroughly enjoyed having several of my favorite students clinging onto my shirt, arms, and individual fingers. I had an idea to begin some running races. I did not think through the fact that African children racing results in a massive stampede of jaguars! They are ridiculously fast! We had piggyback races and races running backwards. We had contests of spinning in circles and seeing who could walk in a straight line afterwards. It was hilarious to watch our students laughing hysterically and wandering around in a dizzy stupor. The dreaded time came to start leaving. One of my favorite kindergarten students, Naxima, clung to me all day long. I held her hand tightly and scooped her up every couple minutes. She is one of those shy little girls that never say a word but smile every time you look at or say a word to her. I love her. I love them all. I was super sad when I looked down and saw her shoes were at least four sizes too big and her uniform was hanging off her shoulders. I never noticed how poor she was because I always focused on her flawless face and pretty smile. Another favorite kindergartener of mine is Millicent who honestly looks like an African princess that belongs in silk, jewels, and gold bangles. She also kissed my arms and held my hand tightly, never wanting to let go. I got emotional when I gave several of my students a bear hug and uttered the words, “I will miss you guys. I love you all” and they replied, “I love you Ashalee!”. Goodbyes are never easy or even bearable for me. If I had a choice, I would find a way to eradicate all the tearful goodbyes on this planet. I was torn when I had to pry their arms and small fingers off of mine to run to our taxi. Tears began to fall and the gate was closed. I was heartbroken. So sad to say goodbye, knowing that their opportunities are slim and futures are not bright with the poverty cycle they are bound to. If I could give them what I have in the United States, I would do it in a heartbeat. Yes, a heartbeat.
 

Lunch break

Naxima-one of my favorites :)

Hmmm...where could I be?

This brings me back to the human heart…. Yes, it is amazing that the heart can pump 2000 gallons of blood every day, that it works involuntarily, that it is surrounded by a protective skeletal cage, and provides each individual with life every single day. But I continually find myself learning that the anatomy and physiology of the heart is not quite as amazing as another function. The capacity to love. I only knew my students at Gray Memorial for a few short weeks but I loved them immediately. And in return, they loved me. You cannot help but feel their love when they worship you like a goddess, cling to you constantly, sprint across the courtyard just to give you a high five, and shower you with kisses, hugs, and sticky hands.  It only took a brief moment for me to fall in love with these children. One of the most important things I have learned here is that no matter where I go-orphanages in Ecuador, schools in Ghana, or even Primary Children’s Hospital in Utah-I LOVE children instantly. I have also realized that although I often feel as if my heart is empty when I have to leave a place or people I love, I am leaving pieces of my heart all over the world. It is theirs for the taking and when I leave them my heart, it seems to grow twice as big. I will never forget the memories and feelings I gathered from Gray Memorial and most importantly, I will not forget the love I felt both towards and from my incredible students :)