Cape Coast etc.

Looking out from a window in Elmina Castle

Elmina Castle

One of the cells slaves would be kept in before departure

The outside of Elmina Castle

Cape Coast fisherman- I love these boats!

more fishermen...

Beautiful Amy and beautiful beach

This guy was trying to catch some dinner as we passed

I was so happy to be able to capture the sun like this- when it gets cloudy the sun pierces through the clouds in this perfect circle and it's such a different kind of beautiful

Another jumping picture- they're so fun!
l-r: Stevie, Amy, Tamu, me, Stevie's Dad

This was completely candid- as we were about to take the picture, I pointed out to Rachel that she had a mystery bag on her foot that had floated in from the water :)

My nua (sibling in Twi), Rachel and our dresses that we got from Auntie Grace

This is the view downward from the canopy walk

Stevie and Travis just walking in some trees

The canopy walk ladder aka what our life depended on, haha

More tree tops

This past weekend was yet again tons of fun. I went with my program to Cape Coast, Elmina Castle, and Kakum. We left Saturday morning again and came back on Sunday evening. Saturday's events started out going through Cape Coast and then going to Elmina Castle. Elmina castle is a historical landmark in Ghana because it started out as a trading post for the Portuguese and later became a slave trading post for the Dutch. It was interesting to visit because so often we learn about the slave trade in our American textbooks and the reality of it can only come so close. You feel certain strong emotions of course, but to be in a country where slaves came from and to standing in the place where fates were sealed and people's lives were bartered was a completely different feeling. It was also so ironic because the area surrounding the castle is so beautiful. Beaches stretch for miles, palm trees line them, yet there in the middle of it is a dark place. But I'm really glad I was able to learn more about the slave trade in general as well as experience first hand one of the places of origin.

After we visited the castle the mood was much lighter as we headed to where we were staying the night. Dinner wasn't going to be for several hours so some of us decided to wander down to the beach and walk into town. The beach was yet again, gorgeous, and it was a really nice evening. We ended up walking for about 2 hours and ended up at Cape Coast castle, but it was closed and getting dark so we couldn't go in. It surprised me how poor the town of Cape Coast is because the castles are one, if not the, top tourist stops in Ghana. Everyone was still so kind and it was a great end to the day- but we definitely took taxis back to the hotel :) The hotel had air conditioning and water pressure so I was definitely a happy camper.

On Sunday morning we headed to Kakum we were able to hike to a canopy walk in the forest. For some reason I really love heights so it was so much fun for me, but it was a stretch of enjoyment for others. The ladders were about 180 feet off the ground and you didn't even get the full effect of how high you were because the tree tops gave you a false sense of there being something there. But the views were incredible and I loved every bit of it.

I just registered for classes today and that was sort of bizarre to me. I guess because I feel slightly removed from the University of Texas world so it was weird to be registering for a school thousands of miles away, and simply to be thinking about what I will be doing in 4 months. I don't know if that makes sense but it was just kind of ironic, I guess, to where I am now. But anywho, all continues to go well. Classes are keepin' on and my internship continues to go wonderfully. This weekend I am going to visit the place where I will be working this summer and I'm really excited about that. It's about 2-3 hours away and I'm excited to get a better idea of what I'll be doing and meeting people too. wooo! I'm looking for to it.

But I hope everyone enjoys the weekend and know that I miss you!! Can you believe April is coming to an end? Because I can't. baahh. Take care to all!