New Horizons

first of all, happy birthday nana!! i'm bringing you back a great ghanaian (GHA-nay-AN) present :)

after lunch we went to the new horizons special school. they have seven classes all focused on different groups of students who have similar needs. the students were SO excited to see us. it was a really emotional experience. i was really nervous at first, because i've never had much experience with people who have mental illnesses. i'm so happy i got to see what the school is like. it's such a beautiful place. the director said that all of the children (and adults, the ages vary) love to come to school. we visited each class. one student stood out particularly. Leslie is in a more advanced class and his life long asperation is to be president. Devon (a girl from our group) read his manifesto outloud. it was amazing. his policies all revolve around equality and bettering the lives of the poor. he called his party the peace party. if he ever ran for president, he'd have my vote. the school has a computer room, library and workshops. the workshops were really cool; the students can make quilts, jewelry, intricate woven baskets, stools, chairs, and table cloths. their work was really good! they sell the things that they create to make money for the school. i spent my first 10 cedi there. (the cedi is 1.42 to the dollar) i'm definitely going to spend more there later.

we visit Glona tomorrow (finallyyy) after classes. then we have the option of volunteering at either school. i have no idea how i'm going to choose! i think working at either is going to be a very rewarding experience. we're planning on going to a beach bar tonight with some local friends of the professors.