Day 7 and 8

Day 8 October 3, 2009
So yesterday we took an 8 hr drive to get to Elmina and Cape Coast in the central region of Africa. It’s not very far from where we are in Hohoe but it takes forever because of the conditions of the roads and traffic in Accra (capital in Ghana). We stopped in Accra at the mall. It is mostly like an American mall but much more expensive. I actually got to eat some pizza and fries (even though it wasn’t very good! ) I am so glad that we are staying in Hohoe, it is a whole different world in this part of Africa. We stayed at a place called Coconut Grove Resort and staying here almost makes me forget we are in Africa. It is located on the beach and it is beautiful! At this resort, there is nothing to show for the poverty that devastates this country. The food is amazing and we have warm showers!! I won’t get in the water even though everyone says it is alright because I have heard way too many horror stories! We went to a crocodile farm and went to Elmina castle which is one of the places where slave trade occurred. It was extremely depressing and I can’t help but feel so sad and ashamed of this part of the past. I can’t even fathom people trading humans as if they were cattle. Regardless of race we are all people and I would only hope that if I lived at that time I would stand against slavery and slave trading. They are kept in these tiny cells with no bathroom and little food and water. The females got raped by many of the soldiers. One thing that stood out to me the most was there was a room where they put the guards in if they misbehaved. It had 2 windows and was large. Then right next to that room there was a cell with a skull and crossbones above it. If one of the people held as slaves misbehaved, they would be thrown in there to die. There were no windows and they would not be fed or given drinks. The tour guide placed us in both of those cells and I couldn’t help but feel slightly panicked in the cell where people were left to die alone. I couldn’t imagine what they felt as they laid there dying. It is tragic what occurred at these castles and I can’t understand how a building so beautiful from the outside could have contained such horrific events inside.
Elmina contains more poverty then Hohoe and since more tourists come to this area because of the beaches and slave castles the people here are very persistent and in my opinion, rude. The people outside of the castle will strike up a conversation and then ask your name. Then as you are coming out they carve your name in a conk shell and then force you to buy it. Dan and I wanted to walk into the town to look at it. We barely made it out of the hotel when we were approached by about 18 children. They harassed us and kept digging into my pockets trying to steal money. They kept mocking us and saying give us money give us money. It was the most uncomfortable feeling I have ever had. A few teenagers came out with sticks in their hands and I actually feared that they had the intention to hurt us. So sadly, due to their behavior we walked right back into the hotel. We figured if we experienced that right outside the hotel then we would never make it through the mile of an extreme poverty area we had to walk through to get to the little town. So for now I am enjoying the high speed internet, the beach, tv, and the warm showers because for the next 2 months we won’t have those things. However, I don’t mind at all, I can’t wait to see the smiling faces of the children at my school and be around all the friendliness that exists in the hearts of the people of Hohoe. This has been quite an adventure and an experience. It has definitely opened my eyes more to poverty and what is produced when poverty and tourism collide. Anyways, I hope all is well with the rest of you in America. I miss you and Love you all! Take care! If you get time please send an email, I would love to hear about how things are going in America!
God bless the rains down in Africa- Toto
Love from Africa,
Carissa