More kids than you can shake a stick at

So this post might seem a little hokey because I really doubt that I will be able to explain how fantastic my weekend was, but I will try. I went with a group of about 30 obrunis to the village of a friend in Ada in the Volta region of Ghana. We left on Friday at one via tro- tro (these large vans that people use for mass carpooling for a small fare) and it took several hours to get there, especially due to transportation problems. Turns out that it is hard to fit 30 adults into a van made for about 15. We arrived at the village and were greated by a barrage of children and met the chief and the elders. After meeting them, we went to the river and some people swam before we ate dinner and did traditional African dance to drumming before bed. Turns out sleeping arrangements were not the highlight of the weekend. The villagers were very generous and provided us with mattresses and mosquito nets which was fantastic except for the fact that the mattresses had bed bugs and the nets had holes. Needless to say, I got very little sleep as I was eaten alive. However, the next day more than made up for it. I got up early to swim (crucial since I would NOT be showering all weekend) and then enjoyed a breakfast prepared by Junior's grandmother. After breakfast, we distributed gifts to the villagers and especially to the children. They were especially appreciative of pens and paper and cookies. There were so many of them and they were all eager to not be left out so it got a little hectic. One woman grabbed a large stick to regulate the whole crowd. She was not messing around and the kids calmed down a bit. As we were preparing to go to the estuary for the day, we noticed the roof of a house on fire. Immediately, we grabbed containers and ran to the river to fill them. I got a large metal tub and filled it, putting it on my head to carry it to the site of the blaze. I lost a good bit of the water and got several laughs, but then turned to fill another bucket. With the help of the entire village, they were able to extinguish the fire and save the home. We were told that the community would work together to re-roof the home in the coming days. Finally, we went to the estuary and got there via long wooden boats which we paddled. I really felt like I was living in a National Geographic. We spent a long time swimming and playing in the large current and got back for lunch. In between meals, I started playing with the children, teaching them games like Red Rover, hand claps and the Hokie Pokey, but their favorite by FAR was Duck Duck Goose. It became quite a spectacle for young and old alike. I was really taken aback when a villager offered to give me a child to take back to the US. He approached me to ask if I could take her or if there was a place for her with my parents. She was gorgeous and happy and the whole situation was sad and confusing. I explained that I couldn't and went to have dinner. After eating, the dancers did a routine for the community which went into the night. The kids especially loved it and howled with laughter as the dancers joked with them. I completely fell in love with a little boy who fell asleep in my lap. I sat with him and watched members of the community and obrunis alike come together and dance and just felt completely content. After another sleepless night, we went to the sea for the day and said our goodbyes. Never realized how attached you could become just in a day or two. This account falls so short of explaining my weekend, but hopefully it captures some part of one of the best experiences of my life.