Greene Turtle

This past week I peaced out of Accra and headed out West to the beaches near Takoradi. My friend, Sarah and I decided to take along three of the dance boys: Junior, Soloman and Adams. The trip was great overall and was especially hilarious since the place was full of obrunis. These people were not ready for the boys, who catch crabs with their bare hands and proceed to play with them, sing and dance around the pool table, share tea with complete strangers and mash kenke for breakfast with their bare hands. The place was nice and we hiked to this beach of shells along a coast of rocks. It was great for the boys who got tons of cowries to make their jewelry and crafts that they sell. The hike was gorgeous and there was a slight drizzle which didnt keep us from playing in the pools made by rocks in the ocean. The boys are still learning to swim so sometimes when the ocean is rough, it is scary for them to come in. They are strong guys though and fare well with standing in the sand while the waves crash over them. We all made a sand castle one day and it was really pretty good until Junior jumped onto it like the 7 year old he is. These guys just exude a youth and happiness that I haven't seen in grown men in a long, long time. It is so refreshing. To save money, we went to get food in a nearby village, about 20 minutes walk down the beach. The kids were really sweet and just wanted to hold our hands and play with our hair. Even the guys got a kick out of it and had them teach us local language and dances. We played football with some of the young boys there and had women pound us fufu for lunch and dinner. It was a nice mix of beach resort and African village life. We had such a nice time that we decided to stay for one extra day and then came back to Accra on Thursday. By the time I came back, some of my friends had left and more left the following day. The place is really clearing out quickly. There's a mass exodus on Monday and Tuesday but I still have a full week and 3 final exams to go...