So another week has passed. Life is starting to feel more normal and scheduled here, which is nice. Although I miss Calvin and dorm life, especially with people updating their Facebook statuses all the time, life here is starting to feel more like home!

Last weekend, Logan and I made the trek back to Akropong. It was quite and adventure! We caught a trotro to Medina (which is a large market area and public transport stop). For one cedi twenty pesewas (about 80 or 90 cents) we went on an hour long trip up the beautiful highway to Akropong. It was a really nice restful weekend. We met quite a few interesting people. My roommate, for instance, was a kindergarten teacher at the Institute for her Masters of Theology so that she could teach her students from a Christian perspective. We also met a man from Northern Ghana who is translating the Gospel of John into his own language. Then, there was a student studying the use of the word 'logos' in John and comparing it with the equivalent of the same word in his mother tongue. There was also a retreat for students of a deaf school there for the weekend. I love the Akrofi-Christaller Institute. It's just such a restful place, and it has such a unique and wonderful mission. I love the variety of people that you meet there. It's just such an amazing place. We're going back as an entire group in two weeks' time, and I'm really looking forward to it. My one funny story of the weekend is that Logan and I both managed to lock ourselves our of our rooms within a span of about five minutes. Both of our doors were self locking, which didn't work so well. Then, the power went out, so we didn't really care anyway, and we decided to go explore Akropong. We walked down one of the streets, and found ourselves at a stream where people were doing laundry and gathering water. We followed the path down a little bit and found the school and football field. It was a really nice morning, all in all, regardless of the crazy things that happened!
I think my favourite two classes are the Ethics of Development and the Peoples and Cultures. I love discussing foreign aid. The book we are reading right now, The White Man's Burden, by William Easterly, is painting foreign aid in a very interesting light. It just shows how the West is trying to dictate what is happening in the Rest, and how we haven't even accomplished that much anyway. The best way to do aid is to listen to what the people want and treat them as equals instead of some receptacle for our money to help ourselves feel good. It's a very fine balance though. It is so difficult to discern where to draw the line. This class is fantastic, and I'm loving all the discussions we're having. I feel like I'm becoming so much more educated on foreign aid and all its effects. One of the girls in our group is doing an independent study on African impressions on foreign aid, and she said that I could come along on some of her interviews. I'm really interested to learn more about the recipient side of foreign aid! In our Peoples and Cultures class, we have guest lecturers in twice a week to tell us about different aspects of Ghanaian people and cultures. We've had lectures on chieftancy, funerals, traditional religion, beads and kente cloth, art, and so much more. This class also encompasses our weekend and week-long field trips. It's just such and interesting and informative class. I feel like I'm getting to know that culture here so much better. I am enjoying life here so much, and all the classes I'm taking are really helping that.
I think I'm going to describe a typical day for you:
7:30 - wake up and get ready for class. I usually get breakfast in the Night Market from a stall run  by Vivien and Regina, two sisters who are about 14 and 16. Usually I eat an egg sandwich, which is just an omelette on toasted bread. Then, comes the walk to the Institute of African Studies, where our classroom is located. It's about 10-15 minutes walking, and by the time we get there, we're all pretty hot and sweaty. Thankfully, our classroom is air-conditioned :)
8:30-12:00 - class time. We have Twi, literature, politics, drumming, dancing, Ethics of Development, and Peoples and Cultures. Classes are an hour and a half long with a half hour break in between.
12:00-2:00 - lunch break! Usually, we head to either the Bush Canteen or Akuafo Hall. The Bush Canteen is a bunch of different food stands around a large eating area. Akuafo Hall is a residence hall with a large cafeteria. My favourite meal right now is rice balls with groundnut soup. Basically, you get a large bowl with spicy peanut soup and then one or two balls of rice, which you eat with your fingers. It's actually a lot of fun!
2:00-3:30- class again.
3:30 - 10:30 - random time. Usually I'll do homework, or talk with people, or play card games, or go to the mall or the market. I like having a long afternoon to just do whatever :)

So that's a pretty typical day. Not too exciting, but there's lots of opportunities to explore and talk to people and finish homework. Today, we're going to try swimming at the pool on campus. Should be fun!