Today a few of us went to the children's home again to do more painting - this time, a mural. It was an optional visit, and for a second I considered not going. On our first visit I had been totally fine during the day and even the evening, but once I laid down to sleep it finally hit me that those kids were all orphans. Being there and playing around with them it just felt like after school care or something. Realizing that none of them had parents to care for them and that many of them might never have that just broke my heart. That coupled with the realization that there was nothing I could do for them was really hard. So, I wasn't sure that I would be able to handle another day of seeing their cute little faces, and holding those adorably tiny hands only to have to walk away again. But, I did it, and I'm really glad that I did. It was such an awesome day!
We colored in a pre-existing black and white mural, and it made a HUGE difference. It was a whole lot of fun to just share ideas and paint and also get to play with the kids. Sadly, I didn't see Esther today - which sucks because I told her I would come back, but I did make a new friend. I didn't understand when he told me his name, and he didn't really speak much, but as soon as I got to the orphanage he latched onto me. He would just grab my arm and put it around him or lean into my side or grab my hand. It was so precious. He didn't ask me to pick him up or play games or do anything, he just wanted me to hold him and that made him so happy. Which of course, made me happy. And that just led to the realization that even though I couldn't take these kids home or find them loving families I could provide some fun and joy for them, even if only for a couple of days. It's hard for me to see that as being enough, but it has to be. I will just have to hope that all of them continue to be happy and grow up to have the lives they deserve.
The mural turned out beautifully and after we took a group picture in front of it, which I gave to Edward (one of the older kids there) because I know it meant a lot more to him, I started taking and giving out a bunch of Instax pictures to the kids and they just loved it. I loved being able to give them something that made them happy and I would be happy to shoot and give away another pack if we go back on Sunday.
After a ridiculous taxi ride in which our cabbie hotwired the car to start it, we ate lunch at our usual Kumasi spot, stopped at the hotel to change, and then headed over to the Kejetia markets. We pretty much stayed on the outskirts this time and let the social work girls have their turn at braving the hectic areas. We pretty much just wandered, enjoyed the cool weather, and chatted with some locals. I did end up buying two Bracelets with handmade clay beads as well as a sort of west coast / Latin - esque woven top. It was really fun to haggle with the woman selling it with the help of Blalock and Dr. Okech. I didn't get it down as low as I wanted, but I was able to get it from her initial 30 cedi price to 21 cedis (less than $12) so I'm pretty pleased! After that we headed back to he bus - and I'm so happy to have our bus (and our wonderful driver, Francis) back! Today was a really nice day, but I really can't wait for tomorrow when we visit the Adinkra village, the woodcarving village, and the kente cloth village. I will definitely need to exchange some money tomorrow morning...
VISUAL MERCHANDISING
Ghanaians do an amazing job of presenting their merchandise in beautiful and unique ways. Stacks and strings of shows, lines of pants, artfully sliced watermelons, color blocked fruits and spices, and creative food towers. In a country where nearly everyone is selling something, every vendor has to come up with ways to differentiate themselves and entice consumers to choose their products over those of their competitors. Whether its a large scale display or simply a carefully arranged bowl of peanuts balanced on a woman's head, their visual merchandising is always impeccable.
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