I EFFING LOVE DUNKWAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

I had the BEST time in Dunkwa when I went to see Grandma! I didn't even do a whole lot, really... I'm not sure what it was, but it was great... let me start from the beginning...

The trip to Dunkwa itself wasn't so much the fun. I woke up around 5:00 am to meet my cousin Afia at the front gate of the University so we could catch a taxi to go to the bus station. It took pretty much forever for us to get a taxi, but we eventually got to the bus station with time to spare. I was hoping the bus would be like one of those big commercial buses like the one I took to Kumasi with TV screens and air conditioning. Unfortunately, it was a big bus with rather uncomfortable seats, no TVs, and no airconditioning. It took 6 hours to get there and I was CRAZY tired. I woke up a few times catching myself almost drooling all over the person next to me. It was pretty gross. I didn't get a good sleep though because the bus was packed and the ride was so bumpy. My head kept bobbing around and hitting the lady sitting next to me. She couldn't stop laughing at me, haha.

When we actually got to Dunkwa, I was a bit out of it, but it was just like I remembered it. I couldn't really recognize any of the areas walking on the way to Grandma's house, but as soon as I saw the house, I felt like I was at home. It was awesome. I saw my cousin Lucy first, and BOY was I happy to see her! She is one of the kindest and most caring people I've ever met in my entire life. She cares for me as if I were her child... I love her to death. Then I walked inside to see my grandma sitting with my Auntie Theresa and Auntie Mary. Before I even put my things down I walked up to Grandma and gave her the biggest hug. It was so great to see her. She asked me in Twi how I was doing, and I responded. She smiled so big. It was great.

I spent the rest of the day sitting outside watching my cousins cook dinner. Lucy taught me the names of various objects in Twi while I watched. And Afia only spoke to me in Twi, repeating the words and phrases multiple times until I understood what she was saying. The two of them were so helpful and so proud of the progress I'm making with Twi. My auntie Theresa and Grandma were helpful as well! They had to reteach me the names of all the body parts that I originally learned from Mom when I was a wee(er) little one. Everytime I would forget one of the names, grandma would start laughing at me and point to the body part Auntie Theresa just said. It was pretty funny.

The whole rest of the weekend consisted mostly of just relaxing, eating, and talking with family. I spent some time with my Auntie Mary and my cousin Lucy's husband, Mr. Nyamekye. The only word I can use to describe that man is awesome. He's pretty much the male equivalent to Lucy. That must be why they make such a great pair. I also got to go to Ayanfuri, the town where my Grandma was born and raised. I saw what used to be my Great Aunt's house there. It was cool to see. I also got to see my cousin Mercy and meet her three year old daughter, Nana. That girl is a hoot and a half. And she's as cute as can be. Sassy, though... but she wouldn't be from my Mom's side of the family if she wasn't sassy! I could tell that Grandma was sassy, too. I couldn't understand most of what she said, but just by the way she said it I could tell. And whenever I tried to help her walk or tried to create a situation where she wouldn't have to go up the stairs, she would just turn to me and say "I will do it." And when after she did it she'd say, "you see? I did it." It made me smile and think of my mommy. :-)

... Now that I think of it, almost everyone showed a little sass that weekend. My Auntie Theresa kept telling me what I wanted and what I wanted to do, and my cousin Afia (her daughter) would yell at her saying that I know what I want... haha, it was funny! Man, I love my family!

Leaving Grandma was sad, but happy at the same time, because I was so happy I got to see her. And she was so much stronger than I thought she would be! I'm hoping to go see her again before I leave the country... and hopefully that time, I'll be able to fix my accent so she can actually understand me when I speak Twi!

Last weekend was pretty awesome, too. I took a trip with my program to Kumasi, and we had all sorts of adventures. But I'll have to post that later. I'm getting ready to leave tomorrow morning for a 10 day trip to the northern region with my friends. We're going to Mole National Park to see elephants, crocodiles, giraffe's, and all other sorts of animals you don't normally see in this part of Ghana. I'm pretty stoked! I think we're going to hit up a few other towns on the way back as well, so there should be some great times ahead. I'll post about that and Kumasi when I return.

Until then, my friends..

Oh yeah, and I pounded some fufu! I thought I was going to break my cousin's fingers! It was awesome!