Monat: März 2025

Our fifth week in Winneba (10.-16.03.2025)

Merle

In our second-to-last week, we can feel the goodbye coming closer, even though we are still in the middle of our internships. We start thinking about what we still want to do before our departure next week – what to buy, where to go, and what to bring our students as a farewell gift next week.

For me, most of my classes did not take place this week because it was exam week for Form 2, where I spent most of my time. So, I decided to take the chance to visit another school – the Zion Girls‘ School, where Imke and Ida do their internship. They took me to their classes, and I got to observe them teaching their own lessons, including Ida giving a spontaneous French lesson when the teacher couldn’t come. Impressive! I loved that at one point, two chickens entered the classroom from one side, walked through, and exited on the other. Apparently, no one knows where the chickens come from, but they always chill in the shade of the big mango tree, where the school’s interns also take their breaks. A little later, some kittens wandered into the classroom to play between the chairs, which was not only exciting for us Germans but also caught the attention of the Ghanaian students. It was very interesting for me to see a different school because there are some noticeable differences, and it is great to make the most of our time in Ghana and make as many experiences as we can.

Also, this week, our buddy Beatrice took us to the place where she is doing her internship – a facility for traumatized children who can no longer live with their parents. Here, they are cared for by a foster mom on-site, receive therapy, and are slowly reintegrated into school and society as they begin to heal. It was impressive to see this, and while we were there, I even got the chance to play a little with the children. 

I also attended an exam at my school to help with the invigilation, which felt like observing the Abitur. The students wrote their exams in the huge assembly hall, and while most were lucky to have a chair and table, some had to sit on benches and lean forward onto another bench in front of them to write, as there weren’t enough tables for everyone.

Aleyna

My school week, like Merle’s, was not a normal school week. From Wednesday to Friday, a sports event took place, where all the Basic Schools, including mine, competed in various athletics disciplines. A teacher explained to me that the theme is different every year. In other years, there are soccer competitions or dance tournaments, for example. Watching the students sprint, compete in relay races, or long jump was interesting, and I didn’t envy them – I was sweating even while sitting. The students who weren’t competing and some teachers from my school were there, and together we cheered on the competing students. The atmosphere throughout the sports event was very positive.

In addition to our frequent visits to the beach and a few trips, we also spend our free time doing active things, such as playing tennis. Twice a week, we train with a tennis coach and can already see real progress. It’s fun to be active, despite the heat. In addition to our tennis training, we also had the opportunity to take part in an Afro dance class at the university this week. Together with the dance instructor, we learned two choreographies to Afro Beats music. Even though we didn’t look nearly as skilled as the dance instructor, it was a lot of fun dancing the choreographies.

Ida

While my school week was mostly normal, Imke and I very much enjoyed having Merle at our internship school for two days. For me, it was also interesting to finally see the classes of the Form 1 students, who had been on vacation before. They are taught based on a new curriculum that includes more student-centered learning, and I could see the first steps of that in the lessons.

In addition to our other free-time activities, on Friday evening we attended the final presentation of the performative arts project Framewalk, an exchange program between German and Ghanaian students in theatre, music and dance. Within just one week they create a performance together. Watching the result of their collaboration was impressive, and I loved that the many songs included not only English lyrics, but also German rap and Twi. Besides, the atmosphere in the theatre was great, and the audience was much more active than we know it from Germany.

On our last weekend we did a final day trip to Accra, where we visited the Aburi Gardens and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. The tour through the gardens was quite a magical experience for me. It is a beautiful place, and I enjoyed walking around so many plants that I had never seen in real life. Especially, we were shown tree parasites that grow around the trees, and a number of trees from which I only knew the spices, like nutmeg and cinnamon.

The parasite grows around the tree, until after decades, the tree dies and only the parasite is left as the outer shell.

Visiting the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park was an impressive experience for me as well. Its centerpiece is the Mausoleum of Ghana’s first president, who on one side played a central role in the process of independence, and on the other side had several repressive laws voted during his presidency, until Ghana even became a one-party state in 1964. He was overthrown in a military coup in 1966.

We are really grateful for all these interesting experiences. I feel like our flight home is approaching way too fast, and I am already sad that I will soon have to say goodbye to this place and all the people I met here. So, we are now planning to make the most of our last days in Winneba.

03. – 09. of March 2025 in Ghana

Have you ever heard of Ghana month? Better known as the heritage month, March is filled with different activities and events. The most important one takes place on March 6th: Ghana’s Independence Day. For 68 years, Ghana has celebrated both its independence and the legacy of Kwame Nkrumah, the nation’s first prime minister and hero of the independence.

After a short week of school, our German group visited the traditional school marching in the morning of Independence Day. Students of all ages were participating. Students from each school marched in rows, with teachers leading at the front and following at the back of every group. A marching band was playing while chiefs and heads of ministries were sitting under big pavilions watching the marching procedure. The whole festivity was very impressive and we’re really grateful for being part of such an important national event.

The day after Independence Day was an official holiday, so we met our buddies for some games. The Ghanaian buddies are particularly fond of the game “Werwolf” (werewolf), which we have played many times since Friday.

Independence Day wasn’t the only exciting event this week. On Wednesday we joined the Seaben Cultural Immersion Tour hosted by the former fellows Ben and Samuel. For around an hour, we walked along the fish market and the harbor, passing fishing boats and visiting the European cemetery and various warehouses. Seaben’s mission is to provide cultural experiences which connect the past and the present. We learned a lot about Winneba’s cultural heritage and traditions

Wednesday was also Ash-Wednesday. At my internship school, a pastor prayed with the students and then marked ash crosses on the foreheads of the schoolgirls. I was surprised to see this religious practice, which has been very familiar to me since childhood.

Speaking of events, our group went on a big trip on Saturday. We met at the student’s center on UEW north campus at 6am – pretty early. First stop of our tour: Assin Manso Slave Market. We walked barefoot to the river from which the slaves were shipped to America. It was an oppressive feeling walking the same path the slaves had to take many decades ago. Descendants of the shipped slaves can request that the ashes of their family members be returned to this place, the last place they set foot on.

After the slave market, the bus took us to Cape Coast Castle. The slaves had to survive in small, dark dungeons, filled to the brim with people. Under the occupation of various European countries, they were sent to European colonies in North and South America. On a guided tour, we got to see different rooms of the castle and the male and female dungeons. The dungeons were dark and tiny, and sometimes they smelled damp and musty inside.

Our third and final stop after the castle was Kakum National Park. The park is definitely one of my highlights of our six-weeks-stay in Ghana. In the evening, we went on a guided tour through the rainforest, keeping an eye out for wild animals. We saw a centipede and a poisonous snake eating a lizard on top of one of the wooden beams of the reception building. That was scary and exciting at the same time and absolutely impressive. That night, we slept in a large treehouse, which was a unique experience. We heard so many different sounds, especially from the tree hyrax. I never imagined a forest could be so loud at night.

Early in the morning, we went on another tour that took us to the canopy walk. Large wooden bridges were stretched between the trees, allowing us to walk at treetop level and fully enjoy the sunrise. We also spotted monkeys hiding in the trees. I will never forget this experience, as the raw beauty of the national park proved how important it is to protect nature and its animals.

by Imke

17. bis 23. Februar 2025 – Zweite Woche in Chapel Hill-Carrboro

Der Start unseres Kernpraktikums

Nach einer ereignisreichen ersten Woche in Chapel Hill beginnt für uns nun der spannende Teil unseres Austauschs: unser Kernpraktikum an den Schulen in North Carolina. Das dortige Schulsystem unterscheidet sich in drei Stufen: Die Primary School umfasst den Kindergarten bis zur 5. Klasse, gefolgt von der Middle School für die 6. bis 8. Klasse, und schließlich die High School, die die 9. bis 12. Klasse abdeckt. Unsere Gruppe ist an verschiedenen Schulen in Carrboro und Chapel Hill im Einsatz. Laura unterstützt die Carrboro Elementary School, Tharchis sammelt Erfahrungen an der Smith Middle School, Lisa Marie begleitet den Unterricht an der Carrboro High School, und Lisa, Michel und ich, Sara, haben unsere Praktikumsplätze an der Culbreth Middle School.  

Reflexion über den Vortrag „My Friend Abe“

Am 17. Februar hatten Michel, Tharchis, unser Program Mentor Taylor und ich die Möglichkeit, einem Vortrag von Mr. Goldberg in der Chapel Hill Library zuzuhören. Er erzählte die Geschichte von Abe, einem Holocaust-Überlebenden, der vor zwei Jahren verstorben ist. Besonders prägend blieb seine zentrale Botschaft: „Don’t hate“ und „Nie wieder ist jetzt“.Um das Gehörte zu reflektieren, setzten sich Taylor, Tharchis und ich anschließend in das Restaurant „Momo’s Master“ in der Franklin Street – eine belebte Straße nahe des Campus, umgeben von Studierenden und kulturellen Treffpunkten. Unsere Diskussion drehte sich vor allem um die Frage, inwieweit Abes Geschichte auf die heutige Zeit übertragbar ist. Der Vortrag war eine eindrucksvolle Erinnerung an die Vergangenheit, doch es fehlte eine tiefere Verbindung zu aktuellen politischen Entwicklungen. Welche gesellschaftlichen Dynamiken führten damals zu den Katastrophen und ob wir heute ähnliche Muster erkennen? Auch Abe’s Botschaft „Don’t hate“ ließ uns nicht los. Was bedeutet sie konkret in einer Welt, die zunehmend von Spaltung geprägt ist? Diese Reflexion zeigte uns, wie wichtig es ist, nicht nur an die Vergangenheit zu erinnern, sondern auch ihre Lehren aktiv auf die Gegenwart anzuwenden.

Raum für Reflexion: Austausch und Rückblick an der UNC

Am Dienstag trafen wir uns zum zweiten Reflexionsseminar mit Taylor an der UNC, Peabody Hall, dem Gebäude der Erziehungswissenschaften. Dieses Treffen war mehr als nur eine Diskussion. Es war ein Moment des Innehaltens und Nachdenkens über unsere Erfahrungen in den letzten Tagen. Während draußen der Campus pulsierte, Studierende mit Kaffee in der Hand eilig zu ihren Seminaren strömten, Fahrräder klirrend an Metallständern abgestellt wurden und das Summen lebhafter Gespräche die Luft erfüllte, nahmen wir uns die Zeit, unser bisheriges Erleben in unserem geschützten Raum zu reflektieren.In dieser Sitzung hatten wir die Gelegenheit, genau diese Gedanken zu ordnen, unsere Erlebnisse in Worte zu fassen und sie mit den Erfahrungen der anderen zu verbinden.

Schnee, Basketball und Campusrituale

Am Mittwoch fiel die Schule aufgrund von starkem Schneefall aus, was für uns eine ungewohnte Pause im Alltag bedeutete. Während viele den Tag zur Erholung oder für gemeinsame Zeit mit Freunden nutzten, entschied sich Tharchis, das Basketballspiel der UNC gegen North Carolina State zu besuchen, ein fester Bestandteil des Campuslebens.
Während des Spiels fiel ihm eine bemerkenswerte Szene auf: Als der Dekan in der Halbzeitpause die Bühne betrat, wurde er lautstark ausgebuht. Die Reaktion war durchweg negativ, und es schien eine Art kollektiver Ausdruck von Ablehnung zu sein. Neugierig, warum die Stimmung so feindselig war, fragten wir später nach. Uns wurde erklärt, dass dies eine Art Tradition sei – unabhängig davon, wer das Amt innehat, sehen die Studierenden den Dekan oft als Gegenspieler oder Repräsentanten einer Verwaltung, mit der sie sich nicht identifizieren. Es scheint eine Art studentisches Ritual zu sein, die Universitätsleitung herauszufordern, ihr gegenüber Skepsis zu bewahren, vielleicht sogar Widerstand zu leisten. Doch als der Dekan den Schulausfall für Donnerstag und Freitag mit Homeschooling ankündigte, schlug die Stimmung um – Jubel statt Ablehnung. Dies zeigte, dass es weniger um die Person des Dekans ging als um eine generelle studentische Haltung gegenüber der Universitätsleitung. Kritik und Zustimmung wechselten je nach Situation, was die dynamische Beziehung zwischen Studierenden und Verwaltung verdeutlichte.

Unser Tagesausflug nach Outer Banks

Am Freitag fand unsere Happy Hour in der Bar TRU statt, zu der alle von uns erschienen. Neben einigen unserer UNC-Buddies kamen auch einige Mentorteachers, sodass eine offene und entspannte Runde entstand. Taylor nutzte die Gelegenheit, um organisatorische Punkte anzusprechen. Spontan entschieden wir uns, den Samstag für einen Tagesausflug nach Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk zu nutzen.

Am nächsten Morgen machten wir uns auf den Weg zur Outer Banks-Küste und hielten in Kitty Hawk für ein gemeinsames Lunch bei „Tortugas’ Lie, Outer Bank“. Danach besuchten wir das Wright Brothers National Memorial, das an die ersten erfolgreichen Motorflüge der Brüder Wilbur und Orville Wright erinnert. Hier konnten wir die Startpunkte ihrer historischen Flüge und die Nachbildung ihrer Flugmaschine sehen, was uns die Bedeutung dieses Ortes für die Luftfahrtgeschichte bewusst machte.

Nach dem Besuch des Memorials spazierten wir durch die beeindruckenden Sanddünen und gelangten schließlich wieder zum Strand, wo wir die Weite der Küste und die raue Schönheit des Atlantiks genießen konnten. Auf dem Rückweg machten wir einen Halt bei der Walter Raleigh Kolonie, der ersten englischen Siedlung in Nordamerika, die im späten 16. Jahrhundert gegründet wurde. Schließlich kehrten wir nach einem ereignisreichen Tag zurück nach Hause.

Ein sonniger Sonntag in Carrboro

Am Sonntag zeigte sich nach den Schneetagen endlich die Sonne, begleitet von einer frischen Brise. Michel, Tharchis, Taylor und ich trafen uns in Carrboro und besuchten den Weaver Street Market, wo wir uns mit Kaffee und Burritos versorgten und die warmen Sonnenstrahlen genossen. An einem kleinen Stand bot uns eine Frau Jollof Rice zum Probieren an. Es ist ein traditionelles westafrikanisches Reisgericht, das für seine würzige Tomatensauce und vielfältigen Aromen bekannt ist. Nach der kurzen kulinarischen Entdeckung spazierten wir noch ein wenig durch Carrboro und ließen das Wochenende entspannt ausklingen.

by Sara