November 20, 2013: Serious Baboon Business

/a>First-time volunteer Denise Larson and some-what seasoned veteran David Stone arrived in Accra Nov 2. These two ‘took the lead’ with the plan that LIsa ( David’s wife) and Marilyn and Lou Schuster will arrive one week later. Denis and David taught together some eighteen years ago at Duniway Elementary. Though this is Denise’s first trip, she has been there several times ‘in heart’ as she contributes yearly to help successful high school applicants enter teacher”s colleges or nurse training college.

“Accra! Accra!” It sounds exciting to hear this loudly amplified cry to board a bus for the largest and most sprawling city in Ghana. But this duo was chafing at the bit to leave the chaos behind with sights on Mole State Park, located in the north near Tamale. Ok,…. it is not hear Tamales in minutes and hours as a dusty bumpy road that last for some significant time divides the park fromTamale. Once you have reached the park, it truly seems like an oasis, with good rooms with fans – Oh yes! It is warm! – and even a swimming pool that is near the escarpment where one can view the wild animals.

Serious ‘baboon business’ can take place at the park. You see pictured a baboon who has been knocking on all the room doors in our block, testing for possible entry. One does not challenge a baboon. They are quite the strong animal and can move gracefully fast on ground, so not to be reckoned with. This mid-sized fellow had a glaring contest with David who decidedly snapped the picture and closed his door, David, not the baboon.To complete the environs of our block there are also grazing warthogs who seem to pay little attention to the two-footed clothed guests.

The ‘D and D duo’ do go on safari and do sight an elephant, probably the highlight of the Mole visit. “You’d have to be there” is probably the most concise way to explain the excitement of seeing an elephant while you yourself are on foot. A picture is not worth a thousand words as we could see just the flapping ears and trunk just 30 yards away.

With this memory well placed in our minds we catch a 4 A.M bus taking the same brutally challenging route that eventually reaches pavement to get us back to Tamale and soon on our way to village Kongo where we are now teaching literature to very eager and attentive high school students and teaching reading to primary 5 and 6. Classroom time is one of our favorite times. Maybe a blog on that soon! – David Stone

Very willing to escape the chaos at first opportunity,