THE GROUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Top right: Stella, Karleen, Ashley, Ms. Francois, Rachel, Johnna, Val Bottom Right: Nicole, Elena, Nishana, Alexa

Ash with one of the girls who came to show us how to do traditional dancing from the Ashanti region

Some of the boys who were very happy to be in this picture.

Who is Disabled, this is hanging in the schools courtyard!

More Pics

They were fabulous dancers. This was at the Parents Seminar, they were so good. I love this girl in the middle, Yunnis :) She was so adorable . Kar had her in class. These are the beautiful baskets the men are weaving, this is a great vocational skill for the teens/adults who are unable to do academic work. They are therefore given a skill that they can make a living off as they grow older. These are some of the other beautiful handiwork with Rach and Nikki. These tablecloths are batiks, and are made by the adults and teens as well. The bracelet making, this is harder than it looks. And it took alot of concentration, although rach was having fun :)

We are Back :)

So since we have been back it has been HECTIC!!!! Being a senior and being involved has been crazy. But let me give you a quick little description of Ghana. AMAZING! literally, we landed and the head just rushed in, the minute we landed all of us were so excited regardless of the fact that none of us had slept for 12 hours, but it didnt matter....WE WERE IN GHANA!! The place we were staying at was so nice and the people in Ghana in general are so hospitable. And the school......it was one of the best experiences of my life. The teachers are so dedicated, and arent paid anything, however they stay on because they LOVE it and the LOVE this kids. Oh man and those kids are so well behaved in comparison to the kids we saw here in the U.S. In addition they were so happy to see us and also so excited for us to be there, which i was surprised about. I thought they would not be used to change and with us being such a large group it would be a problem...BUT it wasnt at all. The first day we actually interacted with the kids during their P.E segment. It was great. Ms. Francois is a phenomenal woman, she is superwoman. Her heart is pure gold and she is so humble and was so welcoming and was excited about the collaboration. She was someone i definitely admire! so i have added some pictures.....but more is coming, promise....

1 day left

Almost there! I'm at home in Boston right now spending a couple days with my family before we leave Saturday. Even though I'm studying for midterms that I have when we come back, I too share the incredible excitement and anticipation of what we are about to experience. :) I just hope the jetlag isn't too bad both on the way there and way back! Me and Nikki went to 7Hills yesterday to drop off some forms, and we looked in one of the offices where all our donations (supplies and things for the school--kids) were being kept.. it was AMAZING! There were these gigantic duffle bags stuffed to the brim with donations that we had collected over the past few months. Insane. And I'm not just talking about a little throw-over-your-shoulder duffle bag... I'm talking like me and Nikki could both FIT IN one. And there were already 6 of these filled. I'm glad that we can really bring tangible things for the students as well as care and appreciation. 6pm tomorrow we'll be hopping on that flight !! We hope to get to an internet cafe soon and update everyone on what's going on while we're there. See you when we get back! Sincerely, E

GHANA HERE WE COMEEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!!!

Its 3 days, and im so EXCITED. This entire week has been hilarious because i'll be in class learning about say guided transmissions in my Mgmt Information Systems class and i suddenly realize that I AM GOING TO GHANA...in 3 days. I can finally count the number of days left for ghana on my hand, matter of fact on ONE hand. Like whaaaaaaaattttt!!!! It doesnt seem real sometimes, because of being a student who is involved at Clark, but i know its about to happen, in 3 DAYSS. I think it will still feel like a dream until i actually land at the International airport in Accra and actually step foot on Ghanaian soil. ( i know cheesy, but true). Id have to say that i am most nervous about.....well i actually havent really thought about. I cant wait to meet the kids at the school and see what fun adventures we will begin, and i am just as excited to eat the fooooooddddd (i love food, all food, all the time). And of course the weather, the warm, humid warm (yeah i said it again. im that excited) sunny weather, because this New England weather is just not cutting it. Can i also just say how amazingly PROUD i am of this group, we have raised at least $12,000 and we are still raising more, we have an amazing group of women and a group dynamic that just works so well, and probably one of the reasons we have achieved so much and most importantly (this is about to mad cheesy, very uncharacteristic of me, but still) become better friends and gotten to know a different aspect of each other. Ok so im doneeeeeee yay GHANAAAAA One thing i am not looking forward too................PACKING...i hate packing and i hate unpacking, so if anyone wants to pack for me i promise i'll give you chocolate. :) Next time I post on here it will either be from Ghana or after Ghana !!! - Nish

OH MY GHANA IS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We leave in 3 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok....so I'm a little excited....can you blame me though? we are leaving in 3 days. At this time in 3 days we will be at Logan airport in Boston, MA waiting to board the plane which will begin our journey to Accra, Ghana. ::Jumping up and down:: (can u see me? no? GOOD because I look like an idiot hahaha) O.K. So yeah, I can't wait! and you want to know what I'm most nervous about? no, not the flight... going to a place like no where I've ever been before? nope, not that either... can't guess?.... ok, I'll tell you... what I'm most scared about is taking these friggin Malerone (malaria) pills!!! I heard they don't have bad side effects, but they do give terrible nightmares...as if my insomnia itself wasn't bad enough already...now the few hours I get to actually sleep will be like being in a SAW movie... well, it will make for some interesting journal writing and some in depth psychoanalisis! Oh boy... GHANA HERE WE COME!!!! XoXoXo- NikkiiZ

OH MY GHANA!

umm wow ! I have been trying to get pictures up here forever! good looks!  We are officially going to Ghana in less than a week..it is really hard to conceptualize because it seems so foreign to me...I have travelled a lot but I have never been anywhere in Africa and everyone just keeps saying how different it is and how life changing its going to be but I just won't know until I get there...

We really have come full circle. We raised almost all the money and now we can really focus on our mission and going to visit the schools in Accra. I think often times one is prevented from doing good because of the bureaucracy we all have to live and work in and I am just so glad we did not give up and were able to jump through the hoops we needed to jump through because now we are doing what we all really wanted to do in the first place.

I think this experience will be beneficial for everyone in the group and I am honored to be going with the company I am going with.

I am also really looking forward to coming back to Clark and sharing our pictures and documentary with the Clark and Worcester community!! :p

A few pics of pre-ghanaian banquet and of the banquet Feb.7, 2009

So, this is the group involved in the Ghana Trip. (From Left to Right)

Karleen, Valery, Kathy, Leslie, Rachel, Nicole, Johnna, Stella, Dr. J, Elena, Nishana, Alexa, Ashley.

Is this just a dream? am I really going to be in Ghana...better yet, in AFRICA in less than a week? I woke up this morning, and that is the first thing that came into my head. But I'm not even packed yet, and I have classes all of this week...is this for real??? I can't believe that after so much time of planning, meetings, events, and counting down, I am still in disbelief that at this time next week the 8 of us will be in Accra, Ghana. I've always had a strong desire to go to Africa yet never in a million years did it ever occur to me that the opportunity would present itself so soon in my life. Nothing has ever come so easy to me...Although, I would have to say that it has been anything but easy getting there (raising funds, stressing over whether or not to spend time doing SCHOOL WORK over letter writing, meetings, misunderstandings, frustrations and disappointments) Yet, aside from all the difficulty we have faced in putting this trip together, the benefits and rewards far outweigh anything negative. I am not in Africa yet but would have to say that this experience has definitely changed my life so far. I have been blown away by the dedication and passion of my colleagues, the support that we have received from the Ghanaian community in Worcester, a few people at Clark University who have been amazing to us and who have recognized the importance of what we are trying to accomplish abroad and on campus, the friends and family of all of us who have supported us unconditionally, and for the warm opened armed welcoming we are receiving in Ghana. It has been a truly humbling and enriching experience so far and we haven't even gotten to Ghana yet. I guess that's part of my disbelief that we are going... I think I have already been so impacted by everything that has happened until now that Ghana is going to be the icing to the cake. So...6 more days...I can't wait!!!! GHANA, HERE WE COME!!!!!!

HOLA!

Hello internet savvy people! My names Elena :)    

 I'm getting more and more excited for this trip as the day draws near..!  Like Kar, I've never been to any country in Africa nor any place like it.  I've only been to Canada (since it's only a 8 hr drive from boston), and Mexico (where all my family is).  So this is definitely going to be a different kind of experience.  Also the fact that we are going to be working with autistic children.  As a psychology major I've learned about the disability, but have not had the opportunity to work with children/adults that have it. Until now.  I hope to learn more from this first hand experience as well as being able to touch a life in a way that perhaps they have not experienced.  I hope they like to play soccer.  hehe.  (BUT REALLY).

Anyway, as Rach mentioned, we have a budget meeting with student council tonight to discuss our special budget request --if it is granted to us, the $$ will help us with resources for the fundraising events we have planned for the next few months.  We also have our weekly GASP girls meeting tonight (10pm) where we stay up to date on things we need for the actual trip (VISAS, immunizations, hotel info etc.), discuss and assign tasks to be done, and plan logistics for our events, keep track of fundraising --basically make sure everyone is on the same page.  I'm lucky to be sharing this experience and working with these ladies in particular.  Not only are we all dedicated to this initiative, but we all just really like each other's company! haha.  It makes everything even more worth it.  :D

Well I gotta get to that thing called WORK. Don't wanna be late!

Stay tuned. . . . . !

Best,

E

P.S.  Here is the URL for the article Rach was talking about (just copy and paste it into your browser to view):

http://www.wbjournal.com/news42509.html

we are OFFICIAL!

Hello everyone! It's Rachel but I think Rach has a nice ring to it so we will stick with that. Nishana gave me a great introduction in her post and explained my passion for making funfetti cupcakes so there really isn't much more to tell. I am here with some exciting updates about the progress of GASP! eek! 

It has been a struggle for us girls to try and make our dream become a dream of Clark University as well. I think it is always hard to jump into a bureaucratic system like the one here but we did it! Our organization has been officially recognized by Clark University and we are all so excited! We have worked very hard and have been anxiously awaiting the response from the administrators here at the school. It is a great feeling, as Nikki was saying, to feel that someone is behind you supporting you so we are feeling really great about all of this. Tonight we have a meeting to go over our budget and we are hoping that someone will be feeling generous and we can receive some funding! (we will keep you guys posted!)

Also, I logged into my email today to find out there is an article about the organization in the Worcester Business Journal! AHHH! I will put a link in this post so everyone can read it.

Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself and thank those of you who read this! We could not be more excited about getting things off the ground!

PS. stay tuned for our update on our day of training after this wednesday!

-Rach

Well Hello there all you curious people

Hi guys! Well, this is Nicole (NikkiiZ) first off, thank you for checking out our blog and for joining us on this wonderful journey. Who would have thought that an idea that started in Fabulous Nish and Kar's suite would have came so far. Personally, although I was determined and positive from the get go, I have to admit I was still a little skeptical that it would have been pulled off. However, when you have such an amazing group of young women working in conjunction with a staff of amazing people on something that reaches above and beyond themselves, it cannot not succeed. So here we are, 5 weeks away from our lengthy yet possibly most rewarding flight ever. To say that I'm stoked is cutting it short. I don't think there are enough words in the english (or spanish language for that matter- I'm bilingual) that could possibly describe how excited, nervous and happy I am at this moment. But most of all, there are no words that could possibly suffice to express how incredibly grateful and proud I am of the group of girls that I have been privileged to call my colleagues and friends. If it weren't for all of us stepping up to the plate, this would have never gotten to where it has. Also, I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who has contributed to making this dream a reality for all of us. If it weren't for Dr. Jordan, James, Leslie and the rest of the Seven Hills Staff trusting us and believing in us, we would have never been able to do this. It is thanks to all of our efforts and our working together that we will be on a plane in 5 weeks on our way to bridging the gap that exists between these two worlds. Personally, I am truly inspired by every one's effort. It just goes to show how one tiny idea for good can grow and succeed when we work together. The biggest problem in this world is that we spend too much time creating a gap that separates us from each other rather than recognizing that we are all interrelated and depend on one another to create good and prosperity. May this be proof to all of you skeptics out there that it is possible for people to unite- regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity- and make a change. Never ever give up on a dream and never give up or not act because you think that your efforts are too small in the grand scheme of things. As human beings, our responsibility is to help each other prosper and to learn from each other. Remember... "No Act of Kindness, No Matter How small, is EVER wasted"- Aesop. Till we meet again, good bye and god bless. Much Luv ~*NikkiiZ*~

Ghana... soo soon soooo close :)

Hi everyone,

    So I'm going to try and follow up after Nish's great introduction.  I'm Karleen and just as the other girls in this group, am incredibly honored and excited to be a part of this project.  Besides just being an amazing experience for me personally I know it will be such a good way to finish off the college experience in general.

We have all had he opportunity to meet with the Seven Hills staff members and they are such warm people who have been very welcoming and enthusiastic as well about our future endeavors :) 

I have not yet traveled to Ghana or anywhere else in Africa so this experience is going to be EXTRA special for me.  The fact that we are also going to work with children is such a plus because I really enjoy children and their company, energetic personalities, and just open or untaintedness (if that is even a word lol...)  

On January 21st we will all go through a training about autism since many of the children in the school we will be volunteering at have this mental condition. 

We are also having a Ghana banquet coming up in early February and will continue doing fundraising on the side to raise money and also supplies for our trip.

Sometimes it still seems surreal to me that we will be going on this trip... but THERE IS NO LOOKING BACK! its going to happen and much much sooner than I think lol.  I guess the only thing im not looking forward to is getting that Yellow fever vaccine...WOMP! esp that price (dios!)

Im gonna leave you with this quote (semi inspired by Ashley telling us she got a ring saying the famous be the change you wish to see in the world) but it is from Henry David Thoreau...

"Go condifently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined"

A special shot out to the rest of the girls, you guys are GREAT and I am so happy to be going on this trip with such a great group of girls.  Together we have a lot of different personalities and backgrounds (its true, we basically are the colors of the world... like real cheesy clark brochure lol...) and I think its cool that we can all come together and do this. 

Ok, well it was great  jottin down some ideas and thoughts and I will sure be back.  Until next time :)

Peace

Our Beginning!!! - Nish

I couldnt really pinpoint where we started this amazing adventure. But i do remember that Rachel came to us with this fabulous prof. Dr. David Jordan who she loved and he had founded this organization called Seven Hills Foundation which was designed to assist people who had any disabilities. The foundation had decided to do a global outreach to the 3 most represented countries in their organization, Ghana, Kenya and Sierra Leone. There was a meeting for Ghana, and initially we didnt even think we could go to ghana, i mean who gets the opportunity to go to GHANA! so, we just wanted to help out, do our part you know "community service", raising money for the kids at the school in Accra, the New Horizon special school. But one thing led to another....and well we now have the opportunity to go to Ghana. Its an amazing opportunity to do something meaningful for other people, i know it sounds so cliche, but i have a way of being cliche and im ok with that. So basically we are now fundraising to go to Ghana !!!!! The first fundraising concept are these beautiful bracelets that the other girls, namely Nikki, Rachel and Alexa are creating. Seriously....absoultely beautiful. I did attempt it, but i just dont have those creative juices running through me, instead i have a ocd planner thing going on. Anyway we also decided to do a bakesale (rachel found her new passion for funfetti cupcakes) and so we baked...baked...and baked and sold our delicious (and they were) baked goodies at the HipHop Collabo fall show this past semester. And i cant lie i was a little skeptical, because seriously how much money can you really make from a bake sale. BUT i was surprised and i loved it....that weekend we made just about $1,000!!! Wait in case you glazed over that part i said WE MADE $1,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing and such a confidence booster for us ladies. And basically this blog will hopefully be a window into our lives as we continue to fundraise and also into our time in Ghana. Oh i should also mention the fabulous ladies who are part of this project, who are some of my best friends (again another cliche, you will love) So there's Rachel, our connection to Dr.j; Nikki, the most creative person in the world (well to me); Karleen, whose enthusiasm and patience is ridiculous; Elena, who has some experience in the fundraising dept (she did habitat); Alexa, the only underclassman and i love that she is so into this; Ashley, now this girl has some experience in the beautiful continent of africa; Johnna, who just knows what she wants and gets it and of course me.....and im just...well judge for yourself :) so...stay tuned.......