Bailey the Builder

---Saturday we left our dorms early in the morning to make the drive to a rural village in the Volta region. We got there and were introduced to the whole village through a series of songs and dances. They invited us up to dance with them yet no one volunteered, so they grabbed my arm and dragged me into the middle of the circle, motioning for me to do the moves they were doing. I did something that resembled the running man, and tried to imitate the fishy face the man who pulled me up was doing. I got a good laugh from the crowd and a big round of applause. After the dancing we were each given a bracelet, a simple piece of rope with a bead attached. It was such a simple thing but as the women tied it onto our wrists they told us that this simple piece of string was a symbol of our lasting inclusion into the community. It was a really a remarkable moment. I can honestly say that I felt like the community really was making me one of their own for the day. Everyone was so friendly, and so happy to be able to talk to me and get to know me. It was the closest thing I've felt to being part of a family since I've been here, and it was a feeling I miss very much.
---The construction was really fun. I made sure I did every single step so I could say from start to finish I had made a concrete floor. I went to the stream about a 1.5 mile walk from the town, filled my metal bucket and carried it back to the site on my head just like a Ghanian woman!! It was the hardest physical labor I did all day. It was so heavy on my head, and I felt like my neck and shoulders would crumble from right underneath me. My head wobbled like a bobble head doll--as the water moved around in the bucket my head wanted to do the same thing, following the weight that was pushing down on it. As I walked through the village everyone in town pointed and laughed, my shirt soaked in stream water and sweat, my mouth trying not to burst out laughing which would only cause more water to splash out of my bucket and onto myself.
---After finally reaching the site I poured the bucket of water into a larger container and volunteered to wheelbarrow sand to where we would be mixing the concrete. Then I shoveled rocks onto the sand and lastly added water, mixing the whole concoction with a shovel till it became something similar to concrete. I carried the concrete into the school and poured it out onto the floor, spreading it flat with a flat piece of wood. After 6 hours of this we had poured and smoothed the concrete for two floors in the school and I was ready for a shower and a good nights sleep. Little did I know I had a lot more adventure in store for me at my second attempt at a homestay.