Updates : Please see the note about USD Study Abroad and Alumni Chapter Participation

So I just wanted to get some new updates up about everything and i am working on the last of my stuff for everyone.

Videos from each country: Well that is not going over so well so i will have to work on it at the end of the year sorry!

Favorite Pics section - changed my mind and it will be put up with the videos at the end of the year

Vietnam War Piece: is officially up as a link (you must have google docs to view)

ON BOARD THE MV EXPLORER PICS: Will be posted at the end of the year

Reflection on the experience fresh off the mind is offically up now

End of 2012 Reflection Piece : Realities hit hard and Returning back to life at the University (This will be done after finals along with the Final poem for the 2012 year)

A Final Poem to tie this all up

Also while the SAS experience has ended for me. I have lots of other trips that i will be going like San Jose in the fall and other places as i go. I will continue to record my traveling experiences so i hope to see the continued interest in my blog. I have grown a lot as a student and i wish to get back into the school life in my home university and just be. I wish everyone a great year and please don't hesitate to email me with questions!!

I am also currently participating Study Abroad Peer Advisory Program at the University of San Diego representing the SAS Program and  in the SAS Alumni Chapter in San Diego. If you are a student there, incoming freshman, a high school student that is interested in applying to the University of San Diego, or an SAS Alumni yourself living in the area then please don't hesitate to email me with any questions you might have. 

miranda.denny.s12@semesteratsea.org

Ghana Day 4

For the 4^th day in Ghana, I spent it at the City of Hope and Refuge which is a place where they house orphaned, trafficked and abused Ghanaian children from a fishing village in the north called Volta. What happens Is single mothers from other villages in Ghana can't afford to feed their kids and so they sell them off to these fishermen for money and these kids are then forced to fish in this man-made lake. The boys are often put to work for very long hours and intense labor and some of them even drown at some points as they are setting the nets up to fish in the lake. The girls become servants and can be sexually abused. Some get pregnant as young as 12 years old. The owners of the City of Hope and Refuge are John and Tracy who started the program in 2006 and have so far saved 23 children and managed to adopt one out to a couple in the United States. They are actually planning to do a bigger rescue in May to save an additional 18 children from the same village. They house and feed the children as well as give these children an education. They are also working on a project to eventually teach the children some vocational trading so that they can be successful whether they go to a university or not. This couple that runs the place are so amazing. John is from Nigeria and Tracy is from the United States and to see them do the amazing things that they do are simply phenomenal. I learned very much about the troubles of starting a non-profit organization in another country and having to work with the government along with getting the funding needed to sustain it and getting donors to sponsor the children. There were various projects to do on the grounds such as painting the sheds, marking the soccer field (they call it football field because in most other countries football =soccer and American football is American football.) I helped with two others with the teacher to prepare the exams for the next week since on average it normally takes her 18 hours to do all the exams from grades Preschool to sixth grade and a couple of Jr. High students who also attend  but have separate classes. The exams were a bit hilarious to make because typing them up on a computer and having to add in the figures and the formatting was very time consuming not to mention that the children would swarm around us at different points. It was such a pleasant experience to be able to do the trip and I wouldn't have it any other way. On Day 5, I will be doing global mamas and I will explain what it is then. I miss all my family, my vicarious kids and my best buddies at home. My shout out goes to USD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS PARTICULARLY THE ACCOUNTING STUDENTS!