Ghana
Our Ghana WT class is now at Elmina, on Ghana’s coast. Here we have visited the castles used in the terrible trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the nearby rainforest of Kakum. We arrived after a long trip that took us to the Northern Region where we visited Mole National Park and the nearby village of Mognori. The park provided some wonderful opportunities to view wildlife, including close encounters with elephants. Our visit to the village was part of a new program to promote ecotourism; allowing park visitors to learn about the lives of people in neighboring communities while economically benefiting the communities. We also played a goodwill football (soccer) match with the local team. (They easily outplayed us and won, but excellent play by our goalkeeper kept us in the game.) Between Mole and the coast we visited the city of Kumasi, including its vibrant African market; and along the way our travels have been complemented with lectures by Ghanaian professors. The class has provided opportunities for new insights, valuable experiences and many fond memories.

Mexico
Part I
¡Hola Amigos! Esta semana estaba llena de viaje porque salimos de Yucatán y condujimos a otro estado de México, Chiapas. Nos quedamos en Palenque donde visitamos el último sitio arqueológico de nuestro curso. Aprendimos más sobre la cultura maya, pero este sitio era diferente porque las pirámides se construyeron en la selva. Subimos para comparar la estructura y también ver como era similar a los de Dzibilchaltún y Chichén Itzá. Había un museo donde vimos los artefactos descubiertos por un arqueólogo, incluyendo la tumba de Pakal, el rey más conocido de Palenque. Después de algunos días en Palenque, condujimos a las montañas hasta una ciudad, San Cristóbal de las Casas. Tuvimos la oportunidad de visitar a un museo de trajes mayas que mostró: ropa, armas, y tradiciones culturales. Además, había suficiente tiempo para explorar la ciudad e ir de compras. Hacía mucho frio, pero el grupo estaba de acuerdo que era el lugar más bonito y divertido que habíamos visitado.

Hi friends! This week was filled with travel because we left Yucatan and drove to another Mexican state, Chiapas. We stayed in Palenque where we visited the last archeological site of our course. We learned more about the mayan culture but this site was different because the pyramids were built in the rain forest. We climbed to compare the structures and also how they were similar to Dzibilchaltún and Chichen Itza. There was a museum we visited to see the archeological facts that were discovered, including the tomb of Pakal, the king most remembered of Palenque. After spending a few days in Palenque, we drove to the mountains to a city named San Cristobal de las Casas. We had the opportunity to visit a museum of mayan customs that included: clothing, weapons, and cultural traditions. Moreover, there was sufficient time for exploring the city and shopping. It was really cold, but the group agreed that it was the prettiest and most fun place that we had visited thus far.

Part II
¡Hola! Casi llegamos al fin del curso y acabamos de tener unos días llenos de nuevas experiencias. Fuimos a un pueblo zapatista que se llama Oventik. Este pueblo es parte de los siete municipios que apoya el Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN). Aprendimos sobre la lucha del grupo revolucionario y su introducción al mundo en 1994. Tuvimos la oportunidad de conocer y hablar con el gobierno y otros promotores. Ellos contestaron nuestras preguntas sin problema y estuvieron muy agradecidos que quisiéramos aprender sobre su lucha. El día siguiente visitamos unos pueblos, Zinacantán y San Juan Chamula. Anduvimos por el pueblo y entramos en sus iglesias para compararlas. La iglesia de Zinacantán era similar a una iglesia católica pero con arte muy preciosa, arquitectura impresionante, y muchas flores por todas partes. La iglesia en San Juan Chamula era un poco diferente porque la usan como un lugar de curaciones. Cuando entramos, observamos la estructura y también las familias que hicieron sus ceremonias de curación. Adicionalmente, pudimos ver cómo usan recursos naturales para curar. Vimos cómo matan un gallo dentro de la iglesia y después sacan sus huevos para curar el espíritu. Estos dos días eran muy informativos, pero todo el grupo se divirtió muchísimo.

Hello! We are nearing the end of the course and we have had some new experiences these last few days. We went to a Zapatista village named Oventik. This village is part of the seven municipalities that form EZLN (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional). We learned about the fight that the revolutionary group is facing and how they went public in 1994. We had the opportunity to meet and talk with the government and other promoters. They answered our questions without problem and they were very thankful that we wanted to learn about their struggle. The next day we visited some more villages, Zinacantán and San Juan Chamula. We walked through the villages and entered the churches to compare them. The Zinacantán church was similar to that of a catholic church, but with precious art, impressive architecture, and a myriad of flowers all around. The San Juan Chamula church was a little different because they use it for a place for curing. When we entered, we observed the structure and the families that were performing their curing ceremonies. Additionally, we saw how they use natural resources to cure. We saw how they killed a hen inside the church and how after they took out the eggs to cure the sprit. These two days were very informative, but the entire group had a lot of fun. 

Ireland
The Ireland class continues its literary and historic trek around Dublin and out into its more natural environs, including a visit to the monastic ruins at Glendalough and the spectacular gardens of Powerscourt, where we finally took a full group photo. We also had the opportunity to attend a modern re-imagining of one of J.M. Synge’s most famous plays at the Abbey Theatre, one of the most famous theatres in Europe.

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