Training is supposed to be 8 to 12 weeks of pure intensity. Learning the language and how to best facilitate your community/village during the two-year service. How to generate ideas that could help with the development of our villages and what alternative livelihood projects that could be done in our communities. But rather training has been fun, traveling all over Ghana, learning the most random things that I can’t wait to try and do, meeting fascinating people and trying the flavors of Ghana.

The environment crew met up in Techiman – located in the Brama Hafo Region of Ghana - for our technical training. Spending 4 nights in the Techiman proper, traveling from farm to farm learning how to keep bees, farm mushrooms, raise grass cutter and snails. Learning the different types of trees in Ghana and their added value to the soil and people. We’ve been learning what fruits grow well in the tropical climate, how to graft trees, and the ins and outs of the agricultural businesses in Ghana.

After 4 days in Techiman we moved our training to a Benediction Monastery about 20 minutes from Techiman. The Monastery is self-sustaining, growing everything that we consumed during our 10 days there. The monks make their own cashew wine, fruit schnapps, jams and chutneys. They grow lettuce, (yes we had a salad for dinner every day… amazing!) carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, mangos, pineapple, watermelon, cashews, peppers, papaya, and star fruit.

There were about 6 monks and one father at this monastery. The father, imported from Scotland, was great. Informing us on where to go hiking, the best running trains, helping us fulfill our missed foods (French fries, ketchup, dairy, fresh veggies, and fruit). He ate midnight snacks with us (actually it was more like 8pm snacks), opening the kitchen up, allowing us to make a cup of hot chocolate, with some toast (yes there was even a toaster). Every night the father would pull out his laptop, and an Internet modem to get connected to the Internet (although we were not able to par take in the internet usage) we laughed at the modern amenities that this father had while being in Ghana.

There was another brother that was inquiring of our movies and TV shows that we all have on our laptops. Asking for a list so he could maybe steel some of our media. One day he pulled out his version of an iPhone asking if I had facebook… random (goes to show that virtually everyone is on facebook)… and then asking if I needed to check my e-mail… yes I would love to check my e-mail, but kind of weird that a Ghanaian monk was letting me use his phone to get online… But I didn’t object to a hike up the rocks to get a signal, watch the sun set and read a few e-mails.

The Monastery was nestled between these massive rocks and these gorgeous, green rolling hills. Hiking to the top of the rocks and finding ourselves above the canopy of trees, watching the sun set, the birds fly and the rains roll in. We sunbathed, did yoga, and enjoyed nature.