Our first week of work found us digging foundation beside the jungle, making and moving bricks made of mud and limestone, mixing mortar, and masonry work. It is amazing how quickly we learn the ABCs of building a house--Catherine has been inspired to return home and hang her shingle as haute couture home builder and Amy knows that if she ever needed to go on the lam, she could easily build her own shelter lickety split. Although we are bruised, sweaty, sore and pungent after our hard labor, we are so inspired by the dedication and expertise of the artisans who guide us in this endeavor: Victor, Tomas, Daniel, Peter, Eric, Ado and many others. These men never complain and seem to have limitless energy. They are kind and gentle with the "obrunis" (white people) who ask questions throughout the day, need to take a lot of breaks and often make mistakes as we learn about the ins and outs of housebuilding in a place so far from home.

Naomi, our spirited Ghanaian leader from Habitat for Humanity, keeps us moving. She has planned many interesting activities for our evening entertainment. We have all listened to traditional Ghanaian singers and were pleased to join in with the choir to dance. After learning about the great Ashanti Kingdom and fetish chiefs, we had the opportunity to learn some traditional Ashanti dances. West African drummers joined us at the hotel and Amanda showed her skills in a drum competition as we learned about the different djembe and baku drums. As a special treat, Felix, one of the Habitat chairmen and a theology teacher, brought his family to the hotel for a discussion on Ghanaian culture. He spoke to us about marriage, religion and funeral traditions.

We're off to eat...more later.