Fall Break Ghana

Greetings all!

I have reached the halfway point and I am alive and well. Time for my fall break where I will get some much loved doses of fun in the sun. I promise to wear sunscreen, if i remember ;)... Kidding I would still fry like a tall goofy lobster if I hung around too long on the beach without it. I will without a doubt be thinking of you family as I get thrown around in the waves. Oh here it comes, this is a good one, its definitely a good one, oh no its too big, too late to run away, smash, crash, tumbletumble,water up the nose, sand in the bathing suit, oh where's my bathing suit? wheres up? wheres down? where am I? crawl to shore with little dignity...ok who's ready for another one? I can not wait! No worries, I will be mindful of riptide, float float float-swim parallel-counter intuitive-don't panic- am I panicking? gaaaah stay calm-oh oh-)

Saturday morning I will depart from Accra to travel an estimated 5 hours to Akwidaa where the Green Turtle Lodge awaits us in the Western region of Ghana. I along with two other girls from my group plan on staying for the week doing turtle conservation(not turtle conversation GC). At this point we are signed up to do some night patrols to monitor nesting activities and teach at a school in the local fishing and farming village.

(Green turtle going up for air, photo credit Wiki)

A little bit about the project from the Green Turtle website follows.

Turtle Conservation
There are three types of sea turtle nesting on the beaches in Ghana: the Olive Ridley, the Leatherback and the Green Turtle. All of these turtles are endangered species. It is very important that we protect these fascinating creatures from the dangers they face. Ghana Wildlife Society is worried that “given the current rate of killing the turtles, they will soon be extinct.” Fishermen and other members of the local community who may come across the turtles are not aware of the importance of protecting them. This unfortunately means that sea turtles are killed and the meat is sold or the eggs are poached from their nests. Therefore, as a volunteer, you are extremely important. You play a vital role in the protection of the sea turtles and thus in the conservation of the wildlife of Ghana.




Green Turtle Lodge: The Importance of ECO-Tourism

http://www.modernghana.com/news/179898/1/green-turtle-lodge-the-importance-of-eco-tourism.html



So if all goes according to plan we will be doing conservation of endangered turtles in a palm-lined beach paradise in Ghana. Hmmm... need I say much more?

All the very best,
Ellie