We got an early start on Thursday, and on our drive to Cape Coast, we stopped at Kakum National Park. Kakum National Park is a rain forest that includes one of the five canopy walks in the world. It is the highest and longest of all of the canopy walks. Although nerve-wracking, it was a great experience that all the members of our group greatly enjoyed. We had a chance to talk with our guide, William, and get a bit more insight into a young person’s perspective on living in Ghana and working there. He lived in a nearby village and was even able to let Meghan know that the village she had previously visited now has electricity. It was an exciting revelation. After dropping him off in his town, we proceeded to Elmina for a late dinner and headed straight to bed. 
The next morning, we awoke and had a quick breakfast and hopped on the bus to the Elmina Slave Castle, the first of the slave castles built by the Portuguese along the Atlantic Coast. Our guide was a volunteer who teaches at a Secondary School near Elmina. He was able to inform us that while the Portuguese had not originally built the castle for the slave trade, they quickly realized that it was more lucrative to them than the trading that had been done previously. It was a moving tour, in that we learned a lot more of the hardships and atrocities that the more than five million slaves endured at the particular castle. One of the most horrifying statistics is that 2/3 died before even leaving the castle. There is a small fishing village near the castle with a bustling trade economy, and because we still had Berkeley goods, we were able to distribute them to a few of the children in the area. (A few of us also got to try our hand at balancing a platter stacked with oranges on our heads.)
After leaving Elmina, we made the three hour journey back to Accra to prepare for our meeting with Nana Sarpong. In our meeting, he told us how appreciative he was of us making the journey to Ghana and to his home village, and we assured him that we were equally appreciative of the opportunity. We filled him on the meetings we had with Kwenor and the other members of the ICT Center as well as the welcoming ceremonies that the school put on for us. We also discussed with him the conversations that we had with the two schools, and we mentioned the importance of the ICT Center in the burgeoning relationship. He understood the importance and assured us that this is something to which he is committed. As a side note, despite his recent health problems, he was bright, lively, and overjoyed to see everyone safely back in Accra. His wife even mentioned that she believed that our trip and visit to Agogo had helped to raise his spirits and restore some of his health.
We finished the trip with a meal that included all the members of the trip as well as Alex, the driver, Yvonne, our tour guide, Desmond and Hayford, the ICT Center technicians, and Kwenor, who is the lynchpin in the success of this partnership. We headed back to the hotel, said our goodbyes to Christian, and went to bed for an early morning departure.
We are currently sitting on the place reflecting on the success of our trip and our hopes for its fruition in the fall. We have become keenly aware of the significance that our visit has played in this relationship, and we truly believe that the experiences that we have had will ferment the partnerships and allow for a solid foundation for growth in the coming months. While we are aware that there may be some bumps along the road, we are committed to making this partnership a success.
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