Time to party!!
Happy New Year and Happy Holidays to all! Smeins Family Christmas in Ghana This year, my entire family made the long trek to West Africa, and we were able to celebrate Christmas together in Ghana. We spent a week traveling along Ghana's beautiful coast; visiting the busy markets in Accra; learning about Ghana's history of slavery, colonialism, and independence; swimming at beautiful beaches; and exploring several parks. It was great to see my family again, and they got a glimpse of what life is like in West Africa. After saying goodbye to my family, I returned to Togo to celebrate the New Year with my community. My friends and neighbors were relieved to see I made it back in time for the festivities. And let me tell you, there's been a lot of festivities since the start of the new year... The end of December typically marks the end of the harvest season--a good enough reason alone to celebrate. Add religious and traditional holidays on top of that, as well as the start of ...