Adanwomase, Ghana, West Africa

I arrived in Adanwomase late in the afternoon. I was excited to begin my studies. They insisted that I rest. I flew into Accra and had to take a bus (tro) to Kumasi. Once arriving in Kumasi I had to change buses and travel to Adanwomase. I loved it there it was a quiet town. Not much to do outside of weaving.

I should back up and tell you about my first trip there. I drove down from Cape Coast after visiting all of the Slave Castles and such. I was to begin my first set of lessons before returning to the States. The drive was nice I arrived in Adanwomase mid-afternoon. As I traveled on the pothole filled dirt road, I could only imagine what it would be like. I finally saw the sign that said "Adanwomase, Home Of The Royal Weavers." That's it I knew I was were I wanted to be. I drove to the Tourist Center which was an old concrete building with paint chipping. It inside was hot but they had a ceiling fan on. They were excited that I was interested in their craft. The inside of the building was painted a light blue. It had a saying written in Kente on the wall, "Support tourism not Aids." I was more fascinated by the fact you could write in Kente than reading the actual message. It took several visits to the Tourist Center for me to actually read the cloth.

I was met by two relatively short men, Eric and Osei. Eric was older than Osei. He had a weathered look about him, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was serious and precise, he was a man that got thing done. Osei was young, in his mid 20's. He was a handsome man with a youthful vigor and very respectful.

After greeting me, they explained the agenda and showed me to my room. I placed my luggage down and Osei gave me a tour of the town. The photo with the bed is the farthest right corner of my room. The other is the farthest left corner by the door. It was quaint to say the least. The room measured 10'x10'. It was big enough to sleep or write at the desk. I put my suitcase under the bed to conserve space. I also had a mosquito net just in case.

It felt like home. They went the extra mile to make it feel like home for me.