Planning to travel the world? Interested in learning what a particular culture is really like? Think you might find out by frequenting the local taverns, or wandering the shops, or reading the newspapers? Instead, you might consider volunteering to serve on a jury for their justice system.
Susan's cousin Mary continues to have the adventures of a lifetime while in Ghana to teach English to middle school children. Her incredible experience du jour, in her own words:
"I was invited by the social welfare worker to go to court with her. We went to the District Family Tribunal court, and I got to watch thirteen cases go before the judge. This judge was a large, loud Ghanaian woman who could totally put Judge Judy in her place. The court was actually like a live, crazy, African version of the Judge Judy show. I got to be part of a panel to help decide the verdict. How I qualified for that I have no idea, but it was pretty fun. The cases involved child custody, paternity, divorce, and child support. One man was trying to leave his wife because she 'is a witch,' and he had just had a baby with another woman. One man was sent to jail for being unable to provide for his 11 children. One boy had to apologize to a woman for telling her that she earned her money with juju or voodoo."
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