One of the coolest experiences since I have been in Ghana was when we went to the Volta Region and visited the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary. I was really excited because monkeys are my favorite animal. My goal once we got deep in the forest was to be able to feed a monkey on my arm or on my shoulder.

We all walked in, gripping our bananas and listening for the monkeys. We saw branches move and monkeys jump from branch to branch. Then they started getting closer to us and we all started to feed them. The monkeys are very smart. They like to peel the banana and then rip the fruit out. It was amusing to watch them eat because they kept stuffing their faces until they looked like squirrels.

I decided that I wanted to try to get a monkey on me. I held my arm out and waited, and eventually one landed on me and started chowing down on the little yellow banana. He must have liked me or the banana because he stayed on me for a long time. I really enjoyed feeding a mona monkey, so much so that I wished I could take one home.

But the monkeys are wild and live in their peaceful habitat of the forest, so I didn’t. It’s crazy to think how luxuriously the monkeys live. They eat mangos, bugs, bananas, and other fruits that they find, but they also just get to swing on branches and relax in the trees all day while people take pictures of them. Man, that sounds like the life! But seeing them and taking photos of them is what made my day.