Ghana

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 14 August 2007 12:06:06

I have arrived safe and well. I had a 4 hour delay on my flight but hey, I've learnt my lesson - don't fly 'Ghana International Airlines'. I learned why there was such a delay, all the Ghanaians choose to fly on this airline because you are allowed an enormous 46kg checked-in baggage allowance. You should have seen the things these people were taking! Electronics, swing sets.... there was very much the relaxed African attitude about check-in and I am slowly starting to adopt this approach to things. I think you have to when the buses leave not to any particular schedule but when the seats have all been booked and things like that.

I think only parts of Thailand and Indonesia could have prepared me for the poverty and dirt that I have seen in Africa. It's certainly been a humbling experience but also extremely rewarding when you see the kids face light up just from giving them coloured pencils, lollies or paper to draw with.

My first week or so was spent in Accra with a man from my program called Samuel. His job was to show us around a bit, help get us over our initial culture shock and make sure that we knew what we should be paying for things (ie. how not to get ripped off).

I was then taken on a bus (with no air con or opening windows!) for the 5 hour journey to my orphanage where I am to base myself for the next 3 months. I feel really quite at home there now. The children have found out I can sing and at least once a day they ask me to sing something (usually a Christmas carol because that seems to be the only songs that we have in common). I was even asked to sing at the local church last weekend. They invited the "white person" to sing and so I sang the kids favourite - Silent Night. I got a large applause at the end and everybody was so lovely about it.

We usually have running water which is pleasing and I am even getting used to the cold water showers. We don't have any electricity though and the generator is currently being a bit tempremental. Usually we get a few hours of the generator each night but we haven't even been getting that recently. I am so glad I bought a torch (and so are the kids!).

I make a weekly shopping trip to Kumasi with the two Dutch volunteers and this gives me the opportunity to use the internet (if it's working properly) and to get a few little luxuries such as chocolate. We are fed pretty well but there is only so much carbs I can take - it's usually bread or oats for breakfast, bread or yams with sauce for lunch and then rice or spaghetti for dinner.

Tomorrow I set off with the two Dutch volunteers to Mole National Park for a few days. There we will do an early morning safari-type walk and hopefully be able to see some of the wildlife.

Please continue to pray for me as I travel around Ghana and look after the kids at my orphanage.