Ghana - West Africa
Saturday, 3 May 2008
Friday, 2 May 2008
Home ground...
Well... I am back! After a hideous 16 hour journey, sickness, diarrhoea, no sleep, vile plane food and a bad cold and not forgetting the 1000 mossy bites, I awake this morning in my own bed feeling very odd? All I can think about is buying a Digital Radio and a new clean white fluffy dressing gown? What does that say about me? I want to still listen to the local Ghana radio station that all tro tros (Ghanas answer to public transport, though or course no timetable, they just whizz up and down the roads shouting their destination place!) and the dressing gown? perhaps something to do with the fact that I have realised that I do actually like my creature comforts and living for a month in conditions that test every aspect of your being and beliefs I now want some purity?
Now that I am at home and have electricity and permanent access to Internet I will update this blog with the full storey and a good selection of photos out of the 600 I have taken! I am nervous about looking at the photos of the kids as I think my heart will feel wrenched as I know I have left them there and will not be able to see their smiling faces, hear their voices, have and give the love and continue teaching and caring for them.
On a positive note, although I did not accept the job offer, the Director and I did discuss setting an office up in England for OA which she would like me to do, so perhaps I will still be able to continue my work and visit the kids! :-)
Well that's it for now, I am going to make myself a cup of tea! The small delight of boiling a kettle and having a decent cup of English tea is welcoming! ahhh such simple pleasures...
x x x
Now that I am at home and have electricity and permanent access to Internet I will update this blog with the full storey and a good selection of photos out of the 600 I have taken! I am nervous about looking at the photos of the kids as I think my heart will feel wrenched as I know I have left them there and will not be able to see their smiling faces, hear their voices, have and give the love and continue teaching and caring for them.
On a positive note, although I did not accept the job offer, the Director and I did discuss setting an office up in England for OA which she would like me to do, so perhaps I will still be able to continue my work and visit the kids! :-)
Well that's it for now, I am going to make myself a cup of tea! The small delight of boiling a kettle and having a decent cup of English tea is welcoming! ahhh such simple pleasures...
x x x
Friday, 25 April 2008
Decision time!
Well, my time here is drawing to a close...well that's what I thought anyway...However as with every day life changes and brings new things and the Director of OA has offered me a job on the management team to co-ordinated all future volunteers, manage the Guest House, manage the website and many other more interesting opportunities!!! WOW what a great job offer, the only problem is, is that they want me to start now, which means not coming home!!!
I would be based in Ghana so not that easy to pop and see my friends of a glass of Vino or a nice cup of English tea! If the job was in UK it would be perfect, but I am finding the heat challenging and the continued absence of running water let alone hot water and flushing loos is taking it's toll. Though saying all that I am not yet ready to leave the kids, I want to see them grow and continue their schooling and still for me to give them the love and consideration they all still need and deserve!!!
Not sure what to do.......
Does anyone know of anyone who would want to live in my house for a few months to look after the cats and pay a little rent!!!
See you or blog again very soon!
x x x x x x
I would be based in Ghana so not that easy to pop and see my friends of a glass of Vino or a nice cup of English tea! If the job was in UK it would be perfect, but I am finding the heat challenging and the continued absence of running water let alone hot water and flushing loos is taking it's toll. Though saying all that I am not yet ready to leave the kids, I want to see them grow and continue their schooling and still for me to give them the love and consideration they all still need and deserve!!!
Not sure what to do.......
Does anyone know of anyone who would want to live in my house for a few months to look after the cats and pay a little rent!!!
See you or blog again very soon!
x x x x x x
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
My room!
Wednesday 9 April
The kids are amazing! Their hunger and thirst for learning is impressive! They are eager to ask questions and improve their knowledge. This week was exam week so i have been sitting in the classes *well open sided cow shed! The questions are very basic and there is not much order in these exams. My heart goes out to them as some of them I knew could not answer the questions as thet could not read the question! I sat with as many as I could to ensure I could read some of the questions to them :(
Yesterday afternoon my group of boys ageing between 13 and 16, names - Christian, Beleiver, Prosper, Perfect Famous, Emanuel, sat reading the story of Jhona! For this afternoon i have organised to take them round the vegetable garden that is part of the Orphange, hopefully it might spark an interest for a future career.
Friday, 4 April 2008
Touch Down!!!
Hi all...
My first contact with civilisation!
Arrived here ok - though they had forgotten I was arriving so waited at the airport in the sweltering heat. Eventually got picked up and drove with 6 others in a taxi to the Orphanage! My god! words can not describe what I saw and even more to the point the accommodation that I am staying is an experience and an endurance in itself! No running water, a bucket for a toilet and lizards for company!
Anyhow on Wednesday drove back to the Orphanage which is in the middle on now where and was greeted along the dirt track by some women waving machetes! Of course this was not aimed at us but they had just been mango picking!
The children are amazing - they are dirty, skinny, loving, friendly and above all eager for affection. Within two seconds of arriving I had one small child on one hip, another climbing up my back and both my hands being held, my hair being pulled and snotty fingers pulling at my skirt! what a welcome, I guess I should have realized then that this trip will be tough, both mentally and physically.
I taught my first class on Thursday morning. 19 6-years old! It certainly was an experience! No books, papers, pencils, fighting, crying, playing and much more!!! By the end of the day I was exhausted, too much heat, sun, dust and poverty to be taken in at once!
The children break up for holiday (that means time away from school, there is no money to go away), one of my jobs to do in the next few days is plan some fun activities for approx 50 kids ranging from 6 years old to 16 years old, this will be available for those kids that can come back to the school and not sent to the farms to work.
Internet connection is difficult to find, so unfortunately by update blogs may not be as frequent as I would have liked. However at the moment I am in a hotel and this seems fine.
I am getting through each day by remebering that the children need the love, attention, teaching and dispicline that the volunteers provide. It is one of the toughest things I have done!
Hope you are all well....another update soon
x x x
My first contact with civilisation!
Arrived here ok - though they had forgotten I was arriving so waited at the airport in the sweltering heat. Eventually got picked up and drove with 6 others in a taxi to the Orphanage! My god! words can not describe what I saw and even more to the point the accommodation that I am staying is an experience and an endurance in itself! No running water, a bucket for a toilet and lizards for company!
Anyhow on Wednesday drove back to the Orphanage which is in the middle on now where and was greeted along the dirt track by some women waving machetes! Of course this was not aimed at us but they had just been mango picking!
The children are amazing - they are dirty, skinny, loving, friendly and above all eager for affection. Within two seconds of arriving I had one small child on one hip, another climbing up my back and both my hands being held, my hair being pulled and snotty fingers pulling at my skirt! what a welcome, I guess I should have realized then that this trip will be tough, both mentally and physically.
I taught my first class on Thursday morning. 19 6-years old! It certainly was an experience! No books, papers, pencils, fighting, crying, playing and much more!!! By the end of the day I was exhausted, too much heat, sun, dust and poverty to be taken in at once!
The children break up for holiday (that means time away from school, there is no money to go away), one of my jobs to do in the next few days is plan some fun activities for approx 50 kids ranging from 6 years old to 16 years old, this will be available for those kids that can come back to the school and not sent to the farms to work.
Internet connection is difficult to find, so unfortunately by update blogs may not be as frequent as I would have liked. However at the moment I am in a hotel and this seems fine.
I am getting through each day by remebering that the children need the love, attention, teaching and dispicline that the volunteers provide. It is one of the toughest things I have done!
Hope you are all well....another update soon
x x x
Sunday, 16 March 2008
Preparation!
Vaccinations, (yellow fever, rabies, Hep A, Hep B, typhoid, polio, etc), you name them I've had them! Visa applications, flight bookings, insurance, raising sponsorship, emails, faxes, phone calls, packing; what to take for the children, what to take for me, pre-malaria tablet digestion (yuk), reading and getting my head round the fact that I will be in the middle of beep no-where!
These are, amongst many of the time-consuming and sometimes challenging activities that has made this wonderful, if not daunting trip possible! A big thank-you to all those that have helped me fund raise, all those that have donated, and to all those that have supported me in my decision!
"It's always good to step outside one's comfort zone - and those that know me, know that I don't do anything by half measures! (In fact Vodka is always a double measure!)"
These are, amongst many of the time-consuming and sometimes challenging activities that has made this wonderful, if not daunting trip possible! A big thank-you to all those that have helped me fund raise, all those that have donated, and to all those that have supported me in my decision!
"It's always good to step outside one's comfort zone - and those that know me, know that I don't do anything by half measures! (In fact Vodka is always a double measure!)"
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