Ghana life is becoming quite normal now. We're slowly adjusting to the hand washing, the abundance of goats, and the frequent situation of having noooo idea what is going on. So many moments where the tro-tro stops and everyone starts yelling in Twi and all we can do is look at each other with bewildered smiles and laugh. Tro-tros are my method of transport every day and I can't say they get any less exciting each day! They're pretty much like buses, but they are dodgy little vans that stop anywhere (as in there aren't specific stops). The doors sometimes don't close properly, and the handles are broken off, and you shouldn't put your backpacks in the boot because it may just fly open and spill it all over the road (happened with a bag of rice). They're also very inspirational with sayings like "NO FEAR" and "GOD IS GOOD".. well that last one actually said "GOD IS GOD".. nice little tautology there team Ghana.. and sometimes you feel a little uneasy getting on a tro-tro said says "ARE YOU SURE" across the rear window with a HUGE question mark.. and yes! we are sure! because we've been walking in African sun for half an hour now! The first week we were all together at the Helping Hands Childrens' Home. As soon as Seth's ute pulled in all the orphans ran over to us and held our hands. When there are no volunteers in the home the kids must get so very bored as they don't get any school or organised activity at all. We spent the week playing with the children, and painting a newly built classroom. Nice and blue :) There are so many small children at the orphanage and it grows every day (I can say because I work there now) there are 48 now (we counted today) .. a lot more than the '25' that we were told on our project sheet! Also RENEE JOINED US! Hoorah! The poor thing was very sick when we all jetsetted off .. but has finally made the long journey to meet us over here.
The first weekend we decided to go back into Accra and revisit Kokrobite Beach. It was so nice to chill out beneath the palm fronds and look at all the beautiful markets! We met some really friendly locals and also made friends with other travellers. It feels really cool and independent to just be doing whatever we want and organising everything ourselves. Also felt really good to finally get some EXERCISE and work off some of the carbs we've been pigging out on all week. Also we experienced the "Best Italian in Ghana - Probably in the World", and surprisingly it lived up to its name. But soon enough Monday came around and it was time for everyone to venture into our schools.
Hari and I are placed at the orphanage, so on Monday (because the other volunteer was travelling) it was just the two of us running the whole place. We arrived early and ladeled out breakfast to the starving children, washed about 40 bowls, improvised a nice morning warm-up and then .. "CLASS TIME" - the kids were so excited! We thought we may be able to teach together, but when we saw how many there were we knew we would have to go alone. So there we were... I walked into the classroom and said "Goodmorning class" and they all responded nicely with "Good morning madame!". And off I went. It was very daunting at first but once you got going the children were very responsive and showed some really nice work. It's just tricky in the orphanage because in my half, I had a class of about 6 - 14 year olds, which means you have a huge range of abilities, and a lot of juggling to do (:
Katie and Ren have fallen in love with their host family. The epic hair braiding of Linda (host sister) always keeps everyone entertained and there never fails to be a dance-off with their mama in the kitchen! They are finding teaching quite daunting, but are slowly getting used to it. Katie said she just probably should work on her spelling before she teaches them English!
Kristen and Harriet also rave about their family. There are 6 girls aged between 4 and 50 and the adorable baby Kelvin. They find the school quite strict and structured, and have a syllabus to follow (unlike a lot of us here). Kristen is currently teaching class 4, with about 40 kids in the classroom, and Harriet is teaching Class 2 with 25 little children. The cane is used quite often which is pretty hard to watch, just something we're completely not used to. Like everyone else, the scare factor is starting to wear off as we all settle into a routine!
Lauren and Bardie have found a nice little class that they can teach with 8 years olds, and they are loving it. The school is fun, and the children are in love with all the art stuff they bring into the classroom. They've also discovered the popularity of the hokey pokey! Hari and I have been joined by another volunteer - bringing our house count up to a comfortable 14!! We're all loving our family, especially Hannah's amazing cooking and singing. Junior is getting quite good on my ukulele. And of course they all love watching us fail when we try to play soccer, we are no match for Junior and all his friends!
Last weekend (although expensive) was positively amazing! After a long day of tro-tro travel, we arrived in Kakum National Park at about 5pm. At this point we got taken to where we would be sleeping, which turned out to be 30m up the tallest tree in the forest! Although Maddie was afraid, this was the most surreal and environmental experience we had ever had! Then we went on a night walk, and we were told that the only animals we would meet would be rats. Katie and I didn't pack our closed in shoes (bad mistake)... so what do you do when you don't have socks? You make them. Out of plastic bags. Unfortunately my Ghanian-grown toenails pierced the plastic in time, and the soldier ants of the jungle filled up the bags and met my feet - a painful experience.The next day we did a canopy walk through the tallest trees - amazing! The track took about 6 months to build and was the most wobbly and thrilling experience, so cool. We all have a million photos to show everyone upon our return.
The next leg of the journey brought us to Oasis beach hotel, which was the most chilled place you could imagine. Smack bang on the beach we enjoyed amazing food, cocktails, and lots and lots of dancing. Kristen also managed to fall through the top bunk. Yes - through. Luckily Hari wasn't sleeping below her at the time, because the slats gave way and she went for a ride. Food times in Ghana! Before going home we got a nice look at the Cape Coast slave castles, which were shockingly amazing. Such huge, beautiful white walls - it was terrible what happened between those walls though. We generally had an amazing weekend feeling like tourists with our wide eyes and massive cameras. We hope to go back to cape coast soon!
We're all missing home but settling in slowly. Hopefully in 2 weeks I'll be able to blog with all the amazing progress our children have made :) We send our love!
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