Becoming part of the woodwork in Swedru, Ghana.

COUNTRY: Ghana
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care work
WRITTEN BY: Michael Paton

As we come to the halfway mark of our trip here, we have had time to really settle into our environment. We have all had the amazing opportunity of making our presence felt in the Helping Hands Children's Home (the orphanage), and been challenged with the difficult task of teaching. We have traveled far and wide, and are beginning to become part of the woodwork here in Swedru - so much so that when we see white people walking on the streets we are as curious as the locals! We drink our water in plastic bags and yell 'Obronyi' at white people on the street - like true Ghanaians.

Over the past three weeks we have had two weekends with the opportunity for free time. This weekend we made our way to Kokrobite, to head to the popular beachside resort, Big Milly's. On a shoestring budget, this resort was great for the equivalent of $9 a night! It was a wonderfully relaxing weekend and a great setting for Ella's birthday. Keyla and Michael were also able to get into town to purchase some acoustic guitars for jam sessions!

The following weekend we headed back out to Cape Coast, for a very jam packed adventure. On Friday we made our way out to Kakum National Park, where we were lucky enough to spend a night in the rainforest canopy treehouse, built by our tour guide - Samson. That night Samson took us on a moonlit bush walk through the rainforest, and not even ten steps into the walk, every single one of us was overwhelmed with a swarm of ants crawling up, and feasting on, our legs. The squeals could be heard for miles! The walk was a great opportunity to see some nocturnal animals, and a massive old tree in the middle of the forest! After a rather cold night sleeping among the monkeys, the next morning we were taken out again by Samson for an early morning canopy walk. The 40ft canopy was a bit daunting for some, but we were all happy to see Keyla especially conquer her fear of heights! It was well worth it, with an incredible view of the vast jungle waking up before our eyes.

After our walk we headed to the small nearby Monkey Forest, a little sanctuary run by a lovely, but eccentric, Dutch couple. We were taken to see all the animals, and were interested to hear that most of the monkeys had been raised as the Dutch couple's children... sleeping in their bed and all! We got to kiss a turtle, play with a monkey, and try some Dutch snacks. From there we headed back into Cape Coast for a quiet weekend at a nice hotel. We indulged in the rare wifi, Skyping families and catching up on Facebook. We went out for dinner in town, and were able to find some much needed red wine and burgers. We also found a nice little hippy cafe, serving some wonderful smoothies.

The following weekend, we stayed in town so we could check out weekend life here at "home". Some of us made it to church, definitely something we will remember. Chloe and Grace attended the Presbyterian church service which was all in the local language, the real deal! Michael and Ella went with their family to the English service at the International Central Gospel Church.

This last weekend was spent in a remote lodge 5 hours from Swedru. It was so remote, in fact, that we were the only ones there. The Safari Beach Lodge offers morning canoe trips along the lagoon, starting in the nearby village. The trip was incredible, and we were shown mangroves, crabs and kingfisher birds by our guides. Halfway through, it poured! Despite being drenched, we had a wonderful time. The 40 minute walk along the beach back to the lodge for breakfast was a bit of a battle though! Saturday was spent lazing around on the sand, reading and getting some much needed recuperation in the idyllic surroundings. Rachel, Keyla and Brenna returned to the village in the afternoon to take some snaps of the beautiful place. Children were coming at them from all angles, excited to see the obroynis! This weekend was also Keyla's birthday celebrations, so we organised a cake and champagne for dessert. Sunday we headed back to Swedru for school the next day. The long trotro ride didn't sit well with two of the girls who were already feeling a little off, so arriving into Swedru for shower, dinner and a sleep was definitely a relief.

To cover each pair's endeavours throughout the week, we've each written something short to pop in!

Bianca and Brenna
41 days in and we have already become a part of the family we are staying with. We feel very at home in ghana and are well looked after, we have a dining schedule, breakfast at 7am, dinner at 5pm and the best pineapple we will ever eat at 7pm which we look forward to all day long. Apart from feeling welcomed at home, we have settled in very well at the school we teach at (SDA Primary). We have created a very special bond with our students (even having favorites), and have been personally invited to a teachers wedding.

The money Bianca has raised has already been put to good use through cementing the floors of seven classrooms and the construction of a new building for the high school. Brenna is also putting her money towards the school by buying much needed sports equipment . Our headmistress used to be a Ghanaian Olympic champion and is very keen on improving the children's practical skills.

We have also visited Accra mall a couple of times (3 hours away) and have found our new favorite restaurant that sells incredible burgers with the convenience of the best frozen yoghurt next door (sorry Sizzler).

Along with school and burgers we love to visit the orphanage as much as possible. Brenna an Keyla randomly found a stray dog at the Internet cafe and decided to get it vaccinated and make its new home the orphanage . Though it had an allergic reaction to the vaccine, Bianca and Brenna were able to whisk it off the the local/only vet in Swedru for some much needed purple medicine.the kids named her Nala after their favourite movie the lion king and it has become their new best friend.

We are having the best time,
Bianca and Brenna!

Grace and Chloe
In the last few weeks we've brushed up on our Ghanaian skills, becoming professional clothes-washers so that our fingers only bleed on occasion now. The whole Ghana gang came over to our tiny house and our host mum, Pat, taught us all how to cook Jollof rice over an outdoor stove. In return, we made her try Vegemite (which she spat out) and spiders (she went back for seconds). Being swarmed by kindy children is becoming the norm as we arrive at school each morning. Although we have been teaching at Presby Primary School for 6 weeks, the excitement of having two obruni teachers hasn't worn off. Last Friday we arrived at school at 8am to witness the senior boys constructing goal posts made from huge bamboo sticks for the soccer match they were hosting. Despite waiting 4 hours for the other team to arrive, Presby was victorious with a score of 2-0. It was amazing to see the support and dedication the whole school showed towards the Presby team, with all students running onto the field and celebrating each time a goal was scored. Our time at Presby has been challenging at times, however extremely rewarding. It has taught us to appreciate the little differences that we make everyday, and to celebrate the little victories, such as seeing a child learn and understand a new concept. Time has flown by so fast, and it is hard to believe that we are more than half way into this adventure! Looking forward to whatever comes our way in the next few weeks!

Keyla and Rachel
Hello Big Wide World! As Keyla and I have recently moved into the orphanage, we have realised so many things about our world, something that cannot be achieved at our age if we were in the security of our beautiful homes. The fact that we now "somewhat" care for 40 orphans daily by washing clothes, cleaning dishes, teaching and having fun demonstrates how easily adaptable humans are and how great giving feels even though we may not receive.
Taking the 40 kids in one trotro (bus) to the beach, running with some of them in the mornings, wiping diahorrea off kids and plucking dried corn out of its kernels show how much of an experience this is becoming!
Even though the exhaustion of daily life, no other experience could replicate this!

Peace out, KK and HUCK.

Michael and Ella
Over the past few weeks, we have been working to refurbish our classroom. Using fundraised or donated money and over the course of two weeks, we managed to render the walls, paint them pale blue, install a fan, replace the blackboard with a whiteboard and begin a tradition at our school, Calvary Methodist Preparatory School. The children in our class have left their handprints on the back wall, something that each graduating class will do every year. The school was so touched by our efforts, an official opening ceremony was held last Friday. Parents, church members and the school committee (as well as Seth, the other girls and our host mother, Mary) turned up to inspect and thank us for all we have done. It was so touching and we really felt we had put our money to good use. It doesn't hurt that we get to make use of the new room before we leave as well!