Fun Football Friday!!

Kids had a great day of football matches and celebrations! Fun day for everyone!!

Success!!

Second full day of school and I made it there on my own (this is quite a victory because I have to take one tro tro to a "junction" and a taxi to another). Gave my lesson, which went pretty well...kids seemed to pay attention, but maybe it's because I'm new! AND, got three little kids back to the orphanage from nursery school, all while having to cross a little stream! It's way more responsibility than I'm used to! Lol! Had a little help from my boss, Luwe, though. And had a gecko greet me when I got home! All-in-all, I think I starting to figure it out!

Luwe

Big Day in Ghana

Whew! What a day in Ghana! Took my first (of many to come) tro tros (a dilapidated mini van filled to capacity, with religious sayings on it, that is the main way to get around town...I will never criticize the RTC again!), spent half the day at the orphanage, where I served porridge (a first), made beds, got a lesson in Twi from the kids who only wanted hugs & attention, and a tour of the their garden & little farm. Then market madness!! I thought India had blown my mind...but I'm overwhelmed by Ghana!

Being greeted at the orphanage

My guides!

The hustle and bustle!

Yams!

Day Three in Ghana

Well, I'm right in the middle of the rainy season here in Ghana (I thought I was at the end of it! Ha!), which means that this morning until early afternoon, it rained like I've never seen rain!! Sheets, buckets, cats, dogs! :-) Then things calmed down in the late afternoon, but it didn't cool down! Lol! So it turned into a lazy, hot Sunday hanging with the host family and eating some traditional food: peanut soup with fish and fufu...delicious, and me trying to learn a little Twi, the language here. Tomorrow, first day of work!

My hosts!

Peanut soup and fufu

Day Two

Well, different birds chirping in the morning! As would be expected!! And it's slightly cooler in the morning...only slightly! But, not too many plans as it were...for my first full day in Kumasi. The volunteer coordinator is coming around 12:00 to get me so I can get internet...this should be interesting! With my own router or something! Welcome to Africa! And hopefully, while I'm out, I'll get some mosquito netting and pass by a pharmacy to get some skin cream. Hmmmm...will definitely see how this works! I get the feeling like Albania & India, stuff doesn't work on Western time standards. Who knows how long it will take to get some of these things done...might a guy who needs to contact another guy who isn't available or something! Will see what the day brings!

OK! Got to jump into busy Saturday shopping in Kumasi (will hopefully get to the Kejetia Market tomorrow...it's supposed to be the biggest one in West Africa!). And I indeed did get Internet!! My own little wifi box! Who knew?! And it's working great!

About $50 (CAD) and pretty much my only option for Internet access. I'll leave it with the organization for the next volunteer.

Also got medicated skin cream...with no prescription! At the moment, I kind of like how things work here! Got most objectives met, but will get mosquito netting on Monday...one was left from a volunteer. And I've got insect repellant and closed doors...and that seems to be working. Plus I'm faithfully taking the malaria pills, with no side effects as of yet. I'm trying not to get paranoid about malaria, but I am still a little concerned. 

Got to walk around a bit seeing how thing are and getting the lay of the land. Got close to the Kejetia Market, but I'll try to venture there tomorrow.

Work starts Monday! So I may not get a chance to explore a lot until next weekend. It's been very cool so far, though. Hot! But that's to be expected. I hope I get used to it soon. And very cool, friendly people.

My own little water supply! Provided by the host family.

A little friend around the house.

First Full Day in Ghana

The Bus!

So after a long flight and an almost longer entry process at the airport, Lisa, who is the volunteer organizer in Accra, found me a room on the university grounds, one of the dorms! AC and a little TV!! But most importantly, a big, comfortable bed was waiting!

After quite a nice rest, Lisa was there to greet me and we had breakfast (scrambled eggs with veggies & toast and coffee). The plan was to get a bus ticket for Kumasi. 

It was a rainy morning and a lot of people didn't have raincoats or umbrellas.

And the first thing I noticed was how crowded it was. So much traffic and so many people! It reminded me of India, but minus the tuk-tuks! But when we got to the bus station...whew! It seemed that everyone was on the move. Inside there was a monstrous line...almost like the airport! And the place was sprawling with people, kids, bags, giant boxes! What chairs there were were doubly filled! And although it had stopped raining and things would've/should've cooled off a bit, it was crazy hot inside and the few little ceiling fans were of no use unless you were directly underneath them!

Lisa took one look at the line and told me to wait...she would find someone outside who could maybe get a ticket. And it occurred to me that this is how it works in some places. You just need to know the guy who knows a guy who can get you what you want: bus ticket, driver, etc. Things work on knowing people. Why do we in the West insist on having reasonable processes for things? Small lines, purchase a ticket or reserve on line, have a seat? Why not either struggle through the process of too many people & not enough services or find the right guy who can get you what you need? :-)

After about 10 minutes, Lisa came back and asked me if I was ok sitting in the front of the bus. Why, yes, Lisa. That sounds fine to me! We escaped outside and I was offered a seat (because I looked so old & feeble or out of courtesy? At my age, one never knows anymore!) But sitting let me watch the chaos around me: taxis honking and jockeying for position, cars circling dropping people off & picking them up, people "directing" traffic, busses trying not to hit people lined up just about everywhere, people trying to see newspapers, snacks, water, and just about anything you could want, people trying to negotiate getting in the front of the line, hand gestures, exhaust fumes. Whew! All with a recording of a man preaching blaring through some portable speakers.

About 40 minutes of that and my bus was ready to board. Thank goodness for Lisa who negotiated something with someone to take care of my bag underneath. She gave a phone with a new chip in it (this is the thing I'm starting to understand: everyone seems to have a throwaway phone that they just change SIM cards with...and why not? Vodafone is still happy!) so Sally, the program coordinator could contact me while I was travelling.

Bus filled to capacity and more (people were sitting in the aisle) and we were off! We started with a prayer from one man standing in the aisle...but after a few "Amens," he kept going! And the prayer turned into a sermon, complete with a call & response from the passengers: "Yes, Jesus" and "Praise The Lord," and "God is Good." The whole kit. He stopped on the middle and passed around some gel that we were to put on our "pains." Seemed like Tiger Baum to me, but I put it on my shoulders which were achy from the first few days of the backpack. More preaching and then he opened his briefcase and sold some of he gel! I thought we'd have him for the whole trip, but on a pretty long stretch of unpaved road, he got off and took a returning bus.

Then the driver, or rather the "driver's mate," put on "Sheena." Ugh...I kind of wanted the preacher back!

Sights from the Bus

Beautiful countryside! Small villages with roadside markets selling EVERYTHING!! Even livestock...most also amidst the goats & chicken I saw "other" livestock: rats, which I think is considered bush meat. Crazy traffic!! Lots of people going about their daily business. Trucks and taxi vans with Bible messages scrawled on the windows, signs for Christian churches of every sort, from Mormons to Seventh Day Adventists to Baptists and Pentecostals. 

At the rest stop I got my first hot pastry: a fish pie! For 3 Cedis, a pretty yummy deal!

It occurs to me that this place will be challenging, yet if I remain open to whatever happens, it'll be a blast!

And how cool is it to NOT be a visible minority!!!! Yes, as soon as I speak or you check in closer to my "traveller" garb, I'm a minority. But right off the bat I'm as brown as everybody else! And white people stand out! Somehow this makes me smile. :-)

First night-time view.

My diggs for the next three weeks!

My first view of Africa from the sky! Must have been Algeria or Tunisia. :-)

Dublin!!!!!

The Irish have a strong cultural presence in the US & Canada, and with a trip to Boston under my belt, I knew going to Dublin would be somewhat familiar territory. But of course, no matter how much fish & chips and Guinness you consume in North America or how many renditions you do of “Danny Boy” in the local Irish pub, being on Irish soil truly takes your breath away.

Apart from the weather, which is just something you have to get used to, I can say there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Dublin!

You would think with grey skies (and I was there where they were having a “heat wave” of sorts) and rain at least once a day, the people would be gloomy & miserable. But that is not at all what I experienced!

The energy, spirit, and friendliness that Dublin and its citizens display makes up for any clouds and dampness. Visitors feel welcome and the best thing to do is join the party! The music (traditional and otherwise), the pubs, buskers, tiny cafes, the history all roll into one beautiful travelling experience.

Visiting the Guinness Brewery (a must to taste the premium-grade brew and learn its history), standing on O’Connell Bridge and looking at the River Liffey, visiting Trinity College and its beautiful library (not to mention the Book of Kells), strolling down Grafton Street listening to street musicians, exploring the Temple Bar area and suddenly you feel right at home.

 Around Temple Bar

 The River Liffey

 Trinity College

 Trinity College

 Trinity College Library

 Buskers!