Akwaaba! Welcome to Ghana... I have been here now for about four days. The flight took about 17 hours without counting lay overs. Quite a bit longer than what I remembered. I was instantly greeted by the Ghana heat and high humidity, forming a thin layer over the top of my skin that feels sticky. I stayed overnight in a hostel with another volunteer before we were picked up by a Projects Abroad employee and taken by tro-tro (a minivan with lots of people) to Cape Coast, where I will be staying which is about 3 hours away from the capital city of Accra. I was briefly introduced to my host mother and dropped off the luggage before continuing my introduction to the town and shown where the internet cafe, bank, store to buy a mobile phone, main supermarket, and place to exchange currency. I was quite impressed with the Projects Abroad staff.
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| Packing for almost 5 months |
I am staying in a home that hosts up to four other volunteers. Currently, myself and one girl called Shadee who is from England are sharing a room. I had to rearrange the room to make it possible to hang my mosquito net. It has been my first experience sleeping under a net in just a tank and shorts with no covers due to the heat, and only one bug bite so far. Our house has electricity but the running water is questionable. I was able to take a quick shower with a hand-held shower head that lets only a trickle of water out at a time, but then I went to brush my teeth and there was no water to rinse my toothbrush! To drink, the family supplies water sachets in plastic bags and I empty one into my bottle to last for most of the day. Agnes, my host mother lives in a fairly decent house that is two stories, but we have only the top. Underneath lives a young girl and her mother. I have also met Agnes's sister. There is a concrete mote that runs through the driveway area where you will wash clothes over or sometimes on the streets you will see garbage or people even urinating in the drainage system. The smell of town has taken some time to get used to and the driving as well. Every time I enter, I say a little prayer to myself to get where I need to be safely. One thing that seems interesting is the obvious difference in social status of Ghanaian people. Our house overlooks the street and you can see over into our neighbors yard, which is a typical "slum" type home. There is a large mixture of types of houses on our dirt road, but you find how everyone has cell phones and even see some with ipods even though they are poor. You walk down the street and are greeted "Oburoni" (white person) constantly by the children. It is not seen as racist but just a way to identify you. They also do all they can to feel your arm or have a short conversation. It's the sweetest thing! Almost makes me feel like a celebrity or something! I also walk alongside goats and chickens which is not seen as unusual.
It is very difficult to not give to the begging children on the streets who just hang off your arm and walk with you until giving up. I figure I will give through other means though once I start at the hospital. I have not been shown where my placement is yet and will not start until Tuesday because Monday is a holiday for the workers. Since I arrived with the weekend first, I have taken some time to explore town. It's very nice with Shadee in the house because I have an instant friend to do things with. We were so proud to catch our first taxi. The people are very friendly to get us in the right direction and you can tell Agnes has hosted plenty of volunteers before because she actually asked for our exact plans and expected us to be going out. We go to bed early as the day begins around 5 for locals, 6 for Shadee and I. I feel like quite the tourist so far, but it's nice I can see more of the town. We went to Elmina Beach Resort which was very high class. We were able to swim, enjoy the view, and have some lunch. On return home, there was a traditional Muslim wedding reception occurring. It was a huge gathering for all the neighborhood. We returned with our camera and most were more than willing to have their picture taken, although we were prohibited from taking that of the actual ceremony. You have to be very careful with showing your belongings, as they associate white skin with being very rich. In fact, one girl who is frequently around our yard asked what presents we brought for her without having even introduced herself yet. Today, Shadee and I attempted taking a taxi to the downtown area and remember where everything was at. Their roads go in every direction and shacks are everywhere, so we ended up taking quite the journey to find our way. Since it's Sunday, most stores don't open until later so we decided to go have a drink. Instead we ran into other whites, who happened to be from Projects Abroad and invited us to Elmina Castle. We shared a taxi and took a nice tour of the castle, gaining a great historical perspective of the slave trade. The views were quite impressive too, overlooking Elmina and a fishing harbor. The entrance fee was reasonable, but there was a high charge for taking pictures. I opted out, but my guide was very nice and allowed me to take a few pictures when the security wasn't around, so I paid a small tip. I am really enjoying seeing more of the people and experiencing the culture. I cannot wait to start my placement though and begin to work on the medical side of things.
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| View of Elmina Fishing Harbor from the Castle |
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