ghana week one
ahhh...one week, many travel hours, many emotional and physical uproars, meeting 45 zero-five year olds, settling down with one beautiful family and one generous country later...
at last i can relay some of my experience.
GHANA
is dusty all of the time. the sun beats down very hard but is also very deceiving. the constant dust cloud leads you to think the day is overcast, but it is not.
when i first exited the airport at 10 pm ghana time, there was a mob of people waiting for the arrivals. there were loved ones, many street people, taxi drivers, and people holding signs with names. i found my name and felt better and then immediately worse. even though i was escorted by ghanians, many were grabbing at my bags hoping to carry them for me. we told them no
and they did it anyhow and then expected and fought over tip money.
the first thing i noticed during the car ride was, it seemed there were no buildings. just little shacks, most of them, an eigth the size of a typical garage. they had little structure and seemed temporary. the second thing i noticed was, no sidewalks, yet swarms of people walking on the road at all times. it was as if everyone in accra was outdoors on a monday night.
the following day i arrived at the preschool i am now teaching at. first thing, i was approached with a cold bag of water on a plate. "water for you?" the bags are cheaper than bottles and contain clean water. all of the teachers came out to greet me and introduce themselves. Comfort, Judith, Comfort,Truth, Comfort, Evelyn...i was overwhelmed. comfort? it is a popular name and i work with three of them. the children woke from their naps to "the white lady." they were all pretty terrified at first, then intrigued. they have since grown to like me, alot. they call me auntie jen and are alway playing with my watch. so far, i am more of a toy than an advisor. at the end of my second day, one began petting my hair. this opened the gates for the rest of them and soon i had 15 kids surrounding me petting my hair and yelling "auntie jen!" i laugh because it is such a typical experience that they warn you about before arriving.
the school is owned by a family and is connected to their home. this is where i and one other volunteer stay. i could not have asked for a more generous and hospitable stay. there are two young girls aged 8 and 10 and a 16 year old adopted girl, Angelina. these people have turned their home upsidedown for us. the children's bedroom has become ours. the young girls
now sleep with their parents and Angelina sleeps in one of the classrooms on the floor. they have said nothing about the arrangements and i only know because i asked Angelina...she was hesitant to tell me. this girl is amazing. she does all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, mothering and so on. she is yelled for constantly. often by two people at once. she also
goes to school and never eats with us because she is too busy cleaning after preparing the meal.
i was worried that i may not get enough to eat while here and that is not the case. they eat and enjoy quite a bit. more than even i am used to. it makes sense though. with so many hungry and struggling people around them everyday, they consider it quite a blessing that they are among the few successful people. my second night, the mother and father left to go down the road to "pick something up." when they came back they had cake and icecream for us as our welcoming party. unexpected and very appreciated.
despite the indulgences, it is still very much a developing country. although their home has running water and electricity, it often goes out for days at a time. this is city-wide to conserve energy. we went the last 2 days without water and i finally had a shower this morning. as soon as the water came on, the electricity went out for a day. they make the best of it and light candles and talk. it is actually kind of comforting.
i wish i could say more, but i am running out of time. thanks again everyone who helped in the last few months. i love and miss you all.
jennifer lynn
is dusty all of the time. the sun beats down very hard but is also very deceiving. the constant dust cloud leads you to think the day is overcast, but it is not.
when i first exited the airport at 10 pm ghana time, there was a mob of people waiting for the arrivals. there were loved ones, many street people, taxi drivers, and people holding signs with names. i found my name and felt better and then immediately worse. even though i was escorted by ghanians, many were grabbing at my bags hoping to carry them for me. we told them no
and they did it anyhow and then expected and fought over tip money.
the first thing i noticed during the car ride was, it seemed there were no buildings. just little shacks, most of them, an eigth the size of a typical garage. they had little structure and seemed temporary. the second thing i noticed was, no sidewalks, yet swarms of people walking on the road at all times. it was as if everyone in accra was outdoors on a monday night.
the following day i arrived at the preschool i am now teaching at. first thing, i was approached with a cold bag of water on a plate. "water for you?" the bags are cheaper than bottles and contain clean water. all of the teachers came out to greet me and introduce themselves. Comfort, Judith, Comfort,Truth, Comfort, Evelyn...i was overwhelmed. comfort? it is a popular name and i work with three of them. the children woke from their naps to "the white lady." they were all pretty terrified at first, then intrigued. they have since grown to like me, alot. they call me auntie jen and are alway playing with my watch. so far, i am more of a toy than an advisor. at the end of my second day, one began petting my hair. this opened the gates for the rest of them and soon i had 15 kids surrounding me petting my hair and yelling "auntie jen!" i laugh because it is such a typical experience that they warn you about before arriving.
the school is owned by a family and is connected to their home. this is where i and one other volunteer stay. i could not have asked for a more generous and hospitable stay. there are two young girls aged 8 and 10 and a 16 year old adopted girl, Angelina. these people have turned their home upsidedown for us. the children's bedroom has become ours. the young girls
now sleep with their parents and Angelina sleeps in one of the classrooms on the floor. they have said nothing about the arrangements and i only know because i asked Angelina...she was hesitant to tell me. this girl is amazing. she does all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, mothering and so on. she is yelled for constantly. often by two people at once. she also
goes to school and never eats with us because she is too busy cleaning after preparing the meal.
i was worried that i may not get enough to eat while here and that is not the case. they eat and enjoy quite a bit. more than even i am used to. it makes sense though. with so many hungry and struggling people around them everyday, they consider it quite a blessing that they are among the few successful people. my second night, the mother and father left to go down the road to "pick something up." when they came back they had cake and icecream for us as our welcoming party. unexpected and very appreciated.
despite the indulgences, it is still very much a developing country. although their home has running water and electricity, it often goes out for days at a time. this is city-wide to conserve energy. we went the last 2 days without water and i finally had a shower this morning. as soon as the water came on, the electricity went out for a day. they make the best of it and light candles and talk. it is actually kind of comforting.
i wish i could say more, but i am running out of time. thanks again everyone who helped in the last few months. i love and miss you all.
jennifer lynn
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