AKWAABA - welcome!

So I have been in Ghana just over a week and am having a wonderful time, it has been quite a whirlwind and I have to keep reminding myself TIA (This is Africa!). The people are beautiful, the weather hot and steamy, the pace of life very, very, very slow!

I have spent much of this week on in country training with 20 other volunteers of all ages, skills and nationalities. I am getting proficient in the local language of Twi, delighting in new foods, been to a national holiday celebration party, attended a cocktail party at the British High Commissioners’ Home, been shopping, sat drinking in local ‘spots’ (tiny bars in shacks!), attended church, met locals and ex pats, taken my first tro tro (Falling apart mini buses, which are hot, sticky and crammed full of people!), the list goes on….

The week ended with all the volunteers leaving for their respective locations, many have gone up north, just a few of us remain here in Accra. I have moved to a fantastic very African apartment in an area called Asylum Down, which is in central Accra, it has a balcony and even a fridge (a real treat!). We have water for a few hours of the day and electricity. I am living on Mango Tree Avenue with a Kenyan girl who has been in Accra for nearly 2 years so she is showing me the ropes….
Today I went to my office for the first time to meet the people who I will be working with. Some of you might know that I was a little apprehensive about the lack of office banter, since I found out before I went that most of the staff are deaf! However I was met by both hearing and deaf members of staff and it was a great morning, things are slow and fairly disorganized, but I think I can be happy there. The NGO is based within a compound of a lot of other NGO’s (Blind, Physically Disabled, Albino etc) so there will plenty of opportunity to get to know people.

Please keep in touch, let me know what is going on in your life!

Going to Ghana with VSO.....

As I am sure most of your already know I am leaving my home in the beautiful city of Canterbury, England to go and live and work in Ghana for 2 years. I’ve been placed by Voluntary Service Overseas to work as a Fundraising & Communications Advisor for Ghana’s National Association of the Deaf (GNAD).

I’ll be based in the capital city of Accra and will be given a house to live in, but I am still not sure where this will be or what it will be like, I guess this is all part of the adventure and I cannot tell you how excited I am!

Please keep in touch! I know I will be very very happy to hear from you. I will be able to access the Internet but I am not yet sure how regularly and will be able to be reached by post and I’ll let you know the address as soon as I do.

Now all I have to do is try and pack 2 years into a suitcase…!