Gosh a lot has happened since I posted last, I have met new people, started work, suffered from a horrendous bout of food poisoning, attended a festival out of town, been to parties, danced salsa. It is fair to say that Accra is starting to become home, sure it will take time but I think I am starting to get to grips with the city, people in my street are starting to stop calling me ‘obruni’ which literally means white man and have started asking me, where I am going, what am I doing etc. I have got to grips with simple things like hand washing bed linen, learning that the world stops for a football game, using the public transport system, and filtering water, killing cockroaches, ignoring massive spiders, jumping over open sewers on the way to work….
I feel so blessed with my apartment and with my flat mate Julia, who has certainly introduced me to the more practical elements of living in Africa so I am going to try to post some pictures of my apartment for all to see, I guess you can imagine my life here a little more...
Work is slow at the moment, just getting to grips with it all really so I’ll tell you about my weekend for now. On Saturday 5 of us went to this place out of town called Aburi, it is a small town in the hills outside of Accra famed for its beautiful botanical gardens. We decided to Tro Tro it there for around 30p each, this meant cramming as many as possible in to a clapped out mini bus with no door and driving over un paved roads…we got there sweaty and excited for the gardens….the gardens (which are probably in the top 10 places to go for the tourist!) were less than spectacular but we arrived just as a tribal celebration was starting! It was fantastic, all the chiefs from the area attended in full costume, the local people were dancing and drinking it was just brilliant! On Sunday I attended church with a Pastor I met at the disability meeting (the one where the rasta kept singing in the middle of the meeting!) it was quite a way out of town but was based on a project for street children, it was great to see the good work they are doing there and to meet some Ghanaian women (quite a hard thing to do!).
I am meeting people, it is hard not to here. Everyone greets you as you pass, many, many ask for your phone number, needless to say I am very selective (lord only knows what they do with it!). I am trying to build a social life….I attended a running club last night which was great fun, we ran 7k and then stood round in a circle while they drank beer and sang songs etc (it may become a Monday night regular!?).
So life continues as I am sure it does for you! Thanks for all your emails – keep them coming! xxxxx
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Starting out....
I was granted a few days to settle in to my life in Ghana before I started work today. I spent the time opening a bank account (amazingly this only took 4 hours, which I am told is record speed, it took one girl 8 trips to the bank!). I went with my fellow Accra volunteers Jude and Mike, we filled in form after form and I guess it is fair to say witnessed a few in justices whilst waiting for what ever took the bank 4 hours. I found the post office, popped a few bits in the post and went to see about getting a PO Box, people don't get post sent to their home here, the fact that alot of roads don't have names let alone house numbers and taxi drivers have to be directed most places, gives you a little idea as to why we thought it would be a good idea to get a PO Box. Alas the delightful post mistress informed me that the list for a PO Box was very 'tall', it also costs a third of what I get paid a month to have one for a year, surfice to say I didn't even bother getting on the list...makes you realise how people stuggle to get out of poverty though, can't get a bank account, can't have post delivered to them etc.
After my administrative tasks I headed to the market(I LOVE MARKETS!!!) and had a fantastic time wondering around on my own, meeting some local women (which is pretty hard) having some JOKES with my newly obtained language skills. I bought some coat hangers but declined the ladies offers of giant afican snails for lunch...they are quite the delicacy I'm told!
The weather continues to be hot and I am quickly picking up a colour. We don't have any water at the moment so washing and drinking is having to be carefully planned, as is flushing the toilet!!! We have 2 big tubs to collect water when it is on and then when it goes off (which can be for up to 7 days at a time) we use this water, it is going down quite quickly with my hair washing!! Obviously all water is boiled for cooking and filtered for drinking so this is a definate job on the to do list!
Today I had my first Disability Network Meeting, it is fair to say my first meeting in Ghana where I have been the only non Ghanaian. It was a very interesting (and very enjoyable)expereince, it started with me getting in a four by four squished in the middle between the very charming but very deaf President of the Deaf Society and some blind rasterfarian in full gear. We arrived at the Coconut Grove Hotel and went into a room full of people some fully able some with diabilities. It was a great meeting and so encouraging to hear what is happening in Ghana to bring about change, the key theme being employment for people with disability and income generating projects - really interesting, thought provoking and motivating. I met alot of journalists who I hope I can work with and all the key charitys you would have heard of were there, Sigh Savers, Oxfam, Care etc. All meetings in Ghana open and close with prayers. The highlights for me have to be the 30 minutes it took to approve the minutes of the last meeting (right down to every typo - poor minute taker!) and the regular breaks in the meeting for the rasta guy to perform a tune or 2 getting the big wigs to join in the songs!!! The meeting closed with a rap group singing to us before we went in to lunch. You can't have a meeting in Ghana without lunch provided and what they call 'snack' which is basically tea, juice and some heavy sandwich or sausage roll like thing at about 10.30am....perks up a bad meeting but if you want to hold a meeting you HAVE to find the funds for this, which can stop you holding the meeting as people won't come without what they call T&T!
Gosh there is so much to say...have been trying to make friends and socialise as well!!!
xxxxxxxxxxx
After my administrative tasks I headed to the market(I LOVE MARKETS!!!) and had a fantastic time wondering around on my own, meeting some local women (which is pretty hard) having some JOKES with my newly obtained language skills. I bought some coat hangers but declined the ladies offers of giant afican snails for lunch...they are quite the delicacy I'm told!
The weather continues to be hot and I am quickly picking up a colour. We don't have any water at the moment so washing and drinking is having to be carefully planned, as is flushing the toilet!!! We have 2 big tubs to collect water when it is on and then when it goes off (which can be for up to 7 days at a time) we use this water, it is going down quite quickly with my hair washing!! Obviously all water is boiled for cooking and filtered for drinking so this is a definate job on the to do list!
Today I had my first Disability Network Meeting, it is fair to say my first meeting in Ghana where I have been the only non Ghanaian. It was a very interesting (and very enjoyable)expereince, it started with me getting in a four by four squished in the middle between the very charming but very deaf President of the Deaf Society and some blind rasterfarian in full gear. We arrived at the Coconut Grove Hotel and went into a room full of people some fully able some with diabilities. It was a great meeting and so encouraging to hear what is happening in Ghana to bring about change, the key theme being employment for people with disability and income generating projects - really interesting, thought provoking and motivating. I met alot of journalists who I hope I can work with and all the key charitys you would have heard of were there, Sigh Savers, Oxfam, Care etc. All meetings in Ghana open and close with prayers. The highlights for me have to be the 30 minutes it took to approve the minutes of the last meeting (right down to every typo - poor minute taker!) and the regular breaks in the meeting for the rasta guy to perform a tune or 2 getting the big wigs to join in the songs!!! The meeting closed with a rap group singing to us before we went in to lunch. You can't have a meeting in Ghana without lunch provided and what they call 'snack' which is basically tea, juice and some heavy sandwich or sausage roll like thing at about 10.30am....perks up a bad meeting but if you want to hold a meeting you HAVE to find the funds for this, which can stop you holding the meeting as people won't come without what they call T&T!
Gosh there is so much to say...have been trying to make friends and socialise as well!!!
xxxxxxxxxxx
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