Warning: My Ghana blogs are especially detailed because I had a lot of extra free time and pre-wrote this before I finally had good internet access to send it. You’ve been warned! Also, this blog site sucks and I don't know if it was the transfer from what I had written to here, but it refuses to make paragraphs for me! So it looks like one big blog of a paragraph. I've tried everything to no luck, so sorry about that!
Hahha! So yes, after a delay in getting here and a long sought desire to volunteer my skills as a physical therapist in a 3rd world country, I said I was Ghana do it (hahah), and I did!! I have to admit, started off a little rough with my bag being tampered with at the airport (after I had my bag plastic wrapped AND it was locked), wah wah. Granted, it could have been a lot worse because I at least I have the bag. What was stolen was a blue-green FIFA/Zakumi scarf (Zakumi was the mascot of the World Cup, “Za” means South Africa and “Kumi” means 2010) that I literally bought that morning... to replace my USA scarf that I literally wore everyday that was stolen at one of the townships earlier that week (darn it, what's up with these scarves being stolen?), my swiss army knife (always handy when traveling, especially the scissors!), a soccer ball necklace a special patient gave me before I left, an empty 8Gb USB (I had a 500 GB and 16 GB on-person) and these small portable speakers I brought, which has been nice to fill up those quiet nights with music. Luckily, my chargers/adapters were not stolen, and thankfully I was smart to not only have my electronics on-person (i.e. my netbook, my camera, an extra camera battery and memory card), but also my malaria meds. It always feels deceitful to have things stolen from you, but one thing that traveling teaches you is not to be so “attached” to materialistic things, and granted, I was just more sad about the sentimental things (i.e. gifts) that were taken. And as always, I believe in karma, so what comes around goes around.
A volunteer Becka picked me up at the airport and since I came in at almost 10pm, we stayed the night in Accra and were picked up the next day. So my introduction to Ghana was Becka saying, “oh yea... I discovered I had Antrax (what the?) when I got back to the States last year” (she volunteered here last year for 5 months and was back again this year for 6 months with 6 of her friends) and was hospitalized for 2 weeks. And then “oh... I had malaria too. Did I tell you that a few people got thypoid? And you'll probably get ringworm, some of the kids have it and some of us have it” and then she had all these weird wounds on her body. Hmm.... That was when I started to get nervous. I also didn't know what I was getting myself into by staying at an orphanage (umm... let's just say I don't have too much experience being around kids), but I tried to keep an open mind. Kpando (pronounced “Pando”) is a 3.5 hour drive from Accra, and I was glad that I'm not staying in Accra, it is a dirty, muggy, and crazy city. People everywhere, crazy driving... and very polluted. It reminded me of a combination of India, and Bangkok. We finally got to the orphanage and, well before we even got there, I was thinking, “yes, this is the 'real' Africa.” The street vendors, the apparel, the “homes,” or lack thereof. I have been sooo spoiled these last 6 weeks in the very Western South Africa, and now it's a little well-deserved wake up call.
Here's been my daily routine:
Wake up around 5:30-6:00 am to either roosters, goats or children playing/crying. As there have been 5-7 volunteers here during my stay, we rotate to who gets up earlier to help get the kids up and ready and also help with breakfast... yes, you read correctly, that actually entails me cooking (haha!). Then have breakfast of a boiled egg or omelette and fresh bread (very fresh and good!) with this different version of peanut butter (nut butter). Then take a 15 minute walk to the hospital. During this walk (and actually, anytime I walk), the children especially call out, “yevu” or “white person” in Ewe, the local language. The kids or people that have bothered to ask me my name call me “sister Ellen” (“sister” is used almost like a term of respect as well as to address someone older. It's super cute if you ask me!). The people are also very polite, and during my commute to and from the hospital you pretty much greet every person with, “good morning/afternoon/evening.” It’s actually very nice and sometimes feels like Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, but instead of houses, it’s huts and shacks. I'm at the hospital pretty much everyday from 8 am to 3-4ish, but that varies as well. Then I relax, hang out with the kids
and/or the other volunteers, do some work (I'm preparing lectures for my PT teaching volunteering in India) then we (the other volunteers and I) have dinner together (the kids eat separately) at about 6ish, which consists of anything from beans, plantains, fried yams, to many many rice variations to spaghetti, chicken and sometimes traditional dishes. Then usually hang with the kids a bit before bed at 8pm, after that relax again, do work, hang out with the other volunteers, etc. Then bed time around 9-10ish pm. Yup. And start all over the next day. I spend an average of 25-30 cents a day... no joke. And that is because I opt to eat lunch by the hospital versus at the orphanage, where I'm paying $110 a week for accommodations, water, and all meals. This is actually a lot when you see the lifestyle here, but it is mostly all going to support the orphanage, so I don't mind. Plus, I spent a lot of $$ in South Africa, so I'm more than happy to be living so basic and cheap!
I'll go ahead and summarize my experience and accommodations at the orphanage. 1St, the accommodations. Obviously the facilities are basic, if anything. The bathroom has no door. Because we haven't had that much rain (although it's “rainy season”) on top of already being short on water, there are typical water shortages so we conserve with things like flushing the toilet “when needed” (seriously. Kinda gross at first, but then you get used to it). Bucket showers aren't actually too bad. I did them in India and actually, you realize how much water we waste taking showers when you see how little water you need actually showering.
And it's so hot (90's F daily) that a cold shower feels pretty good. Our rooms are a bed with a mosquito net, a fan... and that's about it. The volunteers stay upstairs where there are 5 rooms and a bathroom, and we eat and hang out upstairs also.
The kitchen and kids are downstairs. In the “compound” there is also a separate kitchen/activity area.
Now, the orphanage. Pretty intense. When I got there, there were 21 kids. I had gotten the names of about 3-4 of them when a group of 11 came in and then about 3 days later... 11 more came. Whoa. This is highly unusual and crazy for everyone. Typically new kids had come 1-3 at a time and there have been around 20ish kids for the last year or so. It was high drama because we are NOT suited to house so many kids, so we overloaded some of the rooms and made a “bedroom” out of the “activity room”/kitchen, using these small foam mats as “beds.” The “original” kids are the lucky ones, with bunk beds. This place is crooooowwwdded (and loud!). THEN, as some of the kids are sent here from slave labor camps, meaning their parents get money by sending them there, there is the daunting task of trying to figure out who is actually appropriate for this place. We joke, but are somewhat serious, that this is more of a foster home than orphanage, I literally think there are just a handful of kids that are “true” orphans. So yes, quite a lot of confusion/challenges getting information, especially with the language barrier, but for the most part the kids are super cute, happy, and playful.
The “original” kids are definitely affectionate and loving.. the “new” ones were shy at first but by the time I left, they too had opened up, i.e. hang all over me. :-) I'm not going to lie and say it didn't take me awhile to not only get used to all those kids and the noise of all them (I think I'm immune to screaming and crying), but also being around it 24/7 when I'm at home. It can be exhausting sometimes. BUT there are the rare times that the kids watch a movie and ahhh... finally, peace and quiet!
The older kids really help a lot with stuff around the house and are almost like parents to some of the younger kids:
When they are not in school (which was part of the time I was here as they were on vacay), they spent much of the day in this small cement “playground” playing soccer, and hanging around.
The toys are minimal at best, literally a beat up soccer ball, some rustic trains and some books, and we try to entertain them by reading to them or having them read to us, and that is, those that can read or understand English. They (mostly the younger ones) are not allowed outside unless supervised as it is dangerous. Besides the local volunteers that help out, the orphanage really depends on foreign volunteers, and fortunately for them (and me!), a group of 7 missionaries have been here for several months and will be here for another several months (some for 6 months total). They range from 20-22 y/o, and they have been mostly helping and assisting with the orphanage and the community such as having bible in-services, taking the kids to school, teaching the kids (while they are in school), helping them with their daily activities/homework, then also helping “mama” (the head lady) with budgeting and financing. Becka (the “head” volunteer who was here for 5 months last year and who picked me up) spearheaded the group of 6 to come, and she is the leader and is involved with the “politics” of the orphanage, which is a whole other topic of discussion I'll save for a rainy day. I think it's awesome they are doing this at such a young age.
Generally, I have to say the people here in Kpando are very humble and nice, I think because life is so simple here. People laugh easily and have wonderful smiles and are very friendly.
Although the markets are kinda crazy,
the village is fairly quiet. Especially that most people are farmers and get up at the crack of dawn. I've felt extremely safe here and had no problems getting around, asking for help if I need it, etc. As I mentioned before, they are super grateful and appreciate of us “white people” being here. We are not only bringing tourism here, but slowly but surely introducing “Western” culture. Of course, some people are obnoxious about asking for money or things, “give me…” anything from my watch to the clothes on me, but others I would give every dime to help. It's actually difficult and has kept me up many times at night to try to figure out who I can help, and if so, how and how much (usually $$). I have given, but it never feels like enough. But again, the people here are sooo appreciative, thankful, and grateful, that that in itself makes it worthwhile.
The education system is... well, I have to say a little disturbing. Many times it is money that deters students from going to school, but even the ones that do go to school, the quality is poor. My friends here that were volunteers said that it is hard to see that families work so hard to get their kids to school, but then actually, school is sometimes a joke. Teachers salaries were very low, can be as low as $35 USD a month (ish), and that has deterred a lot of potential good teachers. But I hear now there are some governmental changes that raised the salary from around $2,500 USD a year to around $5,000, so hopefully that will bring in more qualified teachers. I would guess that the typical kid here is a good 4-5 school grades behind a typical US student. We have several 16-year olds at the orphanage that are in Junior High and some lower than that, which is difficult to imagine happening in the States. But because being able to afford school is so varied, it is not all to uncommon. Also, the “ambition” amongst the kids is low, which is difficult at times to see. It seems the children in general don't know what education will do for them since most of them will resume the family business of selling goods at the market or farming/fishing, and therefore, have a hard time understanding why what we are teaching them is important and how learning is important. NOT to say that some don't work hard, they do and want to learn, but the likelihood of going outside the small towns is slim. However, in our orphanage situation, I have to agree with the other volunteers, the kids here have an advantage in that we send them to school (the money that we are using to stay here is going to schooling and other stuff), but some kids just come to us older and literally have to start from scratch, hence are automatically “behind.” It's good that we are here because the kids are learning and practicing English with us and we constantly read to them and make them practice, so hopefully that will take them somewhere.
People always ask me about foods in differing countries, and I have to say it is carb-tastic here. Lots and lots of starchy foods, aaaaaand that's about it. The most popular dishes are fufu, kenkey, and banku – those are made of cassava, plantain, or yam and are mashed until the starch breaks down and it becomes a gooey ball, then cooked with no water to form an even gooier ball. Then it is either submerged in a light soup or stew or palm oil. Banku is made of cassava and corn and wrapped in a small plastic baggie, and after you unwrap it, you dip it in the light soup/stew.
Same goes for kenkey, which is made from corn (much tastier if you ask me!) and fu fu is made of cassava and plantain mashed together. Umm... let's just say all of them need an acquired taste. :-) Then there is “red red” or beans cooked in red oil (they put a lot of oil in things) and other spices and it goes with fried plantains. I ate “red red” pretty much every day, it’s my fave.
It is not only cheap (30 cents!), but good and filling (and yes, protein!). BTW, they put everything in baggies, and I mean everything... from water to the beans to alcohol (like little shots). It's kinda funny.
Although many people speak English, it is more or less of an official language here, there are something like 46 African languages and 76 dialects here, generally divided into the Akan, Mole-Daghami, Ewe, and Ga language groups. Here in the Volta Region, the common language is Ewe, and I learned a few basic words like “welcome” is “wezo,” usually elongating it like “wezoooo.” Which, by the way, instead of saying just “welcome” or “hi” in English they say “you're welcome.” So when I first got here and people greeted me by saying “you're welcome” and I would be like, “umm... thank you?” I quickly realized that it is pretty much used like a “hello” or “welcome” then in response you answer “youuuuuu” (really, you prolong it like this) which means, “okay.” Thank you is “Akbey” and in response, “fine” is “eeeeee.” “Efwa” is “how are you,” and you answer “yoouuuuu, akbey” like “okay, thank you.” Also, during my time you pick up some of their lingo, like “minerals” means pop/soda, “biscuits” is used for any reference to something cookie-like, “toffee” is grossly used for any candy. Instead of saying, “excuse me?” or “what did you say?” They say, “you said?” And when they speak of hurt or pain, they say, “it is paining me, it pains me” then... (hopefully) “it is reducing.” It's always funny to me to pick up the little sayings of a local language, and I definitely would not if I were to do a typically quick 2-3 day to 1 week visit, so it's nice to be settled in one place and to get accustomed to their culture.
Here is Silas in this AWESOME Superman outfit saying "bye for now!"
