Ghanaian weddings... not for the "faint" of heart

well this past week was full of 1st's for me! its seems as though i get busier and busier as time passes; meeting new people, going new places, and getting new assignemnts constantly! But its great, and i like the fast pace...

this past saturday i accompanied my host mother to a "womans group" as she called it do to an HIV AIDS presentation. I was looking forward to it, as it was held at the local university and many of the women were in the in health field. When we got there... i realized this was a womens religious group, and the entire 5 hours was exactly like church. I was a little dissapointed, and also just needed a break from the religion activities here: its been a bit of an overload as both my host mother and father as pastors. So by saturday afternoon the idea of going to church all sunday was just too much - so i called my regional coordinator in search of an escape! haha. and that he provided! Mike (RC) had arranged for a few other volunteers to attend a Ghanaian wedding! I jumped at the idea, because i've never been to a wedding... let alone a Ghanaian wedding.

So off i went, i meet a few other volunteers which was really nice - people to talk about your experiences with! The ceremony was going well... the bride hadn't arrived yet but the festivities were in full swing. we were singing and dancing.. when i started to feel, not quite right. so closed my eyes hoping it would pass... only to wake up on the floor in the arms of a fellow volunteer and 10 worried ghanaian faces pearing down at me! haha, i had fainted... because of the heat (it was 36 degrees... outside). i was pretty embarassed.. haha, and a bit shocked because i've never fainted before. But i got some fresh air and water... and managed to get back on my feet by the time the bride arrived. but the rest of the day the families were talking about the "obruni who suddenly fell!"


i'm really loving every day here. there is always a new challenge or experience... and i'm finally able to find my way around the city. There are no street signs and the place is always packed full of people... but i'm starting to become accostomed to the chaotic streets, and might actually miss it when i come home!

I've also made plans to head down to Cape Coast and Mole National park when Kate arrives! I can't wait to do some travelling around Ghana! Until next time! cheers :)

living on Ghanaian time...

"i want to make you fat" says the host mother... haha. in ghana, it is considered a compliment to tell someone they are fat, as it is a sign of wealth and status. As well, host families feel that if you gain weight during your stay with them... they have taken very good care of you. its interesting adjusting to this cultural norm when in canada/us/westernized countries... its skinny skinny skinny.

the foods here are okay... some of the traditional dishes are a little harder to swallow. the textures and flavours are quite different... but the fruit and freshly prepared food every day is fantastic! The rice dishes tend to be my favorite... they make fantastic sauces, and thankfully my host family goes easy on the spice!

my days teaching at the vulnerable childrens school: "Fiasi" are going better and better. Its amazing how much you can communicate without a mutual language... even with 4 year olds. The older girls are great... and most show so much interest in learning how to type, computers, and other important vocational skills.

This past weekend I went to Lake Botsumchi... which is the largest natural lake in West Africa. It was created my a meteorite (spl?), and is worshiped by the local communities. Of course I was dying to get in the water and swim... and as soon as I did i had a swarm of eager ghanaians asking me to teach them how to swim. It was so much fun; definitly used my previous teaching methods from good old CBSC to teach the children and adults how to float... glide, and some of them were actually swimming fairly well by the end of the day. I had a great time and hopefully will go back once more before the end of my trip.

till next week!

i have officially been in Ghana, West Africa for 2 weeks today... and it feels so much longer, and yet shorter at the same time. The first few days in Kumasi were both challenging and interesting. my host family is amazing; so welcoming and friendly - so i feel right at home. the only slightly awkward moment arises when the father (a pastor) asks me questions about my religious background. i dont dare tell him i'm not baptized or dont really believe in christianity teachings... but he's an interesting man to talk to. There is a very big religious influence in Ghana - where asking someone what church they belong to is as common as asking what their name is.

my placement so far is going really well to. i work at two schools; an all girls school once a week teaching basic sciences, math, and english. for those who know me well, the fact that i teach english with my horrible spelling skills i find quite hilarious... haha. the other school is for younger children, ages 4-9 who's parents are currently living with or have died from HIV AIDS. they are a special group of kids, and do not speak english. it makes teaching them very very hard - such a huge language barrier, but also so rewarding. Once a week i will do work with the local sex trade workers - doing HIV AIDS presentations, as well going to the hospital to work in a counseling question answer office on sexual health. so a very well rounded experience in terms of social and health work... and I'm surprised at how much i love teaching,

I'm starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin... literally... haha. it was pretty hard at first being so visibly different, but i'm adjusting to it now... and am learning to cope with the amount of attention i get when i walk down the street. until i make it to the office again! cheers :)

Kumasi!

i made it up to kumasi on saturday afternoon and so far things are going well! my homestay family is really nice, and the city is more traditional than Accra. the placement is going well... only first day though - haha found out ill be doing a lot of teaching and not just health work. getting yelled at all the time is starting to get tiresome... but the kids are adorable and in kumasi they sing an obruni song when you walk by... so that always makes me smile,

I have to run because we're heading home for the day - hopefully be able to post again soon! cheers :)

an obruni in Accra...

well my first week in Accra Ghana coulnd't have gone much better. my orientation has gone really well, and I only have one day left in the capital before heading to my placement saturday morning. i have nothing but positive things to say about volunteer abroad.. they have been fantastic, and definitly recomend them to anyone who has interest in doing work abroad.

the week started out with a few days taking it easy and checking out the local area... everyone wants to talk to the obrunis in town! haha, thats what they call white people in Ghana = obruni. I'm starting to respond to it as though it was my name - and have never felt they are refereing to me with that term in a negative sense. they are nothing but curious and want to hear where you're from and why you are in ghana. the children especially are very interested and will run up and try to touch your skin and wont know what to make of us pasty white folk! haha, little girls in particular always ask to touch my hair and giggle to themselves calling me yellow...

we have spent the past 4 days doing language and cultural training - and i gotta say, twi/chi isn't as hard as i had initally anticipated. its coming along really well and i'm hoping by the time i head home i'll be pretty fluent! we also spend our days learning traditional Ghanaian dance and drumming. They are both challenging and really really fun to learn... and our teachers are very patient with us "obruni's who can't dance." haha. We have learnt two traditional dances and the drumming that goes along with them... I have to say i love the drumming. The past few days another volunteer and i have just been playing and enjoying the drums whic are hand made by our teachers! yesterday we went to see two of our ghanaian friends dance... and they were beyond fantastic - it was actually unbelievable how talented they were. They sand dance and played the drums, and it was such a humbling experience... they were amazing.

we've also spend days on the beach; cleaning up and looking around. sights included... the crashing waves, children running around, and a mama pig with her pigglets, haha. yes, pigs, horses, and lots of garbage can be found on the beach... so there are only a few beaches in accra you can actually swim at... which i find so painful, because i LOVE to swim! we did make it to a beach for a day of swimming and it was fantastic... but i also learnt that very few ghanaians know how to swim - and are discouraged when they are children to play in the water... mostly because of the dangerous currents along the coast.

I have one last day in Accra for orientation, to work on my twi/chi and learn how to cook two traditional Ghanaians dishes! I'm really excited... cheers till i make it to an internet cafe again!

Here!

So i arrived in Ghana just over 24 hours ago... after a solid 16 hours in a plane, with no breaks because my layover in Frankfurt consisted of sprinting from one Gate to the next and just barely making my second plane...

But i'm here and its amazing so far, the house i'm staying at is amazing, and i'm loving every minute here so far. i dont head up to kumasi for another week, and will do cultural and language training here for 4 more days. haha my twi is slowly coming along! Everyone here is incredibly friendly and fun to talk to.

i have to run because i'm running out of time on my internet - but hopefully i will be able to update regularly! cheers :)

and.... i'm off!

after preparing and organizing for a very eventful 2007 I finally start my travels tomorrow! I will be heading off to Accra, Ghana for a week - then up to Kumasi which is 5 hours north of the coast. I will be working with the Africa Hope Foundation of Ghana (AHFOGH) for 2 months doing HIV AIDS awareness work. I'm so excited I can't even begin to express myself properly but I know it will be the experience of a lifetime!

The city I will be living in; Kumasi is in the Ashanti region, home to one of the most well established kingdoms in pre-colonial Africa. It has a rich history and culture and is known for it inviting and friendly atmosphere.

The local language of the Ashanti region is "Twi" - and I'm hoping that my bi-lingual past will come in handy while trying to pick it up. The curency is cedi.. and they will have recently introduced a new "cedi" due to terrible inflation,

Ghana is known for its spectacular beaches, very friendly public, and full of culture and tradition;

Holiday Shinanigans 06-07

the past 3 weeks have been extremely action packed and busy. chrismtas at home was fantastic and i loved every day i got to spend at home with my family and friends. my holiday break started in Toronto visiting my old roommates and friends from good old University of Western Ontario;

Jennie, Dallas and I invaded Krissies basement for 3 nights... marathons of greys anatomy, hilarious gift exchanges and nights out downtown made for a great time...





Then I was back in BC for just over two weeks. Managed to go boarding up at mount baker with the fam and to Grouse with Ang. A 3 day 2 night trip up to Surrey Lake wich included hockey, snowmobiling (which i had never done before = awesome), making a fire every night to keep the cabins warm, and many bottles of wine... and it was beautiful up there, (more pictures on www.facebook.com)
Grouse

Then New Years 2007 - to bring in the new year we all ended up at Tindles beach place dessed in our best 1920's outfits... (pretty weak, but we did what we could with short time). Serious dance moves were on the dance floor all night... it was a fantastic celebration!