Leaving Ghana

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I'm at the airport, waiting to get on the plane. *Sigh*. I SO don't want to go home! I have had such an amazing time...



I left the volunteer house at about 7pm, I stuck my head around the kitchen door, and told people I was leaving, then I kind of got engulfed with hugs...Ryan and Shauna said they'd walk with me up the road to where the taxis drive past, and then Freya came too, and she carried my big rucksack for me. So sweet of them.



Got my taxi, gave the girls a hug goodbye and I was on my way. The taxi driver wanted to know all about life in England, and was asking lots of questions about why England let homosexuals be homosexual. I asked him if he was a Christian, and he said yes. So I told him "Some people in England believe that God made people gay. He loves everyone. So we shouldn't hate. And if you hate or harm, then you're sinning yourself. Leave it to God to judge". He had a little think about it and then shut up. I was trying to enjoy the last hour or so in Ghana, drinking in the sights whilst driving to Accra, feeling the warm breeze through the open car window, but this guy had other ideas. He just wanted to chat and chat and chat. It wasn't too awful I suppose.



I got to the airport, and found a place for a sneaky cigarette. Then a guy followed me over there (I was doing my "don't mess with me" strut). He then said "Can I have your number?" so I told him no ,I was leaving Ghana. He then said he liked the way I walk (well that backfired!) so I gave him a fake number. FYI, I am so sorry to the person somewhere in the UK who has the mobile number I've given out a few times since being in Ghana! (Whoever you are).



I eventually found another place to smoke, near some Obrunis who were also smoking. I figure if I were to be arrested, at least I would have company! Also,I figured that men would not come over to me if they didn't think I was alone. No such luck. Got chatting to an old guy named Robert. He had fled Liberia in the war, and settled in Ghana. He worked as a farmer, but then got injured. He showed me his foot, and if he had been in England, I think he'd be in hospital. They pay for prescriptions here, and even though he didn't once ask me for money, I realised I had 10 cedis in my wallet. Now, you can't change cedis back to pounds once in the UK. It was literally about £3.50. So I gave it to him. He told me God would reward and bless me. Actually, the taxi driver told me similar when I said I'd been volunteering. Sweet.



The airport was confusing. You had to go to the desk for immigration, and fill in a form saying where you'd be staying etc. The same form I had filled out when I had arrived! Weird. I then decided I was hungry. Except I'd given my cedis away! So I had to (!) spend $15 (USA) on M&Ms and Maltesers and drinks. Ha.



The scary moment of the day was being stopped by a lady in the airport who was wearing rubber gloves, with the badge saying "Narcotics officer". This made me nervous as Freya had told me that her friend from back home had been subjected to an anal probe/seach upon leaving Ghana to check for drugs! She wasn't stopping every person, just some. She asked me why I was in Ghana (volunteering) and she asked me what the name of the orphanage was. Errrrrrrrr!!! I scrambled around the depths of my brain trying to recall what I'd seen on the facebook page that one of my friends ha liked, and blurted out "Hope....assurance....orphanage......assurance of hope....in Teshie Nungua". She eyeballed me for a minute, then smiled and said "Oh - have a safe flight". PHEW! I did not want to undergo the same search as Freya's friend!



I managed to avoid long drop toilets for the most part in Ghana. I mean, there was the nasty toilet at Kokrobite, which was just a concrete floor with walls. And no toilets at the school, but that was ok as the volunteer house was very westernised. But tonight, just before I boarded the plane, I went into the toilets. One was engaged, and so I opened the other door. It was a long drop. With a huge, steaming turd just sitting on the floor. I started heaving and ran for the door. Yuck.



Tomorrow I will post the "Reflections" post I have in mind about my time here. Things I will miss about Ghana. Things I missed about the UK. Things I learned in Ghana. And other random thoughts I'm sure!



Right, time to board the plane now I guess. Goodbye Ghana 😞

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