Living it up with the Locals and some Refugees too

Hello again,

This past weekend I had a ton of fun. Friday night we invited the volunteers who don't live at the hostel (some have host families) over for a movie night, but because the outlets in our rooms haven't been working for a few days (that means no fans- gah) we turned out kitchen into a cozy theatre. We made tea and attempted popcorn on our little gas stove but that was a bit of a disaster, haha.

On saturday I ventured out on my own to Tema, to meet the penpal I have been in contact with since the summer! I left around 9 am from Ofakour and took a tro-tro to Accra, where I got off and walked to another station to continue onto Tema. Along the way there was a guy at the front who I thought at first was a preacher, but turned out to be some kind of ginseng salesman, handing out boxes of ginseng jelly and rubbing green liquid on people's foreheads. I had no idea what he was going on about most of the time because he was speaking in Twi, except for when I knew he was talking about me when he pointed and said something about the "obruni".. suppose I did stand out a little, haha. I bought Fanmilk (ice cream in little bags) and plantain chips off people selling them from the top of their heads while traffic was stalled. When I reached the end of the line around noon, I didn't really know where I was so I called Irene (my penpal) and handed the phone to a woman nearby who was really friendly, and said she was from London but living in Ghana for about 25 years. She told Irene where I was and I sat with her, drinking a Fanta, until she showed up about 5 minutes later. Her husband was on the phone with her as well, waving his arms in the air until she spotted us. We ran towards each other and hugged.. she's real! The couple (who I really wish I could remember their names or gotten their phone number to tell them everything went well) told her to take care of me and I thanked them, and we set off in Irene's boss's car, who was there as well, happy to drive us around all day! I couldn't believe it, see how friendly Ghanaians are? lol
We toured Tema a bit, which is an industrial port city with lots of factories and warehouses (they have Nestle!) and then we continued on to Akosombo for some more sightseeing where we saw the famous hydroelectric dam that provides over 60% of Ghana's energy. We were let in even though we didn't have a permit and the guard even gave us a tour! After that we went to a little craft market where they were making beautiful jewellery right there, and I bought a bracelet and Irene insisted on buying one for my mom and wanted to buy for my sisters and friends too but I told her I was here long enough that I would have other opportunities, hehe.
We continued onto the Volta hotel/restaurant which had an amazing view of the Volta River, the largest man-made river in the world. Before that we went to a place where they give boat tours but they were closed. We had dinner (she had a Ghanaian salad but I went for the American fried chicken and french fries.. I caved, ok?) and then headed back to Tema, where we stopped at a photo studio to get dressed up like African royalty and take pictures.. so fun!!
Irene and her boss (whose name I also wish I could remember.. not like I could even pronounce it properly at the time though, haha) drove me all the way back to Ofakour, getting lost twice on bumpy back roads. But it was all good and I had such a great time with them, just me and a couple of Ghanaians, seeing things from their perspective. I look forward to seeing Irene again and it's really nice to have a local friend!

On Sunday, I went with Julie from Australia, Marina from Switzerland, and Gizelle from England to Buduburam, the Liberian Refugee camp nearby. We went with Mary, a nurse at a clinic nearby where some of the volunteers work, because she lives there and invited us out to go to church. Mary is such a sweet lady and the camp was really something. It's been there since 1990, a haven for Liberians escaping the brutal civil war that ensued. Everyone was super friendly and Mary introduced us as her "good friends from around the world" and a lot of people were excited that Julie was from Australia because thats where most Liberians want to go, haha. Little kids would wave and say "white lady, how are you?" or come up and shake your hand and hug you. When we arrived, there was a crowd of people that Mary said were about to leave to head back to Liberia. There are quite a few people who decide to go back as things are settling down, but many feel it still isn't safe. We saw what UNHCR (United Nations High Commision for Refugees) was providing in the camp as ration lists were posted, as were lists of people who were chosen for repatriation in a number of western countries. Mary showed us the little house her daughter grew up in and where she lives now. Modest accomodations to say the least, and everything was built by the people themselves. We went to 2 churches but spent most of the time at CHRIDA, the Christian Interdenominational somethingrather.. it was amazing! Church in Africa is quite an experience. People are passionate to the point of tears and dancing and singing in the aisles.. it was infectious! The content of the service was pretty moving as well.. about how "the land of Liberia will be restored" and that one day everyone would follow their destinies wherever it took them. The preacher even pointed us out to the congregation and wished us luck in our endeavours, whatever they may be. It was really special.

My work at the orphanage continues and a typical day for me there begins at 7:30 am and ends at 5 pm, and I'm busy the whole time. Yaw is looking stronger every day and I'm making sure he spends time with other kids and other volunteers so that we don't run into problems after I leave.. There are a couple of kids who have tantrums all the time because they got so attached to a volunteer who isn't there anymore. I hate to be just one more person in their lives to leave them, but I'm doing everything I can for now. Yesterday after a particularly stressful day, there was an old man who payed for my tro-tro transit on the way back from Kasoa and consequently brightened my day. Sometimes things get crazy, and I come home covered in spit-up, food, and other unmentionable substances, but I really feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. I love this place.

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Part of trip: Ghana

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