http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ghana/Volta/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Ghana , Volta en-us Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:26:33 BST Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:26:33 BST I don't think I ever need to see another goat cow or chicken cross the street Malaria is widespread in Hohoe. Our house mom has fallen ill to it and one of the teachers at my school also has become infected. They tell the volunteers not to worryit's just like the common flu in America. The only people who die from it are in remote villages who cannot reach a doctor to take the pills. I'm not http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-306732.html At 600 a.m. tomorrow morning I hope to see a trotro to Accra stopping to pick me up beside the road at the top of the path to my home for the past seven weeks. Ready to be home and seeing family and friends starting over with a new career aka finding a job finding a home purchasing a vehicle and paying over 4 per gallon and rising for fuel getting a phone and new cell phone plan al http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Lake-Volta/blog-305105.html Part of Paul Kpairsquos vision for economic development of his Have community and surrounding region is to promote tourism in the stunningly beautiful Volta Region. With that in mind Paul treated Celia me and Jason another Village Volunteer in Have to a complimentary day tour of some of the most impressive wonders in this vicinity. Lucky me I got to do the tour again with the newest vol http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Lake-Volta/blog-305079.html The day following our river trek Paul took us to another river spot a short drive from Kpeve town. No rice farming in this spot just the peaceful quiet beauty of the river fishermen boats and fisher family activity in open huts on the shore. Looking across the river at this place is an island or what looks to be an island on which Paul dreams of having an ecotourist resort for all incom http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Lake-Volta/blog-305075.html Since I last wrote in my blog there has been a lot thatrsquos been happening here in Ghana. I think I last left on our trip to Wli waterfalls. Wehheelll since then we had more of the school work more Sunday church trips and an amazing trip to Cape Coast with the girls. The girls consist of Sister Lucy Sister Susanne Sister Lindsey and Sister Emily. Yes we are referred to as Sister so now I http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-304424.html Hi everyone I don't know where to begin There's so much to share with youI've been mixed with many emotions about Hohoe bc there are so many issues here but the people are so welcoming and friendly. I have not been able to walk down the street without every single person saying welcome and asking how my day is. Please know that I'm very safe hereSchool is stressful but in a different way than http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-303692.html Knowing the Dayi River was somewhere west and not far from Have I asked two of Florencersquos our cook nephews Richard and Samson to escort Celia and I to the river. They confirmed that we could hire a fisherman there to take us out in a boat hand hewn from one log. The 1.5 hour trek from HaveEtoe town to the Dayi River took us past town residentsrsquo farms growing mostly cassava y http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Lake-Volta/blog-303635.html Well I made it to Ghana My first experience traveling from the airport to my town Hohoe was very difficult. On our way we arrived at a large bridge. Unfortunately part of the bridge was beginning to collapse. A piece of the bridge had fallen into the water below earlier that day. The police wouldn't let any cars go over it. Our leader pulled some strings and settled on an agreement with t http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-301044.html So I am really bad at blogging so that is why the previous entries have been by Emily. The time in Ghana is flying by it is crazy. I am can't believe that it is already the 15th We took a trip this weekend and got to see a little bit more of the country. It was really great Emily Marisa our favorite australian LucyEngland Me and Susanne from Switzerland all headed out of Aflao and w http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-300134.html A day at an outreach clinic Celiarsquos boyfriendrsquos research project spontaneous weekend trip across border to Togo capital city of Lom. Hadnrsquot planned on visiting Ghana neighbors though heard border crossing was easy. Well it ishellipif you are Ghanaian But still relatively simple for a visitor. During down time at an outreach clinic in a small village called Ando No http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-299663.html So I heard that everyone who leaves their country gets sick... It makes sense but since I had never been out of the country I had no idea it would be like this...Last Saturday night I was not feeling too well which I took as my body getting used to the food the atmosphere etc. Sunday morning I woke up sick to my stomach. No big that is also a part of new foods. Then I checked my temperature. 9 http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-296655.html So it's been a little bit of a busy week... well I think so because I am extremely exhausted.We have 3 new people in Aflao now. So after Lucy Anna and I there is now Lyndsey and Emily from America and Susanne from Switzerland. Unfortunately Emily has been in hospital for the past few days. She got sick less than a week after arriving here and her sister Lyndsey is also sick but not to the ex http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-294903.html After six months in Kenya and two months in Ghana I am now at the final post of my first African journey. My new roommate Celia and I arrived from Accra on July 11. Celia from Rome Italy studies anthropology at Brunel University in London. She is 21 years old and has traveled extensively including trips to several other African countries and fluently speaks Italian French German Span http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Lake-Volta/blog-294893.html Our last week in Ghana has been very good. We ran into Joanie and Phil again in Hohoe pronounced Hohway. A wonderful small town in the Eastern Volta region of Ghana. We enjoyed a couple of evenings of food and conversation with them and they very generously let us borrow their cell phone so we could make phone calls home. Surprisingly Ghana has been the hardest country for us to call home http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Lake-Volta/blog-292865.html We began teaching at a school yesterday. I am teaching 3rd grade English and Lindsey is teaching 2nd. The school is roughly a thirty minute walk from the house and it is called Christ is King. Religion is huge here. The school has open classrooms with only a blackboard separating them. In my class of 24 none of the children have textbooks. The books that I am teaching from are from 2001 and 1984 http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-292474.html I received my placement today Here's some info about the Suzzy Mother Care School...It's a perfect fitMission and Needs of the Partner ProgramSuzzy Mother Care School was established in 1996 to provide quality and affordable home care and basic education to kids in and around Hohoe in the Hohoe District of the Volta Region. It was founded by Suzzy Millicent Deh.The school currently has about fi http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-292089.html Sooo...we flew standby because it was saving each of us about two grand each. This means that if all the seats on a plane were purchased that we would be booted to the next flight. We arrived at the Atlanta airport at 5 am on Saturday and got booted off of three flights before we finally got in the air and made it to New York City. By this time we had missed the one flight to Accra Ghana...we s http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-291672.html So... it's been a tough weekend in my world. Not a whole lot to tell you about since my last entry but gee whiz. This weekend SUCKED HUGE BALLS. Apologies to my family I don't mean that sentence in too rude a way. You know when things just keep getting worse and worse. Well that was me this weekend. For this weekend Lucy and I decided to go travel to Ho again the capital of the Volta Region s http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-290703.html As most of you know by now I have a wonderful opportunity to participate with a nonprofit volunteer organization called CrossCultural Solutions CCS. CCS places volunteers in countries around the world in partnership with sustainable community initiatives and brings people together to work sidebyside while sharing perspectives and fostering cultural understanding. With my background in h http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-287236.html So itrsquos been a pretty exciting week. I am doing more teaching in the Grade 4 and 5 English classes and the kids are starting to ace the tests which makes me pretty proud. I sat in on the sex education class and was a bit disappointed in many ways. I gave them a test 13 questions and most averaged at 4 12. So I was bummed. I gave them same test to do over the weekend so they could do their http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-285872.html So we all know that I have my own problems even speaking English but now I have been lumped into some of the older classes between 1014 years old to teach correct pronunciation and reading. I'm Australian. We speak Australian slang So I find myself accentuating the BE in because instead of 'coz' But the kids are at least listening to me the white lady yovu. Today I gave them a test on th http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-283737.html So its 13 days since I arrived. And of course I was bound to get ill at some stage But let me just tell you this was the a case of Bali Belly times 10 or so in one night. I'm sure you don't want to know details but I will tell you anyway because it was kind of funny So Jordan calls me at about 7pm and I wasn't really in the mood to talk because my stomach was just feeling horrible. So i q http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-281164.html So it's day number 5 here in Aflao. It's been very very interesting so far. I guess it started on the plane when I sat next to a Ghanaian. He asked me where I was going in Ghana and I told him to Denu in the Volta Region. He laughed... a lot. This was a sign of things to come for me He said that I was going very far out and that it is not a very good place for a young girl. I thought well fan http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/blog-277917.html Here are some photo's of my trip back to Ghana. http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-277344.html So my apologies for being so terrible about updating this past month or sohellip But no fear no that I am officially done with classes procrastination is in order. Therefore here it goeshellipOk so sometime around 12 April Eleanore and I finally made it back to Aburi to rent some mountain bikes. There was rumor of a baseball game against ldquothe Cubansrdquo thatrsquos how it wa http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Lake-Volta/blog-276208.html Today was my last full day in Ghana and I thought I would just relax and say goodbye to a few people. I should know by now that nothing goes to plan in Africa I spent most of the day in the hospital from hell. Stephen that I know has a second cousin or some kind of relative that lives beside him. He is only 5 years old and called Johnny. Over the last 2 weeks I have seen him going about and thoug http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-275813.html Only 5 days left in Ghana I knew that 2 weeks would go past too quick. There's so much I could do here or places to visit but not enough time. This time next week I'll be back at my desk at work there is no comparison to life hereWhen I was here last year I randomly met an artist called Kofi who I bought some paintings from. I remembered roughly where he lived so on Friday morning I set off http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-275408.html The locals often say to me 'Don't you worry......' After typing my last blog I headed straight for the hotel swimming pool to cool down because it was so hot. After the rain storm on Monday the skies cleared and the heat has been unbearable. I was just getting ready to dive in the pool when I realised there was no water in it The pool was being repaired. 'Don't you worry.....' said one of the http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-273765.html I'm finally back in Ho 1 year and 2 months after I left I've made it back. When I first came to Ghana in January 2007 I thought it would be a one off that I would never do it again but after 8 weeks I knew I would have to come back one day. I met so many great people and had such an amazing time at Prince of Peace school and the SWODC orphanage that I had to come back.There has been no inter http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Ghana/Volta/Ho/blog-272879.html