Blogs from Central, Ghana, Africa

Jamestown is the oldest part of Accra where the British set up their first encampment. Today it is a poor, chaotic fishing village within a bustling city. Ladies preserve fish by smoking them and then sell the fish in the street. The heat and the smells are challenging. There are beaches in Ghana, long sandy beaches pounded by Atlantic waves. But there are few beach resorts and few tourists. We stay in one resort which is a little rundown but run well by smiling, helpful staff. We sleep to the sound of the surf. There are also slave castles on the coast, established by the British, French and Portuguese. Walking round the places where slaves were interred, processed and shipped out is chilling. Africans capturing their fellow natives for money. Europeans shipping them out for money ... read more

International Airports are so comfortingly alike in their customs and procedures, always, reassuringly, involving a passport, a queue and, invariably, a bit of a panic and, with all these elements in place, I was welcomed into Accra. Readying myself for the ‘wave of heat’ that I had been assured would hit me once I exited the terminal, I was surprised and, admittedly, a little disappointed by the muggy, sticky drizzle that darkened the unfamiliar sky; the pacifying sound of rain jarringly juxtaposed with unknown surroundings and the hum of an unfamiliar tongue. “Madam Olivia!” I heard my name called from deep within the crowd. “Madam Olivia!” I heard again, the voice full of warmth and kindness. After having met just once before in the UK, Seth had become a true friend; a fellow teacher, in the ... read more

In my first blog I forgot to write about the language. English is widely spoken, since Ghana was a British colony. Besides, the country has MANY different languages but the most spoken language is "Akan". I left Accra and went to Cape Coast. Getting there was an ordeal! Benjamin went with me so I could take the tro-tro (local small bus) to the Cape Coast station and from there continue to Cape Coast. First the buses wouldn’t pass, or they were full. And it was warm! Then I finally got into the tro-tro to the station. Here I needed to walk just a little bit to go where the buses depart from. The station is as chaotic as it gets, pffff! Once I found the Cape Coast bus, I bought a ticket, paid extra for my ... read more

Here are some more photos from our time it Kakum.... read more

I can't believe it's already Saturday again!!! The days here are so long but the weeks fly by. Last Sunday, brook, one of the other volunteers here wasn't feeling so hot. We all have gotten on and off sick with GI bugs here and there, but she actually spiked a fever so we decided to go to the clinic. Sundays are days of worship here- mass on Sunday typically goes from 9am to 1 or 2 pm and is basically a giant party- lots of singing and dancing. I wish church was like that at home! Anyways, because it was Sunday there was only one nurse, a friend of ours named Francisca, working the clinic. She didn't have access to the medications and the lab was closed, so we had no way of getting brook a ... read more