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Published: March 9th 2009
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Hey everyone!
Well when I last left you I was just abot to set off for Ghana and I wasn't too apprehensive about it...well when I got off the computer that night I just thought to myself "Jane, what the hell are you doing?!?!". Anyway my flight from Manchester to LHR was good and I managed to meet up with a few people who were going out with the same company so that helped to relax me a little bit as it seemed like we all had no idea what to expect! The only other girl going out with me was called Charlotte and she'd just spent 6 months in Madrid teaching Engligh but she's origonally from the US so I can hear my accent coming back out a little!!! We also met up with two other lads; Matt, who is teaching golf (I know I didn't think there were any golf courses out here either!) and Kit, who is teaching basketball. Everyone seemsto be really nice though which is awesome!
When we got off the plane the heat just hit us like an explosion...it was 9pm but still 32 degrees C!!! Needless to say that by the time
I'd walked about 50 metres I was soaking!!! After we all got our bags we went out of the airport to chaos!!! There were so many people around, people with signs, people asking you if you wanted a taxi, people telling you to move on and people hissing at you! (apparantly hissing is the ghanan way to get your attention to sell you something!) Anyway we found our group leaders easily enough and piled into the tro tro (mini-bus) that the company owns. We came back to the accomodation, which is just a house surrounded by a wall with a communal living room and kitchen (although our meals are made for us). Charlotte and I got lucky and have a room between the two of us but there are 10 boys in one of the rooms with 2 sleeping on mattresses on the floor! Anyway we just chilled on the first night and got to know some of the other volunteers, everyone seems really nice and they were all telling us what to do and what not to do!
The following day (Sunday) we went to a hotel on the beach that had a swimming pool and just chilled.
It reaches about 35 degrees C in the day s it was lovey to have the luke warm swimming pool to jump into when we got too warm! I'm pretty impressed that none of us got burnt but I guess we're all of the opinion that we're here for a month or longer so we'll have loads of time to build up a tan!!! After an amazing shower at the pool (the first night they'd run out of water so I couldn't have a shower) we got a taxi back to the house and had our induction where we found out a bit about what we would be doing and also about placement. I'm going to be based at the football academy which is about 2 hours north of where we are now. It's called the "Right to Dream" academy and was started by the charity associated with global sports experience (the company I'm here with). Anyway they offer scholarships to 11 year olds every year who show promise in football and they then go to stay and play at the academy for 4 years. They have training in the morning then they attend school 11-4 and play football again
in the evening...to give you an idea of the standard of football some of these kids are playing at....2 just got back from a 6 week trial with Everton and 2 have just signed for Fulham!!! I'm a bit upset that I'll be staying out there in the week because all my group are based in Teshie in Accra but the experience to work with elite athletes sounds amazing so I can't really tur it down! (Plus one of theprogram leaders is a huge Sheff Wed fan so at least I'll have something to talk about!!!)
Today (Monday) would be the usual day for everyone to start placement but Friday was Ghanan Independance Day so today was a bank holiday (which I don't really understand because we went to the bank and it was open!!!) Like I said, we went into Osu which is in the centre of Accra so people could change their travellers cheques etc. I tried to use my visa in the cash machine but it was declined...obviously they think someone stole my card and is now trying to withdraw realy small amounts of money from Ghana! (Don't worry mum and dad, I've called TSB and
got it sorted!!!) We then went to a supermarket which we were assured was like a western supermarket.....to be honest, they did sell loads of stuff but because it was all imported, it was super expensive (I'm talking about 10 quid for a box of cornflakes!!!) Anyway left there with a coke light (40p) and a fan ice which is ice cream in a plastic bag that you tear the corner off and suck the ice cream out...soooooo good in the heat!!! We then went back to the compound before going to the beach for a bit of sunbathing and football! I've taken loads of pictures of the township areas and the beach so you'll see ow crowded it was...you can only swim in an area about 50m in length because the currents re so strong so everyone crowds in there! You get hassled quite a lot by people trying to sell you things but they're all super nice and accept when you decline politely! Its really weird here because the people will just come up to you in the street and ill shake your hand cos they're genuinely pleased to meet you! To begin with I was like "whats
the catch...what do you want me to buy" but they are really just being friendly!!!
Anyway I think I've written enough for now! Sorry I've been rambling but I wanted to give you all a good idea of what I've been doing!!! I'm off to the academy tomorrow and I don't know if I'll have access to the internet so I'll probably write again next weekend.
Hope everyone is well and send me a comment!!!
Lots of love
Jane xxx
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Jenny Mc
Jenny McGuckian
wooo sounds great and pics look fab!! i wana go on a tro tro!! n hav a fan ice!! n there is an outside gym...amazing!! keep having fun xxx