My How Time Flys

Tomorrow is my last day in Mampong. I'll most likely be leaving Thursday in the afternoon. There's a small chance I'll be here until Friday but it's not so likely. I cannot believe it. This month has flown by. I'm a little torn by it too. I wish I could be here longer. It doesn't seem like I've been in Mampong at the Babies home and with Richard and Mavis very long. Which by the way they're wonderful. (I should make a post about them...) BUT I can't wait to be home eating normal things again. Four more days and then here I come, back to America...

Mole Mole Mole Mole Mole

On Sunday night at around 6 o’clock we got home from Mole National Park after an 18 hour car ride. We left at 4 a.m. Yikes. The trip was phenomenal: definitely one to remember. But we did get off with a bumpy start. Regardless everything worked out and we had a fantastic time.

We left on Thursday morning so we had to get two days off at the Babies Home. We had a one and a half hour trip to Kumasi and from there waited around three hours for the bus to take us. It never left. We were told it was leaving at 9 as we arrived at 7:30. 9 came around and there were four passengers on board. Three of them were us… So we made a few phone calls and in the end the bus driver helped us find another bus that was leaving sooner. He even walked us there, paid for our tickets with the money we gave him for buying our tickets to his bus, and we were on our way! People here are so nice! He helped us even though it put him out three passengers and 60 cedi. We were on our way within the hour. Our bus however, smelled like, well it just smelled awful! I’ll spare you from the details on that one. It was really bad. But we were just happy to be on it. 

Arriving in Tamale. We got there in time to visit the market. It was unlike any market we’ve been to much more confined and dirty and squishy and just no fun. It was easy to get lost, feel trapped, and run into people (usually with bowls of dried fish on their heads). We weren’t there for long. Our hotel wasn’t too bad. Running water, a fan. Then that was that. We were so excited to go to the National Park the next day! 

The next morning. We were all set and ready for the SYTO bus to pick us up at 7 in the morning and took our stuff outside and waited for again, a vehicle that never came. We waited it out for a couple hours due to “Ghana Main Time” as they call it. (everyone is always late here that’s just the way things are) We ended up calling them and through a sequence of calls and uncertainty we found out that they sent a text to everyone saying they’d be at the hotels at 5 am for pick up. None of us got that text. They ended up getting someone to come and get us. We arrived at around 1 after an extremely bumpy trip in a truck filled with six people. 

That day. We went on a walking safari, which is just a fancy description for a hike. We saw mostly antelope, but some monkey’s and warthogs too. We were hoping for elephants. We saw their tracks, which fed our hopefulness. Then we heard them! I was so excited! But I only saw one for a second then the trees hid him. We weren’t able to get any closer because they were near the water and they get dangerous when water is around apparently. The scenery was beautiful through! It was so green! But it the terrain varied in different places, some areas had lots of swirly trees, some with plains of grass, some swampy areas, and some with just lots of dirt. Our eyes never got board. We booked a room for the next two nights in the female dorms. There were four sets of bunk beds I believe and then two Australian girls were on mattresses on the ground. Lobke and I decided we wanted to enjoy the nice weather and scenery so we dragged our mattresses outside and slept on the porch. I don’t know if it was such a great idea because animals just roam around like it’s nobody’s business. But we were safe. And we woke up to the beautiful, hazy tropical scenery.

The rest of that day… We went on a jeep safari. We sat on top of the jeeps, but it was safe I can assure you , there were seats up there and everything. And we just drove. I felt so liberating. I absolutely loved it. We didn’t see a ton of animals. But it was still fun when we did. Then the jeep stopped and we got out and walked. We didn’t really know where we were going, and then suddenly behind some trees, there were elephants about 10 feet away from us, wild elephants. It was the most incredible thing. They’re so big and calm and beautiful! I loved it! That was my favorite part of the trip to Mole. We were there for a while enjoying them and then set back off to base. After that we went canoeing. It felt like I was in Disneyland on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and the Indiana Jones ride. The trees were twisting through each other and shooting up this way and that, they had no pattern, or sense of direction or anything. After that we went to a Muslim mosque in a nearby city whose citizens live in mud huts. The mosque was alive before America was. It was made in the 1420’s and is still used today. Then we went back to the hotel. Where we swam, ate, got crackers stolen out of our hands by very assertive baboons, and later our empty drink cans swiped from us by the same baboons, and just relaxed.

                                                   

The next day early early early in the morning we left for home for 

another three days and then… well that’s all for Mampong.

The Obituary of Pia

Sorry about all these delayed posts, BUT I am posting. 

Last week Pia left. Forever. Now I’m roommateless and sad. She had plans to go from Accra to Cape Coast and then to visit Kakum National Park. Those plans fell though. So she was in Accra for four days doing who knows what! She was a good friend who I really connected with right off the bat. I only knew here for a week and a half but already we were sharing stories and telling secrets. She attended to me when I was sick, and I attended to her mosquito bites. 

Fly home in peace.

Happenings of One Week Ago Today

Church… 

I know it’s been a week but it’s been a busy one. Filled with leaving roommates, trips to town, and of course working at the babies home. But I wanted to write about church last Sunday. 

As we were driving through town on my way here the very first time from Kumasi I was shocked and thrilled to pass a sign that said Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Visitors Welcome. Though there was literally a sign for the church, there was no sign of the church anywhere. No steeple, no nothing. I had been wondering about it for a while and then finally Pia and I figured it out. It’s above an MTN store which is a very popular cell phone company here. You take a back entrance which leads you to a place that looks like someone’s house, go up some stairs and there you have it. A decent sized room with fold-able chairs set up and a little pulpit. There was a small sacrament table set up with two boys who looked a little younger than me sitting behind it and two others of about the same age sitting in front. I was so excited to be there. 

There was only one member of the bishopric present and from my understanding he may have been from the stake presidency which if that were the case is there a bishop? I don’t know. But he came and shook mine and Pia’s hand and welcomed us. 

The beginning of the meeting was all in Twi so we didn’t really know what was happening. Then he asked us to come up and bare our testimonies. Yikes. Pia isn’t a member so after I gave a introduction of who I was with a shakey uncertain testimony due to the language barrier, I introduced her and explained her case. They were sympathetic. 

The meeting itself was amazing. It was just the typical church day for everyone else, but for me hearing a room of about 50 Ghanaian members of the church sing a’capella hymns louder than congregations I’ve been a part of with an organ and more than double of this much smaller group, brought tears to my eyes. It was so powerful. There talks were right on as well. They were luckily in English. I loved seeing that even though I’m miles and miles away from my comfort zone and miles and miles away from the church’s base, there are still people just like me here: people with my same beliefs. The church is so constant and so universal, I love it. 

After sacrament meeting we were asked if we wanted to attend Sunday School. I was all in, Pia was all out. So she left and I stayed for the other two blocks. They asked why Pia didn’t want to stay and I told them she doesn’t believe in God. After that one, they weren't so sympathetic. “Oh! No no no, why don’t you make her believe then!” Sunday school was really nice as well. I was very impressed. Relief Society; completely in Twi. So for that one, it’s good Pia left. I don’t think she would have liked that at all. I wish she would have stayed for Sunday School though. It was still good though, I liked seeing the dynamics and just being there. I wish I could have gone this week! Hopefully I can pull off next week. That is the day I start my departure though. At least the temple I’m thinking that can certainly be done. Cross your fingers. 

My Project

If you want a life of chaos and screaming babies come join me at the Mampong Babies Home. I’m not exactly sure how many children are there but it seems like there are around 3 trillion. It’s a lot of work. Not hard work, but dirty work that comes in large quantities. Today will be my third day there.

 I didn’t go yesterday because I was sick. But not to worry, everyone gets sick. And it went as soon as it came. I’m good now. For the most part. Pia my lovely Norwegian roommate took wonderful care of me including cutting up her towel to make a washcloth to put on my head and cooling me down with, buying me some coke, and forcing me to drink it. Mavis helped a lot too. She went out and bought me some medicine, kept me company, was constantly worried, and said she would pray for me. And I guess it all worked wonders because I was up working again today.   

It’s hard because the “mothers” there speak Twi, and so do the kids. Some know English but Twi is there native language so it makes disciplining, and complementing an issue. All the kids need so much attention and it’s hard to give it to all of them because there are so many there. The kids all come from families where their mother has died, usually in giving birth to them. So the fathers have put them in this home because they either can’t afford to take care of the babies on their own, think the baby is cursed due to the mother dying in childbirth, or doesn’t have the resources to keep take care of the baby while they’re working. They’re supposed to come back for babies when they turn a certain age. Many don’t. Then it’s up to Social Services on what to do with the kids, which becomes completely up in the air at that point. Adoption isn’t really implemented here. People can hardly afford to take care of their own kids so why would they want to take on anyone else’s. Some of the kids are getting to that too-old age though.

The workers at the orphanage “sister’s or mother’s” as we call them, don’t really treat the kids the best. They’re probably tired of working there and the work is draining, don’t get me wrong. But they’re pretty rough and tumble with them, lots of yelling too. It’s strange. Maybe it isn’t as bad as it seems to be. Most of the time I can’t understand what they’re saying so who knows maybe it’s all peaches and cream.

A day’s work goes as follows: 

1.  Arrive at the babies home at 8 o'clock
2.   Attend to the babies who have all been put in one large crib who are usually crying, playing with the blinds, drooling, climbing on top of each other, doing normal baby things
3.  Take them out of the crib, lay them on the mat on the floor, change they’re diapers, put on nappies (plastic outer shell with a cotton little blanket type thing for absorption
4.  Take them all into a separate room, feed them 
5.   Bring them somewhere else, bathe them, powder them, dress them, put them in cribs

                                                       Leave

It’s around 10:30 and we have until 3 for a break, then we go back to the home and:

1.    Play with kids 
2.   Feed the older kids. (with your hands… and the food looks like vomit and is hot and you have to roll it up into little balls and feed it to the kids who are swarming you and running around all at once. 
3.  Then we change the babies again and get them ready for bed, mosquito nets down and lights out.

Doesn’t sound like much, but boy are we exhausted by 7 o’clock when we’re let out usually covered in puke and with aching backs. 

And that my friends, is the Mampong Babies Home.

                  








Me, Lobka, 
Carline, &
Pia at the
Babie's Home

Going to the Chapel and We're Gonna Get Married

The wedding. We didn’t go to the actual ceremony. But more of what would be the equivalent of the reception. It was all in Twi so we didn’t really follow very well, but it was still fun. Lots of singing, dancing, praying. Just like any other religious type thing we’ve attended here. The bride who is Richard’s sister, was so happy to be married! Her husband lives in the US so he had to head back right after the wedding and left his new wife here. She can’t actually meet up with him in the states until she gets a job offer there and a Visa.

It was at someone’s house in their veranda. They decorated it all nice and put chairs and tables up. Then there were speeches, dancing, all that jazz. It was a pretty wild first day but lots of fun as well.  

Good Morning Welcome to Your Bucket Shower

The bathrooms here: washroom, toilet, whatever you want to call it. They're really something else. 
No running water. It's no Pink Hostel that's for sure. You walk in, there's a big garbage bag filled with water and several buckets. So I mean pretty self explanatory:
step one: fill the buckets
step two: gather your nerves
step three: poor the cold cold water over your head
step four: clean yourself
It actually isn't too bad though due to the heat. Refreshing actually. It just takes your breath away initially.

The toilets aren't as bad as they could be. They're a normal toilet, they' just don't have running water. So you run the water. No flushing. So you grab a bucket full of water and dump it down when your done. I like bathrooms at home. Perhaps this is an excuse to shower even less? I think so.

    
      


Here we are...

A Bumpy Start

I've arrived in Mampong after a seven hour bus trip which equated to that of the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland. It was so. bumpy. Luckily I wasn't there was air conditioning on it and I wasn't alone. Brandon the Canadian boy in our group traveled with me. His project is still five hours away from mine but we have the same base.  Kumasi.

The scenery was wild! There were tree's and green, lush, tropical plants everywhere. It was beautiful. You see goats roaming the side of the road. And people holding animals that look like little beavers that people are holding by the tails along the side of the road and then the words "don't urinate here" written on walls, and you better believe that is necessary. I saw a woman holding up her dress, standing up and peeing on the wall off the side of the road the other day. What?! I haven't the slightest clue how she managed that.

We got to Kumasai and where brought to the SYTO office here. Brandon and I parted ways and I was showed around town. I was able to buy a converter so that was real good. It works and everything! Now the only problem is my electricity. It's a bit unreliable. After that Mavis came to the office and picked me up. And off we went to Mampong! It was a long trip because of the traffic: tro tro and taxi. A little scary because I didn't know what was going on but fun too. I'm always gawking out the window at everything around me and sometimes people gawk back, mostly kids, because I'm one of the few white people around. Then you just wave and they either get real bright white, wide smile's on, and wave back. Or they give you a bashful little grin and turn away.

On the way there Mavis' sister met up with us. She said "this is my sister, she's coming for the wedding tomorrow and you're invited!"...

"Com You Need To Look Deep into Your Drum, Concentrate"

Drumming is something I'm bad at. I learned that today.

This morning we woke up and were told. "hey you're going to take the tro tro today!" well not quite in those words but something like that. So after breakfast that's what we did. We took the tro tro to the SYTO office. Tro Tro's let me tell you, they are quite the little form of transportation. I'll probably do a post sometime on the traffic system here alone. They're these vans that have been rigged to hold much more people than they really should. Literally they are stuffed. It was only us on the tro tro however, so we didn't get quite the experience, but it was a good start. We were able to learn how you get to where you need to be and how they work. So for next time, we'll be ready for the crowd.

Next, we had some free time to do whatever. So we went to a place called Oxford Street where there are quite a few vendors. Nothing like the market, but still plenty of people who tug, hiss, and shout at  you trying to get you to buy their stuff. I didn't buy anything though I'm happy to say.

After that we headed back to the office for a dancing and drumming lesson! But when we got there we were all so. sweaty. It was 86% today with 94% humidity. Yikes. We cooled off a bit and then Stephen came and taught us how to be African dancer's and drummers. It was lots of fun. Not only that but I heard some noises that I wasn't sure humans could make with their mouths. The drum language he calls it. The drumming, it really tricks ya. You think it's an easy thing to do but oh are you wrong. Bruises form on your pinky's from the "slap!" and looky there ya suck at it. Well everyone else managed but, me, not so good. I was actually the worst. I thought about it too much and then my arms were paralyzed. But it was nice to just close your eyes and listen. Our instructor, Stephen has such a keen ear. He could pick up on every individual person and advise the on different things. It was really captivating. 
I loved it.
He also makes drums for the volunteers. I can't fit one with me, but they are really something.

Those were the major events of the day. Tomorrow you ask? Cooking.

Day One

Today: 

We woke up at around 6:30 this morning, which actually wasn't as hard as it sounds. Had some breakfast. Headed to the SYTO office where we all met as a group. Together we were taught about the culture. Told the do's-and-don't's. No using your left hand. Unless completely necessary. That hand is for the dirty work. We were also warned about marriage proposals. Apparently they aren't a rare thing! Have I come across one? Almost. Came reaaaal close. A Ghanian was speaking to be at the beach and just about asked, when I was saved by a SYTO representative with a call to go.


We went to the beach today as well. It was lovely! People just swarmed and try to sale you everything under the sun! I'm not the best at saying no, so I think this may be a good time to learn. Did I get suckered into anything? Youbetcha. I bought a painting. What? Yeah, a painting. Don't get me wrong, it's lovely, but it's a painting. Completely unnecessary! Oh well. I also rode a horse. On the beach. Double first timer. Never ridden a horse, never been to Africa. Never ridden a horse on an African beach. 

Rastafara

After a bit of an rough start. I've made it to Ghana!
My first flight was delayed. Which left me arriving in Chicago the same time I was supposed to leave. I was running to the gates to my London flight. I made it on luckily, but my luggage didn't. So I'm in Ghana, where it's humid, hot, sticky, and I don't have my luggage which means so shampoo conditioner, CLOTHES. (well I do have some but not a lot.) No Malaria pills. No bug spray. Not. Good.

But... 
I love it. Ghanians are such a nice people. They're all so lighthearted and easy going. They tell you things like "no worries, there are hard times but remember you are in Ghana. Don't worry about anything, just remember things work out always." They call us volunteers their angels.