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.