Ghana can be overwhelming to the senses. It is a country of contradictions to ones sight, smell, and taste. During the day, the sun blinds me as I walk to the trotro station and then to school. As dusk falls, the sky darkens and is lit by giant bolts of lightning. If I sit on the porch, it’s like sitting in a theater as I watch the lightning echo throughout the sky. When I walk through the market, I’ll smell fresh peeling oranges, burning plastic from burning garbage (Ghana’s solution to waste management), baking bread, and the open sewers that run in deep ditches along the streets. Each smell is distinct but hits me all at once. The local diet is very simple; it consists of mainly rice or cassava with some sort of stew. Eaten on their own, rice and cassava are very bland. Whatever is put on top of them is always laced with spices that satisfy the Ghanaians.
My work in Ghana consists of me teaching JHS 1, the equivalent of the United State’s seventh grade, at small governmental school. My students are feisty with an eagerness to learn. It’s been a really fun month watching my students learn and really begin to understand the material. They all are passionate about football, dancing, and food. Ghana is a country of great dancers. It’s intimidating dancing next to my twelve year old students who can out dance professionals. The schools go on Easter break soon which consists of a five week long hiatus from the classroom. In that time I plan on working as the art director at an orphanage that rescues children who were sold into slavery on Lake Volta, the largest manmade lake in the world. There, they are sold to the fishermen who will abuse the children in horrible conditions. The orphanage is a great place for the children to go. They receive an education that supports them through college or vocational school. I am really excited to begin work here. Ghanaians, especially the students, are very serious and are not often challenged to think creatively. At school, I struggle to get my students to think abstractly. At the Art Center at the orphanage, the children get to express themselves. Art supplies are close to impossible to find in Ghana so it is a rare opportunity that they don’t pass up. The orphanage values art as therapy. In my recent visits, I was amazed at the language the students were using to speak about their art. They opened up about their pasts in their paintings. Emotions were displayed in full color on their papers. It was the first time since I arrived mid February that I heard anybody describe how they felt and actually think about why they were feeling those things. I all ready have lots of projects planned for the kids that include making “emotion” masks to help the children learn how to label their emotions, creating flags for their own countries while discussing the world and other countries, and putting on a play.
So far I’ve gotten lots of travel in on the weekends. Earlier in my trip, I travelled to Mole National Park for safari. It was not what I expected – we got to walk right up to the elephants! On that trip, I also got to see the oldest mosque in West Africa. The culture in the North is very different from that of southern Ghana. It’s predominantly Muslim while the rest of the country is Christian. The climate is dry and scrubby, an extreme contrast to the lush, green, rainforest of the south. Two weekends ago, I travelled to Cape Coast for a getaway with some other volunteers. The coast had a laid-back vibe. There were many other volunteers there. The afternoons were spent visiting historic sites from colonial times, laying on the beach, and joining football matches with the locals. My favorite part about being a volunteer and travelling around is the camaraderie between travelers. Everyone becomes instant friends, inviting each other to join them for meals and sharing stories.
I miss home but must admit that I don’t have much time to think about it! In just a few weeks I’ve learned things about myself and the world that I am so grateful for.
Cheers,
Jane