The first 4 days are over and I'm already in love with this country!
I don't even know where to start. Let's start with some Infos, my flight and what I did the last days.
I applied for my project in Ghana through the German organization Auszeit-Weltweit and got connected to the Ghanaian organization ARA (Agriculture and Rural development Association).
Right now I have a Ghanaian SIM-card in my phone, but my whatsapp still works with my old number and I have internet on my phone. To upload the photos from my camera I need to wait to get to an internetcafe - so for now just bad quality phone pictures.
I applied for my project in Ghana through the German organization Auszeit-Weltweit and got connected to the Ghanaian organization ARA (Agriculture and Rural development Association).
Right now I have a Ghanaian SIM-card in my phone, but my whatsapp still works with my old number and I have internet on my phone. To upload the photos from my camera I need to wait to get to an internetcafe - so for now just bad quality phone pictures.
I landed at the airport after two comfortable flights with more or less sleep, nice food and I even watched a film (The fault in our stars). The aircraft really provided a lot of luxury - e.g. a huge variety of films and music - and I felt a lot more comfortable than expected. Also the stop in Addis Abeba (Ethiopia) was very interesting being now almost the only white girl. Actually a lot of Asian people where there (even one with a Badminton racket case on his back!!) and almost all Asians wore those masques to cover your mouth against germs. Kinda weird... anyway!
A lot of black people had an European way of dressing but some also traditional long ropes(?)/dresses with lots of colours. One guy seriously had a tight see-through-net-shirt on. Yes he was fat. Yes that was the worst clothing style I had ever seen. :-D But the other outfits I often really like.
A lot of black people had an European way of dressing but some also traditional long ropes(?)/dresses with lots of colours. One guy seriously had a tight see-through-net-shirt on. Yes he was fat. Yes that was the worst clothing style I had ever seen. :-D But the other outfits I often really like.
When I arrived at the Accra airport in Ghana the nice warm (not too hot) weather welcomed me and right away one of the airport staff "ripped me off" 10€. He helped me with a Tourist Form everyone had to fill in and kept asking for more and more tip and didn't let me go until he started laughing and I just left, a bit confused but laughing about myself for making myself look so stupid. But now I even learned how to bargain at the market! No one ripps me off anymore! :P
From the airport a driver, who was sent by my organization, came to pick me up. Very interesting ride through the center and later the outskirts of Accra and I had no clue yet where the journey went. But the destination which was wating for me was the paradise of the last 4 days.
Yes, paradise. A house with rooms downstairs and a huge terrasse upstairs with e.g. a tablefootball, 24 other cool German volunteers, so nice people from my organization, nice food and fun things to do all day.
I arrived and it didn't take long that I felt like home straight away. Just ten minutes after I arrived I went with some to the beach only around 100 meters away. After that I got to know some of the mentors, which are Ghanaian people from the organization who will be there for us during the whole time whenever there is a problem or anything we need to know. Nicest funniest coolest most open minded people I've ever met! (Little shout out to my broder from anoder modder! :-D)
The rest of the day we talked about do's and don'ts in the host families. That was one of a serial of other seminars which most of them I had missed, because I arrived on friday, but the other volunteers where there since monday. Therefore the others already went to their host families and projects the day before yesterday (sunday) and me and six others who also came later were staying there until today morning. But we all exchanged numbers and will meet from time to time.
I arrived and it didn't take long that I felt like home straight away. Just ten minutes after I arrived I went with some to the beach only around 100 meters away. After that I got to know some of the mentors, which are Ghanaian people from the organization who will be there for us during the whole time whenever there is a problem or anything we need to know. Nicest funniest coolest most open minded people I've ever met! (Little shout out to my broder from anoder modder! :-D)
The rest of the day we talked about do's and don'ts in the host families. That was one of a serial of other seminars which most of them I had missed, because I arrived on friday, but the other volunteers where there since monday. Therefore the others already went to their host families and projects the day before yesterday (sunday) and me and six others who also came later were staying there until today morning. But we all exchanged numbers and will meet from time to time.
Right now I'm driving to Koforidua with Paula, another volunteer, and George, one of the mentors, where I'll meet my host family for the first time. So in the next days probably the tough part starts when I'll come to the project (mine is teaching at a school) and in case I don't get along with my host family straight away - but let's see, I'm very optimistic actually!
Well but now I have to tell you why I'm in love with the country!
First of all I love the food, even though most of it is too spicy for me, but I'll just have to get used to it. I'll soon post some pictures of Kurikuri, Batong, sugarcane, how to eat oranges here and other nice food (with explanation ;-)) And whenever you want a snack you just get it everywhere on the streets for very little money!
I love the attitude of the people, always friendly and open and even when you think at the beginning they are being angry sometimes (at the market, when you're bargaining for example) they're never really as serious as you think, a joke is almost always appropriate - everyone has a lot of humour here! Everyone is so friendly! And besides the fact that lots of men want to marry you (which can get really annoying), you can talk to everybody and ask everything (- obviously there are also bad people like all over the World, but I'm talking about the majority). But if you ask for directions better ask at least three people because everyone tells you something. Even if they ain't got no clue. It's 'cause nobody wants to say: 'I don't know'. Especially not to an Ubruni (White Person).
First of all I love the food, even though most of it is too spicy for me, but I'll just have to get used to it. I'll soon post some pictures of Kurikuri, Batong, sugarcane, how to eat oranges here and other nice food (with explanation ;-)) And whenever you want a snack you just get it everywhere on the streets for very little money!
I love the attitude of the people, always friendly and open and even when you think at the beginning they are being angry sometimes (at the market, when you're bargaining for example) they're never really as serious as you think, a joke is almost always appropriate - everyone has a lot of humour here! Everyone is so friendly! And besides the fact that lots of men want to marry you (which can get really annoying), you can talk to everybody and ask everything (- obviously there are also bad people like all over the World, but I'm talking about the majority). But if you ask for directions better ask at least three people because everyone tells you something. Even if they ain't got no clue. It's 'cause nobody wants to say: 'I don't know'. Especially not to an Ubruni (White Person).
I love the whole atmosphere of the country, the weather, the way the people all live outside their houses. They just go inside when they sleep or go to school (at least in the outskirts it seemed to me like that).
On the streets you can always buy everything (literally everything) and people always sell you stuff while you're in the car.
The traffic is as every European imagines it here - horrible chaos - and the streets in the outskirts have so many huge holes. In the city though the streets are good and have huge gutters for when it rains very strong. The highways I saw until now are quite good as well, but there aren't many.
The rides in the Trotro (one way of transportation like Taxis or buses) are always cool and a mean of public transportation.
On friday and saturday evening/night we went out to a beach bar (drove there with the Trotro) where you could play pool, smoke shisha and dance dance dance.... I love how everywhere you go there is loud music all day. And also on saturday morning, when we attended a school opening (Building the school was a project by another German organization working together with ARA. Around 50 people and the future students - little kids - were coming to celebrate the opening.), music was played after a few speeches and everyone was dancing dancing dancing - I love that!
On the streets you can always buy everything (literally everything) and people always sell you stuff while you're in the car.
The traffic is as every European imagines it here - horrible chaos - and the streets in the outskirts have so many huge holes. In the city though the streets are good and have huge gutters for when it rains very strong. The highways I saw until now are quite good as well, but there aren't many.
The rides in the Trotro (one way of transportation like Taxis or buses) are always cool and a mean of public transportation.
On friday and saturday evening/night we went out to a beach bar (drove there with the Trotro) where you could play pool, smoke shisha and dance dance dance.... I love how everywhere you go there is loud music all day. And also on saturday morning, when we attended a school opening (Building the school was a project by another German organization working together with ARA. Around 50 people and the future students - little kids - were coming to celebrate the opening.), music was played after a few speeches and everyone was dancing dancing dancing - I love that!
Now just a few general things I find interesting: First of all I'm not having any cultural shock - maybe it will come once I'm at my family, let's see.
Before I came here I had heard the sun would go down very very quickly, but that's not true. I mean it goes down very early and always between 18 and 18:15h, but you can still see it going down slowly, it takes like 30-60 minutes I think.
Also at the night you don't hear a lot of cicadas (Zikaden) as I expected, but even louder you can hear frogs, they are crying all night long - very loud. But it actually doesn't bother me, I fall asleep very easily and it's not too hot to fall asleep either.
Talking about living things.... Mosquitos. You know I use a mosquito spray every evening for skin and clothing, I have a mosquito net and try to wear long bright clothes. But I get still soo many bites, I wouldn't be surprised if I get Malaria. But no worries, the people here know how to treat it quickly in order to avoid long term effects. And it's so normal here that they really are experts.
Alright I think I talked enough. I'll try to upload every week, but probably not as detailled or long as today, because now I really had a looot of things to tell. :-D
My first conclusion is: I love Ghana!
Let's see what my next one will be! :-)
Talk to y'all soon! :)
PS: Right now we're in a Taxi stuck in a huge market not being able to move, eating Ghanaian ice cream and doughnut. :-D
Two hours later went from Taxi to Trotro and now we're on the road! :)
Two hours later went from Taxi to Trotro and now we're on the road! :)
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