Even though I was extremely tired from all the traveling I was only able to sleep until 1:00am. Numerous factors played into this: HEAT, jet lag, new place, and completely new experiences. I was so sweaty and sticky and no longer tired at all! After laying in bed for three hours I was able to fall back asleep until 5:45am when I was awakened by the morning ritual sounds including: goats, roosters, sweeping (brooms made of twigs tied together with string-very loud), horrible American mixes of music, and the best of all (not), my host brother (3 years old) screaming while being given his morning bath. In Ghana people wake and sleep by the sun. The sun begins to rise around 5:30am and starts to set at 5:30pm. I continued to lay in my bed and drift in and out as I did not have to be anywhere until 9:00am.
Around 6:45am I finally decided to get up and go shower. I do have a shower (and will post pictures of it later) which was unexpected. The shower is outside and only has one temperature-cold, but that is actually a huge blessing 99% of the time. When you are always sweating a cold shower, in the wind, outside is a major blessing. I look forward to my showers every night and morning! Yes, we shower twice a day down here. Everyone, including Ghanaians shower twice a day to be clean and not sweat for as long as possible. Are toilet is a flushing toilet with plumbing, even more unexpected! We have a small stall with a lock for just my host family and volunteer sisters. You do have to have your own toilet paper, so I got to go buy that on the street today.
Evelyn (my host mother) cooks all of our meals for us. I am sharing a living quarter with a girl from Germany (Manon) and there are two other volunteers sharing another quarter (Eva-France and Karina-Germany). We all eat together for every meal as well. This morning we had white bread with way too much butter on it, but I was not very hungry, so I did not eat much. I went to the Dream Africa Volunteer Services office (Prince's office) with Eva this morning, so that I could meet with Prince and we could discuss what I would be doing, why I had come, and any other details he or I wanted to add. Prince wanted to meet at 9:00am, so Eva and I got there at 8:50am. This is where I got my first lesson in African/Prince time. Prince was not there (as I will come to learn as normal) and called around 9:30am to say he would be there in around 10 minutes. Well, at 10:15am he finally showed up and we sat down to talk.
I learned that I was not actually volunteering through Students Go Abroad, but instead with Dream Africa Volunteer Services (DAVS). I also learned that instead of working in an orphanage (as I had signed up and been accepted for) I would be teaching English and math at the school with Manon and Karina. Here in Ghana if you have an orphanage you have to have a school attached to it, so the orphans can still get an education (and it is free for them then). Prince started DAVS in 2006 and is the head of this particular NGO (non-governmental organization). He is very busy because he works full time for DAVS (does not get paid) and has a full time job as well. All the money that DAVS receives is from donors and volunteers. When I was done meeting with Prince, Eva and I walked to the "supermarket" near by. Along the way we stopped and got a pineapple (both a whole one and some cut pieces). The pineapples here are delicious, so much better than home. It is going to be hard adjusting to eating our fruits when they are so fresh and flavorful here.
When we were walking back to our house Eva had us take a short cut, however the rain caused some problems and we got stuck in the mud. Some local women helped us and probably thought we were crazy because we were laughing so hard. We thought the situation was hilarious! When we got back we all had lunch and the Albert came to take Karina and I to though school, so she could work and I could meet everyone. I Mama Viak (it is her orphanage that she started in 1954) and Master (he is the head of the school). I then met all the teachers and the students and can guarantee I not remember anyone's names. Communication is already presenting a problem as well as people here speak little English and have very thick accents! In Ho everyone speaks Ewe (Ay-Way), so talking so going to take time :) The school literally has no materials and the paid teachers are hardly teach (with the exception of the the 3rd-5th grade teacher-and he is only 20). This is going to be a very difficult job! I stayed and watched the last hour of teaching that Karina and Manon did and we then went back home.
We had to take a taxi home because the walk is 40 minutes (we will normally walk) and a rain and thunder storm started. Later that day we went to the market (like our Saturday and Wednesday markets only much bigger). Every fourth day is market day (today was not one), but the other day vendors are still there just on a much smaller scale. We all bought some items and then returned home. We had dinner together and then shared in out nightly routine of eating a fresh pineapple that each night a different one of us buys (for dessert).
It got dark and we all got ready for bed. Prince said he would get me a fan and a table, but Manon and I are supposed to be changing rooms and it is Prince, so who knows when any of this will happen! Bring on the heat!!!
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