Until We Meet Again

I've been home now for four days and I'm already missing Ghana. The contrast in lifestyle seemed so much more dramatic coming home rather than going there. I think when I went I was initially overwhelmed by the whole process - packing, flying, figuring out where I'm going, group orientation - but eventually I became accustomed to daily life in Ghana.

The front yard of the volunteer house

Coming home, I had to remind myself that I can drink the water from the faucet, and I won't have to clean my feet every night. The electricity probably won't shut off for a few hours on any given day just because, and I will no longer be woken by roosters in the morning.

The Dodowa market

But those things I can easily adjust to. I really didn't mind drinking filtered water out of a bag, especially since it was available almost everywhere and very cheap. Being constantly dirty was just something I got used to and no one else minded, since everyone was dirty. The only thing I ever needed the electricity for was lights, and when it went off we used candles or flashlights instead. And eventually I did learn to sleep through the rooster calls in the mornings.

Joseph and George

There are so many more things about Ghana that I will miss more than the things that remind me it's good to be home. There are vendors on the streets everywhere that carry giant bowls, plates, or boxes on their heads with all types of food that you can buy. Most is ready-to-eat food, which is convenient when you're on a long trotro ride and start to get hungry. The vendors come up to trotros and cars whenever they're stopped, in traffic or at a light, and sell everything from water to snails to bowlfruit.

The beach at Kokrobite

Bowlfruit is essentially a fried ball of dough, like a doughnut but less artificially sweet. I've seen women make them on the street, they let balls of dough sit in hot oil until they're fried. They're absolutely delicious and, at 30 peswas (about 21 cents), super cheap. They seemed to be a favorite among obrunis (foreigners, strangers), as opposed to the skewers of snails or blackened fish that are also commonly sold.

Cape Coast Castle

The canopy walk at Kakaum National Park at Cape Coast

Another favorite of mine are FanMilk products. FanMilk makes Fandango, an orange drink, but the best are Fanchoco, Fanyogo, and, my favorite, Fanice. Fanchoco and Fanyogo are sort of like italian ice that comes in a plastic wrapper, chocolate and strawberry flavored respectively. Fanice is more creamy like ice cream, and is vanilla flavored but it tastes just like birthday cake. They're a nice and delicious way to cool off on a hot day.

The kids love to play table tennis

I will most certainly miss how friendly everyone was. At home, I was taught to always err on the cautious side, and to not trust strangers. But in Ghana, everyone is nice to everyone, and especially to the obrunis because they most likely don't know what they're doing. It was so easy traveling anywhere in the country because if we didn't know what trotro to take or how to get to a restaurant, we only had to ask anyone standing around. Everyone was more than willing to help. Some people would lead us 5 or 10 minutes through the streets or the crowded trotro parks just to help us find our way.

Hand-painted beads for sale at the bead factory

I will especially miss playing with the kids, giving them love and attention, as I know they don't receive a lot of that, in part because of the nature of Ghanaian culture. But unfortunately, love and attention only goes so far. It won't feed them or clothe them or quench their thirst or keep them warm at night. It won't keep them healthy or provide them an education. Volunteering is the first step, and it's a great step and a solid foundation, but there's so much more to do now that I've seen it all first-hand.

Raw cocoa

It's hard watching the kids who work so hard at their schoolwork but are still getting nowhere near the education that Word of Faith provides. Realistically there's not much of a future outside of Dodowa for the kids in public school. In an ideal world, I would sponsor every one of them to go to Word of Faith, but at $800 per year for primary school and $1000 per year for junior high and high school, even sponsoring one on my own isn't too plausible.

Feeding a monkey at the monkey sanctuary in the Volta Region

What's more, the store room at Worcsa often runs out of bulk food and the orphanage must come up with money to buy more or search for groups and churches willing to donate. A bag of rice, that will last at most a week, costs 200 cedis, and a bag of gari costs 260 cedis. The kids also need tomatoes, spices, and other supplementary foods. In addition, sometimes two or three kids a week have to go to the hospital for suspected malaria or some other type of illness or ailment. The volunteers usually pay for the trip as well as the medicine out of pocket.

Me and Kim (a fellow volunteer) with Sophia, Gifty, and Victoria

There are so many things of which Worcsa is in need. It's hard going there and spending a month with over seventy amazing kids, who are so happy and smile constantly despite what we would consider their hard lives, and not being able to give them everything they need. I feel almost guilty coming home to an air conditioned house, eating whatever I want from my refrigerator, and sleeping on a comfortable mattress while I know not much has changed over there. I guess it's sort of like reverse culture shock. I see everything people here waste and take for granted, and I know how much the kids could use the "spoiled" food we throw away or the money we spend on clothing.

Mercy with a mango slice - one day we cut up 18 mangos for all of the kids

I definitely want to continue a relationship with Worcsa. I want to help as much as I can, even if I'm not there myself. I'm hoping to organize some sort of fundraiser to benefit the orphanage, something that will hopefully provide a decent amount of money for food. I also definitely want to go back and visit at some point, possibly while I'm abroad next spring or after if I travel.

(clockwise from top) Junior, Kukua, Momyama, and Israel

I wish I could put into words how it felt to spend time with the kids. They are so happy and so loving and so caring. When I arrived every day, they would crowd me at the door and one or two would try to jump into my arms or asked to be picked up. I wish everyone could get to know them the way I did, to know all their likes and quirks and habits. Israel speaks very little English or Twi but he likes to play hand games. Irene and Abana are best friends, and if one starts crying, the other will too. Gifty loves to braid hair and make goofy faces for the camera.

Me with Kukua

This has been an amazing and truly inspiring trip, and I'm so glad I did it. While I may eventually forget the sound of Mercy's laugh or the feeling of Akos playing with my hair, I'll always remember the joy it gave me to see the kids smile.

Godwyn, Richmond, Stephen, and Kamasalay at the Word of Faith bus stop

If you'd like to stay updated about fundraisers or are interested in making a donation, please email me at mfrost3@u.rochester.edu

The Last Days

Yesterday I went to the Culture Market in Accra. It's a huge outdoor market that sells everything from fabric to carvings to drums, and so many more things. It was pretty stressful because all the shop owners were yelling at us to come look at their shop, saying "looking is free" and "no pressure to buy," but of course they put a ton of pressure on us. If I even started looking at something they would name me a price. And of course the first price was always ridiculously high. One man told a girl that one yard of fabric was 48 cedis, and eventually she got it for 8. You have to learn to be firm and assertive in order to not get ripped off.

I only have the rest of today and then I leave tomorrow afternoon. I have an overnight flight but the airport is about an hour and a half away so I have to leave in the afternoon. It's really hitting me now that I'm leaving. When I first signed up for this trip, I thought 4 weeks would take forever. But it seems like it's gone quicker than it possibly could. I've really bonded with some of the kids, especially a few of the younger girls, and it's going to be hard to say goodbye. Last night I was lying on the picnic table in the courtyard looking at the stars with a few girls cuddled around me and lying on me, and we all started crying at the thought of me leaving on Friday. How often in life will I be in a situation like this? To be constantly surrounded by loving, caring kids who are so happy, despite the seemingly hard lives they lead? The girls kept asking me to come back. I really hope I do get to come back and visit someday.

There are 3 girls who were here for the night who were some of the first volunteers of the Worcsa program. They're traveling around West Africa and are spending some time here. A lot of the kids remember them and are so glad to see them again, although not all of the kids were at the orphanage yet a year and a half ago when the volunteers were here. It's strange to think about how everything might change or if there will be new kids if I come back to visit.

This will be my last update from Ghana. When I get back I'll be able to post some more about my trip, and some pictures as well! See you back in the US!

Volta Region

Even though the rainy season in Ghana lasts for several months, it still seems like no one has gotten used to it. When it rains, everything slows or stops. Last Thursday it was pouring all morning, so getting all the kids to school went extremely slowly. Breakfast was late because it took a while to make the fire to heat the pourridge. We waited for a while to see if the rain would stop so we wouldn't have to walk to school in it, but it never did. One of the girls told me that if it didn't stop raining, she just wouldn't go to school because her exams were finished anyway. Finally, we had to force all of the kids to trek through the mud and  streams that had covered the roads to get to school. There was legitimately a small river covering the path on the way back to the volunteer house.

On Friday morning after we got the kids to school, 4 other volunteers and I left to go to the Volta region for the weekend. A lot of the kids at Worcsa are from that area, some are even from the two towns we stayed in, so it was exciting to see where they're from. When we got to our first hotel in Hohoe, we were informed that one of our rooms was double booked so we would have to pay for a more expensive second room. Despite arguing with the hotel employee for at least half an hour over it, we were still forced to pay for the more expensive room. If that happened at home, the hotel would have at least offered us a discount of some sort. Like I explained before, there's a huge difference in customer service here. If the employee had offered us a discount, he would have had to pay for it out of his pocket, so he just didn't bother.

Saturday was a very full day. We went to the Wli waterfalls in the morning, the highest falls in West Africa. They were breathtaking to see, and the spray got us soaked. Along the path there, our guide picked us fresh cocoa fruit to eat! (The raw fruit tastes nothing like chocolate.) Then we went to the Tafi Atome monkey sanctuary. Our guide gave us each a banana, and if you held it out in your fist, the monkeys would jump on you and take a piece of it to eat!

It's getting down to my last days here, and I'm starting to feel really sad, even though I do have 5 days still. I'm at the mall today because I need to print out pictures to make a poster of myself to hang in the orphanage before I leave. I need to come back tomorrow, and there are several other things I need to do here before I go. I'm already feeling a bit overwhelmed, like I won't have enough time, but I'm sure I'll get it all done. Being away from the kids for even a weekend is difficult, I can't imagine what it will be like having to say goodbye to them on Friday..

Cape Coast

Since the volunteers technically get the weekends off, it's a great time to get in some travelling and see the country. I certainly came here to volunteer and help out, but I'm not sure how soon or if I'll ever get back, so I want to do as much travelling as possible while I'm here. This past weekend I went to Cape Coast with two other volunteers, Aoife and Gwen. We were so proud that we managed the whole trip by ourselves, as we'd all only been here 2 weeks. But it was a very easy and very relaxing trip.

We went down on Friday and spent the rest of the day on the beach. The current is really really strong which makes swimming in the ocean pretty dangerous, so we didn't go in. On Saturday morning we travelled to Kakum National Park, about 45 minutes away, and did a canopy walkway. It was really cool! We walked along wooden plank walkways and held on to ropes, and the view was beautiful. We went to Baobob restaurant for lunch, and then in the afternoon visited the Cape Coast Castle. It was one of three main castles in Africa during colonial times where slaves were gathered and contained for 3 months before being shipped to America, Europe, or the Caribbean. On Sunday morning we had a lovely breakfast on the beach, sipping (instant) coffee and wiggling our toes in the sand, before heading back to the hectic life at the orphanage.

Even though the weekend was a nice break, it was great to get back to Dodowa. I really missed the kids, and the routine of the week. Also, 4 new volunteers came this weekend so it's cool to show them around. Right now we're at the mall, and we're going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II at the movie theatre! I'm so excited, it's like a little piece of home while I'm here.

I've only been here for a little over 2 weeks but it feels like it's been much longer, and it's sad to think that I'll be leaving next Friday. When I first got here, I felt especially dirty all the time, and dreaded waking up at 5:30 every day to get the kids ready for school, and thought I would get sick of the yams and rice and noodles we seemed to eat every day. But now I've fallen into a routine while I've been here and it all seems normal. I feel very comfortable here, and it's great to be able to say (type) that because I was worried I wouldn't be able to adjust to the different lifestyle. I'm going to be so sad to leave, I'm going to miss the kids so much, and also the culture and lifestyle and Ghana. I definitely think I'll experience a little culture shock going home.

Adjusting

This weekend I went to Kokrobite with 6 other volunteers. It was about a 3 1/2 hour tro-tro ride, which probably sounds awful but it goes pretty quickly when you're on the tro-tro. Plus we had to get off and on different tro-tros a few times, which made it go faster. We stayed at Big Milly's, which is apparently the best place to stay in Kokrobite because it's right on the beach, and on Saturday nights they have reggae night so we didn't even have to go anywhere for entertainment.

We got lunch at Kokrobite Gardens, an Italian restaurant/hotel, and I got pizza! It was so good that I ate the whole thing in one sitting. I'm not used to having anything but rice or noodles for a meal. It's still a little strange that you don't always get ice water with your meal like at home. It's only safe to drink filtered water, at least for a foreigner who isn't used to (read: immune to the diseases in) the ground water, so you had to pay around 2 cedis for a bottle at lunch.

It's also hard to adjust to how friendly everyone is here. At home, we are taught to not talk to strangers and to always think about your own protection and self-defense, but here everyone is so friendly and they will take offense if you aren't. You greet everyone you see, even strangers you pass on the street. (People here say "ete sen," which means "how are you," to which you reply "eh ye," which means "I'm fine." You are supposed to say eh ye even if you aren't fine, because they believe that if you say it, it will eventually be true.) When we were in Kokrobite, the locals at the table next to us at dinner struck up a conversation with us. They see that kind of thing as common, while normally I would be wary about their intentions. Of course I'm still being safe and careful, but I also don't want to be offensive or taken advantage of as a foreigner. It's difficult to see the line between friendly and disrespectful in a country with such a friendly and open culture.

Going to the orphanage every day fills me with incredible joy, to see kids who have come from such different backgrounds and hard lives, yet they still play together and smile every day. Some of them never had a family and grew up on the streets, and some of them do have a family that chose to give them up, either because they couldn't afford to take care of their children anymore or because they just didn't want them. Parents will even send their kids to the orphanage because they know they will have a better life there. At least they are guaranteed enough to survive.

Even so, life at Worcsa is far from perfect. Yes, the kids eat three meals a day, have rooms to sleep in and clothes to wear, and go to school, but that is nowhere near enough. They get no variety of nutrients from their food - their diet consists mostly of bland grains and a few types of pourridge. They eat very few fruits or vegetables, and almost no meat. They all either share straw mats on a concrete floor (with no blankets) or squish in three to a bed. I often see some of them wearing the same clothes two or three days in a row, and if they can't find their shoes they can't go to school because they don't have an extra pair. The public school system here is very inefficient, the kids learn almost nothing. The lucky ones get sponsored to go to Word of Faith, a westernized private Christian school, but by the time they start they're already so behind in their studies and need extra lessons to catch up, plus it costs about $1000 per year to sponsor a student.

It's hard being here and not being able to find a solution for every problem I see, because I lack both time and money. I'm definitely planning on keeping in touch with Worcsa when I go home so I can continue to help them out in any way I can. The kids here are great, they're very strong but they all have such good hearts. Despite any issue they might have, a tickle or a hand-game will never fail to put a smile on any of their faces.

Differences

I didn't have as much time on the internet yesterday as I wanted so I couldn't write a very big post, but I'm back at the internet cafe in Dodowa now and the internet here is much cheaper than the Accra mall, although it's also much slower. It was nice to get out of Dodowa for a little bit. On the way back from Accra, we stopped at the market in Medina and shopped around a bit. They sell all kinds of things - shoes, clothing, bags and backpacks, cds, dvds, fabric, and tons more. I finally found some fabric I like and this morning I dropped it off at a seamstress to be made into a dress! I'll pick it up next week, I can't wait to see how it comes out.

We changed our plans for this weekend and are instead going to a hotel on a beach a few hours away tomorrow for the night. Maybe next weekend or the weekend after we'll plan the trip to the monkey sanctuary. I definitely want to go while I'm here, everyone I've talked to who has been has raved about it.

I knew that life here obviously wouldn't be the same as my life at home, but sometimes I still find myself shocked at things I know would never happen in the US. There are tons of small children, as young as 3, who just wander the streets by themselves or in groups with other children. They obviously know their way around, but I can't help but think they should be with someone older. The tro-tros have no schedule, so if you want to take one to a specific place, you have to stand at a stop and yell the place you're going at them as they drive by, and if they're going there they'll stop and let you on. They're also full to bursting because once the right one comes, no one wants to have to wait for the next, and they're extremely rickety and run down. One of the volunteers who has been here for a while said that once he was on a tro-tro when the tire popped. The customer service here is also so different. In the US, you're taught that the customer comes first, but here the customers comes whenever the employee feels like serving him. When I was at the mall yesterday, I went to the food court to get lunch and I had to wait a few minutes for the employees at the register to stop talking before I could order. No one here is in a rush or cares about being on time, so no one gets annoyed when things go slowly.

Short Update

I'm at the mall in Accra right now, the internet here is much faster than at my local internet cafe. I took the tro-tro here (it's the public transportation here, like a bus network except run-down vans instead) with the other volunteers, it was a little over an hour trip and it only cost 1 cedi 25 peswa (aka super cheap). It's so nice to have air conditioning, and I'm going to get pizza for lunch! I only have 4 minutes of internet left so unfortunately I don't have time to write out a big entry, but nothing that noteworthy has happened in the last few days. I'm traveling this weekend, I'm going with the other volunteers to a monkey sanctuary and waterfalls a few hours away, so I'll write a post about that after. Hope everything is well with everyone at home!

First update!

     I am alive and well in Dodowa, Ghana! This is my first time on a computer since I got here, as the internet cafe in town has been closed whenever I've tried to stop by. I only have a little bit of time but I have SO much to say! There is so much that is interesting and different that I want to talk about.
     Ater somehow entertaining myself at JFK for 7 hours and making it through an 11-hour flight, I finally landed in Accra! I almost didn't get a vegetarian dinner on the flight, and I was convinced my luggage was lost at the baggage claim, but I was so happy to get there. I spent the first night at the IVHQ volunteer house in Accra with about 15 other volunteers who had all arrived for the July 1st orientation date, although we were all in different programs. The next morning we had an orientation by Edward Adeli, the coordinator of Ghana Volunteer Corps, for whom I'm technically volunteering. We were all introduced to the Ghanaian culture and customs, and even learned a bit of Twi! Then I, along with 5 other girls in my program, were driven to the volunteer house in Dodowa where we are living.
     As soon as we walked in the gate, four young girls ran up to us and hugged us and put their arms around us and wanted to be picked up. They all had huge smiles on their faces and loved to see us. It's a really great feeling, to have a kid run up to you and hug you without even knowing you. It was the same when we went to the orphanage for the first time, all the kids bombarded us and went down the line shaking our hands and asking "what is your name," like it was a phrase they had all learned and memorized.
     The kids are so amazing. There are 72 of them, ages 2-18. Most of them aren't actually orphans, Worcsa is more of a shelter, but sadly they will get a better life going to an orphanage rather than growing up with their family. They get fed three meals a day and go to school, which is not guaranteed everywhere in the country. There are only about ten rooms for all of them, so the older ones squeeze three to a bed and the younger ones share straw mats on the floor. It may sound like they have an awful life, but they're all so happy. They love to laugh and play games. They also all take care of each other like one huge family. They help each other and comfort each other, and also discipline each other. The orphanage is run by "mothers," one or two of them, but they're pretty absent from every-day life their. The orphanage is essentially self-sustainable, which is amazing to see with such young kids from all different backgrounds.
     There are 6 other volunteers already here, they're a really great resource to kind of show us the ropes. Unfortunately two are leaving this week, but this weekend the ten of us remaining are taking a trip to go to a monkey sanctuary and waterfalls a few hours away. We have the weekends off, so a lot of volunteers travel then.
     It's definitely much hotter here than at home, and it's pretty much constantly hot, all throughout the day and night. It's also the rainy season so it's very humid, and the air is very heavy. But I think I've already gotten used to always being hot, and always covered in a thin layer of grime. Unforunately we don't have running water (although luckily we have electricity) so the only method of showering is filling up a bucket with water and then pouring it on yourself. It's not very easy.
     This is definitely not all I want to say, but it's getting dark already and I need to get back. On Thursday I'm going to Accra for a few hours and will get to use a faster computer there in the Apple store at the mall, so I can hopefully write another update and maybe even post some pictures (I've been taking a ton). Hope all is well in the US!

Donations

I'm leaving for Ghana on Wednesday, but before I go I wanted to do a donation drive in my neighborhood so I could bring supplies with me to the orphanage. They are in desperate need of hygiene supplies, school supplies, and craft supplies to entertain the kids. I left a note in every mailbox, about 120 total, asking for whatever donations people could spare.



A week later, I went around again and collected. I received so many donations, many with personal notes wishing me well on my trip. I'm so thankful for the generosity of my neighbors! I collected over 50 bars of soap alone, along with a lot of toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, boxes of chalk and crayons, and so many more items that will be of great use in the orphanage.



I plan on bringing as many of the donations with me in my suitcase, and anything that I can't fit I will mail directly to the orphanage upon my return home.



Thank you so much to everyone who contributed! I received much more than I could've imagined. I'm so grateful, and I'm sure everyone at the orphanage will be too.

My Story

Hopefully if you got to this blog you know at least something about me. If not here's a short intro: I'm Miriam Frost, a 20-year-old animal-loving vegetarian and full-time student at the University of Rochester, who likes to read, cook, watch movies, dabble in photography, and run, among many other things.

Most of all, I have a passion for helping those in need - I'm the secretary for UR's Amnesty International, the fundraising chair for UR's Engineers Without Borders, and I've participated in Relay for Life for 5 years and been a team captain for the past 2, in addition to various volunteer work I've done over the years. Ever since I was little, I've dreamt of working for the Peace Corps, and making a career out of ameliorating the poor conditions of Africa.

This summer, I decided to delve right into that dream by embarking on a four-week volunteer trip to Ghana through International Volunteer HQ. I will be volunteering atWorsca Orphanage in Dodowa, Ghana, where children up to age 18 are provided with food, shelter, and most of all love that they otherwise would not receive. I am so excited to be able to participate in such an amazing and beneficial program! While I'm there, I will be living in a house with other volunteers that is a short walk from the orphanage. Obviously I will not have steady internet access while I'm there, but I'm hoping to be able to update this blog relatively frequently to keep everyone back home informed about my trip! When I can, I'll write about my experiences and my thoughts, and hopefully sometimes include pictures.

I have no idea what to expect out of this trip. I do know that of the little traveling I have done (France, Israel), nothing I have encountered has been anything like my experience will be this July. I asked my sister, who is currently stationed in Burkina Faso with the Peace Corps, for advice. She said, "write down the things that shock you in the beginning because they won't faze you by the end." I'm definitely going in to this trip with an open mind, and I'm anxious to go so I can start helping others as soon as I can.