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.