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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Cape Coast Castle |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| (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.
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| 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.
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| 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
