My very last post

What an adventure it has been! I don't even know where to begin in this post. It really hasn't hit me that tomorrow I will be leaving Ghana. Yesterday I had to say my goodbyes to the kids and that sucked majorly! I have gotten used to seeing them every day and being there to comfort them when they're crying or laugh with them when they're happy. There are definitely things I am going to miss in Ghana but maybe a few things that I'm not going to miss so much....

Things I'll miss

1. The kids!
2. All the other volunteers and meeting new people.
3. Cheap transportation
4. Jollof Rice
5. Walking everywhere
6. Hearing "obruni" everywhere I go
7. The friendly people
8. Melody, Tina, Gloria, Gilbert, and Annie (the people who cook for us at the compound)
9. Back packing through Ghana
10. THE KIDS!
11. The relaxed pace of life
12. Bucket showers
13. Hissing at people (It's now a bad habit of mine)

Things I won't miss

1. The hassle of getting a taxi
2. Bargaining for everything!
3. Open sewage
4. B.O.
5. Yams
6. Hand washing laundry

Some most memorable experiences while here

• Trying the local foods, Kenkey is the worst! Banku isn't too bad and Omo Tuo is my favorite.
• Backpacking all the way up to Northern Ghana. We planned it and executed it all on our own and it was an adventure I will surely never forget.
• The 2 adoptions that I got to see. Adoptions are very rare and these were the only two I've heard of since I've been here.
• Peeing on the side of the road just like the locals :) It's great to be a guy
• Going to the beach with the little ones.
• Getting Kwame (the brand new orphan) to come out of his shell.
• And so much more!

I'm excited to go home but at the same time I know I'm going to want to go back asap! I have to jump right into the swing of things and the fast passed life which I'm not too excited about. But hopefully, with any lucky, I will be able to take the lessons I've learned here and apply them to my life back home and be a better person because of them.

Adoption

Two of my kids have been adopted with less than a week apart! The first to go was Tsulee (pronounced Choo lee) He was definitely one of my favorites. He always wanted to play and loved the attention he got. Whenever I would say "Let's go home!" Tsulee would run up to me and say "Auntie Taylah, your bag! Your bag!" reminding me not to forget my bag. He was also a very intelligent kid who picked up a lot of new English words since I've been here. I don't know where he went because I was on my trip when he was adopted, but I really hope he is in a good home that is able to provide for him all the things he needs and deserves. He is such a great kid and I know he is going to do great things in his life time. The second kid to go was Kelvin. Kelvin was a definite favorite of the aunties and us volunteers. We found out he was being adopted when we were changing the kids out of their school clothes into play clothes. The aunties all of a sudden got very happy and excited, I asked why and they said "Abroad! Kelvin is going abroad!" Abroad in this case meant England and what a great little british boy Kelvin is going to make. He is such a little helper around the orphanage. I think this is why he was such a favorite of the aunties. He also stuck up for the smaller and weaker kids. I'm going to miss Kelvin saying "Auntie Taylah, le'go home" Kelvin was kid that I would go to if I didn't know a child's name or if I needed to know where they were. I could just say "Kelvin, where is _____?" and he would make sure that we went out and found them. I am so excited that these two boys finally got a break in life. There is an irreplacable hole in the orphanage. Work definitely isn't the same without these two. I miss them already.

My last Monday in Africa :(

I can't believe it has finally come, my last week. What a weird feeling it is that next week at this time I will be home in the hustle and bustle of every day life. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. I have had the best time and experience since I've been here. I owe so much to the kids for teaching me so much about life, love, fun, and happiness. I know that the lessons they have taught me will be with me forever. I wouldn't trade my time here for anything in this world! I expect that this week will go by as fast or faster than every other week since I've been here. From hearing from other volunteers who have already gone home, I know that it's going to be a weird adjustment coming home. I will take some getting used to driving my own car, sleeping under no mosquito net, doing laundry in a washing machine (I can't wait to do this) and eating normal food. I know I'm going to miss and be thinking about the kids constantly! Hopefully I can take what I've learned here and apply it in my own community with the opportunities I've been given there. I know that there are kids who need love and attention in America just as much as the ones here in Africa. That's another thing that is going to take some getting used to.......white children..... haha. It will be weird walking down the road and not hearing small children yelling out OBRUNI! OBRUNI! OBRUNI CO CO! (the co co part means red and is always directed towards me because of my African sun burns:)) I am excited to get home and see everyone and finally be clean. I definitely have bitter sweet feelings about it.

The Mole Adventure

What a crazy adventure! There is no way I can describe all of it in this one post. Here are a few journal excerpts.

7-28-08 Day 43

All of today was spent on a bus. The 10 hour bus ride from Accra to Tamale turned into a 12 hour bus ride. My butt was not happy with that by the time we arrived in Tamale. The ride wasn't all bad though. It was very cool to see the extreme differences between southern and northern Ghana. Northern Ghana is A LOT more rural. We passed countless small villages made up of sticks and mud. The people are also darker here in northern Ghana. Unlike southern Ghana which is predominantly christian, northern Ghana is predominantly Muslim. There were a lot of men wearing long dress looking things and funny hats on their heads. A lot of people would wear black eyeliner around their eyes. Men, women, and children all wore this eyeliner. I'm not sure if it is a tribal thing or just a cosmetic custom.....

7-29-08 Day 44

We started our day at 3:30 AM today. We had to catch a bus to take us from Tamale to Larabanga which is right outside the park. We went to the station where one of the big orange Metro Mass buses would take us to Larabanga. We spoke with a guy there and he said that it would probably be hard to get tickets since we didn't book them the day before. The same guy told us he could take us to a different bus which could also take us to Larabanga. The walk to this mysterious bus station was extremely sketchy! It was pitch black and not a nice part of town (There weren't really any nice parts in Tamale) As we were walking I saw some people running a ways ahead of us. Our guide stopped walking and had a cautious/worried look on his face. I saw one of the men running and carrying a big machete. Our guide told us that it was a thief, the tone in which he told us this made it seem like it was an every day occurrence. We changed our route a bit and headed to the bus station. The bus there was not nearly as nice as the metro mass bus which isn't even that nice. We boarded the sketchy bus which could fit about 30 people uncomfortably, 25 people comfortably. The seats were hard and the horn sounded like a train horn but I figured it was only a couple hours drive so I could manage. A couple hours turned into 5 hours. The road was paved for about the first hour then we got to the dirt roads. At the beginning of the dirt road was also the first place that we picked up people from the small village there. We were stopped there for 45 minutes just waiting for all the people and their various items to get packed into the bus. It was CROWDED! We got underway and continued along this dirt road going about 50 MPH on this very bumpy and dusty road. WE continued to pick up people from the small villages along the way and the bus got fuller and fuller. Just as you thought that they would not possibly pack even more people onto this rolling steel death trap we would pull over and load in more and more people. The smell of the people and their various market items was absolutely foul. There were at least 50 people on this bus by now. We finally got to Larabanga which was a small and interesting town. We put our stuff down at the Salia Brothers' Guest Houses which are made up of clay and stick huts. Then we took a tour of the oldest Mosque in Ghana, built in 1421. After a well needed nap we woke up in time to go to the National Park. There we saw baboons and whit ox (warthog looking things) walking all over the Mole Motel grounds. The walking safari started at 3:30 and we saw elephants right off the bat. It was AMAZING! There were 2 of them and they were eating. It was cool to see and hear them ripping off entire branches of leaves. They didn't even seem to mind us watching them at all. After they walked away we kept walking through the park and saw lots of different animals. We saw Bushbucks, white ox, these striped barking deer things (they really barked like dogs!) and a lot of other cool animals. After the tour we ate dinner and went to bed with our alarms set for 3:30 the next morning.

7-30-08 Day 45

We had to go on the treacherous bus ride again this morning. We were on the orange Metro mass buses but they were still packed way beyond maximum capacity. It was raining really hard and there was lightning which would light up the entire early morning sky. As it rained more and more the roads got slicker and slicker but this did not slow down our driver. I was drifting off to sleep when our bus fishtailed out of control coming within inches of hitting the dirt banks and tipping over. After we finished sliding around we continued at the same speed we were going before. It was truly a miracle that we didn't tip over. We finally made our way to Kumasi (about an 8 hour journey) which is the second biggest city in Ghana with Accra being the first. I loved Kumasi! We went to where they weave the beautiful kente cloths. It was really cool to see them in action as they weaved intricate designs into the cloths. After dinner that night all of the sleep deprivation and our schedule of 1 meal a day caught up to me and I got a little sick :(

7-31-08 Day 46

We left Kumasi at around 6:00 this morning and had a surprisingly tolerable bus ride to Accra. I didn't get sick on the bus and I even got to sleep a bit. The ride was about 5 hours from Kumasi to Accra......Despite all the time and pain in the buses I had a good trip. On the previous page of this journal there is a quote which reads "[B]less not only the road but the bumps on the road. They are all part of the higher journey." ~ Julia Cameron. This quote is highly applicable to my trip. It was a great experience and every bump, both literally and figuratively, contributed to the excitement and adventure of the trip. I miss my kids terribly and can't wait to go back to work. What ever am I going to do when I have to leave them forever??? :(

Happy birthday to me

Just another day here in Ghana! Jessica gave me a box of chocolates wrapped in pictures colored by a couple of the kids I was soo appreciative of her amazing gesture! Then I went to lunch at my favorite restaurant here in Ghana which was amazing! I also got a gift from the orphans in the form of ring worm on my chin. I got medicine today so hopefully that will clear it all up. Jessica has ring worm on her arm as well. Gloria (our local host at the compound) told us about a traditional remedy for ring worm and scabies. This remedies involves breaking a battery in half, rubbing the battery acid on the infected section of the skin. I don't think I'm too keen to this remedy. I'll just stick to my pills and cream.

I have been having a great time! A couple of days ago we had a huge rain storm so I was soaked the whole day! The kids were also forced to stay inside this very small room. I counted about 28 toddlers in this small and cluttered room. It was a nightmare to say the least. There was screaming everywhere, bodily waste everywhere, tears everywhere, fighting everywhere, and more screaming!

I don't want to go home but I know I have to get back to my responsibilities at home :( Thank you everyone for your love and support! It is great to hear from everyone! Keep the comments coming :)

Reader beware cynical post below.

It's been kind of a rough last couple of days. I'm going to type out my journal entry from yesterday.

July 15th, 2008 Day 30

I don't know if it was the gloomy weather or just one of those days, but today has been kind of a slap in the face with reality. Once we arrived to the toddler's compound I saw a new boy who was just screaming his lungs out and repeating the same phrase over and over and over again while walking around in circles. He didn't notice us or the other aunties who were watching him. I later learned that he was calling out in desperation for his mother. I have no idea what his story was before he got to the orphanage but he appears to be very clean and healthy. He arrived at the orphanage just last night. I don't know if his parents died, abandoned him or if he was simply lost and found on the side of the road. Either way it breaks my heart to see him calling out in absolute desperation for his mother. I want so much to scoop up this child, take him on the plane and give him a fighting chance in this ugly world. Today was also a hard day with the rest of the kids. I am constantly wondering if I am making a difference in their lives. I know I make a difference in their day but I don't think that because of my short 8 week stint here that these children's lives will be molded to turn out in some other way than it would have if I didn't come at all. What does the future hold for these kids? What mean tricks will the world and life throw in the face of these children despite the severe injustices they have already been delt. There are so many of them and my time here is so short. It is not fair that I am gaining so much more than I am giving. I try every day to give everything of myself but somehow I don't feel drained. On the contrary I feel so filled with love from these children and there seem to be no way to give it all away. Is there any way to give and not receive anything in return? I hate the temporariness of all of this. I am only here for a short time. The optimistic part of me wants to think that I will leave a lasting impression on these kids but then the critical, and sometimes cynical part of me, thinks about all of the other volunteers who have come before me and all of the ones who will come after me. With this constantly revolving door, how can one person really leave their impression. I will forever remember the names and faces of these children. I will always remember and be effected by the lessons they have taught me thus far about life, love, resilience and so much more. Life sucks for these kids but somehow they muster up enough courange and audacity to face the day and say " Screw you situation I'm going to get up, laugh, cry, scream and have fun no matter what you throw at me. I'm going to keep on living no matter what."

Despite the blood, sweat, tears and constant flow of snot, they are strong. Sowah cannot hear or communicate his most basic needs but that doesn't stop him from sitting on your lap, looking up at you and giving you the most genuine, heart warming smile tiy gave ever seeb,

Conclusion to all my thoughts, doubts and questions is this....there is no conclusion. I have no answer. But hopefully obecause of the obrunis willing to travel to Ghana and love and play with these kids hopefully their lives will be better off than those children in this world who are unfortunate enough to not recieve any love in their lives. Hopefully I give enough hugs and kisses and console enough sad hearts to have done my part in the larger scheme. What I have to cling to now is hope. Hope that they never give up. Hope that they can keep strong. Hope that they can finally catch a break in this world. Hope and I guess pray.

The uncertainty and temporariness is killing me.

I'm still having an amazing time don't get me wrong. It's just some days it's hard to not take a few steps back and be critical.

Cape Coast

What an incredible adventure! Emily, Crystal and I left our humble abode in Teshie-Tebibiano Friday morning and took a bus up to Cape Coast which is in the Central region of Ghana. We arrived and went to the Cape Coast slave castle. It was sooo eerie and intimidating. It's located right on the beach and there are cannons pointed in every direction. We walked through the various slave dungeons and I could not believe the conditions they were forced to live under. The dungeons were underground with thousands of people packed into these small rooms for months at a time. There were 3 1x2 foot windows for both light and ventalation. On the walls there were markings indicating the level of human waste that had built up. This line reached above my waste. We saw the door of no return and the condemned cell which housed the trouble makers and once you went into the cell not one would come out alive. It was a sobering and informative experience. After the castle we made our way over to Kakum national forest where we were able to sleep in the rainforest. We slept on these little platforms with mosquito nets for walls and a tin roof over head. All night long we listened to a various array of birds and monkeys. We watched the sunrise and went on the Canopy walk which was incredible. It was a serious of swinging bridges connecting to different platforms all along the top of the rainforest with the highest point reaching 40 meters. I got some great pictures! (My camera got fixed by the way! woot woot!) We saw monkeys on the canopy walk which was very special and rare. I couldn't get enough of the scenery and when we finished the walk I was totally ready to do it all over again! Then we went to the El Mina slave castle. This castle was erected by the Portugese and it was a lot smaller and different. I stood where the women slaves were presented to the Govenor and he would select which one he wanted to rape that day. I stood in the cells which still reaked of human decay and waste. I saw the incredible differences between the slaves quarters and the govenors emaculate living conditions. Again, it was a sobering and informative experience. After the castle we had lunch and I had my first sea food dish. It was really really good! Even though the tail, eyes and teeth were still intact. We made it home safely and I can't wait to show everyone all my great pictures!

Cape Coast

What an incredible adventure! Emily, Crystal and I left our humble abode in Teshie-Tebibiano Friday morning and took a bus up to Cape Coast which is in the Central region of Ghana. We arrived and went to the Cape Coast slave castle. It was sooo eerie and intimidating. It's located right on the beach and there are cannons pointed in every direction. We walked through the various slave dungeons and I could not believe the conditions they were forced to live under. The dungeons were underground with thousands of people packed into these small rooms for months at a time. There were 3 1x2 foot windows for both light and ventalation. On the walls there were markings indicating the level of human waste that had built up. This line reached above my waste. We saw the door of no return and the condemned cell which housed the trouble makers and once you went into the cell not one would come out alive. It was a sobering and informative experience. After the castle we made our way over to Kakum national forest where we were able to sleep in the rainforest. We slept on these little platforms with mosquito nets for walls and a tin roof over head. All night long we listened to a various array of birds and monkeys. We watched the sunrise and went on the Canopy walk which was incredible. It was a serious of swinging bridges connecting to different platforms all along the top of the rainforest with the highest point reaching 40 meters. I got some great pictures! (My camera got fixed by the way! woot woot!) We saw monkeys on the canopy walk which was very special and rare. I couldn't get enough of the scenery and when we finished the walk I was totally ready to do it all over again! Then we went to the El Mina slave castle. This castle was erected by the Portugese and it was a lot smaller and different. I stood where the women slaves were presented to the Govenor and he would select which one he wanted to rape that day. I stood in the cells which still reaked of human decay and waste. I saw the incredible differences between the slaves quarters and the govenors emaculate living conditions. Again, it was a sobering and informative experience. After the castle we had lunch and I had my first sea food dish. It was really really good! Even though the tail, eyes and teeth were still intact. We made it home safely and I can't wait to show everyone all my great pictures!

Under the African sun

On Saturday we made another excursion to the beach with Kelvin and Sowah in tow. I was hoping to teach Sowah a couple of signs while we were there but I got so much more. Here is the story. We were all on the beach, getting used to the water (Neither of them were big fans of the water) when I noticed 2 Ghanaian guys signing to each other and amazingly I could understand what they were saying. Apparently Ghanaian sign language is almost exactly the same as American sign language. I approached them and started up a conversation and I eventually told them of my suspicions of Sowah being Deaf. They asked me to yell his name and snap in his either, to which sowah gave no response. They both said "Oh yeah he's Deaf" I then asked them about Deaf schools in the area. They told me about one that is about an hour away. Peter (one of the Deaf guys) said he would take Jessica, Sowah and I there on Monday to check it out and get some forms to take to the doctor so that he can get enrolled. I was extremely excited about this! In America Deaf schools are a very big deal for the Deaf community. It is where they learn not only their language but they also learn their own culture and learn where the belong in this big bad world. I believe this would also hold true for the Deaf community in Ghana.

So come Monday morning we got permission from all of the aunties necessary to take Sowah to the Deaf school to check it out. Peter and I had decided that we would meet at the beach on Monday morning and he would take us all up there. We got there and waited for about 2 and a half hours and he never showed up. I'm sure something came up because he kept telling me not to forget to meet him Monday morning. But I am bound and determined to get Sowah to the Deaf school! I will need a sponsor for him back home who is willing to pay his tuition (around $45 per semester) and pay for his transportation. Any takers?

I also got absolutely fried at the beach! I wore sunblock but that did not stop the African sun from frying my skin to a crisp.

Changing it up

We're changing up the routine here in G to the hana. In the mornings I will no longer be working in the school but instead we will be taking out 4 or 5 severly disabled children. These poor kids have no choice but to lay on the floor all day with little or no attention from the volunteers or aunties. Today was the first day that we did this change. I loved it! The kids were so sweet yet soo smelly :) I've learned to get past the smells and the uncleanliness of the kids and try to reach out to them. I think at least 1 of the kids has aids but I'm not sure. I'm planning on asking one of the aunties which ones are HIV + and which aren't. I want to know this just so that I can take the necessary precautions and not because I want to stay away from the ones with aids. We've also decided that Sowah is deaf (he is in the picture of me and Jessica on the beach, he is the one that I am holding) Jessica and I are going to try our hardest to teach Sowah some basic signs so that he can better communicate his needs. I know that in the short time I'm here I'm not going to be able to teach him more than a handful of signs, but hopefully we can open the door to communication for him. Sowah is one of the older kids in class and he has never uttered a word and he doesn't respond if you're not looking directly at him. He might be hard of hearing because he doesn't make unintentional moans or grunts. Either way I hope that he will benefit from the little that I can give him.Jessica and I are also in the midst of planning a couple of weekend trips which I'm super excited about! The first we are planning is a trip up to Kumasi and then a trip to Mole National Park where we will be able to see monkeys, elephants, buffalos and lots and lots of birds. I am super excited!

CRISIS!

So, the crisis is that my camera simply won't work. It won't turn on. I've tried to charge the battery, didn't work. I tried to plug it in using the USB port, didn't work. I don't know what to do! I want to take so many pictures but my camera won't work! :( :( :(

The walk home

The trek home from the orphanage to Teshie-Tibebiano (home) is always an interesting adventure, and yesterday was no exception. Megan, Jessica and I were sitting in the tro tro during rush hour traffic (which sucks majorly here!) And we decided we didn't want to wait in the tro tro and we were just going to walk home. We were walking along, trying to dodge the mud and puddles that are ever present. As we were walking we met a Ghanaian woman named Happy. She started talking to us about where we are from and what we are doing and how great the work we are doing here is. She told us about her aspirations to visit her relatives in the Bronx but she said she didn't have the heart to stay there. She told us about her husband who is a writer and a preacher. We reached her house and we were preparing to say our goodbyes when she said that we needed to come into her house and meet her husband (John) and her 3 kids. So we went into her house which was a 10 x 10 foot room with a small couch, 1 foam mattress which sleeps the whole family and a small desk where John does his writing. We sat on the couch and met the whole family. They were so nice and generous, one of the little girls even started wiping the mud off of Megans feet. We talked with them for about 30 minutes about the books John has written and the volunteer work we are involved in here in Ghana. John was so articulate and wise despite the fact that he has no college education. Before we left, John read us a verse from the bible and prayed with us. His prayer was so sincere and all about us and our work and asking for great success with the children and asking that our hearts can truly be opened for these kids, it was a really great prayer. As we were getting ready to leave, Happy brought us pineapple. I don't usually eat pineapple in the states, but here it is absolutely amazing! It is so sweet and juicy and just soo good! So we took a peice of pineapple and Happy and her daughter kept telling us to take more and more and more. I was so taken aback by their generosity and sincere love for us. I had brought a couple of small rubber balls with me to the orphanage and had them in my bag still. I pumped up the balls and gave them to the kids. They were so thrilled! I'm sure I caused a headache for John and Happy, but the children loved them. Happy took down our phone number and said she would call us to go to church with them and then have fufu and banku. I really hope that she calls so that we can get together with these amazing people again and try some local food :S. I will definitely be bringing some crayons and paper for the kids next time we go down there.

Some pictures

Ok, so I couldn't quite figure out how to post pictures onto this blog but I got it to work for facebook so here is the link to the public album. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30970&l=b2d79&id=656916537

Second day at the orphanage

Today is my second day working in the Osu orphanage. I am working with the toddlers and there are about 33 of them all together. These kids' basic needs are taken care of ie. food, clothing, and shelter. But they do not get enough love. The aunties yell and beat them when they are bad. My job is to love, and I am trying my hardest. Yesterday I was all loved out and kind of discouraged but I am definitely not the first to feel this way. Today has been better and I am starting to learn how to help and love these kids. It is so different than interacting with the kids at home. These kids don't speak much English and they all starve for constant attention. I have a couple of favorites, Kofi is a sweetheart who loves nothing more than simply sitting on your lap as the chaos goes on around him. Kelvin is another one, he is all smiles and kind of mischevious. In the last couple of days the question "Why?!" has popped in my head a lot. Why was I born in America to 2 loving parents? Why do you have to live in Ghana for 2 years to adopt? Why did these children get left? Why do Ama and Kelvin rock themselves to sleep? (I've heard that this is a dangerous behavior.....any answers?) Why why why?! I love the kids already and I am prepared to give them all my love. I miss everyone at home and love you all! I forgot my camera today but I will definitely get at least 1 or 2 pictures uploaded. I got some good ones from when a couple of us took 5 of the orphans to the beach. CUTE are they!

Peace and love

I'm here!

After a 14 hour plane ride I finally made it to Accra, Ghana. The hostel is located in a suburb called Teshie-camp 2. It is very nice but very poor compared to western standards. There is no running water, water is delivered each week. Right now I am just doing the lanuage and culture program and learing lots about Ghana and Twi prounounced (Chwi) I learned that my name in Twi is Kokyo pronounced Kojo. It is very interesting to learn about the different customs of the Ghanaians. You greet everyone you meet with good morning, good afternoon, or goodnight. And when conversing with another human you only use your right hand. Yesterday I gave a woman 1 cedi (equal to 1 dollar) with my left hand and I got in trouble :S Yesterday we visited the tourist market where there are a lot of different souveniers that you can buy. It was a very crazy experience! The second we stepped out of the tro tro (bus) there were people trying to sell us masks and sunglasses and braclets etc. Walking through the market, everyone would try to get you to come into their shop and buy something there. One girl called me her boyfriend! haha so now I have a Ghanaian girlfriend woot woot I can't wait to start in the orphanage on Monday. It should be a very eye opening experience. A lot of the volunteers here are really really sick. I hope I don't catch anything! I am hopefully going to be able to post some pictures when I get to the Osu internet cafe, the other volunteers say it is faster and the computers are newer. Ghana is amazing! The people are super nice the kids are hillarious. Obruni means white man so you hear that a lot as you walk past. The kids like to feel my head and touch my skin. Hopefully I can blog more later. My time here at the internet cafe has run out.

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