Only 1 month left!

Posted by Lauren on March 5th, 2009

Only 4 weeks left to go now in Africa. Time went by super slowly at first, but now seems to be moving much quicker. WUSC decided that we won’t be receving any funding at all for our planned activities as someone overpspent on the previous budget. This is a bit of a setback and makes it more difficult for us to carry out the things that we had planned. The people who were supposed to be working with us from our Ghana Education service office are now not as willing to help us out since they will be not be getting any money in return. So now we’re pretty much on our own in organizing and implementing workshops. We have to stick to the schools closest to us as we cannot pay for fuel to get to other villages and only have a few sheets of paper and markers as our presentation materials. Lately, we have been going to a different school everyday to speak to the girls on teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. The boys also expressed interest in discussing these tpics, so now we are also doing workshops with them. They are very interested in the topics and have MANY questions. The girls also have questions, but are usually much to shy to ask them. I think they may be understanding us better now, or are at least pretending to understand. We just spent 4 days at the most beautiful beach in world. It was about a 15 hour journey, but well worth it. It is so hot back up North in the village now that it is almost impossible to sleep. Most people in the village sleep outside, but with all the goats and donkeys around, i’m not sure I want to resort to that yet. I just have to sleep with a cold water pack under my shirt. But still, I would rather this than the snow! Tomorrow is Ghana’s independance day, so all the kids have been practicing for a marching ceremony that they will perform tomorrow. We will attempt to march with them, but will probably be out of synch, and ou mistakes will be extremely noticeable… we definitely stick out in a crowd. Later tomorrow we will head to Tamale, the nearest city, then on to Mole National Park on Saturday to see elephants, monkeys, and othe wildlife. There are still plenty of children constantly coming to the house, but they know now that we won’t let them in or give them all the things that they ask for, so they just take a drink from our water tank and go on their way. We are still a novelty to them and they are intrigued by they way we speak, dress, and of course the colour of our skin. Today I had about 7 girls just grabbing at my hair and touching my face. But then there have been a few young child who have screamed and ran when they saw me… so I guess not everyone is as happy to see us! I guess that’s it for now, I will try to write more soon! As always, I am missing everyone at home, but feel much more comfortable and at home here now, of course, just when I am about to leave!

Posted in Ghana