Homestay

The first day of homestay was the definitionn of culture shock. For those of you who do not know what homestay is, allow me to explain. Basically each volunteer requests minor preferences they look for in a hoomestay family (i.e. non-smoking, no kids etc). Then the family does the same thing.  Each family is interviewed by PC staff to make sure they understand how iportant cultural exposure is for the trainees, and that the housing situation is safe. Once all of that happens, the voluteer is matched wth a particular family.

So, we left Valley View and had lunch in the town of Kukuruntumi where the PC hub office is located. 

After that we traveled to a small village/town of Anyinasin where we would be living for the next three months. We unloaded the truck and placed our luggage at the front of the church where we would b metting our "parents." All the Ghanaian families sat on the left side and all the PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) sat on the right. We spent the next few minutes staring at each other trying to figure out who was going who with whom.

As names were called, I got more and more nervous, hoping I wasn't the last. FINALLY, my name was called and I to the front of the church and gave my hose mother a big hug. Next we went to a little section of the church where we chatted and got to know each other.

Her name is Christy and she is 38 years old. Her husband is a headmaster is South Africa and she has three kids:

 Opoku-12, Hettie-4, and NaNa-1. 

So now I have three younger siblings! For those of you who know my awkwardness around children, I hope this experience helps eliminate some of that!

After a brief introduction, we uickly left the church, dropped my uggage off at her house and walked to the store where she worked. We probably stopped to talk to twenty people on the way. After we got to her store and I was introduced to her sister, (who works at the store beside her) I had run out of things to say. I didn't know anyone. I couldn't speak Twi (local language) and the people around knew very little English. So I sat there. And sat there some more. It was one of the most awkward moments of my life. I probably sat there for two hours not talking to anyone. I had also forgotten my water bottle at the house. So I was really thirsty any melting in the heat.

By the time we got home, I was in a terrible mood. While I was putting the water filter together in the kitchen, my sister was literally screaming and clinging on to my leg and knocking everything over. For a moment I thought I was going to die of thirst. No joke. That thought crossed my mind. By dinner time I had finnaly fixed my filter and calmed down. But as I sat down to eat, I realized I was exhausted from te day and no longer hungry. I don't know why, but I almost broke down at the table. It was alot to take in. New culture, new food, new people. First night on my own. You might think it sounds easy, but when all those things add up, it's sooo overwhelming. And when you find yourself alone for the first time, it's hard. Really hard. But you have to accept the change or let it eat away at you.

I accepted it and went to sleep. The only thing that kept me sane the first night was knowing that ever other PCT was going through the same thing, and I wasn't really alone.

*Things have gotten better since then, so don't worry : )

 my room

 bathtub no running water

 toilet no running water

 kitchen

 dining room

living room

Accra Quest

On the 3rd day in country we went on a little thing called Accra Quest. Basically everyone is divided into groups of two or three. Each group is given four or five objectives to complete in Accra before returning back to Valley View. We had six hours to complete this, and yes, it took us the entire time and then some. From Valley View to Accra it can't be more than 15 miles. HOWEVER, in Ghana, things tend to move a little slower.

First we had to wave down a tro tro, or tro (Tros or taxis are the main form of transportation in Ghana).  This was a task all on its own. The moment we got to the road a passing driver yells out "Are you rich?" As an American, everyone here thinks we are wealthy, but as a PC Trainee, this made us laugh. Since we make very little... equivelent to about $4.00/day.

Anyway, the tro driver never stops. He has the Mate do all the talking for him.  So here we are, three white girls (or better yet, three "Obrunis") chasing down a troasking for it to take us to the next town. When we finally got on one, it was packed tight. Every seat is filled and they are still taking more. What woul normally hold about 13 people in a standard church van in the states, holds about 30 people in Ghana. But the fair was cheap so we didn't complain. Next we got dropped off a the tro station in a busy market area.  It is pure Chaos! People are everywhere with buckets/baskets on their head. They sell everything from bananas, maps, to candy. You name it, they have it! At one point I even saw a girl carring a desk and chair on her head, going to school. Ha they love school that much!

We couldn't understand anyone and had never been to a tro station before. We were utterly lost.  Luckily the Mates on each bus knew exactly where we needed to go and literally pulled us to the correct tro. Ghanaians are so helpful! After an hour we finally reached Accra. Our tasks were very simple and took about 2 hours...a lot easier than we expected. But apparently nothing that easy comes free. The next tro we took dropped us off in the middle of another random market...not even at the correct station. We had no clue where we were AGAIN or how to get home. We asked many people but got different answers every time. SO FRUSTRATING! We spent the next 1.5 hours on the same street trying to figure out what to do next.

After all that time, we came to find out that there were two tro stations in town, an old, and a new...hence all the confusion.  By this time we were sweaty, tired, sunburned and covered in dust. By the time we finally found a tro to take us to campus we were exhausted and filthy. As we rolled into Valley View we noticed we were not the only ones that had such a rough time.

One group had a tro break down on the way to Accra (when vehicles brek down here they are stuck on the side of the road until someone can get out there to fix them). Another group had their tro rear end another vehicle on the way back to campus.  All in all Accra Quest was a great learning experience. But we have since heard that what we saw that day happens on a regular basis in Ghana, so be prepared to head more stories related to bad driving!

Arrival

Hello everyone! Yes, I am still alive. I just haven't had internet access in a while. Staging was hectic. As soon as we arrived we went through registration and straight into the orientation... aka awkward ice breakers. I'm glad we have such a funny Water/Sanitation group. It actually made the 5 hour session bearable. 

WATSAN trainee group at staging

Overall, the entire first week as a whirlwind of change and new faces. We arrived in Ghana around 7:30pm on Feb 8th. Everyone seemed to suffer from extreme jetlag. Depending on where everyone was from, some had it worst than others. On top of that, we had been in an airport or plane for the previous 20-23 hours prior to arrival.

We were welcomed by an entire goup of PC staff and rushed to a bus outside the airport. apparently we had arrived during a Ghanaian soccer game so "not that many" people were out.  YEAH RIGHT! The streets were incredibly crowded, as if a huge street festival was taking place. I would hate to see the airport on a "normal" day. We got on the bus and were welcomed by Mikey and Beth, our PCVLs (Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders). 

As we headed into Valley View (the campus where we would spend the next week) the PCVLs gave us the rundown of the week's itenerary, some cultural do's and dont's, along with a speech saying how 99% of volunteers join "the club"...if you have traveled to a developing country you know what I'm talking about..in other words, it means that I might not make it to the bathroom in time, and apparently most of the volunteers experience this AT LEAST once. What a great thing to look forward to! HAHA!

 First night at Valley View Chau and I decided to room together. This worked out perfectly! Since I am afraid of spiders and she is afraid of snakes, we decided to be each other's body guard. But to tell you the truth, if I see a snake, you better believe I'm running the other way. Sorry Chau!

 our room at Valley View and Chau

 bathroom-flushing toilet, and bucket baths

another view of our room

T-minus 10 hours!

OH EM GEEEE! Staging is so close! There are so many emotions running through me right now. Anxiety, sadness, aprehension, and excitement...hopefully all these feelings or normal at this point. That or I'm doing something wrong.

Last week was great, I was able to hang out with Dave and just relax. We ate at all of my favorite restaurants....I'm really going to miss Subway (sigh). Hopefully I packed on enough pounds to last me the first few weeks in a new country.

As far as packing goes...It literally took me like an entire day. Plus it doesn't help waiting until the day before...oops. Packing was definitely stressful. I sat in the middle of the floor surrounded by mountains of items as I debated about what to take and what I could manage to live the next two years without. I finally finished the majority of my packing, although I'm not really sure that my baggage falls within the limits of  Peace Corps requirements. Too late to turn back now, just gotta cross my fingers! I have 55 lbs worth of baggage to be checked and a 10lb bag for a carry on. Not too shabby. Let's see how long I can last with all that weight before my weak arms and fragile back decide to crumble underneath me.

Today I had one last feast that my Aunt Bea and Mom made for me. The food was glorious! Especially the fried rice and egg rolls (yuuummmmyyy!) Best part of the day was that Dave made a surprise visit to Paris! I don't think I would have been able to finish packing without his help...And because of this, he gets the best boyfriend of the year award! (Also...special shout out to my cousin Mitchell who also helped me pack the majority of my things)

So in just a few hours, I will start my amazing journey. Thanks to all my friends and family who have supported me in this decision!I'll try to make another entry when I get a chance, but I'm not sure how busy I will be or how often I can have access to the internet. Just remember, no news is good news!

I love and miss you all. Wish me luck!