Loving Life!

Hello! Otse den? (How are you?)

Bokoo (I’m good)

First of all for clarification, everyone here a different birth name but they also have a Fante name for the day of the week they were born on, that is different for the males and females.

I am really good loving Ghana and learning every day! One thing that I have learned here in Cape Coast is that there are always going to a few bumps in the road. If the taxi drivers have taught me anything, it is that when there are bumps in the road you just have to keep on going and not let them slow you down. The drivers also taught me to think about others because it is constantly chaotic traffic, but there is no road rage because the culture understands that everyone has a place to be. Most of the time that I have had the thought, “Is this really happening?” is when I am in the taxis because it is a new adventure every ride. Due to the fact that it is the rainy season here, each car ride is like a roller-coaster, like the old Blue Streak at Cedar Point, on the dirt roads with the huge potholes, which really adds to the adventures.  Once I had a driver pull over and go to the bathroom on the side of the road, another time I got stuck and went backwards on a dirt road going up this huge hill, my taxi has stopped working in the middle of the road, and in the humid cars I almost daily am stuck in the middle seat between two well built individuals. I do not know a lot about cars but I do know that almost every taxi here needs a new alignment and new tires.

I last wrote about Wednesday June 5^th when I fell in love with the bag of ice-cream called Fan-Ice and have experienced so many things since then.

On Thursday The Department of Social Welfare, which is where I work, went to visit one of the three orphanages in the area for an unannounced but routine inspection. This was the first time a little girl got scared of me because she probably thought I was a ghost or just has not seen anything like me.  The other interns and I also officially finished the proposal for the bylaw for the Day-Care centers on Thursday that would soon be taken it to the Assembly, which is like the senators in America. Then if the Assembly decides to adopt our changes to the requirements for the centers, they would then encourage the other Assembly members for the different regions in Ghana to do the same. This bylaw was needed because there was a Children's ACT created in 1998 but was not detailed for Day-Care centers, meaning for details the owners of the centers had to look at the law from 1979. We felt the bylaw was needed to keep the communication with the centers and The Department consistent. Also, every Thursday all of the 14 interns get together at 4pm to have Fante lessons or community development discussions, switching off every week, then go out to dinner. I got salad and it was my first vegetable in over a week!

On Friday I did not have work and all of the ProWorld volunteers and interns got to the house and took a trotro, a big van where everyone is squished together, to the Kakum National Park! This park we walked through the rainforest up this really step hill on an unpaved path. Arriving at the top of the mountain everyone walked over the rainforest on seven swaying rope bridges while we were not attached to anything like a harness. Luckily, the bridges had a little bit of rope around them but some of the broken boards did make the walk more adventurous. The sight was so beautiful and the pictures did not justify how truly stunning the walk was. After it was time to go to lunch and we went to Hans Cottage where I was not feeling well so I did not eat but I did get to pet a few alligators. Once lunch was done we went back to Cape Coast and we all had African drumming and dance lessons by the ocean. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, even the 60 Ghanaians watching all of us Obroni’s try to dance and play the drums. Then it only made sense to practice the dancing we all learned at a local dance spot and dinner area. This location is at a gas station with a live band, lots of tables, and it is “the place” to go in the evenings.

A long day is ahead of me on Saturday because we are going to the castle, which is one of the largest slave trades in the world so I have to prepare myself.

Adze pa nkyew (Good night)

Aba Lydia