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Richard McMahon writes...

...about his experience while volunteering in Ghana.

teaching in Dawhenya, Ghana: 12 July 2007

hey, ok finally im using my blog! this is the first time ive used it in africa! and i havent got much time left in the internet cafe so gunna b a quick one!

everythings going really well, arrived fine and the family are really cool. made me very welcome. The culture shock for the first couple of days was unbelieavable! but i soon got used to it, Dawhenya is an amazing place, quite small, basically one long road, the school where im staying and teaching is of to the side in a small village. school is made of sticks and bamboo! no electricity at the moment, apparently there will be soon though, so sometimes sleeping in the heat is hard! but i think ive aclimatised now! we have running water, shower is a tap that i stand under, at first this was rally odd but now, like i said im used to it.

Im already in my 3rd week of teaching! cant belive its gone so quickly! only one week left in dawhenya then i travel. The kids are cool. some of them can be quite difficult to teach, to begin with it felt quite unsuccessfull and unrewarding as all i was doing was teaching them from their (quite crap) government issue text books, but ive kinda started to use my own stuff now and the kids respond a lot better.

done some really good trips at the weekend, 1st weekend i met a couple other people from GVN and went to cape coast, went to a jungle and walked rope bridges in the canopies of the trees, was really good. the second weekend i went to this small town called kokrobite, theres a hostel there full of backpackers and volunteers so it was really good to meet others. then this weekend ive just come back from a town in the mountains called aburi. did a 40km bike treck through the mountains on dirt tracks, some of them no bigger than 1 foot wide through the jungle, shreadded my legs and was completely exhausted but it was well worth it, we ended at Asenema falls, also visited Boti falls the day before. both really cool.

At the end of my trip im working my way up to north ghana to do some Safari! should be really good.

better go,

Rich

trip to Shai Hills: 14 July 2007

Just come back from a really good trip to a place called shai hills. did a kind of walking safari thing, saw some baboons! but there are no bigger animals in this park, the elephants and rhinos and stuff are all up in the north of ghana, where i'm gonna do a proper safari next week when ive finished teaching.

Shai hills was amazing though, we trecked up to this cave on one of the hills and climbed on top of it, the view was amazing, all you could see for miles in every direction was savanah grassland! was so good, but i managed to break my camera! so not so good. I went on my own but accidentally bumped into another volunteer from GVN who i'd met a couple of times before.

Im in a town called Ashaiman now, its the closest place to Dawhenya that has proper internet. and its a stop through on my way back after my trip today.

Teachings been goin well, im not sure how compotent the teachers are, they use the cane here and sometimes they just take the piss, beating kids for not understanding their work, or for coming late to school etc, one teacher even makes the smarter kids cane the slower kids if they dont understand their work!

Other than that its going really well, i only have a few days left teaching and then i leave dawhenya! cant belive my placement has gone by so quick! but im really looking forward to traveling around ghana in my last couple of weeks.

Im going to a town called Ningo tomoro, aparently its really nice, really good beach and stuff, should be good,

Better go.

Rich.

Last week teaching!: 18 July 2007

So its my last week in Dawhenya! cant belive its gone by so quickly! i leave the scool on friday and head to accra, then up to Temale and Mole National park on saturday to do some safari! should be really good

Gunna be wierd to leave the school cos ive really settled in there now, although i'm deffinately looking forward to a proper shower and toilet.

The teaching this week is going well. To start with i didnt really feel that i was making any progress with the kids but now i deffinately think i am. They respond so much better to my own ideas that i teach, as oppose to the government issue text books they use. It's also more interesting and beneficial for me! the kids love reading story books, every night they come to me and ask me to help them read etc!

I do keep getting asked for stuff though! money (some of which ive already given to help build the school, they're currently being taught in bamboo and stick huts!) But i also get asked for my camera, my clothes, pens, money etc all the time. Theyre not tryin to be rude by askin but it can get a little annoying! even complete strangers ask me where im going, when i walk along the street! i'll tell them and they say "you must bring me something!"

But generally its going really well.

missing everyone from home, and british food! and a bathroom! but its a great experience to be living here! I'm gunna really miss it when i leave!

better go

Rich

Teaching finished!: 21 July 2007

Ive now finished my volunteer placement! ive left Dawhenya and im currently in Accra. I spend the next week traveling which im really looking forward to. Was wierd to leave the school, already miss it. The kids and the family gave me ghanaian gifts when i left!

Part of me is happy to leave cos i know i can soon have a proper shower and toilet and western food! but im also gutted to leave the school cos i really enjoyed it. was such a good experience. The family asked me to tell all of you guys that you must all go and visit! so theres ur holiday sorted for next year.

Teaching was more difficult than i expected, but also really worthwhile, wouldnt change my experience at all. After living in Dawhenya i think i could now live anywhere!

better go

Rich

ghana tour!: 24 July 2007

its been a hectic few days, I left the school and went to Accra on friday evening, stayed in a grotty hotel! so got up and left at 6am! made my way to Kumasi. It was really nice, completely different atmosphere to Accra. Its smaller and more of a normal town. Theres a market there, apparently the biggest one in west africa! it was huge, bits of tripe and pig feet etc all over the place! sarturday evening i met some other travelers/volunteers. one from devon, one from Glasgow and one from calafornia. had a really good night, went to a club till 4am! was up at 6.30 on sunday!! (ive goon going to bed at like 8.30pm whilst ive been at the school cos theres no lights!)

on sunday i took a trip to Lake Bosumtwi, a big lake about an hours tro tro ride from kumasi! it was amazing, the lake was huge and surrounded by mountains, the fishermen didnt have boats they just float out on planks of wood!

early on monday morning i made my way up to Temale, went and got a bus in kumasi, the journey took 8 hours! arrived at about 2pm and found my hotel. then headed to a bar where i met a 3 french guys. they spoke very little english so the afternoon consisted of me attempting to use my GCSE french! although it did seem to work quite well.

Right now im waiting to get my bus to Mole National Park where i go on safari! should be really good, cant wait to get there, past couple of days has felt like non stop traveling so i'll be happy to chill out for a couple of days. my bus leaves at 2.

I leave Mole on thursday morning then travel over night back to Accra (14hrs!) friday morning i go back to kokrobite fora couple of days, then back to accra on sunday for my Flight!

Those of you in Bath, see u on monday!

Rich