Friday November 13, 2009


I’m sitting at the Amsterdam airport right now. I honestly want to sneak back on a plane that is going to Ghana because I did NOT want to leave that country. I absolutely loved it there! It was very easy for me to adjust to their culture, and I’m not sure why. I don’t know if it is because it is so relaxed there, or that people are so friendly there, or what?? I woke up at 6:30 every morning (very early for me) and walked to class at 7:45. I would then teach until 11:30, walk home, and then we either had activities planned, or I would go to the orphanage. After that, we ate dinner, and then I got to read. I was never exhausted at the end of the night like I am in Texas. The job that I’m doing is definitely a lot different than waitressing, but for some reason I never got tired after a long day in Hohoe. I was never once stressed out while in Ghana, and the time during the day went by a lot slower than in the U.S. but too fast because I didn’t stay but for three weeks. It’s difficult to explain why I liked it there so much, but maybe you can try it out for yourself sometime! It was a wonderful experience and worth every penny! I would do it again in a heart beat!

All the volunteers have a couple friends that we hang out with and play cards with. One of them, Paul, is very outgoing and friendly, so I thought it would be a good idea if he came to speak to my class for just five minutes. I figured everyone would like him and look at him as a role model. He actually did come, and he talked about listening in class and wanting to learn and behaving, etc. After he left, the kids were perfect! I’m hoping what he said sticks with them! Yesterday was my last day at the school. I gave them suckers, their pictures, and a couple worksheets to take home that I had made. When I wasy saying goodbye, some of them started not just crying, but sobbing. It was very sad! Others kind of looked around, and I think they felt as if they had to cry or something. Either way, it was a sad goodbye. I gave the kids my address, so hopefully I will get a couple letters in the mail! I sure will miss Ghana, but I will definitely be coming back here sometime!

On another note, I arrived at the Accra airport, and it seemed completely different than what I arrived to the first time. This part of the airport was nice, and it had very cold air conditioning, which I was not expecting. A family sat down in front of me in the waiting area, and I noticed the kid’s accents right off the bat. They were half African, half Irish. I had never seen such a combination before! They were the most well mannered, friendliest, and funny boys! When I got on the plane, I was super lucky because I didn’t have anyone sitting in the two seats next to me. Unfortunately our tvs were not working, so I passed the young lads a note saying we could play cards to pass the time. The fourteen year old came and sat next to me, and we played cards for awhile, and I showed him my pictures from the trip. It made the flight go by so fast, thank goodness! He also asked me how I got my teeth so white lol, so I told him I used white strips a long time ago. He wrote his address down and asked me if I would send him some lol…so it looks like I will be sending a couple of white strips to Ireland. Hahaha…O, and one random thing: tons of people in Ghana have facebook. I just can’t get over it lol…what a journey! I can't wait to go back and do it again!