How is it possible?
to pack your life into 25kg luggage allowance... Answer IMPOSSIBLE!! I did however, manage to pack it into a 120 litre holdall. Fantastic apart from it took both me and my dad to lift it into and out of the car. At checkin the woman almost fell off her seat and told us that the maximum one bag could weigh was 32kg and that 46 was just not acceptable! - I had to go and repack it... luckily I was using my rucksack as hand luggage, so transferred some stuff into it, and ended up with 30kg and 20kg!
We then queue jumped and met a great check in clerk who didn't charge excess baggage. - phew!!
Day one in accra was spent going into an internet cafe and buying a local sim card and then being introduced to the course. There are 10 volunteers (inc me) starting this week, 5 from uk, 1 from Canada, 2 from India, 1 from kenya and 1 form Philipines - so quite a cultral mix. No one is going to be quiter as remote as me but there are 2 based in Bolga and one in Wa. I have found out that there are three other VSO vols in Tumu, so I won't be totally alone.
We have been learning about the Ghana culture and I can also greet introduce myself say where I am from and what I do and buy food at the market in my local language - all very important.However my local language covers Tumu and the close surrounding area further than that I will need to learn another language. There are 72+ in total - so not much chance at being fluent...
On Wednesday evening we were all invited to the British High Commisionners Residence to a reception for the VSO Global Education Conference. There were representatives from most (all) the countries that VSO has an education programme, as well as some reps from UK and a couple of vols from my region. It was interesting to chat to the programme managers from other countries.
I have found out a little more about Tumu, my mobile phone will work if the wind is going the right direction the sun is not too high there is no "day" in the spelling of the weekday! - so i feel even more isolated than before... I have been told that there is taps in my house and a bore hole nearby - there is a shower but I am not sure if it works. However I have been told there are ceiling fans and at an average of 48degs at midday I will pretty grateful for that... All in all I am very much looking foward to moving there now. We begin the journey on Sunday morning, and I should be in Tumu on Monday evening. I have a day off tomorrow so I plan to buy a bicycle to take with me as I will be living 2-3 km from Tumu itself.
I also plan to go to the beach for a while on Saturday to make the most of being in a hot country in February... it is really quite wonderful to be here. Ghanaians are really lovely and if the people of Tumu are even just a fraction as friendly it is going to be great.
My language teacher has told me to look up his friend who is a teacher at the college "Taller" cos he is very tall, as well as his sister who is a nurse at Tumu hospital, so I have two friends already.
Just to finish, two things I have found really refreshing here so far are that there is no incessant beeping of car horns and there is none of the usual harressment to but this buy that, it is a really chilled out country... My kind of place.
We then queue jumped and met a great check in clerk who didn't charge excess baggage. - phew!!
Day one in accra was spent going into an internet cafe and buying a local sim card and then being introduced to the course. There are 10 volunteers (inc me) starting this week, 5 from uk, 1 from Canada, 2 from India, 1 from kenya and 1 form Philipines - so quite a cultral mix. No one is going to be quiter as remote as me but there are 2 based in Bolga and one in Wa. I have found out that there are three other VSO vols in Tumu, so I won't be totally alone.
We have been learning about the Ghana culture and I can also greet introduce myself say where I am from and what I do and buy food at the market in my local language - all very important.However my local language covers Tumu and the close surrounding area further than that I will need to learn another language. There are 72+ in total - so not much chance at being fluent...
On Wednesday evening we were all invited to the British High Commisionners Residence to a reception for the VSO Global Education Conference. There were representatives from most (all) the countries that VSO has an education programme, as well as some reps from UK and a couple of vols from my region. It was interesting to chat to the programme managers from other countries.
I have found out a little more about Tumu, my mobile phone will work if the wind is going the right direction the sun is not too high there is no "day" in the spelling of the weekday! - so i feel even more isolated than before... I have been told that there is taps in my house and a bore hole nearby - there is a shower but I am not sure if it works. However I have been told there are ceiling fans and at an average of 48degs at midday I will pretty grateful for that... All in all I am very much looking foward to moving there now. We begin the journey on Sunday morning, and I should be in Tumu on Monday evening. I have a day off tomorrow so I plan to buy a bicycle to take with me as I will be living 2-3 km from Tumu itself.
I also plan to go to the beach for a while on Saturday to make the most of being in a hot country in February... it is really quite wonderful to be here. Ghanaians are really lovely and if the people of Tumu are even just a fraction as friendly it is going to be great.
My language teacher has told me to look up his friend who is a teacher at the college "Taller" cos he is very tall, as well as his sister who is a nurse at Tumu hospital, so I have two friends already.
Just to finish, two things I have found really refreshing here so far are that there is no incessant beeping of car horns and there is none of the usual harressment to but this buy that, it is a really chilled out country... My kind of place.
posted by Lucy at 1:04 pm
3 Comments:
Lucy,
sounds great!
just to let you know that someone is using your messenger username, he says that you forgot to sign out...???
take care and keep posting!
pattyxxx
thanks for that Patty,
The cafe I was in logged me off before I had chance to sign off Messenger - I won't do that again!!!
Lucy,
no worries! I was only a bit concerned about you and other people's access to your emails and general personal things...!!!
I'm enjoying reading about your experience...thank you!
take care,
patty xx
Post a Comment
<< Home