Trying to be Calm and Breezy but it's not always Easy

On Tuesday, it will be 3 weeks since I first left the UK. Since my last update, I have completed the team leader training which required much more finance administration and risk assessing than I predicted. After this, I moved into my host home which is lovely, I get my own room as I am a team leader so it is nice to not be squished and living out of a suitcase until June. However, I do have to live with my co-team leader so will be spending all day with him and all evening lol! The UK and Ghanaian volunteers arrived on Tuesday 16/01 to start their 3 days of training and then all moved into their host homes on Friday. We visited the office so we have an idea of where we are working and the real work will start on Monday.

So far I love loving the experience of being in a new place. The people that I have met here are more open-minded and passionate about improving their county than I would have believed. However, due to issues I will go into as my time continues, they are not able to spark the flames of change as easily as we can in the UK. So far, I have been settling into routines so haven't come across anything that is a real challenge apart from little environmental things. For example, the food overall is good but the portion sizes are huge! I have plates heaped with rice or one of the dreaded trio: Fufu, TZ and Banku which are the staple meals here (my host does make a nice Banku though - pictures in future posts). The weather is hard going and despite trying to be flexible, I do feel like I am melting on occasion and long for a day of the lowest ever recorded temperature of 10 degrees. My lips are chapped and for some reason my neck is really dry which I didn't realise was a thing but this is mostly due to the dust in the air from the Harmattan. I've avoided most insect bites (woo!) and sunburns as have been unfashionably slathering myself in sun cream.

My first bed <3
 
My first shower room, the shower didn't work so I just stuck my head under the tap. Did my first bucket wash and hung it up using my portable washing line!
 
Some animals grazing on the housing area I am living in.
 
Walked to the local largest water source that I could see on google maps. It is shallow enough for people to stand in, bathe, wash clothes and maybe even get drinking water. The levels are very low due to it being the dry season and the shoreline is littered with rubbish.
 
The man-made water reservoirs that lead to the lake. Right now they are dry but during the rainy season they should fill up to stop flooding and meaning people don't have to go so far for water.
 
 
 
 
 
 


 

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