The final countdown ! (cue Rocky music)

Seven more sleeps till I go ! Ridiculous at the age of 23 I count in sleeps as a time line as to when my holiday starts but I refuse to change ! So I finally got my placement in Ghana so I thought I'd explain a bit about the program I'm going with and the few details of my placement that I have.

Here's a little spiel from CCS:

Cross-Cultural Solutions believes that the most successful approach to international volunteering is one that defers to the needs and goals of the local community. We recognize that local people know what is valuable and appropriate for their own community. We're committed to providing volunteer work that helps them carry out their own set of objectives, rather than imposing another one.

Our in-country staff always consists of highly experienced members of the local community who are responsible for setting up and running programs in their region. They are from the area in which our programs operate, and therefore have a vast knowledge of the local community and its needs.

We believe in partnering with the community to effect change, working with local guidance, and supporting local solutions. For that reason, we work with dynamic and inspiring community-led organizations that we call "Partner Programs." These organizations agree to receive highly prepared and supported international volunteers and appreciate the energy and commitment that CCS volunteers give to their work. Partner Programs' staff works with CCS in-country staff to ensure that our placement process does not interfere with their daily work, and volunteers provide a meaningful contribution. Our volunteers are always working with local people, and their work is always relevant and sustainable for the community.

Through this approach, CCS volunteers and our partners are given the opportunity to work side-by-side and connect, one person to another. The work is mutually inspiring, and volunteers really get to experience another culture like never before.

So my placement is with the Happy Kids Foundation. It's a school/orphanage in the Hohoe suburb of Wegbe. The school has a total of 102 students with 20 of them living at the orphanage just down the road. The school has a creche, kindergarten and grades 1 - 3.

My duties will include:

Teaching conversational English (i hope they don't expect too much I often forget what a bloody verb is hahaha)
Teaching simple arithmetic
Playing games and other outdoor activities
Teaching basic hygiene
Taking kids to places of interest and events
Grading papers and organising activities

When I was younger I was thinking about becoming a kindy teacher my family laughed in my face and said there was no way I would be able to since I'm too mean and impatient... well A. I disagree and screw you for saying so =) AND B. watch me prove you wrong (and even if I don't I'm half way across the world so you'll never know anyway).

So I'm not sure what ages I'm teaching/looking after but apparently some people believe not knowing is half the fun ... I'd have to disagree and have a slight suspicion that the person who came up with that was just making excuses since no one trusted them with any information BUT nothing I can do about it and I'll still be cuddling the babies even if I'm not looking after them.

Here's a clip of what I'll be up to in a little over a week:


Find more videos like this on CCS Community

Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.

So had a bit of a revelation this morning as I was waking up, which is i'm going to Africa in a month today and it still doesn't seem real. I suppose it's because i'm still going through all the motions of everyday life wake up, work, exercise, rinse and repeat. I also think that if I start thinking about the fact that i'm going half way across the world for 3 months alone to a country or even continent I know so little about I would start freaking out just a little bit. So oblivion seems to be the best option at the moment although it's hard to forget when you've just had your 3rd set of needles! (I can count at least 12 individual needles)

So for my first entry I suppose a good place to start is where.

Number 16 on the map next to Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory coast) and Togo.

I will be staying in the Volta region in a place called Hohoe (yes i though it was hilarious too especially since there is a Hoboe just up the road!)

Some facts about Ghana

Capital City: Accra

Population: 21 Million

Area 238, 537 sq km

One of the poorest countries in West Africa
The Currency is cedi and 1 US Dollar = 13,665.8
Ghanaian Cedi Life expectancy is around 56 years
Literacy rate is just under 75%.
I will be staying in the Volta region, and Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake
The main religion is Christian
Gold, timber, and cocoa production are Ghana’s major sources of foreign exchange
Hospital Beds: 1.46 available per 1,000 people in need
Physicians: 0.15 doctors per 1,000 people in need
Less than 64% of the total population has access to sanitation facilities
Infant mortality rate is 52% per 1,000 births a year

So there are some facts about where i'm going but obviously facts don't offer much information about a place.

So i've covered the when and where now onto the why.

This is a question that everyone seems to ask but the answer always seems too long to offer up in just a passing conversations so I just generally shrug my shoulders and say it's something i've always wanted to do, which is true. But I'll try to elaborate. Everyone knows that I hate racism, prejudice, bigotry etc etc I can't stand it when people try and say they don't like certain people or they are better than other people based solely on the colour of their skin or the religion they choose to practice. I am a firm believer in the fact that at the end of the day first and foremost we are all citizens of the world and we are all equal when we are born. In saying that I find a common injustice of the world is that people have to live certain lives based solely on where they were born and even more unsettling, may never have someone care about their circumstance or more importantly care about them as a human being. The world isn't fair which, if people bothered to pay attention it would be shown to them on a daily basis and like most I find it very easy to be one of those people who don't pay attention. So this journey is to not only help some people even if it may be in a small way but to also enlighten myself about the world and solidify how fortunate I am to have family and friends that love me, a roof over my head, never wanting for food and never having to feel the hopelessness of watching people I love die because I can't afford the basic necessities.

So I decided to go to an orphanage because I love kids (who doesn't) and it means I get to play for 3 months =) Also because children are our future and they are the ones that are going to change the world and with the right education and encouragement for the better. It has also been found that by hugging babies in early life leads to healthy emotional responses later in life. Even if a child receives hugs, love and attention later in life such as when they are toddlers research shows that the damage has already been done. The benefits of hugging babies are so profound that there and many organisations that organise 'baby cuddlers' for hospitals and orphanages. So basically by being there and cuddling some babies i'm making a difference, which is a sacrifice i'm willing to make. =P

The ultimate question I think everyone struggles with and one that i'm constantly pondering is what is the purpose of my life. Why am I here? I've decided as simplistic as it is my purpose is to leave the world in a better state then when I entered it and if I can achieve that I think i could call my life a success. So here's to the start of success ...