home from ghana

My trip to Hohoe, Ghana has come to an end and I am happy to say that I am know safely back home. My last few days in Ghana were very interesting. They were exciting yet bittersweet because I hated saying goodbye to all the good people I met.

The last night I was there, the United States was playing Ghana in a world cup match and I was the only American in the household where I was staying and the only one going for the United States. The whole town seemed to know that Ghana was going to win the match that night and all day I heard predictions from the townspeople and on the radio. Most of the predictions were that Ghana would beat the U.S. with a score of 2-1, I of course thought this to be wrong becuase not only did I want the U.S. to win, I hated how sure everyone in Ghana was so sure that they were going to win with that score. The game was an excellent game and both teams played very well. In additional time, Ghana was able to score another goal that sealed their win... at 2-1. I was amazed that the people had been right about their score and now had to deal with many Ghanaian people reminding me that they had beat my country. It turned out to be a lot if fun though. As soon as Ghana won, they whole town went crazy! Everyone was out in the street yelling and cheering and blowing on their horns. Taxi's drove by with people hanging out of the doors yelling and honking their horns very loudly. Everyone was so happy and after meeting up with one of our friends from Ghana, me and a couple of other volunteers got very brave and decided to walk to the town center where everyone was gathered and see what was going on. The town center was crazy, I didn't even realize that there was that many people living in Hohoe! There must have been thousands of people outside yelling and cheering for hours. It didn't stop after an hour or so and kept going on into the night. Everyone was asking of course if I was from America and if I now supported Ghana because they beat us. I tried to avoid those questions as much as possible but when I was asked I either laughed and said I was from Mexico, or said that yes I now supported Ghana. It was great to see how they celebrated their win and a great experience watching the get so excited for a sport that meant so much to their country. They were also one of the last African countries to remain in the world cup and were now representing all of Africa. They were so proud of their country and it was amazing to see how much that meant to them.

Saying goodbye to the children at the orphanage was one of the hardest things I had to do. They were all so sad that I was leaving and the class I taught even wrote me letters and wanted me to take a picture with them so I could hang it in my room and see them everyday. I was so attached to some of the kids that lived in the orphanage and didn't want to say bye because I knew it would be a good while before I saw them again. I went to spend a few hours with them on Saturday and brought them cookies and bracelets and delivered a few letters I wrote to some of the older kids. After saying our goodbyes and giving everyone hugs, I went home to start packing and prepared to leave Hohoe.

My goodbyes to the volunteers were also bittersweet. I had gotten so close to some of them because we had spent everyday for the past month doing just about everything together. I also was going to miss the friends from Ghana I made and the family that I had lived with for the past month. They were all sad to see me go, and if I do go back to Ghana again, I will be sure to visit them and gthe children in the orphanage.

Overall, my experience was amazing and I can away with new perspectives about the life and new found opinions on the way other countries live. I learned so much about the Ghanaian people, culture, and life. I learned to appreciate everything I have back home in Texas and all the experiences and opportunities that I have been blessed with. I want the same for these children and do wish to find a way to help them from back home.

I arrived home last night and am so glad to be here. It was so nice to see my friends and family and go back to the comforts of my home. I am so excited to share stories with my family and get back into life here in Texas. I am so grateful to have had this wonderful experience and will hold the things I learned and the experiences I gained with me forever.