rainy week in ghana

These past couple weeks it has rained here in Hohoe everyday. Although it does limit many things, like walking in the roads and making transportation difficult, it is also rather nice because the temperature lowers and its rather nice outside after the rain. The power has also been going out everyday which is very inconvenient when I would like to come to the internet cafes to write in my blog, check my email, or catch up with friends. Today, it just finished raining so I will take advantage of this time to write about a few things that have happened. Today I had such a frustrating experience while working at the orphanage. The children who travel from the close by villages to attend school there have to pay a 5 cedi school fee to attend and receive lunch. One of the girls from the class I taught came up to me during lunch and wanted to sit with me since I had not been to her class this morning being that I felt sick. Anyway, I noticed she wasn't eating and asked why she didn't have food and if she was hungry. She reluctantly answered me and let me know that her mother had not given her money to pay her fee so she didn't receive lunch. Being that I had a similar experience the day before with these 2 little girls in the preschool class who also didn't receive food because their mother did not have enough money to pay their fees, as I was informed by the other little girls when I asked them because the 2 who didn't eat also didn't speak English. I found this very unfortunate and quickly took a plate from inside with some food that had been left over from lunch and gave them what I could. They ate it so quickly and seemed so hungry that it made me want to take money the next day and pay for their fees so they could eat, but today they did not show up for school. When a similar situation occurred today I wanted to do the same thing. This little girl is also one of my favorites (even though I know I shouldn't play favorites) but I did not want to see her hungry. I went up to one of the school masters and offered to pay for her school fee, he then told me to give the money to the women who prepare lunch. I went up to them and told them why I was paying them and tried to say it in the most sincere way because I only wanted to help, but communication here in Ghana is at times very hard because no matter what you say, they often don't understand what you mean and then speak their language of Ewe around visitors so we won't understand what they are saying. After I paid them, I told the little girl she could go eat and walked with her to the lunch line. I waited outside while she went in the get her food and began to hear the women getting after her in Ewe. I couldn't understand anything they were saying but knew by the tone of their voices that it wasn't something nice. This upset me very much and when the school master walked out and made sure to talk to him about this. He just let me know that they provide food to the children even if they don't pay their fees and for some reason the little girl had just happened to not get her lunch today. I found that this made little sense because if this was true, the 2 little girls from the day before would have been fed and all their classmates would have not told me that they don't eat because they didn't pay as soon as I asked. It frustrated me so much because there is so much food to give that not eating shouldn't even be an option for these children. I was also just trying to help this girl and ended up getting her in trouble for it. I did go talk to her after and she seemed fine with it and I let her know that I took care of it and she wouldn't have to worry and that if anyone got mad at her to let me know. It is just so frustrating to see the women get mad at this small child because she unintentionally made them look bad. Somethings just are not fair but would be so hard to change, especially when they have been running that way for awhile. It really just want to help these kids and don't mind giving up a few cedis so they can eat, its just so unfortunate that they could be scolded for saying something. On a brighter not though, I could tell that this little girl appreciated it and after school, a couple of her classmates, herself, and I worked on their homework and she was quickly smiling again. I am just so tired of some of the people here who put themselves before others and are looking to just better themselves. I figure that this is just part of the experience and it will contain ups and downs, more good times then bad so far, but I am learning so much about the culture and the people that I will take back with me when I leave her in less than 2 weeks and share with my family and friends. This has also led me to evaluate my life and some of the things that I take for granted, like having $5 for lunch, and look at life from a different perspective. I appreciate everything I have learned here so far and I am still enjoying this experience.

One especially good thing that will happen today is that we are having pancakes for dinner! One of the volunteers is leaving back home to England tomorrow and since her favorite food is pancakes, our cook is making that tonight. We are all very excited because although the food here is very different and immerses us in the true culture, a bit of western food every once in awhile is a nice treat. Also, I think our cook is getting a little quick and careless with our pack lunches that we take to the orphanage because today's leftover spaghetti, yam chips, and a chicken that looked like it had been run over, was not very filling our appealing. We didn't even want to give our leftovers to the kids for fear that they would fall sick. I really can't wait to get home and have a big plate of Mexican food. Tonight should be fun though.

I will try to write again as soon as I get the chance. Hopefully there will be fewer power outages, although the stars looked beautiful last night when the power was out in the whole village.