Back with a bang

Children waiting in line for some food

So here I am, with my sarcasm and my humour and all. One year has passed, and I somehow landed in Ghana once again. Perhaps ‘somehow’ is not quite the word I should be using… I guess that buying the Air Malta and Afriqiyah tickets had quite a bit to do with the fact that I am currently in Ghana. Afri-who? Afriqiyah. And to all the doubters, I am pleased to inform you that it ranks as one of the best airlines I’ve ever travelled with. In fact, I’d have to say it’s the second best in a list that includes, amongst others, Emirates, Lufthansa, British Airways, Alitalia, Czech Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines, not to mention Air Malta and others.

Don't, however, for one moment think that my journey was uneventful. It started off as being the same old boring stuff. My luggage was not checked in directly to Ghana, which meant that I had to collect it from Libya, and check it back in for the flight to Ghana. Simple, isn't it? Dream on. My luggage tags were taken at the check-in desk, and I was asked to check back at the desk after 30 minutes to get the new tags from Libya to Ghana. 40 minutes later I was told... yes, you guessed it, I was asked to return after another 10 minutes. 20 minutes later I was told... yes, you guessed it, I was asked to return after another 30 minutes. Now you're wondering whether this is one of those never-ending circles? Well, let's get some basic facts right: all circles are never-ending, so it cannot be a circle. But it is a teardrop. I'll however spare you the need to read the same thing about 8 times over, and let you know that I was given the tags 5 minutes before boarding. It may be interesting to know that I had more than 4 hours between landing and boarding, which makes you wonder how your luggage is meant to arrive if you have a shorter connection time. Good thing I have 11 hours on my way back...

Well anyway, my luggage did arrive, so I guess I shouldn't complain. What's more, I'm approaching 150 hours in Ghana, and I haven't yet been to hospital. How's that for shattering a previous personal best, which I set last year, of being taken to hospital after about 50 hours? I think it's a fantastic achievement, and I'm still going strong. No side effects this year, the floor in my room hasn't seen any messes, and my toilet hasn't once wished it that it could kill me! All in all, I think everything and everyone is happy.

I hear you saying that you don't care about all this and you'd rather know about the children. Well, it's too late now, as you've already read the previous three paragraphs, and you cannot turn the clock back and skip them the second time round. If you do find a way of doing that, then please let me know. On the other hand, if you don't manage it, please do be aware that this is now the fourth paragraph and you haven't yet read a single thing about the children and the activities.

Annoying? Not to worry, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Click that 'X' (or whatever it looks like if you are not using Windows XP) at the top of the page, or alternatively press CTRL + W, or alternatively go to File -> Close Tab, or File -> Exit. Simple isn't it? Now is your chance, and you'll be spared even finishing the fifth paragraph.

Children getting ready to play the mirror game

Children. Tall ones, short ones, boys, girls. It doesn't matter. They are all eligible to participate, learn something, have fun, and... be children. Oh, and do you remember Divine and Promise, who I mentioned in my last year's blog? They're once again here, not to mention a whole host of other children who have returned this year! Then of course there is yours truly who is also here again. This year there are about 60 children attending, and once again, we are giving them lessons in English and maths, apart from the games we play.

Children posing and playing

Did I mention that it's hot to be playing? Just to think that this is the rainy season, and it is much worse in December makes me wonder how it is possible to survive the Ghanaian Summer. Of course, you may very well know that the Meridian passes through Ghana, and that where I am is 5 degrees north of the equator, hence it can be unbearably hot, apart from humid. The humidity level hasn't dropped below 79% since I arrived, and reached 85% yesterday after the rain. Incidentally, we cross over from West to East of the Meridian (and back again) on a a daily basis when travelling from 'home' to Tema New Town.

You can probably imagine what it is like to play with the children in those conditions! I'll spare you some of the details, but I will however inform you that clothes don't exactly remain dry, and bodies don't quite smell so fresh at the end of the activities. That's not to mention the energy-sapping effects of the heat and the humidity. You really should try this out if you want to lose some weight... I mean, how can you not lose weight? Ok, perhaps in the same manner that I didn't put on weight when I was in America, and perhaps that weight is the one you don't want to lose, but hey, I don't profess to be a health expert.

Holding a picture of Don Bosco

ADHD. I suppose you know that it stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. If not, then I suppose you at least know that it is a disorder whereby your attention span is short because you are hyper. Do you realise that I've deviated from the topic once again? Tough luck. Like it, or else choose to lump it. Some people can't read, so you should be grateful that you can. The children here that we're reaching out to don't have all the opportunities that we have in Europe, so you should stop grumbling. Anyway, I've found myself going through what verbs are, and what nouns are. I've found myself going through additions, subtractions, and the multiplication tables. Thankfully, I still remember them!!!

For those who had made monetary contributions last year, my sincere thanks go to all of you. You might like to know that we had left some 'left-over' money with the Salesians for some needs that we identified. One of those was that there were remote villages which did not have access to clean water as the bore hole pumps (all manual) were out of order. Within a month of our departure, two of these villages once again had access to the water. Then today I had the privilege to meet a young boy, of secondary school age, who was in the past year integrated into a proper school. This, again, was made possible through the money we left last year. This boy may very well now have a future that would not otherwise have been open to him. Once again, and on behalf of the Ghanains, I thank you all. If you wish to donate anything this year, then please get in touch with me.

This is the point in time where I start wondering whether I've written enough to make this an authentic DLG blog. Is it long enough to be associated with me? I have a reputation to maintain, and as you all know, the hardest part is not getting a reputation, but maintaining it. I think that, considering that tomorrow (Friday) is a day full to the brim with outdoor activities for the children, I should ensure I give myself 6 hours of sleep, therefore I'll sadly have to keep it short. It does however give me another 1 hour to write down a few more thoughts, as well as add some pictures to the blog!

Mind you, the blog wouldn't be complete without mentioning the rest of the group from last year. The memories and experiences we shared together last year are, happily, being relived by the children this year, which is a great thing in itself. Would I have come to Ghana last year were it not for the rest of the group? Knowing me, probably yes, but the experience would have been a different one and there's no knowing whether I would have returned for another piece of the cake or not. So Ryan, Helene, Maria, Lorraine and Bianca, please rest assured that the activities are in good hands and are going strongly! Another mention also goes to the Ghanaian animators, as well as the other international volunteers (Nora, Igor and Krešo) who are here (and have just arrived) for a year, but are also contributing equally to the success of this year's activities.

Children posing for the photo

So anyways, I think I'll now stop writing, and look for a few decent photos to add to the blog... not a hard job, considering that I only have a few more than 300 photos!