My first week in Ghana

FYI: My Blackberry phone 781-799-7888 has been suspended/disconnected and I now have a local number here. I can receive texts but currently I can not respond - not sure what the problem is and hope it's figured out soon!
Feel free to call:  233 205 696 770 . Ghana is 5 hours ahead of EST

I've now been in Ghana for one week. In many ways it is as expected and in other ways there are surprises at every corner. I am in Kpando staying in a family compound of a man named Peter, approx 60 yrs old, who owns a plot of land with 8 small, rustic "houses". These are filled with extended family and 2 rooms are for volunteers who are involved with the Hardthaven Orphanage or have come to work at the hospital through a non-profit ( IE me via A Broader View).  Volunteers stay here because Peter's son, Edem, approx 40, is a community activist and in addition to being the founder of the orphanage, he is involved in many charitable efforts here as well.

Given that I am living in a pretty large community of 15k people, the living conditions are worse than I expected. Things look bad mostly because everything is always dirty.Because it is so hot and dry year round, there is no grass and very little flora/fauna so everything is dirt. Since water is scarce it is always dry and the red dirt blows everywhere! Everything I touch is covered with a layer of dirt: the floors, table tops, chairs, shelves, tables, my bed, the sink, my suitcase and me!  Most homes are made of clay and have corrugated tin as roofs. There is trash everywhere and it is the norm to litter. It s actually a difficult challenge to find trash barrels anywhere in public!

I share an "apartment" with a (approx) 23 yr old Canadian woman, Taylor. Our apt. consists of 1 room which opens up to a shared covered porch/deck area. We have 2 beds, a card table, a very small sink attached to the wall (no faucet/water, just the sink fixture), one overhead light and an overhead fan in our room.
A 19 yr old male from RI lives in the "apt" next door, and in town there are 4 other white women from Denmark - that's it for white peeps in all of Kpando!

The area that I live in is a highly populated village maybe 3 or 4 miles miles from the center of Kpando. I live on the main street and therefore there are always lots of people, animals, mopeds, cars, taxis and tro tros everywhere. There are stalls/shacks selling just about everything lining each side of the street. The area is bustling all of the time. Kids and adults stare all of the time nd often yell out yvoo (white person)! 

It is hot all of the time! Days are sunny and usually around 110 or so with a good amount of humidity. My thermometer in our room registers about 90 during the day and drops to a comfortable 87 or so at night!!

As for a bathroom/shower? There is an outhouse about 25yards away in the back of the family compound, which is shared by all. This is probably the part that I dislike the most here. It doesn't exactly have a toilet...it's, more or less, a permanent structure but no actual toilet and therefore hovering is a must!! There is also an outdoor space for a "shower". Again, no running water so this outdoor structure has 4 walls, no roof and no light.So you take your bucket of water to this area and do your best! At certain times during the day, the city turns on the water and those who have tapped into the line (like us) attach a hose and fill two 55 gallon drums. At some point the line goes dry and you need to wait until the city sends more the next day. Our situation is unique, I think perhaps wealthy by Ghana standards, as most families walk a distance to fill containers at the city well. Each night I watch the pilgramage of women and children walking to/from the well with buckets on their heads.

As expected very few people have electricity. Again we are very lucky/fortunate that our compound has some electricity which is used for a little light at night. The internet cafe is not very far away and is very inexpensive, albeit slow! But that is a big win for me and keeps me sane!

Next log in I'll share how I pass my time.....which, needless to say, is sloooooooowly!