I have just completed the end of my first two weeks in
Ghana. With no internet and a very
particular phone that the peace corps sold me, or rather brought some vendor.
We are required to own one so that they can contact us and visa versa. Our first week
was at a dormitory at Valley View University.
Where they tried to prepare us for homestay pre-service training. We practice Ghanaian Twe, Visited with the US
Ambassador and our Peace Corps Country Director; got to know each other (there
are twenty five education volunteers in our group); and shopped in Accra. While there we also learned how to take
bucket baths and do our laundry.
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| Angel, me and Bob, Trainees near construction at Valley View University, Accra, Ghana |
On Monday (6/10) they bussed us to our homestay families
where I stay in a nice room with a family.
Each volunteer has his or her own family and we are one of their
children while we are here. The kids
look out for us and the mama feeds us and makes sure we are cared for. We greet everyone we meet on the way to our
classes which are held either in a large Presbyterian church or a large
Methodist church. Each day is full with
instruction and we have each presented two short lessons one to other Peace Corps volunteers and one two an
actual Ghanaian Junior high school class.
Next week we will begin Practicum teaching where for one week I will
teach some regular 70 minute math classes while my partner teaches
science. Then for a week I will teach
science. All under the direction of
working Ghanaian teachers and four working volunteers who have come in from
their assignments to instruct us.
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| My homestay sister, Amma, in front of the house where i will stay for the next few weeks of training |
So far I have taken a bucket bath every night, but my sister
has kindly offered to do my laundry (yea!) Last night my homestay father, Atoko asked me
if I liked warm or cold bucket baths. I
said cold was okay, but I would prefer it to be a little warmer, so he sent my
sister (Amma) to put some hot water into my bucket. Oh! If
I had only known! It was
wonderful. I miss everyone a lot, especially since I have
not had the chance to e-mail anyone. But
I am very busy with language and teaching practice and trying hard to do a good
job for this part of my training.
