I created this blog with the purpose of providing some insight into my specific volunteer placement through CCS. My placement, GADKO School, is fairly new and currently hosts education for the preschool and kindergarten levels. Arriving volunteers are usually offered past volunteer blogs and/or e-mails. There aren't any such resources for GADKO school yet, so I thought I'd get the ball rolling for future volunteers, as well as fulfill the curiosity of friends and family while I'm away. (Though I'm visiting Germany/Holland after Ghana, I won't be including that here). Miawoezor!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Hohoe, Placement, and Travel



Ndo! A week and a half as gone by, but it feels much longer due to the constant flow of experience. There is much that has happened, but I will summarize starting with the country and town of Hohoe. It is an interesting mix of westernized culture and very basic civilization. Some people wear traditional wrapped cloth, while others where jeans and polo shirts. They are modern in the sense that most people have phones and music devices with accommodating stores, but the stores are still shack-like with either aluminum or palm leaf thatched roofs. There are many taxis and vans in the streets, but they are mostly just bare structure, ripped of any carpeting etc, they may have previously had. The streets are shared with pedestrians, but the vehicles will honk as they approach, warning you to "move it or lose it" essentially. My expectation of the smells was not accurate. With all the lush green vegetation, I expected crisp, clear air. To the contrary the humid air is heavy with an array of olfactory sensation: diesel, urine, dirt, and smoke are prevalent but sometimes I catch a whiff of something sweet and satisfying.

Placement:

I am teaching preschool at GADKO school; this is a school that has just been established January of this year. So far there is only a preschool and KG1, so there is one other volunteer, Andrew, teaching KG1; w are the first volunteers to be placed here. My first day was rough, I have to admit. My driver accidentally took me on 3 hour detour and this mistake was not originally communicated the the proprietor and headmaster. Thus, I got an earful from them both about how unacceptable it is for me to be late, and that I mustn't repeat my error. The first day I was allowed to just take a seat and observe for the most part, but towards the end, I was asked to introduce some new songs or rhymes. Everyday since, the teacher I am working with has become less and less active, to the point where I teach all day and she uses her phone, listens to music, or naps. Starting tomorrow I will try to find ways for us to both be engaged with the children.

The children do not speak English at this age, but are expected to start learning, so I just talk away in English while I'm there so they are exposed. We are working on the numbers 1, 2, and 3, basic shapes, animal names and noises (that they can recognize, such as lion, elephant, dog, etc), and fun activities. They've never played with blocks before, so for a bit every other day I bring large leg-style blocks and show them how to put them together. They usually just grab a couple blocks and play with them like cars.

The school is reminiscent of stalls found on a farm. We have a chalkboard dividing the stall, making the two classrooms. Other than that, the school has no educational supplies, so I bring reading books, blocks, paper/crayons, and a soccer ball most days. The children need a new activity about every 20 minutes so future volunteers, start thinking of ideas!

Travels:

The first weekend a group of us went to Cape Coast, an 8 hour drive from Hohoe. We went to an old slave port, and to kakum nationa park, where they have a canopy walk. It was a trip worth while, but be prepare to spend a lot, primarily on paying the driver to get there and back.

We went to the monkey sanctuary yesterday, and it was AMAZING. Wild monkeys come jump up all over you and will eat bananas out of your hand. Baby monkeys cling to the bellies of their mothers. Very very cute.

Ok, I have to go or I'll miss out on a ride to town. I will post again this weekend (if the internet is working). Mia do go!

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