It took me over half and hour to walk to this internet cafe from my village, Abiriw. As the sweat drips from my forehead onto the keyboard, I type and squint, type and squint.

I managed to get to Africa with relatively little hassle - my bags arrived to Accra airport and none of my flight times suffered from the terrible weather at home. As it was late when I got in I was picked up at the airport and brought to the office in Accra which doubles as a guest house. I spent the night sweating it out in the confines of a small but relatively comfortable guest room and the next morning at 5am was taken to the Akuapem Hills where I will be working on the community building project.

The Hills are a series of villages, around which the scenery is beautiful - an oxymoronic mixture of desert and lushness, of sand and colourful banana plantations. I am living in Abiriw next to Akroprong. The area is remote and the standard of living is very basic. I was, of course, expecting basic although it still will take a little getting used to.

Water, as you can imagine, is a serious issue out here. There is none. I am a big fan of water. On first arriving in Accra I was handed a bag of water. It was a satchet. Of water. I looked at the guy who gave it to me wondering what I was supposed to do with it but hoping not to offend with my ignorance. 'Bite it open and drink' he said. 'But it will explode all over the place', I responded 'It's a bag of water'. 'Just a small hole' he replied. I now drink about 10 bags/satchets over the course of every day.

Showering consists of pouring a bucket of cold water over your head. The toilet is an outdoor affair, a hole. Toilet paper goes in a bucket to the side which is emptied and then burnt. Clothes and plates are washed in a bucket with cold water. Buckets are important. I have named my bucket 'Setanta'.

Electricity is in short supply but I am one of the few volunteers to have access to it. I am very glad I brought a torch as there are no lights in the outhouse so a midnight call must be negotiated carefully. It is much easier to sleep in the Hills than in Accra as there is a very slight breeze to help me breathe. Aside from that my bed is not uncomfortable, although the mosquito net is frustrating but I am happy enough to be frustrated should it mean I avoid contracting malaria. I have been told quite a few volunteers have been struck down with malaria. Not for me, thanks.

I was taken on my formal induction by one of the project officers today to the regional capital, Koforidua. We travelled on a tro tro and I managed to get some Ghanaian Cedi and become familiar with the locations of the hospital and immigration office. I am staying with four other volunteers in Abiriw at the minute who have all been here for a number of months and who are now showing me the ropes. They will be leaving to volunteer on Cape Coast soon and more are arriving here so I will have to get up to speed so I can show the new volunteers where to buy fresh fruit and how to operate the 'hole'.

Below is a short list of my first impressions of Ghana:

1. Chelsea FC - The Chelsea machine is doing serious business out here in Ghana. In Koforidua and Accra every second man is wearing a Chelsea jersey, t-shirt or tracksuit. They are the most supported team out here by a country mile. I have seen 1 Man Utd strip, 1 Liverpool and 1 Spurs but hundreds of Chelsea strips. No Spanish jerseys and very few local club teams. Michael Essien is a complete God, his face to be seen at every turn. A bit like Pat 'the Cope' Gallagher around the townlands of Dungloe.

2. 'Obruni, Obruni!' - 'White Man, hey Whitey!'. Walking down the street I am constantly stared at and shouted at. It's exactly like walking down the street in Warrenpoint only the people shouting at me are black and much more friendly. Apparently the appropriate response is to shout 'Obi be be', which means 'Hey Black!' but it might take me a few more weeks before I am comfortable using this one. I am also told that I have to hiss at people to get their attention. That might take more than a few weeks also.

3. Food - Spice. Rice. Yam. Beans. That's pretty much it. Although I have been getting stuck in and it is quite tasty.

4. National Pride - Ghanaians appear to be fiercely patriotic and there are Ghanaian flags on all the tro tros, taxis and houses. With the African Cup of Nations beginning next week I am looking forward to sampling some of this nationalistic spirit, although finding a TV on which to watch the matches may prove to be a challenge around Abiriw and Akroprong.

5. Head Carriers - The women carry everything on their heads. Massive big bowls and trays of what I can only imagine is a huge weight, and they walk around with no use of their hands. When it is crowded I am always worried that someone will knock into them and that their rice/water/bananas will fall onto the street. They seem to manage it with great poise and dignity. Are you listening mna na hEireann?

6. Tro Tros - these are 15 seater mini-buses which drive around picking people up anywhere on the street - even where there is no station, you can wave one down and cram in. They get as many in as possible and open the windows to let the air in as you drive. They usually do not leave the first station until the tro tro is full so you never know when you will be leaving and you have to make plenty of time for journeys. The system is that a driver and a 'mate' work together. When you need to ask a question about where the tro tro is going or how much it will cost you deal with 'mate'. He hangs out the sliding door of the tro tro loading bags, cramming people in and dealing with the money. It is a good system and unbelievably cheap. My journey to Koforidua, which takes over an hour, cost me 1.20 Cedi. This is less than £1.

7. The Ghanaian handshake - Three stages. Firstly, you make an approach as you would with a swinging high five; secondly, once you slap their hand you take up a normal handshake position; thirdly you pull your fingers away from their hand as they do the same, and at the moment of release you click your fingers together and against their fingers so as to make a double click. A fantastic greeting and I am having much fun in practising with people.

8. The heat - I brought a hoodie with me. What an idiot!

I begin work tomorrow - While I am looking forward to getting stuck in, I am not looking forward to the excessive levels of sweat.