A couple of weeks back in Zebilla: Workshops, power cuts and popcorn movie nights

The last couple of weeks since the motorbike training have still been a whirlwind, but the speed is thankfully slowing now from a full blown tornado to a small wind storm. I have found myself starting to really settle in here and it's beginning to feel like home.

At the end of the moto training whilst I was still in Bolga, I was staying with another volunteer who has been here for more than two years, and who was now packing up to go home. It was a real contrast; me here at the very start of my journey, all fresh and new and as they call it 'green', and her at the end of a long two and a half year stint, having had her fully fledged induction into Ghanaian life. I felt like I should ask her lots of questions, and see if she has some kind of magic tip for surviving so long in a county and culture so far removed from our own...see if there are any gems of information about culture or ways of life (or even how to handle the recurrent 'can I marry you? question) that might come in handy! All she said was 'make the most of it, try not to get malaria, and remember that before you know it this adventure will come to an end'.

So, back in Zebilla I've been mustering what energy I have after the heat has zapped a few megabytes of the stuff from me straight before I've even left the house, and have been throwing myself into work, getting to know my colleagues, finding out what they do and how they do it, researching into child rights issues in the communities where I will be working, and attempting to understand some of the cultural issues I will come across in my work.

Workshops are definitely flavour of the month and every week it's guaranteed there will be at least one lasting a few days or more. This week I supported a 3-day one on adolescent health which was attended by about 60 health teachers and community health workers, and was a real eye opener into some of the myths in the communities that influence behaviours amongst young people. I can't write some of them here because they are related to sexual health and are quite sensitive, but I honestly couldn't believe some of the things I heard.

The discussions that ensued were very lively indeed, and the workers were practically clambering over their seats to engage in the debate. They discussed the tensions between religious leaders and health care workers where spiritual perspectives on marriage and sex clash with medical approaches to tackling HIV and AIDS, the 'informal' legalisation of abortion in Ghana, and the high number of young girls that leave to seek jobs in the South and plan to return to pay for their education but wind up pregnant or with HIV/AIDS instead. Needless to say, it was a real insight and a massive learning curve for me to hear how the workers are making attempts to overcome some of the challenges like this that they face.

By the end of day three I was utterly pooped. I got home, prepared to cook myself some nice food, and set up my laptop to write some emails, listen to some relaxing music, and attempt to look at the news online. I also whacked the fans on full blast and considered climbing into the fridge to escape from the heat for a while. Then only ten minutes in, the power went off. I should be used to this by now but I found myself cursing, especially because I'd heard a rumour recently (no idea if it true or not) that sometimes they cut the power off up north, to ensure they still have enough to supply the south, so I was feeling pretty peeved about that. It was only the next day when I was listening to the radio that I discovered it wasn't just a local black out but a national one, and as result two people died in the hospital in Accra. It is such a shame in a country that is so relatively well developed in the south and I have to say I did then feel guilty for having complained about not being able to use my laptop, when hospitals don't even have generators and can't run their equipment and save lives at time like that.

This week I finally met the leader of Community Development at the District Assembly, which was super useful as I will be working very closely with her to deliver some work around child labour. As I walked in her office she greeted me with suspicion and looked at me over the rim of her glasses as if to say 'and who exactly are you?'. As I began waffling away at her explaining why I am here and what it is expected I will be doing and blah blah blah, she stopped me with a quick flick of her hand in the air, and held it there for a moment whilst we sat in silence me wondering what on earth this woman is thinking. 'How long are you here for?' she asked. 'One year' I replied, knowing full well that my time here is actually now a couple of chunks short of a year. 'Not long enough' she stated, straight and clear. I simply didn't know what to say so I continued with a spiel about how someone will come after me and we will make sure they continue the work. She must have accepted my waffle, as within a few minutes she was laughing and smiling and full of colours and happiness.

On Friday VSO volunteers were invited to meet the Regional Director for West and Central Africa over in Bolga. I felt really lucky to be meeting a man so high up in the VSO hierarchy, and curious about why he was keen to meet with us (hierarchies are a BIG thing here in Africa, and the rules about who can do what or say what are very different here). He had come to hear our views on the process of becoming a VSO volunteer, and our experiences of our placement so far. The aim was to find out what has worked well, and what hasn't, as they are going through a re-structure and so the feedback direct from volunteers is considered as important in the process. It was a really interesting meeting, and a useful opportunity for volunteers to explain some of their thoughts and experiences on what has worked well so far - something we discuss a lot amongst volunteers, but haven't really had chance to speak to anyone 'higher up' about. We had some very interesting discussions about whether they should continue to use the lovely hotel with the swimming pool for the in-country training when volunteers arrive or whether it's too luxurious and volunteers should have a more 'real' experience from the start (you can guess which one I was strongly advocating for, that pool and luxury saved my sanity when we first arrived!), as well as more important issues too of course (!).

Being here as a VSO volunteer it is easy to end up in a bit of as VSO bubble, and we spend a lot of time sharing experiences with each other, especially if we have come across challenges or experiences that haven't been great. Operating VSO is one huge HR and development exercise, and is not an easy one to manage. I have had a really mixed experience, some and it was useful to hear other people's views and experiences, both good and bad, and also to know they have now been heard from the top level. I did get the feeling that at the swipe of a pen this man could easily make some huge changes to the programme, he really is a man with power. (Fingers crossed for the pool then!).

After quite a tiring week I think it's fair to say that we deserved a bit of R&R (and escapism!), so we came back to Zebilla, and had our weekly movie night at John and Bev's, which has become our weekly treat with popcorn and hot chocolate! YUM. Thanks to friends back home and one amazing volunteer here, the film selection I have is fantastic, 92 films in total (!), so it's a pure indulgence night for us in a place where you can't go out after dark and where there are no bars or clubs, late night coffee houses or cinemas to enjoy! The first time we watched a film I was so transported that and absorbed in it that I almost forgot I was in Ghana, and afterwards it took me a while to get my head around the fact I'm here in Africa and not England...very confusing!

Saturday morning was the Sports and Literacy Programme again, and so we went to see the girls group in Binaba who practised some public speaking and talked about female leaders in Ghana who they admire and what they themselves would like to be when they grow up. Many of them say doctors, teachers, nurses, journalists and football players, and one even said she wants to be a pilot. It's great that they have such high ambitions, but it does make me gulp at the huge wall of barriers they will have to overcome to get there. I really enjoy the group, and am sad that it will be coming to an end soon. Here it is dry season now, but rainy season is only around the corner, and when that comes whole families get busy with farming, children included, and so there will be no time for extra classes or sports and games.

Another busy week, another huge learning curve; I' m going to need a never ending vat of popcorn to get me through this year! J

With love from Ghana

xx