The last few weeks have been another whirlwind. I was thinking of how on earth to write about all the different things that I have done, and figured the best way was by emotion. In the last however many days I have felt...

EXCITED - about a new aspect of my volunteering finally taking off! With a surprisingly super-motivated Ghanaian colleague by my side, I managed to meet with about 10 different NGO's in the district, the first steps in setting up a network of NGO's in the area. Super interesting to meet so many people committed to the development of their district, and super exciting to be finally moving on a piece of work of my own! Woo hoo.

CONFUSED - when I tried to catch a bus to Bolga, but was late! Late - in Ghana???? Apparently the tro-tro's don't run after about 5.30pm on non-market days, oooops, so I thought I was going to be stranded. I had to "beg a lift" from 6 different massive busses that come from Burkina and Togo until one finally let me on! It seems that the white-person ticket-to-get-on-any-moving-vehicle that I thought existed expires after dark (quite possibly because we increase the chances of an armed robbery, but we won't go there!). TIRED - after travelling truly insane distances via the mad metro-mass busses, tro-tro's and even by 'moto-king' (don't even ask!) across the country to first catch up with friends and say goodbye to yet another departing volunteer, and then to have some new volunteering experiences visiting my counterpart CASO's and see them in action. I've been to Bolga, Wa, Lawra, Wa, Bolga, Wale Wale, Bolga and back again all in a week, pheweeeee!

CONCERNED - when I met about 15 very excited and giddy young girls on the bus - teenagers escaping the hard life of the Upper East to travel to the big lights for Kumasi to look for work. They looked so exited, but in reality are super-vulnerable. They have nowhere to stay when they get there, and no job. They will try to find work to earn money but inevitably will be completely exploited - it's always in the news but the girls are just desperate for a different life, and I can sympathise with that. But they're heading into such a danger zone. They had no qualms in succumbing to the lures of the drunken older men on the bus, and many will end up homeless, pregnant or with HIV/AIDS before their 16th birthday.

HAPPY - to be with a bunch of volunteer friends travelling about the country over the weekend having random experiences!

HOMESICK - during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. I thought I would have been able to see it, but no such luck. The stream of messages on my phone from home were hard to read, everyone was LOVING it and super proud of the UK. Having been lucky enough to meet, and make a small film with (!!!!) Danny Boyle, I was especially excited to see what the opening ceremony would hold! The pictures were amazing, but I still can't wait to see the whole thing for real.

TRULY GHANAIAN when in Lawra visiting Sarah and riding on moto-kings, dancing under the stars, fetching water from the borehole the morning after the party, and sharing a big bowl of goat meat in a spicy stew with bean dumpling type things with bunch of Ghanaians for breakfast (my fellow nasaras opted for eggs and toast...why is eating goat becoming so normal to me?!).

SAD - to say goodbye to a really good volunteer friend Pegi! Too many volunteers + too little time = too many goodbyes.

PROUD - of my fellow CASO volunteers when I saw them in action I went to see Nique who was involved in a huge Education conference, and then Leela doing her thing with an Education committee - they are both doing some amazing work and really making a difference. We all started out in this together, having no idea what this would hold for us...we have come so far!!!

STUNNED - when me and Leela took a particularly muddy road on the way to her office, squiggled and swerved, wobbled like crazy and managed to somehow get through most of it...and then we fell off. SLAP in the mud. The children on the only non-muddy part of the path (hence our moto-dancing!) just stood and gawped as we stood ankle deep in mud trying to lift the thing out of it! We were covered - it felt like something out of that silly gameshow at home! The rains are seriously playing havoc with our 'roads' now, I'm 'off-roading' and dirt biking it every day now! Hillarous.

ENERGISED - after an African dance class at the cultural centre! SO much fun!

RELIEVED and HAPPY - to be back in Zebilla after a whirlwind week away. The smiles, the welcomes, the beautiful bird tree (where hundreds of bright yellow birds chatter and flutter in and out of the curls and fold of a huge old Baobab tree in town, with all of Zebilla life bustling underneath oblivious to the beauty of the colourful display taking place above), the insane colours and crazy-ness of the market, the many friends I have now made, the new fruits in market (we can now get bananas and pineapples woo hoo!), and the BIG BIG sky that stretches overhead with its bright blue haze and puffy little creamy curly clouds...it's great to be back.

INTRIGUED - when one of the young boys who came to visit my house explained that he has 10 siblings, three fathers and two mothers (!!).

IMPRESSED - when I learnt that within one family there can be traditionalists, Christians and Muslims, who all still get along perfectly fine and are super close-knit as one family!

LIKE LAUGHNG - when I found out my cleaners last dog was called 'Who Knows Tomorrow'. (Her new one is called 'Peace', kind of makes sense for Ghana!).

KEEN - to get involved when the World Vision team here invited me to lead the preparation for one of their major pieces of work - interviewing children that benefit from their programme in preparation for a South Korean film crew to come and make a documentary in a couple of weeks.

SUPER SAD - when hearing the stories of children who have NOTHING. They have lost both parents, live with very old and frail relatives, eat one meal a day if they are lucky, have no sandals to wear to school, have to deal with floods, drought and disease, and generally struggle to survive due to the deep poverty that racks this region.

SO EMOTIONAL - when writing up the interviews and realising how BIG the gap is between those who have and those who do not.

AWAKE - at 1am on Saturday morning when the Anglican Church (right across from my house) was having some kind of all night religious rave.

AMUSED - when I was invited to a wedding here, and was asked to write the invite myself!

HOMESICK (again), but SMILEY, as my friend's wedding takes place in Ireland, congratulations Bronagh and David!! Mr and Mrs Grey J can't wait to see the pics!

SUPER PROUD - of my nation, when we won 6 gold medals at London 2012 in one day!!!

JOY - when bundles of children bombarded my house this afternoon to show me the drawings they had all made to stick on my fridge. Very sweet!

PRIDE - when one of the boys finally learnt to spell his name, it took us some time, and he still writes the letter 's' backwards, but Insuah is making real progress!

OVER THE MOON - when I found a place to watch the Olympics. (Seems the local footy club was one place I had seriously overlooked - they have a massive flat screen TV with a perfect picture and all the sports channels you could imagine! And a bunch of over excited guys totally into their sport - it was a real experience watching the games with them. The best part was when the lights went out literally the minute before Usain Bolt's 100m final..ad I got my dad on the phone on loudspeaker commentating for us, brilliant!!

RESPECT- for my colleagues at World Vision who are under so much pressure and working so hard at this time of year (the end of their financial and operational year), they are all putting in 12-14 hour days, working long weekends, all leave has been cancelled (!) and most are now sick (one has both malaria and typhoid and is still coming to work!), they are so committed to what they do, and they never let their values slip, the quality of their work is second to none and they still have a bunch of time for the poor people who come each day to ask for help. Although it's not good they still have their humour and smiles and are working so well as a team, most people would really crack under this type of pressure!

EXCITED - about the new volunteers coming in September!!!! I'll finally have company in Zebilla!!

CONTENT - squeezing oranges and limes on a Sunday morning making yummy juices, with a bundle of children bringing drawings for me to stick on the fridge (I've got two fridges and still have run out of room...at least there's plenty of walls here!)the sun shining and the potter of people all about farming, going to church, heading to market with their wares on their heads. It's beautiful here right now.

SURPRISED - to find the most beautiful exotic bright red bird hanging around outside my window every morning - I love it!

LIKE I'M LIVING IN THE JUNGLE - every night when I go to bed and can hear the crazy loud cacophony of frogs and insects and crickets in the jungle of green outside.

DISAPPOINTED - to be at work and thus missing the celebrations and commiserations for the presidents funeral that were happening all over the country.

PLEASED - to still be getting constant invites for 'TZ' and 'banku' at Ghanaian friends and colleagues houses.

GRATEFUL - for the support of friends, family (especially my wonderful dad) and VSO when things have been a bit challenging recently.

ELATED - to be the making of a successful training workshop for 26 head-teachers and Child Welfare Supervisors on Child Protection, it was so much fun and I loved every minute of it!!!!

IN AWE of the beautiful surroundings that are growing around me every day -the whole place is changing literally moment by moment - you can almost see the crops growing before your eyes! My favourite moments are when I get a glimpse of colour and see a little child dashing about in between the tall stalks of green that reach up over the houses and into the big blue sky. Beautiful!

SUPER EXCITED - about the fact Marianne and Lisa arrive tomorrow, I can't believe I'm lucky enough to have more visitors! Watch out Zebilla, the Norwegians are coming!!

With love from Ghana,

Em

xx