Time to celebrate...and time to say goodbye! I really can't believe my year in Zebilla has come to an end. Time has flown so fast, and I feel like one of the luckiest people on the planet to have had the year I've just had. Life in Zebilla has been the most wonderful experience. The people have been so utterly friendly and welcoming, and the friendships I have made here have made it SO hard to say goodbye. The pace of life and the ways of the world in Zebilla, the Ghanaian culture and the way of doing things, the food and the way of eating it, the music and the way of dancing...I've been wrapped up in it all because it's all so much fun, and I'm not sure how I'm going to go down at home eating my mum's roast chicken dinner with my fingers and dancing my new Ghanaian style dancing in the bars in Manchester!

Nicole, Janice (my housemates and lovely volunteer friends) and I decided to have a joint Christmas and farewell party in our Zebilla house, and I'm so glad we did, it was one of my most memorable days in Ghana! We cooked food to feed a million (well I say 'we', our Ghanain friends really cooked were the ones cooking the feast, I was just the 'taster' on hand to help!), Nicole made a huge bucket (I'm talking of a massive bucket that's bigger than me!) of Canadian / Jamaican lime and ginger punch, my sister provided us with fabulous Christmas decorations including a much-loved inflatable snowman (!!), our Ghanaian friend Louis came to DJ, local friends provided speakers, cups, plates, pans, containers, and we sent the invitations far and wide!

So many people came I simply couldn't keep up! I was so overwhelmed to see so many people I have met over the last year come to have a boogie and to say goodbye. It was really sweet, so many of my friends who have very little brought gifts and tokens of friendship which was really kind. All the food was eaten, the punch almost ran out, and the azunto dancing went on all day and into the night. I was so happy that we'd had the opportunity to bring everyone together and have some fun, and even the moody lady from behind our house who I had forgotten to invite forgave me and happily scoffed down some jollof rice!

I can't write too much, as it's getting quite emotional now as I look back with only 4 days left in Ghana, but all my wonderful friends in Zebilla will surely stay in my heart and the funny memories I have of time we spent together will certainly not be forgotten! Fati my very best friend in Zebilla and her gorgeous kiddies, James, Lydia, Howa, Martin, Iona, Rebecca, Giftie, Cecelia, Julius and their wonderful family, Memuna and her children, Joyce and hers, Fouzia the gorgeous girl who used to sell tea bread but now works at the local clinic and was my life saver when I was dying with malaria, Sammy a wonderful colleague who bought me the most gorgeous gift my own special Ghanaian smock (as pictured!), Adua, Merci,David, Musa...so many people I could go on and on!

I don't know if there's any place in the world like Ghana, that is as friendly as here, and I feel very lucky that I landed on my feet in Zebilla with such a warm welcome. They gave me such a good send off too that its made it even harder to leave, but with all the amazing memories I have there's no way I'll forget this experience!

With love from Ghana,

Em

Xx