Bootcamp in the House

BOOTCAMP!!!! It’s all I have to say, three house mates including my roommate participated in my first bootcamp session in the garden, they loved it! They came back for more on Saturday and more showed up even from a different hosting house. I was impressed they all worked very hard and seemed to sort of enjoy it!

Football Placement and Bootcamp

Since my placement right now does not start until 3pm, I took the liberty of strolling around in my new hood. It’s weird to have everybody look at you, my white skin glows during the day, so I guess I would attract some attention. So far the people in the hood seem very friendly. I went to the local internet café, had lunch around the corner and of course got a fanchoco which is frozen chocolate milk.  The rave reviews met my expectations, it’s very yummy.  Some of you are wondering what the hell I’m eating, well I’m eating everything that is offered to me but in very little doses. This is a time where I’m going to take advantage of trying everything new to me.

Okay so my placement, this is what this blog is about after all. I thought I was just going to be observing on the first day but they already had me talk to the players about their game strategy and I apparently made sense when I communicated this to them because they accomplished what I had suggested. So that was pretty cool. On Monday Eric the coach, will assign specific duties to everyone so I’ll have a better idea on what I’ll be focusing on with the players.  I’m working with the senior team (ages are 18-21), they are amazing football players, which made it very intimidating at first, but my job is to make sure they stick to the strategy and work hard during the training. The players are all very friendly and welcoming.

Orientation (January 19-20)

I arrived in Ghana around 3pm local time on Tuesday, Jan. 19th, the heat welcomed me as I welcomed it back!  I was taken to my new home for the next two months in the north part of Accra. My roommate is from Norway and her name is Rikke. There are 4 more volunteers staying at the house. Everyone is super friendly and very nice. The hosting family is very accommodating and nice as well. On that night, I went to the local pub with my housemates and then off to the Projects Abroad quiz night and met most of the other volunteers that are working in Accra.

The next day Daniel from Projects Abroad gave me my orientation by showing me how to get to my placement, as well as informing me of all safety precautions and tips for living in Ghana. He also took me and another volunteer that just arrived from the UK for lunch where had a  traditional meal.  I’ll talk more about the food on another blog posting.  The main attraction of the day was riding on one of Ghana’s cheapest methods of public transportation which is on the Tro Tro. Let me tell you it’s a ride worth taking! It’s this mini van/bus that seats approx..12 or more (who ever can shove themselves in), has the driver and conductor who is basically a guy yelling the destination and collects your money. You do have to pray before going on one of those things since all the vans are really old and the drivers there live dangerously.  Watching the colourfulness and the orderly chaos on the streets from the window was very entertaining.

Airport Adventure

The 10 hour flight was pretty smooth except for the part where the captain all of a sudden told the whole flight crew to immediately take their seats while the plane was going through some turbulence. It was scary on one hand but I knew everything was going to be okay. There was no way this plane was going down, at least not before I made it to Ghana. And here I am blogging about it. 

Bahamas

What happened in the Bahamas will remain there.

I did not get a chance to go in the water, but I still had a blast chillin’ under the cold sun and drinking bahama mamas.

Re-Set / Vacation Trip

Okay so I lied, I haven't kept up with writing on a regular basis. But at least here is another entry. I packed up my studio last week, which was the hardest thing I had to let go out of all the things I parted with. It was the last big "letting go" moment I had along with when I left my crib last month.

(note: my studio is a temporary let go, however it was still hard to walk away knowing I wouldn't be back for a while.)

my crib, november 29, 2010

I finished getting all my shots, and took my first dose of Dukarol as well as bought my suitcases today.  I'm preparing to go to Ghana for two months to do a voluntary placement with Projects Abroad. I'm going to be doing my placement in the Cantonements  Football Club. I'll be working with 8-21 year old talented football players. I'm very excited and look forward to the unknown!

I'll be arriving in Accra, the capital city of Ghana two weeks from today! In the mean time this Thursday I'll be taking what I call my re-set/vacation trip to the Bahamas. This is where my journey begins! I'll keep you posted with what happens in the Bahamas.

What happens in the Bahamas, might have to stay there.