Just some local pics...

This is a Tro Tro....I'm still having fun riding it.

Inside a Tro, usually very hot, the door is attached by rope, it's not anything like the TTC. It's definitely more fun that's for sure:)

My house mates at Enigma a local bar across the street from us.

Local Chop bar I sometimes have lunch at before my afternoon session.

First Soccer Match

The Cantonments (red and white) is the soccer team I train. This was their first game of the season.

Ada Foah

This was my first travelling trip on my second weekend. 21 of us (volunteers) drove 2 hours in a Tro to this beautiful place. There was a lake on one side and the ocean on the other side. The hut we stayed in just had a bed and a mosquito net.

Ada Foah Intro: Ada Foah is a town in Ghana, Greater Accra Region, at the seashore along the road from Ada Kasseh, just off the Accra-Aflao motorway. It is located along the Volta River and the Volta River Estuary with many islands and river arms and the Atlantic Ocean. Ada Foah is the capital of the Dangme East District and the seat of the District Assembly.

This was the hut I stayed in. Each door had a different country flag. They also had a Canadian door but someone got that before me.

My "starbucks" coffee...

Pics from James Town and Big "dollar store" market

This was a fun day, it was my first weekend in Ghana, so I stayed in the city and hang out with my house mates and other volunteers that were around. We visited James Town and a very busy market that sold items you'd see in a dollar store. So I called this market the Big Dollar Store Market.

Quick history on James Town: It originated as a community that emerged around the 17th century British James Fort on the Gulf of Guinea coast, and became a part of Accra as the city grew. A lighthouse, the Jamesfort Light, was built by the British at James Fort in 1871. Jamestown is now a fishing port populated primarily by the Ga, an indigenous people of coastal Ghana. It is also a tourist destination for those wishing to see the remnants of Accra's colonial past. The original lighthouse was replaced in the 1930s by the current Accra Light, which is 93 ft (28 m) tall with a visibility of 16 nautical miles (30 km).

James Town, beach view

Kids from James Town

More Kids from James Town

Jamesfort Light

Mugged for Candy

Jolof Rice with Chicken

I like the bubble dresses.

More from the Market...

This is my roommate Rikke.

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.