By Grace Through Faith

One week down, eleven more to go!

Sunday: Bailey and I arrived in Ghana around 8:30 pm. We did not actually leave the airport until 11 pm because we had to go through some COVID protocols, customs, and get our luggage. We also stopped by to get some Ghanaian currency and phone data before heading to our host home.

Monday: We spent the first part of the day driving around Tema and completing a cultural training with our supervisor. We had lunch at a restaurant nearby. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and unpacking my luggage.

Tuesday: I met one of my coworkers outside of the police station nearby so that she could show me how to get to work. We took a tro tro (basically a van) part of the way and then a taxi to get to the office. I met a lot of my coworkers and learned more about my agency that I will be working at over the next three months. On the way home, one of my coworkers and I got some chocolate ice cream! It was super good (and very refreshing with all the heat).

Wednesday and Thursday: I spent most of my days working at my agency. I got to learn more about the programs that my coworkers teach throughout the community. They have different programs to educate children and families on child protection, health services, lifestyle issues, and educational skills for employment purposes.

The tro tro is a little bit of a long ride but I have been able to make good use of my time while on it, to and from work. On Wednesday, I met a very nice man on the way to work. We figured out we were getting off at the same stop, and he walked with me to the taxi station. He said that he worked at a university nearby in Tema. On the way home Wednesday, I met another lady, Bridget, who was very nice. She asked me some questions about the United States and COVID lifestyle back home. I learned about where she worked and about her life in Ghana.

Friday: Bailey and I went to the Accra mall. It was about an hour drive one way with an Uber to the mall from our neighborhood. The mall was very similar to a mall in the United States. This one had a grocery store that we went into as well as clothing stores.

Saturday: Bailey and I spent the day relaxing. In the morning, we went to a hotel nearby called Alexis Hotel. It had a very nice swimming pool that you could pay to use for the day. It felt good to cool off and not many people were there. Later for dinner, we ordered a pizza from a restaurant nearby called Basilissa. I also learned how to use the washer machine inside the house and hang-dry my clothes outside.

Sunday: So far today, we visited a shop called Palace. It is basically like a Walmart back home. We got some groceries for the week and got lunch at the Pizza Hut nearby. I think pizza is starting to become a comfort food for me lol. I worked on some of my classwork and started planning for this next week.

I feel like I am more settled at my new place. It has been a great first week and glad to have taken things slow in order to transition to new things. I am looking forward to this next week and working at my internship.