Pink is the Color of Love!
My mother, Jenna, and I got our placement for our Ghana trip yesterday! We are placed in the Pink Program (IVHQ has different colors for each program) which is in Dodowa, Ghana, Africa! We are so excited because this is the program we requested and we couldn't be more thrilled about being able to be in this program!
The orphanage that we will be working in is called Potter's Village. It is about a 5 minute walk from our volunteer house, which is not bad at all! Other programs you have to pay to take a trotro to and from the orphanage every day. It adds up, so we are very lucky! There are about 90 children living at Potter's Village, ranging from the age of 1 all the way to young adults.
The volunteer house, my home for 9 weeks, is actually not too bad. There are 3 bedrooms with bunk beds in them, a living room area, a bathroom (without running water... bucket flushing and bucket showers for the win!) with two toilets and a shower, a dining area, and a kitchen. We do not have to cook for ourselves, as we have a cook living on site! The difference from living at home to living in Ghana is a drastic one, and will take some getting used to. But, I will make the best of it, and it will be rewarding living like the Ghanians do!
Click here to see a video of what the volunteer house looks like (it has been updated a bit since this video was made).
I am SO EXCITED to be in Ghana, but I am also very nervous. I am nervous about missing my family and my fiancè, Matt. I'm nervous about being in a foreign country all alone. I am nervous about getting malaria or another sickness. I am nervous that I will not like it there, and I will be very homesick. I am nervous about being hit on by multiple Ghanian men (I read in my Ghana guide book that Ghanian men love to hit on white or "obruni" women and will profess their love for them and propose). I am nervous about not getting along with the other volunteers and there being drama there. I am nervous about not liking the food, and being hungry the whole time because of it. I am nervous about not liking the water sachets and having to spend a ton of money on bottled water. I am nervous about getting lost while traveling. I am nervous that the kids wont like me. I am nervous about having to get up so early to bathe and feed the children, that I will be asleep by 8pm.
No matter how nervous I am about all of these things, I am even more excited to have the opportunity to make a difference in these orphan's lives! I am excited to meet the children. I am excited to be loved by so many kids at once. I am excited to make friendships that will last a lifetime with other volunteers. I am excited to learn how to be on my own. I am excited to learn about the culture and history of Ghana. I am excited to try new foods. I am excited to travel to places that I have never been. I am excited to go to Mole National Park and possibly to see elephants! I am excited to see if I have the strength to be on my own for 6 weeks. I am excited to go to the markets. I'm excited to experience church in Ghana, even though I am not very religious. I'm excited to have clothes made just for me, from cloth that I pick out. I am excited to possibly have a drum made for me (thanks Jenna for the awesome idea!). I am excited to be able to experience this with my mom. I am excited to be able to live like the Ghanians do, so that I can be grateful for everything we have in America.
T minus 10 days until my life is changed forever!
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