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Jessica McAline / Teaching - Ghana / British

Charles Fowler / Teaching - Ghana / British

As for the country itself - what can I say? It really is one of the most wonderfully diverse places I've ever experienced. The people, the climate, the schools, the sights and smells all contribute to create a friendly atmosphere in which you feel very secure and very welcome from the moment you arrive. The instant you step off the plane into the dust and the heat, you can see at a glance that the next three months in Ghana are going to be like nothing you've seen or done before, but that only adds to the excitement and the pleasure you get out of it.

The family are all very nice too. Naturally the first night was quite a nervous time. I arrived quite late in the evening expecting to find the whole family in bed, but instead I walked into the house to find about a dozen (I was expecting five or six at most) people clustered around the television (you're quite right about Ghanaian television too - it's worse than appalling!) and I had to pretend to understand their names and what they were saying whilst taking in all these new surroundings that were to be my home for the next three months.

School too was strange at first but now is really good fun. The first time we arrived it was quite daunting; all these new names and faces, and the thought that I was to be responsible for part of their education. I was taken aback by the fact that I was teaching Art (a subject in which I show about as much talent as I do at speaking Greek) as well as English, French, PE and Music, but it really wasn't a problem at all, and now I enjoy the school very much. The headmaster and teachers are all very nice and so far there haven't been any problems whatever to note.

In terms of all the other volunteers, I don't think we could get on any better. We all seemed to have settled in very well with each other and many a lasting friendship has been made. Thanks for making all this possible

Ruth Clague / Teaching - Ghana / British

Jenny Elliot / Teaching - Ghana / British

Aloysius has been great too - he's really worked hard to make us feel at home and took us on an induction yesterday to introduce us to the area and the culture here. He's been really helpful in explaining the local transport too and is helping us to arrange trips and activities for the weekends and evenings whenever we ask for his help! We start teaching tomorrow and I can't wait - we visited the school today to meet the teachers and observe the classes and it look amazing.

The kids are great too - so enthusiastic and cheerful the teaching should be really good fun! Already witnessed the corporal punishment that they use though which wasn't easy to watch but I'm confident that the children will also respond well to a more positive approach and I've noticed that some teachers already try to do this themselves, which is brilliant!

On her return home, for a magazine article:

When I first arrived home from Ghana and my friends and family excitedly asked “so, what was Ghana like?” I was literally lost for words. The best way I could find at the time to describe my experiences was to say that they were indescribable, and after a few months of contemplation I’m still not sure that I can explain my time there in any better way. The sights, sounds and people (and definitely the tastes) of Ghana are not something that can be easily explained – Ghana is a country that has to be seen to be believed!

My first real experience of Ghana was the day after I arrived, when Ma Lizzie – the mother of the family who put me up for my 2 months in Ghana – took me with her to the local market to help buy the food. I was bundled into the back of a minibus (called a tro-tro- this is the main form of transport in Ghana and an experience in itself!) along with about 25 other people and taken to a huge outdoor market in the scorching sun. There were literally thousands of stalls crammed side-by-side and selling everything from underwear to pigs’ feet to the most delicious fresh fruit I’ve ever tasted. Just as I’d been promised everyone there was running on ‘Ghana time’ and in no rush to get anywhere- instead they were all dancing and singing their way through the stalls, stopping every now and then to laugh with an old friend or just as likely a complete stranger. One of my favourite things about the Ghanaian people is their absolute dedication to having fun – there was even a DJ in the centre of this enormous market surrounded by speakers blaring out the local ‘High-Life’ music to keep people dancing and singing throughout the day – something that I still remember with a huge smile every time I’m standing in an endless queue of glum faces at the local supermarket!

Most of my time in Ghana was spent teaching at the local schools and helping to run a Summer Camp for the children during the school holidays. The project was organised by Travellers Worldwide and was a huge success! The co-ordinator from Travellers Worldwide and the head-teacher of the school worked with us throughout our time there to make sure that we had everything we needed and had as much fun as possible while we worked! The different approach to teaching and classroom management in Ghana sometimes made the work challenging but Aloysious, our co-ordinator, was always on hand to make sure that we were still having fun and to offer support if we needed it.

Aloysious and Travellers Worldwide had also arranged my accommodation in Ghana with a local family, which made sure I was fully immersed in the culture and learned a lot about the Ghanaian way of life during my stay; they also helped me to plan and arrange trips during my free time so that I could travel and see more of the country when I got the chance. This valuable help and local knowledge meant that I could travel with confidence to places all over Ghana and experience many of the amazing things the country has to offer.

At weekends my fellow volunteers and I would travel to as many places as possible and when we returned on Monday morning we were quite literally bowled over by a sea of faces running towards us from the school, fighting to get the first hug or to be allowed to carry our bags for us. The children would listen with amazement as we told them about the places we’d been and would soon launch into a barrage of questions about our travels, about England or about anything they could think of – the time I spent with the children was magical and I think I probably learned as much or probably more from them as they did from me!

On many occasions the travelling itself was exhausting as there are huge areas of bumpy dirt road to be covered to reach the various towns and cities. Travelling through the north of the country was especially challenging but also hugely rewarding as the people and their lifestyles seemed much less affected by western culture. The roads and public transport in the north are less developed, but I found the people to be just as friendly and helpful as anywhere else in Ghana and I was always met with smiles by people who would do their best to help me in any way they could.

As I’ve tried to explain to my friends and family on numerous occasions it is almost impossible to sum up my experiences of travelling through Ghana in just a few short sentences- how can I describe how it feels to stand a few feet away from a wild elephant in Mole National Park? Or to sleep overnight in a rural village in a mud-built hut in the stifling heat of the north, and visit the home of a traditional Lobi tribe family to see how they live and worship their gods? Or to see the king of the Ashanti tribe at the Adae festival? Or how totally surreal it felt to be honoured with front row seats to see the festival next to the Ashanti Chiefs- just for the promise of sending copies of the photo of them in their robes that they had marvelled at on the screen of my digital camera!! These are experiences that can never be fully explained without seeing and feeling the country for yourself – something I would encourage anyone to do if they want a taste of ‘real’ Africa.

Like I said when I first got home. Ghana is indescribable, and also impossible to forget!

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Lyndsay Warner / Teaching - Ghana / British

I don't know where to start..... I've learnt how to handle a class, how to communicate to children and adults alike who’s first language isn’t English, how to plan lessons and how to make them effective, how to handle people in the street, how to speak Twi! (a bit!) And then out of the classroom - how to plan trips away, things like that.....I feel like I've learnt so much and I'll go home like a new person. The best thing about this placement is my students...definitely. I love them so much. I'm going to miss them a lot. In terms of who this placement would suit, I think it helps if you are fairly outgoing and very confident......I wasn't that confident before Ghana, but I think I've gained a lot more confidence since being here

Can you describe a typical day? I usually arrive at Uniqueen school at 8.30am and help out with the morning lessons usually in maths and language work. Usually I teach whatever the teacher has prepared for the class. Break time is 10am-10.30am. I leave at 12 noon and take a short tro tro ride to St Matthews school where I take either class 3, 4 or 6 for a double English lesson in comprehension, grammar or creative writing. I finish around 3pm. I almost always prepare my own lessons and also spend time in the evenings marking their homework and writing lesson plans. It's tiring but so much fun and very rewarding.

David Gray / Teaching - Ghana / British

Can you describe a typical day? I usually wake up between 6-6.30am because of the noise and light.  I start school at about 8.30am but it varies day to day.  A bucket shower is the best way to wake me up then some porridge from the host family.  I have about 4-5 lessons a day, if it is at the organised school, I must catch a tro-tro there and meet the teacher a few minutes before to get the lesson plan.  If it’s at the other school I already have a lesson plan and I can walk to the school so I just set off for either, running the obrunie gauntlet on the way. I find it difficult to have lunch and dinner so I don’t usually have too much to eat then so I either chat with the teachers or have a walk around.  Afternoon classes finish around 3.30pm so I’m back for about 4ish. Some nights we will go out for a drink at one of the many spots or bars, other nights we will stay in and play cards etc.

Kate Sanger / Ghana - Teaching / British

Can you describe a typical day? Got to school for 8:30, as assembly is starting, which I just watched. Lessons don't start till nine so the children just chant shapes or number until then. Usually maths first with KG2 which was my class, either I or Eunice would introduce the topic and give out the books then just marking and supervising till break time at 10.00 – 10.30. 10.30 – 11.00 ish more chanting, then English or something like forming sentences with certain words, talking about a picture then the children writing. Lunch at 12, we usually had what the children got, then straight back to work usually more chanting for a while, then about 1 a lesson like science, moral education, health and safety introduced by myself or Eunice, usually involving the children copying a picture and writing 2 sentences whatever the subject. If they finished before close they would chant more. School closes at 2.00 when we can leave with the majority of the children but many don’t get picked up till about 4.00/5.00 so I often stayed after which was literally babysitting as they had no lessons. Sometimes I would help with the nursery which was helping them write letters or numbers on chalk boards. But if I wanted to do anything different it was always welcome.

Lucy Hammond / Teaching - Ghana / British

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Patrick Illien / Teaching - Ghana / British

Sinead Jackson / Teaching - Ghana / British

A letter from Samuel Kenney-Hastens, Managing proprietor, Sambel Academy. This is one of the institutions that Travellers Volunteers assist in Ghana.

Suite 2A, Caravelle House, 17/19 Goring Road, Worthing,
West Sussex, BN12 4AP, England
Tel: +44 (0)1903 502595    Fax: +44 (0)1903 708179
Email:info@travellersworldwide.com