Ahayede (Here is sweet)

Let's see where to begin...

Well for starters, my health is good. I am back to normal! Eating and sleeping well, and back to regular African life in Nkwanta.

2 of the volunteers left today... Ivy and Teo. They will be missed, now there's only 6 of us here, all girls except for poor Alex.

We had a party for the kids last night, it was great fun! Everyone got juice boxes (which some then had stolen out of their backpacks and could not be consoled. You would have thought someone close to them had died they way they cried) and lots of candy. Everyone danced and danced and stayed up late, it was quite the night.

One thing though, I am getting so tired of people asking me for money. They assume because you are "oburni" that you are rich, which is definitely not the case. There was a man today at the Tro-Tro* station who kept pestering myself and 2 other volunteers to buy a ticket so that they could sell them all and get going on their way... the Tro-Tro won't leave until all the tickets have been sold. We kept telling him we would not do that, that the little money we had was for the children. He told us to forget the children and help him. It was getting quite obnoxious.
Even the people who run the orphanage... they ask us for money every day. I paid $5000 to come here on this trip... and the program fees were supposed to pay for my housing and food and all my accommodations- yet we have to buy the food for the orphanage, buy them clothes and shoes, give Tina money for our own food, buy toilet paper for the house, etc. It is really getting tiresome. All the while we're being asked for money to help build the new orphanage, and finding out little things here and there about Johnny telling us quotes and prices on things are actually not as expensive as he is passing them on to be. You can't trust anyone.

Other than that, it's a great adventure. A few days ago was Bob Marley day, so all of us volunteers went to The Local (what I suppose you would call a pub) and had a few drinks and danced. I didn't really like dancing there, you had to be very strict with the locals that they need to keep their distance while dancing because they just come up and grab you and dance on you. At night after we have a long day with the kids we all come back to the house and have dinner together and discuss the day, laugh at little things that happened, maybe go out for a drink, and are usually in bed no later than 10:30 since we have to be up so early.

Went to the hospital yesterday for a check up and it took 3 hours just to see the doctor because they couldn't find my folder from my last visit- I don't even understand why they needed it, all the doctor did was ask if I was feeling better, take my temperature, and then tell me the Malaria is gone. He wanted to give me more tablets to take for worms, even though I don't have worms... everyone wants money. While I was waiting though, one of my kids, Augustine, came in- he had broken his little tiny hand. So after I saw the doctor I stayed and waited with him, since that's what a mother would do. I spent 6 1/2 hours in the hospital. Augustine is okay now, he has a cast on his hand that weighs more than he does, but he's dealing.

The kids have been so bad the past few days- they fight over everything! Collins and 2 girls, Theodora and Gloria, got in a huge fight the other day because the girls wouldn't share their coloring book, and Collins wouldn't talk to me because I forgot to bring him paper that day. He knocked Theodora good though and made her lip bleed. They all fight like grown men, sizing each other up, snide comments when they walk by, fists are flying and everyone starts yelling. If they get caught by Johnny or Manpon (another one on the staff) then they have to kneel down with their arms in the air until they are told they can get up, which is usually awhile. That or they get caned. It's sad, but it's their culture. It's rough to watch the kids get in trouble, even though I know they need some sort of discipline and structure or else they would all kill each other or run around like rabid animals, I just don't necessarily agree with their method of punishment.

Tomorrow is Saturday, so we are free to take a weekend trip if we would like... I think we were talking about taking a day trip tomorrow but I'm not sure if that's still in the works or not. I would like to take a trip but I also don't really want to spend any money on traveling too much. I'd rather spend money on minutes for my phone to call home, or souveniers to bring back, or stuff for the kids. And it's nice to have money to buy a cold Coke or a popsicle on really hot days. I never thought a Coca-Cola would be such a treat!

I'm starting to crave food from home. The majority of what I've been eating is mangoes, bananas, oranges, rice, eggs, and bread. We drink treated water that comes in a bag... you just bite the corner off and there ya go. Except it's warm because we don't have a refridgerator at the house... but I heard a rumor that one should be coming in a week or 2... but I'm done in 2 weeks so it doesn't really matter to me.

I'm already half way done! And half of that time was spent sick in bed... but these next 2 weeks I plan on spending the most of my time at the orphanage with the kids... it's so amazing the connection you can make with someone so quickly.

I can already sense a change in myself, even after such a short period of time. The lifestyle in the states is so fast paced and self centered- it's nice to kind of have a detox period of reflection to realize that some things really aren't that important, and the things that are important get over looked too much. Everyone that lives here helps each other in any way they can. Time is not of importance to them, and they will stop whatever it is that they're doing to show you the way to somewhere or help you with whatever you need help with. They call each other sister and brother, even when they have no relation. The lifestyle here is so slow and simple, and yes it's nice to have the things that we have at home and the luxuries and opportunities that are available to us, but we live among people everyday and never think twice about their lives, or if we have something that we don't need that could be beneficial to another. No one says hello to a stranger walking down the street and everyone puts themselves first. It's sad really when you think about it.

On the same note... I could really go for a Bic Mac and some french fries right about now :)