Ben's Ghana Adventures

A collection of all the emails that I sent while I lived, worked and travelled around Ghana West Africa from October 10th 2005 to February 10th 2006. Sorry thers a lot but I had a bloody good time living the experiences! Check out http://www.flickr.com/people/47625280@N00/ to see all my African Photos.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Ben's African Adventure 5


November 21st 2005
Goodevening to one and all. Sit down make yourself comfortable and have a cup of tea because it is that time of the months where Ben updates you on his truly amaizing adventures. I start this particular account on a sad note. I was robbed! My bag was stolen. I am not bothered about the bag itself (even though it is part of a set) but the bag contained my travel diary that had so much information, drawings, thoughts, memories and recollections in it that it hurts to think about losings it. The other bad things is that along with my bag my bloody sandalls which were in the bag are gone too. So let me tell you the story of the inceident in question. There I was on the beach at 2am. I was naked but I am not going into the reasons why. Suddenly out of the darkness a man runs by grabs my bag which was lying on the same about a meter away and then he scarpers. I jump up immediately and give chase, but the sod runs over the rocks and dissappears. I followed of course and ran barefoot and shitfaced over the rocks which resulted in cutting my feet up terribly. But I lost him and my belongings with it. I ran in a vain hopr of finding him but ended up running into the court yard of this bar. There I met Andy and Henrik who had seen the incident and given pursuit too. I was angry and storming about in a violent temper shouting every obscenity I could think of. But them it dawned on the the situation I was in. There I was standing in a bar in a foreighn land stark naked with a whole host of Germans l;ooking at me in bewilderment and some very excited Ghanians staring at me as if they have never seen a white naked man before. So over all the situation was one of pure comedy on my behalf. I sam just annoyed that my diary was stolen. I have got some explaining to do now to a Canadian girl who lives near me as I borrowed two books off her to take away and they were in the bag too, she is not going to be too happy! Apart from that one situation I have had such a cool time, but all my notes for my emailo writing session were in the diary. So from memory here goes. My football team is going from strength to strenght, we lost 3-0, 4-0, 4-0, then mad a matched rained off and on our last game of the season we put in a fantstic performance only losing six nil! Yep, thats right my team is awful (I blame the coach). In truth I trained the team every morning at 5.30am and then again at 3.30pm. But when it came to picking the team the bombastic cane wielding old school teacher who stinks to high heaven of narcotic nuts picks his favourites. Even though some of them have never been to a training session before be persists on picking them for matches and ergo we lose. BUt because I was standing there on the side line shouting instructions in pigin fante and very basic English a chant erupted from the crowd (Yes we actually have crowds and it is not one man and his dog, it is several hundred villagers and all their goats). Anyway this chant erupted and it was translated to me by the lines man who told me it means, 'Whiteman doesnt know what he is doing'. So I gavew a few eveil darting looks at a few of the main perpertrators and chucked a slice of water melon at another singer! So our record in football has been, played 4 lost 4 scored none and had 17 goals conceded. We are just amaizing! Apart from that I have done so much and been to so many wonderous places. I am so thankful that my camera wasnt stolen or any used film as I have taken so many fantastic pictures. We have been to all the coastal places near by and had a fantastic weekend of relaxing on a beach in a place called winneba. 10 of us of all nationalities (except German) went away and just basically got very drunk on these bizarre Ghanian drinks called 'Waist and power' and 'Apetishi'. In our local main town (Agona Swedru) there are many volunteers. We are all teaching in schools around the Agona area in places such as Afrnsi, Achiansi, Kwanyaku, Ajumarko and Bobikouma. But we all meet on Wednesdays in Swedru to arrange places to go on the weekends and make plans to visit each other in their host homes. There is a large gropup of Germans in our town, but they do not speak to anyone bar their own. It is so strange to be in a town and see a group of clicky Krauts who ignore all other nationalities and volunteers. At first I thought that they were just ignoring the Brits, but after a conversation with the Dutch girls it turns out that it wasnt that at all and they are blatantly rude and ignore everyone. So lets ignore the Germans from now on in this email. Our main group of friends in Swedru consists of Nynke a Dutch girl from Amsterdam, Astrid a Norweigan, two British girls who we have nicknemade moaner and moaner, Henrik the porn obsessed Swede, Cara the leggy Canadian,Andy my room mate and two Dutch girls who have now sadly gone home. So this is or was the main group that would go on large scale excursions at weeksnds and generally cause lots of trouble. I have already talked about the fact tyhat we went to Winneba and Apam last weekend. The weekend beore we went o Kakum national park and did the canopy walk and also we went to a place called Mankessim which had nothing there. Next weekend I am helping to buy buildings materials for a school in Achianse. Nynke has fundraised some money which was doubled by her tennis club back in Holland. Therefore as she is a truly altristic person she is builind one whole classromm. But she has got Andy and myself along for the ride to make sure that she is not swindled on prices and to check up on the buildinsg when she is away travelling with her friend who will come over from holland. Then we have planned to go to the Volta region with Cara, Astrid and some other Norweigans we do not know. We are also hopefully taking Henrik along for the ride. The Volta region is the large man made lake that swamps one side of the country. But there are natural waterfalls that we can swim in as the water is not still so diseases and other nasties cannot live in it. I am now struggling to write about things as I always needed my prompt cards out of my diary, but alas it was stolen and I half want to scream and shead a tear because it was so personal and is worthless to someone\, anyone else. The other half of me is being realistic and says that sod it. The diary would only be put in a box in the loft and not looked at again. I know the dates of the things we did and the places we went so that when I put all the photos in albums I can label them correctly. Why am I writing this, shit happens as they say. Life goes on, it could have been, much, much worse. Hey I could have had to be locked in a room full of Germans! Anyway I did go to the police station and low and behold in the station is an open cell like you see in western films with prisoners holding their arms out and making one hell of a noise. The place stunk of faeces and I didnt get too close. This weekend Andy, Henrik and myself along with some weedy new lad who has been here a week and is homesick already went to Cape coast. This new lad was put with us tto try and cheer him up!!! Anyway we met up with Rhi the welsh girl from our orientation weekend who lives in Kumasi ands she brought a friend down called Miranda from London. So this weekend has been rather bizarre and definately one to te;ll the grand children about. I will now stop writing as I canot remember what I have done, but rest assured it is fantastic. I will start a new diary with all that I have done, places I have been and loads of other stuff too and it will be as good as new. Take care all Love Ben x x x

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