My Online Diary

MAD to Timbuktu

29th August 2005

Hello again from Accra!

Finding it hard to describe the past three weeks... it has all been SO amazing!

We started by travelling through Ghana to Kumasi and Bolgatanga (staying overnight at Mole National Park and seeing antelopes and elephants in the 'almost' wild) - also having a very scary encounter with some crocodiles in Paga!! 

Next stop was Ouagadougou and Bobo (Burkina Faso) where we slept on the rooftops of mud houses and practiced my very rusty French! Then onto Mali - the most beautiful country!! Djenne with the world's largest mud mosque, the flourn women with painted mouths and the HUGEST gold earrings, but best of all was Timbuktu!

Spent a whole day getting there in a 4x4 (very bumpy ride!!), bartered for silver with touaregs (nomads) over sweet tea, took a camel ride (I think mine was rabid!) into the sahara where we sat on a sand dune and watched the sun go down, got caught in an electrical/rain/sand storm and had to shelter in a touareg family's tent and drank more tea. Final leg was the amazing Dogon Valley where we visited a old pygamy village, before returning to Ghana. Like I said just absolutely amazing!

Back in Accra, said goodbye to my fellow volunteers as they all fly home (very sad), but living it up in the Shangri-La (4*) before heading out with John for 2 weeks seeing more sights and bumming on the beach!! My tan is good already!!!! Missing you all and will see you all back in the UK very soon (almost too soon!).

Project News

7th August 2005

Back in Accra today (where the good internet cafe is). We left Chebi today - it was quite sad. Some of the local boys played the drums while we waited for our tro-tro to arrive as a send-off. Most of the village gathered in the road to wave us goodbye! I may have a chance to go back and visit before I come home...so more of a 'see you later' than 'goodbye'.

Okay, I'll rewind a little - I can't remember when my last email was, but I think we hadn't got much to to as they were putting the plaster and roof on?? The week before last was pretty boring, there wasn't much we could do as it required expert hands and none of us are plasterers or carpenters. We spent our days playing with the children as there was no school (summer holidays). Some children were keen on extra lessons, but not all of them. If it came down to a choice between playing funny english games or extra curricular activities...I don't need to tell you which ones they chose.

The past week has been a little more interesting, spending every day (and almost every waking moment) trying to get the building finished in time. There was a problem with the budget, but luckily we managed to sort it out in the last 3 days. As it is a three-classroom building its quite big and needed about 3 coats of paint - which took up most of our time. We also painted a world map on one end of the building. It's a shame I don't have pictures just yet, but it looks ace, even if I do say so myself! I drew Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania....not totally geographically correct, but still good! 

Friday was the official last day and the villagers celebrated the 'handing over' of the building with a big ceremony (and lots of gunshots!!). More dancing and drumming - the whole village were there and the local directors of the Education Board (and local pastor). We were all given traditional dress to wear, but I'm not sure if those photos should be seen in public! We all looked very funny, even if slightly odd. We were all given a certificate of appreciation, kente cloth (brightly coloured woven cloth) and a locally made bracelet. One of the other customs was to cover us in talcum powder...quit a strange custom, but the children thought it was hilarious. There was then food cooked for everyone - maize mash with goat meat (yum!). As a thank you to the village we each read out a sentence in ewe about our time in the village. I'm not sure they completely understood us, but the sentiment was much appreciated and caused much hilarity!! After the end of the ceremony we went to the local spot bar and got drunk! 

I'm back in Accra tonight (and looking forward to a meal that isn't rice or pasta) as we head off on the trek tomorrow. We make our way up through Ghana into Bukina Faso and Mali. I doubt I'll have much chance to email or call while I'm away, but I will try when I'm next back in Accra (end of August). Missing everyone at home - and the English summer...it's pretty cold here today! For those of you who wanted a postcard, I'm afraid that Ghana doesn't have very much of a tourist trade at the moment, so no postcards, but I will try and send them in BF or Mali.

26th July 2005

Just a quick email to let you all know that I am well and loving life in Ghana! I apologise for the lack of email (& phone calls), but I had no idea how remote the village that we are living in would be. I apologise if you get this email twice as well, but the connection here is a little temperamental.

Chebi (the village we are living in) is amazing. The people are so welcoming and friendly - they think that we have been sent by god to build the school! We had a welcoming ceremony on our first day, which was just gob-smackingly fantastic - drumming, dancing, apeteshie (gin) drinking and greetings to all of the village chiefs and elders. Some of the foundation work had already been started when we arrived, but we have been working from 8am-1pm almost everyday. We are now in our fourth week here and the floor, walls (of which I laid quite a few bricks!) and supporting pillars are now complete.

All the villagers have been helping, men and women. We've tried our hand at carrying things on our heads (which is actually much easier than the normal way). This makes all the locals laugh hysterically, as does our attempt to speak their local dialect ewe (eh-way). The window frames, door frames and roof will be going on this week, but because we can't use the hand made ladders they have out here (for health & safety reasons) we don't have much to do this week. Next week we will be back on site plastering and painting - all the finishing touches.

The children are wonderful and find us such a novelty. The word for white person out here is 'yevo' which is shouted at you every where you go. We played stuck in the mud, duck duck goose and the hokey cokey with them all yesterday afternoon which had them in stitches. They completely wore us out though! They have been teaching us ewe too - although all the naughty words. The word for bottom sounds very much like thank you, which has been quite embarrassing...

I may be able to send another email before the end of the project, if not when it's completed and we return to Accra. 

Love to everyone back home! Missing you all.
Lots of love, Charlie x x 

P.S. Thanks for all your emails. Sorry I can't reply to them all individually - I will do when I find somewhere with better connection or back home! x x x

Pre-departure

29th June 2005

Hi everyone! Sorry for the huge gap in diary entries, but since I last had a chance to write I have finished work (with a bang at the Grad Ball), got my visa at last, collected even more donations (more details below...) have borrowed all manner of backpacking things from my sister and her boyfriend, brought lots of cheap t-shirts from a very cheap high street store (thanks for the tip, Sylvia - I won't mention who they are as I won't get sponsorship!) and I am currently wrestling with my newly acquired rucksack frantically trying to fit everything in. I fly tomorrow afternoon....and I'm a bundle of nerves. Not just because of the hugeness of the whole thing, but also for once in my life I feel totally unprepared!!!

The biggest piece of news is that I reached my fundraising target and exceeded it. I cannot express how much this means to me. The donations and support that everyone has given has been completely overwhelming. For the moment all I can offer in return is fame on my sponsors page... Thank you. Oh! And the extra money will be going to the project that I'll be working on, but if you didn't get a chance to sponsor me, you can still donate by downloading the attached letter and sending with a cheque!

I fly tomorrow!!!! Gatwick to Accra. Landing at about 9pm, I will be picked up at the airport by a Madventurer representative and staying in a local guest house until all the other volunteers arrive. From there we will be traveling to the Eastern Volta Region to the village that we will be staying in, Chebi. Chebi is very close to the Togo border and the nearest town, Ho is about 10km away. I'll know much more when I get there and will write as often as I can on the website. I can't promise pictures straight away (as carrying a digital camera around isn't totally safe), but they will be on the site eventually.

Next entry from Ghana!

10th June 2005

After a rather stressful time, I finally pick up my flight tickets!! The only downside is that the dates have changed a bit (something to do with Ghanaian air traffic control?), but I'm leaving earlier and come home later. My flight out there is on the 30th June - just 20 days away!! 

Final vaccination and visas to arrange next week and then I'm half way organised. One more week at work (no offence guys, but WOO-HOO!) then two weeks of frantically trying to see everyone before I go and buying lots of cheap t-shirts to take with me.

Had my first email from a fellow Madventurer...really started to bring it home. 

31st May 2005

Another set of vaccinations...starting to feel a little like a pin cushion! Only one more to go and I'll be protected against every eventuality. Only a few weeks left at work and just one month to go before I fly into Accra. The reality of being away from home for more than six weeks is staring to sink in. Feeling like I'm on an emotional rollercoaster - One minute I'm feeling very excited, the next minute a little nervous and anxious.

A BIG thank you to Catherine and Harry for their delicious introduction to African cuisine on Sunday - if all the food in Ghana tastes that good...I may put on a few pounds!!

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation so far... And those who haven't yet....don't forget! Every little helps!! Feel free to pass on the web address to anyone who might be interested (hint, hint!).

17th May 2005

Three double injections this morning - ouch! Yellow Fever stung quite a bit, but better to be safe than sorry. My arms are feeling a little heavy and I was told I couldn't go to the gym tonight (shame!).

12th May 2005

Fantastic news double - I've just found out from Madventurer that the build project I'll be working on in Ghana is going to be a school. The project will involve building or renovating a building to become a school or classroom. I am so pleased that this will be my (our) contribution!

And....my first donation - thanks to the Paddock Wood Lioness Club. The family connection helped a little (thanks Mum!) - but appreciated whole-heartedly