"Today was a great day of work at Royal Seed, they are very nice to me, and we all work hard feeding the kids, bathing, playing, and doing all sorts of things we would do in a big house with a huge family, much bigger than mine in Brazil :)
Today they told me that it is a Ghana tradition that only the mother can carry her own baby on her back, or somebody from the family, many volunteers don't get to do it, and Naomi - the director - came to me to say that they think I'm part of their family and that is why I get to carry the babies on my back too, only then I realized that nobody else does it. It makes me happy that I'm close to them.
I don't know if I told you, but little Francis, the boy from the twins, walked his first steps last week with me!!! Can you imagine how happy I was? I came outside and wanted to show everybody that he could walk 2 steps!!! He is doing great, we practice everyday and by the time I leave I hope that he will be walking everywhere by himself :)
Also, there is a baby called Junior, they said at the police station that he is 7 months old, Naomi thinks he is 9, but I think that he is 12 months old already. Since the first time I saw him, he never smiled, he was always crying and can't really stand up by himself yet. I'm pretty sure he has some sort of special needs, but even though I could try to figure out with some psychology tests, it is too early to diagnose. Well, I've been trying to spend some more time with him lately, and today for the first time he was laughing :) it made my day! It is funny how jealous he is with me, if the other kids try to play with me when I'm holding him or when they touch my legs he cries so much... haha, I'll find a way to deal with that. But I'm happy with his progress."
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Church
"It was really nice to go to church with the kids today. It is so different, they amaze me with their customs and passion worshiping God. We were squeezed in a small bus for more than 2 hours because the church was in Accra, and the kids were singing the whole time :)
"The service was a little too long, about 4 hours, and we all got very tired. I helped more with the babies, holding and walking around when they cried, feeding them, etc. I couldn't really understand the sermon and songs because it was in their language but some of the girls translated a little for me.
Everybody was nice to me there, they gave me water and food and wanted me to dance with them... haha, I did! They love singing and dancing, they actually dance a lot! It was intense and very interesting. I filmed and took pictures to show you.
Yesterday at Akosombo Dam was very good too. The dam is huge and very important to Ghana, maybe the most important thing for the entire country. I have lots of pictures, but I didn't find anything about Ron Sullivan, but they talked a lot about the World Bank and how Americans helped them financially.
Happy Easter to everybody!!! have some good food and chocolate :)
I'll be working at Royal Seed for one more week at least, I really like it there :)"
"The service was a little too long, about 4 hours, and we all got very tired. I helped more with the babies, holding and walking around when they cried, feeding them, etc. I couldn't really understand the sermon and songs because it was in their language but some of the girls translated a little for me.
Everybody was nice to me there, they gave me water and food and wanted me to dance with them... haha, I did! They love singing and dancing, they actually dance a lot! It was intense and very interesting. I filmed and took pictures to show you.
Yesterday at Akosombo Dam was very good too. The dam is huge and very important to Ghana, maybe the most important thing for the entire country. I have lots of pictures, but I didn't find anything about Ron Sullivan, but they talked a lot about the World Bank and how Americans helped them financially.
Happy Easter to everybody!!! have some good food and chocolate :)
I'll be working at Royal Seed for one more week at least, I really like it there :)"
Friday, April 22, 2011
Cooking
"It's for Grant... because I was wearing his college shirt that your mom gave me in one of the pictures and I though how he would cook with this huge spoon and pans.It is at Royal Seed orphanage, cooking food for 130 kids. I just help sometimes, but the ladies who really prepare it are very skilled and strong."
Treating Open Sores at Royal Seed OrphanageTeaching Outside
"Today I went to the a village to teach again, its called Bentum, the one in the picture (but this pic was taken long time ago :)). It was really nice, I got to clean and treat their wounds and talk with them, and as always, we can see how happy they are for having someone to care for them.
Today even some grownups came to ask for help, but besides cleaning their cuts, the only thing I could give them was some Aleve (Ibuprofen) that I had in my bag. It was touching how humbled they are and how thankful too. Many of them have joint pains, in their knees and hips, I advised them to see a doctor... well, sometimes I wish I was a nurse too!!
Before going to the village I worked at Royal Seed. I had a great time caring for the babies as always, but I also got to play with the older ones today, and you should see how much fun we had when they were teaching me how to play their "hand games" and songs... I loved it and I think that all the people watching us were having fun too, they were laughing as much as we were, haha
Today even some grownups came to ask for help, but besides cleaning their cuts, the only thing I could give them was some Aleve (Ibuprofen) that I had in my bag. It was touching how humbled they are and how thankful too. Many of them have joint pains, in their knees and hips, I advised them to see a doctor... well, sometimes I wish I was a nurse too!!
Before going to the village I worked at Royal Seed. I had a great time caring for the babies as always, but I also got to play with the older ones today, and you should see how much fun we had when they were teaching me how to play their "hand games" and songs... I loved it and I think that all the people watching us were having fun too, they were laughing as much as we were, haha
I also helped them pumping water from the well for a few hours, it was a great exercise, my arms are a little sore. They carry water to help the neighbor with his construction across the street.
It is all good here. The days go by fast and I'm always learning something different and enjoying every moment with these kids here. :) I've been eating a lot of rice this week, its even funny. I ate rice for lunch and dinner since Sunday and I'm sure I'll have it tomorrow again :) but its pretty good!! I'm sleeping my normal now, so I go to bed later and wake up early, do a little exercise whenever I can and read before breakfast. Besides the bible I'm also reading one book you dad gave me called "The Power of Purpose".
It is all good here. The days go by fast and I'm always learning something different and enjoying every moment with these kids here. :) I've been eating a lot of rice this week, its even funny. I ate rice for lunch and dinner since Sunday and I'm sure I'll have it tomorrow again :) but its pretty good!! I'm sleeping my normal now, so I go to bed later and wake up early, do a little exercise whenever I can and read before breakfast. Besides the bible I'm also reading one book you dad gave me called "The Power of Purpose".
The mornings are always nice :) At night I write my journal, read some more, or hang out with the other volunteers sometimes. We are now 3 volunteers in the house, Amanda from Wisconsin, Bryan from Pennsylvania, and I. But they will both leave soon and I'll still be here. We all work in different places.
On Saturday I'll go to Akosombo Dam, and I'm very excited, its a short trip and I'll come back on the same day. It is the last trip around here before I go home :)"
On Saturday I'll go to Akosombo Dam, and I'm very excited, its a short trip and I'll come back on the same day. It is the last trip around here before I go home :)"
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Supplies for Royal Seed Orphanage
"Hi Hunny-I tried for more than one hour to upload at least one more picture to send you, but the computer shut down and lost it and now don't have enough time to do it over again :( I'll try tomorrow.
It was supposed to have a picture of the kids at Royal Seed celebrating (sitting on) these huge bags/sacks of rice, beans, salt, etc... that we bought with the donations. I also got lots of diapers and wipes for the babies, tomato paste to make sauce to eat with rice, chicken meat, lots of onions and soap to wash their clothes. The huge bags have more than 60 pounds for sure, the one with salt I would say maybe 100lb. It is amazing how much food they need to feed 130 kids. They are always very thankful and happy with the help.
That is what I did today: I went to the market with 2 helpers, Cintia and Shaibul, and we got everything that was on the list that I asked Naomi- the director- to write. We took a long time to buy everything and took it back to the orphanage. The bags are humongous and heavy, but we were happy doing it. It surprised me that they eat one of those huge bags of rice in one day. We got 2 today, and they are not very cheap, but I'll see if I can get more.
I also got some medicine for the kids, including a solution to clean their wounds, band-aids, cotton, etc, and I put the gloves you bought for me and treated their wounds, even using the Neosporine you bought for me at Target. They made a line of more then 10 kids as soon as I said I would do it. Many of them scared me because the wounds were really serious, like burns and huge, deep cuts still bleeding. And I realized that even though I need to do it, I'm much better as a teacher... haha
But it was good, its a challenge that I'm happy to have."
Thanks Aunt Cindy!
They love Aunt Cindy's bags. And after the weekend I see them coming with it clean and wrinkled , I'm sure their mothers wash it. They take good care of it and are very thankful to have something to carry their notebooks and the bowl to have their lunch.Thanks to Cindy!!! :)
Twins
"The twins Francis and Francisca. :) They are so cute and Francisca can already call my name, but instead of saying Ely she says El only haha... they are 11 months old and were found at the market, nobody knows their background. But at Royal Seed everybody loves, including me!!! :)
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Giving out bananas at the 'Monkey Sanctuary'
At the Monkey Sanctuary around Volta River region. I didn't want to touch them in the beginning, but after a while they seemed too cute to not touch :)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Taking Care of Babies at Royal Seed Orphanage
"I had a good day today. Just working with the kids, playing with them, hugging them all as much as I can and even in our 1, 2 or 3 minutes conversations I try to say things that I think will help them, about God, their future and family, things they could do to help the country, and how much Jesus loves them :) Even though I get frustrated with seeing some things in this country, I like Ghana and I'm glad came here.
This is the last week at Good Shepherd before the break, then I will only see them after 3 weeks. While they are on vacation I'll be working at Royal Seed orphanage as I told you, doing more work with the babies, and going to the villages in the rural area to teach the children that can't go to school.
I'm very excited about it, the work at the villages is really what I always wanted to do :) It is great to help those children and see how happy they are when we go there. It is like giving them a gift that they were waiting for so long, and I feel the same way having the opportunity to be here and meet them.
The work with the babies at the orphanage is great as well. Its always shocking and sad to see how many babies are left at the police station, bus station, markets and many other places everyday. They are usually dirty and sick, and we get to care for them a few hours a day. But God is good and they soon are better and at the orphanage they have a home and "family" to care for them.
The money from the donations is such a great help hunny, please let them know that they are feeding many hungry children, babies, and giving a pencil and notebook to many who maybe would never have it if it wasn't for their help. Besides buying them school supplies, I also buy lots of diapers, medicine, bags and bags of rice and vegetables and whatever they need urgently.
As you know I'm accomplishing my second month here this week, of course it feels like more, but I'm really happy to be doing it and there is a lot more to do before before I leave. I miss you, my family and my friends, and I'm counting the days to see you all again.
Last weekend I went to Cape Coast, about 2 hours from Accra. I got to visit the Cape Coast Castle, one of the largest slave-holding sites in the colonial era. It was sad to see and be in the rooms where thousands of slaves were kept, just like animals, suffering and dying. It made me think a lot about our history and these people here -I'll share with you my notes when I came back. I found out that one third of all the slaves from West Africa were sent to Brazil, making our country the one that had more slaves than anywhere else.
I also visited the Kakum National Park and got to go on the Canopy Walkway. It was one of the best things to see here. The canopy is a very unusual bridge, there are actually 7 bridges together with a length of about 1,000 feet hanging on trees at about 130 feet high, and we get to see the forest walking above it. It is beautiful!
I'll try to send pictures sometime when we have electricity here, now we only have the noisy generator at the cafe and it is very slow. haha"
This is the last week at Good Shepherd before the break, then I will only see them after 3 weeks. While they are on vacation I'll be working at Royal Seed orphanage as I told you, doing more work with the babies, and going to the villages in the rural area to teach the children that can't go to school.
I'm very excited about it, the work at the villages is really what I always wanted to do :) It is great to help those children and see how happy they are when we go there. It is like giving them a gift that they were waiting for so long, and I feel the same way having the opportunity to be here and meet them.
The work with the babies at the orphanage is great as well. Its always shocking and sad to see how many babies are left at the police station, bus station, markets and many other places everyday. They are usually dirty and sick, and we get to care for them a few hours a day. But God is good and they soon are better and at the orphanage they have a home and "family" to care for them.
The money from the donations is such a great help hunny, please let them know that they are feeding many hungry children, babies, and giving a pencil and notebook to many who maybe would never have it if it wasn't for their help. Besides buying them school supplies, I also buy lots of diapers, medicine, bags and bags of rice and vegetables and whatever they need urgently.
As you know I'm accomplishing my second month here this week, of course it feels like more, but I'm really happy to be doing it and there is a lot more to do before before I leave. I miss you, my family and my friends, and I'm counting the days to see you all again.
Last weekend I went to Cape Coast, about 2 hours from Accra. I got to visit the Cape Coast Castle, one of the largest slave-holding sites in the colonial era. It was sad to see and be in the rooms where thousands of slaves were kept, just like animals, suffering and dying. It made me think a lot about our history and these people here -I'll share with you my notes when I came back. I found out that one third of all the slaves from West Africa were sent to Brazil, making our country the one that had more slaves than anywhere else.
I also visited the Kakum National Park and got to go on the Canopy Walkway. It was one of the best things to see here. The canopy is a very unusual bridge, there are actually 7 bridges together with a length of about 1,000 feet hanging on trees at about 130 feet high, and we get to see the forest walking above it. It is beautiful!
I'll try to send pictures sometime when we have electricity here, now we only have the noisy generator at the cafe and it is very slow. haha"
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Exams and Teaching in the Countryside
"Today I worked at Good Shepherd with the 1st grade again, it was good, they are having their exams for the term this week, so I get less time to teach them. There are definetely some challenges here at school but I wont go into them now..:)
During the exams many of the kids don't get the right answers because they can't read. And it was also hard to see the teachers beating up the kids with the stick when the kids don't really do anything bad. I stay in the classroom during the tests because if I leave they get caned even worse.
Well, it might be like that almost everywhere. Sorry to share bad news.
But it was good to have a nurse who is from England and is volunteering around here for 4 weeks, taking care of the children and cleaning their open sores and giving them medicine. It makes such a huge difference since many of them never get this sort of help.
But the best part of the day was when I got to talk about Jesus with many children. There are a few of them who always follow me everywhere, so I went to sit under a tree to rest and get out of the heat. About 10 kids sat there with me and I started telling them the story about the little boy who got to meet Jesus in heaven, but because God wanted to answer his father's prayers, He sent the little boy back while he was still in the surgery room - it is a real story from the book "Heaven is for Real", they were so excited listening and I told them the boy is now 12 years old and still saying that we have to have Jesus in our heart so we can go to live with Him and God father in Heaven. By the time I was finishing the story there were more than 20 of them sitting around and listening :) which made me so happy! I sang a song with them about Jesus, then I kept telling them how much Jesus loves them and wants to have them all in heaven with Him, and other things... I didn't really expect to get the chance to talk with them about this. I know God had that moment prepared for us and He was right there as I talked with the children. I asked them if they wanted to say a prayer inviting Jesus to live in their heart an take care of them, they ALL said yes, so we did :) They closed their eyes and I said a prayer to which they said amen.
And by that time a mean teacher was already calling them to come out of there and he was holding a stick in his hand. But I made sure they didn't get punished for that. It was such a great thing hunny. One of those moments I will never forget, the ones that make this "Journey of Faith to Africa" totally worth it!
I worked there until 3:30pm, then I met some other girls from Germany and Denmark, and also my friend from Wisconsin, and went with them to a village far from where we live to teach the kids that don't get to go to school. It was another great moment. These kids were so poor, almost none of them have clothes, shoes, food, and much less school. I had a group of about 50 kids, sitting -again- under a tree, no board, no notebook or pencil, none of them spoke or understood English very well except for a few words. So I taught them to count in English, the colors, the ABC, sang songs, and told them stories - they were so eager to learn, even though they didn't understand me and I didn't understand them either, they wanted to hear, and repeated everything. Some of the men and women from the village, some were even their parents, who could understand English came to help me, and they translated as I talked :)
By the end I used the coloring pencils and crayons that I always carry with me (I didn't know I was going there today so I didn't take much) I divided it among them -even breaking the 48 crayons in pieces, and they had so much fun coloring as if they had done it before, and maybe they didn't! They also showed us some things such numbers and songs in their language.
All I can say is it was really good!!!
After 6 weeks here, today was one of the days I had the chance to help the most. I'll be going back there 2 times a week and bring a board and supplies for them, as well as medicine and food. There is a lot more I want to tell you, but I don't have much time here since I stopped at the internet cafe on my way back from that village, it is already dark outside. But I'll tell you more when we talk next."
During the exams many of the kids don't get the right answers because they can't read. And it was also hard to see the teachers beating up the kids with the stick when the kids don't really do anything bad. I stay in the classroom during the tests because if I leave they get caned even worse.
Well, it might be like that almost everywhere. Sorry to share bad news.
But it was good to have a nurse who is from England and is volunteering around here for 4 weeks, taking care of the children and cleaning their open sores and giving them medicine. It makes such a huge difference since many of them never get this sort of help.
But the best part of the day was when I got to talk about Jesus with many children. There are a few of them who always follow me everywhere, so I went to sit under a tree to rest and get out of the heat. About 10 kids sat there with me and I started telling them the story about the little boy who got to meet Jesus in heaven, but because God wanted to answer his father's prayers, He sent the little boy back while he was still in the surgery room - it is a real story from the book "Heaven is for Real", they were so excited listening and I told them the boy is now 12 years old and still saying that we have to have Jesus in our heart so we can go to live with Him and God father in Heaven. By the time I was finishing the story there were more than 20 of them sitting around and listening :) which made me so happy! I sang a song with them about Jesus, then I kept telling them how much Jesus loves them and wants to have them all in heaven with Him, and other things... I didn't really expect to get the chance to talk with them about this. I know God had that moment prepared for us and He was right there as I talked with the children. I asked them if they wanted to say a prayer inviting Jesus to live in their heart an take care of them, they ALL said yes, so we did :) They closed their eyes and I said a prayer to which they said amen.
And by that time a mean teacher was already calling them to come out of there and he was holding a stick in his hand. But I made sure they didn't get punished for that. It was such a great thing hunny. One of those moments I will never forget, the ones that make this "Journey of Faith to Africa" totally worth it!
I worked there until 3:30pm, then I met some other girls from Germany and Denmark, and also my friend from Wisconsin, and went with them to a village far from where we live to teach the kids that don't get to go to school. It was another great moment. These kids were so poor, almost none of them have clothes, shoes, food, and much less school. I had a group of about 50 kids, sitting -again- under a tree, no board, no notebook or pencil, none of them spoke or understood English very well except for a few words. So I taught them to count in English, the colors, the ABC, sang songs, and told them stories - they were so eager to learn, even though they didn't understand me and I didn't understand them either, they wanted to hear, and repeated everything. Some of the men and women from the village, some were even their parents, who could understand English came to help me, and they translated as I talked :)
By the end I used the coloring pencils and crayons that I always carry with me (I didn't know I was going there today so I didn't take much) I divided it among them -even breaking the 48 crayons in pieces, and they had so much fun coloring as if they had done it before, and maybe they didn't! They also showed us some things such numbers and songs in their language.
All I can say is it was really good!!!
After 6 weeks here, today was one of the days I had the chance to help the most. I'll be going back there 2 times a week and bring a board and supplies for them, as well as medicine and food. There is a lot more I want to tell you, but I don't have much time here since I stopped at the internet cafe on my way back from that village, it is already dark outside. But I'll tell you more when we talk next."
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