My Home Away from Home

So for the last three months, I have been living in Busua in the Western Region of Ghana. It is a small community located on the coast. I was incredibly lucky to have lived in this community during my placement. Every day I would walk down the street and people would yell out “Chelsea.” There was one particular man who was on the corner and everyday would yell, “My Wife” and I would reply with “My husband.” (Joking Dad-he was old and it was just a friendly greeting!) I have moved around a lot and to be honest, this was one of the only times that I have ever felt part of a community. By that I mean, truly part of the community; past recognizing and acknowledging people. By the time I left, I felt as if I fit in there. Obviously there were times when this was not the case, I am an outsider but for 99% of the time I felt nothing other than as if I was an insider. It was incredibly rewarding to experience something like that.

So, as I have mentioned before, I was there to set up an After School Program in the local school to improve the literacy rates of some of the students as well as their leadership skills. I was also there with another girl from my program, Amy. The program was incredibly challenging yet one of the best experiences I have ever had. It was incredible to be able to have the freedom to create a program however Amy and I wanted to. We were eventually able to get 20-25 students coming every day to the program which was a success in itself especially as the program is not mandatory and at the beginning, hardly any one showed up at all. The students really enjoyed the program as did Amy and I. It was incredibly frustrating at times but the rewards were definitely worth it. The growth of the students during the program was unbelievable. In addition, we were able to create an open and welcoming relationship with the students which were one of our main goals. Near the end, there were even a few times where the students had been released from school early yet still waited for us to come to the school. That would have never happened within the first week of the program. I really did enjoy the After School Program and working for Black Star Development. They are a great organization and my   co-workers were also amazing. With some money that my parents were able to fundraise, we were able to provide the students with some books, pens, buy chalk and blackboard erasers as well as t-shirts for all of the students. We really wanted to reward the students for their hard work and as a result, implemented a star system where the students each received a star for coming to class, staying for class and for showing leadership qualities or helping their fellow students. The students had to earn each of their rewards and it was great to see that positive reinforcement can work. In the Ghana Education System, caning is used as a method of discipline. We have ethical and moral dilemmas with this so we decided to focus on positive reinforcement. It took a long time but eventually the rewards paid off. It was amazing to see the student’s faces when they received their t-shirts. They are not very often rewarded for any good work and instead only punished for bad behaviour. It was great then to be able to give them their t-shirts and see their faces when they realized that they had really earned them. They were so happy and I was so proud of them. Speaking of how proud I am of them, there was one instance where we were able to hold a collaboration session with another organization in Busua who runs an After School Program for younger students. Prior to the collaboration, I was incredibly apprehensive as I did not know how the students would do. They were not really looking forward to teaching younger students and I to be honest, I was not sure if they were ready to either. We went ahead, however, and I am incredibly glad that we did. They did an amazing job and far surpassed my expectations. They were so good with the younger students and did an incredible job. Amy and I felt like proud parents!(Check out the bottom of the blog to see a video!)

The students and me with their new t-shirts 

Laura happy to get her t-shirt 

Some of the students. Ali, Emmanuel and Bright. 

Me and Dinah 

Little Ebenezer and Big Ebenezer 

Rosemary

Dinah with her books outside school. 

Some of the students with their t-shirts 

Friends-Bright and Ali

The group with their t-shirts

Amy and I 

Helena reading to me in the library 

Ebenezer and Enock reading to each other 

Bright and Dinah reading to each other in the local library 

Sports Day-Playing Volleyball on the Beach 

First, there is Elizabeth. I was fortunate to live in a homestay with a wonderful woman named Elizabeth. She is a retired nurse and currently is a pastor at a local church in the community. She runs an Inn, “Elizabeth’s Inn” and also has a pharmacy downstairs. She is a truly incredible woman and definitely a leader within the community. People often visit her to seek advice or help if they are sick. There have been times were she has really looked after me while I was sick. The people who often visit her can’t afford to pay for medication but she still provides it to them anyway. Not only that, she looks after lots of children. During my time there, there was Simon, Kofi, Prince, Calvin, Emmanuel, Adrina and Junior. They were always around the house and so were numerous other children. It was a great place to come home to as the kids were all amazing, as was Elizabeth. She really welcomed me not only into her home, but also into her family. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay anywhere in Ghana. It was an incredible place to live for three months. She also made a mean banana pancake and yam chips and stew!

Elizabeth before Easter Sunday Mass 

Outside Elizabeth's 

The kids outside Elizabeth's 

Cute kids 

Simon and Prince 

Kofi 

Outside Elizabeth's 

Well outside Elizabeth's 

Girl outside the well carrying water 

Next, there are other important people who were part of my life during my time in Busua. There is Florence who made me banana pancakes and rice and stew. Then there is Emmanuel who ran a shop where I was able to buy fruit juice and fruit from. Next is the Surf Shop Boys. The list is too long but they were all really incredible. They were great fun to be around and even helped me with my surfing. Also, Ebenezer deserves to be mentioned. He is a Ghanaian who is working for Black Star Development who comes from Busua. He was a great guy, always willing to help us with anything that we needed in regard to the program but also in general. He is also a Liverpool Fan so we got along really well. After the surf shop boys, I should mention the ex-pat family. There was Mary, Mark, Paolo, Harry, Amy and Tabitha. I was fortunate to have these people in my life. They weren’t “weekenders” as most people who visit Busua are and instead stayed for quite a while. I was lucky enough to be in Busua while they were there and get to know them. I feel like they were my family. They really made my time in Busua so much more than I could have possibly imagined and I couldn’t imagine not having known them at all. They are all incredible people. 

Busua 

Busua 

Next, there are other important people who were part of my life during my time in Busua. There is Florence who made me banana pancakes and rice and stew. Then there is Emmanuel who ran a shop where I was able to buy fruit juice and fruit from. Next is the Surf Shop Boys. The list is too long but they were all really incredible. They were great fun to be around and even helped me with my surfing. Also, Ebenezer deserves to be mentioned. He is a Ghanaian who is working for Black Star Development who comes from Busua. He was a great guy, always willing to help us with anything that we needed in regard to the program but also in general. He is also a Liverpool Fan so we got along really well. After the surf shop boys, I should mention the ex-pat family. There was Mary, Mark, Paolo, Harry, Amy and Tabitha. I was fortunate to have these people in my life. They weren’t “weekenders” as most people who visit Busua are and instead stayed for quite a while. I was lucky enough to be in Busua while they were there and get to know them. I feel like they were my family. They really made my time in Busua so much more than I could have possibly imagined and I couldn’t imagine not having known them at all. They are all incredible people.

Harry and I 

Mark and his fried egg sandwich 

Florence and Family 

Florence's 

Emmanuel 

Tiger

Paolo, Mark and Me 

Tabitha and I after a midnight swim 

Surfer Obed and Me 

Surfer Kofi 

Busua 

Catching one last surf before the sun goes down

Busua 

Busua 

Fishing Boat

Cuties 

So there is also a monkey that lives at a place called Busua Inn. It is a French Restaurant and lodge. It also makes some great mashed potatoes.She usually jumps on the table and then rolls over for a belly rub. Sometimes she even takes a look at your hair to make sure there isn't anything in there that shouldn't be! 

Monkey 

Just checking it out...

So, with all these wonderful people in my life, it is safe to say that leaving Busua was incredibly hard (there may have also been some tears involved). When you feel that part of a community and surrounded by such amazing people, it is only natural to feel a little sad when it comes time to leave. I feel like this internship has changed me and my thoughts on development in more ways than one. It has also shown me that there are wonderful people out there and I incredibly lucky to have had so many be a part of my life during my time in Busua. I only hope that I can continue to stay in touch and maybe one day, meet up with them somewhere else in the world, starting again just where we left off.

Here is a video of two of the students teaching the younger students.