Chapter 16...The ICT (yet another VSO acronym)

ICT is VSO's shortening of 'In-Country-Training' which is the introductory training all volunteers receive when they first get to their placement country. It usually consists of anything from a week (mine for example) to 6 weeks for those who have a language to learn (luckily for me most Ghanaians speak English, but then have their own regional and district dialects to keep themselves distinct and unique from other groups!) At the end of my ICT week I have decided to sum up some of my experiences, of what has been an extremely intensive, yet informative (although at times not relevant) and fun welcome to Ghana! So I have...

• made some lovely friends with whom I know I can call upon when it comes time to travel around Ghana...!

Top photo: Some of the Ghana ICT group of Feb 2011!
Bottom photo: About 18 of us in a 'tro tro' - Ghana's word for what is
basically a minibus used as a share taxi!

• met one of my future housemates - Rachel who is 27 YOA, with GSoH, Scottish, works as a TSO (Teacher Support Officer) and is 18 months into a 2 year placement!
• discovered more about my role and what is expected of me, which is apparently to work with communities and other NGO's to give local people a voice when it comes to their childrens education, so they can go to District Assemblies and advocate for change!
•  eaten enough food to last me the entire year of my placement - kelewele - deep fried plantain (delicious), jollof rice (yummy), banku - ball of maize (not so), okre soup/stew (eww)

A typical plate of Ghanain food (basically lots of carbs) - banku, jollof rice, beans, deep fried plantain, chicken fish and spicy spicy sauces! All very yummy, although the maize takes some getting used to, especially eating it with your hands!

This is okra soup/stew, which you eat with your hands along with a huge ball of maize! I did NOT like this, it was a fish based one with crabs in, which the Ghanaians eat whole, shell and all!

• sweat out half of this food in the scorching heat - on average 33 degrees by day, 28 by night!
• had a serious lack of sleep and fallen asleep in a workshop! I thought they were going to put me on the next flight home!
• experienced a night of live Ghanaian/Burkina Faso music and dancing! The hand and the moves are going to go down SO well here!!!

A brilliant Burkina Faso band called Koroleko! Their dancing was amazing!

• started to learn two local languages - Talen (for where I work - Talensi Nabdam) and Gurrene (for where I live - Bolgatanga)!
• received my first allowance, which looks and sounds a lot in Ghanaian Cedis, but works out at around £150 per month - eek!!!

My Ghanaian Cedis :-)

And so now with ICT done, next comes the hard part...actually starting the job I have been flown out here to do!!! Oh but before that is the 15+ hour bus journey tomorrow to actually get to Bolgatanga, wish me luck...!

Mam je'ebi me!