Ghana part 2

The weather in Ghana was so wonderfully hot. It only rained 3 times in the six weeks I was there. I got tan lines from my swimsuit :)

My street in Agboba. Its really refreshing how different the culture is over there. most people are happy with what they have, because the most important thing is family.

The comunities are very strong. Everyone greets each other in the street. Its an experience that has made me see things in a different way. I would say that I dont have much, but compared to some of the people I have met I am now very grateful for what I have. One of my Neighbours didnt have electricity in her home, and she had to help her kids with homework by candle light in the evening. Many parents will go to the market or town to sell whatever they can just to be able to pay for their children's education. They really dont make much by selling buscuits and sweets, or fruit and veg. Most people carry these items on their heads all day to sell to the people who drive their cars on the main road. Medical treatment must be paid for as there is no NHS. It is a really hard life for some people.

My family and I went to see the botanical gardens in Aburi.

This tree is over 300 years old and is the tallest tree I've ever seen. Hopefully my family standing under it can show you the sheer scale of it.

I found a praying mantis in the bushes. A tour guide took us around and told us some history of the plants there. There was lots to see.

Ghana part 1

Im now back from Ghana, I wasn't able to get much access to the internet over there so i have a lot of making up to do in this blog! So an update of over six weeks!

My mothers house was better than I had imagined. Over two plots, she has a bungalow, a shop, servants quarters and a basketball hoop :)

The area I stayed in was a town called Agboba. It is a developing area and we had to put up with many power cuts, which is common all over Ghana. The thing that I like most about it is that if you have enough money to build a house, you can design it anyway you like. The houses are genereally more beautiful than tha average home in Britatin. In the design process you are free to decide on the structure as well as the decor. As I said previously, Agbogba is a developing area and most houses are incomplete.  My mother spent around 15 years to complete hers, and now she can retire hapily in her new home. The neighbours are very friendly. This lady had a pet monkey and lots of goats.

I often used to go round to feed the monkey some plantain, orange or banana. The monkey really didnt like my mum for some reason :s

Here you can really see the difference between rich and poor. She lives without electricity in a very small home. The lady's son - Sir Collins runs a school down the road, called Sir CollinsViv Academy which is full of sweet children. He was kind enough to invite me to take some pictures.

One classroom is outside. the school has only been established for around 2 years. They are looking for funding so that a proper school building can be made for the kids. The education is focused around Christianity, and they teach the children skills that they will need in everyday life, for example English, Maths and how to grow different fruit and vegetables.

EID MUBARAK!

As my family are muslims, we celebrated Eid after Ramadan. We went to Elwack Stadium to pray.

This is my outfit, and these were my shoes!

When I got there, I was greeted by drummers, beggers and people selling sweets, mats and anything else. the whole stadium was packed and people started lining up to pray.

It was a really nice day, and my family traditionally blessed (Hallal) and slaughterd a goat. It made a delicious soup. It might sound mean but its the freshest way to have meat for the whole family.

My Ghanain family resides in New Town, Accra. This is a very busy town as it is situated in the capital city. Dinner time always brings the family together. here my cousins are pounding yam and cassava to make Fufu, which is eaten with soup.

My mummy and aunties in New Town.