Volunteering - Week 2 and 3

Kendra with Achoo
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We are entering our fourth and final week of volunteering so we thought we would give you an update of what we have been up to in our placements.

Kendra:

I am already thinking about my next trip to Ghana

Where to start???.... Well the past two weeks have been like an emotional roller coaster ride. Some days are fantastic and I feel like I am accomplishing what I came to Ghana to do and other days I feel very helpless because I realize how little change one person can actually make. As I am entering my last week of volunteering I have decided to focus on small goals because I realize that some of the larger ones are unrealistic in my situation.

Kendra with Naomi
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Let me give you all a run down of what my days have entailed. School starts in the morning at around 8:00 (depending on when the teachers decide they want to start!!!) and all the children assemble and sing the Ghana National Anthem and recite their pledge to their country. They then sing a song while marching to their classes. It is very cute! I then spend the morning in the preschool/nursery room. There are approximately 60 children in the class ranging from age 1 to 8. There are two teachers in charge but they often disappear and expect myself and the other volunteer I am working with to teach the class. Well this is quite a challenge considering the children speak absolutely no English and have no idea what we are saying to them. Also, all 60 children are crammed into a very very small classroom and expected to sit on chairs (which they are constantly fighting over since there is not enough for everyone). The aggression levels in these kids are so high and the only way they know how to communicate is to hit each other since this is what is done to them.  So, a huge chunk of my time is spent breaking up fights between preschoolers who are not afraid to hit, bite, and kick me and each other! Once we are able to settle them down and hold their attention, Bella (the other volunteer) and I teach them songs, letters, numbers, shapes, and colours. We have managed to teach them quite a few English songs like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "The Hokey Pokey", "The Wheels on the Bus" etc.  By the time the morning is over, i am absolutely exhausted and left wondering how anyone has the patience to do this as a full time job!

Aiee and Julie playing
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After lunch I teach science to the Grade 5s and 6s. I have absolutely loved working with these kids as they are so eager to learn. I have been teaching the Grade 5s about flowers, pollination, fertilization, seed dispersal, and the properties of soil. With the Grade 6s I am doing a unit on energy including conductors, insulators, magnets, and sound production.  The school has a very strict syllabus so I have had no say in the topics I have taught. Although the material can be quite dry the children are so keen and attentive. There are also some really bright children in my classes and some of their comments and questions during class are quite thoughtful. For example, one day I was asking the grade 5 class how flowers can differ from each other. Most kids were answering with things like shape, colour, smell etc. However, one boy named Samuel (who also lives at the orphanage) raised his hand and anwered with "Flowers can differ by how they germinate". I was very impressed!

Julie - a very intense little 2 year-old who also has a very silly streak!
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This coming week the school has year-end examinations so I will be spending most of my time with the preschoolers and also helping mark the science exams. I am very sad that my time at the orphanage is almost up and I can't help but wish that I was here longer. This expereince has been unbelievable and I am already thinking about my next trip to Ghana and the orphanage!

Ryan:

Well, the last two weeks of volunteering at the hospital were completely different from each other and from my first week: week 2 was a tough one, and I felt like I wasn't accomplishing anything while week 3 I felt much more productive and happy with my day-to-day routine. Part of the problem was that when I arrived  I spent most of my time following the doctors around and simply observing. For the first week that was totally satisfying and I was learning a lot and seeing a lot of new things. In fact, it took a week or maybe more just to get used to seeing some of the more difficult cases that I am not used to seeing at home. But when the second week started the same way I felt a little useless, as if I wasn't getting much done. So I tried to make the effort to really let the doctors, nurses and ward aids know that I was there to help, not just watch! They are all very friendly and welcoming but they really don't expect me to do much so it is hard to get my point across sometimes. However, I did find one place in the hospital that always needs a helping hand - the pharmacy! I spend a couple hours there every day now, just counting pills (they don't have an automatic counter) and labelling their plastic dispenser baggies. It is very tedious work after a while but it is far more rewarding to go home at the end of the day knowing that I have at least accomplished some work that is needed to be done. Also, I still follow the doctors on their rounds and sometimes listen in on their consulations where I learn a lot and enjoy seeing the patients. So, last week was much better than week 2 and I hop my last one will be just as rewarding.