Day 2

July 16, 2009

COCK A DODDLE DO!!!!

(5 minutes)

COCK A DODDLE DO!!!!

(2 seconds)

COCK A DODDLE DO!!!!

"Ok! Dang it I'm up." I said to myself while lying in bed. It felt like the rooster was sitting at the head of my bed. It's like an alarm whose snooze button keeps getting pressed. I also heard really loud music. Hip Life I think (Ghanaian hip hop). It was probably 8am and my host family had already been up for three hours. "Good Morning!" The house helps said as I walked to the washroom. "Good morning." Which I tried to say with just as much enthusiasm. Not sure if I was as successful. "Are you ready for your water?" "Yes," I said. I'm given a bucket of hot water to use to bathe in the washroom. There is a shower and a faucet but it only runs cold water. I found out that hot water is a step up since the other volunteers must shower in cold water and often the children in the orphanage.

I got dressed and met Elvis across the street in his house. Auntie Georgina was there, one of the house mothers for the orphanage, discussing the orphanage, making a menu etc. Elvis and I also had a list of things to do:

Go to the market

Get banko stick

Dried fish

Matches

Soap

Shoes for grace

Go to National Health Office

Kerosene

Little did I know this wasn't half the things that need to be done.

The car had a flat tire. Had to get air in the tire.

One of the sewing machines at the girls' vocational school was broken. Had to pick up someone to fix it. One of Elvis' friends. Found out that his wife died recently. So, we a have a funeral to attend next Friday. I'm supposed to wear black and/or red. I have to get a dress made.

Picked up two HIV patients, a mother and child. I don't think I have ever heard a baby cry so much. I don't think she was in pain, she was just spoiled and wanted to be held by her mother (and only her mother) all of the time.

Went to a community, where they told Elvis that they need him to take a baby. Kojo is his name. His Akan day name. Means he was born on a Monday. The mother, who is 14, left Kojo in the community about two months ago and hasn't come back. We don't know his age, HIV status, or the mother's name. He looks like he might be one years old, but no more than that. Kojo's situation was told to Elvis about a week ago, but the orphanage is small and he can't fulfill every request. Kojo had been living with an old woman with only a shirt on. Kojo, didn't smile or cry, but he was sad. You could feel it. It was a sadness that made you feel like he had been crying too much and decided to give up or ran out of tears. He looked like he knew more than he should have. Elvis called the house mothers to see if they are willing to take another child. They agreed, the community gave him a shorts-set and we took him. He had some mucus-something in his eyes and marks and bumps on his body. He still isn't crying or making any sound. We take him to the orphanage and I give out the donated toys

then we go to the market. It's busy as usual. We get banko sticks and fish but ran out of money for the other items. Will get them later. Lost time so can't go the National Health Office. Its' closed. We had to go to the National Health Office because Elvis already paid about $300 for health insurance for the children but they have not given them their ID cards. Its been over a year. Without the ID cards they can't get health care. He stopped paying since they can't use the services. The money is lost.

We leave the market and go back to the orphanage. The other volunteers are there: Elizabeth's friend Johanna, her boyfriend Adam, and his mother Margaret. The children are being given baths outside. Margaret is mad about something. No sure what. And taking pictures of the children bathing. That felt pretty weird but I didn't say anything. My first thought is, "I'm don't think I want to work with her." But I didn't write her off too soon. I met Elizabeth already. We went on the Ghana study abroad trip last summer and it is because of her that I found out about the orphanage and decided to volunteer. Margaret was making, what it sounded to be a list of demands: "We need mats for the children, they are peeing in the bed. We need… We need… and the first place Kojo should have went was the hospital. Elvis doesn't know the first thing about raising 15 kids now there is an extra one." The last two thing she didn't say to Elvis, just to the volunteers. I have two thoughts, "hmm, yeah, why didn't we take Kojo to the hospital at first?" Then I figured there must have been a reason that I didn't know about and figured I would find out later. Then I was thinking "How dare you Margaret? How can you say he doesn't know the first thing about raising 15 kids. Who does?! None of the house mothers have 15 kids. Plus you don't know who he has raised. He has been running his organization for the past 11 years. He has been here before you, he is here when you aren't and will be here after. You don't know what he does at the orphanage. You aren't there most of the time! You're in the US!" That really bothered me. Don't think I am going to be a fan of her but I am determined to talk to her in hopes of her understanding how problematic her stance is.