PMGY Ghana May/June 2017

I have just returned home from a four week stay in Ghana and I cannot even put into words what an amazing and life changing month I had. I was able to do two placements while out there, in the morning I would go and teach at Divine International School and in the afternoon I went to Kumasi Children’s Home and helped out there.

It was refreshing being able to do two placements as it gave me the opportunity to really help out as much as I could. There was also a really nice difference between the placements, as in the morning it would be hard work trying to keep the attention of 6 year olds while you’re trying to teach them the difference in pronouns and adjectives, while in the afternoon at the orphanage, it was more relaxed and you got to play, feed and bond with the children which was a nice change compared to the busy morning. However, there was nothing more rewarding than when a child came up to you to get their work marked, and it all being correct. The hard work definitely paid off and I wouldn’t change it for the world. There was a culture shock with discipline and the children but going there open minded, being able to adjust and remembering you’re in a different country where they do things differently will help. This should 100% not put you off if you are worried.

As well as the placements being amazing, the opportunities involving doing weekend activities and excursions was amazing. It allowed me to travel around Ghana and see what a beautiful country it actually is, as well as giving me the opportunity to do things I would most likely not get the chance to do in the UK. I would definitely recommend the weekend trips not only because they are fun but it gives you a chance to explore and really find out about local culture and lifestyle. In regards to safety, I never had an issue, all of the locals are very welcoming and I felt safe the whole time I was there.

I would like to thank all of the local team for all the hard work they do, they made my time in Ghana outstanding and I can’t thank them enough. I found that after the first couple of days I actually realised that the local team were more like family which was lovely. A special thank you to Seth and Flo for always going the extra mile, nothing was ever too much trouble and they bought nothing but fun and laughs to the house constantly. Food was always so tasty so a massive thank you to Christy and Cindy and also a big thank you to Dennis, Prince and Roland, I love you all very dearly. I also found out that Ghana is a very lively country, I went out every weekend to bananas, one of the clubs and not going to lie it was probably better than here in the UK so honestly don’t miss the opportunity to go out I guarantee you’ll have a jokes time. From returning home, I realised how lucky I was to meet lifelong friends, not only is it nice to go independently to a country but having those few you can share those memories with is once in a lifetime. So glad I got to share this unforgettable adventure with them.

Returning home was a sad time, this programme has made me realise how lucky, thankful and appreciative I am for everything I have. Even though many of the children have nothing, you would never see them without a huge smile on their face which would brighten up my day. I would recommend PMGY Ghana to anyone and everyone without hesitation, the whole four weeks was better than I expected and could have hoped for, I was able to fulfil a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.