Mondo's volunteers in Ghana

I cannot believe I am saying this, but my time in Kongo village and Ghana in general is almost over. When I first came here, I thought 3 months and a half was plenty of time, but I could not have been more wrong. These months have passed by so quickly that it feels like I came here a week ago. I guess this just proves how amazing my life has been here, because time flies by so quickly when you are engaged in activities that are interesting and fun for you. And as much as I miss my country and my loved ones, I would love to stay in the village longer. I want to start my final blog by saying a huge thanks to a Kongo based NGO CoDA, that has been hosting me all this time. Their dedication to make me feel great in this village was incredible. Since the day I arrived in the village they treated me like a family member and helped me in every step of the way. Taking me around for sightseeing, teaching me the local language, cooking me delicious vegetarian meals, greeting me with a smile eve...

A month has passed since my arrival in Ghana. So many things have happened. I have learned some Nabit language, which means I can communicate with locals in the village better. It is absolutely mandatory here in Kongo to greet everyone as you pass by them, as well as ask questions like how are you, how is work. I love it. Talking to locals makes me feel like I am a local myself. It is different in my country. We do not greet strangers. In fact we do not even look at each other while passing by, and smiling to a stranger is pretty much a crime in our unwritten rules book. I think I will experience a reversed culture shock once I get back home, because I will want to say hi to everyone and ask if they are married or not. And yes, some people ask this question right after greeting you, but this is just a funny joke to break the ice, which always makes me laugh. The temperature is still super hot, but I think my body has used to it quite a lot. I still struggle with heat exhaustion some da...

Coming to Ghana has been on my mind for a long time. Interesting culture and beautiful traditions, scenic nature, friendly people and tasty local cuisine were some of the things that would pop up on Google every time I was researching the country. When an Estonian NGO called Mondo provided me with an opportunity to come to Ghana as a climate change advisor volunteer for Kongo Community Development Association (KOCDA) under the European Solidarity Corps program, I was so incredibly excited and began reading about the country even more. I wanted to be prepared for every possible situation so that I would know what to say and how to react and would not offend anyone or get overwhelmed after seeing something that may not be so common in my home country. Mondo had also arranged trainings about the country and it's culture and advised of the things that should and should not be done in the country, so I felt absolutely prepared for this exciting adventure. However even after preparing so...