AMAARABA!
Welcome!
Our time zones may be the same, but my
routine in the UK and here in Tolon is completely different and I am sure you
can guess which one you would prefer…
Back home in London, my day starts off with
endless snoozing on my iPhone’s alarm while in Tolon my day commences with the
sound of lambs, chickens and cows. What better way to start your day than
nature’s very own alarm clock?!
In the UK, as I leave the house struggling to
find my car keys and trying to remember if I turned the heater off, in Tolon I
find myself in a flood of little children offering to carry all of my
belongings until I reach my destination. Small, squeaky voices singing: “Siliminga [white person] hello…Siliminga what is your name?” is the
song that welcomes me every day as I go to and from work as the children
exercise the English they have learnt in school. I use this as an opportunity to
improve my Dagbani.
Our group (cohort 6) spent the first week introducing
ourselves through community entry. This included: meeting the income generating
groups (IGGs) that we’ll be working with and paying respect by meeting the
chief of Tolon and the chiefs of the individual villages that we will be
working with over the next 3 months. Back home it would take me hundreds of
emails, a few voicemails and a couple of letters just to the get attention of
with my local MP while here in Tolon, we were greeted with traditional drummers
and dancers, nuts and even a couple of marriage proposals!
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| Team Tolon, Cohort 6 |
The chief of Tolon took pride in telling us
that this village is one of the most peaceful villages in the area. From the
evidence of the children of Tolon he was not exaggerating! Tolon is flooded
with children running around playing. Of course this is the same for children
around the world, but the children of Tolon are definitely unique. Both the
little girls and boys can walk a mile carrying litres of water on their head
and go back and do it all again without complaining. I tried carrying one
bucket on my head and spilt half of it all over myself! They hand wash all of
their clothes religiously and even offer to do mine! And after a long, hot day
at school while most of us would sit in front of the telly, these children go
to the roadside and help their families with the jobs that need to be
done. Aren’t they your dream kids?
While my first week in Tolon is certainly the
biggest culture shock I have experienced and despite the lifestyle being
completely to my life in London, I have never felt more welcomed, loved and
safe than I do here.
As
cliché as this may sound, amaaraba and welcome to Tolon!
Good work guys, tolon is a really good n a peaceful district,the IGGs need your knowledge of help so pls try your best n help them out.
ReplyDeleteI communicate with someone in Tolon. She says she is a nurse and works at a nursery.
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