Ghana was a great experience. I spent one volunteering at an orphanage in a remote area in Northern Ghana staying with a host family on a little farm in the jungle. At the orphanage my duties were to:

• Teach English —  English is the official language of Ghana but most people speak a local dialect there.
• Teach health and sanitation —  we worked on everything from malaria prevention to how to wash your hands.
• Organize extra curricular activities with creative games — Duck, duck, goose was a hit.
• Help them to wash their face and brush their teeth —  I brought new toothbrushes for the whole school.
• Help them to draw and paint — They were more artistic than I am.
• Help serve food - eating meals with the children always brought a smile to my face.

It was my first trip to Africa and I learned a lot. I discovered how much life children have even with very little. I saw first hand how much fun and work it is to live off the land. I tried food that was spicier than anything I had ever had in my life. I became acquainted with the joys of bucket shows. I experienced an often challenging environment where I realized how similar we all are and how different we are all.