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Brian Hughes 3rd yr Bachelor of MusicTravelled to: EIL, Ghana

It is very difficult to put into words how I am feeling at the moment after coming back home, but it is easy and thoroughly enjoyable to describe how wonderful an experience I had while volunteering abroad!I arrived in the capital city of Accra in June where I stayed in a hostel there a total of 3 nights, and received an orientation from the host organisation SYTO (Student Youth and Travel Organisation). This included talks on the culture, way of life and people in Ghana, information about health and transport, a drumming and dancing workshop which was tremendous fun, and a brief city tour of Accra the capital city of Ghana. I was transferred to my host family in Kumasi, a 3 and a half hour drive outside Ac-cra and went to visit my project for an orientation. My first pro-ject was the Garden City Spe-cial School in Asokore Mam-pong, a government funded day-and-boarding school for children with mental disabilities. I learned on my first day that I would be trying to do music with the children, and I was shown the in-struments that were available to me.The host family I lived with was only a 15-20 minute walk from the school, so I was very lucky. I lived with a young woman called Al-berta, who was over 7 months pregnant when I arrived! She also had a son Nana-Boachie, who was over two and a half years old, and she looked after another girl named Abigail. I really liked the house I was in, and I found it very easy to live there. It was nice to be liv-ing in a family with two young kids, as I am

the youngest in my family and never got to experience living with younger siblings! The

host mother had lots of experience with volunteers in the past, so she was very considerate and careful when it came to my dietary needs! I was also provided with my own large bedroom and a com-fortable double bed!I got the opportunity to play music with the children with mental disabilities and had some fantastic experiences. I often took them in groups, playing with the

many drums they had, or the seven marim-bas and xylophones they had at their dis-posal. A crash cymbal, triangles and shak-ers also made their appearances at other stages, and I was amazed and chuffed at

how much the children loved playing music! I also got the opportunity to prac-tice some music therapy. I had one very mov-ing experience with a blind girl when I played the flute to her and gave her shakers: the smile on the girl’s face and her reaction to the music was very rewarding to observe.After four weeks at this pro-ject, the school term ended and I had to move host family and project. This second project was called Kings and Queens Care Centre for children with mental and physical disabilities, and when I arrived there I learned that I would also be sleeping there! This centre is located outside Offinso in a farming area north of Ku-masi, and it was completely different to the first host family and project!The centre was run by a very friendly young woman named Linda, who stays at the cen-tre pretty much 24/7 every day of the year.

There were only ten children living at the centre, so it was very easy to get to know them and feel part of the family. At the centre, I helped with chores such as mopping, washing

and maintaining the land (which included tree cutting, and harvesting

the maize!). I really became attached to this place, as it was my ideal volunteering place-ment. I was very fortunate to also have an-other Italian volunteer living and working at the centre, and we got on very well. As important as both volunteer placements were, travelling is what helps make the ex-perience of volunteering abroad. I travelled five weekends in a row, with groups and on my own. I got to visit Cape Coast, the re-

gional capital in the Central Region, Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary and the Kintampo Falls in the Brong-Ahafo Region, the Mole National Park in the Northern Region with 34 other volunteers from SYTO, Lake Bosumtwe

and two craft villages outside Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, and the

Volta Region in the east of the country. I never enjoyed travelling so much as I did on these weekend adven-tures! I got to meet lots of other volunteers on my

travels, and also people vis-iting Ghana on holidays, as well

as befriending some Ghanaians!I got to see some fantastic sights and had some amazing cultural experiences, the highlights of which include: standing by the Wli Falls, the tallest waterfall in West Africa, taking boat and ferry trips on the man-made Lake Volta, seeing three African elephants in the Mole National Park, visiting a cocoa farm and learning how it is grown and produced, seeing how kente cloth is made and wear-ing a traditional cloth, going to an intercul-tural wedding of a Dutch former volunteer and a Ghanaian man, climbing to the top of Mt. Gemi and visiting the highest village in Ghana!To write about a two month experience of living a completely different life in an African country in less than a thousand words is liter-ally impossible!! This experience has left me with so many amazing memories, different perspectives on life, and living in a vastly dif-ferent culture. The people in Ghana are what made the experience: their (sometimes over) friendliness, their spirit and beliefs, their posi-tive nature and welcoming hospitality. Overall I had an extremely positive and life changing experience, just as I had hoped to have!

An open information evening will be held onNovember 11th in the

student centre.

The CIT Volunteer Abroad 2015 programme will open for application in November.

All full time registered students are eligible to apply.

Live CIT, Love Societies

SOCIETIES OFFICETel: 021 433 5759

E: aoife.kelliher@cit.iefacebook.com/CITsocieties

Twitter: @CITsocietieshttp://societies.cit.ie!

The CIT Volunteer Abroad Programme

Dont forget Societies Day – Wednesday 17th September, Nexus

Student Centre. 10.30 – 2pm