orphanage

Arrived at the orphanage yesterday! I was pretty nervous because the guy that owns the orphanage pretty much just showed Kelsie and I our room and then left. Our room isn't too bad.. there are 2 beds and a little school desk in the middle. Very simple. The washroom is terrible!!! Just nasty and lizards are always on the walls so it's freaky. Those lizard things are everywhere and I already killed 6 spiders that only seemed to be on my side of the room. There is no shower.. there is a little tiny room where we wash ourselves. We go get water from the pump and fill a bucket then use a bottle to pour it on ourselves. I actually don't mind it at all, it's kind of refreshing. I didn't realize I was going to be so immersed in the culture here so it was definitely a culture shock for me. We have to go to the market and buy our own toilet paper. The people here don't tell you anything your kind of just on your own so Kelsie and I were pretty freaked out on the first day, very overwhelmed. Then we met some other volunteers, one named Obi from Liverpool who is 18, Desi a journalist from new york, Shariff who will be 19 soon from philidelphia and Stephano just arrived today from Italy. Most of them will be here till we leave. Desi is one of the nicest people I have met and she pretty much showed Kelsie and I everything we need to know. Shariff went to the beach on the weekend and went way too far out and ended up getting robbed, he is fine though. Anyways, the food here is all the same rice, casava, chicken.. I am already sick of it. But, we can go up to the village and buy oranges and pineapple for really cheap. Today Paul (owner of the orphanage) told Kelsie and I what classes we would be helping out in. One of my favourite kids Fred is in my class. I basically am the teacher.. it is very stressful right now. The teacher Canes the kids when they do things wrong and I can't watch it is the worst thing ever, they cry and cry. All the orphans just want to be loved and that is what makes me want to be here the most. No one tells you what your teaching or what your supposed to do it's up to yourself to figure everything out. It will probably take this week to get more used to everything. I am teaching 7 and 8 year old kids and Kelsie has the younger ones. We will probably jump around from class to class. We will teach pretty much everything. The weather has been smoking hot and it is supposed to get even hotter but it rains off and on and the power will go off a bunch. We take a trow trow (big van type thing) or a taxi around. I'll try and get here to Kasoa every so often to update my blog it's about a 10 minute ride from where I am living in Ofaakor. I think I got the most important details in here so I'll keep you posted!
-megs