Visiting Egypt for the first time.

Well, where do I begin! It has been forever since I last posted on my blog due to work commitments and in general….. adulthood! Lol Where has the last few years gone!

So, for the first time in what feels like decades, I have an hour to just relax, reminisce and catch up on the blog!

My trip to Egypt was actually in 2017 as in 2018 I was in Malta and last year I headed back over to Ghana to visit friends and my second family of course! So to visit Egypt was a wonderful experience.  A side of Africa I had yet to explore!

I arrived in Hurghada, Egypt in August 2017 and stayed in a beautiful 4* beach resort (which I have to say was a massive change for me as I have never gone for luxurious holidays in my life!). Due to lack of tourists visiting Egypt during this time (I’m guessing due to what people watch on the news that scares them off) the prices were very low so therefore the cost for this luxurious beach resort was very close to what you would pay for a 2* back home! I have to say, the second I landed and arrived at the resort I felt sort of strange in a way.  I think mainly because I am so used to landing in Ghana and to land in Egypt, miles away from Ghana, but still in Africa, felt slightly odd.  Nonetheless, I had an amazing time!

I still felt that warm homely feeling when I arrived in Egypt but it did take me a few days to settle in and part of me feels like that was because I didn’t have my friends and family around like I do when I visit Ghana but again, it was still amazing to be back in Africa! I had to remind myself that I started this journey as a young lady to explore Africa, not only Ghana, even if I do slightly get too attached to one place lol

So to be in another part of Africa and have a feel of life in Egypt was amazing.

I had a massive list of things I wanted to do and see on my trip.  The resort was full of extremely friendly, caring and welcoming staff which made the whole experience extra special. The food was to die for! So much meat, stews and fresh fruit. As I have never visited Egypt before I set up a few tour guides to help me along the way.

During my first week, I set off to visit the Sahara desert to have a ride on the quad bikes and take a hike through the desert!  I took a bus to the pick up point with a group of other tourist to meet with the driver who would take us in a 4×4 through the desert to our quad bikes.  We arrived at the location and got our head gear ready and hopped onto our quads and set off! We were guided by a man who was the group leader.  We headed out further into the desert and of course had a water break every 5/10 minutes or due to the extreme heat! The heat hits you like crazy and instant thirst within minutes as you can imagine!  After playing around for as while on the quads we headed back to the drop of point and got back into the 4×4 and drove further out into the desert. The ride was extremely exciting as the driver was so full of life and the whole group were all singing and bumping up and down in the 4×4 while we drove through the bumpy desert! We finally arrived at a very small desert village where we met with the locals and had some lunch. This was then followed by a camel ride. My thoughts on the camel ride are erm, I have mixed reviews ! Lol 

After the camel ride, we took another hike in the desert to a sunset point where we were able to rest and watch the sunset. How they timed it so well to arrive exactly when the sun was setting, I will never know!

After this long, exhausting but extremely exciting day, I headed back to my resort and had some dinner and rest. I spend a day or two in the resort and around the local areas before setting off again.

My second trip was to Cairo to visit the museum and of course, the pyramids! This was a very long but amazing trip. We set off very early in the morning to arrive in Cairo mid afternoon. The tour guide first of all stopped over at the museum which was unreal! I am a huge fan of museums but Cairo museum was another level of wow! So much fascinating things to see and stories to be told. Tutankhamun’s tomb treasures was insane! Only things I have ever read about it books and seen on documentaries! They were currently in the process of packing some items away when we arrived for moving into the new, larger museum. 

We then went for a spot of lunch close by the pyramids. When we arrived at the pyramids we were shown around and given a brief of the history etc before entering The Great Pyramid of Giza.  Can I just say, seeing the Pyramids in a book or on TV doesn’t even come close to how amazing they are in person. Absolutely breathtaking!

We paid a small fee at the entrance before entering the great Pyramid. The entrance to the Pyramid leads thought to a very narrow, long and steep stairway.  I am not usually claustrophobic but wow the heat, width and also volume of people coming down the Pyramid while you are going upwards is intense. Bit of a tight squeeze!

On arrival at the top of the Great Pyramid is an empty chamber, slightly hard to see anything but a very amazing experience to be stood inside the Great Pyramid we only read about it history books! After this, we of course we’re allowed to tour around the rest of the Pyramids and enter one of the smaller ones as well as visit the Great Sphinx.  Unbelievable experience!

I then spent another few days back at the resort and around the area. I visited some of the local restaurants and shops and also took a walk around town to visit the largest mosque in Hurghada. Absolutely beautiful!

I planned my next few trips over the following week which would include some boat rides and a lot of water! First, I took a boat trip to a desert island for lunch and some time to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.  We were then joined with a group to go snorkelling to see the coral reefs which was amazing! (I did slightly freak out at first when looked down and saw hundreds of fish around my feet!) Lol but I soon got used to it.

Our guide then took us further out into the red sea to snorkel with wild dolphins. I never imagined that we would actually see dolphins or even come close but right enough, the spot our guide stopped at, the dolphins swam right under our feet just metres below! To finish off the trip, we took a trip to a near by place to enter a submarine to view the underwater scenery. Again, another amazing experience.

I can honestly say Egypt is one of the most amazing, beautiful and fascinating countries I’ve visited.  I have enjoyed visiting other parts of the world along the years and enjoy new experience but yet again, Africa still tops anywhere yet! I knew I would enjoy Egypt but genuinely didn’t know just how much I would fall in love with the place! There is a never ending list of things to do, places to visit and great people to meet! I could talk for hours upon hours about my experiences in Egypt but I wouldn’t know when to stop! Definitely somewhere I would return to in the near future and would recommend anyone to visit and try it for yourself. As always, Africa has just shown me how amazing, unique and beautiful it truly is. I have since of course visited Africa again since my trip to Egypt and Malta, so stay posted for my upcoming post about my new experiences last year too!

Few photos below of my trip. Enjoy and I hope you too will one day, if you have not already, visit this beautiful country, Egypt! 🙂

 

 

My Top 5 Books of All Time

I am a massive fan of history, African history to be more specific.  Throughout my years growing up, I have spent countless hours reading and learning about the history of my favourite continent in the world, Africa.  I am a compulsive researcher on Africa. I always try to learn something new everyday about Africa and I always find myself reading and researching on the continent as if I’m about to sit an exam! lol It is already known that I have a passion for Africa (clearly) and it all started as a child when I read my first book on Kenya’s history. I previously posted a longer story on how I grew to love Africa more and more.  Anyway, other than African history, I also love and I mean LOVE wisdom books. It has to be a real good wisdom book though that has pure truth and sense in it before I will go and buy it.  My favourite author to date who writes more specifically about wisdom is Don Miguel Ruiz.  If you haven’t heard of him, look him up! His books in a way changed a massive part of my thinking and way of seeing life.

So, to begin my top 5 books I will start with number 5. Now number 3, 4 & 5 are just as brilliant as any but I just feel I gained a lot of wisdom from my top 2 books which changed my way of seeing life in a way.

5.  Purple Hibiscus – by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

I stumbled across this amazing author online. Her name popped up on suggested books just as I was purchasing a Yoruba book from one of my favourite book store websites.  Chimamanda is a Nigerian author & Feminist born in Abba, Anambra State, Nigeria.  This book among her many other great books, is a great novel about a 15 year old girl Kambili who lives in fear of her father who is a violent Catholic. The story goes on to tell the tale of how she moves to her aunt’s house with her brother where she discovers some truths about the old God’s and the new, the difference between love and hatred and so on. This book is so detailed and brilliantly written that you almost feel like you are there in the scene. Now, this was not the first book of Chimamanda’s I purchased and it was in fact my number “4” in my top 5 books that I in fact discovered first.

4. Half of a Yellow Sun – by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Now, this book again, by Chimamanda, was the first I stubbled across. I am still able to see it is by far my favourite book of hers and I am glad it was the first of her many books I read because it caught my attention and made me keen to learn more about the author. A short intro of Half of a Yellow Sun – Set in Nigeria during 1960’s, a story following 3 lives, Ugwu who was a boy from a village and who worked as a houseboy for a university lecture. A young woman Olanna who abandoned her life in Lagos to live with her partner who was a professor and third, an English man namely Richard who is shy and quiet man.  During 1960’s Nigeria was blighted by civil war. “When the shocking horror of the war engulfs them, their loyalties are severely tested as they are pulled apart and thrown together in ways none of them imagined…” ~ From the book.

I enjoyed this book during a long flight out to Ghana and it was an absolute brilliant read!

3. 12 Years a Slave, A True Story – by Solomon Northup.

This book is by far one of my absolute favourite books of all time! Every single page of the book is just outstanding and detailed so well that I could feel the whole scene play out in my mind.  I did a lot of research on Solomon Northup during the years while learning about slavery, one of my biggest interests.  I read his stories previously online from an online slavery history website and during a quick stop at the supermarket I stumbled across this “Collins Classic” book of the original story of 12 Years a Slave. I bought it at first thinking maybe it is just a remake of the book and not the true story. Turned out it wasn’t. It was in fact the detailed in-depth story of Solomon Northup.  Solomon Northup was a FREE man, who was tricked and kidnapped into slavery by two men who pretended to offer him a great opportunity of playing the violin (as he was a great violinist) professionally as well as offering a daily wage for his services.  He was either drugged or spiked because just a day after he set off with the two men, he woke up in a slave pen chained to the cold hard ground. From thereon, the story continues to tell how he was brutally forced into slavery and suffer 12 years of the hellish life of a slave.

This book is one of my favourites for many reasons. One, because of the history told in the book, two, the real cold truths of slavery and three, the great detail gone into this wonderful authors story. I personally have to say though, the movie didn’t live up to the book if you ask me. A lot of the books great details were missing from the movie and also a few added fiction scenes there too. still a great movie though!

2. The Four Agreements – Wisdom Book – by Don Miguel Ruiz.

This was the first book I read of Don’s.  This book actually doesn’t belong to me. I “borrowed” it from a friend just before catching my train back to Scotland from Birmingham. I didn’t bring along a book to read and my friend kindly offered to borrow me this, unfortunately he has yet to see his book again (Sorry Tola) 😜

I knew that this book is going to be brilliant because the person I borrowed it from has great wisdom and I knew that he never reads nonsense.  I was completely hooked on the book right from the start! It got me thinking in a whole other way I’ve never thought before! This book teaches 4 very important things that we need to be taught. 1. Be impeccable with your word – say only what you mean, avoid gossiping, use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.  2. Don’t take anything personal – Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a reflection of their own reality. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering. 3. Don’t make assumptions – ask questions and don’t assume. Communicate clearly to avoid dramas, sadness or misunderstandings. And 4. Always do your best – under any circumstance, always do your best and you will avoid self-judgement, self- abuse and self-regret.

Believe me when I say this book changed me in more than one way. I say changed, well, what I really mean is that it made me see life clearly and things started to make prefect sense. The dramas, sadness and self-judgement in my life changed because I learned how to change my mind and think in a whole other way to avoid these problems. HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is really ready to become a positive, freeminded happy person from within. I promise you it is worth the read.

1. The Mastery of Love – by Don Miguel Ruiz.

“Don Miguel Ruiz illuminates the fear-based beliefs and assumptions that undermine love and lead to suffering and drama in our relationships. Don Miguel shows us how to heal our emotional wounds, recover the freedom and joy that our birthright, and restore the spirit of playfulness that is vital to loving relationships.” ~ From the book.

This is my ABSOLUTE favourite book among all the books I’ve ever read! For countless reasons! Again, a book of wisdom. Looking at the title of this book, you would think maybe it is a book that teaches you how to love others? My thought exactly. But…no, not quite. It is in fact a wisdom book that in fact teaches us to LOVE OURSELVES. It teaches us the real true meaning of love and makes us see clear that love exists and it is not what we are made to believe. It goes on to talk about how we must truely love ourselves before we are able to love other people unconditionally. It reveals some real deep truths that really get you thinking about how wrong the word “love” is misunderstood. Below are a few of the very in-depth paragraphs in the book that really stuck in my head and changed my whole outlook on love:-

“Happiness can only come from inside you and it’s the result of your love. When you are aware that no one else can make you happy, and that happiness is the result of your love, this becomes the greatest mastery of the Toltecs: the Mastery of Love”

One of my favourite chapter’s in the book was “The Magical Kitchen”  now, this chapter was long so let me break it down in my words and highlight the message behind it.

If we see our heart as a magical kitchen, in which has all the food you can ever dream of, should someone come to your door and say “I will give you free pizza everyday if you just let me control your life”, the first thing we will say is no thank you, I have all the food I need already here with me. Then let’s say one day that magical kitchen becomes empty, we have no food left, we haven’t ate in days and we become desperate for food. The same person from before comes back to your door and offers you free pizza if you let them control you. We will accept the pizza all because we are desperate for food.  Now let’s say this kitchen is your heart. If your heart is already filled with self love and self respect, no one can come and offer you what you already have inside you. If you don’t have self love and self respect in your heart, just like that empty kitchen, you will become desperate and accept in any attention and “so called love” from anyone even if it means being controlled by them.

This really truely touched me and woke me up to fully realise that I have love in my already.  This book taught me that love is not something we take from another it is rather what we already have inside us and its just a matter or recognizing that and believing in ourselves.

This book taught me that we have to fully love ourselves and accept ourselves as we are in order to accept others too just as they are without conditions, without fear and without expectations.

This book made me realise what love truely is. Anyone who struggles with understanding love, then definitely read this book and I promise you that you will really see that all the things you thought was love, really isn’t. You will see the real true meaning of love and it will make you see everything in a whole new wonderful light 🙂 after reading this book I felt so wonderful. We all have it in us and these kind of books are just reminders!

So there you have it, my top 5 books of all time. 🙂 Any great book suggestions please leave your comments. Now that you know my type of books 🙂

Boggy Wednesday (Ghanaian singer and songwriter)

During another trip to Cape Coast a few weekends back, I went to visit my longest running Ghanaian friend, Ekow Simpson and during the visit he introduced me to some of his friend at their house.  Among Ekow’s friends was one man who goes by the name of “Boggy Wednesday”.  Ekow had previously let me hear his music but it wasn’t until later that day I realised that the singer was in fact in the same room as us lol. So I had the privilege to chill out with him and his friends. (Not that I heard much due to the place being all males, who can talkkkkkk) lol. But all the same, it was nice to put a face to the voice. He was very humble and down to earth. So for those who haven’t heard of Boggy Wednesday then let me introduce him to you.

About Boggy Wednesday:

Robert Kweku Bamfo popularly know by his stage name “BOGGY WEDNESDAY” was born in Accra, Ghana and grew up in Elmina in the central region. Boggy attended Montessori school in junior high and Ghana National College in senior high. He later went on to continue in NIIT as a networking engineer.

Boggy believes in creativity, originality, lyrical, and longevity in his music. He was awarded song of the year in 2013 and best vocalist of the year in 2014 in the central region. Boggy is an excellent definition of Afro beat, Afro pop, Highlife of this era. H­e has perfected singing with live bands. His style of piecing his music together makes it difficult to place him in ­any particular genre because each track ­gives you a sample of different flavours­. He has mastered his own identity as a musician.

Where he started:

Boggy’s dad use to play the key board so he use to listen to the rhythms and then go on to write his own music when he was in junior high. His parents didn’t like the idea of him going into music so he put his dream on hold and began to concentrate on being a networking engineer. After he completed 3 years in NIIT as a network engineer he went right back to focus on his dreams of becoming a musician.  Boggy’s first day in the studio was when he wrote his song called “dying for” ft TeePhlow produced by Kopow, Boggy’s childhood friend. This song is what earned him song of the year in 2013 (see photos below) in the central region. He felt he needed to step up his game so people would appreciate and recognize his music more. So he then came back with a second song called “SOMEBODY”. This song also won him the best vocalist in 2014.

2013 Best Song of the year award.

2014 Best Vocalist award.

Boggy is still working hard on his music career and his next goal is to achieve a Ghana music award. He will be bringing new songs to the table around April 13th so look out for that 🙂

Below you will find the links to a few of his YouTube videos. My personal favorite is “Queen of my heart”. A day can’t pass without me playing this song. Very soothing voice and beautiful lyrics 🙂 Great work Boggy and I pray you get all the success you deserve! It was a pleasure to meet you.

Please also find Boggy’s Facebook fan page below & Twitter. Don’t forget to hit the like button! Enjoy!

FACEBOOK – Boggy Wednesday Gh

(Search by name above or follow the link below)

https://www.facebook.com/Boggy-Wednesday-Gh-777979882226077/

TWITTER – @nanaboggy

 

Solomon N. N. Tetteh. (Professional Photographer from Ghana, Africa)

Every year that I visit Ghana I meet more and more wonderful people. During this current trip I have yet again met a wonderful and gifted Ghanaian by the name of Solomon N. N. Tetteh. I was recently travelling back to Accra from Kumasi and I was introduced to Solomon during my visit.

So, during these past few days I have gotten to know a lot more about Solomon, his background, interests and how he got into photography.

About Solomon N. N. Tetteh:

Solomon is from Accra, Ghana. He has spent most of his childhood days in Osu, Shiashie and Nungua (Ghana). Solomon schooled at Osu Home School (South La Estate Primary), Nungua Presec (SHS).

How he became interested in photography:

His interest in photography started out earlier in his life more as a hobby.  He started taking pictures with a mobile phone before he was in possession of professional camera. Solomon was actually more focused on Dancing and making music. He didn’t really focused on photography because he didn’t have any kind of motivation in that aspect or area.

It was around 2009 when he started operating an internet cafe that he got the chance to study more on photography and manipulations online (Youtube channels).  He was more focused on Graphic Designing than photography. By 2011-2014, Solomon went on to study Graphic Designing at IPMC.

In June 2014, Solomon’s pastor (Rev. Abraham Lamptey) was the one who gave him the platform to officially put his gift to service and use in the house of God. His pastor was the one who gave him a camera (Model: FujiFilm-FinePix S4300) to use for the Church. Rev. Abraham’s photo below)

From that day on, he became part of the media crew of his church. The church has always been his classroom in mastering and perfecting his craft in photography, “Since its a gift from God, why not use it to serve Him more”, says Solomon.

Sometimes, he would take the camera home after service and during that time is when he had the chance to put to practice everything he has seen other pro photographers do and what he would love to do. It was in July 2015 Solomon had his first own official camera (Nikon D5200).

Who inspires him in terms of photography:

A few of the many photographers that inspire Solomon are Reyv0lution, Dani Diamond, Benjamin Von Wong, Bob Pixel.

What type of photography and work he does:

He mostly focuses on Portraits, Nature & Lifestyle shoots. He also does photo shoots for several event’s (Weddings, Parties, Programs etc) as well as travel photography. Being open to new things, Solomon is always discovering other forms of photography and would love to get involved in more shoots such as Landscape, New Borns, Macro, Black & White shoots etc.

What shoots have been most enjoyable for Solomon:

Solomon’s most joyous and successful shoots have been shoots with children and the youth.

Below is a wide range of Solomon’s best shots and I personally would agree that these are some of the best shoots I’ve seen. His work is outstanding and the attention to detail he puts in to each photograph is wonderful. From personally getting the chance to shoot with Solomon, I got to see how he puts his ideas into play when the camera comes out. He is always bringing ideas on how to make the shoot extra special and not just the average same old photo shoot.

To enlarge any of the photos below you can individually click on them.  These photos strictly belong to the owner and should not be copied without permission.

BEACH SHOOTS

 

 

TRAVEL SHOOTS

 

 

ANIMAL SHOOTS

 

 

CHILDREN SHOOTS

 

PORTRAIT 

 

PHOTO SHOOT OF DAVID BORTEI BISSINAH (YOFI) IN ACCRA.

 

 

I will definitely be using Solomon’s services again and even wish to use his service on my own wedding day one day in the near future and would highly recommend his services to anyone.  He has a kind and polite manner with a very friendly approach which will make you feel very at ease during your photo shoot. 🙂

How can I contact Solomon:

If you wish to book or inquire about Solomon’s services you can contact him on the following platforms:-

Facebook: Solomon Tetteh
Instagram: SolomonJnr
Twitter: SolomonJnr
Email: solomonjnr6gh@gmail.com

Thank you again to my readers! I have been noticing you everyday and appreciate all the lovely comments.  I appreciate those who take interest and take the time to read my posts. So, once again, thank you and many more to come! 🙂

Cape Coast, Ghana

Evening all 🙂

I am a little late in posting (as always) but I have now started my 4th trip in Ghana. I landed 2 weeks ago and Still currently here doing my work so bare with me 🙂 I have so much to tell in such a short time so I will get round to posting my experiences from my trip so far. I have managed to return to the orphanage in Kumasi as planned and will post about this next.  For now, just a quick post following my return to Cape Coast over the weekend. It had been 3 years since I last visited Cape Coast so I had to plan a trip 🙂

So I managed to fit in some time and spend my weekend in cape. I travelled from Kumasi with my sister in Ghana, Akosua. We met up with my longest and dearest friend in Ghana, Ekow 🙂 Ekow was the first Ghanaian I met 7 years ago and it’s been around 3 years since I last saw him. We fight and make up like brother and sister lol He has seen me grow from a stubborn little teenager into a matured woman lol. So I was very happy to see him and spend my weekend with him. Cape Coast is my favourite place in the whole of Ghana and it always has been. So I wanted to make the most of my trip. Our great friend Kofi also came along from Accra. We had a wonderful time and chilled at the beach and enjoyed great food 🙂 I would highly recommend Cape Coast to anyone who has yet to visit. It is one of the most beautiful places in Ghana and so full of culture and history. Even the place alone looks so historical lol There is a lovely beach restaurant next to the castle I would recommend. Great music and good food. Well, I am now back in Kumasi and packing for another trip tomorrow into Accra so I will keep everyone updated during my travels and I will try and have my post up this weekend from the trip to the orphanage last week. For now, enjoy the photos below of Cape Coast 🙂

Second Tattoo of Africa

So I always said I would never have any other tattoo after my first one of Africa (see previous post) but recently I was really thinking of having another but of course, it had to be very meaningful. I had never thought of having a tattoo before because I never liked the idea of having something drawn into our skin for life without it meaning or representing something. I don’t like pointless tattoos. So for me, the one thing that has been close to my heart since childhood is Africa so it is basically the most meaningful tattoo I would get.

As you can see, my second tattoo is Africa with a black star in the middle and the word selfless next to it. So let me explain what this tattoo means to me. First of all, I had the word selfless put there because I believe I am a selfless person and being selfless means everything to me! I believe in helping those who need rather than always thinking of yourself. Secondly, the African continent, this is of course to represent Africa and how much I love and cherish Africa. I am proud to represent this continent in all shapes and forms for a thousand reasons! And last but not least, the Black Star in the middle of the continent. This represents GHANA. The black star of Ghana. The black star of independence. Need I say why I have chosen to add this to the tattoo? Lol of course I had to add part of Ghana when Ghana is a second home to me. I have been welcomed into Ghana like it was my home town!

Now, I promise no more tattoos 🙂 lol my Ghanaian family will kill me o! Lol but its all outta love 🙂

Goodnight folks!

Next stop, Africa!

It feels like just yesterday I was back in Ghana but now, 1 year later, I’m all packed up and heading back out for my 4th trip next week 🙂 I barely get the time to write these days due to work but I will of course be posting about my trip again this year 🙂

As everyone knows from my previous posts, I have a passion for voluntary work so I will of course be volunteering again this year while I’m in Ghana. I can’t wait to see all the kids faces again! Oh, and I am excited to spend Ghana’s independence day with everyone this year again. I will try and also post about that as I plan on venturing out this year and seeing how the independence day is really celebrated! 🙂

Stay posted and thanks again!

Offinso Children’s Home, Ghana

From my previous posts, you will already be aware of my main reason for visiting Ghana so often. My main purpose has always been to work as a volunteer and it is something I am passionate about. So on my third trip I of course visited a lot of village schools again but this time I managed to visit a very special children’s home (Offinso Children’s Home). We had planned out an event for the kids to have fun and also give out clothes etc. But before the date of the event I got the chance to meet up with the owner of the children’s home.  On the morning I arrived at the children’s home I was shown around briefly before sitting down with the owner to go over the plans for the event. So this wonderful lady Sat in front of me greeted me and began to tell me the story of how Offinso children’s home came about. I knew this was going to be a wonderful story but what she told me next touched me so much that I really wanted to just pick her up and squeeze her tightly lol so she began to tell me how it all begin. Many years ago she was at her home just not too far from where the orphanage is now located, and she had heard a child’s cry from near by the house. So of course she eventually started to wonder why this crying was continuous so she went to check things out. To then discover a baby who had been abandoned by the parents. So her next action was to take the baby in. She then tried to locate the parent but from what I remember, no one stepped forward to collect the baby.  So, she raised the baby by herself instead.  She then went on to tell me how after this first time, she then started to take care of other abandoned babies and people also would approach her for help or to take in abandoned babies and raise them. She of course did. (There is way more detail to it that this but it was a lot to take in so excuse me for the missing details).

After some years of this wonderful role she had taken on, she then realised she will need a bigger place for these kids to stay so that was when she started to form a children’s home. From what I remember, given this was almost 1 year ago she told me the story, she then started to build a Small home with the little money available for these kids to stay. Gradually more and more people were dropping kids off to her leaving her with little space for all of them. So through the years she started to gradually bit by bit build more and more parts of the orphanage and also build a small school area for them to be taught and learn too. There were also some Americans she told me about who heard about this story and came by to see how they could help. They then provided her with a lump sum of money to help towards building this orphanage up. Today, the orphanage is what I would call, rather massive! There are four (or five) buildings on one plot of land, female bedrooms, male bedrooms, dinning hall area, school and of course the owners own living area. The owner is now getting older and that very weekend I visited she had just celebrated her 80th birthday if I am not mistaken.  So, her next plan for the orphanage is to have concrete floors put down on the orphanage grounds and a new roof for the dinning hall. This of course showed how she still doesn’t give up regardless of age. This lady is a blessing to these children.

So during my visit to the orphanage I had the pleasure to meet the first orphan she raised, who is now in his 20’s and completed university. Might I also add, this lady pays for these orphans tuition and pays for them to go to university. She told me how she wants to be able to send one orphan per year to university. Given there aged by then of course. So not only does she raise these kids but she also makes sure she gives them a future even after they grow up into adults! I don’t quite have the words to describe how wonderful and amazing this woman is but I wish everyone had the chance to sit with her and hear her story. As it was so detailed more than I can type. I felt extremely touched and till this very day I Still remember her every time I think of Ghana.

So, now in 2016 and its just 4 weeks left until I fly back to Ghana for the 4th trip. (I just booked my flight today ahhhh I’m so excited) and I will definitely be visiting the orphanage again to help in every way possible. Below I have posted some pictures of the event we held at the orphanage along with some pictures from my first visit to the orphanage. Oh, another touching part about his visit for me was, this one baby in particular, who I carried and played with at the orphanage, when I returned the second time, on the day of the event, she recognized me and reached her arms out to me and didn’t leave my side the whole event. I was so unbelievably touched and felt like she was my own daughter. I wished I could just take her home lol I pray she remembers me again this year. Below is her pictures. The first day she met me and the second time when she recognized me again.

Enjoy the pictures below and oh, I will of course update everyone on my next visit in four weeks 🙂

A few pictures from the event.

Returning from Ghana (3rd time around)

Hi everyone! 🙂

I know I have been a stranger for what, almost a year or so? Wow! Anyway, a wholeeeeeee lot has happened in one year and I have a tone of posts coming up but to start it off I’ll keep it short and sweet.  So after that second trip to Ghana I was screaming and shouting over last year, I of course couldn’t help myself going back a 3rd time 😉 I missed Ghana so much I jumped back on a flight just a few months later.  I returned to Scotland after my second trip with a massive plan in my head and I had to fulfil it.  And that I did 🙂

On my second trip to Ghana I had this idea to help out a few village schools and orphanages (previously visited during this trip) but knew that what I had in mind would be costly.  So, as soon as I got back to Scotland I continued work at my job as normal but started saving extra hard this time and also started a small fund raiser around friends and family to gather every pound I could! As the idea I had was to get/buy as much school books, stationary, clothes and shoes for each village school I visited and most of all, for the orphanage which held a special place in my heart after meeting the amazing lady who owns and runs it. (I will be posting about this on another day, her story is wonderful).

So a few months after saving and gathering money i had more than enough to take over on my 3rd trip but just to get that bit extra, I took a few trips round my local primary schools and giveaway clubs and rounded up a whole load of schools books, pencils, pens and some kids shoes/clothes etc to take along. Now of course I had only a certain amount of luggage allowance so I took what I could (in two EXTREMELY large suitcases, it was not easy getting to and from the airport! Bitten off more books than I could chew!) Haha but nevertheless, it was all worth it!! And from my upcoming posts over the Christmas period, you will see exactly how it all went and read all about my 3rd trip to Ghana. Trust me, it’s the best one yet! 🙂 I am currently back in Scotland and planning my 4th trip to Ghana while also trying to build on my career here in Scotland (Hence the reason for my silence). Oh, I got a new job earlier this year with a different law firm this time so that’s more great news 🙂 Anyways, stay posted for my upcoming stories and pictures from my last trip.

Happy holiday’s!. 🙂

Another Side Of Ghana

As most people know from reading my last posts, i was in Ghana again for the second time on September/October.  My first time in Ghana was on May 2013 and of course it was an experience of a lifetime and i wont forget those wonderful memories but, i have to say, my second trip to Ghana this year was even more special than i ever imagined it to be. I didnt know it could get any better than that first trip in 2013 but this time i felt something different.  The moment i got off the flight, i no longer felt like a “visitor” to Ghana. I felt like i was returning home. The feeling is almost impossible to explain to anyone.  Sometimes (if not most of the time) i feel almost trapped when i am here in the UK.

This sounds crazy i know but i feel i am stuck in the wrong place. I am not saying i hate it here, i have family and friends here but the moment i step back into Africa i feel almost like i’m no longer trapped.  It is almost like that feeling you have when you were a kid and you are in class being taught a subject you have no interest in. For example, i hated maths, so every time i went to maths class i felt trapped and almost like i was forcing my self to get through that hour just so i can rush to Art class.  As for Art, i loved/love art so that class was where i felt most happiest and no more trapped. Understand? So just like Africa and the UK, i feel trapped in one place and free in another.  In an ideal world i would be living in Africa and working there. But since my job (paid job) is here in Scotland, then i am “trapped” here for now until i have everything in order and enough savings to move.  Anyway, what i am trying to say is, the moment i got back to Ghana on September i no longer felt trapped, i felt i could now be my self 100%.  Surrounded by the right people who share the same interests as i do. That happiness is incomparable honestly!

I stayed in Accra for a few days when i landed.  I spend those first few days with some amazing friends, went to the beaches, chilled out, ate plenty great food, danced to some great Ghanaian music and just relaxed to the fullest.  This was wonderful of course but it was the Monday after i landed (2/3 days later) i got packed and ready to travel to Kumasi. Now, i visited Kumasi for the first time in 2013 and i can honestly say i didnt enjoy the busy streets lol but this time Kumasi has became a second home for me and i seen a different side of Kumasi. I lived with the most wonderful family who i love with all my heart and miss them everyday. This family brought me in as one of their own. Their house was right next to a very loud church (lol) which i actually enjoyed hearing everyday. Just down the street from the family house there was this young man selling beef kebabs and sausage kebabs and anyone who follows my blog will know these kebabs are heavenly to me! lol so i would go out in the evening and get some to bring back to the family house and enjoy with some homemade jollof rice made by the households helper.

I also got a chance to visit Kintampo Waterfall this time around. I will post some pictures below. Ghana has some of the best tourist attractions i’ve ever seen and Kintampo waterfall was of course another amazing tourist attraction. I would really suggest that you check it out if you havent already. There is a very lovely young man who will give you a tour around and guide you to each waterfall. Finally when you get the main fall (the largest one) you have the chance to either go in a splash around or just sit on the rock and enjoy the peaceful wonderful scenery. It was one of the most amazing peaceful places ive visited. I would make that my place to go and think and clear my head if it wasnt such a long drive to get there lol

I also got the chance to visit a primary school (the head teacher was the lady who i was living with in Kumasi) so her son was kind enough to take me to visit the school (you’ll see some pictures below) This of course wasnt my first time visiting schools in Ghana but this time it felt extra special because of the warm welcome i go from all the staff and of course by the head teacher (my step mummy) lol The kids in the school were of course cute as always and some actually made me laugh so hard. One young boy called out “hey Obroni, white lady, white madam, beautiful lady) he used every term of “lady” to get my attention and i couldnt stop laughing, a boy of such young age (around 8 years old) who was calling out every name he could gather in his head for a white lady hahaha i am even laughing while typing this as it was just adorable and hilarious.

After spending time in Kumasi we traveled back to Accra to sort a few things and while there i lived with some members of the same family from Kumasi. This whole family were taking care of me from Kumasi to Accra! This is one family i know ill love for the rest of my life. They really took great care of me and made sure i was comfortable in everyway. We had some of the most amazing nights together. Chilling out, meeting up with friends, eating great food, laughing together and genuinely enjoying each others company. Their words to me before i left their house was “when every you are in Accra or Kumasi, you come here, this is your home too now, no more hotels” 🙂 Of course i am not surprised at the kindness of these people because i’ve never met anyone in Ghana who isnt kind at heart towards their visitors 🙂 I am just glad i met yet another wonderful Ghanaian family who ill forever hold in my heart.

I am veryyyyyyyyyyy happy to say that i am AGAIN going back to Ghana 🙂 in just 2 months time! (February) – i cant stay away ! lol I wish everyone would go out to Africa and experience it for themselves. I guarantee you’ll fall in love with Africa and will either never leave or rush back at every chance you get!

I will be volunteering with a small organization which i am now part of (see my previous post for more info on the organization)  Who work hard to help orphanages and widows/elderly in Kumasi (and hopefully by God’s grace, other parts of Africa when the funds become stable)  So i will be flying out on February to take part and do my bit to help out and try and raise as much awareness and gather funds/clothes etc to donate to the orphanages.  I will try my best to find time to post more and post some photos and stories along the way. Thanks to everyone who actually takes the time to read my VERY long posts lol My idea from the beginning is to change peoples negative views on Africa and see the positive sides to Africa and through my own experiences and knowledge i hope i can show people that there is more to Africa than what the media will show you. I hope everyone gets the chance to go out to Africa and experience the wonderful continent for themselves 🙂 I promise you’ll want to go back! Great music, food, fashion, people and sights to see!

I also want to say thanks to all my wonderful friends i have met from all over Africa. I honestly don’t know where i would be without you all. I don’t always have time to come online but when i do and i see the wonderful emails and comments from everyone it makes me so happy knowing that my message is getting across to some people and seeing how much they admire my passion for Africa. So thanks my lovely friends i love you all :*