Once we got back to the house in Achimota, Reverend told me to get ready. A new volunteer called Laura was due to arrive at Accra Kotoka Airport, and given the experience I had with not knowing whether I could actually trust the people that picked me up, he thought it would be nice for her if she saw a female (and white) face in a foreign country.

Laura, as Reverend told me, will be staying with us for 5 weeks. She was due to arrive here at 5.15pm but her flight was delayed. So walking around the airport, I learned that you shouldn't wait too long in front of the Arrival Gate so you don't look suspicious. Entering the building without a boarding pass is forbidden. Laura's plane landed at 7pm, by the time she had cleared customs and got her luggage, it was close to 8pm. I think she was happy to see a girl holding up the STAESA and name signs. A bit jet-lagged (Laura is from the United States), we started talking on the drive back to Achimota and haven't really stopped yet! We're already getting along great, she's a year older than I am and the kids love her too.

Because of her jet-lag, I moved to the top bunk for Laura's first night. The top doesn't have any side-guards, so I didn't want her falling out or waking up in the moring or during the night and not realising that there isn't even a ladder. After I explained where the toilet and shower is, and how it works, Phebe prepared dinner for us and then we just let Laura catch up on some sleep.

Reverend's children have started to call me "Auntie Conny", and even the other local kids have

now joined in. I really feel like I belong here, everybody is going out of their way to make my stay here so enjoyable.

In Milan, we actually got a wake up call at 1am, and were told that the bus would collect us at 2am to take us back to the airport. Luckily, the lovely lady at reception called again at 1.45am to check, because I had fallen asleep again. So I hurried to grab my things and run downstairs to catch the flight.

I shouldn't have hurried, though, we ended up getting the flight postponed again from 4.30 to 6.05am. We were all absolutely shattered, the shops at the airport weren't open yet and the vending machines were not stocked, so we couldn't even get a drink. When we finally got on the plane, it was 6.30am and the sun was rising.

For once I managed to fall asleep on the plane, but the stewardess shook me awake just to hand me a really disgusting snack - she could have just placed it on the empty seat next to me. Around 10.30am, we finally touched down on Ghanaian soil. Walking across the tarmac, I expected it to be warmer and sunnier than it was. After filling in my entry form and completing passport and luggage checks, we walked out onto a big forecourt.

I had sent an email to Reverend Ezekiel to say that my flight was delayed. There were lots of people waiting, holding up name signs, but nobody was waiting for me. A bit lost in a foreign country, dehydrated and without knowing anyone, I didn't know what to do. I only had an email address and a PO Box address for my host-family. Eventually, I found a mobile phone number for Reverend Ezekiel in my documents, and a nice security guy let me make a call from his mobile phone because my battery was flat. Ezekiel had been told the flight would arrive at 10pm that night, but he would make his way over to pick me up.

Waiting around, being the only girl and - for the first time in my life - the only white person, made me crazy. Luckily, the security men were gentlemen, offered me seats and making sure I was OK. 3 men came towards me, and I finally saw the signs "STAESA" and "Conny Kaufmann". One of them introduced himself as Reverend Ezekiel, and after I grabbed my stuff he took me hand and lead me to his car. We drove down a long street called Pentance Road, because the men were looking for a religious bookstore. When we finally found it, they left me in the car. I was dehydrated, without any Cedis (Ghanaian money) and parked outside a supermarket. How mean! Then they were on the look for a piece of land to establish a new community church in Theshie on, and this time I was allowed to come with them.

Eventually, we made our way to the community I am currently calling home in Accra. The main road is covered in tarmac, but all others are just dirt roads. As we were approaching the city, I thought I would be living in an urban area. Some of the houses we passed on the way looked quite run down and the streets are lined with little

wooden stalls from which you can buy absolutely everything it seems. At some point, we passed a sign that said "You are leaving Accra Metropolis" and turned right in an area known as "Neoplan junction" after the Neoplan building on the corner. Reverend Ezekiel said I would be living in a proper African commune but I was too thirsty and dizzy to really care at that point. Down the dirt road, we turned right into a cul de sac and through massive blue gates onto a massive court, with houses on 3 sides. We parked next to a well and toilet block, there was washing hanging on lines that had been strung criss-cross over the court, and a group of ladies were doing the dishes outside.

I was led into the yellow house in the middle (on the right in the picture), and was told to sit down in the living room. Reverend Ezekiel handed me a 1.5l bottle of water, and I was glad to finally be able to drink something. By then, it had gone 3pm, and I hadn't had anything to drink since 6am. As soon as I sat down, three kids came running down the corridor and surrounded me. They are Ezekiel's children Ademola (5), Shadé (2 1/2) and Femi (9 months). Another girl also lives here, and Ezekiel introduced her as my 24-year-old host sister Phebe, but she is not really related to the Reverend. She brought a plate of rice with a really spicy sauce out to me and it nearly took the roof of my mouth off! Spicy food and heat of 30°C with high humidity means I drank the water in record time and then had to go to the toilet. Phebe showed me how to fetch water from the well and where the communal toilet is. There is no toilet seat and the door does not lock, which is why we have to put the bucket of water behind the door to keep it shut. Because the flush doesn't work, we have to flush manually. I didn't dare ask for the shower.

Reverend's wife Marta then showed me how food is prepared in Africa, over a small coal grill outside. She made fish soup, but when they say fish, they mean fish. They break off the tail, break it in half and throw it in, head, eyes and all. While I sat there and watched Marta prepare dinner, three men carried a heavy bed and mattress across the court and into our house. Although I had been told that the last volunteer to stay with this family only left three days earlier, it soon became clear that this massive wooden bunk bed would be my bed, and I wondered where previous volunteers had slept. My room is just opposite the entrance, has a green net/screen door and contains my bed, an old and dirty sofa, two small shelves and a ceiling fan. Although a bit dirtier than I expected, the room is functional and that's all that counts.

Reverend Ezekiel spent a lot of time assuring me they would do everything in their power to make my stay here unforgettable. And I believe him.

After the rice and hot sauce as my first meal in Ghana, I later got Fish soup and Appele, which is a water-flour dough. The soup was even spicier than the first sauce, and I eventually asked Marta and Phebe to keep the spices out of my portions as I am not used to them. I was given an orange so my taste-buds could return to almost normal. Oranges here are green - which has to do with the climate here I have been told - and they are the juiciest I have ever tasted! I notice the weirdest things. Breakfast seems to consist of omelettes, bread and either hot Milo or tea so far. Heartier than expected but very filling.

I have learned that the water from the well here is not safe to drink. It is actually an artificial well, every now and then, they will have to fetch water from somewhere else an fill the well back up so that we can wash. They do use the water for their food though.

And then there's the shower. First of all, the actual "room" is open air, and doesn't have a roof. We have to fetch water from the well in a 5l bucket. That is all the water we get. There's another, smaller bucket, like one of those tiny ones you would find kids playing with in a sandbox. This one is pretty much your shower. I have to fetch water from the 5l bucket, and then basically throw it at myself. Due to the water being stored in the well and showers are between 5.30 and 6.30am, it is freezing cold. The first time I had to shower here, I actually looked away when I poured the water over me, thinking that if I look away it won't be too bad! Boy was I wrong! No wonder they all shower within 5 minutes, nobody wants to stay cold.

Even though it does get hot during the day, we are only allowed one shower per day, in the morning. There are 13 people I have counted so far as living in this commune, and we are all sharing just the one toilet and shower.

Yesterday, I went to the Power & Truth church at which Reverend Ezekiel preaches. He preaches Pentecostal and the services here are really a thing to behold. First of all, the church is actually the assembly hall of a local primary school here in the village Achimota. That's what our suburb is called - Achimota. I am protestant, but do not usually go to church. But obviously, out of respect for my hosts, I am accompanying them to church. The service lasted over 4 hours and was amazing and so different from the dry services I am used to. The sermon is half in English, half in local language Twi, everybody has a small book they note down bible verses in. If somebody has a question, they ask it there and then. Every time somebody shouts "Amen" or "Hallelujah" the whole congregation replies with "Amen." All the songs are very lively, everybody dances and claps and Reverend Ezekiel even introduced me to the congregation as his new daughter.

Speaking of daughters, Reverend's oldest daughter Shola returned from a trip today. She is seven and pretty demanding. Instead of introducing herself, she ran straight into my room and demanded I give her a present. I had brought sweets and a couple of small things as host presents, but I decided to wait until later that night to give them all their presents, to teach Shola a little lesson.

Last night, we went to visit relatives in a village called Sapreiman. On the way, we picked up a hitch-hiker, something that is apparently commonplace here. I never learned the names of Ezekiel's relatives, but I did learn that one of them lived in Germany for three years between 1990 and 1993. Just as we were getting into the car to go back to Achimota, it started throwing it down outside. Within minutes, the main road, which is barely more than a dirt track at the best of times and has a top speed allowance of 70 kmh, was flooded and became treacherous. The drive home was one of the most dangerous I have ever been on.

Once again, dinner was way too spicy for me - Ricebowl with fish sauce. I really hope they will reduce the spices in my portions... culture shock and strange food is bad enough on your stomach when you're travelling, and with the state of the toilet here, I do not need a major case of Delhi Belly on top of it all.

Today, Reverend and Phebe took me to the office of P&P Newspaper (People & Places) to see where I will be working. So much for an inner-city office and urban paper. The office is not too far from the house and they seem to be having only one computer in the entire office. I am not too sure whether this will actually be a worthwhile internship if the newspaper has 3 desks and 1 computer between the entire team. I am supposed to start there tomorrow, So I guess I will see how it goes.

Phebe and I talked for hours this evening while we were preparing food. She seems to have been through a lot when she was younger. We talked about religion at length, what she believes, what I believe, mutual respect and her conversion from Catholicism to Pentecostalism. I have also now done my orientation with Reverend Ezekiel and learned my first few words in local language Ewe. While Twi is the main language next to English, Ewe is apparently widely spoken around the southern part of Ghana. Reverend himself speaks about 8 local languages!

Apparently, one of the former volunteers with STAESA was the daughter of the British High Commissioner, but the girl in the photo could have been anybody. For the first few days I was really unsure whether I could stand it here. Everything was new and different and the toilet and shower were really something to get used to. But everybody is so kind here, they all show me things, teach me things and make sure I'm safe. The kids seem to like me (which is always good when you live with a family of strangers), take me by the hand and show me around the village. Reverend is very well respected in this community, and by meeting everybody at church, everybody knows who I am, where I belong to and where to direct me back to in case I get lost.

I haven't slept all night, I'm so excited!