Tuna, my new home! (Funnily enough, completely land locked. I have not figured out why it is named that yet!)

I have arrived in Tuna, and have spent 6 days here. I tried not to imagine what it would be like in my head so that I would not set any expectations for myself. This was very challenging to do, especially since I heard two very different ideas of what Tuna was like. When I arrived, I thought it felt slightly more like a town than a village. Compared to Wa, which is a very big town, it would seem to be more village like, without power and running water. When I went to my first village with my placement, I definitely changed my mind. There is certainly more village-like places than Tuna! I am really excited I have the opportunity to work in these villages, and meet women who have started groups to work together to better their lives through income generating activities outside of what they farm.
SO I am jumping ahead of myself, alluding to my placement when I should tell you about my family and Tuna. I have been set up with a really great family. They are very kind, and friendly. They have 2 small children, Joyce and Augusta who are 10 and 5 years old. Then there are 3 older siblings to the parents, Rena, Fracesca and Titus, who are all in school or working. FInally, there are my host parents, Richard and Christina.It is a full house. There are always visitors, since Christina brews pito, which is a local beer, and many people stop-by to take pito, and chat. We live in a compound, that is very clean and well kept. We are not very far from the boar-hole either, which is nice! We have a shower closet and a pit latrine just outside of the compound (something I am getting used to - as I go to battle the cock-roaches every night!) One of the biggest challenges with my family so far os that they speak very little english, so communicating is very entertaining. I am learning the local language, which is Dagarre. I am starting small small ( a very Ghanaian expression) but I am learning!
Since I have been here, I have learned how to bathe with a bucket, wash my own clothes (which evoked at least an hour of laughing at my attempts) and have been able to help make supper and eat with my host mother. THis has been awesome, and has really made me feel like part of the family.
This morning I went to church with my family, and I was introduced to the whole congregation of about 250 people. I felt very nervous, but at the same time, many people have been greeting me and speaking to me. Ghanaians are incredibly friendly people. As a note to anyone who has been to a Roman Catholic mass service in Canada, Ghanaians take the cake for length. There is much singing and dancing, which is very enjoyable. The priest spoke for over an hour for the homily. He took the cake for any homily I have ever heard. I think that next time I go, I will attend the mass in English, so I will be able to follow what is happening:)
I believe that I am still riding the first wave of culture shock, getting used to the pace of life. No-one hurries here. For those who know me well, you would laugh to see how slow I try to walk and how I try to sit and enjoy doing nothing. It is TOUGH! I am also learning to live without power, which I thought would not be a big deal, but it has certainly been a big change.

I think this entry is getting long, so until next time!