Personal Experiences: Yuka

The project in Ghana was amazing. When we arrived in the country, the first thing I felt was the culture and heart of the Ghanaian people＾＾For me this was the thing I missed most when I left Ghana. As the African staff expressed, “Wherever we go in Africa, it is still Africa.” There are a lot of places and aspects which are not yet pioneered but I found out that there is a beautiful culture in this country. I could see that some Ghanaian people took care of many kids in the community even if they are not their own. This caring gesture in the community makes the people close and it unites them. In Ghana, when people greet the elderly; they bend their knees and lessen their height for the elderly person. This is how they express their respect towards them and it seemed very familiar to me as an Asian^^ I could also see younger people helping and serving a lot for the elderly people; through this, I realized their respect towards the elderly. I felt peace in these situations and it was just really nice for me to see. Also, kids called me “Madam” and I felt respect from them, just as in Japan when the youth speak to the elderly with respectful words as well. I really miss the kids I played together with and the people whom we worked with.