A year after my first post on this blog, I thought I would
give a little reflection on the past twelve incredible months.
As I was leaving Ghana, I swore to myself that I
wouldn’t just slip back into the person I used to be. I wanted to remember
everything I had ever learned in my time away, but unfortunately life isn’t
like that. It’s all too easy to once again become complacent about showers and
microwaves and cheese, and I’m sure that Ghanaian Fiona would be horrified to
see me now. However, here are a few lessons that have stood the test of time.
1. Home is where the heart is
And there is a little part of my heart in a small jungle
town in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Ghana. Before I went away I could
never imagine feeling at home outside of Glasgow,
but now I know that if you have good friends and a loving family, your home can
be anywhere you choose.
2. Laughter is the best medicine
Shockingly, sometimes living in Achiase wasn’t all sunshine
and rainbows and cute little monkeys; sometimes it was cockroach-y and
monsoon-y and I-keep-getting-attacked-by-a-demonspawn-chicken-y. But I also met
some of the greatest people on this planet, and with their help I spent five
months laughing so hard my insides hurt, until the horrible stuff just became
hilarious future dinner party conversation.
3. The big picture
Not a day goes by when I don’t think about my Ghanaian
family, the kids at VAGIS, and all the wonderful people I met this year.
Everything I do - studying for university, going to work, fundraising for
supportghana.org - I do so that I can get back out there into that big,
beautiful world and do something more.
And finally, a few words that will hopefully give some
comfort to returning volunteers in the future:
When I first came back from Ghana, I was really and truly
depressed. It felt like I had lost my home. My family. My friends. My job. My
children. My country. My sense of identity. I felt like nobody understood, and
try as hard as they might, my friends and family seemed to always say the wrong
things. They just didn’t…get it. It was honestly the toughest thing I have ever
had to do.
And I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
