Well it's been another sweltering week here in Bolga.

We had a couple of English Sunday papers knocking about the house from someone who came to collect success stories on the Tackling Educational Needs Inclusively (TENI) project. There was a fair bit of news on London Fashion Week, so I have been spotting some brave fashions out on the streets of Bolga this week. There are some amazing fabrics and dress designs here, but my anonymous fashion awards go to the man making a bold statement with his pink knee-socks and sandals combo, and to the man wearing a large camouflage-print pencil case as a hat!

In addition, a couple of things which have brought me great joy this week: the discovery of FanYo strawberry frozen yogurt in a sachet (the most delicious thing in Ghana), a mattress company slogan which goes "Latex Foam - your partner for life" and seeing a goat get scared by a plastic bag. I know I should get out more, but entertainment in Bolga is a bit on the quiet side. There was a good party at one of the volunteer houses last weekend though and we were dancing to all the latest Ghanaian pop songs… "Azonto"!

I'm still loving the novelty of the free-roaming animals here. As I leave my house I often see four little hooves under the gate of the very determined goat who likes to get into our garden, then as I emerge I am eyed suspiciously by the cows who have collected in the shade and am blissfully ignored by the pigs snuggling down in the open sewers to keep cool, happily grunting away to themselves. Oh, and there are lizards everywhere. My favourites have orange heads which they bob up and down in a merry little dance.

Over this last week I've had the opportunity to get out into the Talensi Nabdam district a where I will be working and I've been observing some of the SPAMs…yes, SPAMs (!) which stands for School Performance Appraisal Meetings…which are coordinated by Link Community Development who I'm placed with. Link train staff from the Ministry of Education to facilitate and people from all parts of the wider school community get to have a say in how they feel the school's performance can be improved; teachers, parents, school management committee members, the local chief and the students. They are great to be a part of and though they are lengthy affairs there is a lot of laughter too! I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the community work, but I have to be a little patient, go slowly (or "small small" as they say here) and earn trust gradually first.

It is true that the people here are very warm and friendly. I've had a lifts from random neighbours as they've seen me on my way to and from town, including from a very drunk man on a bicycle (we didn't get very far), people are happy to go out of their way to help and almost everybody greets each other as they pass by.

Aside from all the very lovely things about being here I had some sad news from home this week as my granddad was taken into hospital. He is stable for now, but it does make me feel very far from home. I'm lucky that I can say that I already have some good friends here and I just hope for the best.

Phew, so hot, and there is no power here from 6am-6pm again tomorrow…which means no fan…which means it will be a sweaty sweaty Sunday! Bucket-showers a-plenty!