I cant believe that I am here! But at the same time it already seems so long go that I was slipping and sliding along in the snow in London and cranking up the heating.

In starting this blog, I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone back home for being so supportive and excited for me in moving to Ghana. I really appreciate the efforts everyone went to in wishing me well on this adventure and for all the money raised for VSO so far. I hope that this blog will be a good way to keep you up to date on my life and work in Ghana and all that I am learning about the place and above all, the people.

So my journey began in London with no idea how I was going to get everything done, get everything out of my flat and get as much of it as I could squeeze into my suitcases. I was packing right up untill I needed to leave for the airport with frenzied flinging out of items which had to be eliminated at the last minute. After a teary farewell at Heathrow Terminal 5 and a long flight, I arrived to a very warm and humid welcome in Ghana's capital of Accra! "Akwaaba".

The In Country Training (ICT) has been fantastic and I have met a brilliant group of people. It was organised by volunteer reps from each of the regions where VSO is working and was full of practical information about what we can expect from our placements and from living in Ghana. In amongst it all I had my first experience on a trotro, enjoyed the sights (but not so much smells) of the market, drank beer at the local "spot" and learnt some Talensi (the language I will need when working with communities in Talensi Nabdam!).

I am now really excited to be heading north to my placement on the outskirts of Bolga in the Upper East Region. I'm stopping over with a few others in Kumasi, then passing through Tamale before each of us will be heading on to our new homes!

I've learnt more about the Community Advocacy (CASO) role I will be doing and how it fits into the new cluster approach. The remit is broader than was first set out, taking a more integrated approach to trackling exclusion and getting voices of communities heard by working more closely with other volunteers in the area and creating links between NGOs. More on this to come once my placement starts proper!