Jonas K. ist reporting

After the first two weeks in Tuba it already feels as if a very long time had passed. The first few days in particular were very intense and it was hard to believe that you have only been here for such a short time. At times you’ve got the feeling that you already know everything, only to realise in the next moment that actually you don’t know anything at all.

Even though I still haven’t been to Accra itself and have not yet been outside the surrounding area of Tuba, there was still a lot to get to know. First and foremost, of course, the people. It is very easy to get to know people here, as everybody is very open. To recognise them, when you meet them again, however, is a different matter and quite challenging.

All the faces and names seemed like a perplexing conundrum. After only a few days, we volunteers were quite well known there and people approached us all the time. At that time, I usually wasn’t quite sure, who they were and where you knew them from. By now, I know a lot of faces and know who they are.

I’m still struggling with the names though. In my defence I have to add that it does not really help that in addition to their real name everybody also has one or several nicknames.

Some of the children have already given me a nickname: Spiderman

I owe it to my hair which, by the way, happens to be very popular here. Nobody has so far been able to explain the precise connection between Spiderman and my hair though.

The people I’ve got the most intensive contact with are Nabil and Ayuba, who are both the head of the organisation’s sons. Ayuba spends a lot of time looking after the volunteers and Nabil and I are temporarily living in an all-male room share. But the number of other acquaintances, of whom you know a bit more than just their name and their face, is also steadily increasing.

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