NORWICH – Learning how to chop off a chicken’s head and balance a bucket of water on his own weren’t exactly the skills Norwich High School Junior Daniel Carson signed up for when he chose to volunteer in Africa this summer, but the experiences have made for colorful stories.
Carson, son of Tim and Mary Carson of Norwich, gathered family and friends recently for a video presentation of the two weeks he spent in Kumoso, Ghana as a volunteer with Projects Abroad. The organization, which began operating in 1992, is among the leading international volunteer placement organizations in the world, offering opportunities at orphanages, newspapers, schools, sports clubs, veterinary clinics, and radio stations in 27 destinations.
The chance to mentor young children, as well as live with a host family, were elements of Projects Abroad that grabbed the youth’s attention. The self-proclaimed “Peace Corps wannabe” said he began looking at service opportunities in underdeveloped countries as “something important” to do before the rigors of college and, later, career, set in.
“I really wanted to experience a different culture and I have a lot of fun playing games and sports with children,” he said, adding that most of his time with children was spent in a daycare, which provided supervision for underprivileged children aged 2 through 6.
Friends and family members pitched in sports balls and bats, bubbles, stuffed animals, jump ropes and more - filling a large suitcase that Carson carried to his home away from home. He thanked his supporters via the smiling faces on children of all ages that appeared in the video playing enthusiastically with their gifts.
Most preschool games begin on the count of five in Kumoso playyards, instead of three, and few if any of the children queue up or sit still in any organized fashion for long. Carson also learned that having night vision gave the village children an advantage, as the dark of the evening begins at 7:30 p.m., well before bed time.
“The children could see remarkably well in the dark, dodging trees during running games,” he said. “It was kind of scary to follow them.”
When they weren’t playing games and teaching children, Carson and his group of 14 other high school student volunteers from several countries built two classrooms for the village daycare center. They layed bricks with a mixture of mud and cement and then painted the walls in colorful displays depicting the days of the week, letters, numbers and animals. The volunteers also worked in an orphanage and village school, putting in about five hours every day.
A family friend asked what orphaned children could expect, whether they were ever placed in a family.
“They have a slim to no chance of ever leaving before the age of 18,” Carson said.
The experience was truly an authentic one, and the Norwich student said he walked away with a new appreciation of the local region’s culture and people. Living with limited electricity (a generator provided electricity for about an hour a day) and no running water, was certainly a new experience. Lack of sanitation habits, garbage carelessly tossed on the ground and seeing children wearing the same clothes every day gave the Norwich youth a better idea of what it feels like to live in the Ghanaian culture. 
His host mother, Ma, prepared and served bread, rice and pasta each day, with a serving of chicken and fruit thrown in occasionally. Two local dishes that were tried were called Banku and Fufu, along with Goat Soup. Carson slept in a mosquito net nightly to protect himself from the mosquito borne disease, Malaria. Neighbors helped with chores. No one was overweight, as the physical exercise required to cut grass with machetes, haul loads of water and wood and carry out the physical labor necessary for day-to-day living in a place where there are no services, keep Ghanaian men and women fit and strong.
English is a second language to the Twi speaking natives, but Carson said it was sometimes difficult to understand, especially when the van (tro-tro) he took upon arrival in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, was stopped by police. Carson found himself staring into the eyes of six police officers in combat gear and armed with AK-47s, yelling something at him that he couldn’t understand.
“They stopped us and took away our driver. Since I was the one sitting in the front passenger seat, they began yelling something at me. It was confusing and I was desperately trying to cooperate,” he said, placing his palms and shoulders up in an “I don’t understand” gesture. 
The police eventually returned the driver, but not until after successfully searching every volunteer’s personal camera to see the most recent photos taken. 
“All they really wanted was 10 Cedis (the form of currency) as a bribe to let us go. They don’t really care what we do as long as they get paid,” Carson said.
As for laws, even children as young as eight drive vehicles. “There are really few laws,” he said, while pointing to the video image of the tro tro’s broken speedometer.
Part of his journey included a canopy walk at the top of the rain forest in Cape Coast during the weekend travel opportunity. The Projects Abroad group also visited the Cape Coast Castle, where millions of Africans where held before being sold into slavery.
Balancing a bucket full of water on his head proved impossible for Carson. In fact, none of the other students could do it. The gathered group marveled at the ease with which Carson’s host father, “The Rev,” and neighbor girl, Patience, simply placed a small piece of folded cloth on their heads, hoisted the bucket up, placed it on top and began strolling away.
Projects Abroad volunteers are aged from 16 to 75. University students and recent graduates still make up the majority of volunteers, but increasing numbers join us for gap years or summer breaks before starting university or while still in high school. 
Carson said he would like to travel more in the future. “The biggest thing I took away from Ghana is how gracious, kind and hospitable everyone was,” he said.