April 13, 2005: Headlines: COS - Ghana: Orion Online: Meghan Murphy's two years in the Peace Corps in Ghana were like a whole new life
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April 13, 2005: Headlines: COS - Ghana: Orion Online: Meghan Murphy's two years in the Peace Corps in Ghana were like a whole new life
Meghan Murphy's two years in the Peace Corps in Ghana were like a whole new life
Meghan Murphy's two years in the Peace Corps in Ghana were like a whole new life
Students enlist for peace
Lauren Brooks
Staff Writer
April 13, 2005
[Excerpt]
Volunteer heads school construction
After Murphy joined the Peace Corps in 1999, she flew to Pennsylvania for a three-day orientation where she was assigned to Ghana. Murphy then made the 20-hour trip with 40 other volunteers.
When she arrived, she received two months of language training to learn Ewe, the language in Ghana.
Murphy wasn't fluent in the language, but she learned enough to get by while living in Ghana, she said.
After training, Murphy moved in with a family in the village of Agudvi.
She was the only person in the village who spoke English.
Language wasn't the only culture barrier Murphy had to overcome.
Murphy came to Ghana as a water-sanitation volunteer, but the villagers weren't interested.
"People pretended to be really nice to me," Murphy said.
But they eventually stopped coming to her meetings about development projects, she said.
So Murphy focused her attention on education rather than health, and she built a school.
At 6:30 every morning, Murphy coordinated with carpenters, bricklayers and villagers.
At the same time, she taught sex education at a junior high school.
"HIV is a huge thing in Africa right now," Murphy said.
After class one day, a group of boys asked her about condoms.
One of the village elders came outside and started yelling at the boys, she said.
"I couldn't understand what (the elder) was saying," Murphy said.
Later, Murphy answered the boys' questions and gave them some condoms.
The Peace Corps gives volunteers a ton of condoms, she said.
"They give you as many condoms as you would ever need," Murphy said. "It's hysterical."
She also spoke with students about the importance of birth control.
Murphy worked hard and had plenty to eat, but the food wasn't fattening.
"It's like a great weight-loss plan," Murphy said. "While I was there I had a different body."
She lost 40 pounds.
Murphy's two years in the Peace Corps were like a whole new life.
"It was huge. It realigned my values," Murphy said. "It changed the way I see the world."
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Story Source: Orion Online
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