Yes, at last I had an opportunity to feel graduated, as during the graduation in my Academy I was far in Ghana. 8( Charles in a special graduation cloth with typical Ghanaian elements.

We were on Satuurday on the Graduation Event. It included some traditional things - like these dancing people with musical instruments who lead all "big important" people from the main event place to the eating place ("after party").

Thank you …

In next lines I want to do what I wanted to do before going to Ghana – but what I didn’t because of some reasons. In next lines I want to highlight some of the things I remember about some people, who were or still is a part of my life – even if they or me don’t know about it. 8)
As you can understand – many of them are from AIESEC, some of them I will not mention – just because I say these things to them often or did it recently or just become I will be tired of writing and loose the motivation to write. Ok, let’s start:
Polina Dyka – the girl with whom I used to share the same desk for 5 years of the Academy, the girl who was the smartest out of several hundreds people. I love this girl for her goal orientation, self-confidence that people notice and at the same time – small, beautiful, very romantic girl with a kind heart.
Ira Solovey – another nice girl of our Academy – who I started to know better only at the last year of the Univeristy. I’m thankful to this girl, who is socially responsible, smart enough to combine her best marks with enough time for having fun. I love this girl for being sincere, very kind, doing nice things for others all the time, I like her laughing on classes, her calm voice while explaining something, her respect to others…
Natasha Ukho – oh, I don’t know how to describe this girl in words only, I need to use all my emotions and gestures to describe her. I love this girl for having a great interest and passion to life, for looking for new and new opportunities every day, for sharing with others, for being talented in design, for being herself and dancing on the street alone just because she feel like dancing. I love this girl, because she knows what it means to love and because she knows how to love and show it. Thank you!
Slavik Ivakin – the boy that motivated me to work better, to believe in better in AIESEC. I remember him very much being a newie – whose eyes were really shining when he was talking about international learning and all this nice AIESEC stuff. At the same time I already know him as EB member, facilitator, … I see his growth and I\m happy.
Olya Kuznetsova – the girl that amazed me with her proactivity and self-confidence being just on first year of studying. At the same time – it is a girl, who could be hurt easily, but people were not ready as they saw her mostly – being confident – so, I’m thankful to her for being strong enough and achieving a lot of things at least within just one last year. This girl made me think “out of one of the boxes I was”. Thank you!
Natasha Voloshina – The real sincere girl with a lot of love to people inside her. I love her because she always loved me in the way I was without any “but”. It is so nice to feel that whatever you do, even if you know that you were not right – the person still loves you and show it without any limits. THANK YOU! To tell the truth – it is what I miss here very much.
Anechka Verbitskaya – a very cute girl. That can make you feel back in the childhood. This girl also doesn’t limit herself in showing her love to people. I love this girl because she achieved a lot in her young life but at the same time – she did her best not to show off with it. I like her beauty and structure in everything she does. I miss her “Apchhiiii” doing to others… 8)
Anya Volkova – the girl, that I couldn’t understand till the end. I like this girl for being passionate about personal growth and for being very communicative. I like this girl for doing her best in order not to show how much pain inside she had sometimes, I like her – because this girl knows what it means to support and be supported. Thank you!
Vitalik Drozd – one more person, who I didn’t get till the end yet. But the person who was an engine for me sometimes. I like him for his goal-orientation, directive methods sometimes. But at the same time – sometimes you see him as a shining boy 8), who is striving for excellence in everything.
Anya Kucherenko – cute, small, nice, smart in her directions(not in technical instruments 8)) girl. I love this girl for her striving to know everything in details and readiness to start something when she is absolutely sure in everything. Of course, I love her strong and very beautiful voice. And her performance of “Chervona Ruta” in French. By the way – I was singing recently and was remembering Anya very much.
Alyona Sidak – another talented girl. Dancing, texts writing, singing,… maybe, I still don’t know something else? I like this girl who can give all her bests to the deal in what she believes. I like this girl – because she doesn’t know how to keep all the truth in her, for her – sharing the feedback on time. Work hard – play hard – I think, it’s about Alyona for sure!
Nastya Klyukovskaya – very interesting dreaming and hard working girl. I love her for always finding the time for self analysis, for making smile others. I like her dancing, I like to see her shining eyes almost all the time, especially when she talks about PR or any other nice things for her.
Slava Tyvonchuk – the curly girl that can become a very good friend within a short time. Definitely – very smart and open-minded girl. I love her for interesting conversations we used to have, for her listening and support, for her ability to have fun, I like her laughing. Thank you! P.S. I like her very funny small dog 8))).
Katya Yermak – my favorite PD-girl. Very beautiful (appearance and soul) shining girl. I love her for her responsibility, smartness, time-management skills, remembering about the family,… I love her for bringing several great people to our organization. I love her because I can’t find anything that is not nice about her. I love her – because she is my successor. I love her because she loves me. 8) Thank you!!!
Dima Dotsenko – a nice boy, who is always ready to help. Who is a good listener and supporter.
Slava Pivovarnyk - let’s name him “Mister-communication”. 8) One more guy who is ready to help, who is ready to tell you something new and interesting, who is still in his searching time. I like him also for his very nice humor, that made us laugh many times. Thank you!
Dasha Anyakina – my favorite AIESEC big baby. Sometimes she says so sincerely some nice words or ask some childish questions that you can’t hide your smile. This girl can be very supportive and nice in conversation. This is the person – to whom you can say any personal things.Thank you, love you!
Lena Runets – I love this girl for being responsible and sincere. I’m thankful to her for being one more nice active person from our not very active Academy. I’m thankful to this girl for a huge sugar cube she wrote to me before my departure to Ghana. It is near always. And it is because of her sugar cube I have such name of my blog. 8) Thank you for being my motivator!
Ksenya Opanasyuk – I like this girl for her childish, shining eyes, her talents in different areas – mostly I know – art. I’m still a little bit sad – because she didn’t/doesn’t understand me till the end, or, maybe, I can’t be nice for everybody. I like her super speedy Ukrainian! 8) I’m thankful for that nice moments she gave us. Thanks!

Thank you …

With nice twins in a painting room in a Muslim community.

Flying in Botanic Garden and taking a picture with LCP of LEgon LC Mary Anna after the conference. 8)

Dalia and me inside of a very nice and huge tree in the botanic garden - where they have a looooottt of very-very nice trees that I used to see only in movies or on pictures. But here in Ghana you can meet them in many places.

Yes, here we are on the beach! This guy is Enoch - LC VP PD. 8)

Just feel like ready to write something. One of the thing that made me write was again Oxana’s story but already in Kapiton vol.3. She was writing about Meddle East and some of it traditions.
As many of my friends know I used to be not religious and became a Muslim not so far ago that’s why I understand very well both parts – religious Muslims and not religious Ukrainians or other Europeans or Americans or whatever. As all of you can, probably, understand my life changed and my values were reborn or corrected. One year ago I was just some European girl who didn’t know anything about Islam, was not so interested and pretended to feel that I knew enough and that I was on the right way and that many people lived like me and was a kind of happy and bla-bla-bla…
So, now I feel that many of my friends are still as I was one year ago, so, they can’t understand me completely, they can just pretend and then just forget about and go and do what they used to do, because it seems easy for them. To tell the truth – I feel a pain at such moments. I feel the pain also when people knowing nothing about Islam (and I really mean it), trying to find out nothing about it start to criticize.
How many of people who criticize wailing were wailed at least several days? How many people who criticize Muslim family traditions has been married or has a strong nice family? How many people who criticize 5 times praying has been prayed like Muslim do at least several days? How many people who criticize Ramadan has been fasting in this holly month? There are many questions like this….
This is what usual to the person – to be sure that he is doing right, that he is on the right way, and everybody who does in another way – they are funny or something else….They try to notice some false of others, or create them, but they don’t see their own disaster in their surroundings.
Ok, now let me ask other questions – mostly for Ukrainians : How many people did bad things because of alcohol and were regretting about it after? How many people repeated it? How many people were disrespected and continued their naughty behavior? How many people in Ukraine think that divorces – it is the normal thing? How many people pretend to have a good family, respect and love in it? How many people were harassed at work? How many healthy people we have in the country? How many people can overcome their desires? …..
There are many things to share, maybe, not in this format. Hope, at least to one person this letter was useful. Maybe for me… 8)

So, here we have a part of my room, that is still udnder decoration and renovation. 8) And a part of my foot - that show how i celebrate one special event!

My friends, it seems - you don't read my blog. 8) I understand that I upload the info not so often - anyway - I can send you the reminders - that I updated 8)

Sometimes Ghanaian habit to start many things 30-60 minutes late gives me the opportunity to do some things just for me, for example – writing to my friends.
Now I need to write some more things that disturbs my too serious and emotional mind just to feel calmer and easier. So, let’s start just list them: I feel embarrassed when I see pissing people all around, especially if they 2-3 meters from me end especially if I see them from front, I feel less comfortable when I see shitting people. I feel a little bit angry when boys don’t close the door to the toilet(in our house) while pissing. I feel sick when I hear all the noises(while somebody cleans everything that in his nose and throat ) that are going from the bathroom (my room is near it). I feel irritated when I go hungry with several dollars in my pocket and people think that I’m rich white person with hundreds Euros in the pocket and that I should give them some money or buy some present. By the way- all the things I write now are not so bad and have some positive sides and explanation, I just write the worst part to be free from them.

Diversity in roads, diversity in colours, diversity in nationalities! 8) Check, Serb, Nigerian, Dutch 8) and all of them somewhere on the trees in Ghanaian Forest! :0)

Kanapi walk! As I mentioed before.
I love treesssssss!!!!! 8))

This is how we rest sometimes!

By the way, this serf-board the intern brought from Brusseles. Another guy from Germany came with bike 8)))

Yes, now I have some possibility and emotions to write. My life during last month was very different. I spent 2 weeks in another city in a big family. I was in that city as a coacher for AIESEC KNUST Local Committee. May share some photos.
Now, back in Accra, preparing for the conference, that starts this Friday, a lot of work to do. My last 3 days were very different. Friday I spent on the funeral with Ghanaian traditions, Saturday I spent the day with 13 more foreigners from 13 different countries, we went to another city by small bus, such small that we were very much laughing when one huge Norwegian guy was trying to sit. 8) We lived in a nice hotel with crocodiles swimming around and went to a very nice Kakum park with a lot of huuuge and very valuable trees and the main thing was – kanopy walk- the road between trees that is made from ropes and wood on the high more then 30 metres. The road consists of 7 bridges and small stops-stantions between them. It was fun, especially watching how frightened Lithuanian girl is screaming because huge German guy(2,04 meters) started to walk after her and the bridge lost it’s stability. 8)
And Sunday the same people – we spent on the nice beach, where I collected many nice shells – so beautiful, that I couldn’t believe I found them and was happy as a child showing to everybody what I found! Yes, and because I was collecting them since 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. almost without stops, you can imagine the color of some parts of my body. When I look to the mirror – instead of my face I see the red ass of a monkey. Sad and funny. Hope – it will turn into tan soon.8)

The moment of "Freedom"! 8)

One of the dormitories in KNUST University!
The Uni is very big and beautiful/bright. I lived
near it for 2 weeks.

Global Village, IC 2006!

Yes, I'm back and alive! 8)

I miss my second home - AIESEC office/house in Accra, Ghana.
I'm away just for 1 day and already miss it...

Yes, it seems that I'm going to attend International Congress 2006! 8)

I'm very tired and very sad or angry or don't know how I feel,...
it's because of some airport security servise, when I arrived to
some country they checked EVERYTHING that I had with me!!!!
Two men, I hated that situation! I felt like I was some narco diller
or I don't know what they were looking for! They checked each even page
in my notebooks, every souvenir, every T-shirt, ....everything!
Oh, it was TERRRIBLE feeling!!!!

And I still wonder what they were looking for! I asked, but was to
emotional, so, received no clear answer - just - it's normal job,
but it's not normal - they selected me from the crowed,...I hate...

Hmm… have you ever thought about the things that makes you to be angry and disapointed? I mean – what?why?when?.... I found out one of them for me – it is when your time doesn’t belong to you, it’s when you came to be a change agent, to be a leader and example, to be inspired and hard-working all the time- BUT, some stupidly funny mini-challenges come to you and you can’t concentrate on work any more. Yes, one of the reason my coming here was to have many challenges and become a stronger person, it is and will be for sure, but what I’m afraid of it’s to become indifferent to many things. Yes, I’m a foreigner here and I should accept many things as they are here, BUT- there are allways things that shouldn’t be just accepted. I’m ALIVE, YOUNG and PASSIONATE! Don’t tell me – “you should use to it, it’s our reality”, these words are really heritating some times. I really want to express all my feelings and thoughts about some stupid things that don’t let me work in even normal way(I even don’t speak about nice or efficient way). Actually I express them almost every day – if not – I would have some illness already 8). Yes, you should see and hear me while saying this, I’m really emotional! So, here is the list of some of this things: 1. Every morning I(and my friends as well) wake up around 5 a.m. because several our neighbours(from very close to us houses ): sweeping leaves; turn on the water that falls very hard into basins made of metal(and, of course, they put it on the pavement not in a very accurate way); all of them turn on the music, of course, fast Afrrican music not the ones you can listen while sleeping; and all our neighbours wear shoose, and of course, it’s very hard for them in the morning to raise their feet in a way that predicts scraping. 2. Under my window you can see dogs’ home, there are several dogs with puppies, yes, they are nice but not at night when they make some strange noise or start crying as want to go somewhere or to eat something. 3. On the other side of the home there is a road, so, you can hear the car noise very well. This is Extremely loud road as you can always see here many people(sellers, kids, taxi-drivers, anybody, I even met some mad person,…). Oh, this loud road! In one place there are several big(like for big concert) speakers with Ghanaian music all the day. In another place there is a TV set, they put it outside of the building, near the road and some days you can here all the day some propagations of the prists from Charismatic churches….And of course, some sellers are at their places all the time, and others – just passing with their goods, and, of course, each of them has his/her own special noise(so, if you can’t see you hear that a guy with pinapples is passing). Really, I almost forget what it means to sit in a silence and to go through lonely streets! 4. I can’t relax while sitting in my or living room, especially in the evenings, as there is one guy, who is aloud to live near our windows(he has a table with his stuff and several boxes). So, he can go around the house for any purpose any time, and, of course, it’s not so difficult to look through the windows (we have curtains, but not the whole windows are covered ). 5. There is almost all the time somebody from your home who wakes up earlier and start singing in the bath-room, speak loudly by phone, cook,… Oh, plenty things to be described…. 6. Every day I get some shock because of meeting with cocroaches (I have never seen so huge!!! Like a big finger on my hand). Yes, if somebody hears that I’m screaming or have not nice face – it means I met a big cocroach or many small,… Anyway very soon I’m gonna kill them all! 7. Now we have the repairment in our house, everything is gonna be repainted. And it’s one of the thing I’m very angry about. As this painter can come and go any time he wants, he is doing not quality job at all and I really can’t understand how we can pay for this, but for others it seems like ok, they don’t care so much,hm… it should be better for their health 8)! And, of course, my clothes and all my things are packed, so, if I need something I should really look for it in the bags and plastic bags…. Ok, now I feel better and now I can go to sleep to have a nice day tomorrow,… And, of course,to be continued… As I just started. 8)

So, food, let’s talk about food. To tell the truth it is one of the most important question for me here and not only for me. The main difference is that in Ukraine we mostly eat because we really enjoy our food, here, they eat to be full for the next 8 hours. For example, they mix spagetti with rise – that you will never see in Ukraine.
Yes, people eat on the street a lot. Really, me too. It reminds me the way of track-drivers eat. And you know why, many of them don’t have the money to buy, for example, 1 kilo of rise – so, every day they buy 0,1-0,2 kilo. And also well known “Lipton” tea, every day they buy one or two small bags not the full box. For me it was difficult to understand why I should pay 500 cedis per each bag if I can buy 25 bags for 5000-6000. So, mostly, everything you see- you can buy a small piece of it or bigger – depends how much money you have. If you want to buy bananas or some vegetables they just show you how many you can buy per 1000, 2000,…Orranges I buy – 500 per one. 1 dollar is 9100 cedis.
Here you can hardly find a milk, but milk powder-everywhere. At the beginning I thought – ok, anyway, I didn’t like milk, but…. then I understood that cheese, ice-cream, butter, yogurt,…everything is very rare and very expensive. So, what I eat – pineapples, orranges and bananas – every day, white bread, oat (thanks God it is healthy and cheap), corn, coco nut, bisquits, spagetti with Maggie 8) and Margarin 8(, rise, eggs, fried fish, tuna in cans,…and, of course, small ugly looking tomatoes 8) (I like tomatoes but in Ukraine I would even never look on the type of tommatoes I eat here, it’s like something that goes to pigs or cowes).

And this is why I love the Nature

isn't it BEAUTIFUL and POWERFUL?

Oh, this is the view from our office window, it's in our garden.

The granddaughter of our land-lord has a private lesson on Saturday morning. By the way, the teacher is aloud to use this stick if the girl doesn't know the answer or something like this (it's normal in schools to be bitten, hands mostly)

Here is an example of the street I like. This kind of street is more for rich people, for offices area,... And, of course, it's in Accra, but... not near my house 8).

About children, in Africa they mostly have more than 3 children(4-6) in the family, so, they usually ask me if I’m last or first or what, and when I reply that I have one sister they very surprized and ask once more if I don’t have any other sister or brother.
You can see a lot of children on the streat, you can also see that each 3d woman has a baby on her back. They keep children like this and I have never seen here any other way. Very interesting to watch how somebody sells tomato with keeping a baby.
As you can also see from the photo people keep things on their heads mostly(98%), and it seems very easy for them. They can keep anything, and I really mean any thing, for example, I saw one man had a TV set on his head and another man was walking with a huge table on the same part of the body. They can walk with a plate full of eggs on their head and carry baby and speak with people and dance,….. Amazing.
By the way, I don’t know why but they mostly don’t use their left hand while buying or selling.

Oooo, I like these nice african kidddssss!!
They are soooo cute! 8)
And, of course, as you see - these "flovers" live not in the best locel area now....

Hmmm…… Is it me who is in Ghana? Many of you asked how I felt, what is going on… So, let me describe some feelings, thoughts. Before comming to Ghana I thought that this country is sooooo far and sooooo different, and my eyes would have a big size because of shocks all the time. So, I’m here and…..hmmm…. I feel like I’m somewhere in Ukraine, but in a turistic place and everything that is around is just decorations and personal(actors).
Of course – almost everything is totally different, but I’m not looking liked shocked, I think that in it the photoes and many interesting stories about India (during IC 05) helped me to be a kind of prepared. Now I just accept everything I see.
So, from where to start….
About the CITY:
I live in Accra, the capital of Ghana. This city has more than 4 million inhabitants but looks like a huuuuuuuuge village. And it is true. I haven’t seen many regions yet. I live not far from the centre. My region is, probably, normal for this city, I also saw another one were everything is quiet and beautiful, clean streets with nice houses and amazing trees.
The traffic, hmmm….many cars, it’s not so easy to find any traffic-lights, especially if you are not in the centre. There is almost no pavements for walkers, that’s why we often go on the road. Everything, that is not roads – mostly red dust with stones. But, there is one more exciting and interesting thing, that keeps you awaken all the time:o). Yes, from both sides of each road there are bad smelly channels(with the water from houses’ bathrooms, but not toilets, also you can find there any trash you want and, of course, children feel free to pee to that channels any time and in front of anybody,…). These channels have no fences at all, they are around 0,5-1 metre deep and 0,3-0,7 metre width.8)

Ohhhhh, I still can't believe - I'm here, in Ghana, ....
As I know - you wanted to hear something from me, so...

My trip started on Thursday(by the way - thank you a lot
for warm words and gifts I have reseived 8), Ira and Anya -
your Funny Sheep(not small white soft toy) is with me 8))) )
I came to Frankfurt airport at around 4 day time and was
waiting for my flight to Ghana till next day 10 in the morning...
Frankfurt airport is extremely big,...I saw so many people
(different nationalities, cloths,...) almost all the time I was
watching them.
It was funny to sit near several not very white people, who
were speaking very fast and loud(even if I tried to sleep near)
in some language like spanish(with some "razykrawka" in Russian language),
and at the same time see
how Indian woman in traditional cloch almost has felt down
on the escalator(that was in front of me...) ....and many hundreds other people..
Then I tried to sleep on very small sits in almost dead airport...
Then I counted hours of waiting 16....14.....10..3... and I'm in the plane
with a lot of Ghanaian football fans!...
By the way - in Kiev Airport I met a girl, who was in AIESEC two years ago,
she was also going somewhere to Europe..
In the same plane to Accra (capital of Ghana) I was flying with
the guy who was LCP of Warsaw many years ago 8)))....
And...........
Now I'm here.... in a sauna, but not very-very hot as it's a kind of spring now.
Oh,.... my team mate from Lithuania and I were met by several people,.. in a very-very
warm way! Palmsss are around, many small things can be bought on the street,
even bread can be boght from the car on the road (while waiting for turning,...)...
Yes, to tell the truth - some things are a little bit different 8), for example -hairdress saloons, when I saw them - I thought it was .....hmm.. even don't know how to say...like a small building from paper, 2-3 metres, with a mirror and some pictures 8)).... Also here are a lot of trainees now - around 12, but yesterday we were also in a Karaoke bar and there were a looooot of foreigners - like 100....It was nice and a little bit no as there were many half necked drank white girls... Ohh....today in the morning when I looked through the window from my current room I started to laugh, because I imagined the pictures that Nadya sent from Hong-Kong and compared with mine 8))) it was totally opposite 8))), palms, one stage building, puppies,.....Ok, you can ask what you are interested in exactly. Hope to create a blog );

Yes, to tell the truth - some things are a little bit different 8), for example -
hairdress saloons, when I saw them - I thought it was .....hmm.. even don't know
how to say...like a small building from paper, 2-3 metres, with a mirror and some
pictures 8)).... Also here are a lot of trainees now - around 12, but yesterday we
were also in a Karaoke bar and there were a looooot of foreigners - like 100....
It was nice and a little bit no as there were many half necked drank white girls...
Ohh....today in the morning when I looked through the window from my
current room I started to laugh, because I imagined the pictures that NAdya
sent from Hong-Kong and compared with mine 8))) it was totally opposite 8))),
palms, one stage building, puppies,...

One girl, wrote to me in sugar cube when I was going to Ghana - that I remind her a Rainbow, with some other details and descriptions! So, I thought - why not (I opened the sugar cube in Ghana :0))! So, let's continue our colourful life!
P.S. By the way, thank you Lena very much!!!