Ghana February 2015
Blog 3
Ghana February 2015
This was another three day trip teaching in Ghana and this time I was travelling with a friend from work which should have made it a really fun trip. The first problem was that James’s passport was being delivered to the airport as there was a hold up with his Visa. We were to wait at BA checkin at Heathrow and a motorbike courier would meet us there 1 hour before check in closed. He did arrive on time and this meant we could check in and head for the customary couple of beers at the terminal 5 Wetherspoons. Everything was working like clockwork.
One and half hours into our flight was when the trip turned slightly different. Two rows in front of me on the plane someone stood up, looking as though they were heading to the toilet, but after two steps they collapsed in the aisle and it was obvious something wasn’t right. Within 5 minutes one member of flight crew was administering CPR and another was charging up the defibrillator. Another 2 minutes went by and the captain announced we were heading to Barcelona to get them emergency medical treatment. We went from 30,000 feet to on the ground in 3 minutes, nice it was not. I did learn something though, a plane cannot land with its wings full of fuel, it throws the weight off. This meant that they had to dump the excess fuel in the Med. I wish they had told me this before I witnessed it out the window, of course my natural reaction was to get my phone out and film the fuel dump!!!
We were kept in the plane on the tarmac at Barcelona for 3 hours as no one had a Visa to enter Spain, and also the flight team had to prove we weren’t hijacked.
Now three weeks before this trip James’ wife had had their first baby, he was hesitant to still go on the trip but she understood it was work, and it was only 3 nights so was supportive and encouraged him to go. Imagine her surprise when she employed ‘find my iPhone’ only to discover that he was in Spain. A rather angry phone call took place where she confronted him with this information and the accusation that we were on a golf piss up in Spain. I found this quite amusing!!
We arrived in Ghana 5 hours late in the wee hours, our driver had actually waited for us, bless him. As we walked through the waste ground to the car a group of rather large people tried to liberate our luggage from us and then get in the back of the car we were in. Nothing like the threat of a gang fight to get the juices flowing!
The next day, following an apologetic Mrs James realising what had happened, we went to teach and two hours into the session I received a HELP cry from the next classroom. He had managed to set the classroom on fire with the projector. It was a glorious fire with good flames to be seen!!. On return to the hotel we were invited to be guests at a local wedding taking place in the hotel, you’ve never seen bright coloured clothing like it.
Even when we arrived home at Heathrow it wasn’t over as my luggage was lost!!
This three day trip could have been a movie, although it would have been either a carry on film, or a national lampoon farce. I think I’m done with Ghana for now!!
