CULTURED: Puslinch resident Meg Yzerman models her new dress made by a seamstress in Ghana, as well as beads bought at a cultural market in the African country.

Meghan Yzerman didn't hold any preconceptions about life in Africa when she embarked on a trip to Ghana in May, but the 20-year-old Puslinch woman had her eyes opened to a markedly different way of life.

"You could pick and eat mangoes right off the trees there," she said, adding that she was surprised to see cows, goats and chickens wandering in the streets, "even in the big cities."

As a farm girl, it didn't bother her much to see animals running free in cities as large as Accra. She even found it amusing. But she wasn't amused when she witnessed firsthand an example of police corruption involving a taxi driver openly bribing a police officer in order to avoid being charged with overloading his vehicle.

Bribery of police and government officials is commonplace in Ghana, Yzerman said. The practice explains why government officials enjoy a luxurious lifestyle while many other Ghanaians live a simple, often poverty-stricken life, she added. But, like other visitors before her, Yzerman observed that even the poor "like their life and are happy."

A recent graduate of the Police Foundations course at Mohawk College, Yzerman was one of 16 students from the Hamilton college who spent three weeks in Ghana working with educators and healthcare providers in medical clinics, orphanages and schools. Also on the mission team was Rockton resident, Amy Bouwmeester, a nursing student from Mohawk.

"We had a blast because we're both farm girls," Yzerman said. The girls teamed up one day and bought a baby goat for $2. They enjoyed its company for several hours but returned it to the market before the end of the day and donated it to a local family.

Yzerman also recalled stopping to pet a hump-backed cow while on her way to the beach in Accra. A group of cows was grazing nearby and she was attracted to them. A local resident approached her, praising her for not being afraid of the animals and being "good at taming them," she said.

The mission trip was arranged by Cross-Cultural Solutions, an organization that helps people become self-sufficient. During her stay, Yzerman spent most of her time teaching young children at the Christian Home Orphanage in Hohoe, a small agricultural town. She explained that many of the close to 100 children at the orphanage were there because their fathers had abandoned them after their mothers had died. In some cases, AIDS had killed one or both parents.

While Yzerman had hoped to get a chance to see local police services in action, she got only a limited opportunity to see how law enforcement there operates. She spent an afternoon with officers, including a policewoman, in Hohoe and visited the local courthouse where misdemeanour cases were being heard. She said most officers patrolled on bike or on foot and all the police and their families lived in a housing area attached to the police station.

Yzerman shared living accommodations with six other women on the mission team. They slept in beds surrounded by mosquito nets to avoid getting malaria and were warned to avoid the large chacha flies in the area. "They can make you sick and even cause brain damage if they bite you a couple of times," Yzerman explained.

In recent weeks, Yzerman has been busy helping out on her family's farm near Morriston. She also volunteers in a number of community initiatives in Flamborough. She is a junior associate for Rockton World's Fair and a member of the Hamilton-Wentworth 4-H Club. She often writes articles about 4-H activities for the Flamborough Review.

Having recently completed training as a volunteer for the Hamilton Police Service's (HPS's) Victim Services Branch, she helps provide support to people facing unexpected trauma, such as losing a loved one because of a car accident or being a victim of domestic assault. She hopes to land a job with the HPS.