Friday, December 14, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
lessons learned...
I wrote bits and pieces of the following entry throughout the night last night...happy reading:
Greetings from Niamey, the dusty capital city of Niger in West Africa. Our adventure thus far has been a roller coaster of uncertainty--unplanned voyages, encounters, and needs. To be honest, we got exactly what we wanted and asked for--but just as none of us knew what awaited us as we travelled north, none of us fully realized how high the stakes were and how far we could possibly fall. Now we are here, alive and drinking cokes for 350CFA a pop at a restaurant across the street from our hotel having survived the shock of a first encounter with our vulnerability...
Our travels throughout West Africa have taught me lessons I wish I didn't have to learn the hard way...throughout all of the good times and the bad in these dusty towns I have learned that we are not alone and can never survive by ourselves--self sufficiency is a mere illusion, a lie Western culture tries to feed us. But when you get to the real world (where life isn't as simple as it is at home and something like getting to an Internet may take several hours) you realize how fragile our lives can be--how our very existence, our survival often depends on the kindness of a stranger. Life no longer seems simple, no longer seems easy and I now realise that we must often depend on our loved ones to wire us money or a stranger to help us find a hotel, an Internet cafe, or merely translate the language we speak into the native tongue.
People are simply people everywhere you go...it seems silly to put it that way, but it is so true. People are decent and indecent, hard working and lazy, poor and rich, honest and scams. They have kids they must feed, brothers and sisters to look after, and parents to depend upon. Humanity is the basic commonality among us all and sometimes sheer humanity is what compels us to help one another. I've often felt antagonized in Ghana, it seems like everyone wants to get their own share, wants a piece of me that I don't want to offer...but what I have realized is that I am everyone--we all want what we think we are owed, what we think is ours to get. Sheer humanity ties us together--we aren't alone, aren't self sufficient...humanity has woven us into an intricate web of co dependence. I used to think I was quite independent in many ways, but the last few days have made me realize how utterly dependent I am. It is a humbling reality to face...to realise that if it had not been for African hospitality, my parents' support, and all the people we have asked for help (whether strangers or not)--we would not survive. Presently, I wouldn't be able to leave this city if it wasn't for my mother and father (who so lovingly bailed me out of a tight money situation) and for the six different French speaking African men I had to ask to find this Internet cafe. I wouldn't have even gotten here if it weren't for Lucien (a stranger we met in Ouagadougou) who drove us around the city the greater part of a day helping us look for a ForEx, bus tickets, a hotel...and he even took us to his home where we were fed and given drink. My biggest lesson thus far has been: we are all so very codependent...now I just have to figure out how I fit into this maze-like web of co dependence called humanity.
Some other lessons we have learned during our trip to the north:
Lesson: Take advantage of opportunities as they come to you...don't wait till later and expect these opportunities (no matter how common you think they aught to be) to present themselves again. The story behind this one...we got to Ouagadougou with hundreds of dollars worth of GhanaCedi's on us thinking we could change the currency at the banks in the city only to find out that we should have changed it with the street vendors at the boarder of Ghana...apparently nobody will change GhanaCedi's to CFA (the currency in Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, and Togo) in Ouagadougou.
Lesson: Sometimes you get more than what you bargained for. When in a foreign country, where you don't speak the language, you might think you are ordered two chicken kabobs and some fries...don't be entirely surprised when you actually end up with a plate of fries and two entire chickens...these things are common mistakes with language barriers.
Overall, I've really enjoyed the trip thus far. We have sat on buses for many many hours and have many more to go, but its been worth the journey. Niamey is a wonderful city, the people here are fantastic.
Our travels throughout West Africa have taught me lessons I wish I didn't have to learn the hard way...throughout all of the good times and the bad in these dusty towns I have learned that we are not alone and can never survive by ourselves--self sufficiency is a mere illusion, a lie Western culture tries to feed us. But when you get to the real world (where life isn't as simple as it is at home and something like getting to an Internet may take several hours) you realize how fragile our lives can be--how our very existence, our survival often depends on the kindness of a stranger. Life no longer seems simple, no longer seems easy and I now realise that we must often depend on our loved ones to wire us money or a stranger to help us find a hotel, an Internet cafe, or merely translate the language we speak into the native tongue.
People are simply people everywhere you go...it seems silly to put it that way, but it is so true. People are decent and indecent, hard working and lazy, poor and rich, honest and scams. They have kids they must feed, brothers and sisters to look after, and parents to depend upon. Humanity is the basic commonality among us all and sometimes sheer humanity is what compels us to help one another. I've often felt antagonized in Ghana, it seems like everyone wants to get their own share, wants a piece of me that I don't want to offer...but what I have realized is that I am everyone--we all want what we think we are owed, what we think is ours to get. Sheer humanity ties us together--we aren't alone, aren't self sufficient...humanity has woven us into an intricate web of co dependence. I used to think I was quite independent in many ways, but the last few days have made me realize how utterly dependent I am. It is a humbling reality to face...to realise that if it had not been for African hospitality, my parents' support, and all the people we have asked for help (whether strangers or not)--we would not survive. Presently, I wouldn't be able to leave this city if it wasn't for my mother and father (who so lovingly bailed me out of a tight money situation) and for the six different French speaking African men I had to ask to find this Internet cafe. I wouldn't have even gotten here if it weren't for Lucien (a stranger we met in Ouagadougou) who drove us around the city the greater part of a day helping us look for a ForEx, bus tickets, a hotel...and he even took us to his home where we were fed and given drink. My biggest lesson thus far has been: we are all so very codependent...now I just have to figure out how I fit into this maze-like web of co dependence called humanity.
Some other lessons we have learned during our trip to the north:
Lesson: Take advantage of opportunities as they come to you...don't wait till later and expect these opportunities (no matter how common you think they aught to be) to present themselves again. The story behind this one...we got to Ouagadougou with hundreds of dollars worth of GhanaCedi's on us thinking we could change the currency at the banks in the city only to find out that we should have changed it with the street vendors at the boarder of Ghana...apparently nobody will change GhanaCedi's to CFA (the currency in Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, and Togo) in Ouagadougou.
Lesson: Sometimes you get more than what you bargained for. When in a foreign country, where you don't speak the language, you might think you are ordered two chicken kabobs and some fries...don't be entirely surprised when you actually end up with a plate of fries and two entire chickens...these things are common mistakes with language barriers.
Overall, I've really enjoyed the trip thus far. We have sat on buses for many many hours and have many more to go, but its been worth the journey. Niamey is a wonderful city, the people here are fantastic.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Je ne parle pas Francais.
The bus for Ouagadougou leaves tomorrow morning, we will arrive there Thursday around mid-day from which time on our plans are completely open...who knows what we will do and who we will meet. I'm ready for the adventure.
My biggest worry is one concerning this entry's title... none of the three of us know any French. Sarah (who is fluent in both French and Arabic) has been trying to give us a crash-course these last few days, and as much as it is helping, the only thing I can remember without looking at my notebook, is how to say that I don't speak any French. It is going to be interesting to see how three non-French speaking people fare for a week and a half in Francophone African countries. Somehow these things always tend to work themselves out...
This may be my last entry for a while, I don't know what Internet will look like on the road, but stay tuned...life is full of surprises.
My biggest worry is one concerning this entry's title... none of the three of us know any French. Sarah (who is fluent in both French and Arabic) has been trying to give us a crash-course these last few days, and as much as it is helping, the only thing I can remember without looking at my notebook, is how to say that I don't speak any French. It is going to be interesting to see how three non-French speaking people fare for a week and a half in Francophone African countries. Somehow these things always tend to work themselves out...
This may be my last entry for a while, I don't know what Internet will look like on the road, but stay tuned...life is full of surprises.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
one victory and a change...
The past few days have been one set-back followed by another trying to get our visas to go to Burkina Faso and then on to Mali. We first found out that the Mali visa is now $100 if bought at the embassy (although the guidbook said it should only be $40) and maybe less ifbought at the border. So we figured we would buy bus tickets to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and figure things out as we go. Yesterday we went to the Burkina Faso embassy to get the visas (which were also supposed to cost only $40) to find that the price of these had also been raised recently and that the visa's would now cost us $100 a piece. Well, neither of us has that sort of money and we remembered hearing that a friend of ours from the dorms bought a single entry master visa (one valid for five countries: Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, and Niger) for only $60 at the Togo embassy. So, to make a long story (involving Jordan searching for hours in the mid-day sun for a place to get CFA Francs and us waiting impatiently at the embassy) short, we ended up buying master visas which will get us into the aforementioned five different countries in West Africa. Then we started thinking, we have visa's to all of these different places, why pay an extra $40 (probably actually $100) to get a visa into Mali when we could visit these other countries for no extra cost?? So Mali's out. No going to Timbuktu. And I probably won't be seeing the Sahara. Which is all sad news... but we will be traveling on from Ouagadougou to Niger, Benin, and Togo before coming back to Accra, which will be pretty sweet. And there's cause for celebration over our victory yesterday: we finally, after hours of trial and error and money wasted on taxis, got visa's to travel! Life is looking up.
Black Stars
We finally got to a football mach...it was a blast. There was some sort of a tournament in Accra this past week or so and we ended up watching the Black Stars (Ghana's national team) play Togo's national team. We won of course...two nil. People here get so into their football...walking up to the stadium in all of our Ghana attire was so much fun, random people just shook our hands and said "yeah! way to support Ghana." Somehow I love patriotism here...not so much in the states (but those are my personal issues). Anywho, go Ghana! Go BLACK STARS!
Score.
The latest bad-ass me...hah.
What can I say...they really get into their football here.
some pics...
On the bus at one point during our northern travels. I think we figured out that we had spent 60+ hours on the bus during the one week we were in the north...we all look so happy.
We rode bikes around Tamale...probably the funnest thing we did on this trip so far. Here's a cute one of Pearl.
At some sort of a museum in Paga...people in villages used to climb on their roofs to hide from their enemies coming to harm them.
We visited the Chieftess (one of the most powerful people in the area) while in Yendi. Here is a picture of one of her elders.
This is one of my favorites...she's really cute.
View of shore from Cape Coast Castle.
Emily, Erica, and I on the beach in Cape Coast.
Erica at a beach in Cape Coast.
At Asanka Locals (famous for good traditional Ghanaian food) for our Twi outing.
My favorite Ghanaian dish: Red Red (which is basically beans drenched in palmnut oil--I usually ask for only a little oil--with fried plantain pieces on the side) with plain rice...yum.
View of the sunset from dinner during the second weekend I spent in Cape Coast...Lydia's last hurrah in Ghana (oh do I miss you Lyddie)
Enjoying dinner at the resort...it was amazing!
[Although not quite as amazing as the breakfasts (included in the price of the rooms) which included all you can eat pancakes, two kinds of eggs, pineapple, watermelon, toast, real butter, jam, fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee and tea--have I forgotten to mention anything?... breakfasts were like early thanksgiving]
Audrey, Lydia, Emily, and myself posing for a picture after dinner.
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