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.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
the last little while...
Life has been a crazy whirlwind these past few weeks. All of the traveling we have been doing mixed with midterms and papers building up has made time fly by. We were just talking about the fact that exactly a month from two days ago, we fly out...in one month (the 15th of December) I will be home, in cold Michigan, sitting somewhere trying to warm myself with tea. There's so many things about being home that I look forward to...in many respects I'm anxious to get home, but I know that as soon as I get home I will be anxious to come back here, so I'm trying to slow down, relax, and enjoy my last few weeks in West Africa.
Our travels so far have been numerous, a few weeks ago we spent a week in the northern region. We stayed in Tamale for a few days (where we rented bicycles and rode around the town...I LOVED it) and drove all the way up to Bolgatanga and Paga (where we saw the Burkina Faso border) to see some development projects. We also spent a few nights in Yendi, which was by far my favorite place in Ghana so far. I loved Yendi because of its remoteness...people in Accra are aggressive and you must constantly be on your guard, I found people in Yendi to be much friendlier and gentler. It was nice to get a break from all the stress of city life. We also spent one night in Mole national park where we went on a safari hike. I got stuck in the not-so-luck group of hikers. While most of my classmates were chased by elephants, we only saw antelope and some monkeys...perhaps the most exciting part of our hike was getting to travel off the beaten path and walk through a few tropical rivers and elephant dung...
The next weekend (or soon after) we all traveled up to Cape Coast where we stayed in small bungaloes right off a rocky beach. I thought I could just sit there for hours watching the waves crash into the rocks. It was amazing. We visited some slave castles there and went to Kakum National Park where we took a canopy tour of the rain forest. I loved Cape Coast! A few of us girls went back the very next weekend with Lydia before she had to go back to the states. The second time around was all inclusive with the most amazing breakfast I've eaten in Ghana, a sandy beach with palm trees, and skinny dipping in the ocean in the middle of the night. Oh the memories.
Last weekend we went to the Volta Region (eastern Ghana) where we stayed in a town called Ho (thats right, it was called Ho). On Saturday we tro-tro'd up to Wli Falls and hiked out to see one of the nicest water falls in the country. It was beautiful, the only thing that could have made it better would have been the lack of a hundred or so other Ghanaian tourists. I think it was a class trip of some sort, I guess we went on a bad day.
We are leaving for Kumasi this coming Monday and two weeks from this week we will be heading off for our own personal travels in West Africa. The group has split up into a few sub-groups traveling to different areas...Sam, Jordan, and I are attempting Timbuktu (which is said to be 3+ days travel away). So basically, if we're lucky we'll get all the necessary visa's (one to Burkina Faso and one to Mali) and then if everything goes as planned, we will get to Mali in three days, stay there for three days, and get back in three days...if we're unlucky, hopefully we will make it to Timbuktu at least in time to spend the night there before we have to turn around. It will be an adventure...but at the end, we will get to see the Sahara. Wish me luck.
Our travels so far have been numerous, a few weeks ago we spent a week in the northern region. We stayed in Tamale for a few days (where we rented bicycles and rode around the town...I LOVED it) and drove all the way up to Bolgatanga and Paga (where we saw the Burkina Faso border) to see some development projects. We also spent a few nights in Yendi, which was by far my favorite place in Ghana so far. I loved Yendi because of its remoteness...people in Accra are aggressive and you must constantly be on your guard, I found people in Yendi to be much friendlier and gentler. It was nice to get a break from all the stress of city life. We also spent one night in Mole national park where we went on a safari hike. I got stuck in the not-so-luck group of hikers. While most of my classmates were chased by elephants, we only saw antelope and some monkeys...perhaps the most exciting part of our hike was getting to travel off the beaten path and walk through a few tropical rivers and elephant dung...
The next weekend (or soon after) we all traveled up to Cape Coast where we stayed in small bungaloes right off a rocky beach. I thought I could just sit there for hours watching the waves crash into the rocks. It was amazing. We visited some slave castles there and went to Kakum National Park where we took a canopy tour of the rain forest. I loved Cape Coast! A few of us girls went back the very next weekend with Lydia before she had to go back to the states. The second time around was all inclusive with the most amazing breakfast I've eaten in Ghana, a sandy beach with palm trees, and skinny dipping in the ocean in the middle of the night. Oh the memories.
Last weekend we went to the Volta Region (eastern Ghana) where we stayed in a town called Ho (thats right, it was called Ho). On Saturday we tro-tro'd up to Wli Falls and hiked out to see one of the nicest water falls in the country. It was beautiful, the only thing that could have made it better would have been the lack of a hundred or so other Ghanaian tourists. I think it was a class trip of some sort, I guess we went on a bad day.
We are leaving for Kumasi this coming Monday and two weeks from this week we will be heading off for our own personal travels in West Africa. The group has split up into a few sub-groups traveling to different areas...Sam, Jordan, and I are attempting Timbuktu (which is said to be 3+ days travel away). So basically, if we're lucky we'll get all the necessary visa's (one to Burkina Faso and one to Mali) and then if everything goes as planned, we will get to Mali in three days, stay there for three days, and get back in three days...if we're unlucky, hopefully we will make it to Timbuktu at least in time to spend the night there before we have to turn around. It will be an adventure...but at the end, we will get to see the Sahara. Wish me luck.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
We have been traveling a lot these past few weeks. We spent all of last week in the north and this weekend we are in Cape Coast. Despite all of the struggles and annoyances of traveling in large groups, on buses for hours on end, I have learned a lot about Ghana these past few weeks...too bad I only have a few minutes of internet time left here at the internet cafe in Cape Coast University, so I will not be recounting my adventures at this time...stories and pictures can wait until later.
I just wanted to say, I just recieved some bad news from home, the death of a friend's family member...so when you read this, remember and be thankful for those who are still near you and pray for those in this world who are mourning and in pain.
Blessings to you, I love you all.
I just wanted to say, I just recieved some bad news from home, the death of a friend's family member...so when you read this, remember and be thankful for those who are still near you and pray for those in this world who are mourning and in pain.
Blessings to you, I love you all.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
So much has happened since the last time I wrote,...as things piled on top of each other, I began to avoid writing new posts knowing that there would be so much to say, but alas, there is so much that I have no way of writing it succinctly...
Life has been crazy these past few weeks. I feel like I've spent much of my time trying to figure out what I am really supposed to be doing here... Life at the university is so far removed from ordinary Ghanaian life, life at ISH is even further removed from anything Ghanaian (since here we are surrounded by international students most of the time). I'm frustrated because I feel as though I have made few real connections with Ghanaians and have contributed little to my knowledge about what life here is really like. Overall I feel like I've been living here without really experiencing what it is like to be in Ghana. It's so easy to remain isolated within our group of international student friends and thus so difficult to truly experience Ghana. I finally got a room-mate. Her name is Adiza and she's absolutely adorable (I'll have to post a picture sometime). I thought that when I got a roomate, things would change, I thought that this person would be my "in" persay, but even though we get along great, and we hang out in the room together a little, somehow there is a great divide between the Ghanaians and the internationals, the groups just don't tend to mend well,... it's a bit disturbing. In a way the phenomenon makes sense...we're so different from one another, we have such different ideas about how to have fun etc...but still. I just wish cross cultural relationships were easy.
There's also been quite a bit of social drama among the Calvin group. I love everyone on this trip to death, but often I think my life would be easier (or just better) if I had come alone. I haven't made as many friends with people in other groups as I would have liked to, and although I know that it is mostly my fault, I also know that I would be more compelled to branch out if I were here alone, without a safety net of familiar comfortable people around me. As it is, it's more of a struggle. Also, it's seemed as though coming with a large group of Calvin folk has just brought Calvin drama here and I have had little need to deal with the other issues that should be consuming my thoughts while I am learning how to live in a foreign country.
Home-sickness has finally set in as well. Some of us girls were sitting in one of our rooms a little while ago talking about things we missed about home...I never before realized how much I love fall. I miss the mornings at school when the sky is open wide and bright blue, the sun is shining and illuminating the gold leaves on the trees. Those mornings when it's cool enough to wear jeans and a sweater a sip coffee as you walk to class...friends, when you encounter these precious moments on fall mornings, just think of me and how much I would love to be there with you. I love being here and would not trade in this experience for the world, but I still miss Michigan...
Life has been crazy these past few weeks. I feel like I've spent much of my time trying to figure out what I am really supposed to be doing here... Life at the university is so far removed from ordinary Ghanaian life, life at ISH is even further removed from anything Ghanaian (since here we are surrounded by international students most of the time). I'm frustrated because I feel as though I have made few real connections with Ghanaians and have contributed little to my knowledge about what life here is really like. Overall I feel like I've been living here without really experiencing what it is like to be in Ghana. It's so easy to remain isolated within our group of international student friends and thus so difficult to truly experience Ghana. I finally got a room-mate. Her name is Adiza and she's absolutely adorable (I'll have to post a picture sometime). I thought that when I got a roomate, things would change, I thought that this person would be my "in" persay, but even though we get along great, and we hang out in the room together a little, somehow there is a great divide between the Ghanaians and the internationals, the groups just don't tend to mend well,... it's a bit disturbing. In a way the phenomenon makes sense...we're so different from one another, we have such different ideas about how to have fun etc...but still. I just wish cross cultural relationships were easy.
There's also been quite a bit of social drama among the Calvin group. I love everyone on this trip to death, but often I think my life would be easier (or just better) if I had come alone. I haven't made as many friends with people in other groups as I would have liked to, and although I know that it is mostly my fault, I also know that I would be more compelled to branch out if I were here alone, without a safety net of familiar comfortable people around me. As it is, it's more of a struggle. Also, it's seemed as though coming with a large group of Calvin folk has just brought Calvin drama here and I have had little need to deal with the other issues that should be consuming my thoughts while I am learning how to live in a foreign country.
Home-sickness has finally set in as well. Some of us girls were sitting in one of our rooms a little while ago talking about things we missed about home...I never before realized how much I love fall. I miss the mornings at school when the sky is open wide and bright blue, the sun is shining and illuminating the gold leaves on the trees. Those mornings when it's cool enough to wear jeans and a sweater a sip coffee as you walk to class...friends, when you encounter these precious moments on fall mornings, just think of me and how much I would love to be there with you. I love being here and would not trade in this experience for the world, but I still miss Michigan...
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Random...
Here are some random pictures for you all to see...
A store a few minutes walk from the hostel (in fact you can see ISH2 in the background) commonly called "Chop" or "Jesus" by the members of the Calvin group...
The night market, where I purchase most of my food
(located just outside of the hostel...I can see it from my window)
Esther's fruit stand...I buy all my fruit from her, including my daily pineapple...
You can buy lattes at the little cafe in Max-Mart...we went there last week while studying, I've missed good coffee so much, it was one of my happiest moments in a long time...
The epitome of Tuesday nights: Star Beer, cigarettes, and buy one get one free pizza at Bonjour
its been a while...
As the title of this entry suggests, it has been a while since I last wrote to you all...and much has happened since then. The following is the abbreviated version of what I would have written had I blogged every day these past few days...
Thursday began as a celebration...since we have readings and papers due for History and virtually no class on Fridays, Thursday nights feel somewhat like Friday nights. On the recommendation of our High-life music professor, we decided to try Bywell Bar which has a live band every Thursday night performing covers of popular songs as well as Ghanaian music. I had a really good time dancing and hanging out with the group and hope to turn Bywell into a Thursday night tradition...
On Friday, after a night of dancing at Bywell and our morning drumming class, we decided to take a day trip to Asenema Falls (a waterfall and hiking area located not too far from Accra). The waterfall was amazing...but surrounded by large slippery sharp rocks (ones that Brad eventually cut his face on) which we proceeded to climb until we got halfway up the waterfall and behind it. This was probably not my most intelligent decision but the experience was worth the few scrapes on my arms and legs. The most interesting part of Asenema falls was the journey there and back. Unless we were willing to pay an arm and a leg for a taxi (which was not the case) we had to take multiple modes of transportation to get to Asenema. First we took a tro-tro to Medina (tro-tro's are large eighteen passenger vans that cruise along the roads here picking up passengers as they go, they usually have a final destination but no set schedule, a passenger can
get on and thus get off anywhere along the way...tro-tro's are also usually packed full of people and can become hot and uncomfortable, especially if you are sitting in one on a tro-tro yard waiting for it to fill up before take-off). In Medina we got off at the wrong stop and had to walk a half mile up the road to find a connecting tro-tro to Adrukum (the village closest to Asenema Falls). Most of us ended up sitting on the Adrukum tro-tro for nearly 45minutes as the driver waited for it to fill up. After about an hour's ride we reached Adrukum where six of us shoved into a taxi which took us on the last 5 kilometers of the trip. The way back home was even more interesting since Asenema falls in out in the middle of nowhere--which meant we had
to hitch-hike back to Adrukum where we grabbed a tro-tro home. We walked about a half-mile before some Ghanaian workers picked us up in their covered pick-up and took us into town.
Having survived Asenema (beat up yet in one piece) we spent most of Friday night hanging out in Erica's room...while most of the boys bought cheap nasty boxed wine for the night, Sam and I decided to be classy and go with the bagged vodka. That's right, you can actually buy vodka pre-packaged in shot-sized bags here...I have included a picture if you don't believe me. The fifth that Derek's holding up cost us about $2 dollars, real classy...they made probably the worst screw-drivers I've ever tasted.
The rest of the weekend was spent on random affairs, Saturday a few of us went down to "Circle" (a shopping area of Accra) where we explored the Hocker's Market as people tried to coerce us into buying all sorts of random paraphernalia.
On Sunday, Emily, Lydia, and I spent most of the day in search of a chick-flick, which was incredibly hopeless... but in the process ended up eating at a great restaurant called Papaye and finding a little Gellato place which sells both Gellato ice-cream as well as other European desserts...yay!
Overall these past few days have been a great learning experience, I've been busy traveling here and there but in the process have gotten quite used to riding on tro-tro's and bargaining with taxi drivers. Hopping on a tro-tro to a rather unfamiliar place is no longer as scary as it was a few weeks ago. I'm also more on my guard than I used to be. I still struggle with knowing when to be polite to harassing street vendors and when it is culturally acceptable for me to respond with a comment as equally rude as the one directed at me. The one thing I cannot stand here is that people (mostly men) feel that they have permission to touch and grab at us ladies. It is not uncommon for a street vendor to grab at my arm or wrist while he is trying to get my attention... At first I was shocked when this happened, then I tried to be polite, now a days I either rip my arm free or attempt to slap their hand away (which sadly is yet to be successful). Overall, I love that I am finally getting used to being here, I'm more used to the culture and how I am expected to act in certain situations.
Thursday began as a celebration...since we have readings and papers due for History and virtually no class on Fridays, Thursday nights feel somewhat like Friday nights. On the recommendation of our High-life music professor, we decided to try Bywell Bar which has a live band every Thursday night performing covers of popular songs as well as Ghanaian music. I had a really good time dancing and hanging out with the group and hope to turn Bywell into a Thursday night tradition...
On Friday, after a night of dancing at Bywell and our morning drumming class, we decided to take a day trip to Asenema Falls (a waterfall and hiking area located not too far from Accra). The waterfall was amazing...but surrounded by large slippery sharp rocks (ones that Brad eventually cut his face on) which we proceeded to climb until we got halfway up the waterfall and behind it. This was probably not my most intelligent decision but the experience was worth the few scrapes on my arms and legs. The most interesting part of Asenema falls was the journey there and back. Unless we were willing to pay an arm and a leg for a taxi (which was not the case) we had to take multiple modes of transportation to get to Asenema. First we took a tro-tro to Medina (tro-tro's are large eighteen passenger vans that cruise along the roads here picking up passengers as they go, they usually have a final destination but no set schedule, a passenger can
get on and thus get off anywhere along the way...tro-tro's are also usually packed full of people and can become hot and uncomfortable, especially if you are sitting in one on a tro-tro yard waiting for it to fill up before take-off). In Medina we got off at the wrong stop and had to walk a half mile up the road to find a connecting tro-tro to Adrukum (the village closest to Asenema Falls). Most of us ended up sitting on the Adrukum tro-tro for nearly 45minutes as the driver waited for it to fill up. After about an hour's ride we reached Adrukum where six of us shoved into a taxi which took us on the last 5 kilometers of the trip. The way back home was even more interesting since Asenema falls in out in the middle of nowhere--which meant we had
to hitch-hike back to Adrukum where we grabbed a tro-tro home. We walked about a half-mile before some Ghanaian workers picked us up in their covered pick-up and took us into town.Having survived Asenema (beat up yet in one piece) we spent most of Friday night hanging out in Erica's room...while most of the boys bought cheap nasty boxed wine for the night, Sam and I decided to be classy and go with the bagged vodka. That's right, you can actually buy vodka pre-packaged in shot-sized bags here...I have included a picture if you don't believe me. The fifth that Derek's holding up cost us about $2 dollars, real classy...they made probably the worst screw-drivers I've ever tasted.
The rest of the weekend was spent on random affairs, Saturday a few of us went down to "Circle" (a shopping area of Accra) where we explored the Hocker's Market as people tried to coerce us into buying all sorts of random paraphernalia.
On Sunday, Emily, Lydia, and I spent most of the day in search of a chick-flick, which was incredibly hopeless... but in the process ended up eating at a great restaurant called Papaye and finding a little Gellato place which sells both Gellato ice-cream as well as other European desserts...yay!
Overall these past few days have been a great learning experience, I've been busy traveling here and there but in the process have gotten quite used to riding on tro-tro's and bargaining with taxi drivers. Hopping on a tro-tro to a rather unfamiliar place is no longer as scary as it was a few weeks ago. I'm also more on my guard than I used to be. I still struggle with knowing when to be polite to harassing street vendors and when it is culturally acceptable for me to respond with a comment as equally rude as the one directed at me. The one thing I cannot stand here is that people (mostly men) feel that they have permission to touch and grab at us ladies. It is not uncommon for a street vendor to grab at my arm or wrist while he is trying to get my attention... At first I was shocked when this happened, then I tried to be polite, now a days I either rip my arm free or attempt to slap their hand away (which sadly is yet to be successful). Overall, I love that I am finally getting used to being here, I'm more used to the culture and how I am expected to act in certain situations.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
mating frogs...
It is about time to mention the crazy mating frogs they have here right now. After dark, the sounds of (the loudest I've ever heard) frog croaking fills the air. Every now and then the frogs get silent (or you stop noticing them) and then they get going: one frog starts and the rest follow in response. Some of the girls have had a difficult time sleeping at night just because the frogs are so loud. We finally figured it all out, the trench gutters on the side of the road are filled with tadpoles...they're mating. Which can only mean that a few months from now we will have a thousand times the frogs we have now...the croaking will only get louder until we all go mad!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
there and back again...
We've been told by multiple people to expect power-outages quite frequently. Since the rainy season is coming to an end, the Volta is drying up, which means the dam we went to visit (the one that feeds power to all of Ghana, Togo, Benin, and part of Burkina Faso) cannot provide as much power as is is needed and thus there are random power-outages. The rainy season went a little long this year so we hadn't yet experienced a power-outage, that is until last night...
Most of us from the Calvin group had been planning (for a few days now) on going to a Karaoke bar called Champs last night...the other international students had told us it was a good time so we decided we'd give it a try. Most of us girls had been planning on showering and getting all dressed up (since we usually feel dirty and frumpy) before leaving--which would have been fine if the power hadn't gone out as it was getting dark at 6:30pm. Most of us ended up showering in the pitch dark of the girls bathroom and I will probably never forget the time I had trying to apply my make-up in the dark while Sam was shining a flashlight into my face. Magically we all ended up looking great! Even more magically, the lights flickered on as we were about to walk down the stairs and out of the hostel...timing is everything.
We all had a really good time at Champs. The atmosphere was a little strange since there were mostly only white people there and it was so packed that most of us couldn't sit down. I spent most of my time at Champs lingering around the bar (with most of the group) mingling with the other internationals. (The very fact that I couldn't sit down made for an interesting night because I had broken the strap on one of my heels as we were getting out of the cab in front of the restaurant.) We ended up meeting some really interesting people who we hung out with for the rest of the night... We got to know an Italian guy (David) who is our age and is the manager at a gold mine a few hours from Accra. We also met a Afrikaans guy who had just come from South Africa (also our age) to work as a distributor of merchandise into Ghana--his name is Paul. There was also a teacher from Switzerland named Berit who lives with the aforementioned two men.
The night was long, but to make a long story short, Joy and I ended up singing "Wonderwall" by Oasis in front of about a hundred or so people, we also danced to other ridiculous songs sang by random drunk people including Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" performed by Brad, Matt, and Berit. Most of the group spent much of the rest of the night with David, Paul, and Berit as they took us around and introduced us to more of the town.
My favorite moment: When we were dancing there was this creepy guy who kept coming up to me and wanting to dance with me, I kept saying no and dancing away into a crowd of my friends but he kept coming back throughout the night. So I told Matt: "For all practical purposes tonight you are my boyfriend." He quickly got the hint and began to hover over me to shoo off this dude whenever need be. As we were leaving the place he walked out next to/behind me as this creepy guy went to grab my arm to ask me to dance with him once again. All of a sudden, Matt breaks in and shoves this dude against the wall away from me as he escorts me out of the building... it was great. Thanks goes to Matt, He's a trooper... his girlfriend back home would be proud!
Most of us from the Calvin group had been planning (for a few days now) on going to a Karaoke bar called Champs last night...the other international students had told us it was a good time so we decided we'd give it a try. Most of us girls had been planning on showering and getting all dressed up (since we usually feel dirty and frumpy) before leaving--which would have been fine if the power hadn't gone out as it was getting dark at 6:30pm. Most of us ended up showering in the pitch dark of the girls bathroom and I will probably never forget the time I had trying to apply my make-up in the dark while Sam was shining a flashlight into my face. Magically we all ended up looking great! Even more magically, the lights flickered on as we were about to walk down the stairs and out of the hostel...timing is everything.
We all had a really good time at Champs. The atmosphere was a little strange since there were mostly only white people there and it was so packed that most of us couldn't sit down. I spent most of my time at Champs lingering around the bar (with most of the group) mingling with the other internationals. (The very fact that I couldn't sit down made for an interesting night because I had broken the strap on one of my heels as we were getting out of the cab in front of the restaurant.) We ended up meeting some really interesting people who we hung out with for the rest of the night... We got to know an Italian guy (David) who is our age and is the manager at a gold mine a few hours from Accra. We also met a Afrikaans guy who had just come from South Africa (also our age) to work as a distributor of merchandise into Ghana--his name is Paul. There was also a teacher from Switzerland named Berit who lives with the aforementioned two men.
The night was long, but to make a long story short, Joy and I ended up singing "Wonderwall" by Oasis in front of about a hundred or so people, we also danced to other ridiculous songs sang by random drunk people including Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" performed by Brad, Matt, and Berit. Most of the group spent much of the rest of the night with David, Paul, and Berit as they took us around and introduced us to more of the town.
My favorite moment: When we were dancing there was this creepy guy who kept coming up to me and wanting to dance with me, I kept saying no and dancing away into a crowd of my friends but he kept coming back throughout the night. So I told Matt: "For all practical purposes tonight you are my boyfriend." He quickly got the hint and began to hover over me to shoo off this dude whenever need be. As we were leaving the place he walked out next to/behind me as this creepy guy went to grab my arm to ask me to dance with him once again. All of a sudden, Matt breaks in and shoves this dude against the wall away from me as he escorts me out of the building... it was great. Thanks goes to Matt, He's a trooper... his girlfriend back home would be proud!
Ghanaian men...
Most of us females have quickly caught onto the fact that Ghanaian men are more forward about their feelings than American men... All of us women have had awkward encounters with random guys cat-calling to us, asking for our email addresses and phone numbers, and even occasionally grabbing us (which is definitely crossing the line as far as I'm concerned). I feel relatively safe because I seem to only attract the kind of men that ask for my contact info... which I had decided (after giving it out once) not to give out to anyone ever again. However, while sitting at Afronet a few days ago, I had a guy approach me and ask me for my email address--and since I was checking my email it was difficult to lie and say I didn't have email, so I gave him the email address (which may or may not have been a good idea).
I have since decided to henceforth give out my email address freely just to get a kick out of reading the ridiculous emails I receive from these guys... I have also decided to post these emails (or at least the really funny ones) just to give you all a little cultural experience, a taste of the specimen of men at the University of Ghana (many of them are nice though...) so here goes, happy reading:
Dearest One,
I am so delighted to reach u through this medium.how are going?.it's my fervent believe that you are well and kicking.mine is as usual.by way of introduction i am a level 400 geography and resource development student who which to befriend a person of calibre.infact for the first time i set ma eyes on you i was really moved to an indescribable destination.in short i really admire your personality and calibre and i wish to click it with you.what do you say about that?
i am the guy who took your email just yesterday(tuesday).u are so beautiful and cute.looking forward to hearing from u soon,bye.
Simon(0243080200).
I have since decided to henceforth give out my email address freely just to get a kick out of reading the ridiculous emails I receive from these guys... I have also decided to post these emails (or at least the really funny ones) just to give you all a little cultural experience, a taste of the specimen of men at the University of Ghana (many of them are nice though...) so here goes, happy reading:
Dearest One,
I am so delighted to reach u through this medium.how are going?.it's my fervent believe that you are well and kicking.mine is as usual.by way of introduction i am a level 400 geography and resource development student who which to befriend a person of calibre.infact for the first time i set ma eyes on you i was really moved to an indescribable destination.in short i really admire your personality and calibre and i wish to click it with you.what do you say about that?
i am the guy who took your email just yesterday(tuesday).u are so beautiful and cute.looking forward to hearing from u soon,bye.
Simon(0243080200).
Friday, September 14, 2007
something new...
I survived the first week of classes this semester. We only had one morning class today (African Drumming) and now that it's over I am free for the weekend. Classes here have not been very difficult at all, the only homework we have had was for Professor Jelks (who gives a hefty bit of reading and writing to do) and Twi (which usually takes about 5 minutes to complete) so most of us have quite a bit of time to spare.
Life is becoming so ordinary to me here that I have a hard time thinking of things to write about. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find things that people in the states would find different and interesting about Ghana...
Food is continuing to be an issue for the group here. It seems that whenever we go out to a cafe to get some food, something goes wrong. Either there's lack of communication regarding the kind of fruit drinks they carry or there is some mix-up with some one's food. Some places that we go to keep playing the same reggae song over and over again (it's become quite a little theme song for us by now). Anyways, there is always something funny that happens. A few nights ago we decided to try TacoBell which is a cafeteria (that serves absolutely no tacos) in Akuafo Hall on campus. All the Ghanaian girls said they have the best food and that it is the cheapest place to go. At TacoBell, made us sit down right away (although students usually order at the bar where the menu is located) and when we asked if we could order at the bar they wouldn't let us (this was the bright red caution sign there to tip us off that something fishy was going on that we missed). We ended up getting ripped off... the food at TacoBell was quite good and we all had a good time until it was time to pay and they charged us what seemed like too much (but at that point, what can you do, you're not about to argue about prices at a restaurant). When we told our Ghanaian friends how much we spent they were really angry, they said we payed a little less than double what the food should have cost us. Partly I feel like a stupid American but I'm also angry about the whole thing. Yes we should have been smarter, but none of us expected to be ripped off in a restaurant on campus which is supposed to have fixed prices. The market is always a different story and there we are on our guard, but none of us expected to be cheated in a restaurant. I guess next time we'll know.
The thing is, although we're getting used to things, everything is still so different to us here. Sometimes the way they do things here seems jankey to us but we try to go with the flow in order to stand out less than our white skin makes us stand out already. It seems like we can never tell the difference between what's shady here and what just seems shady to us (and is just how things are run)... therefore we are easily taken advantage of. It's frustrating that people think it's ok to cheat us just because we don't know any better. Well, I guess you just learn from your mistakes, take it in stride, and keep going.
I still love Ghana...although not so much TacoBell.
(Emily getting her finger stuck in a coke bottle at Taco Bell, only a few minutes before we got ripped off...)
Life is becoming so ordinary to me here that I have a hard time thinking of things to write about. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find things that people in the states would find different and interesting about Ghana...
Food is continuing to be an issue for the group here. It seems that whenever we go out to a cafe to get some food, something goes wrong. Either there's lack of communication regarding the kind of fruit drinks they carry or there is some mix-up with some one's food. Some places that we go to keep playing the same reggae song over and over again (it's become quite a little theme song for us by now). Anyways, there is always something funny that happens. A few nights ago we decided to try TacoBell which is a cafeteria (that serves absolutely no tacos) in Akuafo Hall on campus. All the Ghanaian girls said they have the best food and that it is the cheapest place to go. At TacoBell, made us sit down right away (although students usually order at the bar where the menu is located) and when we asked if we could order at the bar they wouldn't let us (this was the bright red caution sign there to tip us off that something fishy was going on that we missed). We ended up getting ripped off... the food at TacoBell was quite good and we all had a good time until it was time to pay and they charged us what seemed like too much (but at that point, what can you do, you're not about to argue about prices at a restaurant). When we told our Ghanaian friends how much we spent they were really angry, they said we payed a little less than double what the food should have cost us. Partly I feel like a stupid American but I'm also angry about the whole thing. Yes we should have been smarter, but none of us expected to be ripped off in a restaurant on campus which is supposed to have fixed prices. The market is always a different story and there we are on our guard, but none of us expected to be cheated in a restaurant. I guess next time we'll know.
The thing is, although we're getting used to things, everything is still so different to us here. Sometimes the way they do things here seems jankey to us but we try to go with the flow in order to stand out less than our white skin makes us stand out already. It seems like we can never tell the difference between what's shady here and what just seems shady to us (and is just how things are run)... therefore we are easily taken advantage of. It's frustrating that people think it's ok to cheat us just because we don't know any better. Well, I guess you just learn from your mistakes, take it in stride, and keep going.
I still love Ghana...although not so much TacoBell.
(Emily getting her finger stuck in a coke bottle at Taco Bell, only a few minutes before we got ripped off...)Monday, September 10, 2007
classes etc...
Although we had one lecture last Friday, classes (full blown) really only began for us today. This morning we had Politics and Development in Africa followed by a People and Cultures class. Right now the rest of the group is in the African Literature class, but I decided not to take that one because I do not need the credit. The few of us that are not taking Literature are planning on going to Medina (a part of Accra close to campus) to tutor during the afternoons when others have class. Hopefully we can set that up and start going by Wednesday. Classes have been really good but slightly frustrating. It's difficult for me to understand the Professors sometimes because of their heavy accents. Its seems we are all struggling with this though and I think it will pass. We did not end up going to a soccer game yesterday. By the time church was over in the morning and we ate lunch, it was just too late to go. Besides, Erica was not feeling well and we did not want to leave her behind. There are soccer games every Sunday though so I'm sure we will have more than enough chances to go. A few of us wore our jerseys in the afternoon anyways...
I had a good time with the group hanging out last night, Audrey decided to make us all dinner and we spent some of the night in the dormitory kitchen eating spaghetti with vegetables, sweet bread, and pineapple. We all had a good time.
The food situation has been quite a bit better as of late, the night market is amazing! I buy roughly one pineapple per day (for approximately 70 cents). I also buy and eat a lot of bananas (had four little ones for breakfast). Some stands sell omelet sandwiches (which have been a hit with the group this past week). There is also a kabob stand (at which I have been instructed to ask for a non-spicy stick). Other than all of this, I've fallen in love with Digestive cookies--which are apparently all the rage in Britain(and here) but are difficult to find in the States. Apart from being amazingly delicious, they are also enriched with fiber (and other vitamins), which I am assuming is the reason that they are called Digestive cookies. If I gain weight here, it will be from all of the cookies I've been eating.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
African...Rhasta...Calvin
We went to the most interesting beach today, it was called Kokrobite Beach and we hung out most of the day at a resort called Wild Bill's (or something like that). The entire day was nice, amazing, relaxing but also unsettling. After driving through a small fishing village so poor and rural that the sheep didn't even want to move for us, we arrived at this resort (sort of) full of Rasta and tourism. It was like three cultures colliding next to the large boats on the sand looking out over the rough Atlantic. There were little shops and stands where visitors could buy their African/Rasta attire, and African children running around asking us what our names were (we also saw some older men with the coolest dreads, they were basically ankle length, it was intense). Although I had a great time playing in the waves and laying in the sand, there was something weird about today: I didn't (and still don't) know how to feel about being a rich white person wearing a bikini in a place where many local women (a large part of that particular village is Muslim) walked around with head-coverings. How am I supposed to feel about being a privileged woman going to a beach resort and driving through immense poverty to get there? Should I feel bad? Should I ignore it as a fact of life? I felt sort of like I was spitting in the face of Jesus...So this presents the struggle of every well meaning American who visits the third world... how do my riches meet their poverty? I could not have gotten out of the van and handed out money. What should we do, how should we respond to, the immense riches we have been given? I've begun to think that we are called to enjoy, be thankful for, and use wisely the riches we have been blessed with...but what does that even mean? Where is the line between thankfully enjoying and extravagance? Even if I find this line, I'll still feel guilty...
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Osu
We finally had a nice enough day to go to Osu today (third times a charm). It was both very fun and rather irritating. Osu is a touristy part of town where they have lots of good restaurants, sell souvenirs, and have a really nice fabric store. We looked around in the little shops and spent some time buying things we needed or wanted (including Ghana soccer jerseys we will be wearing to the Sunday afternoon soccer games). After a few hours of being hassled by street vendors we got irritated with the shopping experience and settled for lunch at a little outdoor restaurant...where I drank the best juice of my life. Yesterday when we went out to eat on campus I had issues getting fruit juice (there was slight miscommunication between apple juice and pineapple juice and after a while the waiter just didn't seem to want to give me juice at all) so I was very excited when I tasted the pineapple-orange fruit juice mix the waiter in Osu made especially for me, it was the best juice I have ever had in my life. When I go back to Osu, that is what I will buy (granted it stays down all night...we're wary of saying any food is good until we realize that we still feel good the next day).
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
never will i ever...
Never will I ever wait a week before getting down and dirty with the laundry again! A bunch of the group had planned to go to Osu today but it was raining yet again so we decided to hang around the hostel and get some chores done. We all had laundry to do and I decided that washing a week's worth of clothing is just too much in one sitting, from now on I'm going to wash my clothes every other day, that way it will take just a half hour every other day rather than a few hours once a week. Most of us had not had much hand-washing experience either so we put too much soap in the water...I'm convinced there's enough soap left in the fabric that I won't need to use any next time. Clean clothes are wonderful, Im learning how to appreciate them more and more with the amount of work I'm now doing to get them that way. I'm just hoping my clothes will dry within the next month...I'm not sure though with all of this humidity.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
We have spent the past few days on our very first excursion in Ghana. We left the university after church on Sunday and headed up into the mountains to the Akrofi Christaller Institute (Ghana's very first Christian seminary). Here we spent time getting to know one another better, listening to various lecturers (including famous Dr. Bediako), and walking around the village of Akropong. It was really nice to get out of the city for a while, the Akrofi Christaller Institute has an incredibly peaceful atmosphere and the entire weekend seemed to rejuvenate me. Today we also visited a bead factory (where most of us girls bought lots of hand-made beaded jewelry) and the dam on the Votla river which supplies most of the electricity for Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Before leaving Akropong in the afternoon we spent some of our free time hanging out with kids in the village, they were really cute. They made us play all sorts of funny games with them, including one where we had to stand in the middle of a circle and shake our hips... boy did we put on a show! All the Ghanaian adults thought it was hillarious (apparently it is widely known here that white people can't dance... maybe the next wave of missionaries aught to bring videos of that show Dancing with the Stars to help break the stereotypes). 
To update you all on the health of our group: Sierra was released from the hospital early on Monday (only to be brought back on Monday night). She was still feeling a bit lousy that whole day but by the night-time she had begun puking again. All I've heard was that she's a bit better now... Pearl did not have malaria. They ran tests on her and determined that she must have caught some sort of bug and put her on antibiotics. She's fine now. Dan is doing a bit better now (after being in bed for 3 or 4 days) although I think he's still not quite back to normal. Kristen also caught something this weekend. A few of us were up with her for quite a while last night (she had a high fever) but she seems to be better today. We would all appreciate prayers for health right now as none of us have all been healthy all at once yet.
Pictures are coming soon, I promise... including ones of my shaking it in front of Ghanaian villagers!
Peace
Saturday, September 1, 2007
and it begins...
Besides the occasional stomach ache etc most of us have been generally healthy. We've even spent some time joking and chatting about the time that we will each take our turn being sick with one random disease or another. The inevitable moment when part of the group splits off to the hospital has finally arrived... We were planning on going to Osu (one of the nicest areas of Accra where they supposedly have great food and beautiful fabric) today but woke up to the news that the trip was cancelled because Prof. Jelks had to take Sierra to the hospital earlier this morning. Apparently she got so dehydrated that by this morning she could hardly even walk... A few hours later we heard that another one of our girls, Pearl, was also feeling sick. She had a high fever and was getting intense pains in her arms and legs (which are signs of malaria). We sat with her for a while (trying to make her feel better) before Prof. Jelks came to take her to the hospital as well. We haven't heard anything else yet...but we're hoping it's something other than malaria. Dan is also having some trouble with his digestion, but at least he's sleeping now so we think he's getting better...
Today has been quite uneventful thus far, we've spent most of it worrying about our sick friends and sitting inside watching the mud thicken as it continues to rain. It's been raining on and off for a few days but since last night there has been intervals of constant down poor with misting rain in between... On the upside, I'm learning how to walk in the mud without splashing up the back of my legs... (I just realised how selfish and childish this last paragraph sounds in light of the previous one...sorry)
Today has been quite uneventful thus far, we've spent most of it worrying about our sick friends and sitting inside watching the mud thicken as it continues to rain. It's been raining on and off for a few days but since last night there has been intervals of constant down poor with misting rain in between... On the upside, I'm learning how to walk in the mud without splashing up the back of my legs... (I just realised how selfish and childish this last paragraph sounds in light of the previous one...sorry)
Friday, August 31, 2007
settling in...
"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same." -Unknown
This quote hangs on the wall in Afronet (an Internet cafe on campus which I am currently sitting in), I saw it last time I was here and it had somewhat of an impact on me. It's been a bit difficult being away from people at home (I wish you all could be here and we could share this experience) and although it gets easier everyday, I still get sad about missing people sometime. This quote made me realise that there are things I will have to go through on this trip ahead of me, how I deal with them, my attitude towards them, will form the kind of experience I have.
The last three days have been overall really good. We visited some markets in central Accra yesterday and went to a smaller market in a smaller town called Medina today. Other than that (and registering to become official students at the University of Ghana) we have not done very much. It seems weird to not be overwhelmed with programming. I'm used to going on trips abroad and spending the whole time running around and sight-seeing. The last few days we've mostly just been hanging out with the group, getting to know one another, and learning how to just "be" here.
Much of our free time these past few days (besides the hours we spend hanging out with one another talking and playing cards) has been trying to find food to eat. There are tons and tons of small vendors selling things everywhere (both on campus and off campus) but carbohydrates (particularly ones that are fried) seem to be a hit here and it is very difficult to find vegetables and fruits that we are allowed to eat (ones we can peal that wont make us sick). There are also little cafes around campus but most of them sell greasy food that most of us don't feel like eating (especially in the heat) anyways. So we've spent some time trying out places and looking for good vendors etc. The highlight of my trip so far was finding a place close to the hostel where they sell fruit! I was so happy I almost hugged Sarah when she told me about it. We went out and bought bananas for breakfast today, they were amazing!
The market in Accra yesterday was interesting. People yelled "Obruni" (which means "white person") at us and several people grabbed my wrist to stop me and talk to me. Overall, it was an eye-opening experience, but not so pleasant. Parts of the market sold food and in these parts the streets were lined with vendors selling various sorts of animals. Anywhere from seafood (raw, dry, or drying) to raw meat (including hanging possums) were sitting out in the hot sun, ready to sell. The smell made me want to vomit... On the other hand, there were parts of the market I liked very much. Some areas the path was lined with vendors selling all sorts of printed colorful African cloth. The colors of these various cloths neatly folded and piled well above my head was amazing to see.
I was also told what my address here is, so if anyone would like to send me letters, feel free to do so...
Kincso Borgyos
Attn. Calvin College c/o Dr. Randall Jelks
Instituted of African Studies
University of Ghana
PO Box 73 Legon
Ghana, West Africa
I'm not sure if the lines should be spaced that way but I think that's right. I'm quite sure the letters will find their way...if they are sent :)
Anyhow, thanks for visiting, I will post some pictures soon!
(this is of the inside courtyard of the International Student Hostel...we love it because there's always great ventilation and we can yell across it at each other)
This quote hangs on the wall in Afronet (an Internet cafe on campus which I am currently sitting in), I saw it last time I was here and it had somewhat of an impact on me. It's been a bit difficult being away from people at home (I wish you all could be here and we could share this experience) and although it gets easier everyday, I still get sad about missing people sometime. This quote made me realise that there are things I will have to go through on this trip ahead of me, how I deal with them, my attitude towards them, will form the kind of experience I have.
The last three days have been overall really good. We visited some markets in central Accra yesterday and went to a smaller market in a smaller town called Medina today. Other than that (and registering to become official students at the University of Ghana) we have not done very much. It seems weird to not be overwhelmed with programming. I'm used to going on trips abroad and spending the whole time running around and sight-seeing. The last few days we've mostly just been hanging out with the group, getting to know one another, and learning how to just "be" here.
Much of our free time these past few days (besides the hours we spend hanging out with one another talking and playing cards) has been trying to find food to eat. There are tons and tons of small vendors selling things everywhere (both on campus and off campus) but carbohydrates (particularly ones that are fried) seem to be a hit here and it is very difficult to find vegetables and fruits that we are allowed to eat (ones we can peal that wont make us sick). There are also little cafes around campus but most of them sell greasy food that most of us don't feel like eating (especially in the heat) anyways. So we've spent some time trying out places and looking for good vendors etc. The highlight of my trip so far was finding a place close to the hostel where they sell fruit! I was so happy I almost hugged Sarah when she told me about it. We went out and bought bananas for breakfast today, they were amazing!
The market in Accra yesterday was interesting. People yelled "Obruni" (which means "white person") at us and several people grabbed my wrist to stop me and talk to me. Overall, it was an eye-opening experience, but not so pleasant. Parts of the market sold food and in these parts the streets were lined with vendors selling various sorts of animals. Anywhere from seafood (raw, dry, or drying) to raw meat (including hanging possums) were sitting out in the hot sun, ready to sell. The smell made me want to vomit... On the other hand, there were parts of the market I liked very much. Some areas the path was lined with vendors selling all sorts of printed colorful African cloth. The colors of these various cloths neatly folded and piled well above my head was amazing to see.
I was also told what my address here is, so if anyone would like to send me letters, feel free to do so...
Kincso Borgyos
Attn. Calvin College c/o Dr. Randall Jelks
Instituted of African Studies
University of Ghana
PO Box 73 Legon
Ghana, West Africa
I'm not sure if the lines should be spaced that way but I think that's right. I'm quite sure the letters will find their way...if they are sent :)
Anyhow, thanks for visiting, I will post some pictures soon!
(this is of the inside courtyard of the International Student Hostel...we love it because there's always great ventilation and we can yell across it at each other)
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
day one...
It blows my mind to think that two days ago I was in North America, and now I'm in this place so totally different from what I am used to. We have mostly been walking around trying to get a grasp on this huge campus (I usually have no idea where I am), there's 27,000 students that go here and things are a bit different from Calvin. So far I have gotten a bit settled into my room, but no roommate just yet...I hope she's nice. The Ghanaians here are all very nice and friendly so I am not very nervous about that.
More later, we are now heading to a party for international students...
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Introductory Comments...
Hello all...and welcome to my web-log (my attempt to communicate the fabulous adventures of a semester in Ghana to anyone who wishes to be informed). I admit that the very creation of a blog by myself is somewhat hypocritical (since I myself hardly read other people's blogs) however, multiple people have reminded me that blogging is perhaps the least intrusive and most universal way to communicate with a large amount of people. Less intrusive than perhaps, the mass email (which I usually revert to) and more universal than the mass email as well, for I can post pictures thoughts etc, and anyone can look at them. So, my two major requests to all who are reading my blog:
1) Don't feel guilty if you never come back (I'm so bad at keeping in touch with people myself that I hardly ever read blogs) or if you only visit every now an again to view my pictures...however, do feel free to subscribe :)
2) If at some point, you find a friend or acquaintance of mine whom I have neglected most abominably by failing to send them the link to this blog, please feel free to pass it on...and again, I'm sorry if you have turned out to be such a person, take no offense at my crude forgetfulness.
So, dear friends and family, that is all for now. My Ghanaian adventures have not yet begun so there is not much else to say...
1) Don't feel guilty if you never come back (I'm so bad at keeping in touch with people myself that I hardly ever read blogs) or if you only visit every now an again to view my pictures...however, do feel free to subscribe :)
2) If at some point, you find a friend or acquaintance of mine whom I have neglected most abominably by failing to send them the link to this blog, please feel free to pass it on...and again, I'm sorry if you have turned out to be such a person, take no offense at my crude forgetfulness.
So, dear friends and family, that is all for now. My Ghanaian adventures have not yet begun so there is not much else to say...
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