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The Gift from Gifty

Today was one of those days when I was reminded why I travel. I woke up feeling lethargic and rather "over" my Ghana experience. I have even been toying with leaving a little bit early so I can make it home for a friend's wedding, but I am not sure if I will be able to finish my research in time or not. The morning had me thinking of making that change and making it FAST.

It turns out the little black things, which had been floating out of the beans I was soaking were definitely alive at some point. And the massive cockroaches camping out in the silverware drawer (or cutlery drawer in Ghanaian terminology) turned into an insurmountable mental roadblock between me and my properly stirred morning coffee.

I grudgingly headed to my interview with a man that clearly appreciated having someone listen, and I failed miserably at feigning interest as he droned on about the US having all the answers to development, and that we just needed to share it with our "poor third world brothers." BARF.

By the time I returned home (a little after noon), I wanted to crawl into bed and shut out my Ghanaian experience, but could not because I had plans to meet Gifty in Nungua (the town where I used to live).

I met Gifty through Sabrina; they taught together at St. Michael's primary school. We didn't have the best of start she and I. The first day we met she asked why I cut my hair so short and when I was unable to give a proper response, she burst out laughing. Needless to say, I was offended (although thinking back it seems that my offended-ness was probably unwarranted).

Today we met so she could take me to her dressmaker where I would finally turn this lovely piece of fabric I have been drooling over into a dress :) We went to the dressmaker and the four woman all laughed at my descriptions of how I wanted my dress "very low" in the front. (side note: modesty in Ghana means "plunging" necklines that hit at my collar bone) I also explained the design for a skirt with some fabric Sabrina had left over. We will see if they come out anywhere near the description. Whether they do or not, I made some new friends, laughed a little and both items together cost a grand total of just 7GHc (about $4.85).

After leaving the dressmaker, Gifty took me to the Nungua market where she does her shopping. She was determined to find me some good quality beans -- free of bugs. We took a back route through a neighborhood crossing over the open streams of sewage where the children play. The kids kept calling me teacher (they thought I was Sabrina, but if you see the two of us, we couldn't look much different). Gifty encouraged me to practice using my Twi to greet her friends as we passed. She and they were patient with me as I butchered it several times over. It didn't take long for me to get caught up in the experience and to forget, if only for just a moment, that I am still just an Obruni who does not belong here at all.

Gifty and I wove in and out of the market hand in hand until we had collected all of the necessary food stuffs to make Okro Stew (and fried plantains - these two don't go together at all, but oh well). I promised Gifty I would practice on my own and then when she was free, she and I could make it together at my house. She agreed.

All in all, I spent a total of two hours with Ms. Gifty, but I am oh so grateful for those few hours. She recharged my nearly depleted battery and reminded me why, in the end, I am here in Ghana and why it is that I love to travel (and learn) so much.

It is simple really -- I love travel because I meet people like Gifty. She took me under her wing, not because she wanted anything in return, but because she is honest, fair and sincere. She told me that she wakes up every morning and lives like she thinks Jesus would have lived, which as she explained to me, meant that the dressmaker only charge me what she charge everyone else, and that you don't try to make an extra profit just because you think I have money. Our totally different backgrounds and lives became irrelevant, because in the end we are both just people trying to be as human as we can be, and she helped me to understand this.

It is the people like Gifty and the few hours in the market together that stay with you long after you leave a place, long after your photographs become faded (it sounds cliche, but it is true). Such experiences restore my faith in people, which has been slowly depleted by the constant hisses, hassling and calls of "white man." I would have never met Gifty nor interacted with her had I not traveled to Ghana, and now I would go as far as to call her my friend.

Today was a much needed respite from the continual daily reminders that I don't belong here and that maybe I shouldn't even be here. Today, I was reminded why I travel and for that I should really thank Gifty.

Blogger MIA

Hi all...I have been a terrible blogger the past week or so...I had such an amazing trip to Cape Coast that the reality of being back in Accra and research has not been much to write home about (literally).

It has been an incredibly busy week of interviews and my professor asked me to switch up my research in kind of a major way. So I have been scrambling to get my act together. I spent the weekend in and around Accra. I volunteered at a really bizarre youth conference on the state of the African Union (three of their "featured" speakers were video recordings), went to the international trade fair (where I bought low fat milk from South Africa - so much for minimizing my carbon foot print), and hung out at a new beach close to my house.

I have been crazily running all over the city to talk with people from the major parties to wrap up my research...I am feeling I could probably stick around for a long time and study the state of democracy in Ghana, but I am ready to return to warm showers, food without bugs in it, and drinkable tap water.

Today, I am off to see the electoral commissioner and head of the National Commission for Civic Education...fun times, really fun times. There may be a trip up to the Volta region in the works for the weekend and it is possible I will return to greater Accra a queen, but we will see how it all pans out, and what exactly will be my queenly responsibilities.

Nothing is as Simple as Black and White

I had an incredible weekend in Cape Coast, Elmina and a tiny little place known in the guidebook as Amenyi. It was a weekend of mind-blowing historical sights, new friends, and a fair amount of questioning.

I arrived in Cape Coast on Thursday night after about 5 hours of travel in a tro tro. It was not really THAT far, I think around 150 km from accra, but there was the usual traffic to be battled. The place we stayed, OASIS, was right on the water and we had our own cabana with running shower -- quite frankly it felt like a honeymoon suite particularly if one can use a little imagination and dream the mosquito netting into a bed canopy. the beach, which was audible AND visible from bed was a bustle of fishing activity. John went swimming, but I wasn't as brave. The dead dog that washed up on shore made up my mind for me rather quickly.

As far as the city of cape coast itself, I wasn't overly enthralled with it. I woke up early Friday morning (6:30am) to enjoy the beach. Then I walked the town. I saw remnants of the old city in Santo Domingo albeit an unrestored version. The looming buildings were neither trendy nor symbols of modern-day wealth, but utilitarian.

It wasn't just the colonial infrastructure that gave Cape Coast a very different vibe than Accra or Teshie/Nungua (where I have been living), but the locals we met seem to have been shaped and molded by the endless influx of tourists to see Cape Coast Castle. We were hassled, I mean REALLY hassled, everywhere we went from the hotel to the castle to the restaurant along the shore. John used a rather hilarious and emphatic NO! which usually drew a smile from it's victim, while dually freeing us from the heckling. We also caught glimpses of the sex tourism that seems to draw itself into beautiful beachy places, but the most notable of sights was definitely the castle.

It is hard to find the appropriate words to describe Cape Coast Castle, and it was even more challenging for me to comprehend the scope of the atrocities committed there. The castle was originally set up for the trade of goods by the British, but this changed when the trans-atlantic slave trade proved to be a more profitable pursuit. It is important to note, however, that the trade of human slaves existed long before the Europeans arrived to extract the natural resources from West Africa; the colonial powers introduced the trade of humans across the sea. And while colonists, particularly the governors, committed crimes against humanity that are absolutely unimaginable, there was also a network of local powers that served as accomplices in the exportation of their fellow West Africans.

The most powerful reminder of what happened here at Cape Castle is no doubt the slave dungeons. Our group of 30 stood in some of the rooms together. We filled nearly half of one room that is alleged to have held between 250 and 300 male slaves at a given time. The only access to air and light came from three small holes in the ceiling. The tour guide pointed out a mark on the wall about two feet from the floor, demarcating where the floor had risen due to human waste, blood and bones. The slaves were kept in these dungeons for three months, the same length of time for the journey to the Americas. The Europeans used the dungeons to separate the weak from the strong. Many of those that survived the dungeons, were subjected to even worse conditions on the boat, and ultimately met their deaths en route to the Americas...

The symbolic "Door of No Return," leading out to the sea has now been marked on the outside with a sign for the "Door of Return" to symbolize the re-engagement between African-americans, -caribenos, and -brasileiros and their African roots. The castle itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is extremely well kept (it could also be that it was cleaned up for Barak and Michelle's visit a few weeks ago). I felt disconnected while I was in and around Cape Castle. Something about the shiny white walls and absence of personal slave stories left me wanting more information and feeling so very far away from the actual history of the place in which I stood. I suppose I may have found this information in the Museum, but unfortunately it was closed.

On Saturday we headed to Elmina, a town about 15 km away from Cape Coast. The fort there was built in the 1480s by the Portuguese (hence the original name of Cape Coast as capo corso meaning short cape), but by mid 17th century it had been captured by the Dutch. Elmina was nothing short of haunting. The walls are falling down, the smell of immonia and fermentation is almost overwhelming, and the stories of what the women slaves were forced to endure struck a nerve.

Our first stop was to the women's dungeon. Our tour guide explained how the governor's quarters overlooked the courtyard in the middle of the dungeons. He instructed us in how the governor would stand above and pick out the women he wanted to rape. The women entered his large quarters through a trap door connected to the dungeons. It is nauseating to even try to imagine having to choose between a public caning, naked, while lifting cannon balls in the courtyard or the alternative raping by the governor. It is equally difficult to understand the mindset of the governor who slept peacefully in his 3-room penthouse with a perfect view of the sea above a room stuffed with hundreds of naked women, any of which he could have whenever he wanted. It is hard to see the humanity in either side of the situation.

We also learned that mothers who became impregnated from the raping were separated from the others, and the children were oftentimes separated from the mothers who were returned to the dungeons after childbirth. Formal education got its start here in the slave castles, because the colonizers wanted to educate their mulatto children. No one knows, however, how many children never made it that far as many mothers would kill their babies in the ultimate act of motherly love and protection. The castle at Elmina was powerful. Throughout the remainder of the weekend, I found our conversations peppered with questions about race, development, Ghanaian culture and what exactly was our role in any of it.

Saturday night we said goodbye to John (who was headed to INDIA!!!) and headed to Amenyi to meet a few girls we had met the night before in Cape Coast. We went to a tiny guesthouse off the beaten path said to be a "self-sustainable, eco-village." It had changed ownership since the writing of the guidebook, but was still a welcome haven to offset the heavy historical sight-seeing. Ko-Sa Cultural Center is undoubtedly a must for anyone traveling to Ghana. I would recommend travelers to see the castles at both Elmina and Cape Coast in the daytime, and to stay at Ko-Sa even though it is about an hour in transit outside of Elmina. The food, cabanas, and serene beach were like nothing I have experienced yet in Ghana and at the mere price of $7 per night you cannot go wrong. We even treated ourselves to a bottle of MALBEC with dinner.

We returned Sunday night late; naturally we misjudged how long it would take us to get home. I was supposed to move for the third time, but by the time I got home, I just couldn't muster the energy.

Monday I moved into OSU in Accra. It is a touristy, westernized neighborhood, but it is centrally located and I can walk anywhere I need to go. I am living in a house which is part of a compound. I love with three other americans (two go to the U of M!!!) and a cuban guy. The house is nice with a kitchen, running water, a 24-hour security man and lots and lots of cockroach friends :) I have my own room and fan with a luxurious cross breeze. The freedom of living on my own without an 8pm curfew and little kids climbing all over me at the end of the day is welcome, but I am very grateful for what my host families taught and shared with me over the past month in regards to life in Ghana. The graciousness and hospitality of all has been truly remarkable. I already feel a little bit lonely without them.

ghanaian hospitality

for me these types of days don't happen all that often, because i absolutely love the challenge that comes with learning the rhythm to a new place, but by mid-day today, i had that "off" feeling of homesickness. i think it was the thud i heard from the tro tro on my way home from the university, which turned out to be a man. everyone was yelling in twi and his face was covered in blood. i really, really wished i could understand what was going on beyond the obvious fact he had been hit...i am kind of used to feeling out of the loop and normally it really doesn't bother me, but there are days and instances when you really just want to know and today was one of them.

i didn't get to see what happened to the injured man as we only stopped about 30 seconds, but he was surrounded by ghanaians, which means he surely was being taken care of.

i am not entirely confident that it comes off in my blog how ghanaian culture is truly hospitable and friendly. i can't count the number of times, a ghanaian i have just met walked several blocks out of their way to get me where i need to be, demanded a refund for me when the tro tro mate has charged too much, bought me drinking water or some other treat, or tried to give me one of their personal belongings...i used to try to fight it, but this morning when the man next to me in the tro tro informed me that he had already paid my fare, i just thanked him and wished him a nice day. i have yet to be afraid of getting lost, because although i have been a bit disoriented a time or two, every single time, i was able to find my way due to the kind directions of a local. i do realize some of the "giving" i mentioned above may have to do with me being a foreigner visiting their country. but i find giving without expecting a return quite common in ghanaian culture and honestly quite remarkable.

speaking of giving, i went to see Dr. Robert at the University, the cousin of a childhood soccer teammate. he has taken such great care of me, and he had kindly agreed "endorse" my research so that I can use the "public" resource library at the CDD despite the fact that he has nothing to do with my project at all.

after i picked up my support letter from dr. robert, i met with another professor in hopes of getting some contacts for my research. this professor is a pretty important guy in ghana or so i have been told, i mean he is the official linguist to the ashanti king after all. he also happens to be head of the african studies department at harvard, his home university, and he appears to be a total badass (sorry mom, but its true). i was early for my appointment with him (ahem by an hour) and he was late by about an hour and a half, which meant i waited around for about two and half hours thinking of what i should be doing...thankfully i brought lots of reading along to entertain myself, but this waiting-thing that i am learning to be pretty good at, is really quite tiring. in the end i really hope it was worth it, and that the impromptu meeting in his mini van, on the lawn of the law school, and the walk in between the two will lead to some new contacts.

although this very busy professor knows a whole lot of people, he kindly reminded me just how hard it is to get people to talk to you, but he said he would ask some favors...which is truly ghanaian of him.

tomorrow i head to cape coast (following in the footsteps of the obamas). i am going to visit one of the main castles through which the atlantic slave trade was funneled, be a beach bum, stop by elmina (the home town of the communist party candidate) and hopefully see mole national park as well. i am also finally going to meet ms. liz's friend, john, who has been traveling around Africa all summer. i can hardly wait to have a beach buddy, share a beer and hear all about his undoubtedly crazy adventures.

and what did you do today?

i get that question a lot. either someone at home or a new friend on the tro tro will almost always ask any combination of the following questions: are you american? are you christian? where do you worship? and dun, dun, dun: what did you do today? and despite some variation, my days are beginning to fall into certain patterns, yet i still have a hard time answering this very question.

today, i decided i would finally take my computer in to that specialist in osu (also known as oxford street). i spent an hour or so at the internet cafe researching CODEO (coalition of domestic election observers) because i had an interview will one of the members scheduled for 2pm. after my internet binge, i changed my last $100 US dollars and decided to walk to the big United Bank of Africa to find out whether or not they will take a debit Mastercard. Note to all future travelers in Ghana -- the guide book is not kidding when it says only VISA is accepted. i have been here nearly 4 weeks and i still have yet to use a credit or debit card. however, i have used up the stash of cash i brought along and i am keeping my fingers crossed that i will be able to find a bank somewhere that can accept MC...

so, i decided to walk to the next town, teshie, to avoid traffic and stop by the bank. it was no real surprise that the bank did not accept mastercard, but was able to suggest a handful of places that they thought "might" accept mastercard. the scavenger hunt continues.

i hop on a tro tro and head into accra. i stop in Osu, which is one of the two Accra neighborhoods covered in my guidebook. it is popular with the ex-pat crowd and rumored to be extremely overpriced. they do, however, have koala grocery store where one can allegedly find any and all of the western goods they could possibly desire. i, myself, have done without truly "american" foods and goodies for so long now that koala holds absolutely no appeal. truth is i am actually counting down the days till i will be preparing my own food and can frequent the numerous plantain stands along osu. the street is a hub of activity and i might as well get to know it as it will be my new home starting next sunday eve. (yes, i am moving AGAIN)

it was a quick jaunt to the computer store. the store was stocked with all the most modern electronic devices and the friendly, professional sales people outnumbered the customers by far. a sweet girl at the help desk remembered my call from the day before and told me to take a seat while she found a technician. while i waited, i decided to take out my computer and attempt to turn it on. to my complete and utter astonishment, the screen lit up. my computer works after all. it is extremely slow, which according to the technician could be a virus, memory problem, or a sign that the operating system is on its way out...whatever the culprit is, i feel as if i got a new lease on life (or research at least). although this time around, i will be backing up DAILY.

after my mini computer miracle, i met matt for lunch at one of my favorite street stands. i have eaten there 3 or 4 times, and i feel as if i have made friends with the 3 ladies who work there despite there lack of english and my lack of twi. matt had yams, katumbire, palava and a hardboiled egg for a mere 1.10 cedi and i had boiled plantain with palava sauce for 70 pesewas (about 50 cents). food is really cheap, tasty and loaded with carbohydrates. i think i could become extremely obese were i to stay in ghana forever -- either that or turn into a plantain.

after lunch, i headed off to "bola," a muslim neighborhood in accra where i had never been before. i was supposed to find the muslim school called research to conduct an interview. of course, sheikh, my interviewee, did not give me a specific address, but told me to ask around and i would find it. there really are not addresses from what i have gathered in ghana. directions are based on landmarks for the most part, which can at times be problematic. in my particular case, my asking around got me to another islamic school quite a walk away from where i was apparently supposed to be.

i ended up taking a taxi cab back to the "bola" neighborhood and wandered around until i could find the school. i was nearly 45 minutes late in the end, which is apparently not so bad according to ghanaian standards. i met with Sheikh, a member of CODEO, and he was a wealth of information. i was there nearly 2 hours just soaking in all that he had to share. he considers himself a member of the zongo muslims in ghana, a group of muslim that settled in ghana centuries ago, yet still seems to view themselves as settlers. he told me that "bola" means the area where refuse is dumped, which was pretty evident on my walk out of the neighborhood. the bola neighborhood is primarily muslim and it is reflected in the impromptu prayer shrines, echo of prayer and arabic store names. i was definitely the only obruni wandering around, but that no longer makes me uncomfortable.

after my interview, i hurried home to say goodbye to my new british friends and former housemates, emma and jess. as i write now, they are mounting a plane and are just 12 hours away from warm showers, a fresh salad and truly clean clothes. ok, there may be a twinge of envy, but now that my computer is fixed, my research is advancing and i am headed to cape coast for the weekend, i would not even consider exchanging my month left in ghana for a seat on that plane...

Official Google Blog: Special Ghana site for President Obama's visit

Official Google Blog: Special Ghana site for President Obama's visit

alas i am proud to be an american...

(saturday, july 11, 2009)

my alarm goes off at 5:15am, and i think about rolling out of bed, but the mating guard dogs woke me intermittently throughout the night, and i am TIRED. so, i turn my alarm off and go back to sleep, almost giving in to all the cynics who told me there was no way i would be able to get close enough to see obama.

my phone buzzes with a new message at 6:15am. it is matt. he says the magic words: traffic is non-existent!!! this is all the encouragement i need to hop out of bed, hurriedly eat my breakfast, and head into town to La General hospital where the president and first lady are expected anywhere between 9:30 and 10am. i arrive by 7am and to my surprise there really isn't much of a crowd. i comfortably find a place to sit directly across from the hospital. this is the closest the army of policemen will let us be, and i find a nice little spot of grass just above the open sewer/mote where i can alternate between sitting and standing. this turns out to be rather marvelous as the obamas didn't arrive until nearly noon.

as usual, i am the only obruni in a 50 meter radius (if you don't count a random foreign journalist here and there), and i am intrigued by the buzz and excitement of the ghanaian die-hards decked out in full body obama attire. i do have to say that saturday was the day that it finally hit me that barak obama is my president and i felt the incredible power he has throughout the world. yeah, yeah i was in argentina when he won the election, surrounded by excitement and several emotional, sobbing friends (you know who you are, jaja), but saturday as i sat amidst a sea of africans, waving a ghanaian flag myself, the sense of pride i felt about my country was a new and welcome sensation. i listened to bits of the conversations around me (most in twi, which unfortunately i am struggling to learn even the most basic of phrases). i didn't mind for the first time being white and sticking out in a crowd, because i was so proud to be an american and even prouder that the excited buzz around me was for once about my own country.

just a little background on why this day in accra, ghana was such a great american experience. my first time out of the countrywas january 1, 2002. my destination was paris, france. albeit i was young, naive and in a group of about 20 loud american college students, but i remember exactly how the street looked that second night when someone began taunting us, ranting about how great a man osama bin laden was and that "long live osama bin laden." i remember being shocked and saddened and completely taken off guard that someone would be so bitter about my country. hmmph, looking back i realize i had A LOT to learn.

my next experience abroad was the spring of my junior year, which i spent in buenos aires, argentina. i remember sitting next to my host-dad, agustin, in his study watching CNN in espanol on March 19, 2003 when President George W. Bush declared war on iraq. i didn't understand spanish very well, but the message was extremely clear. i remember that i felt so very far away from home. even more, i remember the experience of going to school the next morning at lenguas vivas. my classmates and i were all a bit disoriented. someone started to cry (for all i know it could have been me) when the topic of the freshly declared war came up. so our teacher told us to take a 15 minute break. we came back and each found a chocolate placed in the center of each of our desks and she gave us all big hugs reminding us that people know the difference between the actions of our government and us, but over the next 3 months i certainly met plenty of people who did not seem to really be capable of making that distinction or maybe i was the one incapable of accepting it.

i got used to telling people i was canadian or australian. i almost went as far as putting a canadian flag patch on my backpack. the truth was i was both ashamed to be american and afraid of the response i might get from the people around me if i were to admit it. i couldn't understand why we declared war on iraq and i was in no position to support it. watching my country go to war from afar was an uncomfortable experience. i saw more flags burned in the next 3 months than i have in my entire life, and i photo-documented the not so subtle anti-war sentiments throughout argentina.

when i returned to argentina in 2007, i felt a significant change in how the US was viewed. there seemed to be a clear separation between the government and the citizen (not sure if i was more mature or the world, maybe we both were). although George W certainly wasn't making us too many friends, i was not afraid of being physically harmed in any way for being american (not that this was ever an issue in 2003 either). i did, however, have to endure an ubiquitous amount of US bashing on the streets, in the classroom, and even in the homes of my own friends. sometimes i defended us, other times i was quiet, and occasionally i couldn't help but join in.

so these are just a few of my previous experiences that led to the sweetness of seeing Obama in ghana this past saturday. to be in africa when the first african-american president sets foot on the continent was a monumental day in history, and i was right there to experience it.

now back to my story...the president and first lady arrived sometime after 11:30 am, they stayed inside the hospital until after noon, before driving past the road where i had been sitting for the past 5 hours with thousands of others with the same goal in mind: to catch a glimpse of barak obama.

i videotaped him as he passed us in a heavily armored SUV. i saw him wave, but it all happened so fast that i wasn't able to get it on my camera. i was hardly disappointed. the morning, the company, and the woman who told me she loved barak obama because "he had brought the world closer together" made the wait so so worth it.

i went into the hospital to meet up with matt. he is going into his senior year studying engineerng, but matt is here on a mission/volunteer trip for the summer. he has been placed in the hospital, and he is getting a lot of great hands on experience to prepare for medical school. matt became my hero on saturday, not because he is a lot of fun or because he is a selfless volunteer, but rather because he got me an extra ticket to the "Send-off Jubilee" at the airport later in the day with President Barak Obama and President John Atta Mills.

**on a sidenote: La General hospital had discharged many of it's patients whether healed or not to prepare for the US president's visit. They also gravelled the front yard, painted the fences, and planted palm trees to improve the exterior. This is the same hospital that when i visited a few weeks back had up to 3 children sharing a bed and the surgical unit was set up behind a curtain in the hallway; hardly a model of sanitation. i wish the obama's could have seen the version of the hospital i saw 3 weeks ago and not the new and improved version, but i realize when the boss comes to town, appearances are important. i just wish it weren't that way.

Matt and i hop a tro-tro to get to the airport early for the 5:45pm event. the doors were to open at 2:30pm and everyone we talked to said to get there as early as possible. we were on track, but traffic was not in our favor nor was the driver who at one point pulled over the tro tro, turned around and tried to punch the woman next to me who was yelling at him in twi. when matt successfully pushed him back toward the front seat, he got out and tried to punch her through the window and through me...imagine yourself in a mini-van with 15 ghanaian women all yelling in various local languages at the male driver as he tries to punch one of his riders who just so happens to be seated next to you.

by the end of the yelling, they told us to get out. we really have no idea what exactly happened, but apparently the fight had SOMETHING to do with matt and i.

we met emma our british housemate and aspiring american politico at the airport. there seemed to be a lot of confusion on how to get to the event, but eventually we found ourselves at the front of one of several queues. whomever thought up the entrance was obviously on crack, because they opened a gate the size of a small doorway to let people in. when everyone from the back started pushing, i got shoved up against the fence. i started to cry. i think it was a combination of the excitement and embarrassment about the utter barbarity of people sometimes. anyhow, i caught the eye of a security guard on the other side of the fence and he had me off the fence and inside the gate before i knew it.

we entered the VIP section (still not exactly sure how matt pulled this one off) with all the PCVs (peace corps volunteers). the 3 of us lined ourselves strategically along the red carpet in hopes of shaking the president's hand. to our dismay, the red carpet was for the entrance of President Atta Mills not President Obama. We did see airforce one and met a great many interesting people as we waited. The President and First Lady came within 10 feet of us, but we didn't get to introduce ourselves or shake his hand unfortunately. We watched him speak, but could not hear as the mics were set up for the back of the crowd and for the media.

It was a lovely day in all. In fact, I think it was a life changing day even if I didn't shake the hand of the president.

Yesterday, Sunday - we went to Kokrobite Beach on the West side of Accra. It was fantastically beautiful with white sand and rolling waves. the beach was scattered with obrunis and enormous, handmade fishing boats. We stopped by the Academy for African Music to see a drumming and dance performance - finally I saw live african music in africa. I will post pictures and video soon, I promise!

saw obama!!!

it is late, i am tired, and the poor doll that works the internet cafe has already stayed way past closing time, but I SAW HIM (and i almost, i mean almost, shook the man's hand). do tune back in for all the details tomorrow!

the pangs of research

i am learning rather quickly that conducting research can certainly be humbling...yesterday was supposed to be a "big" day of interviews. first on the agenda, a trip to the university of ghana to meet with an "important" professor of political science. second stop to the center for democratic development to work my way into the offices of a few prominent scholars of ghanaian democracy...

well, i made it to both places, but didn't manage to talk to anyone. i waited for the professor for over two hours. i was really hoping the rain, rather than his pure disinterest, had kept him from keeping his appointment with me. after two hours, i got impatient and left him a note, which i know he will probably never read before heading over to the cdd.

at the cdd, i was faced with a rather unexpected obstacle: the receptionist, ramona. this stubborn young lady seemed to pick up on my desperation after my morning stand up and she attempted to capitalize on it. thankfully, a former intern was hanging around the lobby and managed to get me a little bit of information on the center despite ramona's not so subtle hints that the only way anyone at the center could "make time to see me" would be if i could provide some sort of "financial compensation." oh, bribery. i should be used to it considering my time in argentina, but this was more blatant than i ever experienced in buenos aires. and worse, it was coming from a center that is supposed to be "enhancing the democratic values and transparency" in ghana. i mean, i have come to expect it from government officials (particularly those affiliated with migration/customs work), but from the center for democratic development not so much.

turns out if i am able to find a UG professor to write me a letter and i pay an undetermined fee, i will have access to their one-room library for the next 3 months. i guess this is what i will do, not because i need to use the library, but to give myself the informal opportunity to ask a few staff members some questions.

after the bust of a day, i headed to a forum on US-Ghana relations: past, present and future. i actually learned a thing or two from the three key speakers (including the former candidate for president from the communist party), but most of the jokes were told in twi and we found ourselves confused, while the people around us reached hysterics. the key messages (aside from recognizing the important people who had come to the event) were that the relationship between the two countries could definitely be mutually beneficial, but for this to happen, the US had to stop giving hand outs as development aid and ghana needs to stop accepting them, aid should focus on agricultural development in the country, and ultimately the US should let africans decide for themselves how they would like to work together. interesting stuff, but nothing too earth shattering really.

after the forum we went to alliance frances (sorry about the spelling for all of you french speakers) for what the guide book said was a "cultural night." there was supposed to be food and drumming. we did find food, but drumming was a myth. there was a nice bar, full of other culture-seeking americans as well. we are learning over and over that the last edition of the Bradt Guidebook on Ghana has yet to really be right about much beyond the name and location of things...when it comes to music and other activities it mentions, none of them seem to exist. i guess we are really on our own to discover ghana, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

i know it is only thursday, but after the frustrating day yesterday, i am taking today off. i plan to spend some time at the markets in accra and maybe finally head to an art exhibit i have been eyeing up at the artist alliance building. but then again you never really know what a day will bring in ghana until the day has passed so we shall see.

good thing i was born to walk...

hey there. so my computer troubles continue, but i think i may see a light at the end of the tunnel, because a man i interviewed this morning from the communist party just so happens to have an extra laptop he offered to lend me...fingers crossed it comes through. i always knew i was a commie somewhere deep inside of myself.

so the weekend travel consisted of a day trip to the botanical gardens in a quiet little mountain town, an arduous transportation adventure and a pretty lil water fall (although after iguazu falls i don't think any other water fall can quite win my approval). we left about 8am with a short stop at the botannical gardens and finally arrived at the falls around 4pm. there was a handmade sign on the path instructing us to call a certain o.b. something or other before entering. of course we did as instructed. he or some of his guys arrived about 5 minutes later charging us 10 cedi to walk us down a 10-minute path ridden with the largest scorpions i have seen in my life (i was grateful for o.b.'s protection in the end). our quick jaunt took us to the nice little trickly known as Asenema falls...we never quite figured out if o.b. and his guys were actually formally employed by the government or whomever "owns" the falls or if they are just some local entrepreneurs aware of how to make a quick dollar or two. either way, good for them.

the nature excursion was pleasant enough even with the 7 tro tros we ended up taking over the span of 6 hours or so in actual transport that it took us to get to the falls. the real butt of the joke was that we only had to take one tro-tro back into accra and it took less than 2 hours...we definitely didn't take the most direct route to arrive at the falls apparently, but no big deal - it was a lot of fun.

sunday night, i moved to my new house. i have my own room and some new roommates: an 18-year old canadian boy, 2 just-out-of high school girls from scotland, as well as several local kids that have been taken in. i like it so far. mostly, i am just grateful for running water and a flushing toilet. i could, however, do without the insane traffic to get into accra.

monday morning i was supposed to be out at the university by 9am. i woke at 5:30am to eat breakfast and get out the door and on the road by 6:30 am...everything went accordingly, but by 8am i had just gotten into a tro-tro and was sittng less than a mile from my house. i finally arrived at the university by 10:30am. the problem is that there is only one route to and around accra and this road has about a 15-ft patch of potholes as a result of the rain. this nice little piece of road has caused the worst traffic on a daily basis than i have ever, i seriously mean ever, seen in my life. time in transportation: 4 hours.

i finished up at the university in just over an hour, but because my phone was dying decided to run home quick to charge it and have a coffee before heading back into the city for an afternoon interview with the editor of a local newspaper. i got home to my charger to find out that the power was out. guess i probably would have been just as well off had i not gone home to charge it in the first place :( but i decided to have my coffee at a little place overlooking the ocean before heading into the office anyway.

about half way through my ride back into accra, my tummy started to grumble. it seemed i might finally be coming down with the infamous "travelers diarrhea" that i had somehow, up until this point, managed to avoid. i did all i could to ignore it and focus on the questions i was going to ask before arriving at the station. in the end, the total time in transportation home from the university and back into accra: 2 hours.

the interview went really well with the exception of the bathroom emergency in the middle, and i was excited about the idea of getting home early. however, it is really hard to get a tro to my part of the city (teshie/nungua) because the tro tros don't like sitting in traffic either and it is not economically sensical to go that way when there are alternative destinations people are trying to reach. and because i find it absolutely uncivilized the way that people push, grab, yell, and fight to get into the tros tros, i decided to take a tro to a station a little out of the way, because i know they form nice little neat lines to get people on the tro tro...this was probably my biggest mistake of the evening.

i arrived at "37" station to find a line that easily could have wrapped an entire city block had there been one. there didn't seem to be any vans coming in and those that did were quickly filled with passengers willing to bribe some big scary-looking man that seemed to be able to strong-arm people in and out of seats. (aside note: ghana just made the list of countries with high levels of petty bribary according to Transparency International's June 2009 report - and i saw it in action). well, i waited in line for about an hour before finally getting a tro. i kept thinking of the mosquitos biting my ankles and how my afternoon interview may not have been worth catching milaria...i guess it was just plain stupid to think a) that i could out-smart traffic more than the average ghanaian and b). that the traffic would be a little lighter by 7:30pm, because it proceeded to take another 2 hours to get from the station home. total from the time i left the city to the time i arrived home: 4 hours.

this means i spent 10 hours on and/or waiting for transportation yesterday. the actual travel in normal conditions with light traffic could not ahve been more than 2 hours. all of this delay seems to be the byproduct of one tiny spot in a gravel road that is in dire need of pavement...it is quite frustrating...and at one point on the way home, i thought i was going to have a panic attack. from now on, i am walking.

this morning, i was supposed to be in the city by 11am. i left around 9am, took the tro on the non-traffic parts of the route and walked about 45 minutes in the middle. i made it to the city in less than 2 hours...it seems i just might have found the loophole and this is what i shall be doing from now on. this of course and eating lots and lots of ghanaian chocolate bars as walking fuel :)

That pear is not really a pear....

it is an avocado!!! so many things are not quite what they seem to this foreigner in ghana, the least of which is that they call their avocados pears!!! jajaja.

so today officially marks two full weeks in this friendly humid country. i think i am somewhat adjusted to not only the extreme heat, but the culture and life in general. i am getting into a routine (sort of), making lots of contacts for my research, and learning to solve each mini crisis as it comes ;p the haphazard system of public transportation no longer frightens, but just frustrates me...

at this point, i can honestly say, i like it here. the people are really friendly, the food is spicy and delicious, and my lifestyle is much much slower than it was in buenos aires. i really quite like it this way. i do have to say that my choosing to be here has a definite impact on my opinion of the place...i think if i were living here permanently, the open sewers, public shitting grounds, lack of drinkable water, and ridiculous traffic would drive me mad...but in the end, i have chosen to be here and my collection of small grievances are all things i can deal with for a period of a few months before i exchange them for my usual comforts.

last wednesday (the day my computer passed on from the world), was a holiday known as Republic Day. I asked one of the little girls living at the compound what it meant. she said, "it is a celebration of the day africa became free forever." it was sweet, but i could not help myself from questioning how truly free the people around me actually are.

on a very basic level, there is a very real lack of infrastructure that puts some limits, in my opinion, on freedom. for example, the roads wash out every time it rains causing unfathomable traffic pileups. during rainy season, it can downpour nearly every day. other examples are that the electricity and running water come and go in even the nicest of neighborhoods. and yet i read about the ridiculous compensation package to the ex-president that was quickly and quietly pushed through congress. the package includes six brand new SUVs, each with a lifetime fuel supply, not to mention several houses, and monthly allowances, amongst other things. it seems ludicrous really in a country with so many people living in such obviously deplorable conditions that a certain few should live so well at the expense of so many...such blatant inequality is troubling really and it warrants at least some thought about how inequality compromises freedom not just in ghana, but in general.

this extreme inequality is politics here or so i am told. and sadly, maybe this is politics in most places today. in ghana, i have seen and read that politics are a game in which the winner takes all (quite literally). politics is also viewed as something people with lots of money and no need to work, do in order to pass the time (and make themselves richer) -- at least this was one of the university professor's takes on it. i was quite surprised when i asked if he saw himself dabbling in politics in the future that he even considered it after such the way he, himself, described politics in ghana.

this all makes my being here to study politics, to applaud a seemingly democratic election and contribute to a body of work on how democracy is possible in a place like africa, um, well less than ideal. i don't feel overly zealous about this project at all -- actually i find it quite frustrating. i am grateful for the opportunity to be here, but it is hard to watch and ask questions, while people struggle around me. this experience is already reinforcing that i am much more of a doer than a thinker in the end, and research rather than gritty development work is somewhat counter to my natural being.

but enough of my complaints about my research - on to other more exciting news, i moved houses today! i am staying at the beachcomber resort with my friend elizabeth until sunday night when i move into my new home. apparently, the woman i will be living with is the wife of a former head of state who was executed in public during the infamous military coup on June 4, 1979. i am just beginning to piece together the bits and bobs of this very interesting story and will definitely fill you in as it starts to make sense.

tomorrow, we are headed to visit some waterfalls, go dirt-biking and do a little hiking, which should be a nice little break from accra. if the weather is bad, i think we will forgo the excursion and check out a music festival in a park by the university to celebrate our united states independence day!

R.I.P. to my beloved Macbook....(I so hope not)

I woke up this morning to the unpleasant surprise that my macbook no longer turns on. Just two days after finally getting my own personal internet connection, my world crashes in. I don't mean to be dramatic, but I am pretty panicky about what I will do for the next two months without a computer, not to mention my research, ah my research...all of it was there inside that damn machine. I absolutely hate the fact that I am so dependent on this small white box, which is now ruining my life or at least my project here in Ghana or so it seems...

The worst part is, personal computers are not that common and MACs are definitely a rarity so the chances of finding someone, anyone that can take a look at it is slim to none if I am at all realistic. I searched the Mac website for service providers and the closest seems to be somewhere in the middle east, gee, that does me a whole lot of good.

For now, the internet cafe man is trying to take a look at it...I already exhausted the trouble-shooting techniques provided online and I am about to head in to the city to the internet company that hooked up my wireless a few days ago...I have a sneaking suspicion their software has taken my operating system hostage, but my computer knowledge is about as extensive as my knowledge of mandarin (by that I mean zilch)...if anyone has any tips, please send them my way...thoughts, prayers, spells, luck charms, I don't know...anything would be appreciated at this point....

when will we ever learn???

hey all! so, it has been a good couple of days :) i am feeling really pretty settled and comfortable here (finally)...i explored quite a bit this weekend despite lots and lots of rain.

saturday, i made friends with some ladies cooking food on the side of the road -- they spoke no english, but their boiled plantains accompanied by a spinach sauce (prounounced matumbre) and a delightful red sauce with egg and fish bone (trust me, it really was tasty) made them two of my favorite ladies in accra quite quickly.

we stayed in at the compound saturday night playing cards and resting up for our big day of sightseeing sunday. somehow, i managed to rope in the entire group of housemates (two brits, matt, liz, and lindsay) to head down to the "historic" part of accra to hit up a few markets and check out the lighthouse and old dutch fort (fort ussher). we were out the door by nearly half past nine and on a tro-tro the whole, huge gringo clan of us by 10am...i was quite impressed with us and you should be as well.

we took the tro-tro to the end of the line, which just so happened to be tema station, which is about a 10 minute walk from ussher town where we were headed. we weren't too sure of where we were going, but it isn't hard to get around as everyone is really quite lovely about helping out the obvious foreigners. we found the fort pretty quickly and paid some man who planted himself in the doorway 5 ghana cedi to take a look around. it really was quite remarkable -- the fort was originally built by the dutch and later turned into a prison where Nkrumah (considered the father of independence) was allegedly incarcerated at some point in time. the decaying building was made all the more eery by the cloudy sky, which shortly after we entered turned into a full out thunderstorm.

we waited it out for a bit, but eventually decided to look for a place to eat despite the fact we were all going to be drenched. we only made it across the street to a series of tents being used by the locals to keep themselves dry before making ourselves enough friends that we each had an escort with an umbrella :) they walked us through a local market with a wide assortment of sea foods. at some point the rain had created a large current, which was rushing through the market at least at mid calf level. it was quite a funny sight i am sure.

eventually we made it to Back Pass only to find out no food is served sundays :( so we drank a beer with our new friends and watched brasil take on italy in soccer (brasil seems to be quite popular here). afterwards, our friends brought us to a resort on the waterfront, because it apparently was the only place serving food on a sunday. we all ordered something different and our plates arrived between an hour and an hour and 45 minutes after they were ordered, but none at the same time of course. about the time we were all finally finishing up eating, a bride and groom arrived with a crew of family members to photo document the outing. they spent a great deal of time filming us before asking to take pictures with us as well. we proceeded to have a full-on photo shoot (some of the pics are on facebook).

after several hours of being wet and a fantastic lunch, we decided to head home. i stopped at the internet cafe on the way home and was happily going about my business when the power went out...so i waited just a bit to see if it was going to come back on or not.

i ended up talking to smit who works at the cafe, but on sunday was just hanging about. turns out the two of us share a birthday (albeit i am older, which is no surprise because i seem to be significantly older than most people i meet these days -- jeezus don't 27 year olds travel anymore?!). smit also happens to be nigerian, which is rather interesting, because nearly everyone i talk to in ghana seems to dislike nigerians and warn me to stay away from them. smit seems like a nice enough guy, but apparently the problem is that due to lax border controls and friendly immigration policies, many nigerian criminals end up in ghana (at least this is the popular understanding), and for this reason a high percentage of crime is associated with the nigerian community. i don't know if this is true or not, but smit like i said before seems kind enough. in fact, he asked if he could walk me home...but i told him just part of the way.

while we were walking, smit told me how he was going to be a soccer star in england one day and that he was going to be very famous. i kidded him about being too old (i remind you he is younger than me), but he retorted that god had given him a good body so it didn't matter, jaja. i told him i was going to email obama's chief of staff and see if i could arrange a meeting with him when he comes to town next week. smit said one day people would be trying to arrange meetings with him too. as we were walking, i got my normal amount of obruni attention -- i think it made smit quite uncomfortable (i mean it almost always makes me uncomfortable), because he said he wonders sometimes why god had to make us this way; me being white and he being black.

by the time i reached home, i was exhausted...i tried my very hardest to eat some of grandma's fried plantains, because i LOVE them, but i was just too full from lunch and could only get half a plate down.

this morning i woke up early and decided i was going to be productive. i washed some clothes, read a bit, ate breakfast and was on my way to accra by 9:30am...traffic was atrocious and i am absolutely convinced i could walk into the city faster than the two hour standstill traffic commute. i went to zain and after 2 hours of waiting, i finally have my very own internet connection!!! i celebrated by stopping by the food ladies' stand for boiled plantains again, yum, yum.

afterwards i headed off to the CPP (convention people's party -- the ghanaian communist party) office to see if i could find anyone to interview for my research. i met a young (28 year old) candidate for parliament (he lost) from the north. we talked for over an hour about the election and he made some phone calls to various friends i should interview and i was sent on my way. afterwards, i stopped by a research group that conducted polls around the elections. the office was air conditioned, which was fantastic and Willy, whom my professor urged me to see was incredibly helpful. i think he will be great at connecting me with folks to interview as well as showing me around accra.

tonight, i met up with a canadian kid to check out a potential next home (i leave this home on friday)...it was not too far from my current home, but i would have my own room, a double bed, 3 meals a day and running water for about 10 GHC (or about $7.15)....i am sold!!! he was quite funny though (just 18 years old), but very concerned about me walking alone or traveling alone...he told me i should watch the movie TAKEN before i set off on my own. the ghanaian man next to us in the cab told him to be quiet, because he was going to scare me -- i didn't bother to tell him that it was already too late. i was incredibly glad it was dark because i couldn't keep myself from smiling.

later on, on the way home in the taxi a little 5-year old boy named isaac could not stop staring at me. his mother was embarrassed and tried to turn his head, but was unable to deflect his stare. we ended up holding hands and he took the change from my fare. i told him to buy his mother something sweet. he tried to take my watch as well, but i am just not willing to part with it, not yet at least.

when i got home, i saw i had several missed calls on my cell phone. they were all from suige whom i met on the tro tro this morning. he told me he liked my ring and asked if it was a wedding ring. i told him it sometimes was depending on who asked me. he asked me if i believed in dreams and i said of course i do -- i mean how couldn't i? i am a girl from minnesota that is somehow here in ghana. he told me he had dreamed last week that he had met a white woman. i had to go so i didn't ask more, but he seemed really kind and exchanging numbers is really quite common so i went ahead and gave mine when he asked. i have now answered the phone 4 times and it was him, i have missed 3 of his calls, and just got a text message telling me he missed me and hoped to find me tomorrow. it seems i have a lot to learn when it comes to choosing and making friends here in ghana, but the people are so friendly all the time, i just don't know what to do, but reciprocate.

patience is a virtue (or so i have been told)...

hey everyone! i would have written sooner, but internet is not the EASIEST of things to come by (as you may imagine). so, since the last post, i went to the university of ghana at legon to meet the cousin of a childhood soccer teammate and spent an ENTIRE day trying to get connected to the internet....

thursday i went to the university, which is about 14km outside the city and i managed quite well on the informal system of tro-tros (or run-down mini vans which substitute for the pretty much non-existent public transport). when i got there amma's cousin (who i was supposed to meet) was in a meeting so i hung about at security until a few guards took pity on me. they were kind enough to give me the grand tour in their 4x4...robert seemed rather taken aback that they had done this, but they got me where i needed to be...i also learned that there are 45,000 people who use the campus (i am assuming a combo of teachers, students, families) and the reason for my "special" tour was that campus is ridden with "tricksters" hanging around and i would apparently be an easy target. i never really got an explanation as to what "tricksters" are, but it was nice to be shown around especially because the campus was pretty vacant as students are on break.

dr. robert specializes in economics of development and works for an institute of social and economic statistics. his building is right next to the University of the United Nations and i look forward to finding out more about what exactly he and they all do...he introduced me to a couple PhD students from NYU and Cornell, one who has been here since January and the other who is just visiting...they seemed like really friendly, interesting chaps and i hope to befriend them pronto...jaja.

other than a nice afternoon at the university, the past few days have been really rainy, which has made the commute in and out of the city EXTREMELY interesting and a bit scary...it is technically winter (rainy season), which is great because it is not AS HOT as usual, but makes getting around a lot more difficult.

there has been a lot of drama at the house where i am staying. first, between the company that sets up the housing for volunteers and the volunteers themselves (seems like a clash of cultures to be totally honest) and then of course a little bit of love drama as well, but i don't have television or the the hills so it has been a nice replacement.

today, i am at the local paper looking through archived newspaper articles for my research and getting my own personal internet connection, which is a great rainy day activity (although definitely not the preferred one for a saturday)...i have been dying to get out and do the full day comprehensive walking tour of accra, but between the heat, rain and other random tasks, i have not gotten to it just yet...as much as i am trying to love accra -- there really seems to be very little to do here (besides the research i came to do) so i am anxious to take care of what i need to and travel about the country a bit...

i have been kind of a crank the past few days...maybe it is tiredness from being poked, prodded and grabbed by every man on the street and in every internet cafe. i finally broke down yesterday and flat out told a man not to touch me and another that "no, he could not just have my watch, because i actually need it to tell the time." i am tired of random strangers telling me they love me and me trying to explain that for me, love is something that takes much more than 5 minutes to feel...i find myself frequently treading a fine line between being an ambassador of good will from the west and also letting folks know when they have crossed too far into my personal boundaries...most of you know, patience is not my best attribute, but i am thinking ghana is going to test it in ways that buenos aires never quite did...

(written monday, june 22, 2009)

I tried to get pictures up today, but it didn’t work…this internet thing in a “third world country” (at least one where per capita income is only $450/year) is absolutely killing me…pathetic, I know.

So we went to dinner last night at Russell’s house. I was thrilled to be having dinner at a Ghanaian friend’s house on my third night already (even though we eat at our house EVERY night, which is technically Ghanaian as well). I kind of thought it was too good to be true. I mean Russell has been great and all, but I’ve always been a bit of a skeptical traveler and usually expect some sort of not so upfront incentive behind REALLY kind gestures.

The dinner was lovely really: spicy fried chicken, fried plantains (my favorite), pineapple, and red, tomatey rice. I couldn’t help but feel somewhat guilty that here sit 5 Americans and 1 British guy -- each with enough money to buy a plane ticket to Ghana -- in a massive, but empty concrete house in Ghana with nothing but a couch, a small tv, a table, and some chairs, ready to eat a huge meal prepared for them, while the aunt, uncle and cousin who actually live there looked on.

I think we all felt a bit uncomfortable but we eventually convinced Uncle James to join us, and I got the pleasure of sitting next to him and sharing a Star. He told me all about the four main women of his life (his girlfriend, his mother, his sister, and his wife – I guess his daughter didn’t quite make the cut). As soon as we finished eating, James made a signal to Russell to bring out something. Russell disappeared into another room and re-emerged with “Awake” pamphlets from the Jehovah’s Witness church (the brochures were printed in London, gee thanks a lot England -- don’t you think you’ve done enough for Ghana already?!). Each of us received one, but neither Uncle James nor Russell really pushed us into talking about it. I was extremely relieved when shortly thereafter, Russell brought out the Mancala set and we spent the rest of the evening taking turns playing instead.

Today (Monday) I went to The Guide, a local newspaper, where my roommate is an intern. As the reporters filtered in, the office got much more loud and hectic. The loudest though seemed to be Halafax who shortly after arriving questioned his boss, the editor, really loudly (I mean REALLY loudly) about how his weekend was and if he had tried any of that “old man sex?” This, of course, is one of the men I have to interview eventually…I think I will need some time to prepare.

I ate lunch in the Canteen at the paper…some of the young lady reporters helped me to make my choice of okrah soup with meat. I used a gooey corn dough (called banku I think). I provided a good deal of messy entertainment to the rest of the eating staff, but I loved it. A good food adventure can never get old.

After lunch, I decided I had had enough of the non-functioning internet and that I would be brave and go off exploring by myself. I had chosen three places from my guide to find: Ghana Films where they show African movies (duh), Afrikiko Restaurant to ask about Salsa class and the Tourist info center. After about two hours, too much sweat to mention, and the making of several new friends, I had found only the Afrikiko restaurant and unfortunately there are no longer classes anyhow. They directed me to the Coconut Grove (a really nice hotel) where there is “Salsa club” on Wednesdays from 7 to 10pm, but the nice man at the front desk assured me that if we came a half hour early they would quickly teach us the steps so we could then dance at the club…he certainly is an optimist.

On our commute home I met a man from one of the big TV stations here. He invited me to come visit him at work and meet the reporters…I may eventually take him up on the offer. The commute was terribly long (over 2 hours) so we had a long time to get to know each other. As I seem to be learning over and over again, Ghanaians are genuinely hospitable people and making a friend on the bus or the street is really not so out of the ordinary and considering I have so few here, I am quite grateful for this.

(from today)

Yesterday, I went to La General Hospital where my friend, Matt, is volunteering in pediatrics. The pediatrics unit is very small with maybe 12 beds or so and probably 30+ patients (the kids are alarmingly tiny so as many as 3 of them were in a single bed). Most of the kids are from Osu orphanage and so I am thinking I might volunteer at the hospital holding the babies once a week, but I have to see if that is possible. Healthcare is free, which is good, but the hospital was crowded and the surgery unit for pediatrics is a table in the hallway.

After the hospital we headed to the arts market b/c Maddie leaves Thursday and wanted souveniors. I am always up for shopping so decided to tag along. I am grateful I did, because a). I got a mancala set and b). Matt taught me how to bargain. He told me to cut every offer the seller makes down by a factor of 10 and then work your way up. I really can't do it, because I feel bad and I ended up paying more than Maddy for a few things knowingly.

I made friends with Charles and he took me to the back of the market where all the crafts are made and then I played mancala with Kwevi, while I waited for Maddie to finish her shopping. I am already feeling MUCH MUCH more comfortable getting around the city and using the tro-tros or makeshift vans that take us in and out of the city.

Now, I just need to work on my suntan as I appear pasty in all the pictures and even though I don't feel so white, people calling out "Obruni" and "White man" everywhere I go serves as a constant reminder.

Tonight is a couple of my new friends' last night (already) and they want to go to the hookah bar AGAIN :(. Tomorrow I am off to the University of Ghana to meet the cousin of a childhood teammate and talk to professors there. It will be my first totally alone transportation adventure and I feel totally ready for it!

just a quickie...

i am here in ghana (not sure exactly where outside of accra) but arrived. friday was kind of a disaster...i felt very out of my comfort zone. i was anxious to explore, but not sure how to do it on my own and my roommate is not really the exploration type. i showered (by that i mean bathed out of a bucket) apparently running water is extremely hard to come by no matter how much money you have...shouldn't i have known this??? i don't know why i was shocked but i was and i guess it is ok to admit it. i went to bed at 8pm on friday...figured if i could sleep maybe i would wake up feeling a little more comfortable.

my roommate got up at 6am, 6AM on a Saturday!!!!!!!!!! this is definitely the earliest i have woken up in over 2 years if you don't count days i have traveled. i had breakfast with her before she took off to tutor at a local private school and my other roommates invited me to tag along on their end-of-trip day at the finest hotel in all of ghana and the beach...i couldn't turn down an offer to the beach and since i am dependent to move about i figured i might as well. we went to the arts market (i bought 2 paintings ya), the La Palm hotel where obama will stay in July, and then to a hookah bar...

it was the most un-ghanaian day i could have imagined for my first full day and it was apparently very expensive, which i wouldn't know as the father of one of the volunteers came along and treated the whole group throughout the day. i feel incredibly OLD (they are all between 17 and 23, besides "dad"), but i was grateful to be carted around and get a better idea of the city.

i am already getting anxious about getting going on my research, and if you know how my turbo self can be i want to get something accomplished right away, but i am going to give myself the next few weeks to get adjusted to the culture shock i am definitely going through.

this morning, i had planned to go to church with a roommate to check it out since that is the typical SUNDAY activity here and pretty much everything is closed down...when he came to wake me up, I was in deep REM sleep and couldn't quite figure who he was or where i was so i decided to try to keep sleeping, which was a failure.

i had breakfast with my roommate, read a bit about ghana politics since i know NOTHING, and then ventured out on my own for the first time...naturally, i ran into 2 of the only 5 people i know here and sat and had some lunch with them before venturing here...tonight we are having dinner at a ghanaian friend, russell's house. tomorrow i am heading to office with my roommate working at the local paper...i should have more internet and more updates.

i am doing wonderfully be assured. i am shocked and uncomfortable, but looking forward to the two months i have to take it all in. i am already kind of liking my bucket baths (and know i will never be a water waster again ;p). Life already feels simpler and the questions have started buzzing around in my head about my own lifestyle...i am sure this is only going to intensify....

ok, 30 seconds left on internet...chau, mwa!!!

It feels like the night before Christmas...

I leave in less than 24 hours!!! It was a hectic day of running around NYC, but I crossed almost every item off of my ever-growing to-do list. The most important item of course was my Ghana visa, which is safely in my sweaty little paws as I write. Tomorrow I have to pick up my malaria pills (thanks to the little team that made the Buenos Aires to NYC transfer possible), change my entire trip budget worth of cash into the newest version of $100 and $50 bills at the bank, and make a trip to the post office to make sure my lovelies in Argentina and Minneapolis get some mailbox affection.

My 10-hour flight leaves NYC at 5pm and arrives in Accra at 8:30am. Ghana is 4 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time so it will technically be 4:30am, but Lindsay (another Georgetown student) is meeting me and has arranged a ride back to the "compound" which will be my home for the next 2 weeks.

Although I can barely keep my eyes open, I am pretty sure I won't be able to sleep a wink tonight...I feel excited as if I were 8-years old and tomorrow were to be Christmas -- I haven't felt this excited in a long time (maybe since I was actually just 8 years old).

I probably won't have access to email until Monday, but be sure to check back for the update!

Hi Everybody! I have started this blog despite my phobia of sharing my writing with others, but it is with the hope that I can keep everyone at ease regarding my safety and will also be able to share my struggles and triumphs during my African adventures with you as well. Yes, I am going to Ghana, Africa. I can hardly believe it myself and it is definitely something this midwestern girl had never even dreamed of!

I enter into this challenge with an open-mind -- I am prepared to fall in love with Ghana or maybe it will finally tire out my traveling soul. I may even fall for blogging and I will officially crossover from a flogger to a blogger :p Well, whatever comes, I will do my best to keep you informed via this page so do check back for updates!!!

As of right now, I have just started my malaria meds and despite the warnings of vivid dreams, hallucinations, and pyschosis, I have nothing much to report. Whew! You probably shouldn't expect too much news over the coming weeks as I get ready to travel, but please do check back post- June 19th when I arrive in Accra, Ghana!