-On my little adventure into Osu the other day, I went to a restaurant called Melting Moments. It is a slightly over-priced and air conditioned cafe that sells the most american-ish food I've found since arriving. They have quite the assortment of salads, panninis, smoothies, pasta, cake, and the closest thing to coffee I've had since I got here. Today I went back with some friends and ordered a latte and salad that had cheese and avocado on it. It was beyond satisfying and quite the mix up from the usual rice, chicken, stew, and plantains.
...All of which are delivious by the way, just a little monotonous.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
-I decided to go on a little adventure of my own today. I went to Osu after my tourism and development class this morning and went to a couple shops and a restaurant my friend told me about. It was good to get out by myself, I felt like I had more time to observe everything going on and get a feel for how it all works.
…Its funny because as slow paced as everything is, the commotion of all the hustle and bustle is constantly abuzz. Women advertise the assortment of items they sell out of buckets on their heads, trotros drive by yelling various destinations, children stop their games and playfully shout out “obruni obruni!” bringing attention to my white skin, business transactions take place through car windows as vendors swiftly exchange their goods for some change as the vehicles speed off…its overwhelming for about a day, but the consistency of buzzing life is easy to adapt to.
…Its funny because as slow paced as everything is, the commotion of all the hustle and bustle is constantly abuzz. Women advertise the assortment of items they sell out of buckets on their heads, trotros drive by yelling various destinations, children stop their games and playfully shout out “obruni obruni!” bringing attention to my white skin, business transactions take place through car windows as vendors swiftly exchange their goods for some change as the vehicles speed off…its overwhelming for about a day, but the consistency of buzzing life is easy to adapt to.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday:
8:30am-9:30am Traditional African Dance
9:30am-11:30am shower, get life together, feed heavily.
11:30am-1:30pm Colonial Rule and African Response
1:30pm-3:30pm Gender and Archaeology
3:30pm-4pm walk to Twi class. yes, it takes the full 30 minutes.
4pm-5:30pm Twi class
5:30pm-6pm change for dance
6pm-7:30pm Traditional African Dance 2
7:30pm feed heavily.
-Tuesdays are hefty. Today was particularly lengthy because I had a few things to fit into the time period that's allotted to getting my life together. The one task I did accomplish was washing my sheets. This is note worthy solely because the girl next door from Westport was doing her laundry as well, and honest to god the last person on earth I would have expected to be stuck in a shower with (in Ghana), sharing laundry-in-a-bucket techniques with, would be someone from fing Staples high school. Seriously.
-Men hold hands with other men here. Just cuz they’re friends. No other reason. It’s quite sweet. Most people’s immediate reaction is to wonder why this is such a normality in a culture where homosexuality is an extreme taboo. My friend and I were discussing this and it actually makes a lot of sense. In a culture where the image of men holding hands has implications of homosexuality, any two men holding hands would be assumed to be exhibiting bahvior that "is" homosexual (for the most part). In a society where homosexuality is so taboo and thought (by some) to virtually not exist, there isn’t any implication attached to such an activity so it’s a normal practice that doesn’t faze anyone except those who are not used to it.
-They don't really have much cheese here. I like cheese. I don't miss it too much, though. Just miss coffee.
-Speaking of cheese, the only time I've eaten it since I've been here was this Tuesday night and last Tuesday night because Tuesday night is buy one get one free pizza night at the pizza place across the street. I like Tuesday nights.
-Wednesday night is reggae night at Labadi beach. We went last week. It was fun, but besides the whole live music on the beach thing, it was kind of a sketchy scene. There were lots of “rastas” (a little different from the ones in boudler) there who wanted to dance and praise Ja(?) and marry you and teach you how to drum and speak twi and eventually confiscate your money and valuables. We were warned about them. No need to worry. We stay away from the pretend rastas.
8:30am-9:30am Traditional African Dance
9:30am-11:30am shower, get life together, feed heavily.
11:30am-1:30pm Colonial Rule and African Response
1:30pm-3:30pm Gender and Archaeology
3:30pm-4pm walk to Twi class. yes, it takes the full 30 minutes.
4pm-5:30pm Twi class
5:30pm-6pm change for dance
6pm-7:30pm Traditional African Dance 2
7:30pm feed heavily.
-Tuesdays are hefty. Today was particularly lengthy because I had a few things to fit into the time period that's allotted to getting my life together. The one task I did accomplish was washing my sheets. This is note worthy solely because the girl next door from Westport was doing her laundry as well, and honest to god the last person on earth I would have expected to be stuck in a shower with (in Ghana), sharing laundry-in-a-bucket techniques with, would be someone from fing Staples high school. Seriously.
-Men hold hands with other men here. Just cuz they’re friends. No other reason. It’s quite sweet. Most people’s immediate reaction is to wonder why this is such a normality in a culture where homosexuality is an extreme taboo. My friend and I were discussing this and it actually makes a lot of sense. In a culture where the image of men holding hands has implications of homosexuality, any two men holding hands would be assumed to be exhibiting bahvior that "is" homosexual (for the most part). In a society where homosexuality is so taboo and thought (by some) to virtually not exist, there isn’t any implication attached to such an activity so it’s a normal practice that doesn’t faze anyone except those who are not used to it.
-They don't really have much cheese here. I like cheese. I don't miss it too much, though. Just miss coffee.
-Speaking of cheese, the only time I've eaten it since I've been here was this Tuesday night and last Tuesday night because Tuesday night is buy one get one free pizza night at the pizza place across the street. I like Tuesday nights.
-Wednesday night is reggae night at Labadi beach. We went last week. It was fun, but besides the whole live music on the beach thing, it was kind of a sketchy scene. There were lots of “rastas” (a little different from the ones in boudler) there who wanted to dance and praise Ja(?) and marry you and teach you how to drum and speak twi and eventually confiscate your money and valuables. We were warned about them. No need to worry. We stay away from the pretend rastas.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Lizards, Yiddish, and Nelly
-Lizards run around here like squirrels. They pop up in unexpected places and hang out just long enough for you to get a quick look and then they scurry back into the sidewalk cracks and gutters. Some are small and just chill on your window, but there are these really pretty ones whose bodies go from red to blue to white to blue to red. Or something like that.
-Three girls live in my dorm who are keeping kosher and I'm learning a lot from them. Like new Yiddish words. Hannah, you would be so proud. They have to cook all of their own food and they let me sing Passover songs with them. It's been fun.
-I think I'm getting the hang of trotros.
-If you want to hear some good stories, ask me about Nelly. I promise you won't be disappointed.
-I had a great conversation about Westport/Staples today with the girl who lives in the room next to me. Her name is Amanda and she graduated two years ahead of me and did indoor track the same years I did. We both decided that there are some things to be appreciated about Westport however much we wanted to get out of it.
-however slow paced everything is here, there is a ton of hustle and bustle that I feel like I'm getting used to.
I've done a lot since my last post but don't have time to talk about it all. Anticipate greater description of...
-my trip to Fadama
-Medina market
-benefits of having to work a little harder for things that are so easy in the US like
--showering
--bathrooming
--laundry
--drinking water
--traveling
--buying things
--getting things accomplished in general.
People are very happy here and I've thought a lot about that. I don't quite know how to put it into words yet, but I will share my thoughts soon.
-Three girls live in my dorm who are keeping kosher and I'm learning a lot from them. Like new Yiddish words. Hannah, you would be so proud. They have to cook all of their own food and they let me sing Passover songs with them. It's been fun.
-I think I'm getting the hang of trotros.
-If you want to hear some good stories, ask me about Nelly. I promise you won't be disappointed.
-I had a great conversation about Westport/Staples today with the girl who lives in the room next to me. Her name is Amanda and she graduated two years ahead of me and did indoor track the same years I did. We both decided that there are some things to be appreciated about Westport however much we wanted to get out of it.
-however slow paced everything is here, there is a ton of hustle and bustle that I feel like I'm getting used to.
I've done a lot since my last post but don't have time to talk about it all. Anticipate greater description of...
-my trip to Fadama
-Medina market
-benefits of having to work a little harder for things that are so easy in the US like
--showering
--bathrooming
--laundry
--drinking water
--traveling
--buying things
--getting things accomplished in general.
People are very happy here and I've thought a lot about that. I don't quite know how to put it into words yet, but I will share my thoughts soon.
Friday, January 22, 2010
When I get that feeeeeeling
-Yesterday I went to a dance class that I'm trying to register for. There were a ton of people and a good mixture of students who had taken the class and ones who had not. Since classes haven't technically started yet, the teacher had the experienced students just lead the class in dances they learned this past semester and everyone else just kind of followed along. I lucked out because the first two, Gahu and Gota, were dances I have learned but the next two seemed kind of hard. Regardless, I felt so happy my heart was about ot explode...people were whistling and shouting out of excitement and just going crazy on the floor. Nii Armah always talked about how this happens, but to experience it first hand...wow.
-We went to a bar called Champs tonight for karaoke. Champs is an English sports bar in Accra that’s usually (as I hear) filled with Europeans and Americans…not somewhere I’d like to go very often, but as I’m still adjusting, I guess it fulfilled my need for a little Amurica tonight. I suppose it’s part of the weaning process. Of course, this is only one night and one person’s perspective, but I noticed a few things.
One: American girls in Ghana like to sing pop songs in large groups. We (Americans) have such an individualistic mentality about so much, but when it comes to getting up on stage, considerable back up is necessary.
Two: American girls in Ghana like to sing the song “Like a Prayer” by Madonna as it was performed three times before I left.
Three: Ghanaians get down to Haddaway's "Baby Don't Hurt Me" form Night at the Roxbury just as hard as Americans, although the Americans were the only ones to join in on the synchronized head nod.
Four: Two people performed the song "Small Town Girl" by Journey at separate times throughout the night and it painfully reminded me of camp.
Five: I was disappointed in Champ's lack of Chumbawumba, but ended up doing a song with my friend, Nana, anyway. Turned out we only knew the chorus, but the nice man in charge of karaoke saved us. Apparently Marvin Gaye is deeper than we thought.
...It's funny how music crosses cultures. As bad as this is, when a bunch of people start joining in on "Believe" by Cher, it feels kind of good to have that commonality when you are still finding things to identify with in a new country. Who knows how long that will stick around for...
-I wish the US played more of the pop music they play here. It's way fun to dance to.
-I had a conversation with three Ghanians who had (separately) lived in the US for some time and they all had very contrasting opinions about the experience of living in Ghana and United States. Again, this is just one night and a handful of conversations, but I feel like I’m starting to get a better understanding of how diverse people's opinions are about Ghana. It’s all so much to take in…I had to take a few minutes to sit back and just observe what was going on for a while. My friend Bri and I joked about having to step back and be anthropologists for a moment, but I don't think either of us could resist.
-I also met a girl who goes to CU and is studying in Accra. That was pretty exciting. Yayyy Buffs.
-A Ghanaian girl told me she liked my hair in the bathroom. I'm still getting used to having short hair. It's been almost ten years.
-I had my first, hopefully last, but inevitable space cadet incident today. Left my water bottle at some fancy pants restaurant CIEE took us to. I'm really aiming high here and planning on this not being repeated.
-We went to a bar called Champs tonight for karaoke. Champs is an English sports bar in Accra that’s usually (as I hear) filled with Europeans and Americans…not somewhere I’d like to go very often, but as I’m still adjusting, I guess it fulfilled my need for a little Amurica tonight. I suppose it’s part of the weaning process. Of course, this is only one night and one person’s perspective, but I noticed a few things.
One: American girls in Ghana like to sing pop songs in large groups. We (Americans) have such an individualistic mentality about so much, but when it comes to getting up on stage, considerable back up is necessary.
Two: American girls in Ghana like to sing the song “Like a Prayer” by Madonna as it was performed three times before I left.
Three: Ghanaians get down to Haddaway's "Baby Don't Hurt Me" form Night at the Roxbury just as hard as Americans, although the Americans were the only ones to join in on the synchronized head nod.
Four: Two people performed the song "Small Town Girl" by Journey at separate times throughout the night and it painfully reminded me of camp.
Five: I was disappointed in Champ's lack of Chumbawumba, but ended up doing a song with my friend, Nana, anyway. Turned out we only knew the chorus, but the nice man in charge of karaoke saved us. Apparently Marvin Gaye is deeper than we thought.
...It's funny how music crosses cultures. As bad as this is, when a bunch of people start joining in on "Believe" by Cher, it feels kind of good to have that commonality when you are still finding things to identify with in a new country. Who knows how long that will stick around for...
-I wish the US played more of the pop music they play here. It's way fun to dance to.
-I had a conversation with three Ghanians who had (separately) lived in the US for some time and they all had very contrasting opinions about the experience of living in Ghana and United States. Again, this is just one night and a handful of conversations, but I feel like I’m starting to get a better understanding of how diverse people's opinions are about Ghana. It’s all so much to take in…I had to take a few minutes to sit back and just observe what was going on for a while. My friend Bri and I joked about having to step back and be anthropologists for a moment, but I don't think either of us could resist.
-I also met a girl who goes to CU and is studying in Accra. That was pretty exciting. Yayyy Buffs.
-A Ghanaian girl told me she liked my hair in the bathroom. I'm still getting used to having short hair. It's been almost ten years.
-I had my first, hopefully last, but inevitable space cadet incident today. Left my water bottle at some fancy pants restaurant CIEE took us to. I'm really aiming high here and planning on this not being repeated.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
-This morning, as like every morning, I woke up to the lovely chorus of a family of roosters who's home I can't seem to locate. Their cock-a-doodling surrounds the entire room. The first couple mornings it was annoying, but I'm pretty used to it now. I'm learning to embrace it because people get up way earlier here and I'm in the process of training myself to do so as well. The roosters are just like an extra little kick at 6am.
-That reminds me of how my coffee intake has basically ceased since I got here. I've looked, but not found. Its just not a hot item like it is in the US. If you want to buy some rice, there's basically nowhere you won't find it. A little caffeine to jump start your morning however...your best bet is picking up a red bull from the gas station across the street, but its just not the same.
-That reminds me of how my coffee intake has basically ceased since I got here. I've looked, but not found. Its just not a hot item like it is in the US. If you want to buy some rice, there's basically nowhere you won't find it. A little caffeine to jump start your morning however...your best bet is picking up a red bull from the gas station across the street, but its just not the same.
Monday, January 18, 2010
So more random thoughts:
-the sandals I bought at the market to "remedy the blister issue" were doing great until I tripped and broke one of them...I trip a lot in general, but the sidewalks and walking areas are really bumpy everywhere so its been happening more frequently. Anyways, a man who witnessed this incident pulled me aside and fixed my sandal with a pocket knife and a push pin. I love this about people.
-On a similar note, I have to work on my bargaining skills. I thankfully went to the market with my friend Nelly who has lived in Ghana for a while, and he saved me from getting completely ripped off. The guy wanted 8 cedes for the sandals, I got it down to 7, (really impressive, I know) and Nelly stepped in with with an agenda that had a little more muscle and got it down to 3 cedes. Yaaay Nelly. I'll work on it.
-I went to Labadi beach yesterday with some friends from CIEE. Wowww. Traveling there was quite exciting because it was my first experience on a trotro! Trotros are the main means of public transportation here. They are these mini van things with (four?) rows of seats, not including the front. They pull over to the side of the road a man leans out the window yelling destinations, but I haven't gotten used to the sound of them yet so I just wait until they pull over and ask if they plan on stopping where I need to go. Soon we will all get the hang of the hustle and bustle of trotros and I can not wait for that day. They were quite intimidating the first time!
-Today I finished registering for classes. Its an interesting process...you'll be standing in line to sign up and then when you're really close to the front they'll say "okay, we're taking a break. come back later." or you'll walk into the registration room and the lights will be out and they'll say "the lights are out. come back later." So you wait for the electricity to come back, and carry on with your day.
-Power going out is not rare in any way. In the middle of the football game I watched last weekend, the entire bar's power just shut off. People just kind of carry on and a few minutes later, it's back! This has happened a few times in my dorm as well. My entire suite (three rooms) has had no electricity for two days now. I don't mind it except for the lack of fan. Lack of fan is a very bad lack.
-I did my laundry today. I don't think I did it completely right but I have plenty of time to practice.
-ALSO...last night we had the official CIEE "Akwaaba" (welcome) dinner on campus and an african dance troupe came to perform. I knew one of the dances they did and recognized a couple songs, which was pretty cool but more importantly, we got to join in when they were finished! I hadn't danced like that in so long. I was absolutely elated.
-the sandals I bought at the market to "remedy the blister issue" were doing great until I tripped and broke one of them...I trip a lot in general, but the sidewalks and walking areas are really bumpy everywhere so its been happening more frequently. Anyways, a man who witnessed this incident pulled me aside and fixed my sandal with a pocket knife and a push pin. I love this about people.
-On a similar note, I have to work on my bargaining skills. I thankfully went to the market with my friend Nelly who has lived in Ghana for a while, and he saved me from getting completely ripped off. The guy wanted 8 cedes for the sandals, I got it down to 7, (really impressive, I know) and Nelly stepped in with with an agenda that had a little more muscle and got it down to 3 cedes. Yaaay Nelly. I'll work on it.
-I went to Labadi beach yesterday with some friends from CIEE. Wowww. Traveling there was quite exciting because it was my first experience on a trotro! Trotros are the main means of public transportation here. They are these mini van things with (four?) rows of seats, not including the front. They pull over to the side of the road a man leans out the window yelling destinations, but I haven't gotten used to the sound of them yet so I just wait until they pull over and ask if they plan on stopping where I need to go. Soon we will all get the hang of the hustle and bustle of trotros and I can not wait for that day. They were quite intimidating the first time!
-Today I finished registering for classes. Its an interesting process...you'll be standing in line to sign up and then when you're really close to the front they'll say "okay, we're taking a break. come back later." or you'll walk into the registration room and the lights will be out and they'll say "the lights are out. come back later." So you wait for the electricity to come back, and carry on with your day.
-Power going out is not rare in any way. In the middle of the football game I watched last weekend, the entire bar's power just shut off. People just kind of carry on and a few minutes later, it's back! This has happened a few times in my dorm as well. My entire suite (three rooms) has had no electricity for two days now. I don't mind it except for the lack of fan. Lack of fan is a very bad lack.
-I did my laundry today. I don't think I did it completely right but I have plenty of time to practice.
-ALSO...last night we had the official CIEE "Akwaaba" (welcome) dinner on campus and an african dance troupe came to perform. I knew one of the dances they did and recognized a couple songs, which was pretty cool but more importantly, we got to join in when they were finished! I hadn't danced like that in so long. I was absolutely elated.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
My first five days thus far
So I've been here for about five days now, which feels like 5 months and 5 minutes at the same time. I don't even know where to begin. This whole experience feels like a mixture between going to college for the first time, being at camp, and B3, except at a different age, in a different country, more confusion, and much more excitement. There is so much to say I don't even know where to start, so I think I will make random points.
-Last night I went to this english pub called Honeysuckle with some people to watch the Ghana vs. Cote D'ivoire football match. Very exciting. It was a funny experience because I felt myself getting really invested in Ghana's victory which rarely/never happens to me with sports teams in the US. And however inauthentic, Honeysuckle was also was flooded with posters and menu items that reminded me my delightful time in the UK. One thing I like about it there was that there was toilet paper in the bathroom. I quickly learned that the lack of toilet paper in bathrooms (public and private) is something I'm going to have to get used to. i.e. bring my own everywhere I go.
-Today I cut three inches off my hair because its so hot.
-I live in an international dorm called Pentagon. My roommate's name is Ogo and she is Nigerian. She's awesome.
-On my second day, CIEE (the program I came on) had an arranged field trip for everyone to go to the first cocoa farm in Ghana, a wood carving village, and the botanical gardens. Everything was amazing but I was still shocked to even be here so it was a lot to take in on day two.
-Something I've been liking about Ghana is the pace. So far, a few people here have told me not to expect to get too many things done in one day. I've listened and some what shrugged it off only to find that this is entirely true. I don't know what it is, but things happen slower and it just works.
-The campus is huge and beautiful. I've been walking a lot. The only thing I don't like about this is the blisters I've gotten due to the dusty ground and poorly fitted shoes.
-Today I went to a market in Accra (I don't remember what it is called) and bought sandals to hopefully remedy this blister issue. The roads are so different from the US...I don't even know how to explain it.
-I eat sweet bread and peanut butter for breakfast so far and there are cafeterias all over campus to eat lunch at. They all tend to have rice of sorts with chicken, plantains, and other stuff that i'll explain in a later blog.
-Today I bought a bucket, a brush, and soap to do my laundry in. I would rather do it myself than pay for someone to do it.
-Our dorm rooms are all in suites with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a center area, a kitchen, and a balcony. Its breezy all the time and I love it.
-I need to work on my bargaining skills.
im tired, more later.
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