Last Few Days

While I'm getting geared up to head back to the States, I have been thinking a lot about what I will miss most about Ghana. This is the list I have come up with so far.

-sense of time
-MANGOS
-tro-tros
-colors of the city
-dance department at the University
-the warmth
-hand washing laundry with the sunrise
-friendly people
-runs in the botanical gardens
-all the food, especially eating at Bush Canteen
-seeing women carrying everything on their heads
-fresh fruit
-FanIce, of course
-buying fabric
-hearing the same 5 Ghanaian hip-life tunes
-being called Obruni! all the time
-and mostly I will miss the friends that I have made here, both Ghanaian and international

Waterfalls, Mountains, and Rivers

I realized I never gave an update on what is happening with classes. The strike lasted for three weeks, but after the first week the professors continued to teach international students because we are on a separate contract with the University and the teachers. We weren’t sure if the Ghanaian students would continue classes, but thankfully the government agreed to pay the teachers what they were asking for and classes resumed. However, since they missed three weeks the school decided to extend the school year and the Ghanaians will not be done until the middle of January – meaning some will have to stay on campus over Christmas if they live too far away to travel home. For the international students who already have plane reservations, they extended classes for about two weeks, depending on the teacher, and then we will have our exams right before coming home.

This extension of the school year unfortunately means I have less time to travel the country than I originally planned. Now I am trying to squeeze in some trips on the weekends to see as much of Ghana as I can. This past weekend, myself and five friends traveled north a few hours to the Volta region; an absolutely gorgeous part of the country around Lake Volta and the Volta River. We left on Friday afternoon and took the fastest tro-tro I have ever been in (was scared for my life multiple times) to the town of Atimpoku. Some friends suggested we go kayaking down the Volta River so we decided to try it out. The day was gorgeous – not too hot but it was still a nice sunny afternoon – and we headed out up the river with two people in each kayak. Little did I understand the strength of the current on the Volta River. My friend Sam and I were in a kayak together and it took us 30 minutes to go just around the bend, paddling as hard as we could. I honestly don’t think I have worked that hard during my whole time in Ghana. The scenery was beautiful though, and going down the river to return the kayaks was a breeze. I didn’t even need to paddle once. Right after we returned, it began thundering, lightning, and pouring rain. We decided to stay at the kayak place instead of venturing out to wait for a tro-tro. Luckily, the place had some checkers boards so we remained entertained while waiting for the rain to subside. After a while, we headed out when it was still sprinkling, and then it began getting dark. Our original plan was to catch a tro-tro to a monkey sanctuary about two hours north but it was too late so we decided to stay in Atimpoku for the night. Dinner consisted of some delicious rice balls with groundnut (peanut) soup and then we stayed at a cute place called the Sound Rest Hotel. When we wandered out for the evening, we happened upon a very energetic church service with loud live music and got some drinks nearby.

Our group at the waterfall

In the morning we set out early and headed to the monkey sanctuary. We got off at the tro-tro stop and took taxis down a dirt road to the sanctuary – but these weren’t ordinary taxis. These were motor taxis that we squeezed two people on to the back of and it was definitely the most fun taxi ride I’ve ever had. After visiting the monkeys, the day was still young so we drove north to Ho-Hoe and went to see Wli Falls, supposedly the highest waterfall in Ghana. We just happened to pick a day to go see the falls on the same day as half of Ghana. Some bank was having a celebration and on the walk through the forest we encountered many of their employees and when we arrived at the falls, they were having a large party with a live brass band, food, and tons of people. It felt so good to dip in the water before heading back to town for the night. Back in Ho-Hoe, we walked through the town and found delicious banku and jollaf for dinner and bought bread, bananas and groundnut butter for breakfast.

Best Taxi Ride Ever

The next day, we left early to climb the tallest mountain in Ghana. While Mount Afadjato may be the tallest mountain in Ghana, it only took us about 45 minutes to climb. The hike was absolutely gorgeous and the view from the top was spectacular. We looked down at the small towns where we came from and we could see part of Togo in the distance. Accra is a great place to live, but it is a huge busy city and it felt refreshing to spend some time surrounded by trees, waterfalls, and animals. After finding some lunch, we got a tro-tro heading back to Legon, ended our adventure to this beautiful region in Ghana.

Almost to the top...

Things in Bags

Ghana has an obsession with bags. After living in the States where stores are trying to reduce waste by urging people to bring their own reusable bags, this has been quite an adjustment. I am used to going to a store with my backpack and loading up the groceries or simply carrying a few items in my hands without a bag. Ghana has a slightly different approach. If I buy a loaf of bread and some cut up pineapple from the market, I end up with usually 4 plastic bags – the bread in one, the pineapple in another, then an extra one just in case it leaks, and the two items then go in a larger bag.

Despite the negative impact of all the plastic waste on the environment, I have developed a slight obsession with some of these items that come in bags.  First, the fresh fruit bought off the street always comes in a bag and is amazing. The fruit sellers are experts at cutting pineapple, papaya, and watermelon without touching the inside of the fruit, and there is something so satisfying about squeezing the extra ripe fruit from the opening in the bag and drinking the juice at the end. Then there is pure water – sold in water sashays and available off the heads of many sellers all over town. These sashays are filled with 500 ml of clean, refreshing water that you drink from a corner after biting a small hole. It is so handy to be able to buy a small bag full of water on the street wherever you are.

But by far my favorite item in Ghana that is consumed from a bag is FanIce. This amazing creation is essentially ice cream in a bag, but it really is so much more. It is a cold, sweet treat that momentarily sends you to a place far away from the hot scorching African sun. The sound of the FanIce seller’s horn gives me a similar sensation to that of an ice cream truck from my childhood. For a while, this was a daily indulgence for me, although I have cut back now to just a few times a week. I’m really not sure what I am going to do back in America without FanIce - I have even considered starting my own FanIce business.

So delicious, so refreshing, so FANtastic

Ode to Mango

The season has finally arrived
     for the fruit of the gods.
My whole body comes alive,
     even through my quads,
when I first slice through the skin
     the smell circling up to my nose
and the sweet juice dribbles down my chin
     as the bite of mango, sweet as a rose,
satisfies my craving
     that this fruit has inspired.
And I can't help but sing
     for this wonderful moment that has transpired.

Halloween, Ghana Style

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. First of all, I'm allowed to dress up in a crazy outfit and not look out of place. And most importantly, I can eat tons of candy and feel very sick the next day. Myself and some friends decided that we didn't want to miss out on this important day so we carried the tradition to Ghana, even though most people here only know of Halloween through American movies they see or don't have any idea what it is at all.We decided to have a Halloween party in our room on Friday night and it was a blast. We decorated the room with Halloween plates and napkins that an American's dad sent her and bought TONs of candy at the supermarket - I had real snickers and twix for the first time in ages! For the first part of the night, we had mostly Americans in the room. I dressed up like a mermaid, and it was fun to just eat candy and listen to some Michael Jackson. After awhile, some Ghanaian friends arrived and one brought costumes for my friend Molly and I - we then became twin African princesses and she turned into Ariel from the Little Mermaid (our version of an American princess). Also included in our midst was Obama, Dianna Ross, FanIce (more about that later), a Rastafarian, a mummy, Dr. Doolittle, and a gypsy. We had the great idea of trying to trick-or-treat around the dorm and it was pretty hilarious. After knocking on some doors and saying "trick or treat", some people looked very confused, one girl screamed and ran to the bathroom, but we actually got a few pieces of candy from one startled Ghanaian.

Ghanaian Princesses and Mummy

On Halloween day (Sunday) we decided to go to this gorgeous beach about an hour and a half away and it was ideal. I have never been so warm on Halloween in my life. I'm used to to the drizzle of Washington State or even some snow in Minnesota. The day was so relaxing and a swim and a walk down the beach made me come to love Ghana even more.

The Markets of Accra

A lady carrying an overflowing container of papayas on her head weaves gracefully in and out of the stands selling assortments of vegetables, while another man attempts to call me over to buy a pair of slightly worn shoes.  My first experience at a Ghanaian market was quite overwhelming. At every turn, there was always someone wanting to sell anything from an electric hot plate to yards of fabric to freshly cut meat. I have discovered that it is always better to go to the market with a list of needed items, otherwise it can be stressful to simply browse through. But I have grown to understand and love these intricate webs of stands and sellers and I know a regular supermarket back in the US will not quite have the same vibe.

Fruit and Veggie Seller

There are a few main markets in Accra and I don’t exactly know how big any of them really are, since they seem to continue endlessly through many city blocks. The larger markets have different sections dedicated to food, clothing, appliances, beads, etc. My absolute favorite part of the markets is the fabric: the colors are vibrant and there are endless patterns to choose from. Seamstress shops are abundant and I have had one dress made and plan to have some more made soon. I have never been able to design a dress and have it fitted exactly to my size before and I have a feeling I may never be able to do it again. Another part of the markets that I love is the huge piles of clothing, which are usually from somewhere abroad, often the United States. There are some treasures buried within the mounds of tank tops and graphic tees, including a new favorite t-shirt that says Cherios on it. One of the best parts about the markets is bargaining, even though my bargaining skills need work. It often helps when I try to speak in Twi because they usually end up laughing at me then reducing the price. It's really amazing how busy these markets are all the time yet people still seem to navigate through them at ease. I know I will miss these chaotic centers of trading when I get home.

Adventure to Busua!

Since we had no classes all last week, some girls on the program and I decided to venture down the coast for a few days. We left on Thursday morning and took a bus to a town called Takoradi, then a taxi to Busua, a small fishing town which ended up being about five hours from Accra. We got in after dark and decided to stay at the Alaska Lodge, since one of the girls was from Alaska.

The next day, we met the Alaskan who owns the lodge and his Ghanaian wife, as well as their monkeys, turtles, and parrots. We had no plans for the next few days, we simply wanted to relax on the beach. After getting some breakfast from the street, we decided to swim out to this small island. However, when we got there we discovered many sea urchines in between the rocks as we attempted to climb on shore. I made it without any urchines in me but some girls were not so fortunate. On the swim back we also encountered some jellyfish, but the swim was definitely worth these small setbacks. For the rest of the day we surfed and body boarded a bit and had some delicious burritos for lunch. At one point, I was out on the water surfing, the sun was setting in one direction, and there was a rainbow in the other...a picture perfect moment. We spent two more nights in Busua, swimming, surfing, eating, and relaxing, then headed back home to campus.

Overall, the weekend was an amazing getaway from the bustle of Accra and I felt so relaxed and rejuvinated apon returning home. I do hope I'll be able to return before my time is up...

Strike on Campus

Going to school in Ghana comes with a few setbacks. Last Monday, I was ready for a normal week of classes after missing some for the dance productions, and when I arrived at my first class I found out all the teachers were on strike. I figured it would be a one day strike and classes would resume the next day, but I quickly found out this was not the case. Some Ghanaians told us that the last strike lasted for three weeks and in the past they have closed for a whole semester! The reason for the current strike is a problem between the government and the professors: the teachers were supposed to have a salary increase last year and it never happened, so until the government agrees to pay them they will continue with the strike. Many teachers here have multiple jobs so they can support themselves and their families.

We are in the middle of week two of the strike and now they are making special arrangements for international students so we can still receive credit for classes. Most of the classes are meeting again, but only with the non-Ghanaian students. My friend Molly and I have had some of our dance classes so far and it has been us, our teacher Mr. Newman, and three teaching assistants. Probably the best teacher to student ratio I will ever have. The class was an absolute blast, but I really miss my Ghanaian colleagues. Everyone is waiting to hear about a stirke update but no one knows for sure when it will be resolved. Until then, I guess I will continue to have nearly private lessons in dance!

Kodzi

Near the beginning of the semester, Molly and I were sitting outside the dance department when a dancer friend told us to go audition for a dance in one of the rooms. Despite the fact that I had no idea what I was auditioning for, I entered the room and did a 10 second solo and they also had me do a short improvised dance about eating. A week or so later, even though we didn’t know too much about it, Molly and I found out we each had a part in the dance!

Our first rehearsal was slightly more helpful in informing us on what exactly we were doing, however, a mixture of English and Twi made it quite difficult to catch everything that was going. In the end, we did piece most things together and figured out more or less what our roles were. A graduate student, Steph, was creating a dance to be performed in her home village, near Cape Coast. The name of the project was Kodzi, which means go and eat, although I never really figured out why that was the title. The name Kodzi also has some significance in storytelling, and the idea for the project was to keep the tradition of storytelling alive in the town while adding contemporary African dance movements to enhance the performance. The story we were dancing was about Ananse the spider and how money came to be scattered around the world.

And here is the story: The King of the Land, who possessed all the riches in the world, would give all his money to whoever could win a race against his falcon. Ananse decided to enter the race and begin gathering individuals to help him. This included the fastest cheetah in the land, a man who could hit anything with his bow and arrow from miles away, an incredibly strong man, and an individual who could make thunder and lightening strike with a turn of his cap. At the race, the cheetah runs against the falcon, but halfway through he falls asleep. The hunter then shoots his arrow to wake up the cheetah who continues the race and wins. The group Ananse rounded up is very excited and when Ananse goes to collect the money from the King, he uses the strong man to carry all the gold. At nightfall while the group is sleeping, the King, who is extremely angry that Ananse outsmarted him, encircles the group with flame. They wake up to find burning flames everywhere and soon the thunder and lighting man turns his cap over and the rain puts out the fire. After that everyone begins to fight about who deserves the money, each with a reasonable argument. The thunder and lightening man’s hat gets turned over in the chaos and when the rain comes, all the money is washed away to different parts of the globe. That is the story of how money came to be.

My part in the dance was the thunder and lightening man. Some of the movement was choreographed, but a large part I made on my own and had to improvise in the town because the space was very different from where we rehearsed. After a few late night rehearsals, it was time for our adventure to the village.

Since we were leaving so early in the morning, I slept over at a girl’s room who lives closer to campus. We got up at 4:30am to be ready for a 5:00 departure, but of course we left a little later than that, a little closer to 6. All 25 of us squeezed onto a tro-tro with the costumes, props, and lights for the show and took of down the coast. Steph told us when we were leaving that as soon as we got there, we would unload the stuff, begin putting the set together and then have rehearsal. We arrived in the small village at about 8:30, unloaded the van, then took a short walk around town to pay a visit to the chief and check out the space for our performance. The chief was out of town so we said hello to some other important people in town (not quite sure of their role) and found the small circular performance space, which had a lower center stage and a few different levels for sitting or performing. We headed back to the house – the home of the Queen Mother with a large living room and a few separate rooms for sleeping – and just when I was ready to begin rehearsing, everyone took a nap. No one really even talked about it, but one by one people lay down and slept for a few hours. After a little while they gathered all the girls together and had them begin preparing food. By the end of the few days we learned how to make rice and stew, pollava sauce and yams, jollaf rice and meat. 

This trip opened my eyes to a side of Ghanaian life that I had not encountered living with another American. First, the very defined gender roles were present during our entire stay. The women would cook all the meals, the men did the heavy lifting, we even ate separately. I became a little frustrated at times when they wouldn’t let girls carry large objects even though we were perfectly capable. Another part of their culture I became aware of was showering. We all did bucket showers, which I was very used to from the times when our dorm runs out of water, but I was not used to their frequency of showering. Even though we really didn’t do vigorous activities, they still found it necessary to shower two or three times a day, and they continuously asked when we were going to shower. In the end, we decided it was just easier to shower a few times a day rather than explain why we didn’t think we needed to bathe after doing nothing.

On the first day, after everyone napped and ate, we went back into town to rehearse. But when we got there and began setting up, there appeared to be some miscommunication with the chief about us being there and they didn’t want us to make any noise. Our rehearsal, which was supposed last for a large part of the day, ended up not happening at all. Back at the house, we set up for bed and we all decided to sleep on the living room floor since it had a working fan.

The next day the girl went out to find breakfast and we ended up buying all the bread at one little store. It is truly amazing how much bread we can go through here. The morning was quite lazy, so Molly and I went on a little walk to find the nearby river. We were unsuccessful in our trek, but we did come across a gorgeous view of the ocean and saw more parts of the village. After more napping, we followed some kids to go fetch water from a small pond since our supply was running low. I successfully carried a bucket of water up a steep rocky pathway without spilling too much. Some of us went into town to find a generator because the lights were not working on the set. The priest in town had the only generator and he let us borrow it for the night. However, this also came with a proposal in Twi, which took me a while to understand, but I politely declined his request. Later that night a toothless man also wanted me to be his wife and again I had to say no. I am getting quite used to declining proposals here in Ghana.

The night of our show came, and we never really rehearsed our dance in the space. We walked through it a few times, but there were always so many people watching and we didn’t want them to see. The storyteller we had for the night was a small man missing a few teeth and we could all tell that he definitely liked to spend a lot of time at the bar. I was a little worried that he wouldn’t make it through the night, but it all worked out. When we got there, people were slowly gathering and we began with a small dance contest, which Molly and I both participated in, as well as many young kids. When it was time for our dance piece, we put on our costumes – mine was a silver unitard – and began. For never having rehearsed it, the show ran very smoothly. At parts I had to do major improvising because the kids were sitting right where I should be dancing but it didn’t matter. We also had a major unplanned fight seen at the end and the audience loved it. Back at the house, we had a late dinner and I think I ate more rice than I have ever eaten in one day in my life but it was delicious. We only got a few hours of sleep that night since we wanted to leave at 3am but we did get to sleep on the tro-tro ride home.

This trip left me with a glimpse into Ghanaian life that I probably wouldn’t have experienced on campus. I became much closer with some of the dancers and can now cook a few different meals. But perhaps the greatest part of their culture I took away was their relaxed and calm attitude towards life – why stress about small things throughout the day? Why not just enjoy every moment and be happy with the people you are with?

Dancing Every Day

My schedule for classes is pretty steady now – and I absolutely love it! I am taking three dance classes, which means I have a minimum of one dance class per day, some days I have three.  A friend from St. Olaf, Molly, is also taking almost all dance classes so for most of the day we hang around the dance department. Our teacher for two of the classes is quite a character and I don’t even know where to begin to describe him. He is an older man who doesn’t look like he has much energy but once he starts dancing he suddenly seems to be about 20 years old. For the first week I don’t think I heard him say one word, except for calling role. He would just go to the front of the class and begin the dance moves, which we were expected to follow.  For two of the classes, we have live drums since they are traditional type dances. These classes are an absolute blast and always put me in a good mood.

One great advantage of always being near the dance building is learning about other happenings in the department. Molly and I heard about something called Future of Dance, although we weren’t quite sure what it was, but some teachers invited us to the rehearsals. The first night, we showed up ready for anything and not knowing what to expect. I’ve come to understand that not many people have clear answers for what is going on and usually the best way to find out is to jump right in and figure it out for yourself. We arrived when the rehearsal was supposed to start and, as usual, there were very few people there. After about a half hour people slowly started showing up and we began about an hour after the scheduled time. The dancing started, and soon Molly and I were told to go learn one of the pieces in another room, so before we really new what was going on, we were a part of one of the dances.

Later we discovered what the show was all about. The same show, Future of Dance, was performed last semester after one of the professors in the department died. The first piece, titled Tribute, was in memory of this teacher. Since it was such a hit, they decided to do the show again, but they needed to add people to some pieces and change some parts. In the end, Molly and I were a part of two of the dances (and there were about eight altogether) and the only white people in the show.

The rest of the rehearsals were very similar to the first. Molly and I knew they wouldn’t start on time so we would show up fashionably late, but we still were almost always the first ones there. The week before the show most of the rehearsals went until past 11 at night but it was definitely worth it. Our final rehearsal before the show was on a holiday, so we were told to show up at 9am. Molly and I arrive at about 9:30 and find…no one. At about 10:30, some people start showing up but they begin working on the set or getting their hair done for the show or helping sew costumes. By noon, we see more people in the show and chat with them for a while and finally at around 2, we learn that we probably will start rehearsal around 7pm. Being on time is simply not part of the culture here.

Another fascinating part of being in the production was my role in publicity. I have helped do publicity before in my small town, which usually involves putting some posters up around town. I didn’t think I would be very helpful with lights, set design or costumes so I volunteered for publicity. One quick side note on Accra is that although there may be a few street names, nobody uses them or knows where they are. This makes it very difficult to have addresses or get clear directions so you simply need to know how to get to your destination. This also makes it very difficult to send invitations to a dance production. Instead, we hand delivered all 25 invitations to different businesses around Accra. I went with one other Ghanaian and we traveled to four different parts of Accra in tro-tros, taxis, and on foot and located the different businesses to hand them the invitations to the show. About four groups went delivering and it took almost the entire day. Efficiency is also not a huge part of the culture here, although it was a great way to tour the city.

Our efforts in publicity must have paid off. We had three performances and they were pretty full every night. The shows were outside and on the last night it began to rain a bit but it actually made the dances more exciting and intense. I’m so glad Molly and I decided to go to that first rehearsal because I may never again have an experience like that in my life.

Cape Coast

These last few weeks have been quite hectic and adventurous, but have been an absolute blast. Campus is a great place to live and has many attractions but it always feels nice to leave campus and explore another part of the country. Our CIEE group took another trip a few weekends ago to Cape Coast, a town on the ocean about 3 hours west of Accra. We left early Saturday morning to begin the gorgeous drive along the coast. On the way we stopped and I got five pineapples on the side of the road (for less than $2!) and I got one cut up and I still am delighted by how juicy and sweet they are every time. On all of our group trips they feed us amazingly well and lunch was no exception. We had a buffet with jollaf rice, fried rice, chicken and fish, yams with pollava sauce (a cooked spinachy-like dish) plantains, salad, and ice cream for desert. After lunch we split up into two groups to visit either the slave castle at Cape Coast or the one in Elmina, even though they are virtually the same. I hopped in the van going to Cape Coast since there were less people in the group.

The slave castle was enlightening. Learning about the slave trade in school is tragic and I can try to imagine what the Africans had to go through but after visiting and getting a tour of a slave castle a whole other emotional level is added. Standing in a place where Africans lived, died, thought their last thoughts in Africa before being separated from their families forever and shipped out west made this part of history feel so close and personal. Its hard to imagine that people committed these horrible atrocities only a little over a century ago.

After the tour of the castles, we drove to our hotel – a beautiful place called Coconut Grove right on the beach. For the rest of the afternoon we sat around, jumped in the water, walked down the beach, played volleyball and soccer, and had another delicious meal for dinner. The next day we woke up early and headed out to Kakum National Park and went on a canopy tour through the rainforest. We walked on eight suspended bridges, some so high it was difficult to see the ground and despite my fear of heights, I had a great time enjoying the gorgeous scenery.  After lunch at a crocodile observation spot, we piled on the bus for the drive home from a very eventful weekend.

Futbol

In Ghana, soccer is the national sport. But it's more than just a sport; it's a way of life, an adherence that unites the country together. All of the guys here play futbol, and even when they say they don't, they always have some skill at the game. So when I decided it would be fun to play on a team, I figured it would be easy to find some girls to play with. However, very few girls play here and it took me until a few weeks ago to find a girl who played for her hall. She enthusiastically invited me to play on the team so I went out to their practice...and found out that most teams practice at 5 or six in the morning. After one morning of waking up at 4:30, I played in their first game (unfortunately we lost) but it was a blast. The one difficult part about being the only white girl on the team is the language problem. They prefer to speak in their native tongue, Twi, which means that often I have no idea what is going on or where I am supposed to be. I also found out that their season is only three games long, so after two more games we were finished. Despite only playing for about one week, it was definitely worth it.

Adventure to Koforidua

This past weekend, a group of 12 of us girls from CIEE decided to adventure up north a bit, to the town of Koforidua. We departed on Friday (which to our surprise was a holiday and we ended up not having classes) and took two tro-tros to arrive at our destination, which was about an hour and a half away. When we got there, six of us piled into a small taxi and took us to the hotel we had booked for Friday and Saturday, which was in a small area called Two Streams, a few miles from Koforidua. The hotel was at the end of a bumpy dirt road and we settled in to our small but comfy rooms.

After walking down the main road of Two Streams – which consisted of a few stands every block selling very similar items – we took a taxi into town to eat at Linda Dor Restaurant, which the guide book informed us had an array of choices besides just typical Ghanaian food and most people were ready for something different than jollaf and fufu. Looking at the menu, we realized Lidyas was all that we hoped for; pasta, hamburgers, soup, sandwiches, Chinese food, etc. When the waitress came to take our orders, she informed us they did not have any beef, and when we inquired about a few other dishes she seemed surprised that we would even think they had that item. I settled on pasta with vegetables since I haven’t been eating too many veggies here. After a very filling meal we headed back to the hotel.

We were awakened the next day early in the morning to loud voices and multiple slams of the screen door near our room. Next thing we knew, we were all being kicked out of our rooms because the hotel accidentally overbooked. So at seven in the morning, we piled six Americans plus a driver and another random Ghanaian lady (later we found out she worked at the new hotel) into a very small five person car and headed off to another hotel down the road. The new hotel was quite nice – a king-sized bed, TV, even toilet paper in the bathroom (which is very uncommon)!

Our initial reason for this trip was to visit Boti Falls, a 30-meter high waterfall with a hike in the surrounding areas. We told the people at the hotel we were heading there and somehow, without us knowing, they set up the whole trip for us and picked us up in our personal tro-tro. They took us to the falls, about 30 minutes away, and then set up a guide for the hike. The day was perfect for hiking. We passed by some caves, saw an umbrella rock, and admired the three-pronged palm tree. I also sat on an old rock beneath the tree with intricate designs that supposedly will cause you to have twins.  I’m curious to see if this will come true...After the hike we went down to the waterfall and had a refreshing swim in the water before heading back.

Everyone was pretty exhausted when we returned so we all rested for a bit then ventured out to find some food. The only place we could find in Two Streams was this little chop bar called Mat’s, so we ordered enormous portions of jollaf rice and chicken. The four of us sharing a room left first and on the way out began talking to this lady named Christine, who, coincidentally, had a husband who was working in St. Paul. Before we knew it, she had invited us to her house and wanted us to return tomorrow and learn how to make typical food she was preparing for her brother’s wedding. That night, we ventured to her house a few blocks away and sat on her porch for a while and chatted. Her daughters gave us a great little performance they learned at school and we met her exuberant sister, who reminded me of an American city girl.

The next day we returned at eight in the morning and Christine gave us a few chairs to sit in. It was a very interesting and unexpected morning. We thought we would help prepare for the wedding, but they just wanted us to sit in the chairs and random people would stop by and chat for a little while, then leave and say, “I’m coming, okay?”  We became very used to this phrase and I soon discovered it translates roughly to, “I’m going and I probably wont come back, okay?” Finally we went to the other side of the complex and watched ladies make soup and fufu, and helped out a little bit. At one point, a car came into the driveway and the lady driving (A friend of Christine’s I think) was heading to Legon so we hopped in and Christine sent us with a container of groundnut soup and rice balls. The cozy ride home in an air-conditioned car was a great way to end this exciting weekend.

Doin' Laundry

My first experience with hand washing laundry turned out to be quite an event. After going down with my bag of clothes to the center courtyard (since the water was out in our room) I began to wash my very dirty jeans, not very successfully. I had just finished and was working on my next load when a young lady came up and could obviously tell I had no idea what I was doing. She proceeded to teach me how to do laundry for the next hour and a half. Every so often she would check my clothes to see how I was doing and usually she decided, “Oh, dis is no good” and I would have to keep scrubbing. I finally finished and I must say, my white shirts have never looked this white in my whole life.

I am now a much better and more efficient clothes-washer than this first experience and I realized it is much easier to do a few items every few days rather than having the dirty laundry build up over the week or weeks. I also have discovered that I really enjoy doing laundry by hand – it can almost be meditative. Sitting out on my porch and cleaning clothes while watching people in the courtyard below is surprisingly satisfying.

Day in Dogobom

On Saturday September 4, the group of us with CIEE traveled to a little village about two hours from Accra called Dogobom. Our mission was to build three water purifiers for the town so they could have clean drinking water. We set out early and arrived at this small community at around 10. They first showed us where they got all their water - it was a very brown, murkey lake where they bathed, did laundry, and drank. It was eye opening to remind myself how lucky I am to have clean drinking water every day.

To build the water purifiers, we used large blue barrells and filled them with a layer of large rocks, then smaller stones, then sand. The water filters through, is pumped out and when this type of water purifier was tested they found it was 98% free from all bacteria! Pretty amazing for such an easy item to make.

We were there for most of the day and besides building the purifiers, we spent much of our time playing with the children. The community put on a small drum performance and everyone danced and sang. I also played some soccer with the Ghanaians and ate coconuts with the children. This experience was benefecial for the community, but I also took away so much from being immersed in the lives of these people for just one day.

Hour of Worship

Dancin at Church

This past Sunday I had my first Ghanaian church experience. A friend from school plays the keyboard for his church and invited myself and two other Americans to a music program the church was putting on. By now I am getting used to the fact that the sense of time in Ghana is very different than time back at home. So when he told us the 3pm service wasn't starting until 3:30, I wasn't very surprised. We took a tro-tro from campus and met up with this friend and he took us to his large chruch, which was under construction so it was semi-outside. When we arrived, there were only a few other people there (and no other Americans) but we figured it was an afternoon service and not too many people would show up. We kept waiting and pretty soon it was past 4 and more people slowly trickled in, decked out in bright colors and fancy suits. The band finally began playing and the pastor welcomed us to the Hour of Worship, only a little bit late.

The opening number was quite a shock to me. There were three backup singers, a lead singer, 3 keyboards, drums, guitar, bass, and backup percussion and the place came alive. Everyone was singing along and dancing in their seats, and halfway through some people went to the front and began dancing. Pretty soon half the congregation was out on the dance floor, doing any sort of dance moves they felt like. They band would slow down for a bit and some people would sit down, but then they would pick it up and everyone would come back out dancing down the aisles.

We were welcomed again to the Hour of Worship and the band played another number. At about 5, a new man came to the front and officially welcomed us to the Hour of Worship which is when we learned that this program was a collection of choirs who would each perform a few numbers. By now the church was full and a new choir took the stage. All of the voices in these choirs were amazing and the band was spectacular. Some songs were in English, some were in Twi, but they all had everyone singing along.

The Hour of Worship ended at after 8pm but was well worth the time. I have never experienced such an energetic service where anyone could sing whenever they wanted and dance when they felt moved.

Food For Thought...

Typical Ghanaian Food mmm...

Its a good thing I like spicy food or else I would be living on white rice. Almost all of the food here has a bit of spice but I am loving all the flavors. I have tasted almost all of the main dishes here (there are not too many) and so far my favorite is red red - a delicious blend of beans, palm oil, and plantains. Some of my other favorite dishes are the jollaf rice, which is just rice cooked with some peppers and spices, fried rice, pasta, watkee (beens and rice), and banku and fufu. These last two are very typical Ghanaian dishes and are eaten with the hands, which I found quite surprising. They are large balls served in soup (ground nut is my favorite) and have the consistency of chewed gum, but not quite as sticky. A small piece is broken off and dipped into the soup, then swallowed without chewing. Although I wouldn't say I am a huge fan of these dishes, they are slowly growing on me.

The fruit here is absolutely amazing! Bananas like I have never tasted, and very tasty white pineapple. With our new fridge, I have also began making some of my own very simple food, usually avocado, cheese, and cucumber sandwiches. Vegetables are not too common around here, but I have found some carrots and cabbage to snack on. Also one of my favorite snacks is plantain chips, which are lightly salted and the perfect mid-afternoon snack. I hope to continue experimenting with some more new food - and maybe try to bring some recipes home.

CRACRACRA

The mate leans out the window yelling CIRCIRCIRC and makes a circle motion with his hand. As the small funky van slows to a stop, twenty people rush on to get one of the 15 or 20 seats. As the driver pulls away, the mate hops in, closes the door and begins collecting the fare, anywhere from 10 to 50 cents. All of this happens within just seconds and the van continues down the road.

This crazy system is one of the best forms of transportation in Ghana. These privately owned vehicles are called tro-tros and at first I was a little intimidated to ride them but now I feel like a pro. They travel all over and often abbreviate the destination: CRACRA stands for Accra, CIRCIRC will take you to circle, the main roundabout in the Accra region, etc. The tro-tro is made up of any sort of old van, a driver, and a mate who announces every stop and takes the money. Once you learn the system, it is such a cheap, easy way to get around.

Today I was on a tro-tro with a friend and we were stuck in some serious traffic, moving about a foot per minute. So the mate decided to hop out of the van and take a leak on the side of the road, but of course the traffic picked up right at that moment and the tro-tro took off. I kept looking back and the mate was nowhere to be seen, but the tro-tro kept on cruising. We slowed down for a bit then took off again and then sat for a little while longer in traffic. Somehow, the mate appeared at that moment and hopped back on the tro-tro like nothing had just happened. Things just happen a little differently over here.

Life on Campus

Before delving into describing the culture, let me first tell you a bit about the University. The program I am on is called CIEE, or the Council on International Educational Exchange and there are 50 other students on it from all over the United States. After our orientation we made our way to the University of Ghana in Legon, which is pretty much a suburb of Accra. There are a few different spots on campus where international students are placed, known as hostels, and a few students are in home stays. I am staying at the Ghana Hostels also known as Pentagon. Originally we were supposed to be paired up with Ghanaian roommates but unfortunately it fell through at the last minute so the Americans in my hostel are paired together, which is actually pretty nice. Our rooms are huge - two beds, desks, our own bathroom, a kitchen area (which is just a sink) and a balcony. Although the rooms are quite spacious, we encountered a few problems right away. Our shower didn't work, our electricity went out on the second day for a few days, then all the water stopped working. But during this time I became very good at bucket showers and reading with a flashlight. We also discovered that you must be very assertive when asking for something in Ghana, and we went a few times per day to ask about electricity and water. At last after about a week, the plumber came and our water is working! (although it probably could go out again at any point...) We also had heard rumors about a fridge and we weren't completely sure if this was true but in fact they did deliver a fridge to our room - and it is about as tall as me! Life in Ghana is turning out to be quite luxurious...

When it came time to register for classes, the international students were not at all used to the system. At this school, you must go to each department you want to take classes from and register for each class, and then you have to register online. But first you have to make sure your name is in the system, and the internet would often go down which made it very difficult to register. Many students also sign up for a lot of classes then drop the ones they don't want, so right now I am signed up for way too many classes. I do know that I will be taking a few dance classes, drumming, music, and perhaps a literature and religion class. We also are all required to take a Twi class, one of the many native languages spoken here. The first week of classes just finished and we all were surprised to learn that most professors and students don't show up until the second week so I still don't know exactly what all my classes will be like. But my dance classes have met and they are so fun and rhythmic and tiring! I'm loving every minute so far and can't wait to see how the rest of the classes turn out.

Akwaaba! (Welcome)

All of us on CIEE 

My new life in Ghana has begun. I don't even know how to begin describing this foreign country, halfway around the world from my home of Port Townsend,WA. It has been a week already, but I feel like I have been here for much longer. Last Monday, myself and the other students from the United States on the same program as me were welcomed at the airport by a few Ghanaians who took us back to our hotel. At first glance much of the scenery seemed familiar - gas stations, markets, malls, cars honking on the street - but after a closer look I realized I am definitely not in the United States anymore. In the streets women carry baskets full of snacks, trinkets, and other neceseties for sale, the markets are full of jollaf rice and banku, and the people are simply delightful. We had a few days of orientation at a very nice hotel in Accra and then set off to move into our dorms at the University of Ghana in Legon, very close to Accra. I sometimes forget that I have left my home in America for four months and it seems like I am a visiter in this foreign place but as I get to know their customs, values, traditions, and way of life, I hope to become a part of this unique culture.