I had my first day of work today! This morning, the whole house was scurrying around like it was the first day of kindergarten ... putting our nicest outfits on, cooking a good breakfast, anxious about what to expect and whether the other kids would like us! We are driven to our internship sites on the first day, because its really hard to navigate an already confusing transportation system when you don't even know where you're going, and nine of us piled into a minivan with Leslie, Sonny and a driver who spoke no English. I was the first person dropped off, so I did not get to hang around long enough to see just how disastrously that turned out (though I've heard it was quite entertaining). GSMF is located in the Airport Residential neighborhood of Accra, which is the nicest, poshest, most upscale neighborhood in the whole metropolitan area. We passed the PRESIDENT'S house enroute to GSMF, to give you a clear picture of the situation. It's located only about three miles from the house, so it's a short (possibly walkable?) commute.
The building is very modern, clean and comfortable. We have air conditioning (!) and a really nice bathroom (and by really nice, I mean there's a toilet, with running water, toilet paper, a sink, soap to wash with at the sink and a towel to dry your hands on afterwards). I think I've explained that public restrooms are enormously neglected in Ghana, and I've heard reports that many of my housemates have not been as washroom-fortunate in their placements, so I am really counting my blessings. I sit in a room with about six cubicle stations, and I think this is where the sales team is based. However, they're out of the office a lot, so I get to have the whole room to myself most of the time. Best of all, my cube has a computer with internet ... amazing!
First thing, I met my co-workers (including the wonderful, welcoming Justina, my supervisor). I also got to meet the Managing Director, who runs this whole operation, and he was incredibly accessible and friendly for someone so important. He sat me down and we had a little chat about what kind of work I would like to do, and because I said, "Everything," he said, "Good, we'll put you to work," so I'm very excited at the prospect of being involved in all the social marketing campaigns GSMF runs and being really involved.
1 p.m. is lunchtime, which is complimentary, and makes figuring out the midday meal so much easier. Justina explained that because interns don't get paid, the Foundation likes to cover our lunch (it's definitely worth noting that even American media firms aren't this generous). There's a cute little dining room in the building with big tables, tablecloths, placemats, a flower in a small vase ... the whole nine yards. However, the meal itself was not quite as picture perfect. We were served a home-cooked spread of rice, yams, sauce and fish or chicken (very standard Ghanaian fare, which I'm still not that crazy about). I mostly just ate a lot of rice, but plain (because the sauces here are oily, smoky-tasting and pungently spiced, and I don't really care for them) and some chicken. I tried a yam, and it wasn't bad. It mostly tasted and looked like a wannabe potato. The yams here are not the sweet potatoes served at Thanksgiving ... they're white, rather than orange. They taste really starchy (I think you're supposed to eat them with the aforementioned sauces), and after just a few bites I could feel my body going into carbo-overload, so I abstained from eating the remainder. There were about six or seven people also breaking bread (or yams, rather?) in the dining room at the time, but they were all mostly speaking Twi to each other, so it was VERY AWKWARD. I did get asked a few questions (the standard "How long have you been in Ghana?" and others that I heard many, many times today) and got a little chit-chatting of my own in, but mostly I just looked at my food and listened to some great 90's love ballads on the radio. English is the official language in Ghana, but 45% of Ghanaians also speak Twi (and tribal languages tend to be people's first languages; English follows later), and I've noticed that when talking to one another, Ghanaians pick Twi as the language of choice. Sometimes, you hear a great combination of languages called "Twinglish," which is even more confusing. This holds true no matter where you go, so I don't take offense when I see it happen. But oh baby, it was awkward ... but everyone needs some good first-day-of-work awkwardness, right?
Anyway, things really picked up after lunch. I was invited to my first business meeting! We discussed this new campaign that GSMF is trying to launch regarding food safety, and it was SO interesting. I rarely think meetings are interesting, so this is a big breakthrough. Food safety (especially vegetables) is a huge issue in Ghana, because the water is dirty pretty much everywhere (we don't drink from the taps at the house, and we live in a nice suburb), and its really easy to pick up food-borne illnesses for this reason. As the Ghanaians say, unclean food will "make you run," and since that's not such a far cry from the American terminology, I'll let you figure out what happens. Anyway, we discussed how to encourage various people at the off-farm level to protect consumer health by using clean water and vegetables. It was absolutely fascinating to sit and listen to native Ghanaians discuss the practices (or lack thereof) used by retail sellers, restaurateurs and street vendors to clean food before serving it. Leslie forewarned our group about eating raw vegetables and purchasing food from street stands, so we've carefully avoided any of that trouble (I'm actually so amazed that nobody has been afflicted with any awful digestive issues), but it's apparently incredibly common throughout the country to have people selling and consuming unclean food. The campaign seeks to evoke behavior change in the involved parties to move from a trend of dirty water and vegetable to one of clean water and vegetables. For those not in the PR-know, behavior change is the most difficult goal to achieve, so it's a really lofty undertaking.
The meeting didn't end until 5 p.m., at which point I was sent home ... in a company car! Unfortunately, this will not be the standard daily practice. The driver gave me the 411 on taking the tro-tro to work on Wednesday (Tuesday is Republic Day, a national holiday, so we have the day off), so hopefully I will be able to do that without loss of life or limb. All in all, it was a great first day ... I have a feeling the next five weeks will fly by.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
ghana with the wind
I am completely in love with the Cape Coast.
This is the kind of town I think I had imagined in my head when I first signed up for this program. (Not that Accra and Legon aren’t great, but they’re urban, frazzled, dirty and loud.) It’s more tropical, beachy and colorful … it slightly echoes of Abaco, where I sailed in the Bahamas, but less clean and far poorer. There are several ports where fishing boats and all the accompanying men and nets paint a striking tableau, and the fresh fish is sold all over town (we definitely didn’t eat any, but it’s still romantic to talk about, right?). Luckily, the town doesn’t smell fishy at all … there is a wonderful ocean breeze that is almost as revitalizing as the new-to-us fresh air, which is essentially non-existant in polluted Accra. The beaches are breathtakingly gorgeous, and the water is warm, even if the Atlantic has really powerful, knock-you-over waves and even fiercer riptides. But it’s SO beautiful. And that’s all that matters.
And to top it off, we stayed at an amazing resort on the coast in Elmina called the Coconut Grove Hotel. I could literally live there for the rest of my life and be completely happy and satisfied. My family has never been the sort to hide away at a swanky resort when we go on vacation, but most of those in the destinations we frequent are overcrowded and much less desirable. There were so few other guests (though apparently the place was booked solid) that we had all the space we could ever want; although, those people I did meet were incredibly interesting to converse with. I met a Mormon family who were picking up their son as he finished his mission. He spent two years in Ghana and Sierra Leone ... and I can't even quite project how I'll finish just seven weeks. There were also this great pair of rowdy middle-aged men from Riverside who were your very typical Southern Californians and kept encouraging us to spend our time in Ghana "partying hard and gaining perspective," which I think is pretty fair advice. More good company: Kofi Annan stays in the same beachside bungalow every time he visits, and Will Smith has been a guest too, when he was in Africa to shoot “Ali.” The owner, whom we unfortunately didn't meet, is actually the CPP candidate in the December presidential elections. (I’ll have to elaborate on the whole election-season thing later, but the CPP is probably the third-ranked party in Ghana.) The hotel was so much more comfortable than the Legon house, and I think its going to be a test of our acclimation as to how we handle this flash of first-world living in the scope of our six-week stay in Ghana. For instance, the showers at Coconut Grove actually had hot water, great water pressure and no creepy-crawlies. I shared a bungalow with two other girls (reportedly, all for just 25 cedi per head per night!), and our porch had an ocean view. I also didn't have to climb a ladder to get into my bed, which is fantastic. To top it all off, the rooms were outfitted with air conditioning -- the ultimate luxury in equatorial Africa. We spent lots of time at the pool (trying to get a nice tan, of course) and playing in the ocean … so yeah, I never wanted to leave.
Anyway, besides relaxing and beaching, we had an eventful weekend seeing the Cape Coast tourist highlights. I think one reason we really treasured our downtime at the hotel is because our days were so intense and draining. When we arrived on Friday, our first stop was to the Cape Coast castle, which was a British colonial fort used primarily for the storage and shipping of captured slaves to the New World. We toured the castle, and it was so emotional to hear of and see the circumstances in which slaves were kept and treated, because they were profoundly terrible, inhumane, atrocious … words can’t even describe it. There were still scratches on the walls of the “Cell,” where misbehaving captives were imprisoned and left to die, as they clawed at life in desperation. So, definitely an experience. Painful, but absolutely worthwhile to see, and it's provided plenty of material for great, intellectual group conversations.
On Saturday we visited the Kakum National Park, which is famous for its canopy rainforest walk. This consists of a series of rope bridges strung 150 feet above the forest floor. It’s really difficult to convey in writing just how frightening yet exhilarating the walk was, because it was a sensory experience that mostly involved gripping the ropes to retain balance and some small semblance of security, viewing the amazing rainforest landscape and watching my feet slowly, steadily traverse across a 10-inch plank (that I think were laid on ladders and not even securely bolted to the tree landings that linked the circuit). After Kakum, we ate lunch at this restaurant that had terrible food, but a crocodile pond (!). Given this, we pretty much gave up on our meal and watched the crocs feed instead. We could walk within five feet of them ourselves (and sort of accidentally did so at first, then realized where we were, realized we weren’t being eaten yet, and continued to observe/photograph), and a lady employee came out at one point (she must have been the trainer or something) and offered to let us pet the crocodile for 1 cedi. A few people did … I did not. I am pretty sure I would have been eaten. So, in summary, I think if our study-abroad insurance carrier knew how we spent the day, we’d all immediately be dropped from our plans.
Once we returned to Cape Coast, we stopped into a shop downtown called Global Mamas, which is a free-trade NGO that trains Ghanaian women to run all aspects of a business (production, accounting, etc.). They take interns through the IE3 study abroad program, and I have a friend who worked with the organization. I am so jealous, because I think it would be an absolutely amazing experience. The store was full of fabulous merchandise – and when it goes to support a GREAT cause, how can you resist getting a little spendy? They also have a website (www.globalmamas.org), which I highly recommend you check out, because the merchandise is fabulous. It consists of bags, skirts, dresses, shirts, home items, baby clothes … anything and everything, all of very high quality and made in Ghana. (Fun Fact: President Bush met with the expatriate founder of Global Mamas on his visit to Ghana in February, and apparently had to ask her what “free trade” meant, because he did not know.)
We had a wonderful last afternoon and evening at the hotel – swimming, beaching, eating, the usual. The Coconut Grove’s restaurant has an extensive menu, and we all – of course – indulged in the American fare while we have the opportunity. After dinner, there was a bonfire on the beach, and I sat in the firelight while the waves lapped at the shore, having great conversations with my amazing group-mates and Leslie, and it was beautiful.
Another Saturday highlight: calling home (!) to wish my baby sister a happy thirteenth.
Sunday, we visited Elmina, another slave castle, and it was very similar to the first. Structurally, it was quite different (and it was a Portuguese and then Dutch fort, so inscriptions on the walls were in different languages), but all the terrible treatment, imprisonment and death were the same. What was striking at Elmina was the fact that the soldiers lived almost right above the captive slaves -- at Cape Coast, there was far more separation. Considering that they had to walk past enormous quantities of suffering people every day, wouldn't it eventually wear them down? I can't quite wrap my head around how it apparently did not. We had a really long, hot and dusty drive back to Accra, hitting all the weekend traffic on the way. The terrible return was an affirming sign of how amazing our weekend was ... and how sincerely the Cape Coast stole my heart.
(P.S. Tegra and Michael, are you SO happy I finally used this title?)
This is the kind of town I think I had imagined in my head when I first signed up for this program. (Not that Accra and Legon aren’t great, but they’re urban, frazzled, dirty and loud.) It’s more tropical, beachy and colorful … it slightly echoes of Abaco, where I sailed in the Bahamas, but less clean and far poorer. There are several ports where fishing boats and all the accompanying men and nets paint a striking tableau, and the fresh fish is sold all over town (we definitely didn’t eat any, but it’s still romantic to talk about, right?). Luckily, the town doesn’t smell fishy at all … there is a wonderful ocean breeze that is almost as revitalizing as the new-to-us fresh air, which is essentially non-existant in polluted Accra. The beaches are breathtakingly gorgeous, and the water is warm, even if the Atlantic has really powerful, knock-you-over waves and even fiercer riptides. But it’s SO beautiful. And that’s all that matters.
And to top it off, we stayed at an amazing resort on the coast in Elmina called the Coconut Grove Hotel. I could literally live there for the rest of my life and be completely happy and satisfied. My family has never been the sort to hide away at a swanky resort when we go on vacation, but most of those in the destinations we frequent are overcrowded and much less desirable. There were so few other guests (though apparently the place was booked solid) that we had all the space we could ever want; although, those people I did meet were incredibly interesting to converse with. I met a Mormon family who were picking up their son as he finished his mission. He spent two years in Ghana and Sierra Leone ... and I can't even quite project how I'll finish just seven weeks. There were also this great pair of rowdy middle-aged men from Riverside who were your very typical Southern Californians and kept encouraging us to spend our time in Ghana "partying hard and gaining perspective," which I think is pretty fair advice. More good company: Kofi Annan stays in the same beachside bungalow every time he visits, and Will Smith has been a guest too, when he was in Africa to shoot “Ali.” The owner, whom we unfortunately didn't meet, is actually the CPP candidate in the December presidential elections. (I’ll have to elaborate on the whole election-season thing later, but the CPP is probably the third-ranked party in Ghana.) The hotel was so much more comfortable than the Legon house, and I think its going to be a test of our acclimation as to how we handle this flash of first-world living in the scope of our six-week stay in Ghana. For instance, the showers at Coconut Grove actually had hot water, great water pressure and no creepy-crawlies. I shared a bungalow with two other girls (reportedly, all for just 25 cedi per head per night!), and our porch had an ocean view. I also didn't have to climb a ladder to get into my bed, which is fantastic. To top it all off, the rooms were outfitted with air conditioning -- the ultimate luxury in equatorial Africa. We spent lots of time at the pool (trying to get a nice tan, of course) and playing in the ocean … so yeah, I never wanted to leave.
Anyway, besides relaxing and beaching, we had an eventful weekend seeing the Cape Coast tourist highlights. I think one reason we really treasured our downtime at the hotel is because our days were so intense and draining. When we arrived on Friday, our first stop was to the Cape Coast castle, which was a British colonial fort used primarily for the storage and shipping of captured slaves to the New World. We toured the castle, and it was so emotional to hear of and see the circumstances in which slaves were kept and treated, because they were profoundly terrible, inhumane, atrocious … words can’t even describe it. There were still scratches on the walls of the “Cell,” where misbehaving captives were imprisoned and left to die, as they clawed at life in desperation. So, definitely an experience. Painful, but absolutely worthwhile to see, and it's provided plenty of material for great, intellectual group conversations.
On Saturday we visited the Kakum National Park, which is famous for its canopy rainforest walk. This consists of a series of rope bridges strung 150 feet above the forest floor. It’s really difficult to convey in writing just how frightening yet exhilarating the walk was, because it was a sensory experience that mostly involved gripping the ropes to retain balance and some small semblance of security, viewing the amazing rainforest landscape and watching my feet slowly, steadily traverse across a 10-inch plank (that I think were laid on ladders and not even securely bolted to the tree landings that linked the circuit). After Kakum, we ate lunch at this restaurant that had terrible food, but a crocodile pond (!). Given this, we pretty much gave up on our meal and watched the crocs feed instead. We could walk within five feet of them ourselves (and sort of accidentally did so at first, then realized where we were, realized we weren’t being eaten yet, and continued to observe/photograph), and a lady employee came out at one point (she must have been the trainer or something) and offered to let us pet the crocodile for 1 cedi. A few people did … I did not. I am pretty sure I would have been eaten. So, in summary, I think if our study-abroad insurance carrier knew how we spent the day, we’d all immediately be dropped from our plans.
Once we returned to Cape Coast, we stopped into a shop downtown called Global Mamas, which is a free-trade NGO that trains Ghanaian women to run all aspects of a business (production, accounting, etc.). They take interns through the IE3 study abroad program, and I have a friend who worked with the organization. I am so jealous, because I think it would be an absolutely amazing experience. The store was full of fabulous merchandise – and when it goes to support a GREAT cause, how can you resist getting a little spendy? They also have a website (www.globalmamas.org), which I highly recommend you check out, because the merchandise is fabulous. It consists of bags, skirts, dresses, shirts, home items, baby clothes … anything and everything, all of very high quality and made in Ghana. (Fun Fact: President Bush met with the expatriate founder of Global Mamas on his visit to Ghana in February, and apparently had to ask her what “free trade” meant, because he did not know.)
We had a wonderful last afternoon and evening at the hotel – swimming, beaching, eating, the usual. The Coconut Grove’s restaurant has an extensive menu, and we all – of course – indulged in the American fare while we have the opportunity. After dinner, there was a bonfire on the beach, and I sat in the firelight while the waves lapped at the shore, having great conversations with my amazing group-mates and Leslie, and it was beautiful.
Another Saturday highlight: calling home (!) to wish my baby sister a happy thirteenth.
Sunday, we visited Elmina, another slave castle, and it was very similar to the first. Structurally, it was quite different (and it was a Portuguese and then Dutch fort, so inscriptions on the walls were in different languages), but all the terrible treatment, imprisonment and death were the same. What was striking at Elmina was the fact that the soldiers lived almost right above the captive slaves -- at Cape Coast, there was far more separation. Considering that they had to walk past enormous quantities of suffering people every day, wouldn't it eventually wear them down? I can't quite wrap my head around how it apparently did not. We had a really long, hot and dusty drive back to Accra, hitting all the weekend traffic on the way. The terrible return was an affirming sign of how amazing our weekend was ... and how sincerely the Cape Coast stole my heart.
(P.S. Tegra and Michael, are you SO happy I finally used this title?)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
we are really in africa!!?
Okay, first, I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to update! Believe you me, I'm extremely guilt-ridden at this abandonment. I'm coming up on the one-week mark, and my time in Ghana has been amazing, but internet access has been scarce. However, internships start on Monday, and I'm hoping that means I'll get a daily connection, but we'll see.
So, it's been a wild first week. Ghana, like many third world countries, is a study in contrasts, which makes forming impressions and opinions about this whole situation a challenge. There have been so many experiences, feelings and thoughts in this span alone that I don't think I could even begin to outline all of them for you, so here are the highlights:
-First Night: I arrived around 8 p.m. on Friday night, and was instantly swarmed by the heat and humidity as I stepped off the plane. It's the same climate as you would feel when arriving in Hawaii, but way more severe. Michelle met me at the airport and we went straight to a group dinner at this restaurant that, between now and then, we've eaten at about 71081085 times, because it's one of Leslie's favorites. Chez Afrique has live music on Friday and Saturdays, and has given us a good introduction to Ghanaian food (which is a topic for a post all its own, another time). I had a couple beers (Ghana's own brands, which I'll also elaborate on later) to ease the pain from 26 hours in economy-class seats and, despite the fact that I was running on fumes, had an amazing first night.
-The House: The house is interesting ... it's quite luxurious by Ghanaian standards, but is a far cry from what we're all used to back home. First, it has the most ridiculous floor plan, which was so hard to navigate in the first couple of days after arrival. Aside from being a maze, there are weird steps at most thresholds, which I trip over like nobody's business, because I am just that clumsy. The floors are always dirty, so your feet start to feel grimy after only like five barefoot minutes. I baby-wipe my feet clean before climbing into bed every night for good measure (and, after the 2004 Starfire tour, foot washing is a nice spiritual moment I get to enjoy just before falling asleep). The showers are cold (but it's so hot here that it really doesn't matter), and run at a trickle. There are also bugs everywhere ... but then again, 80% of Ghana doesn't have running water or windows in which to hang mosquito nets, so I think we really are pretty lucky.
-The Black Stars: Probably one of the most amazing experiences of the whole trip was the Ghana Black Stars game we went to on Sunday. The Black Stars are the national soccer team, and we watched them beat Gibon 2-0 in a qualifier for the 2010 World Cup (which, for those who care, will be in South Africa, and is the first time the World Cup will be held on the continent ... fun fact of the day). Ghanaians are on par with the Europeans in their zeal for soccer, and it was so amazing to be in the stadium and take in the whole experience. We also got these ridiculously good seats in the third row ... which I don't think we had been assigned, but nobody bothered us. The crowd was so wild, and it was absolute madness both when Ghana scored and when they had goals called back for offsides (which happened multiple times). We also saw about four full-out brawls amongst spectators, which is always great. And Sonny, a Ghana native who is Doc William's protege and who you'll hear much more about later, took us under his wing and was a huge lifesaver, as I doubt all 13 of us would have actually made it in and out of central Accra alive without his help. It was our first real excursion into the thick of the city, which was crazy, exciting and definitely a little stressful … but seeing a BLACK STARS match on home turf was SO worth it.
-The Markets: Leslie's taken us to several art/craft markets in Legon, Accra and Aburi, and it's actually been such an overwhelming experience thus far. Vendors are really aggressive, and you can't walk past a shopfront without someone jumping in front of you and insisting, "Sista, take a look in my shop!" We usually just politely nod, say no thanks and keep walking, but it's been such a turn-off for me personally that I haven't bought much yet. And of course, as Obruni's (meaning "white person" or "foreigner" in Twi, and a completely non-pejorative term) we get drastically overcharged for everything. My bargaining skills are super rusty, and I think that whole part of the transaction is painfully uncomfortable. Hopefully, I'll pull it together soon, and can come home with fabulous gifts for all of you (and myself).
So, clearly, I'm still in the adjustment phase, figuring out where to get food (I'll admit, I largely subsist on granola bars and Ramen noodles when we "cook" for ourselves), when to apply bugspray (apparently all the time, though I'm quite concerned that I've already fatally overexposed myself to DEET) and how to interact with Ghanaians. There are some things that I think will be second-nature soon, like adapting to the heat and humidity, and others that I doubt I'll ever overcome, like a kitchen teeming with insects. All in all, it's great, and slightly unbelievable, to be here.
We are off to the Cape Coast tomorrow for a weekend escape. We will be back on Sunday, and work starts Monday! Send some emails, leave some comments ... I'll be back here soon!
So, it's been a wild first week. Ghana, like many third world countries, is a study in contrasts, which makes forming impressions and opinions about this whole situation a challenge. There have been so many experiences, feelings and thoughts in this span alone that I don't think I could even begin to outline all of them for you, so here are the highlights:
-First Night: I arrived around 8 p.m. on Friday night, and was instantly swarmed by the heat and humidity as I stepped off the plane. It's the same climate as you would feel when arriving in Hawaii, but way more severe. Michelle met me at the airport and we went straight to a group dinner at this restaurant that, between now and then, we've eaten at about 71081085 times, because it's one of Leslie's favorites. Chez Afrique has live music on Friday and Saturdays, and has given us a good introduction to Ghanaian food (which is a topic for a post all its own, another time). I had a couple beers (Ghana's own brands, which I'll also elaborate on later) to ease the pain from 26 hours in economy-class seats and, despite the fact that I was running on fumes, had an amazing first night.
-The House: The house is interesting ... it's quite luxurious by Ghanaian standards, but is a far cry from what we're all used to back home. First, it has the most ridiculous floor plan, which was so hard to navigate in the first couple of days after arrival. Aside from being a maze, there are weird steps at most thresholds, which I trip over like nobody's business, because I am just that clumsy. The floors are always dirty, so your feet start to feel grimy after only like five barefoot minutes. I baby-wipe my feet clean before climbing into bed every night for good measure (and, after the 2004 Starfire tour, foot washing is a nice spiritual moment I get to enjoy just before falling asleep). The showers are cold (but it's so hot here that it really doesn't matter), and run at a trickle. There are also bugs everywhere ... but then again, 80% of Ghana doesn't have running water or windows in which to hang mosquito nets, so I think we really are pretty lucky.
-The Black Stars: Probably one of the most amazing experiences of the whole trip was the Ghana Black Stars game we went to on Sunday. The Black Stars are the national soccer team, and we watched them beat Gibon 2-0 in a qualifier for the 2010 World Cup (which, for those who care, will be in South Africa, and is the first time the World Cup will be held on the continent ... fun fact of the day). Ghanaians are on par with the Europeans in their zeal for soccer, and it was so amazing to be in the stadium and take in the whole experience. We also got these ridiculously good seats in the third row ... which I don't think we had been assigned, but nobody bothered us. The crowd was so wild, and it was absolute madness both when Ghana scored and when they had goals called back for offsides (which happened multiple times). We also saw about four full-out brawls amongst spectators, which is always great. And Sonny, a Ghana native who is Doc William's protege and who you'll hear much more about later, took us under his wing and was a huge lifesaver, as I doubt all 13 of us would have actually made it in and out of central Accra alive without his help. It was our first real excursion into the thick of the city, which was crazy, exciting and definitely a little stressful … but seeing a BLACK STARS match on home turf was SO worth it.
-The Markets: Leslie's taken us to several art/craft markets in Legon, Accra and Aburi, and it's actually been such an overwhelming experience thus far. Vendors are really aggressive, and you can't walk past a shopfront without someone jumping in front of you and insisting, "Sista, take a look in my shop!" We usually just politely nod, say no thanks and keep walking, but it's been such a turn-off for me personally that I haven't bought much yet. And of course, as Obruni's (meaning "white person" or "foreigner" in Twi, and a completely non-pejorative term) we get drastically overcharged for everything. My bargaining skills are super rusty, and I think that whole part of the transaction is painfully uncomfortable. Hopefully, I'll pull it together soon, and can come home with fabulous gifts for all of you (and myself).
So, clearly, I'm still in the adjustment phase, figuring out where to get food (I'll admit, I largely subsist on granola bars and Ramen noodles when we "cook" for ourselves), when to apply bugspray (apparently all the time, though I'm quite concerned that I've already fatally overexposed myself to DEET) and how to interact with Ghanaians. There are some things that I think will be second-nature soon, like adapting to the heat and humidity, and others that I doubt I'll ever overcome, like a kitchen teeming with insects. All in all, it's great, and slightly unbelievable, to be here.
We are off to the Cape Coast tomorrow for a weekend escape. We will be back on Sunday, and work starts Monday! Send some emails, leave some comments ... I'll be back here soon!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
akwaaba
Welcome! (Akwaaba means just that, in Twi, the most widely spoken tribal language in Ghana ... thanks for bearing with me while I get a little practice in). Many of you know that this blog has been a long time in the making, and I am very excited to have it up and running! This is just the first of (I hope) many exciting posts about my travel, internship and cultural experiences in West Africa this summer, so check in often for updates. I promise not to throw too much more Twi at you, if it helps.
I've spent the last few days since I've been back in Palo Alto running around like a madwoman to get ready for this trip ... I've purchased enough protein bars, Purell and 100% DEET spray to last until Christmas, so the trick now is to make it all fit in two suitcases, and to not exceed that 50 lbs. limit on each, which I have a terrible tendency to do. (Yes, it's quite likely that everything I pack for this trip will weigh more than I do ... it happens).
Anyway, I depart Thursday, June 19 in the early afternoon (and many apologies to my dear sister, whose 18th birthday I've preempted with my international departure). It'll take about 26 hours and stops in Chicago and London to reach Accra, and I'll arrive Friday evening. Hopefully in enough time to hit the bars with the group ... but we'll see. Basically, the moral of this paragraph is to not expect any posts between now and then. Nothing exciting is happening.
While I'll be working diligently to keep you all updated and entertained, the road goes both ways, and I would LOVE to get emails and messages from everyone. I'll be checking both katherine.dally@gmail.com and dally@uoregon.edu fairly regularly, so please write! It would make me so happy, and I'll respond to everything I receive. So do it!
Again, THANK YOU (or Me da ase ... but don't ask me to pronounce it) for visiting and reading. It should be an amazing seven weeks, and I cannot wait to share the stories!
I've spent the last few days since I've been back in Palo Alto running around like a madwoman to get ready for this trip ... I've purchased enough protein bars, Purell and 100% DEET spray to last until Christmas, so the trick now is to make it all fit in two suitcases, and to not exceed that 50 lbs. limit on each, which I have a terrible tendency to do. (Yes, it's quite likely that everything I pack for this trip will weigh more than I do ... it happens).
Anyway, I depart Thursday, June 19 in the early afternoon (and many apologies to my dear sister, whose 18th birthday I've preempted with my international departure). It'll take about 26 hours and stops in Chicago and London to reach Accra, and I'll arrive Friday evening. Hopefully in enough time to hit the bars with the group ... but we'll see. Basically, the moral of this paragraph is to not expect any posts between now and then. Nothing exciting is happening.
While I'll be working diligently to keep you all updated and entertained, the road goes both ways, and I would LOVE to get emails and messages from everyone. I'll be checking both katherine.dally@gmail.com and dally@uoregon.edu fairly regularly, so please write! It would make me so happy, and I'll respond to everything I receive. So do it!
Again, THANK YOU (or Me da ase ... but don't ask me to pronounce it) for visiting and reading. It should be an amazing seven weeks, and I cannot wait to share the stories!
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