We had some exciting/funny experiences with the police this weekend...
On Saturday, we drove up to Aburi Gardens, passing by Bob Marley's wife's house (!!!), stopping in a wood carving village to watch how everything is done and then exploring and buying crazy gifts, visiting the first cocoa plantation in Ghana, and finally touring the botanical gardens. The trip was amazing, and it was great to get out of the city and see more green than red and brown. As we drove back from the trip, traffic was slowed as we passed one of the many police checkpoints you see in Ghana (I still can't really figure out what they're looking for; Ghanaians have told me guns, drugs, criminals, etc.). Being the tourists that we are, one of the people in my program was taking pictures out the window of the bus at a small child waving, and the police immediately pulled us over and yelled at the driver. One of the program guides grabbed the camera and went outside to talk to the policeman, who claimed that we were taking pictures of the police (which is apparently illegal) and insisted that he confiscate the camera. The guide flipped through the pictures, proving that we were not taking pictures of the police, but rather of the children, and the policeman still insisted he take the camera. This resulted in a lot of yelling and crazy gestures, which eventually ended with something holding our program guide back from the policeman and pushing him back in the van. After that, we were allowed to go.
It's weird to be surrounded by police that believe bribery to be a completely normal part of life. At any given police check, you can be pulled over, told there is something illegal in your car (even if there isn't) and charged cash money on the spot to avoid anymore trouble. It's pretty unsettling, and kind of a double edged sword for white people. While they know that foreigners are too afraid to resist the police or commit any crime (for fear of ending up in jail without a fair trial), they also know that most foreigners come from countries where police bribery is strictly forbidden, and that they are unlikely to hand money over willingly.
It happened again on Saturday night when Ama, a Ghanaian friend of ours, took us to a Chinese restaurant. When we made a wrong turn, we ended up in a heavily guarded parking lot, and were immediately pulled over. They asked for the driver's license, which (sorry Mom!) she doesn't have. They weren't speaking in English, so I'm not sure exactly what was said, but when they realized she would not produce the license, they demanded she give them money. In the car, Mallory, Julie, Lindsay and I are stressing out because in the States if you don't have a license you are in a ton of trouble. However, Ama was able to convince the officers that she shouldn't have to pay them, and we drove off with them in a huff. Ama laughed about the whole thing, and told us that the man that had pulled us over was a "baby police" and he was just trying to feel big and important. About 5 minutes later the whole situation was funny, but in the car not so much. I'm guessing we can probably expect a lot more experiences like that in the future.
I've started taking more pictures of my house and family, so once I can put pictures up on Wednesday I'll be sending them out!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
My Address
Alright I've finally figured out the OFFICIAL address you can send mail/packages to if you are so inclined...
Hilary Armstrong c/o Kwasi Gyasi-Gyamerah
Private Mail Bag 31
University of Ghana
Legon, Ghana
West Africa
No pressure or anything..but candy, granola, bars, and trail mix are greatly appreciated :-)
Hilary Armstrong c/o Kwasi Gyasi-Gyamerah
Private Mail Bag 31
University of Ghana
Legon, Ghana
West Africa
No pressure or anything..but candy, granola, bars, and trail mix are greatly appreciated :-)
Ghanaian Families
So for the past few weeks I've been trying to figure out the way family trees work around here. In my house there is a huge assortment of relatives, some siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, etc. But I could never figure it all out. A bunch of people from my program went out to our favorite bar, Jerry's, last night and I finally got a bit more of an answer to the way families work. I spent most of the night talking to my host brother, Alex, who just graduated from the University of Ghana and is living with us until he goes off to graduate school is the US next year. I asked him about the two little girls living at the house, Stephanie and Pookie, who I know to be sisters. The other day I found out that a woman who comes to visit almost every night, Edith, is their mom, and she lives about a 20 minute walk from our house. I asked why the girls don't live with their mom, and he explained that she works late hours, and the girls would be lonely if they lived at the house. So the mom moved them into their grandmother's house a few minutes away, and now she just goes to visit every night for a bit. That still seems a little weird to me but it's all part of their concept of extended family.
Apparently, when a child is born they are immediately placed in a network of moms, dads, aunties, uncles, and grandparents. It becomes pretty irrelevant who their biological parents are, because each older person acts as a parental figure. The way Stephanie and Pookie see it, they don't just belong to their mom, they belong to their 20 something aunties, uncles, and cousins, and it doesn't really matter that they see them more often than their actual parents.
I asked Alex about his situation, and he said he had met his mom briefly when he was 12, and saw his dad maybe once every 2 weeks. He has always lived with grandparents, and because of it has been able to lead a very stable life and graduate from the university. His parents knew that they would not be able to provide the same life for him in the village, and therefore had no qualms about sending him away to be with his wealthier grandparents (the parents we live with). I asked if he ever felt abandoned and he seemed confused, not sure how he could feel that way if he had so many people around him that loved him.
It's a different way of looking at things and it's really refreshing. I don't know that it could ever be like that in the US because of the notions of marriage and nuclear families that are so ingrained in everyone's minds, but it seems slightly more functional than a lot of the relationships I see at home.
On another note...everything here is great! We are going on our first day trip tomorrow to Aburi Gardens, taking a tour of the botanical gardens, a cocoa farm, and a wood carving factory. It should be really fun and I'm looking forward to getting out of the city for a day. Hopefully I'll figure out how to put some picture up!
Apparently, when a child is born they are immediately placed in a network of moms, dads, aunties, uncles, and grandparents. It becomes pretty irrelevant who their biological parents are, because each older person acts as a parental figure. The way Stephanie and Pookie see it, they don't just belong to their mom, they belong to their 20 something aunties, uncles, and cousins, and it doesn't really matter that they see them more often than their actual parents.
I asked Alex about his situation, and he said he had met his mom briefly when he was 12, and saw his dad maybe once every 2 weeks. He has always lived with grandparents, and because of it has been able to lead a very stable life and graduate from the university. His parents knew that they would not be able to provide the same life for him in the village, and therefore had no qualms about sending him away to be with his wealthier grandparents (the parents we live with). I asked if he ever felt abandoned and he seemed confused, not sure how he could feel that way if he had so many people around him that loved him.
It's a different way of looking at things and it's really refreshing. I don't know that it could ever be like that in the US because of the notions of marriage and nuclear families that are so ingrained in everyone's minds, but it seems slightly more functional than a lot of the relationships I see at home.
On another note...everything here is great! We are going on our first day trip tomorrow to Aburi Gardens, taking a tour of the botanical gardens, a cocoa farm, and a wood carving factory. It should be really fun and I'm looking forward to getting out of the city for a day. Hopefully I'll figure out how to put some picture up!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Back to the basics...
So apparently I'm the only person who doesn't have a blog and also isn't writing in a journal. All the pressure to document everything that happens is finally getting to me, so here it is!
I arrived in Ghana on Saturday August 8th and spent my first night alone in the Salvation Army Hostel. I met some amazing girls from Canada and England who had been volunteering in Ghana for about 3 months and they took me under their wing and showed me all the cute places to eat and hang out in Osu. The hostel was slightly less sanitary and equipped than I am acustomed to in the US, so that was a quick adjustment.
The next day I took a cab ride (and bargained down the price!) to the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, which was the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of the hostel. Air conditioning, hot showers, television, and wireless internet. It was like going to Ghana for one night and then going back to the US for the next 2 nights. Most people had just arrived so their first experience was with that hotel, and I felt slightly ahead for having experienced what I did. We spent the next few days at the hotel doing orientation activities, and that following Tuesday we drove to the University of Ghana, registered as international students, and went to our homestays. Immediately I met my host parents, Grace and Charlie, and soon after met the assortment of 6 to 10 siblings/cousins/other relatives that rotate in and out of my house on a regular basis. Currently there are about 13 people living in our house, so needless to say I am never alone and there is always someone to hang out with.
I share a room in the house with Gwen, a girl from Boston who goes to Colorado College. We each have queen size beds and our own dresser, with our own bathroom. I must say that when I first got to the house I was incredibly surprised at how nice it was, and was nervous that I wouldn't get the kind of experience I was thinking I would. You quickly realize that Ghana isn't all about having dirt floors and no running water, and that it has so much more to do with the attitude, the language, the food, and the family.
We walk to the university every day, about a 30 minute walk. It feels like it gets shorter every day. Along the walk we pass at least 100 small stores, with grocery supplies, automobile parts, small goodies, and small children running around. We greet nearly everyone, either with "Good morning," "Hello" or a wave and are usually greeted with a huge smile. Generally you hear the word "Obruni," meaning white person, but it isn't used in a derogatory fashion, and just takes time to get used to. Along the way we probably see about 60 cabs and tro-tros, each honking to see if we want a ride (because Americans are generally perceived to be useless and therefore can't walk).
At the university, all the students are very well dressed, most of the men wearing dress shirts and ties, while the women wear modest yet beautiful clothes. They are by far the best dressed people I have ever met, and constantly put us Americans to shame in our clothing choices. The food is very cheap and mosly delicious, costing less than the equivalent of 50 cents for a full meal of vegetables, rice, and chicken. Another staple in the Ghanaian diet is Milo, the equivalent of hot chocolate, and quickly my favorite habit.
The food is delicious, though very spicy. Most meals consist of spicy rice (when mixed with meat and vegetables it is called jollof), chicken, plantains, and banku. Banku is a dough that is dipped in soup and swallowed whole, and took me quite a while to get used to. We have also recently discovered FanIce, an amazing ice cream that comes in several flavors (unfortunately not chocolate chip cookie dough). We're trying very hard to halt the addiction to this new discovery.
We've been to a few markets, which are the most overwhelming experiences yet. They are jam packed with hundreds of vendors selling all kinds of goods, each yelling at you to visit their shop. If you finally do decide to buy something, it then becomes a game of bargaining, where they offer a price (usually way above actual price because you are a foreigner and they think they can trick you) and you must politely yet aggressively bargain, sometimes cutting the price by as much as half. It can be super stressful, but we are told that vendors expect us to bargain. It's difficult sometimes though trying to reduce the price, knowing that they need the money a lot more than I do. But I knew coming on this trip that there was going to be alot of guilt associated with it.
On to the fun stuff, the clubs and bars here are hilarious. We live down the street from Jerry's, a bar that's open every night blasting Ghanaian and American music. Jerry is amazing, and immediately befriended us and treats us like his daughters. On my runs in the morning I often go by the bar, and he waves and shouts hello every time. We've also gone to some bars in Osu, an amazing bar on the beach, and the most ridiculous circus strip club looking bar called the Roxbury. It's actually modeled after the club from the Night at the Roxbury, and we had one of the most ridiculous nights there this last Saturday. The previous night, we had been invited to the birthday party for the former Miss Ghana 2000, which took place at her house, and was yet another unforgettable Ghanaian experience.
Alright, now that I've given the basics I can start talking about all the hilarious stuff that happens here as it happens. My internet is failing on me, so I'll have to save it for another day, but I hope this answered alot of the questions from emails I've been getting.
Bottom line: I'm having an amazing time!
I arrived in Ghana on Saturday August 8th and spent my first night alone in the Salvation Army Hostel. I met some amazing girls from Canada and England who had been volunteering in Ghana for about 3 months and they took me under their wing and showed me all the cute places to eat and hang out in Osu. The hostel was slightly less sanitary and equipped than I am acustomed to in the US, so that was a quick adjustment.
The next day I took a cab ride (and bargained down the price!) to the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, which was the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of the hostel. Air conditioning, hot showers, television, and wireless internet. It was like going to Ghana for one night and then going back to the US for the next 2 nights. Most people had just arrived so their first experience was with that hotel, and I felt slightly ahead for having experienced what I did. We spent the next few days at the hotel doing orientation activities, and that following Tuesday we drove to the University of Ghana, registered as international students, and went to our homestays. Immediately I met my host parents, Grace and Charlie, and soon after met the assortment of 6 to 10 siblings/cousins/other relatives that rotate in and out of my house on a regular basis. Currently there are about 13 people living in our house, so needless to say I am never alone and there is always someone to hang out with.
I share a room in the house with Gwen, a girl from Boston who goes to Colorado College. We each have queen size beds and our own dresser, with our own bathroom. I must say that when I first got to the house I was incredibly surprised at how nice it was, and was nervous that I wouldn't get the kind of experience I was thinking I would. You quickly realize that Ghana isn't all about having dirt floors and no running water, and that it has so much more to do with the attitude, the language, the food, and the family.
We walk to the university every day, about a 30 minute walk. It feels like it gets shorter every day. Along the walk we pass at least 100 small stores, with grocery supplies, automobile parts, small goodies, and small children running around. We greet nearly everyone, either with "Good morning," "Hello" or a wave and are usually greeted with a huge smile. Generally you hear the word "Obruni," meaning white person, but it isn't used in a derogatory fashion, and just takes time to get used to. Along the way we probably see about 60 cabs and tro-tros, each honking to see if we want a ride (because Americans are generally perceived to be useless and therefore can't walk).
At the university, all the students are very well dressed, most of the men wearing dress shirts and ties, while the women wear modest yet beautiful clothes. They are by far the best dressed people I have ever met, and constantly put us Americans to shame in our clothing choices. The food is very cheap and mosly delicious, costing less than the equivalent of 50 cents for a full meal of vegetables, rice, and chicken. Another staple in the Ghanaian diet is Milo, the equivalent of hot chocolate, and quickly my favorite habit.
The food is delicious, though very spicy. Most meals consist of spicy rice (when mixed with meat and vegetables it is called jollof), chicken, plantains, and banku. Banku is a dough that is dipped in soup and swallowed whole, and took me quite a while to get used to. We have also recently discovered FanIce, an amazing ice cream that comes in several flavors (unfortunately not chocolate chip cookie dough). We're trying very hard to halt the addiction to this new discovery.
We've been to a few markets, which are the most overwhelming experiences yet. They are jam packed with hundreds of vendors selling all kinds of goods, each yelling at you to visit their shop. If you finally do decide to buy something, it then becomes a game of bargaining, where they offer a price (usually way above actual price because you are a foreigner and they think they can trick you) and you must politely yet aggressively bargain, sometimes cutting the price by as much as half. It can be super stressful, but we are told that vendors expect us to bargain. It's difficult sometimes though trying to reduce the price, knowing that they need the money a lot more than I do. But I knew coming on this trip that there was going to be alot of guilt associated with it.
On to the fun stuff, the clubs and bars here are hilarious. We live down the street from Jerry's, a bar that's open every night blasting Ghanaian and American music. Jerry is amazing, and immediately befriended us and treats us like his daughters. On my runs in the morning I often go by the bar, and he waves and shouts hello every time. We've also gone to some bars in Osu, an amazing bar on the beach, and the most ridiculous circus strip club looking bar called the Roxbury. It's actually modeled after the club from the Night at the Roxbury, and we had one of the most ridiculous nights there this last Saturday. The previous night, we had been invited to the birthday party for the former Miss Ghana 2000, which took place at her house, and was yet another unforgettable Ghanaian experience.
Alright, now that I've given the basics I can start talking about all the hilarious stuff that happens here as it happens. My internet is failing on me, so I'll have to save it for another day, but I hope this answered alot of the questions from emails I've been getting.
Bottom line: I'm having an amazing time!
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