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!
No comments:
Post a Comment