Kumasi AND A Series of Unfortunate Events

So the past week has been some of the best days and the worst days. A couple days ago we embarked on an adventure to Kumasi. The drive took around 5 hours but it was most definitely worth it. We visited the original kente cloth factory (a famous type of cloth in Ghana) as well as learned how to stamp cloth with adinkra symbols. The next day we visited the Asantehene's palace (the king of the Asante region) and traveled to one of the most beautiful lakes ever and took a canoe tour. At the lake the locals climbed coconut trees and brought us each our own coconut for free! That night we checked out a local bar which once again, played purely American music. The next day we scoped out the outdoor markets and did a little bargaining. I bought a pair of earrings for 1 cedi (about 75 US cents) and everyone wanted to hear about how amazing California was. That night it was pouring rain but me and a couple of my friends were so hungry we decided to cross a crazy busy street in the pouring rain to buy some snacks. The closest we could get to chocolate was vanilla wafers. We played cards all night in our hotel rooms and all I could think about was how our EAP group had become a family in such short time.

Since we have been home, I have had some free time. Besides going to the hospital, I have been eating all my meals at either the night market or at the cafe in ISH. Rice and beans are a staple, as well as omelettes and their delicious rolls.

A group of us went to the mall, which looked like any other mall but the prices were ridiculously expensive. Goodluck getting a pair of shoes for under seventy dollars!

At the Bush Canteen (an outdoor market on campus) I saw a dog (not a stray dog) and gasped. The owner looked over at me and said "you know a person isn't a Ghanaian when they are happy to see a dog." I have learned over the last week that Ghanaians are dead afraid of dogs. The couple that owned the dog were from Canada and the man is a Philosophy professor at University of Ghana. It was refreshing to speak with people without a thick accent.

Now for the bad stuff....

When we got back from Kumasi, Ariel (my roommate) and I were supposed to move into our permanent rooms. But as usual, things didn't go as planned. We ended up with 8 other girls being placed in an all male Ghanaian dorm for one week, until our rooms in Volta are finished. This means there are constantly men hissing at me as I walk across the courtyard and yelling at me from balconies...but at least they are being friendly. And to top it off, I am woken up at 5:45 in the morning everyday to the sound of banging under my room since our part of the building is under construction.

When I was at the bar in Kumasi, I noticed some red bumps forming on my hand. I thought "oh man a mosquito must have just had a feast." But the next day it got worse and with each day it spread to more parts of my body. Luckily there were two other people in the group with the same thing. So on my first day off (I didn't get to sleep it) I had to go to the hospital and I spent a whole half day there. The hospital was pure chaos and nobody could seem to tell me where to go. To spare you the details, I finally saw a doctor (who told all 3 of us that we had some different problem) and I went to get my prescription...but they were out of 2 of the drugs I needed. Eventually it all worked out and I am on 4 different antibiotics to heal this little sucker.

Oh and I did all of my laundry today which took 2 hours and it still is drying. Boy oh boy do I miss washing machines, dryers, and my mom!

My next 3 days consist of international students orientation. I will get to move into my permanent dorm, meet all of the international kids, and register for classes.

REGARDLESS of the bumps in the road, the journey continues to be a blast and I can't wait to start classes and begin to travel on my own!