Yesterday was one of those days where the sky opened up and it started pouring out of nowhere. Ariel and I had decided to check out the new market across from the University when the rain decided to come down HARD. All of the Ghanaians were packed under any overhanging available but Ariel and I thought we were above waiting out the rain and set out with our umbrellas. By the time we made it to the market we were drenched from head to toe. We were so dirty we could not decide how we would be allowed to enter the store. So what did we do? We went around the corner from the market and used the dirty trench water to wipe off the red clay stuck to our legs…yes we were desperate. When we entered the store it was as if we were back in the States. We walked through the store with mouths gaping open and eyes wide…the whole time leaving muddy footprints following us. The store has EVERYTHING- well except milk, and Frosted Flakes cost around $20 US dollars, depressing. I made two incredible discoveries here. 1. There is imitation nutella for super cheap imported from France. 2. The store has a gelato stand- heaven! I left the store with a huge smile on my face. I cannot believe how much I have missed grocery stores.
At night we went to our Auntie’s birthday party. Auntie Irene Odotei is a prominent scholar and well known in Ghana. She used to be the head of the UC-EAP program but retired last year but still comes and visits us and treats us as if we are family. When we walked in Auntie Irene came dancing up to me in her sparkly traditional Ghanaian dress, wrapped me in a bear hug and gave me a big wet kiss on the cheek. The food was incredible- all my favorite Ghanaian dishes- jollof rice, fried plantains and yams, banku, fufu, and of course goat! My friend Kojo worked the DJ table and all of the older women who work in the international office everyday were out on the dance floor grooving. I swear everyone here, people of all ages, love to dance. We formed a circle and individuals would take center stage to show their best moves while the rest of the circle clapped to the beat. 65 year old Auntie Irene broke out into the center of the circle and showed off her moves- of course I refused to show my own skills, I don’t think 3rd grade ballet technique quite cuts it here. Right before we left, Auntie Irene had special requested a woman to cook pancakes for all us California kids. When we left she came up and said “I love you” to me- she truly is like my African momma.
I have finally begun my special study project with Exponential Education. My co-partner Marjan and I tro-troed all over the Agogba and Ashoman areas to find students for our tutoring program. It was pretty fun walking down random streets in the middle of nowhere only to break out into a clearing where a hundred little Ghanaian kids were running around in their blue school uniforms. The kids were precious- just picture all the smiles and waves aimed in your direction. By the end of the day we had spoken with three headmistresses who were to gather students for us. On Sunday, we had our first meeting where we tested the student’s levels in math and English as well as the tutor’s levels. Marjan and I took 2 tro-tros and then walked for a solid mile in the hot African sun only to find ourselves lost. My directions said to turn right at a yam factory but nobody seemed to be able to point me in the right direction. We walked up and down the street only to discover the correct turn was at the starting point the whole time…typical. The kids showed up an hour late- Ghana time!- but that is expected considering they walk miles after church to make it for free tutoring. Overall, the meeting went extremely well. I played a name game with them where you say your first name and an animal that coordinates with the first letter of your name- so I was Heidi Hippo. I learned through this game that “goat” seems to be the most comical animal that exists in their mind. The kids are all super intelligent but definitely need help with basic math and English skills. They are eager to learn and I am confident that they will pick it up quick!
The past two nights I have went on excursions to Osu to get some good grub. Osu is in the heart of Accra and is the “ritzy” area where the United Nations building is located. On a Sunday night at 8pm three girls and I had our hearts set on finding Thai food. Success! I had the most delicious pad Thai I can remember in a loooong time. The next night was my friend’s, Amanda, birthday. What did she want to do? She wanted a big group of us to get dressed up as if we were going to prom basically and head out to the first American chain food restaurant that just opened in Ghana- Kentucky Fried Chicken! Genius idea, right? Unfortunately, KFC isn’t the same as in America. Basically, they offer chicken and French fries for way too much money. Yet I managed to get my hands on a soft serve ice cream cone that is practically identical to the ice cream cone of the dollar menu at McDonalds. Both adventures were so worth it!
I started tennis practice the past week. At first I struggled to adjust to the clay (which is actually dirt but they won’t admit it) courts. It just felt nice to be active and meeting new people, even though I am practicing with the men’s team which leads to a large amount of hazing and jokes aimed at my foreign awkwardness. My new nicknames are Venus and Kournikova- their favorite two female tennis players. I was pretty surprised by the skill level of the boys, they definitely know how to play and with great technique! My biggest problem was the sun and heat. My clothes were soaking wet by the time I was done…and then I had dance class after. The next morning I could hardly move because I used muscles I haven’t used in a long time.
On Wednesday nights our program coordinator holds a support group meeting which I obviously attend for the free food! They are actually like big family reunions with intellectually stimulating topics. I have had to perform a rap for the group which was humiliating and discuss the biggest cultural struggles we are having. The best night was last night. Auntie Rose had a caterer make us salads- because apparently after reading our orientation journals she was super disturbed by what we were saying we were eating- mainly bread and night market food (which isn’t always safe). We also watched a documentary on the witches of Gambaga. Yes, witchcraft is still existent in Ghanaian society and the documentary explained how women are often the key targets of witchcraft accusations and are banned from their clans. I definitely recommend checking it out!
Life here is really simple and refreshing. I am starting to have a consistent group of Ghanaian friends who are all offering to take me to their homes to meet their parents (it is very exciting to have an obruni friend apparently) and take me around town to show me the secrets of life in Ghana. My classes continue to challenge me and I have had some very interesting political discussions with Teacher Assistants- but I will spare you the details. I am starting to cook more for myself and ease off the oil and bread. Oh and pretty sure I saw a presidential escort in progress. All I know is about 20 really expensive looking cars drove through campus with police escorts in front and back and in each passenger seat of the car was a military man with a HUGE gun…my money is that it was the president or someone else important for that matter. I'll keep my eye out for him! xoxo
i loved reading this !
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