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November 22-25, 2001
tofurkey day? -- Of course, there are no tofurkeys in Ghana. In fact, besides the potluck celebration at the International Students Hostel, there is no Thanksgiving in Ghana either. And so, I went to Togo... where we feasted instead on pasta and baguettes (and, I missed the tofurkey and mashed potatoes...)
togo -- After a few hours in a tro-tro, Lauren, Haley, and I arrived in Lome, the capital of the francophone border country of Togo. We got there in the evening time, so we checked into the not-incredibly-fabulous-but-decent Hotel La Bulien (hmmm... gotta double check on that name...), then took a cab to find a place to eat dinner. Our Thanksgiving feast wasn't so great, but we agreed that we were just thankful to be celebrating in Togo - I mean, how cool is that?!
motos -- After dinner, I had a bit of a tummy ache, so I caught a mototaxi back to the hotel. Mototaxis are a pretty rad form of public transportation if you ask me, although they are a bit scary. Of course no one wears helmets, and the roads are all in poor condition and things... but if you ignore all that and just enjoy the ride, it's pretty cool. And a cheap way to travel too. It was even more fun later in the weekend when the three of us would all hop on the back of motos and form a mini-moto-pack to wherever we were going. Fun stuff!
un petit peut -- Even more fun was the fact that I am the only one of three of us who speaks any French at all, and a limited amount at that. Things weer a bit rough at first, but by the end of the weekend, I was really doing well with my French... now I wish I could keep it up...
kpalime & mt klouto -- On Friday, we took a taxi to Vogan to see the market. It was real busy and colorful, but really not too much different than the other markets we have seen. We didn't stay very long, since we were heading up to Kpalime that afternoon. After the tro-tro ride, we found three mototaxis that agreed to drive us up the Klouto mountain to our hotel, which turned out to be somewhat of an adventure in itself. First, Haley's mototaxi driver suddenly stopped, told her to get off, then took off running with the moto down the street... turned out he was out of gas (petrol), so she had to catch another moto. Then, as we were cruising up the mountain (which was INCREDIBLY beatiful -- it sort of reminded me of driving up the windy roads in Marin... but then again, maybe I'm just missing home, cuz it was pretty African-looking even still), we kept losing sight of Lauren's moto behind us... turned out her moto kept overheating, so her driver was watching the side of the road for any sort of water so he could run and grab some to pour on the bike. All this time too, I (the only french-speaker remember) was on a real speedy moto up front, so when I reached the top of the mountain, my driver took off down the hill to find the other motos. It was pretty crazy. When we got up to the top, the place we thought we were going to stay (ADETOP) was a dump, so we hiked with a rasta guy named Raphael (who turned out to be our tour guide the next day... he spoke very very little English, so I had an interesting time translating for everyone) up the hill to a nicer hotel (hmm... the name of which escapes me now...). By this time in our adventure, we were getting low on CFA's (the currency for all the francophone countries in Africa), so it was really getting to be budget time... but we were able to manage OK.
On Saturday, Raphael's friend took us on a long hike around the mountain (the friend took us because he spoke English so Haley and Lauren would be able to understand everything too). He taught us all about the local crops and trees and such. We smelled all sorts of medicinal plants, ate all sorts of yummy fruits, and even painted our faces with the traditional ...uh... face-painting plants. AND, we saw all sorts of incredibly colorful butterflies, oh, and we stopped and chilled in a miniwaterfall for a bit too. We left in the afternoon time, back to Lome. We found a different hotel... La Hotel Boulevard... ate street food (love them fried yams and pepper sauce), then went out to see our friends from before perform (drums and dancing) at a local bar - Pele Pele, I think it was called.
We left for Accra pretty early the next morning. We had a real rough time at the border... first, people were for some reason shouting "hey white monkeys" at us, which isn't something any of us had encountered before. The guy at the border harrassed us, refusing to let us by since he wanted to marry us... By the time we made it to the other side, we were so relieved to be "home" in Ghana. Back to English and cedis and Twi... back to what feels normal! Our tro-tro ride back to Accra was the craziest ride I've had so far - we were in the very back and therefore got some serious air over every bump. The driver went FAST and swerved all sorts to avoid all the potholes and such. Poor Lauren hit her head on the window several times. We laughed and laughed the whole way back.
Sunday, November 18, 2001
gooooooooooal -- This afternoon, after a fantabulous bowl of fufu in Medina, a group of us went to a football (soccer) match in Accra, the Accra Olympics vs. the Tema Something-or-others. The Olympics won, a whopping 1-0 vicotry, but the game was still pretty cool. Neither team was really that popular, so no worries about stampedes or anything. We sat on concrete step-like seats, and there were guys who drummed (fan clubs) throughout the entire match. Women and children walked through the stands with giant bowls of popcorn, fish, tea bread, and other Ghanaian goodies balanced on their heads - it was sort of similar to sporting events at home... but not quite the same thing. One funny thing, every time a player was knocked down (these things happen a lot in soccer/football), a team of "medics" would race out onto the field with a stretcher to carry the player off... just so he could get a drink of water or something. OOh, another cool thing, the line refs were women, which was pretty awesome.
Friday, November 16, 2001
haaa haaa -- Today, some friends and I went first for some yummy Indian Food (we went to Tandoor, which was good, but not as tasty as Haveli I think), then to the Art Center to buy some gifts and things. Similar to most of my market experiences, we were seriously swarmed by people wanting us to buy everything. I noticed an interesting thing... and those who know me real well may not believe it... I've become incredibly patient in situations such as these (my friends even commented on it). In fact, I can almost sort of enjoy it. The secret is joking arrrround. I get a kick out of making fun of the Ghanaians who heckle me -- in a very un-not-nice way. The most fun is when they don't really know that you're just teasing them... I guess sarcasm is the best word to describe the type of joking I mean. I think I wouldn't be able to make it through the markets without all the laughing. And hey, if we're all having fun, why not?
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
Today is a great day! I went today again to the Primary School and worked with some of the first graders there - it was so exciting! I worked with 11 kids, practicing their letters and sounds. They were real shy at first, but they really enjoyed the activities I brought and warmed up very quickly. I'm not supposed to go back until next Wednesday, but I am going to have to find some time before then to go back - it was just too much fun!
Then, after a nice nap and some lunch, I went to check my mail, and I got a package from Germany and two letters!! So I've been eating a yummy German granola bar (thanks so much!) while I sit here in the nice air-conditioned internet cafe and do my intermerneting.
Tonight, I will probably check out the haps at Alliance Francais... but we shall see...
November 10-12, 2001
doh!! -- Yesterday, I was at a computer cafe on campus, and I spent a long time typing all about my weekend... and the computer was terrible - the shift key would just go on and off on its own, and I got so frustrated... and then, when I hit submit, somehow it all got lost! How annoying! I'll just have to try again I suppose...
keta -- After the crazy Friday we had, my travelling companions and I realized two things: getting up early Saturday morning would not be happening, and going somewhere real far wouldn't work either. So, Georgia, Grace (a real fun Pennsylvania girl) and I left in the early afternoon for Keta to see the lagoon and the town and things. We arrived there (by tro-tro, of course!) around 4:30 or so and checked into the Keta Beach Hotel, which was highly recommended by our Bradt guide - though I'm still trying to figure out why! The place was dirty, uncomfortable, and super hot. It seemed like they hadn't had visiters since the 80's or something - even the Fanta Grace ordered was spoiled. There weren't really many other options though, so Grace took a nap and Georgia and I walked around town a bit. We found absolutely nothing there - though we did see a chop bar selling cat stew, which was pretty disgusting. We had a drink at the Rooftop Spot, which advertised "boozy booze" and "jazzy jazz." So, we sat with some kids and drank our sodas to the sounds of Shaggy - you just can't escape Mr. Boombastic here! We went to sleep pretty early (after playing the card game the guide at Bui Reserve had taught us - oh, and when Grace sat down on the desk chair to play, she fell right through onto the floor, which cracked us up for quite a while), though we didn't sleep long. In the middle of the night, the electricity went out, and without the fan, we felt like we were suffocating! We had to go wait outside where it was a tad bit cooler for the power to come back on - from about 1:30 to 2 or so.
ada (again) --
On Sunday morning, we were so tired and grumpy that we couldn't even look around in Keta - we left for Ada pretty quick. We checked into the Cocoloco (yup, the same place I had stayed when I visited before), and had some lunch. We asked if they had everything on the menu (a very useful question in Ghana), and the waiter said yes - everything but jam and ham. When we ordered yams though, he informed us they "were finished" too. By the time it was all settled, we had ordered the only three things they actually had, so when dinnertime came around (we killed time in between on the beach), we went to the swanky Paradise Hotel instead. There, we met some crazy fisherman - they take rich tourists out game fishing for blue marlins. One was from New Zealand, one from Portugal, one from Germany. They joined us and we joked around with them for quite some time... it was an interesting night to say the least.
We hung out on the beach a bit more Monday morning, then tro-tro'd back to Accra. We met up with a bunch of the kids in the hostel when we got back and shared our travel stories over a big yam and stew feast. Man, do I eat well here!
(phew, I think I did it - now, let's hope it works this time...)
Friday, November 9, 2001
Today was finally an out-of-the-ordinary sort of day. I didn't have class (which isn't so rare...), but I actually had fun stuff to do! I basically ran errands and did laundry in the morning time, which wasn't the exciting part don't you worry. In the afternoon, however, I go to watch my friends Georgia and Grace run in a crosscountry race on campus. (It was a sort of try-out race for the team.) Although we are in Africa and people here are sort of known for being more athletic and things or whatever, it was sort of surprising how un-inshape most of the runners were. My girls did an awesome job even still - and took first and third in the competition!
face of Legon -- Oh, man, it was at nighttime though that the excitement really began. After an awesome curry potato feast, I raced around to get ready to see Molly participate in one of the dorm-wide beauty pagents. It was at the same time one of the most funny and pathetic things I have ever seen. The competition took place at the National Theatre, and although it took a long while to get that way, the place was PACKED! There were 10 girls competing in several rounds - including a talent and a beachwear round (though Ghanains don't wear swimsuits to the beach, they wear "casual-wear," so it was all still "decent" according to the incredibly annoying cohost). Molly was the only non-Ghanaian in the competition, and she did an awesome job of completely making a fool out herself. It was soooo funny. But sad too, because the other girls really took the whole thing seriously. In between rounds, there were these TERRIBLE hip-lifers lip-syncing and dancing around. And apparently, two of them were somehow real famous... when they were performing, the guy next to us told Grace that they were the most talented performers in Ghana. She said, "I am so sorry." Anyway, Molly didn't even make the top 5, which was totally bunk because she did an awesome job, but sort of good, because I think it would have been really awful if an American won. She did, however, get the title of "Miss Personality" and won a piece of paper that said so on it... not a certificate mind you, but a piece of paper. The show lasted until 2 am, and afterwards, we were lucky enough to share a taxi with one of the oh-so-talented lip-syncers, "Thunder."
Oh what Ghanaian fun.
Thursday, November 8, 2001
IA's -- I had my first two interim assessments today (well...I'm not going to even count the xylophone test I had last week), and they were pretty lame. In the morning, I had my African Literature test. The workers are still on strike, so we couldn't meet in the normal classroom. We did still meet however - and the test was a joke. It was 15 questions on each of two books we have read, terrible questions like "How many chapters were in the book?" (no joke) and EVERYONE was cheating. It was so so so so frustrating. Although my second test of the day was equally unintelligent, at least kids didn't cheat and I actually wrote some essays... oh, but it was actually a final exam, so I guess that is what makes the difference...
video nut -- At nighttime, after a yummy stir-fry feast (we even had tofu!), a couple of us went to see Fight Club at this movie rental place, the Video Nut. Instead of just renting the movie though, you have to rent a room to watch it in... on some sort of weird movie disc player that had Chinese subtitles. It was nice to see a good movie though.
Wednesday, November 6, 2001
I went today to volunteer at the Primary School, but the teachers there are on strike too until Monday. Doh!!
Instead, I went to Labadi Beach and got an hourlong back massage. It was... interesting... not exactly the greatest massage by any means, but it was nice to just relax and be attended to. My masseuse, a young woman who I actually met on the way there on the tro-tro, told me she had been working there for a whole two months, so really what more could I expect - that and the massage only cost me $5!
Afterwards, I went to 37 Market to buy fruits and vegetables. Mmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm...
Tuesday, November 5, 2001
strike! -- So I was all stoked (haha) to go to class today, considering it has been over a week since I had been to class... only to discover that the campus employees are all on strike (like basically everyone in Ghana, they are super underpaid). This isn't the first time this semester they have been on strike, but it is now during IA exams (midterms), which has been sort of annoying, since some professors still expect the students to show up while others don't. My professors were nowhere to be found... though, I guess I really wasn't too bothered by this fact.
At nighttime, the girls and I went out to eat at an incredibly delicious Indian restaurant in Osu. We ate so much food. It was rad.
Monday, November 5, 2001
macola market -- After taking care of a few errands on campus, Grace, Georgia and I went to Makola Market in central Accra to buy some nice fabric. Despite the overwhelming nature of the markets here, we had a fun time. We got LOTS of cool stuff too.
At nighttime, the seamstress, Jane, came by the hostel and she's making me some nice stuff... I feel so spoiled here sometimes!!
And, after seeing Jane, we busted out one of my Fantastic Foods chili mixes... it was sooo good! The perfect end to a nice, relaxing weekend.
Saturday, November 3, 2001
I was all psyched to go get a massage today... but was so itchy still that I felt I probably wouldn't really be able to enjoy it... but soon!
Instead, I lazed around some more...my friend Grace and I went to the Shangri-La again to chill out around the pool. There was also a craft fair going on, where I got some awesome xmas presents! I've been reading the Count of Monte Cristo, which has been fun. And ooh, man - I almost forgot - yesterday, I had to venture to the post office in Accra, which was sooo worth the trip because my wonderful grandma susan sent me a package with all sorts of yummy foods in it, chili mix and mac n chreese - thank you sooooooo much gma! For dinner, I made my friend Grace some mac n chreese... she was real excited to try it out, and I think she liked it too. At nighttime, we went to a reggae concert on campus. There was this one band there (shoot! I forget the name), and they were real funny. They were all dressed up in army getup, Ghanaian flag bandanas around their necks and camo from head to toe... and the lead singer wore binoculars around his neck - they were the soldiers of truth or something. The other bands there were pretty cool too, though we got too tired to stay all the way until the end.
Thursday, November 1, 2001
btw, because the page was getting a bit too crazy, I've archived or whatever -- check out older entries using the sept/oct link on the side!!
paloma -- I felt much better today, but was still all about relaxing, so when my friend Annie came by and suggested we stay in a fairly nice hotel for the night, I was definitely up for it. We stayed at the Paloma Hotel... we ordered VEGGIE BURGERS and had them brought to our room... we sat in the air-conditioned room and watched the movie channel and CNN... at nighttime, I even took a hot bubblebath! It felt real nice to just relax.
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