"Obruni, obruni, obruni!" (oh-brun-ee), I hear it everywhere, when I walk down the street, drive past in a car, walk out of my host family's door, ect. In Twi (chwi) this means white person. Most of the times children yell it, sing it, scream it at you, but I've been called by adults as "tsssss, Obruni!". Feeling like a celebrity is far from what makes me love Ghana though. In my short week and a half spent here I'm already learning bits of Twi, went swimming in the ocean, played volleyball with Ghanians, become addicted to Alvaro (a pear-tasting soda), have my own rusty bicyle to ride around town and to school (The Dormaa Senior High, starts next week), have had two dresses made for church (huge bright prints!), and have started swallowing fufu instead of chewing. These things would seem simple to me, if I looked at them before my departure, but acclimating to west Africa was harder and more incredible than I ever could have imagined. Things I know so far: Ghanian movies are the most dramatic, loud, low-budget movies I have ever seen. They have the craziest titles too, for example "Three Ladies, One Monkey". People really like it when you speak Twi. (Also, only speaking one language feels terrible the minute you go abroad.) When you eat with your hand, always the right hand, you eat with ALL of your hand. All five fingers. American candy goes over really well here. Soccer (football) is even bigger here then they say it is. "Winter" in Ghana is the hottest summer in Montana. Most houses have running water only on the outside, if at all. Ceiling fans are very much appreciated. Ghanians can fix anything five times faster than anyone I've ever seen. In America it takes five days to send a broken DVD player in and get it back, fixed. Here, give the guy fifteen minutes. Cheap, cheap, cheap. But everythings so beautiful, or handy here that money, as an exchange student, still goes quickly. Washing your clothes by hand requires a good technique if you want to do it right. Fruit is delicious here. Everythings fresh, including the bread, it's so yummy. You can buy almost anything sitting in a tro-tro (taxi-bus), car, or bus at a stop. From toothpaste to soccer balls. From cell phone credit to egg rolls. From Fanice (ice cream) to water bags. Fanice (chocolate maybe, not sure). Fanyogo (strawberry, my favorite). Fanmilk (vanilla). Ghanian ice cream that I'll miss so much ten months from now. Saying you want to be a dancer, most likely the response you'll get will be something like 'huhhhh?" My host family is incredible. My host dad is very nice, open-minded, and is a hard worker (and that means a lot when you're talking about African-style work). My host mother speaks mostly Twi, small amounts of English and I love, love to make her laugh. My host sister, a volunteer from Germany, leaving in October has been really, really helpful. African-style work: My friend Jonas from AFS- Belgium, also living in Dormaa, his host dad works on a poulty farm. From what i hear of their 'schedule' you can find maybe, some sitting down, some eating, walking around, poke at the chickens, sit back down. Dormaa-Ahenkro: Kalispell sized, or Laplace sized. Big in area, but about two or three main roads. It's main business is poultry farming. It's covered in shops, like almost every town or village. Smattered with MTN, Vodaphone, or Tigo phone credit signs. Alomst every house is painted bright red for Vodaphone, brights yellow for MTN or blue for Tigo. Cell phones are hug in Ghana. Everyone has one, normally a large complicated one. The idea that because there's no running water I'd be showering less in not true at all. Showers are taken, twice, three times a day. Kabba and slit, a traditional dress, very hard to put on. Scorpions live in my backyard. Hearing voices from home, like my dad's "Hey kiddo!" makes me cry. Everytime. And i'm not even sad. It's strange what being across the ocean can do to you. Celine Dion and Chuck Norris are heroes here. We have two kittens, they had no names, so I named them Milo (hot chocolate mix they have here), and Fufu (her belly's white, I learned good fufu is whiter). Fast internet is impossible unless you're in Accra. The American dollar exchanges to about 1.4 Ghanian cedi. The money here is really pretty. Postal stamps are really pretty too. Thank you Justin, we'll be old-fashioned and beatiful with our letters. Ghanian names are sometimes impossible to pronounce, unless they're really American, i.e. Jessica, Brittney. Most people are against homosexuality, but men holding hands is very normal. I've learned that Ghana is a growing country. I wish everyone the best at all of my homes and I have more to say, but I'd never be able to type it all. I miss a lot of things. I miss my family, my boyfriend, my friends, showers, nonstop sugar, but all of these things as nice or important as they are this experience is incredible. I wouldn't change it for the world, I only wish i could share it more easily and more frequently. Medase (thank you, i'm not sure on the spelling though) to everyone who helped me get here, is helping me experience and who's encouraging me.

Video Project

A series of photos put to music for my Tech in the Classroom class: My Gap Year in Ghana

Definitely got nostalgic!

Podcast Interview!

Just a thought, now that Ghana seems so long ago, I wanted to listen to these again recently and thought they should be shared!

These links lead to a two part interview done by some great folks in Montana with me right when I returned from Ghana, when everything was still fresh. Hope this is helpful and/or interesting to any future Ghana-travelers.

Part One:
http://www.alteredstaterecords.com/podcasting/?p=80
Part Two:
http://www.alteredstaterecords.com/podcasting/?p=83

Home

This is a strange time to write, and I won't be writing much. I just thought people going on a trip like mine, or who have come home from one would like to hear about this feeling; I suddenly really missed my students in Accra. I miss being a part of their day, and them being a part of mine.

Ghana's made a lasting impression and will always be part of my memories.

Bye bye-O

Leaving Ghana today, I can't say much except it feels like a million butterflies are having a party in my stomach.

Castles and Cape Coast

THANKS!

Ampei anyone?

Ampei is a children's game that you can play with any number of people. You can see it practically everywhere in Ghana. Normally played by girls, and instead of just being like a hand game where there's no real winner, this game runs with points. To play, you and one other person face each other, clap two times and jump twice. On the second jump you land with either your left or your right leg out, your choice. The way to win points is to have the result of your jump be what you call. Like calling heads or tails on a spinning coin, except in Ampei you decide heads or tails before you start playing and you can't change your choice throughout the game. The result of your jump can be either 'same' or 'different'. 'Same' means when both you and your partner put out a leg on the same side. For example, if you put out your right leg and they put out their left leg your toes would meet in the middle, forming a straight line, making it 'same'. 'Different' means when you put out a leg on one side and your partner puts out a leg in the other side. For example, you both put out your left leg making a sort of criss-cross in the middle, 'different'. If you call 'same' before you start playing and on every jump you and your partner's legs end up being 'same' you win. And the other way around. Every time it's your call you earn a point. You can play up to ten, twenty, however many points you like.

I might not be the best at explaining, so here's a visual:

(In the beginning of the video they stop suddenly, it's just because one of the student's mothers scolded them. I said it was fine. They keep going :D )

Hope this has been fun to see! It's sure been fun to play.

To Work and Back

A photo collection of a trip to work and back from my teaching project in Ghana. From the tro-tro ride there, to the children I teach. Just thought I should make good use of my camera, now that I've got a new one and time's running short. Hope you enjoy it!

To Work and Back

All of the lights

Just a little story:
The Semi-Celebrity Life of the Obruni
So, Jolien (AFS Belgium) and I were fabric shopping in a busy area of Accra together before she went back to her host family in Ashanti Mampong. We had a great time walking around, looking at fabrics, beads, and whatever else that interested us throughout the afternoon but by the time we were finished getting back home was looking a little more difficult than we had imagined it would be. In order for us to get back to our separate homes, hers being a temporary host family in Don Simon, an area of Accra, and mine on Spintex Road in a different area of Accra, we had to tro-tro to Circle and get another tro-tro from the station there. The line, or rather the mob of people waiting for a Circle tro-tro was pretty big. Over twenty at least, and every one of those twenty I'm sure had more experience pushing on to tro-tro's than we did. Add my fear about someone hitting Jolien's injured leg into it and we knew it might be impossible to get a Circle tro-tro, we had started to consider getting a taxi. Just then a tro-tro pulled up, the crowd yelled "Circle? Circle?" to the mate and he looked at us and shook his head. Then right as we turned he beckoned us over while putting out his arm so no one else could get on the tro-tro and said "Circle, Obrunis bra!" Startled and confused we jumped on without thinking and only realized twenty seconds later that he lied to that mass of people, told them he wasn't going to Circle, and let us on in the confusion. We sat there, gap-mouthed and tried to hide our faces from the other passengers and angry people we drove by. The right thing would have been maybe to let someone else on, someone who was waiting longer than we had been, but I have been beaten to a tro-tro Ghanaians before and it's normally not a very big deal. It just happens. So, as surprised we were, we were thankful and were able to get home before it was too late.
Being obruni in Ghana is sometimes like being a celebrity. Occasionally there is 'paparazzi', a Ghanaian coming up to you wanting to pose in a photo with you even though they don't know you at all or someone taking photos of you walking along beside them in sidewalk-traffic. Sometimes you get hassled and it's annoying. People can assume you're EXTREMELY wealthy and ask for money, people will ask for invitations to the US, and to marry you like they're asking the time. Sometimes you'll get a free piece of fruit or someone will pay for you on a tro-tro. Sometimes someone will walk you all the way to some place instead of just giving you directions. Sometimes people will just give you the shirt off their backs if you say you like it in passing. Or even, you'll get a helping hand onto a packed tro-tro. There's a line, I definitely think, between enjoying the advantage once in a while and totally taking advantage of your obruni status but in the end... it's all part of the exchange trip. Oh, Ghana!

'More Ghana'

While I was travelling by the coast I realized there was something I sorta missed about Accra, though I heard it on the beach sometimes, I missed the sound of street hawkers. On most of the roads in Accra, even dangerous faster-moving roads you can nearly always find street hawkers yelling out "Yess, puuure" and "plantaaiin". Men and women carrying anything and everything you would ever want to buy right outside your window as you drive past. The list ranges from toothpaste to wallets, jewelery to bread and butter, razors to plungers, and soccer balls to religious stickers for your car.

Woman carrying her child while selling bread and butter.

Before my trip, when AFS had us all meet in New York I met a girl who went to Ghana for the summer and sat in a bus writing a list of all the things she could have bought. I laughed at it then, but now I can even think of some things I might want that it's missing. The trick is to know about how much each thing costs, that way you can pay the exact amount and quickly switch the money for the item and not worry about the car moving off before you get your change or they get their money. I've seen some people be pretty sly, grab the things they're buying and drive off without paying, but not very often. Most hawkers in a certain area will help each other out though, if one can't find change quickly enough, or the car's moved off they'll help run after it. In one area there will sometimes be ten women all selling plantain chips. In order to keep all of that stuff balanced on their head, they use years of practice along with little rolled up scarves in between their load and their head.

Woman selling oranges near Tamale.

I've seen some of my students selling bananas. Unfortunately, children selling is not uncommon. I've thought a lot about it. When it comes down to 'supporting' them or not, I would rather give ten pesewas to the little girl carrying a bucket of purewater half her weight then deny her because of her age. I feel being in Ghana for so long has desensitized me to it, but in the beginning it was a challenge to see the children selling that way. Along with the street hawkers, something I still have to shield my eyes to a little are the beggars. Some roll along on skateboards with polio and other disease stricken legs. Some are blind , led by young children with hands outstretched, knocking on the windows and pointing to their mouths. Some can't follow the cars but just sit on the side of the road and look up at you, muttering with open hands. I've seen Ghanains give change, just like in the US where you'll see someone give their grocery store change to a person's cup on the way home. Not everyone, bet there really are kind people. Still, for every beggar, or tired young child you see collecting money you'll see a baby holding on to their mothers back making a funny face or a woman selling bananas will give you a bag of groundnuts free. Just like at home, nice things happen everywhere, you just can't be blind to them.

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Just seven weeks left! It's just coming right along!

During April most of the school's in Ghana have a lot of time off, so all the people in my chapter and I had time for a little travelling spring break. My time travelling was great, a mixture of fun and experience I couldn't have gotten otherwise.

Me and Jolien, enjoying the coast!

A group of volunteers and students met at Busua Beach and spent around one to two weeks there. It's a beautiful, beautiful spot with a wonderful beach, a mountain to climb, great street food (some western food if you're absolutely raving for it), a neat surf shop, other volunteers coming through, makeshift volleyball nets scattered around, and an abundance of cute little beach kids ready to play with you.

Fishing boat at Busua Beach.

Unfortunately, it being such a prime spot for tourists also means it's a prime spot for pick-pocketing. My camera was stolen a few days into the trip, miraculously my memory card was having problems so I took it out the day previous, but nonetheless camera's gone. While at the beach I learned how to surf from my great friend Jolien, it was awesome fun for a while even if I got beaten up a little bit.

My baby attempts at surfing!

Then out of the blue, Jolien had a pretty bad surfing accident. She's okay and healing now, but the fin injury had us anxious that she would be going home. The rest of our trip continued without a hitch, I went on to visit Jolien for her birthday in Mampong and then met up with my host family in Kumasi for the weekend. Now I'm back in Accra, starting work next week, and I'm ready to see my students again.

Being back with my host family has been nice. Little Abena says that I can't travel again, I have to stay forever because when I go she misses me. She's having an interview today to get into Ghana International School, the same school her brother and sisters attend. Wish her luck! This morning I quizzed her one last time on the questions she'll be asked and we sang her favorite nursery song, "Ba, Ba, Black Sheep". My host mom, Akosua and I have a nice time talking when we get the chance and she still laughs at the face I make when I try kenke (Kenke is millet wrapped inside of a corn husk eaten with stew, fish, and pepper). I try a small bite every other time she has it, and that's almost every day, to see if it's grown on me yet. It hasn't. So sour! My host dad, Frank and I still watch soccer together in the evenings. We've been following a few teams around, he's always determined to crush Barcelona FC. I just side with him unless the other team has given me a reason to like them better. Kelvin and I are good friends and we've had a scaring competition going on for a while now. 3-2, Kelvin's winning. We jump out from behind doors, curtains, and things and try and get a scream out of each other. Devita is a bit of a drama queen, but a really devoted little girl and I'm glad I could be a big sister to her for a while. Becky and Frimpoma and I still get along really well and watch Spanish soap operas together whenever we can, "El Nombre de Amor". It's intense. Just wanted to share a little host family news after I dove into something more serious. I was going to say 'more Ghana', but you know, this is all part of my experience.

Ghana-English

Lately, my exchange has been pretty up and down. I want to be really honest about my time in Ghana to make sure that people reading (and myself in the future) will really get the full picture of my experience here. Being in a new house, with a new family has it's difficulties no matter how great the family is. The down-time, alone time, and "I have no idea how to entertain myself right now" time can be a bit frustrating but that, along with the "Wow, I'll never forget this crazy eye-opening thing I just saw" moments even out along the way to ensure that being here, at this time is right for me.

I've had a lot of time to think, and some great talks with my wonderful, wonderful support system at home so I thought I'd put a bit of that into this post. Now down to the cool things I want to share that I realized I haven't written about though they've surrounded me for seven months.

Twi, Ghana-English, and the phrases that just crack me up:

When someone's asking you to come and get something, to take it, or hold it for a second the word is: collect. "Come and collect." I catch myself telling my students to 'collect' when I'm handing back papers.

One that's always seemed kind of rude to me but now is completely normal and I'm a little afraid I'll offend people when I come home if it slips out is: bring it. When you're asking someone to bring you something there isn't any "Please, could you hand that to me?" it's "Bring it."

If someone calls you fat in Ghana, especially a really traditional Ghanaian, it's a compliment. You might actually be slimmer than the last time they saw you but like back in the States, giving someone a compliment when you greet them is normal. So "You're growing fat." isn't an insult.

Whereas "You're growing thin." sometimes can be.

Instead of saying "Do you understand?" when you're teaching or instructing someone, Ghanaians say "Have you seen (it)?".

Word not to say: crazy. If you say someone is crazy then you are calling them mad, or mentally unstable. And they don't take it lightly. I almost lost me and some other AFSers a cab ride because I said the driver was crazy for asking such a high fare.

"Come" or "Bra" in Twi means just that, come over here. Or you can also say "Go and come" which means "I'm coming back" or "I'll be back later". "Me ba" in Twi is "I'm coming". People say this when they're leaving a room all the time and at first it confused the heck out of me.

"Why didn't you greet me!?" Greeting is super necessary if you don't want to seem rude. Just a "Hello" is all they want, maybe a handshake (accompanied by a Ghanaian finger-snap) too but if you just walk on by someone or wave they'll probably shout "Why didn't you greet me!?".

"You're invited" I think I've mentioned this before, but when you're eating you 'invite' people to come share your food.

"Small, small" can mean a lot of things. Basically it means, just a little bit. "Small, small Twi" can mean I only speak a little Twi or "Only small, small food." etc.

Kakrakakra (not sure on the spelling) but that's "small, small" in Twi.

"Finish all" really only applies to food. You've got to finish everything on your plate.

"Yo" means a million things, but translated it really means "I hear you." People will use "yo" instead of "You're welcome" or they'll say it after you say "Me ba". I've heard you.

"Mepa cho" Now I KNOW I'm spelling that wrong, but it's Twi for "I beg you" or "Please".

"Medase" is "Thank you" in Twi. "Medase pa" is "Thank you very much."

"Pa" is added to a lot of things, sometimes just at the end of an English sentence to add umph. "That girl misbehaves, paaaa".

"Ochena" is "Tomorrow" in Twi. I say it when I leave work, say goodnight, say goodbye.

"Dayie" is "Goodnight" in Twi.

If I ask a Ghanian how they are they sometimes answer "By His grace." Which means basically means yeah, they're good.

I was taught this one by another AFS student and it's in the chorus of a Ghanaian song too, "Obiskilinke". Again, not sure on the spelling, but it means your clothes aren't covering you well enough.

Flip-flops are "slippers". You have slippers for the house and sandals for outside. You don't wear your slippers outside your house or the compound. AT least, if you're being proper.

You don't "Use the restroom" or "Go to the bathroom" you say exactly, and really, exactly what you're doing. I still hesitate to tell my students to "urinate" before we start class, but that's how they say it here!

"Me pe" works for "I like", "I want", "I need", "Give me". "Me pe sika" or "I want money" is pretty commonly heard in busy areas of Accra.

When you're riding in a tro-tro and you want it to stop and let you down you call the 'mate' (the guy who takes the fees, lets people on and off, collects passengers from the side of the road, and signals where the tro-tro is going) to let you down. You can also call for it yourself, though it's heard better if the mate does it but the word is "bustop". Two words merged into one.

Sleep is calling my name, but's been too long since I've posted so I wanted to put something that might be interesting up. Also, ways of communicating are very different in different parts of Ghana and there are a lot of things I could be getting wrong and they especially don't apply to all Ghanaians. Just writing what I've observed, surely not an expert.

Going on vacation soon to the lovely Busua Beach and I'm super excited to see the AFSers in my chapter again and hopefully learn how to surf!

Goodnight.

A fishing boat covered in clothes that someone was selling in the sand by Kokrobite Beach. A wave came in and soaked all the clothes so they were being hung up to dry in the sun.

Not required

You can fly!

My Class 2 kids playing with their paper airplanes they made in class this morning. AHdorable.

Madame Reynolds

Happy Ghana Independence day!

I've been in my new host family for about a month now, and have been working at my new volunteer job for around three weeks.Every thing's going really great, and honestly I'm feeling good about these last four months (can you believe only four!).

Teaching Class 4 Creative Arts

The Living Word Academy, the small private school where I volunteer at, is a twenty pesewa tro-tro ride away and slightly resembles a row of garages. The school is open to children in creche (pre-k/kindergarten)-JSS (middle school). I teach English, ICT (computer tech), and Creative Arts to Classes 2, 3, and 4. I work five days a week with two classes a day. I really, really enjoy teaching. I had no idea that I'd love it so much! The kids, for the most part, pay attention very well and are really eager to learn. It took a few tries for them to get warmed up to what I understand now as the 'Western' style of teaching which includes a lot of back and forth between student and teacher. Most of Ghana's schools are guilty of using a lecture method for every age. Living Word Academy was moving into more interactive teaching before I arrived and the kids seem to be really getting a lot out of it so I hope my time there can encourage the teachers to give it a try.

Interactive teaching :)

All three of my subjects are really fun to teach, my favorite is probably English. I didn't realize a lot of things about myself, my culture, and my country until I came to Ghana but how difficult the English language can be is one of the biggest. I've been working on nouns, adjectives, pronouns, past/present/future tenses, and now punctuation marks. Instead of moving up a ladder, teaching more simple subjects to the younger students and growing more complicated as they grow, the material is all pushed onto about three classes at once. So I'll be teaching my five or six year old students the same thing as my eleven year old students. Well, at least that's what I'm supposed to do, but I try my best to be considerate of the age factor.

Marching in my Class 2's

With my ICT classes I'm starting from the very bottom. My Class 2's are just on paint, working on their mouse skills. My Class 3's are doing about the same but we've moved on to a little bit of easy typing. I'm really eager for my Class 4's ICT classes to continue because after bouncing some ideas back and forth with my papa for a little while my class has got some American penpals. Eureka Elementary penpals no less! As an introduction I emailed some of the student's favorite things to Eureka along with each group's title they created and a Ghana flag they made on paint. I hope we'll hear from them soon. My Creative Arts classes have been pretty easy going. Which I think is exactly what they needed since their notebooks before were not only absent of any kind of art but were filled with copied down definitions of the words 'creative', 'imagination', and 'art'. I've talked to the headmaster and since he's interested in me doing some kind of big art project with the kids I think my art classes are soon going to start being filled with work on a school mural. We'll see how it goes. I think I'm starting to sound like I'm trying to turn this school on it's head, but I'm really not. Just while I'm here I want to give a lot of my energy into this school because the students, and their hard work is really proving to me they deserve that.

Some Class 4

Some Class 3

Class 2 discovering paper airplanes

The kids at home have been giving me a lot of joy too. While I'm kind of realizing the not so fun parts of having siblings, the pulling at the sleeve and constant fighting between all of them, it's no worse than a hard day babysitting. I can always retreat to my room, my host parents (if they're home), or a book if I need. I even got a fun break this weekend with our AFS mid-stay orientation which was such a great time. My host parents are especially sweet, though my host dad is a deal quieter than my old host dad, Richard. On a homesick day my host mom, Akosua even made me a little western dish, saying when she traveled really far from having some kenke always made her feel better. They're a great family. The house help, Beck and Frimpoma are also really great. They're closer to my age and always laugh when I speak Twi. The house is pretty empty during the week. The kids are at school, with traffic Akosua normally is only home a few hours before she has to pick them up again, my host dad is at work, and I'm in and out too. Only Becky and Frimpoma stay home with Butteryam (the gate man) during the day.

Mid-stay orientation trip to the beach

Nearly everything about my situation here in Ghana has changed, and I think it's obvious that I'm a lot more bubbly-happy with it. Richard and Emelia were a great couple, and the experiences I had with them as a host family were wonderful. I'm not discrediting that at all. I just feel I'm amazingly lucky to be put with not one, but two great host families.

With my time here swiftly becoming shorter I have a few more travel plans and things to check off my list, but it's a great feeling knowing that I'm on the home-stretch. I don't feel like I saw it often enough, in blogs, on foreign exchange info-sites, and brochures how difficult exchange can be. It might not be this way with everyone. I understand that every person, every country, and every exchange is going to be different, but for future students just remember this: The time that you spend on exchange will be challenging, even more so because all the familiar things you normally lean on won't be as available, but the accomplishment and pride you'll feel in throwing yourself out there with an open-mind and open-heart surpasses all homesick days and culture shock moments. Just some thoughts.

Lucianos, thank you for the care package with the shampoo, hand-sanitizer, etc. in it! It's been so helpful and really appreciated.

Anastasia Gore, Jessica Tullis, Tia Luciano, Rinnah Henderson, Caroline Cornell, Justin Shapiro and Nicole Short THANK YOU for the letters and love, I've kept them all and I look at them often.

Justin, thank you for all the new music. You know I love all the new artists and knowing the music I've caught up on from back home, because I've told you. But when other students ask "Man! Is this new?" I'm smiling and happy to say that my lovely, encouraging boyfriend sent it to me.

Rin! Stargirl, I found the neatest instrument. Ready for a jam session?

Papa! Thanks for being so eager to help me get my students set up. I'm so excited to see the looks on their faces when they get responses back from their new buddies. I'll be taking pictures.

Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Ron, I got you the coolest decorative addition to your growing house.

Thanks for keeping in touch and checking up on me everyone, I'll keep writing!

You're invited!

When you're having a meal in Ghana it's always polite to 'invite' someone. Even if you don't exactly want to share it's nicest to say "You're invited". All of these past two weeks I DO want to share though, so you're invited!

Arriving at my new host family's house was a bit of a shock. This is a totally different type of Ghana that I'd only seen maybe once through our AFS group's visit to the consulate of Belgium's house. At first I was nervous about the way they live, thinking it was all too much at once or that it wasn't was I was going for in my trip to Ghana, but really I am super lucky to have the family I do now. They are wealthy, but really genuinely nice people who care about my experience with them and in Ghana. My old host family was great to me but having an opportunity to have host siblings and see a different lifestyle of Ghanaians is really interesting and definitely worth the switch.

Here's my new host family!

Akosua and K. Ofori:

and my host siblings, (from left)

Devita, Calvin, Abena, and Michelle.

I only spent about a weekend with them though before a scheduled trip to the northern regions with a few other AFSers came up. And that, was a BLAST. For the five of us who went, a lot of thanks to Manuel and Jonas for doing the planning and booking of hostels and things, I think I could say we all had an amazing time.

First we took a day-long bus ride to Tamale where we stayed for two nights, exploring and visiting the cultural center. Tamale is the hottest place I have been yet in Ghana. Over 105 F and no shade anywhere, just the sounds of people zooming by on the millions of motorcycles that fill the street and the Muslim Call to Prayer music that's megaphoned loud over all the buildings. Everywhere you go in Ghana women sell food from big buckets, wooden boxes, or dishes on top of their heads. The women in Tamale were selling some of the same things that I saw in Dormaa or Accra but some things that were completely new. Like these round little sugar covered disks of groundnuts pressed together. 1 cedi for three disks. I wish they sold those here.

(Tamale wildlife)

At the cultural center most of us went on a little shopping spree, buying souvenirs for our families back home. I bargained all over the place but still ended up spending a bit. All the gifts though are really neat and I'm so excited to give back to the people who've been helping me so much with this trip. I'd say what I got but I don't want to spoil any of the surprises. Even if I ask you if you want to know what they are (Justin, Mom, Dad, and Tia. Mostly Mom.) don't let me tell you!

We took a bus to Larrabonga, a village really close to Mole National Park, after our few days in Tamale. The farther north we traveled the less cement, square buildings we saw and the more round, grass-roofed huts there were. Our hostel was a great building. Lime green cement rectangle with a kind of courtyard in the middle. It was really run down but the owner, El Hassan was really kind and even let us sleep on the roof. To get onto the roof we used these logs with notches cut into them and slept on mattresses he moved up there for us so we could sleep comfortably under the stars. The stars were so bright in Larrabonga, when the sun went down the night was bright enough you could still see everything.

(Grass huts in Larrabonga)

(Our ladder to the roof of El' Hassan's Guest House)

In the morning we had to take motorcycles to Mole Park, it was that, ride bikes, or walk. Of course we would pick motorcycles. Once we got to the park we went on a jeep safari. I'm really sad to say that it was a complete bust. We saw barely any animals the two and a half hours we drove around and payed too much for it. We didn't let it ruin our day at the park though and paid a guide 3 cedi each to take us down on a walking tour by the watering hole where we knew there were crocodiles. Mole National Park is definitely a hit and miss experience, the animals aren't so frequent but the nature is really interesting.

(We did see a lot of monkeys, these ones being the most adorable)

(Me and Dabney on the safari jeep)

Later that day we walked to see the oldest mosque in Ghana, located close to our hostel in Larrabonga. The mosque was built in the 1420's by Muslims settling in that area. It's repainted, and kept up annually by the tourism and the locals. It's a huge white building with branches stuck in the sides to support the heavy walls. We were told that the huge boboa tree growing out the side magically grew after a man who had a lot of influence building the mosque was buried there.

(The mosque in Larrabonga and the boboa tree)

That night we met two Russian men who were staying at the hostel too, we invited them to dinner and walked to El' Hassan's twin brothers hostel where we sat around a campfire, played with kids, attempted to speak simple English with our new Russian friends and ate yam. The Russians were so nice and before we went to bed that night they even handed us a can of Russian caviar, or translated into simple English 'fish children'.

The next day we made the trip to Kintampo and visited their famous waterfalls. We played around the rocks, slipped a few times, sat behind the waterfall and all shared (or just tasted) our can of Russian caviar. The mosquitoes there were vicious and we all got bitten pretty badly but it was so beautiful that in the end it was worth it.

(Tasting the 'fish children')

(Jolien, Me, and Dabney in front of Kintampo Waterfalls)

The next morning we packed our bags, took a tro-tro to Kumasi, split ways and our trip was done. It was a really great time but I'm earnestly excited to be back in Accra with my new family and start my job. I'll be assistant teaching in a school close to my house called 'The Living Word'. The children who attend are usually pretty stretched financially so they drop the admission fees from 200 cedi to about 20-40 depending on the child. The school is very Ghanaian and I'm excited to work with children again. Not to mention I'm living with four! They haven't seen me yet, they're at school, but I'll surprise them when they come home.

Pounding Fufu

The great Accra internet lets me upload video, so here's how you pound fufu! See? Upsides.

I've gotten my hand hit a few times, I've still got to perfect driving it somehow.

There's always an upside

After five eye-opening months in Dormaa-Ahenkro I'll be moving to Accra for the remainder of my stay. Normally through AFS you spend your entire stay with one host family, but in special cases you can be moved. My host family, Richard and Emelia, were really great to me while I was there, took me into their home and taught me interesting things about Ghanaian family life, cooking, and Dormaa. Unfortunately they were undergoing some financial problems and had to say goodbye to me this past weekend. I really appreciate all they've done for me.

I haven't met my new host family yet, I'm doing that today. All I know is that now I'll be living in Accra and eventually be set up with some volunteer work. I'll post a new address soon, and tell everyone about my new family. Thanks to everyone keeping up with my adventures here, now I'll get to show everyone a whole new side of Ghana I might have not seen otherwise. Plus, being in the capital makes internet AND the beach more accessible. Always an upside!

H2O

Christmas and New Years went by without too much fuss in Ghana. My host family didn't do a whole lot so when the AFS year students met up in Accra we had a re-New Years party to make up for it.
Our study tour to the Northern Region is postponed for a while, leaving my trip down to Accra more of just a vacation. It's been really great to see Accra this way though! Sometimes I forget where I am, I'm in Ghana, I'm in Africa! I remember that I'm here at really different times. Dabney, Jolien, and I went to Kokrobite (A reggae beach close to her host family's house) and explored around. We saw huge fishing boats pulled up on the sand with people all around them. The people on the boats would jump into the water, wade past the nets and ropes gathered around their boat to the sand where women with huge metal bowls on their heads carried fish. Tons of little kids played in the sand, ran around the adults, the boats, and the ropes zipping around on the sand. A few of the kids started a game of soccer and didn't mind at all that the clothes they had left on the sand earlier so they could swim were floating away with the tide. Originally we had planned to be dropped off near where it was a bit of a tourist site, where it'd be alright to have just one person watching our bags while the other two swam. The taxi didn't really understand what we were trying to say so dropped us off a bit down the beach. The walk gave us a cool chance to see the fishing up close though, even if we had to rush by a little. We spent the afternoon laying on the beach, playing hand-games with Ghanaian kids and I went on a seashell hunt. I found some really neat ones at Bojo beach earlier that week but I picked up a special one at Kokrobite. Every time I dropped it I would stumble upon it again, so I figured it was meant for me to keep it. At Kokrobite they have a couple of really cool, cheap shops where I grabbed a few things for family back home. I can't believe I'm practically half way through. Coming home will be an experience of it's own though, one I'm really excited for too.
While I was staying with Dabney the water in Weija (her area of Accra) was off for six days! In some places in Ghana they don't ever have flowing water, and are prepared for it but by day six I wasn't sure how anyone was going to even have a light shower along with cooking. It finally came back on and a cold shower has honestly never felt better.

Since this post centers mostly around the beach and water, here are some things about water in Ghana:

-Not every house has running or flowing water.
-If the house doesn't have running water they usually have a 'polytank'. A large plastic tub that holds a lot of water, sometimes suspended to make collecting it easier.
-Sometimes they collect water from a pump or well (manholes) in the area or a stream. (Normally streams are last resort unless they're really clean. In that case they wouldn't drink it, just wash with it.)
-If a house has running water it's not uncommon they drink tap.
-Sachet water, or bag water is the cheapest clean water you can find. Normally 5 pesewa, the recent gas hike has made some places sell it for 10 pesewa. (5 pesewa=about 3 US cents)
-Voltic water, or other bottled water is more expensive. One cedi for a bottle, two cedi for a big bottle. Volta Lake is a huge water supply for Ghana and it's really clean (from what I hear).

I'll post again soon, I'm pretty sure I'll have some big news in not so long. Hope everyone at home is doing great, and thanks everyone for the Christmas wishes and packages I really appreciate it!

This too shall pass

Happy Holidays from Ghana!

With the huge amount of Christians in Ghana Christmas is not only celebrated, but it's popular enough that you'll hear Christmas music on the radio and see some lights or a few neon 'God Bless You' signs. Most Ghanaians who know that I'm not Christian are really surprised to hear that I celebrate Christmas. I guess it doesn't make a lot of sense if I think about the origin of the holiday, but Christmas has become a very different kind of holiday for me and my family. That's what it is: family and loved ones appreciating each other and spending time together. From what I've seen of Christmas here, they see more of the religious aspect of it but still spend a lot of time with family and friends. And everyone's buying tons of presents, but I think every country is guilty of that. Especially America. My house in Ghana is decorated with a colorful rug, streamers on the ceiling, a foot-high light-up plastic Christmas tree, and a nicely stocked fridge. Also there are two new members of my host family, Adrum Baako, and Adrumm Mienu (Grace One and Grace Two). Richard bought two puppies to go with our two kittens. I even got an early Christmas present last night from my host dad, a whole box of Corn Flakes!!!

I checked the post office and I think I'll get my Christmas packages after Christmas, bummer, but I'll get them soon!

I arrived late in Dormaa after my trip to Mampong, five days late actually. While I was in Mampong, having a great time celebrating one of the AFSers birthdays for a whole week I had a relapse of Malaria. Or just another strain. Nobody is really sure. It had been two weeks since I last had malaria and I recognized the symptoms almost right away, but really wanted to believe it was something else. I went to the hospital and was diagnosed by a visiting American doctor and was treated with really strong injections and medications this time. They really wore me out, and the injections were the least fun I've had in a long time, but I'm really glad that I had a good, strong treatment to kill the parasite for good.

About the hospital:

-Most hospitals in Ghana don't give you food or water. People can bring it in from outside but hospital staff wont.

-Children and women are put in the same room. The room I stayed in had four adult beds and three small beds.

-One bathroom for all the patients, they also don't supply water to flush, paper, or water to shower.

-Most doctors are trained in Europe and America, or they are European or American.

-Power outages are normal, though the hospital I stayed in didn't have a generator, most do so it's no problem.

-Hospitals have everything from dentists to pediatricians. Normally there are no separate doctors offices, just the hospital.

-The bed that you are given for staying overnight does not include a blanket and pillow.

The night I spent in the Ashanti Mampong Hospital is something I'll never forget.

Even though Malaria hit me pretty hard again I had a great trip to Mampong. It seems my exchange to Ghana is always mixed, things to work through and things to just sit back and enjoy. I'm always grateful for that and for all the support I have at home from my family, my boyfriend, my friends, and even my doctor.

When we arrived in Mampong it was Manuel's birthday so we ate dinner together, gave presents, went out for some drinks with his family, and made plans for the week. During my stay in Mampong I was a guest in Jolien's host family who were more than hospitable, they announced to both me and Dabney that we should stay for a whole month. I'm definitely going back to visit. Spending some time getting to know Jolien was great too, I'm in Ghana, but Belgium has taken on a whole new image in my head since I've met all of these guys. In Jolien'shouse they eat a little differently than mine, more rice and stew where as my host family almost always has yams.

During the week we managed to watch a lot of Lost once the sun went down, climb huge trees behind Manuel's house, have a picnic, make spaghetti, go to a swimming pool, attempt some lemon bars (without an oven), and Jolien and I even went to her schools 'entertainment' and danced with all the students.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

When there's no henna, use markers! My foot art on Dabney and Jolien.

Jolien's host sister, Sallah, she took such great care of us all.

Making spaghetti at Manuel's house!

A beautiful view of Ashanti Mampong.

Jonas giving Manuel his birthday present. Aww, Anisa.

I'm sorry if this post seems a little miss-matched, it seems like so long since I posted last. My great grandmother, Corky Warren passed away the day before last and even though she lived a long, great, full life it took me by surprise. I'm alright now, because as she says "This too shall pass..." and have been letting myself think about her quite a lot. She had me promise before I left that if she did pass I wouldn't come home, that she wanted me to stay. Even if I hadn't made that promise I know the thought of leaving wouldn't have stuck in my mind. I can't be there, I didn't get to say goodbye the way I wish I have, but she'd be happy I was here, taking advantage of this amazing experience.

Once again, thanks for all the support from home. I'm always grateful of the ability to talk to you all as much as I do and keep you in touch, and in the know of all the cool things I get to do and hear the same from you.

I love you Grandma Corky, what an inspiration you are.

Heart

Ghana Will Find Your Heart

After the sun's finished scorching the ground and the people who walk down these dirt streets,

Ghana will find your heart.

Tucked away, underneath layers of "I miss this." and "I want that."

When the brakes of your bike clench, and send a squeal through the air,

a glance upwards and Ghana's sky will find your heart.

The African sun tucked behind towers of illuminated clouds will shine and warm you.

The children walk, unattended down the road, and gape at your skin,

their little fingers grasping a piece of bread, or an unidentifiable toy.

Shouts from a football game cascade over the newly 'weeded' bushes and past the gutters,

they fill your ears but you don't understand the words.

Ghana's language will find your heart.

The children yelling, the adults yelling, the market women yelling

deep sounds, high sounds, words that blend together like poetry

will find your western heart.

Not always will you find the sun,

shining down on Ghana.

Africa is hot, but the brightness is old tin;

sometimes gleaming, sometimes rusted, and hard to see.

In which ever way the sun hits the roads in Ghana,

they bake with an ancient pride.

In whatever way the children stare at you,

seeing you today has been their pride.

The unknown words that meet your ears,

can be nothing but music,

when Ghana's found your heart.

----

An exchange to Ghana is not always easy, but I think anyone who's travelled to West Africa will agree, it's worth it.

Ntomtom

Otherwise known as, mosquito.

Or the evil little bug that gave me Malaria.

Last Tuesday morning I woke up feeling pretty bad. I had a horrible headache and a stomach ache that just wouldn't go away. For the past week I had been feeling really sick to my stomach and I was sure it was because of my anti-Malaria drugs. I had been taking them in the morning and also been grabbing a bit of bread before I rode to school and the prescription said not to take it with food. So instead of taking it in the morning, I took it Monday night. All morning I couldn't really sit up straight, my stomach hurt, my head hurt, and I felt really dizzy. By noon I decided I had to go home. After a few hours tossing around, half asleep at the house I called my host dad and he brought me to the local hospital. The check-up was quick, a nurse just took my temperature, weight, and blood pressure shuffled me over to the doctor and after a quick review of symptoms I was told I had Malaria.

For a Ghanian that's no bigger than saying "You have the flu." but for an American it's kind of upsetting. All that I've heard about Malaria hasn't been very positive! With Malaria being such a regular thing here the doctors know how to treat it and have the right medications, but still for Obruni's it's always a little more tough to handle.

I was given prescriptions that would last three days and was told to return if things got worse or didn't get better. Now, four days later, I'm feeling fine. I'm still a little dizzy and weak but my headaches and stomach aches are gone. I've heard of and talked to people who've had really bad Malaria attacks and I'm thankful mine was so mild.

I have a mosquito net around my bed, I take my anti-Malaria medicine everyday, I even spray mosquito spray on myself (and sometimes our night-security guard, Dramani) when I'm outside late, but there was nothing I could do. The mosquitoes that carry Malaria are normally out once the sun goes down (always six o'clock) and unfortunately that's when my host family makes dinner. So even though I spray myself and take my medicine I have to be more careful being outside when I'm helping out with dinner. Never the less, I've got Malaria now and as much as it's a bummer I know to be more cautious and I hope this is a good warning for other future Ghana AFSers or African travelers.

My host family, my friends in Ghana, and all my loved ones at home were really helpful, nice, and encouraging. Thanks everyone, I appreciate the 'get well' love.

Little fun non-Malaria updates:

-This Friday I'm travelling to Ashanti Mampong with Jonas to meet up with Dabney, Jolien, and Manuel for Manuel's birthday!

-Our house help Leticia now refers to us as "the small girl and her sister", ex. "The small girl and her sister have to get everything done fast, fast because it's healthy to eat early."

-Richard calls every day he sleeps in an "American day" because I told him that in America I don't get up at six on the weekends and every Saturday I sleep in until eight or nine.

-Calling me Ohema Acadia, or Queen Mother Acadia is the new joke around the house.

Until next time, when hopefully it'll be about something more exciting than Malaria!

Ghana 101

Lesson # 5,263

Learn how to tie a baby to your back.

All the women carry their children like this, I haven't seen a single stroller in Ghana.

First you hold the baby on your hip then lean way down and scoot the baby around to your back. Then you take a cloth, throw it over yours and the baby's backs and take the top edges and tuck them around your arms. You make it like a bath towel and twist the top edges of the fabric around themselves. Then hike the baby up on your back and take the bottom edges of the fabric around your waist, tie them in a knot and tuck them underneath each other.

I'm definitely NOT an expert at this yet, but thanks to Emelia's sister I met in Sunyani on Friday I got to walk around with her son on my back for a little while. All the people on the street thought it was hilarious but I was just happy to have a baby that didn't cry when it saw me, thinking I was a ghost.

Oh, Ghana!

Accra and Volta Region

Living in Montana, I've seen powerful rivers, beautiful cliffs, and gorgeous nature but the Volta Region of Ghana gives Montana some decent competition.

AFS students from Belgium and from The United States went on a study-tour of the Volta Region this past weekend, and really, we had a blast!

I left for Accra the 12'th of November on the night bus and arrived at five in the morning. On the way through Sunyani, Kumasi, and the rest of the Ashanti Region there was the most beautiful lightning. I've seen it a couple times in Dormaa, but mostly in southern Ghana. No rain or thunder, just grey skies and lightning. I was listening to The American Dollar and would fall asleep and wake up over and over again to the same pretty view of lightning and night sky in Africa. (Thanks for the music sweetheart, it made it more magical.) At first I thought the bus kept turning their brights on and off, but whenever the lighting would go at it the entire valley we were driving through would light up like it was daytime.

When I arrived in Accra I met Dabney, AFSer from Alaska at circle. Circle is this really large roundabout in Accra. Accra is huge, I would say even bigger than New York City. They have sections, like Achimota and Weija, but it's still all called Accra. Takes maybe two hours to get across it by car or tro-tro. Dabney gave me some tro-tro lessons while we found our way back to her house in Weija. When a tro-tro rolls up to the side of the road a guy will use a hand signal and shout out where the tro-tro is heading. If you're going anywhere in between here and the place they called out you can hop on, if not you wait for another tro-tro. The way they call out for the tro-tro's is absolutely hilarious to me! "Curcu-curc-curc-curcllleee" or "Malaaaam Junction, Mallam, Mallam, Mallam". The names of the places just blend together until "Dorm Pillar 2" becomes "Dormapilaaytoo". Without Dabney I would have been totally lost, but by the end of my stay in Accra I could have managed to at least get to Circle.

We met her host family and then headed out for my first pizza I've had in about two and a half months. It was so good, and totally worth the 6 cedi. Later that day we went to a store close to her house and met a Mulsim man about to go for his call to prayer. With some serious gesturing and pointing and laughing we figured out he was inviting us to go with him. We walked around the corner to this small, little half-finished mosque and washed our feet, hands, face, and arms before we went in. He gave us scarves to cover our heads and let us stand on mats behind him and another man while they prayed. It was beautiful and really kind of the man to let us come and watch and take photos like he did. And Rev, the mosque had about two or three of the plastic, recycled mats with the pretty designs on it!

On Monday the Belgian Consulate invited the Belgian students and the three American students to a party celebrating their King's birthday. Driving through the gates I felt suddenly small and under-dressed. The party was held at this mansion of a house, in their backyard with classical music playing and tons of people from all over the world to talk with. I spoke with a couple from Russia, Spain, and Malta and also a Ghanian woman who, to everyone's surprise gave me some tips on washing clothes by hand without getting the little cuts on your knuckles. I talked with one of the students and we both felt the same way, after living in Ghana with our host families for so long, we felt a little out of place at the party. It doesn't mean we didn't really enjoy ourselves though! We thoroughly enjoyed the cheese and crackers, salads and fruit, Belgian wraps with french fries (french fries were invented in Belgium I learned, and that's what they're famous for, not waffles), and fruit and cake dipped in chocolate. Margaret went back for more of the chocolate at least ten times. I wasn't far behind her I don't think! We were invited to spend the night and all soaked in the hot showers and great breakfast the next morning.

On Thursday evening we left for the Volta Region. The drive kept bringing us into more and more beautiful and mountainous areas of Ghana. Half-way to Ho we went by a river-town where instead of the normal plantian chips and fanice that the women sell from their heads to the buses and taxis that stop there they had a million different fishy-looking things. Someone on the bus dared to buy a bag full of green little dried fishes. From far away it looked like dried seaweed but everyone agreed that it was not good, and not seaweed. Blech. Once we got to the hostel that night we had a great night all watching Lost (about a a hundred or more episodes all on one disk bought in Ghana for 2 cedi) and talking about our host families and things we'd learned since we last saw each other. We also spent about two hours taking braids out of a Beglian students hair because it was really hurting her head, braids just aren't made for Obruni hair.

On Friday we went to Wli Falls. The drive there was spectacular, trees that are five feet from the center to the edge I swear! The walk to the falls took about a half hour, maybe even longer with all the stopping we did to look at the streams we passed or take photos. When we got to the falls a class was there on a field trip who all laughed at us as we took photos in front of the falls. I try hard to not be too tourist-y while I'm here, but I think everyone relaxed about it for the study tour. We swam underneath the falls and all tried to get as close as we could to right underneath where all the water poured in. While I looked up at the falls I felt a bit like Justin, trying to guess how much water was flowing out per second. A couple sat underneath the falls, from the Netherlands I think, and I talked with them about what they were doing in Ghana. It's incredible how many people come to volunteer and work in Ghana from European countries. They had been working at a school for three months and now were taking their last two weeks as a vacation before they went home. I don't know where we'll end up traveling Justin, but let's definitely do some waterfall watching.

The study tour included a night out to go dancing, a cultural dance performance that blew my mind, and a trip to a pool. We all had a lot of fun and decided to get together again in December for one of the students birthdays.

Now I'm back in Dormaa, I missed my host family and am really glad to see them again. I've always got a lot more to say but I knew I should write a little about the study tour before it's been too long.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving back home, I love you all.

Write more soon!

Waiting

is something you do here a lot. Three actually means four... thirty.

While I was waiting for our drumming instructors I took a few photos:

(There are a few more that haven't made it on my blog on facebook.)

What a lovely Saturday

Today started out like what I'm beginning to call a normal Saturday for me in Dormaa. I sleep in a little later, wash my clothes (preferably in the sun!), sometimes read Justins letters or write him, help with chores, sweep my room, have some brunch, talk with Leticia, and read. While I was walking out of the kitchen today, going to collect my washing tubs since I heard my host dads car pull up to the house and it's expected for me to go greet anyone who comes to the door, I almost ran straight into some girls from school. DormaSS is on break until Wednesday so all the borders get to go home. Mavis and Sakina, from my class, came walking up to me laughing. "You wash your clothes Acadia?! Good, good!" I hadn't cleaned up after washing and chores yet and I wasn't really sure how to entertain them but we eventually got settled on the couch looking at my senior yearbook from Lincoln County High School. They laughed and laughed at how 'silly' all the students are in my school and were really interested in the 'best of's (best eyes, best hair, ect.). I took a quick shower while they finished looking through it and then we walked to town. I realized, this was the first time that I've just hung out with Ghanian friends I've made on my own. It took two months! We bought some fanyogo and biscuits and stopped by on about ten people. That's the way it is I've figured out, you just go and visit people. Knock on their doors, sit and talk for maybe ten minutes and then go to the next house. Mavis's mother was working at one of their bars around town that was completely filled with people celebrating a funeral.

I might have said a few things about funerals before but I can never get over how different they are from western funerals. Everyone comes, they come to show their respect of course, but people who have never met the person come. A normal attendance for a funeral is about 100-300 people. A funeral normally lasts about two or three days. A type of wake is sometimes held the night before the funeral where the family and close friends who attend stay up all night. No one's allowed to sleep. Almost all the funerals are held in large fields (soccer fields usually) in front of churches or schools. Huge red and black tents are set up where all the elderly people gather and chat in Twi.

While Sakina and I were waiting for Mavis who was busing tables for her mom Mavis's grandmother taught me how to tie my hair up in a scarf African style. I finally get to use an African scarf my mom gave me last Christmas the right way! When I came home later I showed Emelia and she looked really happy and said "Church tomorrow!", so we picked out a dress that I'll wear it with to church tomorrow.

Church I've decided is just going to be a thing I go to once in a while. I've spoken with Richard about it a lot and he says that of course I don't have to go, but I think they like it when I attend once in a while. It's from 9 to noon, the service is always in Twi and the Sunday school is a bit too packed for me. So I'll just sit in the pew and listen to the choir.

When Mavis, Sakina and I left her mothers work we headed into the market. Mavis insisted on getting shillet (I don't think that's the correct spelling), a rock-looking piece of chalk that you chew. At school a few people chew actual chalk because they can't buy it on campus. I told her I'll never try it, I just don't want to chew a rock, and I think it's kind of addicting anyhow. On the way out of the market we decided to look for some small earrings for me because I can't wear long ones to school. 20 pesewa (15 cents) for a little pair of gold hands. I really like the market here.

This didn't really have such a subject, I was thinking maybe I'd write about the women I've met so far in Ghana, but I'll save that for another post. This was just about a nice Saturday. Musa, the security guards little boy, is waiting to play with paint on my computer so I'll hurry off.

I love and miss everyone at home, I think the hardest part of the homesickness is gone so no worries!

And Mr. James, if you read this I thought you'd be interested in this quote from a wonderful student named Belinda who I sometimes sit next to in class: "Ghana isn't like America, we have corrupt leaders. Sometimes they buy cars and big houses with money from the people of Ghana!"

I made sure to tell her about our good and bad leaders, that just because we're America doesn't mean our government is perfect, far from it a lot of the times.

Miss your class. Everyone I've mentioned the holocaust to here has no idea what I'm talking about.

And Justin, darling, I met Mavis's boyfriend today on our rounds of visits. She made me promise that when she comes to America she could meet you. I said it was a deal.

Mavis and Sakina: