So Much to Tell

Anyone worried I wouldn't have enough to eat here? Well, worry no more. Breakfast alone comes on 3-4 plates and includes 4 pieces of braed, and some combination of hot dogs and beans, a malt-type oatmeal, fresh fruit, eggs, and salad. More than I can eat, that much is certain! I have now officially cleared my plate once! and that is because it was on the table and I was actually able to serve myself... ;) Josh (my internship partner) was able to clear his plate once when it was served to us - and the response was a hug and a kiss on the cheek from Elizabeth, the mother of the house, an an exclaimation that "now we are getting somewhere!" The food so far has been good, and since there is no way I can eat it all, I can be slightly choosy about what dishes I finish. (For those who are laughing at me eating hot dogs and beans in the mornings, I do not feel bad about not touching those at all...) Dinner has been rice with some meat an vegetables on top in a spicy tomato sauce. Also, chicken and french fries. The family serves us dinner in the front room, brings us our plates, and leave. Josh and I are left ot eat by ourselves most of the time (yesterday for lunch, Mannaseh ate with us.) We're not sure when or where they usually eat instead, but we rarely see anyone at that time, unless they come to ask if we are alright. I'm pretty sure I haven't been asked if I'm alright so many times a day as I am here... it is a constant question. In fact, I've been asked it 5 times while sitting here so far this morning at work. Sitting here typing away, or pausing, or waiting for something to load, I am asked, are you ok?

Most of the people we have talked to understand English, but we hae a hardr time understanding them. We can figure it out most of the time, but I feel so bad when I don't understand! The family is teaching us some Twi (pronounced 'tree', the predominant language in Accra, along with Ga), but they say the words quickly and Josh and I have to be a quick study. I'm finding myself trying to recognize words in Twi, and after they repeat it about 3 times I realize they were speaking English the whole time! And Spanish keeps interrupting! My confidence in Spanish is soaring as I realize all the things I can say in Spanish when I am trying to speak something in Twi. It isn't always displacing what I am trying to learn, but I find myself thinking in Spanish frequently, and have responded "no se que dice!" (I don't know what you're saying) several times to Josh. (I think my brain just likes to console itself, it feels smart when I can at least answer in Spanish, even though it isn't getting Twi.) (Alan - I am conjugating!)

The house I am staying at is very nice. All the floors are tiled, with high ceilings, a fan and air conditioner in each room. I sleep with the air conditioner on, and it feels like I"m at home - cool and dry. Only when I step outside my bedroom door in the mornings to I remember I'm living in a sauna. It's not especially hot outside, it is really just the humidity that gets you - and that's what hits me right when I step outside of my room, or out of the car, or an air conditioned building. It feels like stepping into a bathroom right after someone got out of the shower - with the mirror all fogged up. The humidity is enough that even the locals carry around handkerchiefs to wipe their foreheads (a point that makes me feel better about feeling so hot.)

The family I'm staying with is very nice as well. Mannaseh (I will probably change how I spell his name all the time) and Elizabeth, and their two children Ann and Andy. Ann (3-4 years old) has become my buddy pretty quickly - after a few initial hours of silence - but isn't used to sharing anything with her little brother. (She is a pro at sounding like she's crying when she's really not, and can be a stubborn little kid.) Andy is just under a year and is very cute. I don't see him as much - he is usually wrapped up on his mother's back, (yes everyone does that here) or is tucked away taking a nap or something.

As for the people here, it is fun to drive or walk around and wave at all the kids. They totally light up and usually wave or say hello back when either Josh or I say hi. A little boy actually stopped in his tracks and just stared at me as I walked past, and kept walking. Josh told me yesterday a guy on his bike was staring at me, enough that Josh was just waiting for him to totally biff it on his bike (which didn't happen, and I didn't even notice this entire incident.) The people are very nice, and I haven't noticed anyone who just stares, though most people look. Its the little kids that can't help it. I love seeing the kids though, because even those who may be bashful or shy just can't help but crack a smile.

We are also asked decently often if we have been to Ghana before. When we reply no, they seem pretty surprised, and then when they learn neither of us have been to Africa before at all, they are even more surprised. For us, Africa is a cool place that you don't really think about visiting as a tourist, unless you're doing something particularly exotic. But here, Africa is a most practical place to come.

Monday at the office Junior took Josh and I for a walk around the market just outside of the office. They ar emostly selling foods - all kinds of food. Others sell shoes, bags, or shirts. We stopped and talke dot a few business owners hwo have loans with Kingsbridge. One in particular is butcher. He has several pens of chickens, and slaughters cows as well. We had the privilege of seeing a butchered cow in pieces on the table. It was in a room with burlap fabric hanging over the open spaces/windows, with slots in the fabric. The place was totally covered in flies, and is a testament to why I have been tld to avoid eating meat while here. Unfortunately, our hosts do not agree. They tell us that the meat is safe, and that we should not worry about it. We have trusted it when Elizabeth has made it for us, but have definiely been reminded to be careful.

Ghana looks a lot like the portrayal of Rwanda in the movie Hotel Rwanda. Red dirt roads with the occassional goat, dog, or chickens in the street, and lots of small shops everywhere. The roads here are horrible. In the capital they are paved and nice, but just outside the capital, even the highway is only a dirt road. Apparently the government contracted out paving the highway to the Chinese, and they are very very slow. The contract began about 4 years ago. Because of all the dirt roads, a 20 minute drive will take well over an hour. We drove out far enough away from home to hit a paved road, and I felt like we were driving pretty fast, especially considering all the people around. I looked over at the spedometer, and we were only going 25 mph!! Transportation can be a major problem, and it simply takes forever to get from point A to B, regardless of the actual distance covered. I wonder how much money these guys could be saving if only the roads were good and paved. Even only the highway or major roads. Aside from being difficult to drive on, the roads typically have some garbage in them. Mostly small black plastic sacks that hae been wakled into the ground, if not water bottles and wrappers. The streets are totally lined with people selling their wares. Everywhere people are selling something. I wonder where it all comes from, because no one seems to be growing or making this stuff, just selling it day after day on the streets.

Haha, I pulled out Swedish fish tonight to eat while watching the beginning of a movie. I gave some to Ann, the little girl. She decided she didn't like them. So instead of eating them she took them out of the little baggie I had them in and passed them out back and forth to Josh and I.

The family we are staying with also seems surprised at how little we watch TV. Most of the time it is on no one is really watching it. They're not talking or anything else per say, but there is no connection to what is happening on the screen and it can be turned off at any moment. We explained that we don't really have much TV while up at school. A lot of what is playing though is very international. We watched part of a European soccer game with Ghanaian commentators, and get a lot of international news. There are a lot of Nigerian movies and TV shows.