i have learned! that
in ghana, the only way to stay sane is to not have ANY expectations under any circumstances. and you have to realize that time doesnt exist. it doesnt matter how many other things you need to do, or how long something should logically take, because it will guarunteed take at least 4 times longer. i've become so okay with everything that happens to me.
i got stuck in our hostel bathroom, naked, for about 25 minutes the other day. they had to break the door open to get me out.
i spent 7 hours at the hospital the other day. maybe 15 minutes of that was spent doing something other than waiting.
a few nights ago our taxi driver went past where we were supposed to turn. we told him to turn around several times but instead he just kept driving for 15 minutes past our dorms and then turned around.
every time we go on a bus trip, we leave 2 hours late. minimum.
we were supposed to move into our permanent rooms on a monday. every time we asked them when we were going to move they smiled and said "soon!". finally on friday, they said "tomorrow". we went to the porters lodge the next day and they said "ok yes, when you come back". so we went to get food, came back, and then walked from one end of the dorms to the other, probably 6 times, searching down the the people we needed to move us in.
things just move so much slower here. which i'm totally ok with, but just know that when i call you or tell you i will call you, or if you write me a message, know that it will take a long as time. so maybe set your watches to ghana man time.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
how is ghana!?
mostly, when i get this question, i just feel that i need to provide a list of everything i've done here so far. so here it is:
got off the plane, its hot and overwhelming but people are nice, go through customs, get luggage, get on a bus, drive to the university, look out the window, choose a roommate, put stuff in room, go out, eat snack (first ghana pinnapple- so fucking bomb!!) called my parents (couldnt really hear them), ate dinner, played bananagrams with only my roommate (epic), went to sleep, ate breakfast, listened to auntie sharon, felicia, went on a campus tour, exchanged moneys, lunch, internet cafe for pointless US embassy registration (first frustrating time-related experience), introduction to music lecture, dinner, african dance/singing class outside (so much fun), take taxi to go to reggae night on the beach, get tipsy, take taxi home, sleep, wake up, breakfast, twi lecture, bus ride "tour" of accra with kofi, stop at accra shopping mall (wierd) to buy sim cards, rest, dinner, african dance/singing (still fun), shower (probably), sleep, get a lil too drunk off of star (the beer here) at tyme out (a bar on campus), wake up, breakfast, twi lecture, communication lecture, uc "academic matters" lecture, campus tour, lunch, internet cafe, dinner, dancing/singing (stilll so fun omg), go out to another night club and experienced the dance kindof club (creepy, not for me), maybe made a few ghanaians fall in love with me on accident (HA!), sleep, wake up to go to church and take a shower but then decide my dress is too short and im too tired, breakfast, go back to sleep for 4 hours, go to the beach, get back from beach, dinner, dance/singing (final one, SO FUN), sleep, wake up, breakfast, bus to "round table discussion" (which was just a bunch of lectures), dinner, sleep, wake up, breakfast, roundtable again, pack for kumasi trip, sleep, wake up, depart for kumasi, get out at 3 craft villages and get attacked based on rightful assumption of money and willingness to buy, lunch on the bus, got to hostel, dinner, get locked in bathroom (naked), "kumasi by night" haha (wednesday night), no water, sleep, wake up, breakfast, art lecture, manhyia palace museum tour, lunch, trip to lake bosomtwe (so pretty), dinner, bananagrams and dominos (on our rock hard beds (that had equally hard/large pillows)), sleep, wake up, breakfast, assin manso slave site, lunch, get to hostel in cape coast, wander the streets and play with kids at the beach (there are also pigs at the beach!! (and poop in the water)), "peer group discussions", walk with a few people for snacks, sleep, wake up, breakfast, canopy walk, elmina castle, lunch, drive back to accra, find out we still wont be moving into our permanent rooms, i feel like shit, go to sleep, feel like more shit, go to the hospital, go to the pharmacy, get home, do some bucket laundry, call dad, sleep, wake up, feel better, breakfast, really boring orientation, read, sleep, internet cafe, dinner, watch sam get her hair braided, buy beer, walk with carissa to the boys' room, drink beer, go try to find more beer, no more beer, walk home, read, sleep, wake up, come to internet cafe and HERE I AM!!
be here now.
write more later.
got off the plane, its hot and overwhelming but people are nice, go through customs, get luggage, get on a bus, drive to the university, look out the window, choose a roommate, put stuff in room, go out, eat snack (first ghana pinnapple- so fucking bomb!!) called my parents (couldnt really hear them), ate dinner, played bananagrams with only my roommate (epic), went to sleep, ate breakfast, listened to auntie sharon, felicia, went on a campus tour, exchanged moneys, lunch, internet cafe for pointless US embassy registration (first frustrating time-related experience), introduction to music lecture, dinner, african dance/singing class outside (so much fun), take taxi to go to reggae night on the beach, get tipsy, take taxi home, sleep, wake up, breakfast, twi lecture, bus ride "tour" of accra with kofi, stop at accra shopping mall (wierd) to buy sim cards, rest, dinner, african dance/singing (still fun), shower (probably), sleep, get a lil too drunk off of star (the beer here) at tyme out (a bar on campus), wake up, breakfast, twi lecture, communication lecture, uc "academic matters" lecture, campus tour, lunch, internet cafe, dinner, dancing/singing (stilll so fun omg), go out to another night club and experienced the dance kindof club (creepy, not for me), maybe made a few ghanaians fall in love with me on accident (HA!), sleep, wake up to go to church and take a shower but then decide my dress is too short and im too tired, breakfast, go back to sleep for 4 hours, go to the beach, get back from beach, dinner, dance/singing (final one, SO FUN), sleep, wake up, breakfast, bus to "round table discussion" (which was just a bunch of lectures), dinner, sleep, wake up, breakfast, roundtable again, pack for kumasi trip, sleep, wake up, depart for kumasi, get out at 3 craft villages and get attacked based on rightful assumption of money and willingness to buy, lunch on the bus, got to hostel, dinner, get locked in bathroom (naked), "kumasi by night" haha (wednesday night), no water, sleep, wake up, breakfast, art lecture, manhyia palace museum tour, lunch, trip to lake bosomtwe (so pretty), dinner, bananagrams and dominos (on our rock hard beds (that had equally hard/large pillows)), sleep, wake up, breakfast, assin manso slave site, lunch, get to hostel in cape coast, wander the streets and play with kids at the beach (there are also pigs at the beach!! (and poop in the water)), "peer group discussions", walk with a few people for snacks, sleep, wake up, breakfast, canopy walk, elmina castle, lunch, drive back to accra, find out we still wont be moving into our permanent rooms, i feel like shit, go to sleep, feel like more shit, go to the hospital, go to the pharmacy, get home, do some bucket laundry, call dad, sleep, wake up, feel better, breakfast, really boring orientation, read, sleep, internet cafe, dinner, watch sam get her hair braided, buy beer, walk with carissa to the boys' room, drink beer, go try to find more beer, no more beer, walk home, read, sleep, wake up, come to internet cafe and HERE I AM!!
be here now.
write more later.
Monday, January 24, 2011
the perma rave theory
ghana is exactly like a rave.
1. everyone is always smiling. or willing to smile if you smile at them. which you will, because you wont be able to stop smiling.
2. youre super sweaty and gross looking, but you dont care.
3. everyone is willing to share everything with you (and you want to share with everyone else)
4. dehydration is a real possibility
5. stereo love comes on the radio exactly when you want it to.
6. supervisors at night clubs give you candy that their dad gave them, after they tell you that they love you and want to marry you. and you teach them how to PLUR.
i think i like it here.
1. everyone is always smiling. or willing to smile if you smile at them. which you will, because you wont be able to stop smiling.
2. youre super sweaty and gross looking, but you dont care.
3. everyone is willing to share everything with you (and you want to share with everyone else)
4. dehydration is a real possibility
5. stereo love comes on the radio exactly when you want it to.
6. supervisors at night clubs give you candy that their dad gave them, after they tell you that they love you and want to marry you. and you teach them how to PLUR.
i think i like it here.
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