So here I am drinking my first cup of coffee (made by yours truly) sitting on my bed wondering what this day will bring. My plan is to talk to some faculty members in the music and theater department. But mainly I want to talk to music department people to see when I can find space to sing in. I am missing my voice like no other…it’s interesting to see what you need to survive in a space that’s unfamiliar. So far, I know I need water (not as easy as it sounds, just took another successful bucket shower), coffee, my ipod, and my voice. At the end of this program I intend to write down everything I have learned about myself.
On a lighter note, I finally got my pictures to stay up on my wall…after almost a whole roll of masking tape I finally realized it was sticky enough to hold up the sixty some pictures I brought to decorate my walls. They hold everything from SMT fun moments with James, Kimmy, Wes, Nick Pick and Chris Routh to family photos with my very missed siblings. It’s nice to surround yourself with photos that make yourself more familiar in your area. I am already getting used to my mosquito-netted bed. I like being enclosed. I feel safe from everything. I started off the day listening to “Believe” which is Ethan’s solo in Acafellas. I love listening to songs that hold a specific visual memory. I can picture that acapella concert in Empie theater with Ethan’s ridiculous acapella bop. Hahaha.
But anyway, back to more informative things. We had a tro-tro excursion the other day. If this term is new to you, (I think I might have mentioned it before) it’s pretty much a van/bus that brings people around for cheaper than a taxi. They get pretty crowded, and tend to be not in the best of conditions. I haven’t seen this yet, but apparently live animals are brought on during rush hour- meaning I could be sharing a seat with a chicken instead of a person? Haha. So different here. But we all congregated at the main gate (a 15-20 minute walk) and went to the street to pick up a tro-tro. The fare is anywhere from 30-50 pesawas depending on where you are going. We were told to introduce ourselves immediately to those next to us and ask how they are doing- because often these people will be the ones to tell us which stop to get off on. Also, Ghanaians apparently consider it rude not to greet them. Imagine that, America?
It wasn’t that bad, I’m not gonna lie. It reminded me of those big taxis you take on the islands. Kind of sketchy, but it is the best way to get around, money and time wise. Later, after the tro-tro, we tried our first cocnut on the street. They just cut off the top of the coconut and let you drink out of it. When all the juice was gone, they would open it, chop out the fruit, and put it in a bag to go. I only got one sip, but it tasted a little bit like sea water…only better. I guess I expected a sweeter flavor. But it was cool and refreshing. A good snack to have available. We had a campus tour after that. It took over two hours. Yeah. TWO HOURS. The campus is massive. And slightly confusing because the street signs are off sometimes. What amazes me is all of the different departments. Zoology, Archaeology, Botany, etc. And the campus is gorgeous. All of the buildings are white (seem to be adobe-ish material?) with reddish brown roofing. The plants and statues surrounding various buildings become botanical centerpieces for the campus wih cactuses, pink and red flowers, etc.
The Balme library may have to be my favorite though. It has a courtyard which makes me extremely happy as well as many different hallways, a large computer lab, a rare books section, and a long pond stretching outside the front of it. Stunning. Statues line the pond up the entrance to the building. Pictures will be up soon I swear. Afterwards we went to the Bush Canteen. This was perhaps the biggest culture shock I had received. I expected a school store. Enclosed, clean, organized, etc. What I found was a dirt side street leading to a series of market stands. Some animals roaming about with the occasional Ghanaian saying, “Are you married?” and women saying, “Come here, Come here, Obruni”. Obruni is the term used for white person, or mainly a foreigner. It’s cramped everywhere, and one has to be careful with their belongings because of this. After buying a few essentials, a bucket with a lid for water, a towel, water, a knife, pineapple, disinfectant spray, etc. we settled down to eat. I have tried some local dishes (ambitious for me, who is constantly eating turkey subs and panera) such as banku. Unfortunately, I’m blanking on what it is…not pounded yams, but something along those lines. It looks like balls of pounded rice with a thick, sticky consistency. You pick it up with your fingers after you wash your right hand (the only hand you should eat with) and dip it in the soup with meat. You even eat the meat without utensils. Definitely a different atmosphere from home!
Besides that, we have had some other orientation sessions with the rest of the international students. In total, there are over two hundred of us. We all come from different places, which is cool. There are some from Germany, Egypt, South Korea, Canada, etc. I love that I am meeting new people everyday. Although I know eventually I will miss the small university feeling where it’s impossible to walk three feet without recognizing someone.
I feel better knowing that I am already getting used to this lifestyle. At this point, I am almost enjoying how different everything is…not as much in regards to the hygiene aspect, but overall its different. And there is never going to be another time in my life where I can live here. It’s time to live it up…how does one do that? Perhaps Reggae night every Wednesday? Who knows!
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