TREY. SONGZ.

AH YES. My first concert in Ghana. My first concert ever actually. The only other one I’ve went to was a Josh Groban concert for Wesley’s birthday back when we lived in Massachusetts. So I don’t exactly count it. This day was also momentous because it was the first time I had the pleasure of skyping with my lover, Samantha Asker. Now, for those who do not know, she is my female soulmate. She has been my best friend since seventh grade and has remained my best friend until this day- through two moves, and through college. We are pros at long distance relationships. But honestly, she completes me in a way no other person can. No matter what I am struggling with, I can tell her about it. She has also been to Uganda before, and has traveled to Europe as well. She is about to go abroad in the Spring on an honors program to Senegal, India, and Argentina (pretty sweet). She is outstanding. I already have plans to see her in January before she takes off.

I ended up skipping two classes for this concert (don’t worry mom and dad, I worked it out) and getting dressed in the free people dress Jamie sent me in a package (my favorite store in America- ridiculously pricey so I am constantly shopping their sale rack) and did my best to get concert ready in this African heat. Then we all took a cab to the place around 5:30- we got there by 6:30 ish. We arrived and waited in a super long line to get in. Funny thing is, in Ghana, people have no concept for lines. They will cut you, bump into you, etc. We grabbed some popcorn in line to keep us in check (we were all drinking) but I was just having some sangria (very low alcohol content, don’t worry parents). We finally got to the gate and we scrambled in practically getting sandwiched between people on our way. Then we walked inside through a red carpet and such. The space was REALLY NICE. At least, I thought so. It was air conditioned, the chairs were cushioned, there was a nice bar, bathrooms with TOILET PAPER! And an awesome stage. Unfortunately we didn’t get there early enough to get seats but we had fun just relaxing and dancing to the music. The djs were playing a great mix of Ghanaian music and American pop. At this time it was about 7:45 ish. We hung out until 9 when the concert actually started (it was supposed to start at 8…Oh Ghana…)

Now…the concert lasted until three in the morning. No, I am not kidding. It was ridiculous. I witnessed a great deal of Ghanaian culture let me tell you…first of all we squeezed in the seats and stood up on them. Mainly because everyone else was and even though I’m tall, I couldn’t see a bloody thing unless if I stood. Although these chairs are stable, I kept falling because other people would climb up and join you on the same chair disregarding safety. Hahaha….I sound like a teacher.  Anyway, All four of us (Big Kim, little Kim and Elice) made our way to the center and had a great view. Eventually Little Kim and Elice split off from us though, so Kim and I chilled for a bit and listened to the music. It was really cool because a lot of the songs being performed were songs we have been hearing all semester. And they were so much more entertaining to be hearing them live. It’s always really cool to recognize Ghanaian music. Its crazy to think that I’ve been here long enough to hear a song and be like, “ugh, not that song again.” Or, “YESSSSSSSSSS GET IT!”. But Kim and I decided that we would find all of these artists and purchase their music immediately. We need to have Ghana parties when we get back and just play music for everyone because the music is fantastic. There was one girl group which was ridiculous. They got carried out on the shoulders of huge burly men and were all wearing trenchcoats. Awful lip syncing. We were hoping for Destiny’s child and were sorely disappointed.  Btw, I have recordings of many of these groups which I will be periodically putting up if you want to have a listen. We actually heard about twelve different artists and groups. It was crazy how many performances we saw. I had to take breaks and sit down to relax because I was getting so tired from all the music and the people on either side of me jumping and dancing. There was a couple next to me that were dancing (on the same chair mind you) and the girl kept putting her foot on the chair in front of her so she could dance closer to her man. She was clearly drunk because she kept falling and tapping Kim and I to say random things that we couldn’t understand. And then I suddenly got shoved and almost fell on my face into the crowd of people. Luckily, a man caught me before I did. But I turned around and saw a massive fight between four or five men. Kim and I immediately hopped down from our chairs and backed away because we were so packed together that we could have easily gotten hit. Mind you, everyone is drunk and has no concept for personal space.

After about ten minutes, a man who claimed to be security calmed down the fight and we went back to the show. It was weird though because I actually was afraid to get caught in the line of fire. Someone just said they were “stupid, drunk Nigerians”. Side note, Ghanaians dislike Nigerians. There is a rivalry between the two countries. AHHH another side note- a few of the artists had dancers and they were insane. I would KILL to be able to dance like that. Sigh. If only. However, I am starting to learn. This week in dance we spent twenty minutes just shaking our butts and moving our hips. The combination is crazy and I love it. Such a side note, but whatever. These entries are very scattered anyway.

A few hours later I was wondering at how Ghanaians have so much energy. They were still dancing and going like there was no tomorrow. I was completely pooped. Like, hungry, tired, headache, and I hadn’t even seen Trey yet. Me and Kim were slowing fading. Damn I hate to do this again but another side note- Ghanaians dress up here. Like a lot. For this concert I saw very nice fancy dresses, everyone wore heels, and the men had on nice shirts- some with ties. I was very impressed. Come on, America! Let’s step it up.

Elice started texted us and we assumed she was with Little Kim but then we realized that she wasn’t and she was missing. So, luckily this happened during the two o clock moment when we were all waiting for Trey to come on so we had adequate time to search for her and not miss anything. We couldn’t find her anywhere and so we went to make an announcement but then finally Elice found her. Supposedly she had lost her phone. Witnessing a fight, check. Losing a friend, check. Getting obnoxiously hit on, check. While we were searching Kim and I ran into this huge man who said we were very beautiful and asked for our numbers. He made up this claim that he studied at the university too, and wanted to meet up with us the next day. He said, “Here’s how it’s gonna go. I’m going to get your numbers, and then we will meet up tomorrow.” Kim responded in a way only Kim would, “Here’s how its gonna go, we are gonna leave.” And we left. I love her.

Trey finally came on and I died. First of all because I had no idea what a great voice he had. He was showing off all sorts of range and I was extremely impressed. We attempted to edge our way back towards the front but I got terrified because men were trying to pick us up and put us on their shoulders (a huge NO) and then I couldn’t breathe because we were squished so much. Like, actually if I had fallen. I may have been suffocated. So with both hands on my purse I wiggled my way out of there knocking away the hands of about twenty men trying to grab me (please sir, I get it, youre drunk but that does not mean I am your plaything). We headed over to the edge and when people started to leave (relatively soon because it was getting so late) me and Kim ventured closer and got a great view again. He took of his shirt…and I cried a little bit. So sexy. He sang Bottom’s up and did Nicki Minaj’s rap which was awesome as well as a cover of Love the Way you lie which was beautiful. He did all of his popular songs plus more. I think I also forget to mention that Amber Rose cohosted this. Of course, being me, I had no idea who she was. But apparently it was a big deal. All I knew was that she found it necessary to change outfits after every group.

When we finally headed out, it was raining and we got really wet. A taxi driver tried to charge us 25 cedi to get back to campus when we had originally paid ten to get here. We eventually got into a taxi that had a broken window (on my side of course) and super squeaky windshield wipers that did not work. Haha. We ended up getting a flat tire on the way as well. I continually got soaked because my window wouldn’t go up. I just rolled my eyes (all you can do) and thought to myself how we were lucky to get a cabin the first place. We got back around four. It was a long, awesome, night. 

Kim and I:

Elice and Little Kim:

Creepy Masked Dancer man:

Girl Group that Kim and I judged hardcore:

Trey:

Videos on Facebook!

Clarification!

In my last blog I realized that in talking about other abroad programs I might have put them down accidentally. That is not what I meant to do in the slightest- merely I just wanted to articulate what different experiences we are having (or so from what I have heard). I love all the people in Italy and London, and CANNOT wait to see all of them in January.

A Relaxing Day in Ghana...Maybe.

So today I had a good day. Like a really great day. Usually I don’t blog about everyday things but I felt as if this could be an exception. This morning I woke up and we lost power. It was gone until about 4:30 and left around noon. So, approximately for four and a half hours. Luckily, I got water boiled for my coffee before this whole charade happened. Sama and I decided to clean our room. We swept, mopped, wiped down the screens, the windows, I cleaned my closet, the bathroom, we even wiped down the counters and the fridge. Amazing! My mom’s cleaning has actually rubbed off on me. It was actually really fun because It was the first time Sama and I have had to just chill and joke around. She is actually the best roommate I could have asked for.  And all day I was in gym shorts, a tank, and a headband. No makeup, no nothing. It felt great to just be hanging out in the room. FYI, we didn’t have classes today because it is Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday. I have mentioned this name before, but he was the first president in Ghana, and the man who basically led this country to independence. So, in other words, a huge deal.

Anyway, after cleaning, I went downstairs and grabbed us sodas, and got some pasta delivered to my room (yes you can have food delivered to your room! Kind of cool. I think Muhlenberg should pick that up.) We ended up just chilling out on our porch and enjoying the sun while we swapped stories about school. She is in a sorority at her college-Clark Atlanta University. Its ridiculous to hear how much more intense greek life is in the south. Holy crap. We discussed getting paints for our room so we can write quotes and do some doodles. Here we are allowed to paint the walls and do whatever we want. I personally want watercolors so I can try my hand at creating a mural next to my bed. We also have a wooden wall divider and want to decorate it with some fake flowers. Our room is so decked out. I love it.

We then went to Maxmart for some groceries with Camille (Sama’s other half). We actually got really lucky because for some reason a new Maxmart just opened across the street from us and it is BEAUTIFUL. They have a coffee shop and I almost fainted. But, my reaction to seeing coldcut turkey slices was probably the most priceless moment. I actually got down on my knees and started hyperventilating. Haha. For those who don’t know, I am hopelessly addicted to turkey sandwiches at home. I have one everyday without fail. Either that, or a chicken wrap. Both are practically delicacies here. When you do find them, they are likely to not uphold the American standard either. Such a bummer. But I decided that one day I will splurge and get the turkey slices for 12 cedi. Its worth it. I also found mini wheats and had another little episode of happiness. I gave in to that temptation…

Anyway, I got back to the room and we found that our power was back on and I got so excited to charge my laptop. Its pretty funny how disabled you feel without power. This has been probably the sixth time its gone out so far (all congregated in the last three weeks) and its been getting more frequent the longer we’ve been here. I’m scared to see what lies ahead. I love how excited I get when it comes back on though. Its like finding money in the laundry. It’s such a treat. It felt so nice to have the privilege to charge my laptop and phone. You have no idea.

I made egg salad tonight. I can’t believe I actually made something. Like I even boiled the eggs, diced green pepper and onion, etc. It tasted pretty good, but it needed pepper and celery salt…I might have to invest in some. I also got materials to make potato salad. So pumped. You feel so accomplished when you make food here.  However, I started feeling kind of sick today…weird stomach stuff. I didn’t actually get sick but I felt really unsettled. Headache, the whole works. So while Sama hosted a mini dinner party in our room, I passed out on my bed. I bet I looked super attractive. I feel asleep with my feet hanging off of the bed because I didn’t want to get dirt on my sheets. Haha I am so conscious of being clean now. Even though I hardly feel clean. It was a really great day of relaxation. I think I finally understood how a day should feel like in Ghana. Relaxed.

Kim was telling me something Joe said while observing her blog. “It seems like it’s so hard to live”. There’s actually no better way of putting it. It’s hard to live in Ghana because of all the little quirks it has. It’s hard. But I love my room. I love feeling independent (for the most part) and I love the feeling of being in control. I don’t really know what people do in Italy and London besides see shows and learn how to do a headstand. I get to learn how to live differently. It’s pretty cool when you think of it in that way, huh?

Tonight I also had an unfortunate experience. I am prefacing this by saying that the reason I blogged today was mainly because of this and even though its kind of creepy and scary, I think its necessary to paint the picture of what can sometimes happen here. I was in my room watching Pride and Prejudice (my comfort movie) and I wasn’t aware of one of my windows being still open. I was too absorbed in the movie to notice that a man was looking in and watching me (Mind you, I am in my pajamas, meaning little to no clothes considering how freaking hot it is here). He knocked on my door and asked for a light. I told him no, sorry and he left. He then came back and started talking to me through the window about how he wanted to come in and have a blunt with me. I told him I didn’t smoke. He then continued to tell me that he wanted to come in and have a conversation. After I told him there was no way I would let him in my room simply because I had no idea who he was, he insisted we have a conversation through the window. I told him no thank you and paused the movie to go put my laundry outside to dry on my balcony. I slammed the balcony door hoping he would get the idea. However, I soon discovered he had gone out onto the walkway to see me from the balcony and attempted to continue our “conversation”. I gave him one word answers and then went back inside. Of course, he then came back to my window and started talking about how I had the “cutest ass” (sorry for the language mom and dad) he had ever seen. I pretended not to have heard him and told him to go away. I went over to my door and bolted it twice.

He followed me back onto the balcony side once again, and this time I completely ignored him. I walked back in turned on my music very loud and ignored him again when he came back around. I thought I had finally gotten rid of him until twenty minutes later he knocked on my door AGAIN (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?) and tried to talk to me again. “Hey, I don’t understand why you won’t have a conversation with me”. I replied, “This is called stalking”.  And then I just started yelling. “I did not ask to be hit on right now, Go away. Go, I don’t want you here.” Finally, after he got offended at my yelling, he left. I actually could not believe it. Even in my room I am not safe from Ghanaian men.

I just thought that these experiences are valuable because even though they are infuriating, I learned something. Ignore ignore ignore. As Kim says, “turn the light off”.  Of course, being me, this is hard. I am awful at saying no and always feel bad because I don’t want to hurt feelings. Ghana is curing me of this particular sentiment I used to hold dear to my heart in America. I think it’s a good thing. I know I’ve been told I need to work on it. Perhaps this is the reason I am here. Haha. I also learned to always have the window slats closed. Anyway, I still have to update the blog from last night. Kim and I went to a Trey Songz concert with two other people from our program. It was a pretty amazing night, so that post will be coming soon. I just had to get this day off my chest. Tomorrow I visit the seamstress and get to have some clothing made specifically for me! I plan to get a strapless top, a dress, a blazer, and a few other choice items. Can’t wait to wear them in America :)

Some Pictures from Eastern Region

I started to take pictures at the Botanical Gardens. Here we go:

A really cool looking tree, right?

Mom, these pictures are for you:

Some of the group heading out.

Are we cats?

My favorite tree ever. This is the one i mentioned before that was completely hollow the entire way up. Absolutely incredible. 

I just really liked this picture. I secretly want to live there. 

A REALLY BIG LEAF! I've seen larger. haha But its still cool. 

These are what I have so far. More to come, I promise. 

Boati Falls Pic

This is just one picture that I stole from Miss Kimberly. She is about to send me the rest of hers so I can post them as well. I'm the one in the green bikini! See how amazing the falls are? :)

CIEE Trip #2 Eastern Region

Eastern Region!

Akan wood carving village, Botanical Gardens, Cocoa Farm, and Boati Falls!

This past weekend was amazing. Not only because the hotel was SUPER nice and had a giant comfortable bed complete with a hot shower, air conditioning, and a nice pool…but it had free wifi and a tv that played movies! Kim and I watched Twilight after dinner the first night and died laughing watching Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson have next to no chemistry…awkward. Except it made me want to watch New Moon and see Jacob Black shirtless. Yeah. That would have been awesome.

ANYWAY- We started off at 8 in the morning. I had no coffee. Lets just start with that. The Akan wood carving village was only forty minutes away or so, so I listened to my ipod and chilled. When we arrived we got a short tour of the village (basically just a market) and a demonstration of how the carving takes place. After we had about an hour to browse and buy some things. Everything they made was amazingly beautiful. I actually could not choose something. I finally ended up purchasing a piece for my wall next semester (my room is going to be so AWESOME), a family shadow, and a few other small things that I may or may not use as gifts for people. Everything was pretty pricy because of it being wood and all…and the people selling it made everything they sold so it was hard to get them down. But it was fun to bargain. I saw a mancala set that made me think of Fattie (Wesley). We used to play that game all the time. And randomly we played it in Michigan once at a coffee house…I don’t know if the siblings remember that. Haha.  I am weird and have time to remember things like that now. Strange yes, but oh well.

After the village we got back on the bus and headed towards the botanical gardens. They were absolutely stunning. Like amazing. Mom, there was a road lined with palm trees like that road in palm beach. I think it was called Royal Palm way? Or something like that. Julie and Jamie know what I am talking about I’m sure. We saw a bunch of trees. Basically that caps it all up. Unfortunately, my camera died around this point…yeah. Sorry everyone. But I am going to steal some photos from Kim and post them up to complement my words. Hopefully she won’t mind…We saw a coffee tree! And a really old tree that we got to go inside of…the entire trunk as hollow so we could see up it. It was pretty incredible. We even saw a cinnamon tree which smelled exactly like cinnamon (go figure)! A few plants had weird quirks…like one would close up the second you touched it. We took a video of it while the guide laughed at us. There was also a tree that had a red powderpuff on it. It reminded me of Horton Hears a Who. Now I really wanna watch it…I told Ethan to get it for when I get back (such a good boyfriend).

We then had lunch after seeing a few more cool tings like a really old helicopter…and seeing a tree that grows a berry that if you eat it will apparently make everything else you eat that day taste sweet. So weird. Lunch was amazing. I have such a love for plantains. Its ridiculous. But nice, fried plantains. Also the rice and chicken was amazing. Enough about food.

We got back on the bus and headed to the cocoa farm. This part was pretty uneventful because it was more for informational purposes. Did y’all know that every single piece of chocolate we have has cocoa from Ghana in it? Yeah, its pretty sweet. We got to go into the jungle and see a cocoa farm and how they extract the seeds from a cocoa pod. I mentioned in my blog from the last trip when I tried a cocoa piece. Its white and squisy- tastes very sweet and the seed is under the white stuff. The seed is left to dry for about a week or so in between two huge leaves, then they are rotated and dried more. Then they are sent away as exports to other countries for their chocolate. When you crack the shell off you can eat the seed. Its extremely bitter and tastes like very very very very dark chocolate. Haha. I didn’t mind it though. Reminded me of coffee…typical. But it was cool to see. Some people tried to open the cocoa pods with the huge knife. Scary. You actually whack it continuously with the swordish knife thing. Haha.

Anyway….after we headed to the hotel which I kind of already encapsulated above. But it was called the Capitol View Hotel and it was lovely. The food was very good- I noticed they always serve us the same things: chicken, fish, some sort of soup, cabbage (I miss lettuce) and vegetables, two different kinds of rice, plantains, and usually french fries. And let me tell you, im not a huge French fry fan in the states but here I LOVE THEM. When we got to the hotel we had a lot of time to chill so after kim and I had sufficient time to freak about the shower and bed, we headed down to the pool with some homework (reading) and ipods. It was really nice actually. We got to chill in the sun and I got to read a lot of my book- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. It was really good. I imagine I will be stealing some of the quotes from that book for future reference. Fun fact, she wrote the book in like seven weeks.

After chilling out, we went to dinner, watched Twilight, I got to skype with Ethan which was AWESOME. Skype actually worked for once and I was in air conditioning not sweating my entire body weight. It was such a treat. Also, for those who care, Ethan has been such an incredible boyfriend. Somehow I still feel love from him all the way over here. He has made this experience amazing and I feel such support from him (you too, family! J). I went to bed a very happy person. I ALSO GOT TO SHAVE MY LEGS! Sorry, that’s like a huge thing for me. I love feeling smooth legs.

In the morning I realized that breakfast here is my favorite meal because I eat everything they put out. Mainly because it is familiar and I already was a huge fan of breakfast in the states. Here it is omelettes, lots of great bread, jam, butter, cereal, oatmeal (DELICIOUS), coffee, milo, etc. etc. I literally had one of everything. SO GOOD. Then we headed to boati falls. I wore my bathing suit because I was determined to swim in that waterfall. It was so worth it. Before we got to the falls we got to see a double headed palm tree (Weird) and the guy tried to charge us money to climb it for pictures. No way. Abena, our ciee rep for the trip, was having none of that. She is actually amazing. Love her. Anyway, I have a new obsession with goats. They are freaking adorable. I want to bring one home. Maybe give Sadie a friend? ALSO MY MOM GOT A DOG WITHOUT ME. WHAT. IS. THIS.

Anyway, we then went and walked to a rock called the umbrella rock. It sounds stupid, but it was breathtaking. It was on a cliff and the rock has a base and then another flat rock on top of it so it looks like an umbrella (hence the name). I got to climb around it and Kim took some fun pictures. The view was amazing. We all just got to sit and wonder about where we are. Sometimes you forget. Its in those moments that I never really want to come home. I can’t describe it…but seeing things like this and being in another continent sometimes just feels so incredible. You feel so alive and in control. Because honestly, your abroad experience depends on you. You have to be open to new things and take opportunities when they are presented to you. Its daunting sometimes but very invigorating at the same time.

We then had the opportunity to either ride the bus back, or hike to the falls. Of course, being me, I did the hike. It was awesome! I think I might like hiking…a lot. Secretly. It was intense. We were climbing, using both hands, slipping off river bends, we actually had to cross a river and passed some cool caves. We hiked upwards for awhile to. The entire time I was thinking of sam actually because she has been telling me about her newfound love of trail hiking or whatever its called. Haha  And I was thinking that I might join her when I get back. You just get to see so much beautiful nature….usually I would not have thought I would have liked it, but maybe I’m wrong. Ghana is changing me.

We reached the falls and saw a million signs warning us that unless if we wanted to die a horrible death, don’t swim. Of course, I swam. We walked down five fights of stairs to the water and I believe my breath caught in my throat. The water just hit you. Brilliance. I immediately took off my clothes and got into the water…with no shoes. Whoops. Cholera, pink eye, malaria, parasite…who knows what ill get. It was worth it. I swam out to a rock. We took some photos and I got to be in the water with a huge WATERFALL. We swam back in and walked around the back of it too- getting completely drenched in our clothes. There was a constant roaring. But it was one of those moments again…taking charge. Feeling alive. I can see why people get addicted to travel. Someone said to me when I mentioned this was my first time abroad for awhile that I will love it and do anything to continue seeing the world. They may be right, honestly. I am so surprised to. I never pegged myself for the traveling type. But god, there is so much to see. After the falls we headed back to the hotel for a quick lunch and then packed up to go. I stole another quick hot shower and slept on the ride back listening to a combination of the mixes given to me by Ethan and Wesley. Overall, a really awesome weekend. 

Post Office Excursion

So I got a package. YAY! THANKS MOM! Except not. Haha

Back story: a few weeks ago I asked my mom if she would be so kind as to send me a few things that I forgot. Such as more underwear, a bathing suit that wasn’t a one piece (I need a tan people!), some starbucks coffee (guilty pleasure), protein bars, etc. Not a lot of things but they would definitely be awesome to receive. She sent it and I got a notification that it had arrived around two weeks after she had sent it (which is actually really good time apparently). The representatives at the CIEE office told me to go to the post office at the circle near Accra. Yes, I had to go off campus to receive my package.

So, blissfully hopeful, I left on a Thursday morning at 10:45 knowing I had a skype date with my mom around 1, and I was super excited to see her face! I gave myself a solid two hours. I thought that would be enough. I luckily caught a tro-tro right away to Circle and the ride began. I was charged about 60 pesawa to get there. The tro-tro stopped and the mate told me to get off because this was where the post office was. I looked around and saw nothing I recognized and asked him, “Where do I go from here?” He said, “I don’t know.” He proceeded to leave me on the side of the street. I have to be more assertive, first off. Luckily, a man at the stop could see I was lost and offered to help me. He told me to get back on the tro-tro and ask to get dropped off at the Ghana Telecom building. Luckily, one soon came by, and again I was on my way. I waved to the man and he smiled back. I took a deep breath and sat back. I was charged another 50 pesawa on this tro-tro. Meanwhile, about an hour into transit at this point, I finally reach the building. However, I have to walk a ways to get there through traffic. Another man led me to the building and showed me the entrance to get there. At this time it was almost noon. I walked in and immediately put a smile on my face because I was told that the people in the post office are not usually kind to Americans since Americans are not patient and hate waiting for things (so true).

The first woman was very nice and told me to go to the parcel department so I walked over and they looked at my slip. “You need to go to Accra General post office.” Long story short, after all this time, I had gone to the wrong post office. It was the right one, but apparently I was told to go to the wrong one. I asked how to get there and he said to take a tro-tro. I go out and realize I will never find one is this mess of traffic. I asked a few mates, but they all were not going that direction, or had no idea what I was talking about (typical). I proceeded to flag down a taxi and enquire about his price. I got him down to four cedi for the ride. I was told it would take ten minutes. Forty five minutes later, I am not even at the post office but still in traffic. I call my mom and tell her I am going to miss the skype date and I start crying (pathetic, I know) but I hadn’t eaten and back story once again, I had gotten sick last night so I wasn’t feeling good. Of course, this caused a ton of attention from the vendors outside and my driver. He asked why I was crying. And then the vendors would come up to my window, grab my arm, and try to sell me more things. Some asked why I was crying. Others just stared at me as if they could pierce me. Scary gaze. Haha.

So I finally get dropped off near the post office. I have to walk again to get there so he gave me some directions. It is now around one. I get to the post office and I am on the wrong side. Of course. Luckily, here is where my hero steps in. A man named Samson (I am sure he was actually sent by God) said, “I am coming, I am coming!” and hurried to my side to walk me over to the other side of the post office. I finally get there and they tell me I need a photocopy of my id. Awesome. Thankfully, my short savior showed me the way to a place a few blocks over where I got a photocopy for some pesawa and then we hurried back. After signing some papers and writing a few addresses down, my package was finally put on the table. I was told to open it, and empty its contents on to the table. The man documented everything that was on the table and started calculating the charge up. Yes, you need to pay to receive a package in Ghana. It is not enough for my parents to pay to send one!!!! GAHHHH.

He looked at me and said, “64 cedi.” And here came the flowing of more tears. “What?” He then told me how he calculated it and I continued to cry. I was so embarrassed. But I only had 16 on me after all of the transportation costs and such. I thought it would be 10 cedi at the most. Samson looked at me and said, “don’t cry.” He bargained with the man and got him to let me have it for fourteen cedi. I wanted to hug him. Mind you, this is after the man said that I could come back for it. I wanted to punch him in the face. Do you know how long it took me to get here?! I paid the man, said thank you many many times, and walked out with Samson. My guardian angel had decided he was going to walk me to the station (about twenty minutes away) and give me money for transportation. This was going to make him late for work, but he insisted. He began talking about how he wanted to help me out so that if I ever found some of his Ghanaian friends in the US, I could return the favor and help them out. I was astounded by my good luck and fortune by finding him. I learned he was thirty, single, and was subtly hitting on me. Haha. But what else is new? Here in Ghana, I am just beginning to realize how every man stares at Americans. It can be slightly terrifying. But he was very sweet and kind, and talked fervently to the mate of the tro-tro I got on to make sure he took me to the right stop. He promised to call me to make sure I got back okay. I ended up missing my voice lesson as well. It was scheduled for 2:00. I finally got back on campus around 2:30 ish. Crazy, right? It was quite the day.

Methodist-Presbyterian Church

On September 4^th, a week ago from today, I visited my first church. It was from 7 am till 10 am (but actually went till 10:45) and took place in the Central Cafeteria where I have one of my classes. Its about a half hour walk- so I got up around 6 to get ready and then headed over. It was a Methodist-Presbyterian Church that a guy told me about when he was trying to convince me to check out Campus Crusades (the Christian Group on campus which I will also be checking out once I have a spare moment). I brought my journal with me so that I could write down some notes and my bible also made it over to the service as well. There was definitely over 400 people there, at least. And I saw only one other white person. Intimidating? Yes.

There was a large choir that walked in singing with purple robes. The girls were wearing what looked like graduation hats as well…but I never found out why the guys weren’t. Some people were also wearing sashes which meant they were ushers (the nice man next to me told me that). I apologize in advance- this entry may be a little choppy but I want to cover everything I wrote down. In the beginning of the service we had to look to the person on either side of us and say, “you are favored”. Interesting. There was no greeting time (but I may have just missed it cause I was slightly late…haha) but I learned that the pastor’s name was John K. Avorgah (at least the one who was speaking that day).

Side note: One question I must ask about is if ALL Ghanaians grow up going to church. One night this week when Maggie and I were walking back with a few guys to our dorm they asked us what religion we followed and a conversation ensued about church. He said, “it is unheard of for a Ghanaian to say I don’t remember the last time I went to church”. It was bad. Interesting. I cannot say that that is a bad thing in America. Hmm.

Fun fact: I could hear the music from another church. That’s how many churches are on Campus and in Ghana. Yay. Haha.

Another question, how do reverends not lose their voice after every sermon? THEY ARE SCREAMING. I feel like this man’s vocal chords were going to break in half. I noticed that similar to church in the US, people do still text and drift off to sleep. I think it must be easier here because of the heat and the length of the service. But they sang so much in the service. Multiple hymns (some in Twi), some solos within the hymns, some songs from the choir…I’m willing to bet we sang over 20 songs. Something I’ve noticed in Ghana as well- there is never a quiet moment. Music is ALWAYS playing. At five in the morning, during performances, at four in the morning, inc hurch, during the sermon, literally all the freaking time. It’s a good thing I like music, right?

There were many times during the sermon were there was individual prayer, or after hymns and such. People would get really into the prayers like thrashing around, hands clasping their face, all crying out to God. It was really intense. Lots of movement as well. They bend over and shake, rock back and forth constantly, etc. After the sermon, 5 people were invited up to the microphone to ask questions about the sermon. The reverend actually went out and chose people from the audience. I kind of liked that idea. He had a powerpoint going throughout his sermon which was really nice because sometimes its hard to understand when Ghanaians speak. Just like how they can’t understand Americans. Haha. We both talk very fast, but in very different ways.

I think my favorite part of the sermon was when the choir came up at the end and sang a more pop sounding song. A female soloist came out and teared the solo apart. It was incredible! Definitely my kind of singing. We were all sitting down at this point but random people in the congregation stood up and started to dance and sing along. It was nice to see that they really don’t care what people think about them. When Ghanaians want to dance, they dance. There is no stopping them.

So yes, Church number one. This weekend I wasn’t able to go to a service because I had a trip. But next weekend, stay posted for another service. I’m trying to try out different ones every week. Lord knows they have another around here for me to witness.

A few other tidbits:

I was wrong to think that men wouldn’t hit on girls in church simply because we were in church. Two young men sat down next to me named Frederich and David. Both very talkative. And slightly creepy. No, I will not give you my number during the service. Haha

Also, during the service papers were passed around and people signed up for groups and meetings. One asked you to sign if you were a Presbyterian. Interesting. 

Black Stars Game

SOCCER (FOOTBALL) GAME!

YES. We went to a Black Stars game. Which around here, if you didn’t know, is the famous Ghanaian soccer team. Everyone here is pretty much big on sports so when we heard there was a game at the Accra Sports Stadium, we knew we all had to go. Our upals arranged the trip and we went on September 2^nd, the day before my beautiful best friend Samantha’s birthday (love you, lady). We all got on a bus and trekked over to the stadium.

En route we picked up a few other students and they showed us Americans what a real busride should be like. I will soon be uploading videos to demonstrate what I mean. They sang, they screamed, they were drinking, it was hysterical. Also, everyone was decked out in jersey’s, hats, our at least the colors of Ghana’s flag (red, yellow, and green with a black star). On the way we got Ghanaians on the streets waving to us and yelling chants in support of the night’s game. So much energy.

When we arrived, the vendors flooded us. We were so American. I actually didn’t realize it until that day because everyone knew we would buy things just because we are only at a soccer game once. There were flags, hats, face painting, maps (Random), scarfs, whistles, beer, food, you name it. I ended up purchasing just one Ghanaian flag that says, “Ghana Black Star”. I wrapped it around my head and called it a day. I figured I could get more stuff later when I wasn’t being heinously overpriced. We got inside and the stadium was really nice. It ended up being pretty full considering it fits 4,000.

Mainly I started to enjoy the game when a entire group of Ghanaians came over and sat by us in the bleachers with their drums and other instruments. Yes, they began playing and didn’t stop until the end of the game. People were dancing constantly, trying to engage in conversations with us, vendors kept coming over with their products, and I just sat back and watched. It was incredible how much spirit and pride these people have for their country and team.

During half time we went outside and I saw a huge group of Muslims praying and washing their feet. At the stadium. Another mini culture shock ensued. They were just praying among people selling their sausages and bread. Craziness. Kim went to the bathroom and had quite possibly the funniest face when she came out and told me it was a hole in the ground. She proceeded to talk about how she was going to burn all her clothes. Another fact, people grab you a lot here. And I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable. I would be walking and a man will come up and say, “hey pretty girl let me buy you some food come with me” and grabs me dragging me away from the crowd until I rip my hand away and scurry back to the group. They grab your forearm and say, “come with me for a minute”. Excuse me creepy old man, WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING ME? Sigh.

Going back into the stadium I got asked by many men to take a picture with them. So weird. First of all, I am not a celebrity. Second of all, is that an iphone? Second mini culture shock. Once you take one picture, everyone wants one with you. I learned that the hard way. BUT we ended up winning the game (which was against Swaziland) 3-1 I believe. Overall, the experience was amazing. We all had a blast, and I am so glad we got to experience how sports are viewed live. Also there are videos to come on facebook. Possibly tomorrow, but we shall see. 

CIEE Trip #1 Part 2: Kakum National Park

So...the next day we woke up and Kim and I had had a successful shower with water pressure!!!! EXCEPT like idiots, we weren't aware that in order to get hot water you needed to switch on the water heater. Therefore, our shower was cold. But, at least in was a shower. It's nice to know that at least once a month we will have showers that work! Such good news. Oh, and we all freaked out because the toilet paper was so soft. haha. I considered stealing it. It's gotten to that point! Such small pleasures we take for granted in the States! W e had the best breakfast I've had in a while too. We had toast, omelets, cereal (!!!!), oatmeal, jam, coffee and hot chocolate. Yes, I did eat all of that.

We headed to Kakum after packing up. On the way Mr. Gyasi talked about palm wine and he bought a cocoa pod on the way for all of us to try them. Yes, a cocoa pod is the root of cocoa and therefore chocolate!! The pod was green/yellowish. We cracked it open with a knife and the inside was white. You took one piece and sucked on it to get all of the juice out from around the seed. You normally don't eat the seed- but thats what are used for the cocoa. The seeds are dried and then sent to the States for processing. Next weekend we will be seeing a cocoa farm and how it works in more detail. It tasted very sweet! Palm wine is taken directly from a palm tree. It tasted amazing! Although, apparently it can be very deceiving. The alcohol content increases astronomically the longer you have it, so many people end up falling asleep after having a bottle. haha We were told to be relatively cautious. When we arrived at Kakum there were some gift shops which gave me some ideas for Christmas presents! :) We all received neck tags and began the trip up to the walk.

We had a twenty minute or so hike up to the walk. Many Ghanaians were with us and equally as terrified of heights. haha It was funny to hear the lingering chatter between all of us while trekking up. 

After a short speech from our guide about how this site is one of the largest, and most sought out in Africa, we proceeded to the walks.

To see more pictures and a video, check out my Facebook. Behind me was my friend Neyat and Will. Here was our victorious, "We survived the Canopy Walk!" photo.

Not gonna lie, walking back down to the bus was probably more challenging than the canopy walk. It was slippery and VERY muddy. Complete with hidden vines and rocks that gave me a few more bruises. haha Awesome. I do love my bruises. 

We went to a restaurant before departing back to Accra. I forget the name, but I remember the crocodiles. Yes. Our restaurant was above water built on stilts complete with crocodiles that we could TOUCH. The bathroom signs were particularly interesting. 

It seems fitting seeing as in how many people are religious here and affiliate themselves with the Christian faith. Here was a shot of part of the restaurant:

After we ate, we did touch the crocodile. I will close with this epic picture. 

This made me think about all of the times Dad had gone to take pictures in National Parks and Mom would freak out because he could see some of these creatures. haha i'm sure my siblings know what I'm talking about. Love you :)

CIEE Trip #1

This past weekend we had the pleasure of visiting the Cape Coast. We got up around seven, headed out around 8, and drove four hours to a beautiful beach-side resort called Anomabo. Fun fact about the Cape Coast- it is one of the most poverty-stricken areas in Africa, but also the most touristy. As a result, we saw a LOT of things. On the way there, I decided to make it my mission to take photos. So, in addition to putting some on Facebook as well, I will put up a select few here. I figured I would finally listen to boyfriend and document what I am seeing (I have been yelled at by him and my parents for more photos). I also took some videos too, so you can check them out on Facebook. 

See, the interesting thing about photos in Africa, is every one you take is a "token" photo like what you see on TV. And it's so easy to look at pictures and not actually take them in. So I took videos of some of the streets and villages we passed so you could actually get a feel for what I'm witnessing. Anyways, this is  a bus. Much different than a tro-tro. 

Well, it is pretty much just a larger version of a tro-tro. and less crowded. Here is what a normal tro-tro looks like:

Some are a little more beaten up, and almost all of them have a religious catch phrase on the back like, "God Saves All" or "Miracles Happen Everyday". The sliding doors always have trouble closing. I almost fell out of one this week...shhhh don't tell Mom. haha. The man who drives does not turn the tro-tro, but rather the "mate" does. He collects the money and is constantly yelling out where your tro-tro is headed so you can grab/drop off people on the way. We passed a toll booth on our way to the Coast, and I wanted to show everyone what the streets are really like in Africa...You can buy almost EVERYTHING on the street. 

 

The second one you can REALLY see how many people have stuff on their heads. While you are in traffic, they will come up to your window and try to get you to buy things. Anything from steering wheel covers and windshield wipers to ice cream and sliced bread. Its crazy. And its probably four times as many people as you see here. The way they carry things on their heads is actually the most amazing feat I have ever witnessed. Hopefully I will be able to get some more pictures that show more of what this attempts to showcase. 

So after fours, we reached our hotel room:

The place was amazing, needless to say. We had a working shower!!! With hot water! It was very nice. We got there and immediately got complimentary coconuts to drink from :). That was definitely not expected but very welcomed. We all had fun just exploring and being in disbelief from where we were. It's too bad the weather wasn't too amazing. All weekend we had rain and fog. That first day we had lunch on the beach (a really good beef stew) and started our daily excursions. We first journeyed to Assin Manso, the river where slaves during the Atlantic Slave trade had their last bath. Slaves were taken here for captivity. The strong ones were sent to bathe in the river with rocks and bamboo leaves while the weak ones were thrown against the bamboo and left to die. To make them look younger, many of them were completely shaved and rubbed down with shea butter (helps with wrinkles, smoothes the skin, etc.). 

This is Kim and Casey holding one of the chains that were used to bind the feet of the slaves together. The cannon ball in the box was attached to the other ends of some chains to create more resistance. The chain was very heavy. 

This is the gate going into the River. 

The picture depicted on the doors. Through these doors we walked another five hundred feet or so and meet this archway. 

It felt kind of eerie to be "welcomed" to such a sight. After walking through this archway we curved to our left and saw the river. Keep in mind, the pictures aren't the best quality because of the rain. 

The first picture is where the guide pointed to where the strong bathed. There was a ridge and then a steep decline to reach the water banks. Some of the students went down to since their hands in the water. Later someone mentioned how weird it was to voluntarily wash yourself instead of being forced. Cultures clashing. It was strange to be somewhere that had such a brutal history. It's hard to connect and actually take in what you are witnessing. Here is where the weak were thrown:

We walked back to the main building after this because it started raining too hard. Ironic, right? The day was very appropriately gloomy. When we walked back, our program director Mr. Gyasi talked about how when the slaves were summoned they began a 3 month walk to Elmina Castle. They were forced to walk regardless of their state of being- pregnant women, elderly men, children, etc. They were punished when they stopped walking. At Elmina castle they were held in dungeons and kept till the boats arrived to transfer them over to get sold. Our bus took us the long way to the castle so that we would be able to see the distance of which they walked. The trip took us through many villages, all of which were celebrating a funeral. Many of the people were wearing black, red and some white. These are apparently the colors designated appropriate for funerals. This was the castle:

Here was the opening drawbridge and yes, they were people selling things as usual. Jewelry, bags, etc. When you walked in through the archways you entered a large, open courtyard. It would have looked like a normal lovely castle if you didn't see the occasional sign on the wall depicting "cells". 

Yeah. It was strange. Even stranger, there was a Portuguese church in the square. Next to the cells. Next. To. The. Cells. And the pastors lived above the cells. What were they praying about while they were taking up residence in this castle? What hit me like a brick is what these enslaved captives thought about religion after seeing it there and how it tolerated such treatment. Some of the cells only source of insulation was a square cutout at the top of an adjoining wall into another cell. They saw no sunlight. Received little water or food. They never bathed. They had to sit in the dirt, blood, sweat, and other bodily fluids that all of their fellow mates had to share. Girls, picture getting your period here. Yeah. Also, speaking of women, some were chosen to service the governor in his quarters. If the women refused to comply, they were forced to stay outside, chained to a cannon ball- standing in rain or shine for days without food or water. They were placed outside of the governor's balcony so they could be seen by him every time he went outside. 

To add to the confusion of this structure, you would see beautiful stairwells and overhangs. Why?

Then you would turn the corner and see something like this:

Then you would be reminded of the seriousness of what you are seeing. 

The walls were all white, but you can see how the years have aged them. When walking through the courtyard you would turn down a hallway and feel instantly enclosed by tall walls. The structure of the building is very clever. Its easy to get lulled into the sense of the beautiful walls and openings to then be shocked by the fact that you have never felt so trapped in your life.  The fact that it was raining to made you feel moist and uncomfortable. It made me think of how gross they must have felt when they were stuck here months sitting in much more uncleanly fluids. Once that thought passed through my mind, I stopped feeling like I was disgusting and put it in perspective. Everything I experience here has a different side to it. We always have choices to make when encountering new things, experiencing a difficult event, meeting new people, etc. Everything here can be made difficult and seen as a challenge, or just seen as different and new. Now, the difficult part is making the right decision in the moment. Ah. the struggle of being in Ghana. 

This was named the Room of no Return. Unfortunately the name made me sing "The Point of No Return" from Phantom of the Opera for the rest of the trip. haha So unfortunate. 

This was one of the entrances to the room. The other entrance was decked with this sign:

The tour guide actually took us through the route the slaves had to take when exiting the castle to the boats where they were taken to get sold. We had to duck down through super low archways (one was only four feet high) and it was incredibly weird to be taken through the exact route. We actively participated and were refused to just sit and look. By going through the passage, you felt so enclosed. Everything was dark and damp, the only opening was this hole, made only big enough for one person to pass through. 

Off to the side was a tribute to those that were taken as slaves:

The entire experience through the Passage of no return was eerie and unsettling. I felt like my skin was crawling. This was the second time where I some waves of homesickness. Just because they talked about the separation of families and how many were not even allowed to say goodbye to their loved ones before being sold to separate countries and owners. It also happened to be the day where my Mother was moving in Wesley to school and Hurricane Irene was making an appearance. Ethan was also moving in, and all of my family (with the excepting of my dad) were together and hanging out. It made me miss them! But I knew it was because of what I was witnessing. Here are some other views from the castle that were stunning:

For some reason all of the colors and fogginess reminded me of Les Mis. Weird. 

Instead of prolonging this post to also include Kakum National Park and our lunch trip for the next day, I'll post that in a separate one after this. Stay Tuned!