My Weekend and Half of the week!

Well here is another blog for you, I will be updating my blogs more regularly now because I got an internet modem stick for my laptop so I don’t have to go to internet cafe’s! I left you on Friday afternoon so we’ll start with Friday night!

Friday night Kamal, Jarkob, Anne, another guy, and I went to karaoke at Champs (the bar inside the paloma hotel). Because we were 5 people we had to squeeze into a cab, this was fine until we got to a police block and the taxi driver noticed. He pulled over and told us that one of us would have to get out and walk to the next block so he could pick that person up there . . . so two of the guys got out and walked down the road. The taxi driver went through the police check and then turned the next corner to pick the guys up. I thought that was fraud at it’s best haha! We got to karaoke, and it cost 10 cedi (7 dollars) to get inside, once we were inside they informed us that with our entrance ticket we could receive 5 free shots of tequila (you can imagine how the night went from then on LOL). So we got the shots and took all five at once then proceeded to pick songs (maybe that’s how they get all the locals to sing haha). For all my karaoke friends out there, there were only about 120 songs to pick from (no country at all) so I sang: Rehab, Africa, Killing me softly, the way you make me feel, and Hallelujah. Kamal and I also got up to sing “It wasn’t me” by Shaggy because we heard it in taxi’s all the time and thought it was funny that Ghanians still love it . . . . after all that tequila it was an epic performance! They all loved killing me softly when I sang it, they were loudly singing along, and were doing the gangsta rap actions to it as well . . . epic (couldn’t help but think of Sophie while I was singing it though L) They also had Jager Bombs at this bar for the same price as at the alehouse too . . . . so Kamal and I were happy campers for the night! On the Cab ride home we were all quite drunk, and there were a lot of road blocks (as there always are at night here) and that was fine . . . until at one of them the taxi driver got out of the car and was talking to the military policemen for a long time . . . we were all hysterical and thought we were going to a Ghana prison. Luckily we did not wind up in prison and we made it home! When I got home I drunkenly took a shower with a cockroach and talked to it . . . funny how they don’t terrify me when I am in that state haha!

On Saturday none of us woke up until noon. We had lunch, and then Anne, Jarkob, and I went to the beach for the afternoon. Kamal wasn’t feeling up to it lol. At the beach we swam and tanned and all those wonderful things. I also bought a very nice full size twin quilt hand sewn with all the ghanian fabrics you can buy here. Then two “rasta” guys came to sit with us saying they wanted to be our friends and learn about our countries. They were interested in Finland (Jarkob), Canada (me), but when it got to Germany (Anne) they were not as interested and called her cheap lol. They got really annoying after awhile because after the “friendship talk” they kept trying to bring us to their shop to sell us necklaces, and they kept asking us to stay into the night and party like a rasta with them. . . . that was our queue to head back to the hostel!

Saturday night we caught up with Kamal who had been sitting here all day. He wanted to make it a record 12 hours of doing that so we hung out with him. While we were sat doing nothing we played a lot of 20 questions games, and we saw baby birds hatching in their nest above the table we have here. That was like watching the discovery channel live . . . pretty cool! Then at 11:30 the power went out, and so we got lanterns and went on a bug hunt (because they all come out in the dark). We found lots of cockroaches (scary) and other interesting unidentifiable bugs. The power came back on at 12:30 . . . we thought about going to bed, but Mary Pierre was waiting for her boyfriend from Nigeria to arrive here and she didn’t want to wait on the street alone, so Kamal and I went with her. There is absolutely no one on the streets at that hour on a Saturday night  . . . but it’s kind of nice to see the roads that empty and not full of chaos. We even saw puppies running around J. The taxi driver that was driving here was completely lost so we talked to him several times on the phone trying to explain how to get to darkuman, after 2 hours of waiting we realized he was in dansuman instead . . . . stupid taxi drivers! So after he arrived we went to bed!

Sunday, I went to the Accra Mall to try and get a modem. I took a taxi there for 7 cedi which is a good price, but he informed me that there would be a working Barclays atm in the mall . . . wasn’t the case, so then I had to get a cab to a bank, he charged me 6 cedi when it was only a 2 minute drive away . . . I was angry and yelling at him to bring it down but he wouldn’t. At this point I am completely ticked off, but I go back into the mall to get the modem. I got to the mtn office where they sell them and they said they were out and would have more on Tuesday. This made my whole days efforts pointless and a waste of taxi money. So I bought a few things, a bottle of wine, and a hamburger to bring back with me and help my mood. The taxi driver on the way back said 10 cedi to get back to darkuman, but then we drove for an hour because he was lost (even though when I got in the cab he told me he knew where darkuman was). So when he finally dropped me here he charged me 12 cedi, argued with him for lying about knowing where it is, gave him 10 and got out of the cab. So to sum up Sunday . . . I was really pissed off and fed up with taxi drivers! They always tell you they know where they are going even when they don’t, and then they try to rip you off . . . these are the only people I don’t like in Ghana . . . Taxi Drivers!

Sunday evening we just hung around the hostel and played Uno . . . then we went to bed!

Monday I got up in the morning and went to the school with the kids. I was teaching them how to write their letters. They kept messing them up so I started to go around and put my hand over their hands and guiding their pencils to write, so they could see what the motion feels like and then getting them to write again and they did much better. The teachers were amazed and said they would have never thought of doing that . . . not surprising because they are not a very “nurturing” culture, but I felt pretty proud that I taught the teachers a technique for teaching! There was one child though, who was writing all his letters upside down and backwards, I felt bad for the child because my pencil guiding was not helping him, and I knew right away that he was dyslexic. But the teachers kept hitting him and saying shame, then they would send him back to try again. I tried to explain what dyslexia was to the teachers but they did not understand and said “so if we want him to write an M we should give him and example of a W” . . . my explaining was a lost cause. He unfortunately in a country that doesn’t have help for this problem will end up selling things on the street after preschool.

Monday afternoon was pretty uneventful except for the food. I went to the internet café in Circle, then went around the markets in Circle. I had my lunch there in the market at a Kabob stand, the stand just said “fresh meat kabobs” they looked good so I tried one. This was arguably the best meat I had ever eaten, so I turned to the man and asked him what kind of meat it was . . . . he looked at me and said, Guinea Pig! Yes I ate one of the cute little creatures that we keep as pets in Canada  . . . I felt sad for a second. . . . but they are very tasty to be wasted as pets haha! So then I got in a taxi to come back home and he offered me free taxi rides for my whole trip . . . . if I married him . . . great deal really haha (not really . . . I was a little afraid haha).

Monday night was very uneventful, we sat around the hostel and played Uno, until Lovespell came on of coarse. Lovespell is a Mexican soap opera that has been translated into English which they play on the local tv channel here at 9pm. Millicent (Auntie’s daughter who works here) always comes out to the common are to watch it! It is one of those ridiculous shows where there are lots of affairs with husbands and fathers and second removed sisters. They are trying to kill each other for inherited money, and the love triangles and stories get thicker and more ridiculous . . . but Millicent is sooo into it that she gets riled up when things happen, so half the fun of watching this show is watching her (we also make our own translations of what goes on haha)! Then after that we played more cards and went to bed!

Tuesday I woke up late to go to the preschool because I had some stomach problems overnight . . . from who knows because everything I eat is a little strange. When I got to the preschool I did the usual, help with writing, chase children, you know. Then Faustina bought me yet another bag of Papaya’s (Paw Paw they call them), she buys me about 6 every second day . . . I don’t even like them, but I can’t hurt her feelings, so I just accept them and bring them to the hostel where other people take them!

In the afternoon I went to Osu to get a modem (because MTN said they would have some by Tuesday) but I got to the office and they said they were all finished . . . so frustrated again, I walked down the road to go to the westernized smoothie and sandwich bar they have in Osu. On the way to that I found a man selling mtn modems on the street, so I bought one from him for 60 cedi and he said I would have to go back to the office to register it, so back I went with modem in hand. When I got there they were outraged that I had a modem to register . . . they said “where did you buy that, they are supposed to be finished so we can keep network fast” I said on the street, then they registered it and started talking angrily to each other in twee! I don’t care how mad they are . . . I’m just happy I got a modem! In this situation I benefited from Fraud! So then I got my sandwich and smoothie and headed back home.

Tuesday night we went to lovers inn (the bar down the raod with all the loud music) to watch the football (soccer) match between England and Ghana. They are soo into their football, anytime Ghana even has the ball they are cheering like maniacs, then if they get a goal (yes just a goal) they go nuts dancing and blowing horns, ect . . . some guy even hugged me after a goal last night haha. It was a fairly boring game up until Ghana scored though. England was ahead by 1 for an hour of the game, then in the last 10 minutes Ghana scored and tied up the game. It is a very overwhelming atmosphere to be in when you’re watching a Ghana game here in Ghana! While at the bar Anne and I went to the bartender and said we wanted a shot of whatever was the most popular alcohol here in darkuman, she then made us try a little taste of every local alcohol until the last one (which she saved because it was the most popular) which she gave us each a full shot of . . . and it was horrible, it was called cocoa and it tasted like coffee, chocolate, and cherry cough syrup mixed together . . .and did it ever burn! But hey at least now I know what the popular alcohol is here and can say I’ve tried it! After the game was over we came back to the hostel and played some Uno, then went to bed.

Today I got up and went to the preschool. At the preschool I taught them a new song, they are very interested in little songs and they know tons of chants and songs that they always get up and sing to have a break from learning. So I taught them a new one today. I taught them the “sally the camal has 5 humps” song . . . very common home but new to them. They did well with it but their favorite part was not the counting but the part where they got to go “boom boom boom” and shake around a bit. Still they learned it and it will help with counting! They want me to teach them lots of new songs this time around so if anybody knows any very simple kids songs, leave me a message with them!

This afternoon was very uneventful, I spent 2 hours washing clothes and towels and things (by hand of coarse) then I bought a very nice flat wooden carved and colored map of Africa with the names of each country carved in it and designs on the sides of the continent. That is going to look fantastic on my wall when I get an apartment soon! Then after that I ate a fresh mango for lunch and started this blog (which has taken an hour or so, so I hope you like my updating you all lol). Tonight we will go to Labodi Beach for reggae night. They have this every Wednesday night and they just set up a stage and have live reggae bands play all night, and you can dance in the sand! I will update you on how that goes soon J

I have posted more pictures of the kids at the school on facebook, so you can check those out as well! Again thanks for reading, I will keep you posted on my activities!

Little Update!

So on Wednesday Night we went to a concert of a lady from Cote D'Ivoire, It was fantastic. She has actually won a Grammy in 2010 too, so that's pretty cool! for the middle of Ghana, this was a very classy venue. There was an art Gallery and a fancy bar in the back, and it was a full size stage (just like at magnetic hill) with lots of lights, equipment, and seating! This woman had the most incredible voice I've ever heard, very talented, and she was getting people up on stage with her to dance! She sang in 7 different languages (none of them english) and all of her songs were about women issues or global issues.There was also an opening reggae band that was pretty kewl, the lead singer played a recorder . . . yes he was rockin out on a recorder like we had in grade 3 hahaha. Kamal and I were the only two people in the place laughing at that. When we got a taxi home, our taxi driver decided to take us on back roads in the middle of nowhere at midnight . . . we all thought that we may be kidnapped haha, but then we saw a sign that said "new highway construction, do not drive here" so then we realized why there were no cars (didn't make me feel safer though). Great night overall though, and hey it got us out of the hostel for a change!

Yesterday I did not do much, nor did Kamal . . .see the food in Ghana can take a toll on your stomach. All of the food is basically starch (rice, yams, meats, plantains, bread, eggs) so we were all feeling a little blocked at the hostel. We went out on a search for fruit which helps that, but on the way Nana gave us a "better cure" he gave us these seeds from a tree to eat (don't know what kind of seeds they were) so we all did. Only problem was that we were all bathroom ridden for the rest of the night. Problem solved though haha!!

I went to the preschool again today, and it was heartwarming. I sent them a big box of 24 cans of play doh at christmas time this year (they don't have that in this country) and today they were making things out of the play doh. Of coarse being the big kid (inside) that I am, I joined in! I took lots of pictures and will be putting them up onto facebook this weekend at some point! I want to take the majority of these kids home with me . . . so if I don't make it past the border and end up in an african jail, you'll all know I was stealing children haha!

At the school where I am they are very different in discipline, they hit the children often when they do something bad, but that is the culture in all of Ghana, so I have learned to get used to it! You know something though, these kids are much more energetic, but because of good discipline they are also much MUCH better behaved then children I have seen in our school systems!

Oh and also the other day I found out that Chemical waste from the hospitals is also dumped into the gutters on the side of the street. So add that to all the other crap! (definitly would get hit by the truck knowing that!)

There's not too much other news from here, Kamal and I have been spending most of our time being bored at the hostel (playing "bullshit" card game most times) and talking about the absolute humor of the way people act here (I will do a whole post in the future about the way people act). I washed alot of my clothing today as well which was quite a task (no washing machines here, it's all washed in buckets of soap and water by hand then hung up!) . . . I'll be a great housewife now though I suppose haha!

Tonight Kamal, myself, Anne, and a coupke others will be going out for drinks and some karaoke at the paloma hotel bar!

Talk to you all soon! Thanks for reading :)

Ghana the second time around!

Now the second time around my purpose for coming back is to build a classroom for the 4 year olds at the preschool where I was before. I raised 1900$ to do so and gave the cheque to the head mistress of the school on Monday! It was very exciting to do that, and it was great to be re-united with all of the children that I worked with before. Faustina says that the money will be enough to build the classroom, buy tables chairs and supplies for the school, provide vaccinations for a year for the children, and pay the landlord for the property for 3 months. Very exciting to know that my money is going a long way!

At the preschool so far I have been helping out mainly with the 2 and 3 year olds, this means diaper changes, bottle feeding and baby food feeding, chasing (lots of chasing), and holding the toddlers when they cry (which is a lot for no reason lol). As cute as these children are (and they are very very cute . . . part of me really wants black babies now) I would have to say that this is the BEST form of birth control out there!!

I have decided that when I get back to Canada, weight watchers and joining a gym is necessary!! Here in Ghana everyone (and I mean everyone) that I knew before, pork lady, auntie and uncle from the hostel, faustina and the other teachers, Nana, and the hairdressers all said that I had put on weight and that I have gotton fat. They all have said it as a compliment, and they say I look better this way. I asked Nana why and he said that bigger women in Ghana are more attractive because it means they will bear children better and it’s a sign of fertility. Even though everyone here loves that I’ve gotton fat, In Canada that is not a compliment, so weight loss is essential when I get back home (won’t happen here with all the rice, plantains, yams, and meat lol).

There are lots of interesting people at the hostel this time around, I have met a guy from England named Kamal (originally from east India) who is my age and really fun to hang out with. He is volunteering at the hospital here and has lots of cool malaria stories so far! He and I have spent many a boring night here at the hostel so far talking about the different places we’ve traveled and discussing the funny things in Ghana.

For example, this time around I have found out the answer to my questions about people having toilets in their house . . . answer is no they do not, they have buckets in which they do their business, then those buckets are dumped into the open gutters on the streets! Now I finally know why those look so gross and why the city smells so bad!

Also the drivers here are still crazy! They have made crosswalks (which are new since the last time I was here) but they haven’t made a bit of difference. . . cars still don’t really stop for people. When you are walking on the side of the road you really have to watch your back to see if a car is about to hit you.

Now here’s the thought Kamal and I had, and are still laughing about. When you’re walking down the street you are walking very very close to those open gutters full of shit, piss, and garbage. Now if a truck is beeping it’s horn and coming up behind you close to hitting you . . . you have two options, A: Trip over quickly and fall into the gutter of crap, or B: get hit by the truck. We are really not sure which is worse . . . judging by how nasty the gutters are, I think I’d be better off getting hit by the truck! That is still a big fear though, losing footing and stepping into a shit filled gutter . . . I would never feel clean!

You never feel clean here anyways, you’re always sweating so you’re smelly, there’s dust and dirt clinging to you everywhere, and when you do shower, the water is also full of dirt so your skin still feels pretty gritty! I can officially call myself a dirtbag while I am here. But the wonderful thing about that is, is that no one cares because everyone is just as dirty and sweaty!

I got my hair done in the “Rasta” braids again, they are much less hot then my natural hair, and they are easier to clean due to them being plastic hair! So that’s good. While I was getting my hair done I had lots of very funny conversations with the local hairdressers (it took about 9 hours to do). Last time I was here I had a boyfriend back home that they knew about, so of coarse they asked about him. When I told them that I broke up with him because he didn’t want to settle down and have children, they said that it was good that I did that because there were lots of “fish in the sea” who do want babies haha! They said in Ghana that would never happen, and if it did the man would be shunned (funny). They also asked about my family back home and when I told them I had a brother, one girl was quite insistent on marrying him! She asks about him every time I walk past the shop now, she’ll say “ah, you did not bring me Andrew yet, you get him on phone and we talk ok?” haha, we’ll see what Andrew thinks of that idea haha!

I have been eating lots of wonderful street food, for breakfast there is a lady at a stand outside the school who makes fried egg sandwiches on sweet bread, for lunch I have been eating goat meat (in a sauce) with rice, and at supper Auntie cooks for us at the hostel so it’s always different things. Last night we had boiled eggs in a weird chili sauce with spinach and some sort of meat, it had the same texture as cous cous. Neither Kamal or I can figure out exactly what it was, good but that’s the first time I’ve eaten a whole meal without being able to define what’s in it lol! At night the pork stand opens and I go get a baggie of pork for a snack, it is marinated in an amazing sauce and you can pick your own chunks of the meat when buying it, best pork in the world! It is kind of sad that the prok lady remembers me though, the first night I arrived here I went to get some and she says “ah akwaba (welcome) no spices eh?” shows how much I love the pork lol! I have also had lots of pineapple which is delicious, they sell it to you and then cut it up right there for you and put it in a bag with a toothpick to eat! That’s service haha! The fried plantain is also delicious. I am still on the hunt for mango’s though!

My room is great, single room this time right off the bat so that’s good. The noise never stops here though, at night when you are trying to sleep the nighclub music is blaring and you can hear the commotion of people. In the morning the muslim mosques start singing (loudly) in a loudspeaker their “call to allah” at about 7am. So noise is always a given!

No cockroach sightings in my room to date. I raided the room pretty profusely when I first arrived so that is probably why J. Lots of cockroaches in the common area where we hang out at night though.

My legs are once again covered in mosquito bites, despite my constant application of useless bug spray . . . 30% deet is apparently not enough to keep them away. I am taking Malaria pills, but I was last time too and got Malaria anyway . . . so we’ll see how that works out!

That’s about all I have to say for the last couple days. Tonight Kamal, Mary Pierre, Anne, and Petra are going out to Osu for the evening and for supper, then we will be going to the alliance francais to see a concert. The performer is from Cote D’Ivoire and does drum beats and urban music with tribal paintings. It should be very fun! I will let you all know how that goes soon J

I have posted pictures of my first day at the school on facebook, so you can have a look at those. I haven’t been taking as many pictures this time around because it would be pictures of the same things from last year (pointless really). But I will be taking pictures of new things that I do and new places that I go, so keep looking for those!

Thanks for reading what I’ve got to say about things so far! I will write again soon J

Catch up from last trip :)

Well, I am starting a blog here for my second trip to Ghana. Before I begin the second entry I will post my first notes here to give a little background to what I experienced last time I was here:

ok so I am going to write a little bit about the culture and the people. It is very hard to take at first here are some observations:
1. People are very very pushy! they are money hungry and won't stop until they get something out of you! They grab you, touch you, and yell things at you to get your attention, and if you... look at them or acknowladge them then they will never go away! (yesterday I got so frustrated with one of these people because even screaming no leave me alone wasn't working, so i said if I give you 5 cedis will you go away? and he said yes so i gave him the money and he left . . . totally worth 5 cedis).

‎2. people are not very polite in getting your attenton here, they just yell "pssstt, psssst" at you like you're an animal or something (I do NOT lke this, and I will never respond to this)

‎3. People come up to talk to you in the streets and try to be your friends but from what i have noticed, they always want something out of you . . . whether they are hitting on you or they are looking for money!

‎4. We have gotton rudely laughed at more than once since we have been here, and it seems this usually happens when we ask for help, we have learned however that this is just what they do when their english is very poor and they can't communicate what they want to say. A defense mechanism really.

‎5. People litter all over the place, there is garbage everywhere :( Very big problem in Ghana, also the gutters on the streets are open and smelly!

‎6. everyone here calls tourists obrouni (this is what you hear shouted at you when you walk down the streets) Obrouni translates into "white man" I don't mind this as much because it is meant in a friendly way.

‎7. Time and scheduling means nothing to them, this is the whole "Ghana Maybe Time" concept . . .. very frustrating to get used to because it seems like they just don't care about much, they do it's just that they are very laid back.

‎8. Men are very very pushy when flirting, which they do alot . . . I have gotton proposed to 5 times now, and very inappropriately talked to more than I can count!

 ‎9. Women who sell things always carry their products on their heads, and also a very common place to see this and any type of selling is at intersections, they try to sell things to people in parked cars! You buy through the window!

So instead of working at the radio station I have been teaching music at a preschool up the road from me in the mornings, and I am absolutely LOVING it!! The kids are sooo adorable (and they love my camp songs I have been teaching them) :)

-- There you go that's a little bit of what I wrote the first time I was here :)