Blogs from Africa - page 2769

I was prepared for rain everyday. So much so that Egan bought me a pair of Crocs (burgundy Mary Janes—the cutest I could find) and I only brought rubber flip flops. Mid-way through last week I started desperately wishing for just one pair of my heels or anything for variety, particularly since discovering our amazing seamstress and acquiring some fabulous dresses that are now relegated to flip-flop-ness. I was so misinformed about what was appropriate for packing that I just feel like a bum half the time, since most Ghanaian women look immaculate, with elaborate dresses and jewelry, and yes, shoes. I packed appropriately for the weather, but as far as cute, "going out" clothes, I was just thinking we were in more rural, urban, Muslim areas, where tank tops and cleavage would bring stares and ... read more

En regnig Måndag i George Jag trodde det var varmt i Afrikat men tji fick jag, sitter i vår lägenhet och allt är ganska misär just nu. Det är riktigt kallt. Jag kan se min andedräkt framför mig när jag andas ut. Man brydde sig inte riktigt om att isolera när man byggde vårt lilla hus och element är det inte tal om. Ändå kommer vintern en gång om året även hit till george. Imorse hade det kommit snö på bergen runt george. Eftersom vi bor i ett litet hus precis brevid chefens stora villa funderar jag på om det är så att tjänstefolken bodde här förr. (förr läs:1994!) Alltså de som såg till att det stora huset bredvid vårat fungerade var städat och hade en prunkande trädgård. Mina tankar söker sig allt för ofta ... read more

Sorry this entry was lost in the Travel Blog Crash.. But at least we can still enjoy the pictures ~Julie ... read more

Ess-Agadir-Laayoune-DakhlaTom Griffith When is a country not a country? According to Morocco, and 25 other countries, and the Arab League, Western Sahara is not a real nation. It is simply the large, sandy, camel-infested, southern provinces of Morocco. According to the Western Saharan government in exile, 45 other countries, and the African Union, Western Sahara is the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, an independent country under Moroccan military control. And, according to the UN, it is a non self-governing territory, whatever that means. Whatever it is, and whoever actually owns it, it is basically just a huge patch of desert, and is one of the most sparsely-populated parts of the world. There are only about 350,000 people in the whole place, and 150,000 of them are Moroccan soldiers. So why would Morocco wan... read more

Another sweltering day in Ghana without power, but what a day… Aside from the detoxifying, ever-more-oppressive heat, it was amazing. Beach day was beyond anything I could have imagined in my wildest dreams. Acrobats, horses, manicurists with shops set up on their heads (I got my nails done—didn’t have much choice as she wiped my nail polish off with a remover-filled cotton ball that came out of nowhere, along with the press-on nails that are killing my fingers). Let me paint a picture: We pull up and get out of the bus, as only a few of us are brave enough to face the sun. It’s sudden chaos and any expectations are immediately smashed. This is not just any beach, and by now I have learned that if it’s Ghanaian, it’s full of life and positive ... read more