There's a little hotel north of here called Han's Cottage where they have lots of crocodiles and birds. We spent a lazy afternoon there and got some pictures pretty close to the wild crocodiles (the waiter kept trying to tell me that they don't bite- yeah, right!). So we took some pictures and caught a trotro with some friends who'd gone to a zoo further north on their way back to Cape Coast. In the trotro we were sharing pictures of monkeys and crocodiles and showing the Ghanians we were riding with as well. I guess they reasoned that we [View Full Entry]

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There is a little market out in back of our hall where you can find almost anything you need. We go there for produce and groceries and in the evening they set up a number of stalls where you can get kenke or banku for only 2,000 cedis. You can also have your hair braided. Even if you shaved your head just this past January, they can twist all those little hairs up into a braid. At first the woman said it couldn't be done, but another woman there said "oh, yes you can! obruni (me), sit here. She will [View Full Entry]

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Breakfast at the Al Hassim was simple but plesant, and the waitress was really friendly as well. We found our way to the sation to catch the bus to Mole. The bus station was crowded and noisy. Everyone was yelling to get our attention, which is an unplesant part of being here. Every taxi driver thinks you need a ride somewhere, every vendor trys to get your attention, a fellow giving tours on a motor cycle grabbed my arm as I passed. I hate being grabbed and pulled on. When we finnally found the guys to buy tickets from they [View Full Entry]

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If you take a trotro to Kumasi in the morning, a woman will come by and preach and pray before you leave. This is the second trip this has happened on. The riders give her a little 'dash' (tip) for it and it is all in twi, so I didn't understand much except the "halleluia" parts. Then a blind man came and sang us a song while we waited. I could tell if he still had any eyes or not. He was blinking wetly over little pink crescents at the bottom lids and sang beautifully while accompanying himself on a [View Full Entry]

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Not to be critical, but the office building where we went to have our visas extended looks like they filmed part of "12 Monkeys" there. This is probably mostly due to my cranky mood, but it does make one a little anxious to leave ones passport there for a week... The look of the building was honestly a little suprising, the rest of Cape Coast is open and sunny and friendly. If I had been feeling better I would have gone to the market with Johana and Anna after we finished at the immigration office. The market is refered to as [View Full Entry]

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Mary is going home to the U.S. tomorrow and mentioned having to go to Meijer's once she gets back, and the thought of it makes me cringe a little. This is how I know I'm getting used to things here. I go to the market and buy a few things, not more than enough to easily carry, and haggle over prices a bit or chat with the girls there. I wash my clothes in the bucket of water Anna or I carried up the stairs, the same bucket I will use for my shower and dishes later on. I walk a [View Full Entry]

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Here are the players- Ruby a.k.a. Akosua Bibini- GVSU student off on her big adventure in Ghana. Anna a.k.a Speedy Chicken- Also GVSU student. Roommate of mine. Lets me decorate however I want as long as I keep things tidy. Sherry- GVSU staff. Currently teaching Computers and Society to a bunch of Ghanian students who have a hard time understanding her accent. Also plays the part of "mom" to us young'uns. Lyndsey- Student from Iowa doing her internship in Health Studies. Lives in a room with both air conditioning and running water (hot and cold!) which is a good hang-out sp [View Full Entry]

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I have a few things to finish up with before I leave and I’ve been consistently anxious about this whole thing. A while ago I was nervous that I wouldn’t get to go at all, but facing the reality of it has become another thing to fret over. It’s not the actual trip I’m worried about at this point; it’s the looming hassle of straggling bits of paperwork and formalities I dread for the next ten days. I’ve got this hesitancy to leave and I’m anxious to go at the same time. I’ve been assured of the near universal kindness of [View Full Entry]

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