My brain!

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Ouch Ouch Ouch -

Yesterday I had my hair braided like a true Ghanaian lady. I wanted to get my short short hair corn rowed because it is really starting to look like a disaster. I was told that I would have to add extensions, so I took this opportunity to have the hair that I never could have and had her braid hair down to my butt. After the novelty wore off I had her cut it to mid back. I've had my hair corn rowed before but this is a new and horrible sensation I am experiencing. yowzers... Ill work through it I suppose. Beauty really is pain.

It is about ten AM and I have finished up in Kumasi. I am taking off in a big bus again tomorrow. Off to Tamale, in the North. I hear that it is very hot and dusty but that the people are wonderful, perhaps even more so than they are here. It's true, Ghanaians are hospitable beyond belief, but I it's important to not become naive. There are people everywhere that only want to exploit and take advantage of others and here is no exception unfortunately.

Whenever I take a taxi here, I ask how much it will be and the driver first quotes me 3 to 4 times more than I should pay. Because even 3 to 4 times more than the price is still cheap, a lot of Americans will just pay it. The more Twi I learn the better I am at bargaining. Now I just say in Twi, "Dude, I'm a student and I know the price. Go on your way I'll find another car." They never leave. They just drop the price. On one hand I hate to be cheated, but on the other, who can blame anyone for trying to make a little extra money?? It's the same as the waitress who doesn't tell their table that they added gratuity. It just seems worse because I'm foreign and defensive.

I've realized that I'm getting more comfortable but it's not like being comfortable at home. I think I'm just adapting, becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. It's truly amazing what people can get used to. I wish I was doing more serious writing but at the close of each day I am completely drained and can't bring myself to be eloquent. I'm even having a hard time with it now, it's really hot and my brain is being pulled through my skullllllllll

R Kelly's "in the closet" is playing in this cafe. You cant escape him here, or Celine Dion for that matter.

I'm excited and ready to leave Kumasi but I resent having to move again when things are just getting normal. Yesterday I helped my Ghanaian friends kill a chicken. And by help I mean I stood by and sort of diverted my eyes. Gertrude, most beautiful ghanaian prgnant lady, plucked all the feathers and made chicken soup with fu fuo. fu fuo is plaintains and cassava that has been boiled and then smashed into this substance that looks and feels like dough. I eat it a lot here because plantain and cassava is so plentiful. anyway, fresh chicken was delicious but I almost felt like I could identify with a veggie. I was like, "I saw this running around a couple hours ago." Then my carnal instincts kicked in and i went at it. (sorry angelala)

Well I guess that is about it for now. I'll try to update here as much as possible, when I go to the village I will have no internet access but my phone should work. People who want to buy phone cards are always welcome to call, they arent that expenisive, you can get them for 53 minutes for 5 dollars.
011(to get out of us)
233(for ghana)
024-305-7173 (if you have problems omit the 0)

Enjoy your life!

Becca

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