"Cockroach, Cockroach!!!!!"

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Unfortunately and luckily, I have now left Accra and am back in Agogo. It is funny how I love to visit the city but always feel a sense of relief when we return to our village. After being in Ghana for seven weeks now, Agogo really feels like home. The village has a certain calmness to it that Accra definitely lacks. The rainforested mountains that encircle our town gives it almost a cozy feel - especially in the early morning mist. While I lack the amenities that are available in Accra such as the internet and supermarkets - I find I don’t really miss them once back in Agogo. Who knows - maybe this girl who was brought up in the city is really a small town girl at heart!

On our way back from Accra, I experienced one of the most interesting rides. It started with being overcharged for tro tro fare. Do I really look that gullible? After challenging the fare collector he finally relented and gave me back my 2 cedis he overcharged. (Quite a bit for a 5 cedi ride!) We had to wait about an hour till the car filled up and then finally we were on our way - with an evangelical/door to door salesman. Let me explain. As we left the station this man began to pray for the entire car. Not too unusual, as this is often how a tro tro trip will begin. (I think the Ghanaians also know how ‘safe’ these trips can be...) But after the initial prayer, we continued to get a full length sermon - granted it was Sunday morning. I shouldn’t be surprised anymore. Church and a journey home - all for the price of one inexpensive tro tro fare! I am not too sure what the sermon was about since it was in Twi, but I can tell you there was a highly involved game in the middle of guessing the ages of Biblical characters such as Noah and Moses. So after about an hour, the preacher was starting to lose a little steam. However, I should have known better - after his sermon he got up once more and started to sell small packages of pain reliever on the tro tro. Another 45 min sales pitch. He did well - over half the car bought his product! Luckily after two hours of solid shouting at the front the car, he was done and we settled in for the rest of the five hour ride, uneventful but long, back to Agogo.

So I haven’t really talked much about the food here other than one of my first blogs. Rabina and I have tried many local dishes and even like many of them. One of our favourites is called Red Red. A bean dish that is eaten with fried ripe plantain. One of our fellow teachers came over one day to our very small porch/kitchen and helped us prepare the meal. I now understand why most Ghanaian women have quite a ‘round’ figure. Our red red had a good portion of palm oil and of course our plantain was deep fried. Heart attack in a pot anyone? Rabina and I have now prepared it on our own. Unfortunately our low fat version isn’t quite the same.

Over time, I have discovered that the most reliable food here is Ghana is the local food or street food that is sold every where. Every thing else is what we like to call ‘teaser’ food. We have bought biscuits or cookies, that well, just are not like home. Chocolate doesn’t taste the same and I have given up on any dairy products as they either come dried or in a can. On the other hand, we eat roasted plantain off the street almost every day and have found the bread to be delicious. I have also just discovered the wonder of all the fried food products sold in wooden boxes that sit on women’s heads in the market and at the lorry stations. One thing I definitely will miss when I go back to Canada is the availability and versatility of food on the street.

One final little interesting story to leave you with (as of course internet is INCREDIBLY slow). For anyone who knows me really well, understands my aversion to bugs - insects, spiders, ants, etc… you name it - I hate it! (Yes yes I know, I am in Africa). I have actually been doing pretty well - only when in Accra do I get eaten alive. My legs have almost healed from my ant attack and I am hoping that my malaria meds and mosquito net are keeping me from getting sick. Even seeing the dead scorpion on the road wasn’t so bad as I haven’t actually seen a live one and I told myself the dead one had fallen off a truck that was travelling from far far away. But what I really wasn’t prepared to deal with were the cockroaches! Having never seen a live one in Canada, I am sure the African cockroaches put North American ones to shame. Large flat brown bodies that move at the speed of lightning. So a little over a week ago, I return home to my room, only to find a nice large cockroach stuck on its back on my floor. Totally freaked out - I dealt with it like I would any other spider/insect/bug in Canada: I found someone else to kill it. My 11 year old neighbor took on the job. He pounded and chased the cockroach around my room until it was dead and then swept it out into the yard. My hero - Emmanuel! My six year old neighbour then thought it was funny to exclaim that he saw a cockroach every time he saw me for the next two days. Its funny, I can travel halfway around the world - but some things will never change. My fear of bugs and six year old boys.

Till next time …

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