quick hello from accra

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hi everyone! i'm here, doing well. everything is amazing! we had our first class on geography today, i honestly cant wait for the next one. theres so much history here that i cant wait to continue learning about it. quick synopsis of the days events so far:
FIRST DAY: MONDAY:
we drove around accra a lot to get a feel for everythig. we ate breakfast at the cafeteria on campus for the guest house (where we are staying). it was sardines, bread, eggs, pineapple & beans. the pineapple is so different from the stuff we eat at home. the color is like an off white/cream and it tastes so much better since all the food is straight out of the farms/gardens/markets. we rested after that and then went to the WEB DuBois Center for our welcoming ceremony. 8-10 people played music for us while others danced for hours and we ate. food: chicken (spicy), 2 kinds of rice, plantains, potatos, fish (surprisingly i didn't like it), etc. the entertainment was incredible! i took a lot of pictures. in between songs there was poetry readings. they even taught us some of the moves. (dont ask for me to repeat them b/c kim, dawn & myself proved the saying white girls cant dance!!) we met a few girls there from rutgers doing an internship. after that, it was back to the campus & bed.

SECOND DAY: TUESDAY:
we did so much, so hopefully i don't leave anything out. breakfast at the university, went to the US Embassy to register (which we actually couldnt do there, we have to do it online), back to the WEB DuBois center for a tour inside his home & burial site where him and his wife lay. we drove around and saw parliament house and government buildings were we got stopped by a police man carrying a gun. he told us we couldnt take pictures or stop along that street. fortunately he was very nice. from there we went tot he Kname Nkrumah MEmorial Museum and burial ground. he wahe first president of ghana. our guide there was extremely intelligent as we learned soooo much about Nkrumah and significance of things located on the grounds. there was a picture of the Nkrumah and Fidel Castro together and our guide said Fidel Castro was his hero because he is very persistent and doesn't give into the American people. i thought that was very interesting. continuing our day...we went to the craft market where we got mobbed by all these people trying to get us to buy buy buy. it was overwelming at first because were on our own and it was our first time being in any situation like that. lunch we got american food, pizza. it was honestly deliciously, cant wait to go back there. we went around the big market in town which is everyone lining the streets selling anything and everything you could think of. electronics, feminine products, diapers, drinks, food, cloth, makeup, household products, and the list goes on and on. kim and i almost got separated from the group as we got stuck behind a blind man and there was no room to pass him. we almost got hit by a taxi to, it sped up and the men laughed at us as they passed. 10 points for the white girls! after that we drove back to campus and went to dinner and ran into our other professor and sat with him, had some drinks outside on the patio, met a bunch of the students from here...walked off campus with professor to meet his friend and went all the way back. it was a lot of walking.

some of the stuff i'm sure you're wondering:

conditions-our place is pretty nice. 2 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, and screened in patio. our one toilet leaks (hopefully it will be fixed today), no hot water since the first night (hopefully that will be fixed too), very little water pressure to flush toilet or for the showers. everyone has been doing well with the food, no problems for me (yet). i just get very hungry in between meals, even though at meals i ate till i am stuffed. walking everywhere (and this campus is HUGE) and sweating, we burn everything off & then some. today is a free day so we are exploring the campus: post office, market, book store, library, and obviously the internet cafe. i've gotten 3 mosquito bites so far with the bug spray which i dont think is too bad. and yes mom, i am checking for ticks and taking my medicine, and guess what? i'm even still breathing!! as well as drinking all my water out of water bottles & brushing my teeth with bottled water too. i didnt think it was going to be humid here, but it is & i think the airquality has to do with it too, but so far my asthma hasnt been too bad. time is running out...must go. i will writing again later or tomorrow. miss & love you all!!!!!

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