just what i've noticed...

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kids here are definitely more friendship oriented than monetarily oriented. the two words i've picked up in twi from vanessa are "mandanfo" friend; very useful for getting a squealing response from school kids or to get a chuckle and a reduced price with people selling things. "kafera" is sorry said with a sarcastic twinge which i've only heard vanessa use actually.

accra has ridiculous traffic. it's such a disconnect for me to think about africa having traffic after tiny niger that doesn't even have big highways. but it's still very africa feeling even on the freeways because i saw someone riding a bike and at all of the stop lights people walk between the cars selling things; colored plastic folders, dried plantains and mangoes, bags of water, hand towels(good for sweaty foreheads), newspapers, popcorn, toilet paper, loaves of bread, matches. quite handy really, if you forgot to pick something up on the way home from work, there's a good chance someone will be selling it before you get there. and if you take a tro-tro, their large boxy bush taxis for the city vehicles, there's a good chance someone will sell something on their too, like anti-bacterial soap or a course to help with SATs

it rained again yesterday and i stood in the courtyard under the big mango tree and watched in come whipping in. one of my new mandanfos came running over to say hihowareyoui'mfine and i grinned and told her i was happy it was raining. she nodded, squinting away the water and then ran away waving. she emerged again a couple minutes later naked, squealing through the rain.

all the primary school age girls cut their hair really short, boy short, so you have to rely on dress to determine gender.

yussef and i did the marche and bought:
a generic backbacking backpack with waist strap, chest strap and sleeping bag compartment for 10 bucks
boxers and swim suit for 3 dollars combined
a tape player radio with ear phones for 7 bucks
shoes for him for 8 bucks
and lots of fabrics for me, 2 bucks a yard, usually more expensive in niger,weeee

we're planning on going to cape coast tomorrow, we'll see how that goes, i'm feeling like 1) it'll take us a while or 2) we won't leave quite yet

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