The Un-Pleasantries

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All of my blogs thus far have made Ghana seem like a vacationer's paradise, complete with waterfalls, isolated fishing villages, and well-kept refugee camps. But I don't want to mislead anybody...Ghana definitely has its fair share of problems. Violence, poverty, disease, corruption -- they're all here. And while part of me wants to paint an image of Ghana that is luxurious and lavish, part of me also just wants to be honest.

Last week, while walking home from a bar, four of the obrunis were held up at knife-point and robbed (thankfully, I had already gone back to the Obruni House to go to bed). Apparently, the two offenders were middle-aged Ghanaians riding on a motor bike and quickly turned around once they realized that they had passed a small group of obrunis. After taking everyone's wallet and cell phone, one of the men also slashed Timo (one of the guys I live with) with a knife and fled. Timo was immediately rushed to the hospital where the doctors stitched up his face and passed him on to a dentist who fixed some broken teeth. The whole ordeal left all of us VERY shaken and, to top it off, Jessica was robbed in a taxi a few days later :/

Since last Thursday all of us have been very wary about walking around alone and, when possible, take taxis after dark. Although I know, rationally, that events such as this happen all around the world, including the US, I can't help but feel a little less safe in a foreign country where white people are assumed to have money and valuable possessions. Nevertheless, I have still tried to keep myself busy this past week and, on Saturday, I went to TV3, one of the local private TV networks, to watch a live taping of the 7 o'clock news and an MTV-style program called "Music, Music." And I think I impressed a few of the locals too, who didn't think that white men could dance 😉

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Photos

Trivia Night
Every Thursday night, an American-style sports bar called Champs holds a trivia night for the obrunis. We got 3rd place :)

TV3
making a weird face while watching "Music, Music"

Comments

[Mom]

Lieber men don't dance!
Where is the picture of you dancing???We need to see it to believe it!