A Little Bit About Everyday Life in Ghana

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Soooo...everything is going well here...the power hasn't gone out for a week now, knock on wood. The water is another story though- it goes out about every other day. Fortunately, we have been making a few trips to the markets down town...(will tell you about those details later) so we can get buckets for storing water when it is running. Either way, the showers are cold in my dorm, so no matter what, getting clean is treacherous! I tell you, the sticky sheets and sweaty nights are the hardest part to adjust to.

I wanted to mention stuff about getting around here because it is SO different than back home. So we have these things called "tro-tro's" which are like 15 passenger vans that are the main mode of transportation. These vans come in all shapes and sizes, though I am pretty sure all of them are from at least the last century. I honestly don't even know how these things run anymore. Needless to say, Arnold would not be happy with their emissions!! You can also take taxis, but they are more expensive, and far scarier to ride in. So tro tro's just pull off on the side of the road, there's a guy hanging out the side of the van yelling the final destination of the van....for example, if it's going to downtown Accra, it sounds like, "cra cra cra cra cra accra!!!" and so you pile in if there's a seat and away you go. From the outside, they look small, but people are really crammed in there and let me tell you, there's nothing like being sandwiched between two sweaty African men on a sticky hot day. Good times 😊 But it's totally worth it because to get all the way to Accra, for example, it's only 55 pesewas...like 55 of their cents...the equivalent of 30 American cents of so. Killer deal!! These are what we have been taking to to markets, because school if about 15 Kilometers away from the main market down town. I will have to write more about the markets later because they are totally worthy of their own blog- pure craziness!

About the food here...that is another huge adjustment. It's seriously different and really hard to get used to! Mostly everything is rice and plantains in one way or another. Well, that is if you're a vegetarian like me. There are meat options, but those usually entail chicken and some kind of fish from god only knows where with more bones than flesh. Breakfast is always boiled eggs and bread or like oatmeal slop stuff- pretty gnarly if you ask me. It's taken me at least 7 days, serious hunger, and the realization that there is nothing else to eat at all in order to get used to it... You can get more American food at the mall, like pizza and grilled chicken, and even Chinese, but it's still different. And if you're traveling throughout the country- you will end up having to eat traditional food because that's all that is available. On a side note- I have found that the market right across the street from the dorms has egg sandwiches made by this girl named Laraba, and though they're literally just egg, onions, and bread, they are magic and have been saving my ass, especially because they're less than 50 pesewas each.

About the academics, tomorrow, we're meeting with the University to go over registration- it is really old school here, where you have to go to each department's office, see what they're offering, and get on a list, and then find out later if you're in. Nothing is guaranteed, that's about the only assurance I have been able to get. It seems really sketch, as far as making sure I get the classes I need to graduate, but I knew that coming in so I am ready for the challenge that registration will present 😊 The weirdest part about it all is that we have to get passport photos for each department we're registering in...which would never fly in the states, since admission normally doesn't have anything to do with looks. Whatevs- no biggie I guess 😊 We don't actually start attending class until around August 17th or 22nd...it's kind of fuzzy because everyone here says the profs don't ususlaly show up for the first two weeks or so.


Well, there's so much more to write- but this is already long enough for today... hopefully I answered all your questions...but let me know if you have more 😊

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