Blogs from Greater Accra, Ghana, Africa - page 5

Frank woke me up early and said the mechanic was here. I said, “I’ll hold down the fort,” and rolled back over to go to sleep. Once I got up, Frank and I went to get cash. On the way, we saw a woman dressed differently from the others. He said she is a refugee from Mali. There are several living here in our part of town. They have been here for a while but still have no permanent anything. From my understanding, refugees are allowed to live here, but no one is really helping them with anything. The mechanics came to the house and fixed the car. It cost about 15 bucks. It turns out the wheel on the spare tire was not the right size, so it was rubbing on the breaks. Even though ... read more

I woke up around 630, I think. I was cold, sort of. The overhead fan was blowing like crazy, and I liked the breeze, but I wanted a barrier between me and the air. (I’m just sleeping on a mattress- no top sheet or blankets.) I covered myself with a towel and laid back down I listened. To Africa. I love that sound. Birds chirped and leaves blew outside as people shuffled around in their flip-flops (slippers). The fan clicked overhead. Chickens clucked, and a dog whined. I smiled and fell back to sleep. A few hours later, it was time to get up for real. Rosemary made Frank and I porridge- roasted cassava, ground up and cooked in water. It was fine, but not my favorite, mostly because it was really hot. Alex and Rita ... read more

I had planned to write some big, fancy, exciting blog to kick-off our trip to Ghana. Instead, this is all you get. Apparently having a full-time job and leaving on Christmas ensured not everything on my list got completed. But, it's time! Frank and I are sitting in the airport about to board the flight to Seattle, then across the pond!... read more

I'm at the airport, waiting to get on the plane. *Sigh*. I SO don't want to go home! I have had such an amazing time... I left the volunteer house at about 7pm, I stuck my head around the kitchen door, and told people I was leaving, then I kind of got engulfed with hugs...Ryan and Shauna said they'd walk with me up the road to where the taxis drive past, and then Freya came too, and she carried my big rucksack for me. So sweet of them. Got my taxi, gave the girls a hug goodbye and I was on my way. The taxi driver wanted to know all about life in England, and was asking lots of questions about why England let homosexuals be homosexual. I asked him if he was a Christian, and ... read more

Last night at the bar was so fun! We had only intended to go for one drink, maybe half an hour, but we ended up staying 3 hours. In the end, there were quite a few of us - Me, Laura, Steffi, Sammy, Raisa and Mathias. And Sonja joined us later. We left from the house, and two of the dogs followed us out the gate (Bobby and Peace). They walked with us all the way to the bar, kind of protecting us and making sure we were ok, which was pretty cool. Especially seeing as Peace doesn't seem to like us all that much! It was fairly bizarre. Looking around where I live, there is poverty. Not by Ghanaian standards, but by Western standards. People carve out a living by selling things from the front ... read more