October 26, 2009

I’m starting my third week in Ghana, and on day 16. That means I’m 1/6 finished my internship already. Some days three months seems like it will be an eternity, but other days I can’t believe how fast the time has gone by. I find my state of mind is very day to day. Some days are great, and others are more difficult. I would say as an overall, now that I have learned a little more about how things work, how to get around, and met some people that the experience has been very positive. To a person everyone I have met has been wonderfully kind. I feel like such a celebrity biking down the road with children waving and yelling “Hello Salaminga!” (Salaminga means ‘white lady’). People stop me all of the time to ask my name and where I’m from and why I decided to come to Ghana. It was sort of similar in Korea, except that for the most part the people stopping me were drunk men hoping to practice their English. Where English is so widely spoken here it’s not the same motives, and usually the people can stand up much better. It seems to be more of curiosity than wanting something.

I spent most of Saturday with Joyce. She’s the student who Madam Adiza had take me to the market for lunch on my first day of work. She has a motorbike, which makes getting around a little faster than on Betsy (although my first loyalty lies with her!). Joyce LOVES movies, so I’ve been to her apartment a few times to watch a movie, and have met her family. Her mother asked me if she was to move to Canada and make kenkey would anyone buy it? As I haven’t yet eaten kenkey (it’s my goal for the week to try it—it’s fermented maize in banana leaves), I didn’t have a great answer for her, so could only say, “Probably?” I met her nephew Kobe, and two sisters. We stopped by the Savanna Bar for a quick drink and a chicken gizzard kebab.

Sunday seemed like it was going to be a bit of a write off, as a necessary day to wash some clothes and tidy my room, etc. However, I ended up spending much of the day talking with Becky, who works as a housekeeper, and two of her ‘brothers,’ Fatou and Iddrissu.  Turns out Mr. Adams, the manager of the guesthouse, is Fatou’s brother. Then in the evening I met two girls from Australia who are traveling around. Another Becky, was working in a hospital (she’s a nurse) in the Volta Region, but then she quit and now she and her friend Kathy are traveling around Ghana until her return ticket in mid-November. My updated version of the Bradt Ghana guide was a great relief to them, since they’re traveling to Mole National Park today, and were happy to have some updated phone numbers for hotels.

Category: Ghana, Upon return // Add Comment »