I have been really bad these last few days with keeping up. Not much happened on Wednesday or Thursday. They were just usual days where I attempted in vain to finish my paper via the internet. I play card games while I waited for each page to load. It also doesn't help when one family member fails to send an important file. :) It was probably better anyways - I got to just take things slow. And while normally I would be going out of my mind with the pace of this trip, it has been good for me. I always knew I had kept a busy life, but I didn't realize how busy until I came to Ghana. Just doing one or two things a day is so liberating. You don't have to worry about something not working out or your plan not going the way you wanted it to.
And for me, this past year has been a slow change in how I view life. I have become much more relaxed not really trying to commit to things and just letting things happen as they happen. Ghana has sort of solidified that in my mentality. Sure you could argue that is not a healthy mentality, I would just say that it is different, not better or worse. Don't get me wrong, I still will plan, but if you told me today that I would be a flight attendant, a server, or a janitor the rest of my life, but I would be happy, then I am fine with it. I guess what I am getting at is that I have discovered that by slowing life down, by taking things in strides and as they come allows you to find the true joy in things. Everything I have planned so far in my life is meaningless. Trust me, nothing so far has worked out how I planned: I spent a summer at a monastery, I graduated college in 2 years, and I will probably be serving the poor for a good majority of my life. Everytime I have had something solidified, last minute there are drastic changes: IBI was literally a decision I made in a day, Livingstone was a decision made in a weekend, and Ghana was determined in a week.
You can find the most certainty and comfort in the unpredictability and apparent randomness of life.
I am in Accra, the capital city now. It is about 10 degrees C cooler here, but VERY humid, I have been a sweating machine since I got here. But there is always a nice cool breeze. Ghana is a different world from America. Tamale is a different world from Accra. It stuns me how developed and advanced the southern part of the country can be while the north is still chugging along in the 17th century. Another example of me not planning: I may be in Cape Coast tomorrow for the day and evening. If that doesn't work out, I will be going out to Cape Coast Sunday. See how my life is now?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A few days left....
So I have only two more days left in Tamale. This trip has really flown by. In just a week I will be in the Netherlands, and in 14 days I will be back in the States. While I am excited to see my family, I don't want to go home. I have come to the realization that I am most at home when I don't have a home. For me, the unpredictability of a new culture, the excitement of meeting new people, and the experience of being forced into a new mentality is where I am most comfortable. I don't plan to stay back in the States for too long - I can't. And you could argue that it is the "travel bug" but this is not some random, new thought. This trip has been a confirmation of something I have felt ever since Nicaragua in 2005. IBI this summer just made the feeling stronger and then it was all confirmed while in Ghana. So, I plan to volunteer/work whatever abroad.
That aside, I think I am getting sick. I may have an ear infection, and today just took everything out of me. I went with Dan out to a village to do some voice testing for a dub of their Jesus film in a local tounge. On the way out to the village, I started to get hypoglycemic (if that is how you spell it, I am used to a Mac that corrects everything) and light headed and dizzy. Dumb me, I didn't ask Dan to stop for something sugary (i.e. Coke) and it just made things worse. On top of that, I had only had a bowl of cereal and then fried yam for lunch, so it was nothing but carbs and that didn't help. So I got home, wiped and queasy. I am hoping sleeping in tomorrow will help. Di says it is important that I feel good when I head to Accra, but more importantly when I am travelling. Sick notice aside, it was pretty awesome to see what Dan and Di do on a daily basis. We took a three hour drive (mostly on a dirt road that wasn't nearly as bad as the one to Mole National Park) out to a small village and then Dan just tested some locals to see if they would be good for dubbing a Jesus film for evangelism. You have to hand it to Dan for his fevor and desire to evangelize. And honestly. there are many Ghanaians that need the sort of hope that religion, either Christianity or Islam has to offer.
On another note, this past weekend, deep in discussion, i was talking about the needy culture of Ghanaians with a few of the people I met at Mole Park. The next day, on the way home, I had my first experience of what they were talking about. Dan stopped to visit with a friend from primary school. A boy came right up to my window while I sat in the car waiting and begged. He knew right away to come up and beg. He didn't even try the round about way of guilting me into giving him money by first friending me and being polite. He just came up and said (verbatim) "Give me a biscuit."
What have we done? In our attempt to eradicate poverty and bury the memory of the White Man's Burden, we have created cultures that demand, and demand freely. This boy, as all the youth have learned, when a white person appears, then you know that money and aid is going to come. How pathetic and embarissing knowing that my own people have created that culture.
Unabashed plug here, that is why microfinance works (to an extent, but that is another argument). Teaching responsibility and a good work ethic is the only way these people will ever lift themselves out of poverty. Just dumping billions in aid isn't the answer and it must stop, or the next generation will learn the same method of getting by in the world.
That aside, I think I am getting sick. I may have an ear infection, and today just took everything out of me. I went with Dan out to a village to do some voice testing for a dub of their Jesus film in a local tounge. On the way out to the village, I started to get hypoglycemic (if that is how you spell it, I am used to a Mac that corrects everything) and light headed and dizzy. Dumb me, I didn't ask Dan to stop for something sugary (i.e. Coke) and it just made things worse. On top of that, I had only had a bowl of cereal and then fried yam for lunch, so it was nothing but carbs and that didn't help. So I got home, wiped and queasy. I am hoping sleeping in tomorrow will help. Di says it is important that I feel good when I head to Accra, but more importantly when I am travelling. Sick notice aside, it was pretty awesome to see what Dan and Di do on a daily basis. We took a three hour drive (mostly on a dirt road that wasn't nearly as bad as the one to Mole National Park) out to a small village and then Dan just tested some locals to see if they would be good for dubbing a Jesus film for evangelism. You have to hand it to Dan for his fevor and desire to evangelize. And honestly. there are many Ghanaians that need the sort of hope that religion, either Christianity or Islam has to offer.
On another note, this past weekend, deep in discussion, i was talking about the needy culture of Ghanaians with a few of the people I met at Mole Park. The next day, on the way home, I had my first experience of what they were talking about. Dan stopped to visit with a friend from primary school. A boy came right up to my window while I sat in the car waiting and begged. He knew right away to come up and beg. He didn't even try the round about way of guilting me into giving him money by first friending me and being polite. He just came up and said (verbatim) "Give me a biscuit."
What have we done? In our attempt to eradicate poverty and bury the memory of the White Man's Burden, we have created cultures that demand, and demand freely. This boy, as all the youth have learned, when a white person appears, then you know that money and aid is going to come. How pathetic and embarissing knowing that my own people have created that culture.
Unabashed plug here, that is why microfinance works (to an extent, but that is another argument). Teaching responsibility and a good work ethic is the only way these people will ever lift themselves out of poverty. Just dumping billions in aid isn't the answer and it must stop, or the next generation will learn the same method of getting by in the world.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Relaxing Weekend
So I am combining the past few days into one post mainly because this weekend I was away at had no internet access. Dan and I spent the weekend at Mole National Park, about 200 km away from Tamale. Despite being fairly close, the trip took us around 4 hours. After about 45 km on the main road, you have to turn off onto this dirt road that is absolutely horrible. You must have an SUV with four wheel drive (or a 4x4 as the aussies call it, more on that later haha) and you can only average around 40 km/hr, or around 25/30 mph. There are just so many ruts and bumpy parts to the road. We first made a stop in Lower Bonga, the town right outside the National Park. There, you can pay about 3 Cedi to see the "Mystic Stone." It is about the worst tourist attraction ever thought up of, more rediculous than the UFO museum in Roswell. Legend has it that when the road was being built, they moved this odd-looking stone away from the planned location of the road. Overnight, the stone mysteriously moved back to its originial location. After many more failed attempts, the road was just built around the stone. And then the locals began to charge people to take pictures of it. I have pictures up on Facebook, and the link to them will be at the end of the post.
Perhaps more interesting was the mosque located in Lower Bonga. It was built around the 1400s and is the oldest mosque in Western Africa. Unfortunately, it is hard to enjoy and take pictures of because so many young boys and children are constantly haggling you for money and trying to get your business. Still, the style of architecture is of historical note and while I couldn't go inside, it was neat to see such an old mosque, even if every other word heard was help, money, or need...
Bitterness aside, we entered Mole National Park where for the FIRST time, despite having travelled thousands of miles through Europe and Russia, I was able to use my ISIC Student card successfully and earn a discount of 5 Cedis... hey at least it was useable. The motel we were at is the only legitamite one inside the park. Mole National Park is the largest in Ghana and one of the hotspots for elephants. Quite unlike National Parks in the states, there is very little information given around the park, I don't think the government has the funding for info signs or park rangers that can explain wildlife or plants. In addition, the Dutch Government is taking over the park to run it - Ghana simply cannot afford to keep it up. The good thing is that the government is still desiring to protect wildlife and parkland, Mole Park was certainly gorgeous. The hotel overlooked the savanna and the watering hole where the elephants ate and drank each morning and evening. But the first animals for me to see were not elephants, rather baboons. They are all around the grounds of the motel carrying their babies or just roaming hoping to steal some food (which they do better than any thief or pickpocket in the world..) You mostly would eat your meals outside and if you didn't watch your food close enough, one could, and usually would, sneak up and in a second grab something of yours. I saw a girl lose her toast and a few failed attempts by the baboons at other plates.
Dan and I took Saturday easy, there was a pool I could swim in and the bar had football on all day. (I got to watch the Man U Liverpool game on Sunday and I have no idea why, but theses Ghanaians were all Manchester fans...) Sunday morning, around 7 we went on a Safari walk. You aren't allowed anywhere outside the grounds of the hotel without an armed ranger with you. It is just too dangerous to be around wild elephants and gators without some sort of weapon to scare or defend. Around the evening on Saturday a harmattan wind blew in from the Saraha way up north, covering the area in a dense dust that looked a lot like fog. While visibility was reduced it certainly didn't kill any chance at seeing wildlife. After a hot hour we stopped at an observation deck and saw nothing. Up till then we had seen monkeys and bamboons and antelope, but not elephants. I was gonna be mad if we did this walk for nothing. But, another half hour later and we came up on the watering hole I had seen the day before from the hotel. Sure enough, an older elephant was eating and drinking! There is something so different about seeing these animals in their natural environment. They just appear more powerful, more regal, just simpy amazing! We just observed it and took pictures (our group of about 10) and then moved on, seeing two more taking shade by another pond. Yes, the ponds had crocodiles in them, but they would hide from us, not coming very near. After the walk, I met three very nice young women, two from the UK and one from Australia. I had breakfast with them and ended up spending the whole day with them.
It was that day, Sunday, that I realized why I loved travelling. I sat there with two total strangers from a different country, playing cards not 3/4 a mile away from 5 elephants. I love meeting new people, seeing their thoughts and hearing where they come from. The randomness of it excites me. And then the environment you are in: being somewhere where every tree, bush, and animal is totally different is absolutely mind boggling. It is when I am away from home that I am most at home. The people you can meet and get to know is just exciting in and of itself.
It was mostly whites that were at the hotel, many from Holland, the UK, a few Americans and one German family. Still, to be in a place with white people, but white people not from my own country is awesome and I love it. It ended up that night that me and those three women along with a man from Ireland discussed so much, from aid and volunteering to the health care bill just passed, to microfinance. It excites me to see other people around my age that actually care about important issues in the world and form their own opinions.
All in all it was a very good weekend, and so much happened that I didn't even post. I have but seven days left in Ghana, I can't believe it.
Perhaps more interesting was the mosque located in Lower Bonga. It was built around the 1400s and is the oldest mosque in Western Africa. Unfortunately, it is hard to enjoy and take pictures of because so many young boys and children are constantly haggling you for money and trying to get your business. Still, the style of architecture is of historical note and while I couldn't go inside, it was neat to see such an old mosque, even if every other word heard was help, money, or need...
Bitterness aside, we entered Mole National Park where for the FIRST time, despite having travelled thousands of miles through Europe and Russia, I was able to use my ISIC Student card successfully and earn a discount of 5 Cedis... hey at least it was useable. The motel we were at is the only legitamite one inside the park. Mole National Park is the largest in Ghana and one of the hotspots for elephants. Quite unlike National Parks in the states, there is very little information given around the park, I don't think the government has the funding for info signs or park rangers that can explain wildlife or plants. In addition, the Dutch Government is taking over the park to run it - Ghana simply cannot afford to keep it up. The good thing is that the government is still desiring to protect wildlife and parkland, Mole Park was certainly gorgeous. The hotel overlooked the savanna and the watering hole where the elephants ate and drank each morning and evening. But the first animals for me to see were not elephants, rather baboons. They are all around the grounds of the motel carrying their babies or just roaming hoping to steal some food (which they do better than any thief or pickpocket in the world..) You mostly would eat your meals outside and if you didn't watch your food close enough, one could, and usually would, sneak up and in a second grab something of yours. I saw a girl lose her toast and a few failed attempts by the baboons at other plates.
Dan and I took Saturday easy, there was a pool I could swim in and the bar had football on all day. (I got to watch the Man U Liverpool game on Sunday and I have no idea why, but theses Ghanaians were all Manchester fans...) Sunday morning, around 7 we went on a Safari walk. You aren't allowed anywhere outside the grounds of the hotel without an armed ranger with you. It is just too dangerous to be around wild elephants and gators without some sort of weapon to scare or defend. Around the evening on Saturday a harmattan wind blew in from the Saraha way up north, covering the area in a dense dust that looked a lot like fog. While visibility was reduced it certainly didn't kill any chance at seeing wildlife. After a hot hour we stopped at an observation deck and saw nothing. Up till then we had seen monkeys and bamboons and antelope, but not elephants. I was gonna be mad if we did this walk for nothing. But, another half hour later and we came up on the watering hole I had seen the day before from the hotel. Sure enough, an older elephant was eating and drinking! There is something so different about seeing these animals in their natural environment. They just appear more powerful, more regal, just simpy amazing! We just observed it and took pictures (our group of about 10) and then moved on, seeing two more taking shade by another pond. Yes, the ponds had crocodiles in them, but they would hide from us, not coming very near. After the walk, I met three very nice young women, two from the UK and one from Australia. I had breakfast with them and ended up spending the whole day with them.
It was that day, Sunday, that I realized why I loved travelling. I sat there with two total strangers from a different country, playing cards not 3/4 a mile away from 5 elephants. I love meeting new people, seeing their thoughts and hearing where they come from. The randomness of it excites me. And then the environment you are in: being somewhere where every tree, bush, and animal is totally different is absolutely mind boggling. It is when I am away from home that I am most at home. The people you can meet and get to know is just exciting in and of itself.
It was mostly whites that were at the hotel, many from Holland, the UK, a few Americans and one German family. Still, to be in a place with white people, but white people not from my own country is awesome and I love it. It ended up that night that me and those three women along with a man from Ireland discussed so much, from aid and volunteering to the health care bill just passed, to microfinance. It excites me to see other people around my age that actually care about important issues in the world and form their own opinions.
All in all it was a very good weekend, and so much happened that I didn't even post. I have but seven days left in Ghana, I can't believe it.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Sleep
I got to sleep in again today, I was wiped from yesterday. So I woke up around 7:15 instead of 6:30. When I get into a habit it is hard for me to break, and I have been a morning person for quite some time. So I got up, had breakfast and then read and worked on my paper some more. It is a huge undertaking, and thankfully the internet was faster today so I didn't spend the majority of my time waiting around for websites and articles or pdfs to download.
My flight to Accra has been delayed, the family I was supposed to stay with is busy all this weekend and next week. Thankfully Di is attempting to break up my schedule. Saturday the plan is to go to Mole National Park for the night. We will see the baboons and elephants all out in the savannah. Coming home Sunday, I will spend Monday in the office and then Tuesday head out to a village with Dan to record some voices and samples of a local dialect for GILLBT's records. That Friday I leave for Accra where I will see the sights for the weekend and then leave Monday..
Di and I tonight talked about education here. She is worried that their daughter is not getting the proper education. Technically in the 6th grade, Jiffer would be in about 4th grade back home. Moreover, if she were just to enter into a classroom tomorrow, even at 4th grade, she would be lost. the pace and difficulty would be too much for her. Yet the youth over here have no work ethic and focus. They can't understand what it means to finish a job, and are not detail-oriented. As long as things get done or someone is happy that is all that matters. But it isn't necessarily something that they can be blamed for. Outside of Accra, organization is not a part of a Ghanaian's life. Clocks aren't always present. Cars break down. If things happen, things happen. No planning is done. That is because of a lack of development, and it causes the carelessness of the people. But at the same time, doesn't the west plan too much and stress organization too much?
My flight to Accra has been delayed, the family I was supposed to stay with is busy all this weekend and next week. Thankfully Di is attempting to break up my schedule. Saturday the plan is to go to Mole National Park for the night. We will see the baboons and elephants all out in the savannah. Coming home Sunday, I will spend Monday in the office and then Tuesday head out to a village with Dan to record some voices and samples of a local dialect for GILLBT's records. That Friday I leave for Accra where I will see the sights for the weekend and then leave Monday..
Di and I tonight talked about education here. She is worried that their daughter is not getting the proper education. Technically in the 6th grade, Jiffer would be in about 4th grade back home. Moreover, if she were just to enter into a classroom tomorrow, even at 4th grade, she would be lost. the pace and difficulty would be too much for her. Yet the youth over here have no work ethic and focus. They can't understand what it means to finish a job, and are not detail-oriented. As long as things get done or someone is happy that is all that matters. But it isn't necessarily something that they can be blamed for. Outside of Accra, organization is not a part of a Ghanaian's life. Clocks aren't always present. Cars break down. If things happen, things happen. No planning is done. That is because of a lack of development, and it causes the carelessness of the people. But at the same time, doesn't the west plan too much and stress organization too much?
Microcredit - 16 17/3/2010
I am combining the two days together. Little happened Tuesday. The internet was down all day at GILLBT so I had no way to do any research. I spent a lot of the day playing Hearts, Free Cell, and Minesweeper. However, for two good hours Dan and I went into town. I got my VISA card to work and Dan had a few errands to run, including finding a new housemaid. Their current one refuses to stick to the assigned schedule and doesn't seem to care to work. The rest of the day I spent reading and working on my paper at the house.
It was Wednesday that was a long day. Around 8, Susie (head of Women's Empowerment of GILLBT) and Ofuri (the driver) and I left for Wale Wale and Bolga to visit some microcredit sites. The time was amazing and I really learned a lot just from talking to the women. I got to stop at two sites where the women actually run their business. Twice I sat in on a meeting and asked the group a few questions. These women are all serious about their lives and jobs and families. And they all tell similar stories, not surprisingly. All couldn't afford proper care or education for their children and all needed the money merely to survive. These loans also gave them needed respect. In a half-joking manner, one of the leaders said that many husbands are fed up with their wives - all they are is a burden to them and their attempt at supporting a family. A good example is that if a child misbehaves the man may say, take care of your child. But the moment the child behaves or does something good the father will commend HIS child. The wives become nothing more than property to their husbands. But these loans change everything. Suddenly, the woman is a help, not a burden. These women have become leaders in their community and are highly respected by all.
I also got to hold the tail of a wild crocodile. You pay 3 cedis for the chicken and 4 to walk out. They call the croc out of the water and then you go stand by it, hold its tail, squat by it all for your picture. Crazy, yet no one has gotten hurt in the years it has been running. It was definitely a tad scary but awesome at the same time.. who can say they held the tail of a live croc? I know my parents will kill me when they find out, but it was worth it!
I came home exhausted. The heat really takes it out of you. I was fine until around 12. From 12-3 it just gets unbearably hot, generally around 38-41 degrees (around 100 and up) and that is when I got uncomfortable, only when the car stopped driving though. There wasn't any ac the entire day, which again wasn't bad until the afternoon and then only when the car stopped.
I also find it odd and absolutely hilarious that every village child upon seeing me gets this immense grin and starts to laugh and wave. They are so fascinated with a white person and I cannot truly understand why. It is certainly a rare thing to see a white man, but the laughter and grin? What is so goofy about an obruni?
It was Wednesday that was a long day. Around 8, Susie (head of Women's Empowerment of GILLBT) and Ofuri (the driver) and I left for Wale Wale and Bolga to visit some microcredit sites. The time was amazing and I really learned a lot just from talking to the women. I got to stop at two sites where the women actually run their business. Twice I sat in on a meeting and asked the group a few questions. These women are all serious about their lives and jobs and families. And they all tell similar stories, not surprisingly. All couldn't afford proper care or education for their children and all needed the money merely to survive. These loans also gave them needed respect. In a half-joking manner, one of the leaders said that many husbands are fed up with their wives - all they are is a burden to them and their attempt at supporting a family. A good example is that if a child misbehaves the man may say, take care of your child. But the moment the child behaves or does something good the father will commend HIS child. The wives become nothing more than property to their husbands. But these loans change everything. Suddenly, the woman is a help, not a burden. These women have become leaders in their community and are highly respected by all.
I also got to hold the tail of a wild crocodile. You pay 3 cedis for the chicken and 4 to walk out. They call the croc out of the water and then you go stand by it, hold its tail, squat by it all for your picture. Crazy, yet no one has gotten hurt in the years it has been running. It was definitely a tad scary but awesome at the same time.. who can say they held the tail of a live croc? I know my parents will kill me when they find out, but it was worth it!
I came home exhausted. The heat really takes it out of you. I was fine until around 12. From 12-3 it just gets unbearably hot, generally around 38-41 degrees (around 100 and up) and that is when I got uncomfortable, only when the car stopped driving though. There wasn't any ac the entire day, which again wasn't bad until the afternoon and then only when the car stopped.
I also find it odd and absolutely hilarious that every village child upon seeing me gets this immense grin and starts to laugh and wave. They are so fascinated with a white person and I cannot truly understand why. It is certainly a rare thing to see a white man, but the laughter and grin? What is so goofy about an obruni?
The Usual - Monday 15/3/2010
Today was the usual day, up at 6:30, to the office where I worked away at my country paper until around two. I had to work in Dan's office, as I will for the rest of the week. GILLBT has an auditor in to look at the last two years of financials and Dianne has to work with him for the next two weeks. I will use that as a great example of Ghanaian culture again. Elders are deeply respected here - you cannot say no to an elder. They are considered wiser and more knowledgable than anyone younger than them. So in Dianne's case, despite being an adult woman, when the hours of work were decided upon, she had to accept. The auditor has them working, 7:30 till at least 6 including Saturdays. She had to agree merely because he was her elder.
So not to bother them, I am in Dan's office and I feel sorry for Dianne, these will be two very rought weeks. To make matters worse, their hired housekeep hasn't shown up in days, and she is the one to cook dinner for us when we get home. So now the family comes home to a dirty house and has to cook. Granted, in the States, few of us have house service, but if you all saw how Dianne and Dan worked, you would understand.
The schedule will change drastically come Wednesday. I will head out all day to see some microcredit sites and then Friday I leave for Accra.
So not to bother them, I am in Dan's office and I feel sorry for Dianne, these will be two very rought weeks. To make matters worse, their hired housekeep hasn't shown up in days, and she is the one to cook dinner for us when we get home. So now the family comes home to a dirty house and has to cook. Granted, in the States, few of us have house service, but if you all saw how Dianne and Dan worked, you would understand.
The schedule will change drastically come Wednesday. I will head out all day to see some microcredit sites and then Friday I leave for Accra.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
A day of rest
So I got sick off of the kinke. I woke up Thursday night around 3 not feeling well and the upset stomach stayed with me through Friday. I just don't think my stomach is used to fermeted dough... whose should be? Thankfully Di had had a very long and stressful week and so we all went home around 2:30. I spent the rest of the day checking emails (that took a good hour), reading, and relaxing. Today I feel much better which is a good sign.
There is really nothing to report. I suppose I could just talk about the food here. Quite unlike my experience in Nicaragua, I am not eating the typical day to day food. But at the same time, I am much older than I was when I went there, and I think to travel abroad, you really have to be older. At 15 you just don't know what your getting yourself into and you don't have to the understanding to try new foods or even attempt to like them. But still, in Nicaragua, we stayed with a typical family, one that was poor and made as much as anyone else. In Ghana, no matter if I stayed at the guest house or with any of the employees with GILLBT, they make much more (relatively) and could and would provide me with the "less traditional" food of Ghana. So it is mostly rice and beans. Ghanaian food is generally spicy which helps with eating the rice. In Nicaragua they couldn't afford to flavor any of the food. As for typical cheap Ghanaian food it is mostly plantain, bananas, rice and dough. You can get a meal for as little as 2 Ghana Cedis, or around $1.40. But it would be something like Kinke - fermented dough boiled and eaten with a sauce.
Enough of the food here. Today is finally the weekend! I know there are a few things planned for the weekend, including going to the jail on Sunday with Dan for bible study. That should be interesting.
There is really nothing to report. I suppose I could just talk about the food here. Quite unlike my experience in Nicaragua, I am not eating the typical day to day food. But at the same time, I am much older than I was when I went there, and I think to travel abroad, you really have to be older. At 15 you just don't know what your getting yourself into and you don't have to the understanding to try new foods or even attempt to like them. But still, in Nicaragua, we stayed with a typical family, one that was poor and made as much as anyone else. In Ghana, no matter if I stayed at the guest house or with any of the employees with GILLBT, they make much more (relatively) and could and would provide me with the "less traditional" food of Ghana. So it is mostly rice and beans. Ghanaian food is generally spicy which helps with eating the rice. In Nicaragua they couldn't afford to flavor any of the food. As for typical cheap Ghanaian food it is mostly plantain, bananas, rice and dough. You can get a meal for as little as 2 Ghana Cedis, or around $1.40. But it would be something like Kinke - fermented dough boiled and eaten with a sauce.
Enough of the food here. Today is finally the weekend! I know there are a few things planned for the weekend, including going to the jail on Sunday with Dan for bible study. That should be interesting.
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