Jesus+You=Enough

Aakwaba! Welcome to Ghana!

I found myself sitting next to my new traveling companion for the ten hour flight from Washington DC to Accra, Ghana. Sheryl, a 53-year-old jet setter visiting Ghana to watch her sister in a golf tournament was more than willing to share wet wipes and jell-o with me on the flight....along with sparing me the details of how her friends refer to her as a 'cougar' when she is out at a bar with her 34-year-old son (advice from her was well received, to not have a son at age 16).

Stepping off the plane in Accra, I already felt the beads of sweat beginning to pool as the hot, 90 degree sun scorched my winter-adapted skin. The smell of earth and spices filled my nostrils and I will forever associate these two smells with this beautiful country.

After meeting half of the SIT group at the airport, we hopped in our first tro-tro (a 25 passenger van that Ghanaians think is more efficient to squeeze 35 plus people into as a main source of transportation). Signs stating 'Do Not Urinate' littered the arid lands surrounding the Kotoka Accra International Airport.

I was surprised at how overpoweringly religious, specifically Christian everything seemed to be- especially things that have nothing to do with Christianity. For example, bumper stickers stated 'Jesus+You=Enough' and every tro-tro had a picture of Jesus on the back of it. Even clothing stores, restaurants or gardens eluded to a Christian reference.

The 18 of us ranging from New York to Maine, California to South Carolina, Texas and what seems like everywhere in between stayed at a hostel for the first three nights we arrived in Accra. We began our first class outside of the hotel under a tent with a chalkboard. Class began with full participation in a traditional Ghanaian dance led by a professional drummer and dancer from the University of Ghana Legon. I never could have imagined how much dancing can bring you out of yourself, and I want to start every morning dancing around a circle acting out a story; moving backwards through time .

Twi (pronounced TCHWEE) language study was next and I keep laughing about how much I am turning into my mom since it is an incredibly sing-songy language where the intonation can completely change the meaning of what you are trying to say!

We had some free time the next day and so we spent it at the Accra beach. Never in my life did I think that I would want to be in full clad Afghani Burqa until this moment- but the sea of Ghanaian men wading in the water for white, female prey was just enough to make me want just that- to be as fully clothed and covered as possible and not in my revealing one-piece swimsuit. If you have low self esteem and you are white- come to Ghana! You'll feel great about yourself!!!

My first home stay in Adante began yesterday and I could not be happier with my family. I am staying with my Auntie Abigail and my Uncle Simon (calling someone 'auntie' or 'uncle' is a sign of respect for an elder or stranger, along with calling someone 'sister' or 'brother.' My Auntie is a Batik maker, someone who makes intricate patterns on fabric for clothing. And my Uncle worked for an NGO that worked on clean water projects. Their nephew, Kesta, is 14 and has been more than helpful in getting me situated, showing me around and keeping me company. He is so intelligent and well-mannered. He told me he wants to go to Harvard or Oxford University and he wakes up at 3:00 AM every morning to study, I kid you not. People here with their uniforms and determination DO NOT take school for granted, unlike most people in the states.

So far what I've found to be most strange is that Ghanaians do not tend to eat dinner together. So I am called for dinner and then I sit at the dinner table alone and enjoy my spicy chicken and Jolof rice in silence.

Today proved to be the big task at hand as I had to make it all the way to University of Ghana, Legon for class and back to my homestay- about 4 kilometers away, on my own. When I sat down for breakfast at 6:45 and I asked my Auntie when I needed to leave and she sternly said IMMEDIATELY I knew I was in trouble. I wolfed down some of the sweetest mango I've had along with some sweet bread and rushed out. A neighbor, ironically enough named Patience, walked me to the tro-tro stop about 5 blocks away on a crowded, dirt covered path polluted with rundown shacks that look abandoned but serve as shops. Patience made sure I got on the right tro-tro and I made it to class early; found the African Studies department in no time and had 30 minutes to spare :-)

The tro-tro ride back after class was much more difficult....It took me a half hour to get on the right one since they all seemed to be going to Madena instead of Adante. A psychology student at the University of Ghana saw how much I was struggling and stayed with me, even walked me to a different bus stop location to make sure I made it on the correct one to get home. Her name was Princess and without her I would not have made it home today, truly. Ghanaians are without a doubt the friendliest people you'll ever meet. And i honestly think that there is nothing better than being the only white girl on a crowded tro-tro, commuting around like everyone else who lives here in Ghana.

It's breezy tonight and I was sitting out with my Auntie and Uncle talking before I came to type a little. They are so kind and have been nothing but accommodating! Kesta, the 14-year-old nephew (in case you forgot through all this babbling) came home from school and found me in my glasses eating alone----what he said to me? That I looked like Harry Potter in my glasses.

Oh as for the diarrhea update. Which needed to be stated, let's be real. It happened. It's here. It will probably continue to stay here until I leave. But the pedialyte electrolyte powders have worked miracles. Funniest story about this is probably that the toilet in my home stay won't flush; and I've been using it non stop....since when you gotta go, you gotta go.