Akuah Teresa

I have been adopted. My new name is Akuah (Akweeaa), it means Wednesday born, although I’m not sure I really was born on a Wednesday. I have had marriage proposals every other day from men of all shapes and sizes, but usually much too old for me. It’s actually rather fun to think up new come backs for refusal. But in all seriousness, I’m leaving my heart in Ghana with my new friends and family…

We cried when we left Obuasi. The home we stayed in was the warmest, Maa Lizzy and Daa Koffi were the sweetest and most generous couple I have ever met. Their 6 children (youngest is 26 yrs old) have been equally as welcoming, three we visited in Obuasi and the other three we stayed with in Accra. We were extremely busy in Obuasi, we visited a lot of people’s homes, all friends and family of my roommate in the area. We took a day trip to Kumasi (an hours drive) to visit the zoo and the cultural centre. At the zoo, a rambuncious ape spat on us because we didn’t buy him a banana and also chucked a piece of poop at my roommates shoe. Luckily it missed by an inch. The cultural centre was really interesting, we learned all about the history of the Ashanti people. We got to see how drums and pottery were made, as well as their traditional Kente cloth.

We went out dancing one night with friends: 4 men and 3 of us girls, so we felt rather safe, but without anyone knowing one of the guys had found two friends to act as bodyguards and watch us all night. I was surprised to find that out later, but it was nice to know our friends were looking out for us. We were mostly escorted everywhere we went in Obuasi as well.

By the time we got back to Accra, I was sick of riding in buses. It’s usually chaos, bartering for a ticket and watching that the luggage isn’t carried off to never be seen again, while the crowds around you are persistantly pushing goods in your face to buy and yelling over the din. Often you’ll see preachers on street corners with a microphone, speaking the word of God and sometimes speaking in tongues, and on the bus ride to Accra a lady stood up to preach for almost an hour. And if you ever say “Alleluia” out loud there is a resounding “A-MEN!” immediately. The taxi’s are all labelled with phrases such as Nyame Adom meaning God’s grace, or Jesu Nhyira meaning Jesus blessing, and the stores have similar names like God is Great Beauty Salon, or Salt of the Earth Upholstery.

Back in Accra we took a few days to rest over the weekend, to laze about the house and play Ludo. Ludo is a board game similar to “Trouble” or “Sorry” except with more ways to send other players’ pieces home. It gets to be rather wicked when your playing with competitive people who would rather send you home then get their own players to safety. We played a lot in Obuasi, so Maa Lizzy gave us her board to take home.

We went out dancing that Saturday night in Accra, which was very fun although a little unnerving with all eyes on the only white girl in the room. After church on Sunday we went to Bojo, a beautiful resort beach. You have to pay to get on the beach but they provide lifeguards, music, volleyball nets, and a boat across the man made lake to the long stretch of beautiful white sand. We had an unbrella and wooden chairs set up for us by the bar and proceeded to swim in the huge waves, walk in the clean soft sand, and jetski in the calm lake until the sun went down.

Monday we were back on a bus for a day trip to Cape Coast. It is two hours drive (partly because it takes forever to leave the traffic in Accra behind) but it was worth the drive. Cape Coast was the most beautiful scenery I had seen yet. We chartered a taxi to take us to Kokum National Park which has 7 bridge constructed by 2 Canadians and 6 Ghanaians, made from ladders strung together hundreds of feet above the ground. It’s rickety and creaky but there is railings and netting all the way along. Even so the tour took a long time while the group fearfully and slowly walked across. I think there is something wrong with me because I was the only one who didn’t find it scary at all. Is it really likely the bottom is going to fall out? I didn’t think so, but I’m rather trusting of these things in general.

The road to El Mina Castle in Cape Coast was gorgeous. The road followed the shore where you could see only endless sea between the palm trees. The castle was built by the Porteguese and later taken over by the Dutch and was used as a holding place for captured black slaves before they were shipped to Europe or America.  The evils that occured in that building were so atrocious, it was hard to understand how it came to be. They even had a church built directly above the women’s slave dungeon. It was extremely depressing, but the tour guide finished and explained why it was good that we came to listen and see, to educate ourselves and remember these atrocities so that history would never repeat itself:

“In everlasting memory of the anguish of our ancestors, May those who died rest in peace, May those who return find their roots, May humanity never again perpetrate such injustice against humanity, We the living uphold this.”

To date I have eaten the following traditional foods: banku (my favourite with ochre stew!), fufu, kinkey, wakhye, palm oil soup, peanut stew,  and many others whose names I can’t spell, pronounce or remember. Among other things that might frighten some stomachs into implosion, I ate a large chunky black snail, thick rubbery cow hide, and extremely tasty goat intestine. I was lucky to have almost no trouble adapting to the diet, but near the end there were dreams of a Macdonalds Big Mac and a Starbucks coffee. For this I am slightly ashamed… what a way to miss home and return to your roots…

Pictures to come soon!

t.

 

Afehyia Pa!

Hey all!

Afishapa (Happy New Year)! I am having a blast here in Ghana, just taking it all in and relaxing when I can, which isn’t often. My face melts off every day because it is so hot but I can’t complain when I know Vancouver is probably freezing =P I am proud to say I am not yet burnt.

The wedding in Accra, the capital city, was awesome! Very traditional Ghanaian-style of course. I’m taking lots of pictures. Now we are in a smaller city visiting my roommates family and friends here. Everyone has been so welcoming, and because I’m white or “Obruni” I get a lot of special care to feel comfortable, even when these people have so little I’m not being allowed to give them money for food or transportation. Every time I meet someone new I feel like I’ve been blessed, there is so much joy and love instilled in their culture. Music is played everywhere, in every house we enter there are old school smooth hits like Marvin Gaye, Celine Dion and Elton John, and blaring in the streets is local up-beat Ghanaian artists. What I love best is when a beat starts that the people know and they jump up from whatever they’re doing and start to dance! I especially loved going to church on Sunday and seeing everyone singing and dancing with joy in the pews during the offertory. Also, when we walk the streets or the market, the kids in the streets are always yelling “Obruni” or just “white man” (that’s white WOMAN to you!) and often follow me around until they lose interest.

Yes, I am learning Twi (one of several local dialects, although everyone also speaks English). The people I meet get a kick out of it when I greet them with a “how are you” in Twi and answer the question in return with “by God’s grace, I am well”. I have felt safe everywhere we have been, often we are escorted by our strapping, male friends here. Also, during the wedding events, a friend of ours allowed us to use his driver and Mercedes to take us around and on occasion, his personal body guards. The wealthy houses all have security stationed around the house for protection, as well there is barbed wire or long shards of glass along the high surrounding walls. There are road blocks stationed at night in communities to see who is going in an out, other then that the police haven’t given us any trouble.

We took the bus here to Obuasi which was pretty uncomfortable, no air conditioning and they won’t leave the station until every seat in the bus is filled! So we waited three hours in the hot bus, while vendors came by with their wares stacked high on their heads. We still had a fun time, buying from them: P.K. gum, handkerchiefs (to wipe away the sweatyness), chicken pies, bottled water, vanilla Fanmilk (like a freezy, but so much better!) and plantain chips, while giggling as we tried to figure out if it was a good deal or if we were being ripped off because I’m white and my roomy is “half cast” meaning half black and half white.  A beautiful red sun set over the lush green scenery as we drove, I was glad to leave the city to be able to see more of the landscape. Accra was mostly red dirt roads and brightly painted shanty shacks squished in among the houses. We did visit the mall in Accra which is like a little taste of America; the floor is tiled, the walls are white, the store fronts are shiny glass. We also we sat a few hours at an outdoor “chop bar” which overlooked a beautiful beach, and drank Fanta (orange soda, my fav!)

I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to post any pictures, time has gone so fast. I don’t want it to end anytime soon, I’m having too good a time! But I’ll try to write again soon.

Love,

t.

 

but…WHY?

Apprehension mounts, outrageous dreams persist.

I cannot even comprehend what 40 degree weather is going to be like at the moment when it’s gloomy in Vancity as usual. I’m excited to get my burn on (possibility of a tan for me is unlikely) but I also suspect that as soon as I step out of the airport in Accra my body will probably go into shock, I will sweat a river, my hair will fizzle into nappy locks, and my lungs will stop working, causing immediate suffocation. I wont even survive the first few gulps of air =P

For those of you asking why I would subject myself to this out of body experience, I will tell you. This year was so awesome. It was a year for taking leaps of faith, but I took it in bounds. I have never been so busy, so overwhelmed, so tired, so hungry or so satisfied with a year as I have been with this one. And it’s because I had a lot of trust, and I took a lot of risks, and I learned and grew way more then I could have anticipated.

My room mate was born in Ghana, and two of her Ghanaian friends who live in Vancouver are going back to their homeland to marry each other. When she asked if I wanted to come along, I was like SURE! and then it actually happened and I was like ehh okay I guess I’m really going. And now I’m like woot! because I realized just how much I really need a holiday and to step back from everything here and get some new perspective.

After the wedding in Accra, we are going to make like a beached whale, bake in the sun and eat a lot of strange but wondersome foods. We’ll be quite touristy, while trying to avoid looking touristy so that we’re not swindled of what little money we carry, and after we’ve ate our fill and grown ripe little burnt paunches and visited my roomy’s friends along the way, we will head to her hometown.

She says it’s small and there’s apparently not much to do, and I say that’s perf! Because I would love it if this trip wasn’t one of those holidays, where you need another holiday once you’re home (yea right, jet lag). I’m bringing 7 rather thick books and I intend to read them all. What’s nice is that for most of the trip we are living on the cheap by staying with my room mates family and friends.

Next, we will go to Cape Coast where there is a slave castle that was turned into a museum. There’s a national park nearby and someone said something about a rather frightening rickety bridge suspended hundreds of feet above ground. We return to Accra after that and fly to London and then home.

There are apparently internet cafe’s, charge by the minute, which I will blog from. Chances are I may not blog all that often, but leave comments people! Hopefully that will be enough incentive for me to keep yalls updated.

Cheers,

t.

 

Vaccination Shots Give Bad Dreams.

I had a dream that I took the skytrain to Africa. When I got to the station, it was all tik and bamboo. I came down the stairs and I was in the middle of dusty nowhere, with few trees and lots of tumbleweeds. I sat in the dirt until I found little snakes crawling over my shoes.

Then I made a call home on my cell phone and after I hung up I realized my phone bill was going to be thousands of dollars because I was roaming and had made a long distance call.

So there you have it, my fears are apparent. I’m afraid to be without my essential technologies: the skytrain and my cellphone.

Pathetically yours,

t.

 

Africa.

A continent on which I have never been. I leave in less then a month.

This December I will leave to London for two nights before heading to Accra, Ghana for 24 days. The truth is I have never left North America. I have been all over British Columbia, up and down the coast and to Vancouver Island. I have driven three times across Canada, from Vancouver to Halifax, and three times across the northern American states from Maine to Washington. I’ve been down the West Coast to Oregon and California.

Never. Off. the. Continent.

So now this pasty white girl, is going to venture out and seek more freckles. I’m writing this blog for my friends and family to follow along as I sojourn, and hopefully I can captivate anyone else reading with some amateur photography. More to come…

Love,

t.

~saboteur extraordinaire~