Thursday Feb 2
Today is the PRESENTS OF 2s 2/2/2012 hehehehe
“Restless Dream” Jack’s Mannequin
I woke up thinking of this song thinking it related to how I am feeling with missing home, but enjoying it here as well.
COFFEE CUE REPEAT
I think I found my LOVE HERE. This Coffee Cue is WONDERFUL. They have everything from noodles, to French toast, to CHOCOLATE PANCAKES (crepes with nutella on them), to iced tea (which reminds me of MY BELOVED CHAI TEA). All the chairs are under a canopy tent and the atmosphere is so POSITIVE. Emma and I found a WONDERFUL solution of her ordering French toast and I ordering pancakes so we could enjoy our splendid occasion. It is a time for several of us to reflect on our adventures in Ghana and inquire about different things. For example, there was a little boy wanting to talk to us so we ended up playing hand games with him, which was absolutely positive.
Madina MARKET, just a Tro-Tro ride AWAY…in search of dance clothes
Avery, Emma, Katie, and I set out in search of dance clothes, vegetables, and fruits at the amazing YET VERY CHAOTIC Madina Market. We, as an ENTIRE ISEP GROUP, went there a week earlier with our student guides holding our hands the entire way.
So this time we were only able to find two tro-tros that could take two people so…we split up into twos. Avery has been here for over two months and Katie, Emma and I are on our second week here…so clearly the expert is Avery. Emma and I went together and Katie and Avery took another tro-tro. When we hopped on the tro-tro WE REALIZED WE DID NOT DISCUSS WHERE WE WERE GOING TO MEET IN MADINA…so once Emma and I got off the tro-tro we managed to find the meeting place of the time before THE POLICE STATION and then we called Avery and Katie where we were. Not the greatest plan…but hey we made it out alive. They finally found the police station and we were able to get A HUGE PINAPPLE for 1 CD, 2 mangoes for 1 CD, and 5 oranges for 1 CD. Avery got plenty of vegs. NOW FOR THE CLOTHES…ya good will is fine for clothes…but the problem with these clothes is you don’t know if they were washed or if someone was sick in them…so I decided to hold off on that until we went to A REAL STORE…which should happen soon.
For my dance class we have a “uniform” of white tops and black bottoms…but I only have one pair of black shorts and NO white tops…so I am borrowing Katie’s white t-shirt and re-wearing my black shorts…GROSS…but hey I am NOT DOING LAUNDRY TWICE A WEEK.
Laundry isn’t horrible, it takes up a couple hours, but I don’t mind re-wearing once in a while and it is nice to know I am saving money for food and TRAVEL.
FIRST DANCE CLASS…I kinda missed the first one
SO DANCE CLASS…was AMAZING…ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT U OF G!!!!!!! We learned a dance…I don’t remember the name…and we had to listen to the beat (which was hard), while moving around. I LOVED IT…the class was packed with OBRUNIS (white people). The way Ghanaians dance is like a mix between martial arts in an athletic position (triple threat for basketball and the STANCE THAT ELLIE KARVOSKI HAS taught the hockey team to do ALL THE TIME ☺) and a modern dance. It felt so great I was learning such a cultural dance that required singing a tribal language and feeling the drums. I don’t think I will be very good at it, but I figure it will allow me to get closer to the culture and embrace something I can’t experience ANYWHERE ELSE IN THIS WORLD (cause Ghanaian dance is specific to…well Ghana). I really like the TAs and how all of us in the class…besides some pro dancers…look like IDIOTS …so its okay ☺
Going out? AFRODEGEACT…not a repeat
So…I was convinced by Ciarra…because it was her birthday…to go out to a club. There were about 8 of us there. I had a bit of wine before hand…not very good Rose wine if you ask me…but going out was very fun…and VERY INTERESTING. We get to the club at around 11pm…just as it opened. We WERE THE ONLY ONES THERE. So I ran to the dance floor and convinced my group to come join and have a bit of fun. Then people started to show up…IT WAS A BUNCH OF 40 AND 50 YEAR OLDS AND HOOKERS…WTF!!! What were we suppose to do. Once they hit the dance floor we backed off and looked at each other in complete amazement. This place didn’t seem like it was for 20 year olds AT ALL. I never saw people that fit the perfect definition of prostitution before this. So Katie, Emma, and I bolted…we did not want to see where this night would go so we caught a taxi and headed back to campus. The taxi driver was VERY WRECKLESS, cruising at 50-70 miles per hours in a 40 zone. There was a moment where I felt completely safe only because I was grasping Katie and Emma’s hands firmly and knew we were there for each other. I am SO GRATEFUL for them completely!!!!! We made it back and I crawled into bed contently.
Friday Feb 3 WEDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You add 10 today and it is Friday the 13th…don’t ask it must be the water
DROPPING ENGLISH CLASS…SO I am only in 6 courses instead of 7
I DECIDED I WANT FRIDAY OFF SO I CAN VOLUNTEER…so I am taking 6 classes and auditing the Twi class so I can do the dance class.
Registering…the dreadful continues
I HATE REGISTERATION! IT IS SO HARD NOT TO GET FRUSTRATED AND GIVE UP… Things are SO SLOW HERE AND I JUST WANT THINGS TO GET DONE SO I CAN MOVE ON AND…WELL DO SOMETHING ELSE
But I know I will get registered…sooner or later. I was able to register for a couple different departments…at U of G you have to register for the school and then EACH INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENT….DREADFUL…because each department requires a passport photo…why? I HAVE NO CLUE.
MY FIRST WEDDING EVER…AND IT’S A GHANAIAN ONE!!!!!
My WONDERFUL roommate invited me to one of her friend’s wedding…which is TODAY! So I put on my only NICE DRESS AND GOT SUPER EXICTED FOR A GHANAIAN WEDDING. This wedding was not a traditional one, but rather the church one. They usually perform two and I was just seeing the second. The decorations were very modest and simple. The wedding was suppose to start at 1pm…but of course it didn’t start until 2pm hehehehe…TIA…then the groom walked in and sat down. Then the bride marched in with a camera following her the entire way…a bit odd…but that’s how it is sometimes hehehehehehehehehehe. She WAS BEAUTIFUL…she had a very large white dress and the groom and best man were in brown suits. The maid of honor was in a brown dress with orange trimming. The marriage ceremony continued…just like in the movies (this was my first wedding ever so I never experienced a REAL wedding first hand. After the bride and groom exchanged rings the preacher preached for an hour about love and the duty they have for each other. I felt bit weird going to a church service with a wedding…but apparently that is how A LOT OF WEDDINGS ARE HERE. THEN THERE was a donation time and then A BUNCH OF DANCING…WHICH WAS VERY PLEASANT…besides the fact I didn’t know the language lol. After the wedding we had some treats and we left before the cake was cut…but it was YUMMY…I HAD AN ICE COLD COKE AND SOME WONDERFUL CHICKEN AND BREAD YUMMMMMMM ;D
I was extremely tired from the night at the club (we got back at around 12:30) that I HAPPILY SLEPT FOR TWO HOURS STRAIGHT!
RELAXING with a rash ALL OVER MY BODY: there seems to be a very present rash ALL OVER MY BODY…I think it is a heat rash because whenever I am hot it becomes pretty darn bad…Hopefully it will get better or I will just get used to having it for the next 4 months.
After my nap I had a dinner downstairs and happily went back to sleep…AFTER EMMA, KATIE, AND I PLANNED WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IN AFRICA ;)
The plan is to go to Togo and Benin (two different countries), go up north TO SEE ELEPHANTS, and see where the wind will take us :D
Saturday Feb, 4 the day of minimumal plans
I planned on having this day FULL OF RELAZATION…but I seemed more motivated than I thought I was…
Laundry yet again. I did some laundry…a task that occupies several hours of hard work…especially since I live on the fourth floor (EXHAUSTING CLIMBING THOSE STAIRS…I’LL TELL YA!) I am getting a hang of washing my clothes and I feel really good that I am doing it and saving money! ;D
Coffee Cue…YET AGAIN
Emma, Avery, Katie, and I decided to treat ourselves to some Coffee Cue…AMAZINGNESS TODAY! I love the Iced Tea…GLORIOUS! It was so nice just to sit back and relax. ALTHOUGHT IT IS EXPENSIVE I DO THINK IT IS WORTH IT ;D
DUNBAR DINNER WELCOME TO UNIVERISTY OF GHANA
After the coffee cue I relaxed for a bit and took another nap. Then I got to shove my mouth FULL OF FOOD…GLORIOUS GLORIOUS SURPRISE INDEED! We had a buffet of Ghanaian food and a showcase of performances. Ciarra (ISEP girl) did a REMARKABLE POEM, Patrick (another ISEP) was the announcer, we had some step dancers, and CIEE do a dance, and then a Ghanaian tribal group performed singing, dancing, and drumming. WHICH WAS A SIGHT TO SEE! MY EYES WERE GLUED TO THEM HOPING I COULD REMEMBER THE MOMENTS FOREVER! The vivid clothing and the dynamic movements of the Ghanaians reminded me how lucky I was to be here. There were little breaks in between the performances where all the international students that felt like grovin’ danced to the music. It was fun to be silly and get to know some other international students. I want to immerce myself with Ghanaians but having an international student once in a while is nice.
Drinks with Renee
After the PLENTY OF FOOD, Katie, Emma, Brendan, Turner, Patrick, Avery, and I hit the best bar in town, Jerry’s, with A BIRTHDAY GIRL, Renee…who is the organizer of the organization I am going to volunteer for this semester Mavious Outreach Program. We got to kick back, have a beer, and just listen to music and talk with her and her two friends (one helped create this Mavious).
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