It Takes Two: Twins Edition

Adventures with my sister, Mollie Rappe (who is 3 years older than me and is currently getting her PH. D, at Johns Hopkins NO BIG DEAL ☺).

So, while I was traveling Ghana with this girl that looks like me (my sister, Mollie), we were asked by EVERYONE if we were twins. This is why I picked “It Takes Two: Twins Edition.   Mollie and I are four years apart and have gone through stages where we look VERY similar and then other stages where we look COMPLETELY different.  To many Ghanaians we are alike.  This made Mollie and I laugh through out the ENTIRE adventure of her 6 days in Ghana.

My sister’s favorite Ghanaian song is “I Love My Life” by DeMarco…I recommend you tubing it.  It has similar lyrics to OneRepublic’s “Good Life” (which I adore…twins much?).

Our wonderful adventure truly made me LOVE MY LIFE.  Thank you Mollie for coming to visit.    I ate more than I ever have in the past three months…GLORIOUS!  She also picked up Twi VERY FAST.  She practically knew everything I knew by the end.  She was very friendly to ALL the Ghanaians I met.

Friday April 13 (I did not realize it was bad luck until now):

Airport pick up
So my whole day was focused on making sure I got to the airport on time to pick up my older (but littler) sister.  I went to the airport by taxi and wait anxiously for an hour and a half.  When I saw my sister come out of the security area, I sprinted towards her hugging her contently.  Boy do I love my sister.  It was so great to see someone I knew from before this experience.  She was very jittery as well.  Her smile was from ear to ear, happy that she made it to the continent of AFRICA.  We got a taxi back to ISH, I checked her in and then we made it all the way up to the fourth floor (where I live).  She unpacked and showed me the glory of her luggage…food, toilet paper, a tent and tarp, and donations for MOP…what more could a girl need.  Thank you Mollie and Carla (Mom) for getting all of this together. It was AMAZING to receive all these glorious gifts.

Guest House Haven
After this cheerful exchange my sister and I journeyed over to the Guest Center at the University of Ghana.  Where we checked in and then savored some fabulous A/C.  We were hungry and had a pineapple banana fruit salad and then some Ghanaian fried rice and chicken…SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD ☺  I hadn’t had chicken since this last Easter Sunday.  I be LOVIN’ MEAT!  I think my sister was a little startled how I dominated that food…but hey sometimes you got to eat A LOT.  I happily dozed off knowing my sister was by my side.  She did not have the most successful sleep…but it was better than my first night here.
Saturday April 14
We woke up and ate a huge breakfast at the guest center…of eggs, toast, tea, and oats.  YUMMY!  And we started Mollie’s first day in Ghana.

Money Exchange: MOLLIE’S FIRST TRO-TRO RIDE
Mollie was up for a tro-tro ride (mini-buses that cram A LOT OF PEOPLE in a small space).  So we walked down to the bus station near my dorm and caught a tro-tro to the Accra Mall.  We went inside and waited a half hour for the exchange place to open (which was suppose to open at 9, we showed up at 9:30, and it did not open up until 10:00, WHAT A TIA MOMENT…perfect for my sister to experience).  We then caught a tro-tro back.  My sister thought they were very similar to the min-buses used in Turkey so it was not hard for her to adjust to.  SHE WAS SUCH A TROOPER!

Susan’s Wedding
We then prepared for Miss (now Mrs.) Susana’s Wedding.  My sister, on her first day her, got to experience a Ghanaian Wedding. ☺  She threw on a dress she made in junior high…and it still fit her…crazy.  And I put on the dress that Susana’s seamstress made.  It was BEAUTIFUL.  Emma, Katie, and I got our dresses made from her.  I AM SO PROUD OF MY CUSTOM MADE DRESS AND GHANAIAN FABRIC!  We hopped on a bus that ISEP provided for the wedding.  We made it to the church and enter.  It was beautiful.  Her color plan is orange, brown, and white.  The decorations were fabulous!  Susana looked BEAUTIFUL IN HER DRESS.  She lit up the ENTIRE ROOM!  As an amazing person that she is, this wedding was fitting, PERFECT.  There was music, singing, sermon, and all the other wedding traditions.  Then, at the reception, there was CAKE!  It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  I think everyone from ISEP enjoyed themselves.  Thank you Susana…SO MUCH FOR INVITING US TO THE WEDDING!  It was fabulous!

Indian Food Galore
After a glorious wedding, my sister, some of the ISEP peeps, and I went to Heritage the amazing and FABULOUS Indian restaurant.  We ate until we could not eat any more.  ☺  The butter chicken, basimati rice, and naan was to DIE FOR!  Although it was not Ghanaian…Indian food always is worth going for…no matter who is in town!  My sister and I happily fell asleep at the Guest Center excited for the next day of traveling.

Sunday April 15
Cape Coast Bound
So, my sister (Mollie), Katie, her boyfriend (Jamie), and I set off for Cape Coast early in the morning.  We took a tro tro to Kanishie where we found an air-conditioned van to Cape Coast.  It was a fairly easy process because we really lucked out in finding the van right away (it usually does not happen so easily…usually I search for a little while through the chaos of a tro tro station).  This van zipped on through and got us to Cape Coast in 2 hours.  SOOOO USUALLY IT TAKES 3 to 5 hours…and this guy made it in 2…Jamie and Mollie received a HUGE TREAT!

Sea lunch
We decided to have a lunch by Cape Coast Castle, right along the ocean.  While we were enjoying our meal, a little boy was walking along the beach and put an old palm tree log up.  He climbed up the log and did a flip off of it.  Of course the Americans that we are, we applauded loudly and cheered for him.  He ate this up like there was no tomorrow.  He then told us to watch and he did several flip tricks and disappeared.  Several minutes later, he reappeared with several of his friends.  They performed for a little while showing their gymnastics moves.  Now what they did took me YEARS TO DO…and they did it with ease on a beach.  They were adorable and a fantastic show.  I talked to them afterwards to double check they were still going to school…because as a future teacher…that is VERY IMPORTANT! ☺

Elmina Castle
We hopped into a taxi and went to a nearby city to see the first castle EVER BUILT in West Africa.  It was spectacular!  It was fun to explore something that created history with my sister.  The view of the city was wonderful and made me feel like a bird over the whole of Ghana.

Crocodile Dinner
We then caught a tro tro to a botel that was right next to a crocodile pond.  While on this tro tro we were asked for the first time if my sister and I were twins…HOW CUTE! ☺  We ate a lunch while watching the crocodiles laze around under the sun.  After our meal we ran into a lady that feeds the crocodiles.  She said we could touch the baby crocodile.  I thought…NO WAY!  But we did….besides my sister.  By the time my sister came to touch the crocodile it had moved into the water.  The crocodile lady was convinced to have my sister touch one that we went over to the HUGE crocodile.  This was probably the biggest crocodile I have ever seen.  My sister approached it and touched it.  I was shouting nervously the entire time convinced she would get attacked and we would end up in the hospital…but she was fine.  So in the end all four of us touched a wild crocodile. ☺

Kakum night
After that, we got a taxi to Kakum National Park, where we stayed the night.  My sister and I brought a tent (she brought it all the way from America) so we could go camping in the forest.  It turns out that it is more expensive to camp then stay in the hotel…ODD!  So we decided to stay in the hotel since my sister was experiencing some Ghana tummy.  We sat outside while the darkness took over us.  We saw tropical lightening bugs and the forest sounds encircled us.  We slept in the tropical heat, getting ready for an adventurous next day.

Monday April 16
Canopy Walk- one of four in the world…and the ONLY IN AFRICA
We woke up and chomped down on a granola bar. We then voyaged up to the National Park area where the canopy walk was.  We waited for an hour while the guide prepared for the tour.  We then hiked up to the site.  Katie and I had already been there once with ISEP, but this canopy walk is sometime I could do daily!  IT IS BREATH TAKING!  My sister and I climbed on through gasping at the sights the entire way.  My sister constantly said, “I am in the rain forest!” She indeed was.    I did not want the canopy walk to end…it was too BEAUTIFUL TO END!

Mrs. Doolittle: Monkey Forest Resort
After the breath-taking walk we stopped on by a monkey reserve.  This reserve is run by a Dutch couple who take care of animals that are hurt or injured until they are ready to go back into the wild.  The animals were adorable.  There were several species of cats, an antelope, an anaconda, many species of monkeys, turtles, crocodile babies, and a beautiful view at the top of the reserve.  The couple was very friendly and it made me hopeful for the future wildlife in the central region of Ghana.

Krokobite
After this cute animal experience, we took the same taxi ALL the way to Krokobite.  He met us at the crocodile botel and was our driver the entire way.  He was very friendly and nice.  He enjoyed my Twi, but was not afraid to take advantage of the price to get everywhere.  We had a blissful ride and savored the carefree breeze.  When we finally made it Krokobite, we ate at the FAMOUS Italian restaurant.  I had an ENTIRE pizza to my self…hehehehehehehe.  We then moved over to Big Milly’s where my sister and I booked a reservation.  Their conditions were HORRIBLE for the dorms…so we headed back to the Italian place for the night.  Their accommodations and food are BY FAR THE BEST I HAVE HAD IN AFRICA!  The owners were very friendly…and they also made amazing smoothies. :D  My sister and I explored the beach and had a relaxing night reading and sleeping.

Tuesday April 17
Rain Adventures
The next morning my sister and I ate at Big Milly’s because the Italian restaurant was closed for the day.  After a big meal of pancakes and oatmeal, my sister and I decided to walk along the beach.  Little did we know, a storm was coming.  This storm pushed us into a little shop where we talked to the owners for a little while.  It got so bad that we went to their “house” (a not finished house).  After talking with them for an hour we decided we should probably go to Big Milly’s and get some hot chocolate (Milo, Ghanaian hot chocolate)…this was indeed the start of the rainy season.  This was the first time I was genuinely cold.  My sister spent an hour sipping hot coco and smiling…ohhhh Africa.  We watched about 6 children play in the lake of rain…it reminded me of the blissfulness of childhood.  The beach changed colors throughout the morning, from bright blue, to gray, to brown and dark blue.  Oh the beach…it changes so much.  There were peace corps volunteers that just got evacuated from Mali there.  I was able to chat with them and ask any questions I had.  They really helped me decide…I will apply for the Peace Corps. ☺  Then, the rain stopped and my sister and I headed back to the Italian place.  We packed up and caught a tro tro back to Accra.

Travel Back to Accra: coconuts and ALL
The tro tro took a very different way back to Accra.  We followed to coast for about an hour.  We saw a truck stuck in the mud and smelled the freshness of rain in Ghana. ☺  We got dropped at Kinishe and pushed on through the market…stepping in very gross mud along the way.  Who knows what was in this mud that smelled like poo.  We got a coconut for my sister to try…and SHE LOVED IT! ☺ And got a tro tro that dropped us at the university.  Along the way, several people asked us if we were twins…nope just sisters.

Dinner and Savanna Dry ☺
We went to ISH and repacked for another night at Guest Services.  While we passed the night market, we were asked if we were twins by two little girls…maybe we are twins?  We picked up Savanna Dries (Ghanaian hard cider) and ate a fruitful meal at Guest Services.   It was a very wonderful meal and sadly the last night with my sister.  I savored every moment in the A/C…knowing my next time is in 6 weeks.

Wednesday April 18
Durbar Breakfast
My sister and I woke up knowing…this was her last day in Ghana…sad bear ☹…but luckily there was a conference at the guest center so her and I had a buffet breakfast…FREE ☺ Yum Yum Yum.  She even got to try the local coco (a grounded cassava porridge).

Medina Market
We hopped on a tro tro and went to the closest market.  We got fabric, chocolate, and a necklace for my sister.  I think she enjoyed the hectic vibes of Medina…it is always intense.

MOP: Hot Potato, Flute Lesson and Gift Giving
After our market trip, we hopped on over to MOP and spent two hours there.  We played hot potato, which the kids LOVED!  My sister enjoyed interacting with these ADORABLE KIDS.  Then, Mollie gave the class a flute lesson and taught them how to blow into a flute…ADORABLE!  They were so focused and serious about it.  And then, my sister and I gave a gift to almost everyone (the other people got candy) and they showed it off with pride.  These kids have made my experience in Africa…the best experience of my life and showing my sister this was the BEST!

Fly away home
Then, I took my sister to the airport…sad and down that she was leaving.  I only get to see her 10 days out of the year…so each moment is VERY special!


Food and Drinks She Tried:
Tiger Nuts (they taste like a mix between almonds and coconuts)
Red-Red (fried plantains and bean stew, the sauce in the stew is from palm oil)
Chicken and fried rice with shito (spicey sauce)
Many different glace bottled sodas
Blue Sky (the BEST DRINK IN GHANA, fresh pineapple and other fruit juices…better than naked juice!)
Pineapple, banana, and coconut freshly blended smoothie (we cut up the fruit and blended it together)
Plantain Chips (fried plantain cut just like potato chips)
Fandango (Bagged fruit juice)
FanYogo (Bagged yogurt)
Groundnut Soup with rice (like peanut soup)
Bean stew and gari (gari is grounded cassava)
Coco (gari porridge)
Milo (Ghanaian hot chocolate)
Ghanaian Chocolate
Savanna Dry (Ghanaian Hard Cider)
(I may have forgotten some…sorry Mollie)

After my sister left…I went on a bit of an adventure…this IS NOT RECOMMENDED BY ANY MEANS!  I got over charged (30 CD) for a taxi and was really angry…so I turned away from the driver and went down to the first bus stop.  The only problem with this was…it was indeed crunch time (aka rush hour) so getting any transportation was rare.  Then, I decided to go to the next bus stop…and it was super busy there as well…and then the next as well.  So then I realized…every bus stop is going to be too crazy…I might as well walk home…as a girl…by myself…at dark….YA THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA…WHAT WAS I THINKING?  Well, I made it back in one piece and did not have anything stolen from me.  I, in fact, made friends with 3 different Ghanaian guys that gave me their numbers and proposed to me…even though I told them I had a boy friend back home…BAHAHAHAHAHAHA…it is really funny when 3 different people do the same thing within 10 minutes of meeting another person.  At one point…I was about to cross a very busy street and I turned to the guy next to me and said, “We are not going to be able to cross…are we?” And he said, “We will make it happen.”  Ya this is a BAD SIGN…NEVER FOLLOW SOMEONE THAT SAYS THAT! Well, we did cross…but we almost got hit by a car that was rushing at us. It was beautiful once we got to the other side because we turned to each other and just laughed our butts off…we may not come from the same country or speak each other’s languages well…but every human has a connection…one way or another.  I may have been down after saying good-bye to my sister…but Ghanaian brought me up: with their spirit and unique behaviors.  Thank you Ghana for a wonderful…and never dull experience…thus far.