'I'm back in the USofA'

Gosh it's strange to be home. Following the sad news of my beloved and only Pop-pop's passing, I boarded a car to begin my 2 day trip home. After a brief breakdown at Kotoka airport in Accra(note: it is VERY unacceptable to cry in public in Ghana, and me having a meltdown at the British Airways counter got me a lot of stares, and a lot of sympathy), I somehow was able to get on a flight that day and ended up in London 8 hours later at Heathrow Int'l Airport. I got off the plane and saw my breath for the first time in 6 months, and realized that in my leggings, flip-flops, and cotton shirt, I was wayy underdressed. I also realized I wasn't in Africa anymore, there were white people EVERYWHERE! They weren't surprised to see me, but I was surprised to see them. I was once again a majority, however, I didn't quite fit in- with my African print shirt... Heathrow was fun, I stayed there for 4 hours, bought a Starbucks with the seven US dollars I had saved from Philly, and chatted with a nice girl who was on my plane from Ghana. My next flight was due to leave from Heathrow and land in Philadelphia 8 hours later. I didn't check any bags, so I had everything in my carry-ons. Thanks to the incident with the Detroit terrorist attempt, the security to enter the US right now is intense! Before they let us through the gate to get on the plane, they did a full search of our carry-ons, and I am now in need of tweezers. They confiscated the three I had in my make-up bag. And questioned me for having three pairs of tweezers. Brits are silly.
I arrived in Philly in the afternoon, and smiled as I handed my passport to the customs officer. Nothin like Philly hospitality,
Officer: "What was yous doin in Ghana fur 6 months?"
Me: "I'm in the Peace Corps."
Officer: "Yea, doin what?"
Me: "I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer, doing Business Development."
Officer: "Yea, 6 months thats a long time"
Me: "Yep..."

Oh, philly. :)

So, I got to eat mac n' cheese, take a hot shower, drink Dr. Pepper, drive, go to Wawa, drink coffee and not sweat, wear a jacket, drink milk, eat a cookie, watch a Christmas movie, have internet that's fast, see my family, say goodbye to my pop-pop, and soon I get to see my friends and eat a cheesesteak. But, the reason for this post, I was FINALLY able to post ALL my pictures online. Check them out: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1179332012/a=83695609_83695609/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

I'm home for another week and then it's back to Ghana. Can't wait!

It's a New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! Afihyia Paaaaa-oooo!!!!!!!!!
Sorry it's a couple weeks late, I've been away from the computer for a while. Hope your holiday was fun-filled and merry. Mine was, but in a bittersweet way. I was thinking on Christmas day, that this was a Christmas of firsts. The first Christmas I spent away from home, the first Christmas I spent away from family and friends, the first christmas I didn't bake cookies (or eat, for that matter), the first Christmas I didn't open any gifts, or buy any gifts, the first Christmas I went to the beach... and probably many more that I can't think of. But regardless of all that, I relaxed with close friends and had a nice day. New Years was also fun, about 20 volunteers gathered at a beach resort and we had a bonfire on the beach and lots of dancing. Good friends, good times, and good wine. I love living on the beach. :)

Apparently it is possible to catch a cold in 90+ degree weather, and not just any cold, the kind that knocks you off your feet for a whole week. Being sick here is always worse than being sick at home.

The Africa Cup of Nations started last night, and Ghana is in an excited state. Especially following the news that Togo, after being attacked with gunshots, will not be playing. Togo was to be Ghana's first match. I'm reeally trying hard to like football, since it's the only sport that matters here.

My puppy is no longer a puppy, she's a woman! Nala is in heat. It's not as gross as you'd think, but it's difficult. I took her out for a walk last night to the store to buy some rice, and halfway there I was picking up stones to throw at the pack of dogs trying to get to her. No more walks, I've decided.

That's all for now,
Love you and Miss you!

PS- CONGRATS to Linda!!!!! :)

Christmas is coming....

Well I've heard that there's snow on the ground in Jersey and more to come. All I can say is, at least it's always beach season here! Ahh, but I do like the thought of snow, the serenity in waking up and seeing everything covered in white and the sky that beautiful pink. The smell of wood burning and cookies baking, Christmas carols on the radio. Makes me smile. Currently I'm sleeping with blankets in an air conditioned room, so I can almost imagine feeling cold. I'm in Accra on medical leave for at least a week. I had a bug bite on my leg that went wild, and got a staph infection within 2 days, to the point that I could barely walk. So I called the Doctor and they rushed me in and sent me to a specialist. I went to bed after a dose of some VERY strong antibiotics and woke up feeling almost as good as new! They just want to keep me here to see if I'll be able to keep my leg. Hahahaha, just Kidding! It's healing nicely and I'm feeling better. PC takes GREAT care of us. So, no need to worry. I just have stupid skin. Always something goin wrong with it.

Last weekend I was able to go to a concert! It was real cheap, only like $2, and there were 6 performers. The headliner was Samini- he's currently the most popular African artist, and a winner of all kinds of awards. So for $2, I got to spend the night dancing to reggae and hip-life. Can't beat that!

I was planning on sending Christmas gifts or at least cards home, but it seems it's not gonna happen til next year. So sorry, I am still tryin to figure out how things work here.

I saw pictures from Nathan's birthday party, looked like a lot of fun. I can't believe he's 3!!! Wish I could've been there for him.

Thanks for the birthday packages! Ash I got yours, and I love you it was amazing. And Mom and Dad I got yours, also amazing! If you sent something to the address for Takoradi, it will probably be awhile before I get it, so I suggest just sending all mails to the Accra address.

That's it for now. I'm planning to go to Nkwanta for Christmas to hang out with some people up there. Should be a good one. Ok, love you.

Thanksgiving

Late Happy Thanksgiving to all!

So the US Ambassador to Ghana invited all PCV's in Ghana to his house for Thanksgiving. I and about 60 others went to Accra where he lives by the Embassy to eat his food and drink his wine. It was great! I was able to see all my friends that I haven't seen in about 3 months. We swapped stories and caught up, and noted on everyone's weight loss/weight gains. We swam in the pool, drank sangria, and ate plenty of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, SALAD, and finished off a great meal with pecan pie and pumpkin pie. It was really nice to relax and take our minds off missing home and family. After the Ambassador kicked us out, (he literally had to, because no one wanted to leave!) we went out for some football and margaritas at Champs. Surprisingly, the football game we were watching was actually 2 weeks old, but we didn't care. It was the Pats/Colts game. We were all able to stay for free that night, thanks to American families living near the embassy offering us their houses. The woman who hosted me was the Director of Voice of America for West Africa, and she was very sweet. I took a hot shower, and then cranked the air conditioner down to 70 degrees and cuddled up with blankets. Wow. It felt great. Air conditioning is really a cool thing. The next day I went home and decided to move my mattress outside to my porch to sleep. I set up my mosquito net so I have a little camp site goin on. It is by far the best idea I've had since coming to Ghana. I sleep so well now. :)

I've been heading down to the beach a lot, hangin out with friends, and overall just really been enjoying myself. It's hard to believe I've been here 6 months already. 2 years is gonna fly right on by.

I got a tattoo on my right leg just above my ankle. I'd post pics of it but I can't find the USB cord for my camera, so I'll just paste the link to what I got. It's a traditional African Adinkra symbol called Funtunfunefu Denkyemfunefu, which literally means 'Siamese Crocodiles'. It represents unity in diversity. It hurt, but I really like it. http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra/funt.htm

OK, that's all for now. I'm gonna go eat some fufu for lunch. Love you and miss you all.

Quick Update!

"Yooo Chalay!! How be it??!!!" ( That's my new ghanaian slang for wats up friend)

I have been busy, and otherwise complacent so sorry for not writing in a while. I celebrated my first birthday in Ghana! 24( jeez im getting old!), and it was a good one. My nearest PCV neighbor came and spent a few days with me, and we went out and bought some new crazy clothes and jewelry for my birthday/halloween celebration. No one in Ghana celebrates Halloween, so they just thought we were weird all dressed up, but it was fun. My new and very cool friend took us out around town, and we started out the night at a 'rasta' bar and drank some palm wine and danced. It's a chill little hangout, very well hidden, and the whole place is made out of bamboo. It's one of my favorite places to go here. Next we went to a Lebanese owned pool bar(like billiards, not swimming pool), and it has air conditioning. (very exciting to us). From there we went to a sports bar called Champps, kinda like the one at home, in hopes of catching some of the world series. No luck, but there was karaoke and lots of crazy dancing. I was still wanting to see some Phillies, though, so we went to another place that they call a casino (I think theres a slot machine, and pool tables), and after a lot of convincing, I got them to show the world series. I was the only one interested, but it was fun! Who'da thought I'd be watching the Phillies play in the world series in a casino in Ghana??? My life is crazy. And it was a great birthday. Minus the fact that they lost.

So I've been busy at work, going out into some of the communities we are working with. I have been helping with the trainings, teaching record keeping, crisis management, and conflict resolution so far. I have a translator at each of the meetings, so I don't really know, but I assume they are doing a good job translating. I've also been making some new friends and hanging out a bit more.

I received Dom's birth announcement last week, so I'm guessing it will be some time before I get my birthday cards, but no worries. They'll come when they come, if they come at all. I hope all is well at home. Bummer to hear bout the Phils, but I must say I'm glad I got to be home when they won last year. I miss you and love you.

"Byebye yooooo" :)

On the subject of Friendship...

I like to think that I have made some friends here. Ghanaians are very friendly, and go out of their way to say hello. But yesterday I had a very upsetting experience. I have a friend, let's call him Nana Kojo, and he is one of the few people here I feel somewhat normal around. We were having a conversation yesterday, and he started bringing up how he wants me to help him. By this he means, help him get to America. Apparently, someone from America came to Ghana, and married a Ghanaian to get them into America, then divorced them. But the visa was good, and now that person is now living it up in America. Well, that American was evil, because now every Ghanaian believes that all Americans owe this to them. For two hours I argued with him that I was NOT going to marry him, and that I would like to help him, but it will not be with my ring finger. He was angry, and confused, as to why I wouldn't do him this small small favor, since he was willing to pay for all of it, and said that I was not his friend if I do not want to help him. I countered, that marriage, even if done strictly as a business matter, is not small small, and I do not have to take him back to America with me to be a good friend. I explained that if and when I marry someone, it will be someone I love, and that I do not want to be divorced. Now it's not like I haven't been proposed to before, I'd say I've racked up well over 200 marriage proposals, from men AND women. But that my intelligent, young friend, was willing to sit in my house and argue with me about it for two hours is very upsetting. I asked him why he wanted to go to America, when he has a good job in Ghana. He said America is where he can get rich, even if it is by mopping floors. I also suggested that instead of leaving his country, why not stay and help build Ghana into the country he wants it to be? He kept repeating the phrase 'there are many ways to kill a goat', and I'm still not sure if he was referring to the many ways to go about getting him to America, or a threat of the many ways of killing my dog, Nala. It makes me wonder if I will ever be able to develop a completely genuine friendship with anyone here; one where they are not expecting something in return. Sad.

Word Pictures...

Since I can't find a way to post my pictures, I figured I'd try to descibe in words the scenery here. I recently traveled to the Eastern Region to visit a friend. It's easy to forget how beautiful the country is outside of the cities. Traveling in Ghana sucks, but it is a visually rewarding experience. Here is the romantic version of my 10 hour trip:

Red dirt roads flanked on either side by pink hibiscus trees and bushes dotted with yellow, purple, and magenta flowers lead you out of town. Palm trees full of coconuts and the magical fan trees guide you through a tropical paradise. Dense rainforests full of lush green ferns, thick palms, and rolling hills of bush hide an unknown world. Pass along the coast and smell the salty air, and white sand beaches with leaning palms on the rocky coastline. Brightly painted fishing boats bob in the lagoons in rhythm with the swells, waves crash on the beach. Soon the forests thin and the land flattens, resembling a savanna. Rocky plateaus emerge on either side, reminiscent of Pride Rock, overlooking a vast valley, with tall grasses swaying in the wind and scattered trees. Eventually the tall, green mountains, can be seen in the distance. Winding roads scale the sides, and looking down below only the umbrella trees and massive timber trees reaching to heaven can be seen. They appear to be guarding their mountains, for hundreds of years, demanding awe and respect. Mango trees dot the horizon, with fruit hanging from the branches. Blue skies give way to twinkling stars.
The beauty of this place far exceeds that of any other I've seen.
And I've only seen the southern half, can't wait to go north to the desert!