Arrival

Just arrived in Humjibre a couple of hours ago after about an 8 hr tro tro ride. If any of you don't know what a tro tro is it is basically how it sounds.. An old busted kinda broken down van which has absolutely no shock absorbency and of course no air conditioning. We left the hostel in Accra at approximately 4:30 am.. Didn't have a chance to take a shower. Well actually I decided against taking a shower, even though it would be my last contact with running water because I couldn't fathom using the bathroom at the Salvation Army Hostel. As I mentioned in my last post, the room in which we were staying had 6 twin beds and only cost 6 Ghanaian Cedis so about $4 American dollars. There was one bathroom for the entire hostel to share.. which strangely enough was accommodating about 50 "little people" who were competing in the dwarf world cup or something like that. So when I went to wash my face in the morning and a midget (for lack of better word) came in and started peeing in the urinal next to the sink.. I decided that I'd had quite enough. Nothing against little people, I would have reacted the same way if it were any Man. But when in Africa..

As I'm writing this little boys keep peering in through the window of our bedroom. Boys will be Boys. The little girls are all so sweet and kind. They just hang onto me and hug me and tell me I am beautiful to which I reply, "no, YOU are beautiful.. and they just smile and laugh". It is not hard to make a Ghanaian laugh. The boys are too shy to approach me but as soon as I pull out a camera they all ham it up! Especially the little girls.. They start posing and trying to get in front and then grab at the camera to see themselves saying, "That's me! That's me!"

We have a cook who comes to make us lunch and dinner, her name is Fastina. Today we had rice balls with some sort of peanut based tomato sauce which was pretty good. I hear goats from my window and roosters.( Is that right, plural of goat is goats?? ) But anyway, I'm told it isn't really a goat it is actually a sheep which confuses me... Eh..

I have a feeling this will be a long post. So back to what I was saying before.. We left Accra about 4:30 am and to my surprise Ghana was already awake! Wide awake! Not that dazed 8 am caffeine crazed clutching coffee cup awake that New Yorkers have.. I mean like up, energized and been hustling for hours awake. Before the Sun came up the whole city was moving.. Pulsating with the energy to get things done. Carrying all sorts of things on their head!! I have to say I am amazed by this.. But more on that later.


-- Post From My iPhone