Must post before the internet runs away...again

Woooo so the internet in my house goes out all the time, hence the long post after four days!

Things are really good so far. We've been waking up early for orientation, going to lectures and on little excursions all throughout the day, then staying up late hanging out and making friends (and yes, I am making friends--yayyy)! It's an insane schedule, but only for a bit longer.

Our first day was started by a staff intro and then a delicious lunch at this really awesome Ghanian restaurant. We had traditional West African food, which consisted of fufu (apparently it can be many things, but this time was rice that is pounded into balls and soaked in water or something like that), peanut soup (but it had chicken in it, so I didn't try it), a really good spinach thing that I don't remember the name of, fermented corn balls, and an eggplant fish thing. There may have been some other things, and I know they told us the names, but my memory has apparently lost all of them but fufu. We also had fruit juice.

We drink fruit juice about eight times a day here (maybe not eight). You should know that the fruit juice here is incredible for two reasons: 1. the juice is more exotic (pineapple and coconut, guava, mango, and pear are just a few of the common ones) and 2. the fruit here is to die for. My mouth is watering just thinking about the fruit. The mango is...I have no words. The pineapple doesn't even taste like a pineapple from home. It's almost entirely white and sweet and juicy. The fruit is probably my favorite food so far.

So anyways, the food was fantastic. I got to sit next to the director of our program, Auntie Akosua (in Ghana, you refer to elders by Auntie or Uncle, and peers by Brother or Sister). I got to talk to her about her past and how she ended up at NYU in Ghana. She got to ask me my opinions of the health care battle back home and of Obama's performance so far this year.

Speaking of Obama, he is everywhere. On the streets, there are signs everywhere with President John Atta Mills of Ghana and President Obama, with the words "Akwaaba" (welcome) on them. People on the street walk up to cars to sell random things, such as little American flags with Obama's face on them (they also sell plantain chips and little bags of water--all of which is in huge baskets balanced on their heads). But the best Obama thing I saw was the new Obama Hotel. Yes, a hotel was renamed after Barack Obama. It is amazing.

Tuesday, we had a lecture introducing us to Accra. The talk was given by Professor Nat Amarteifio, an NYU professor and former mayor of Accra. I had seen him when I was here in March, and for the second time, he was incredible. He's teaching a class this semester called Global Connections: Accra, that I really want to switch into now. He gave a basic run down on the history of Ghana. Then, we all piled onto a coach bus and got a tour of Accra.

Accra is really interesting. It's insanely diverse and one section kind of runs into the next. The part that we are staying in is a very wealthy part. The houses are huge and people drive really nice cars. When driving through it, you suddenly get to Jamestown, an old area of Accra where a lot of original buildings from colonial times are still standing. In general, the area is unsafe and really poor. It was easy to see that when driving through (again, on a coach bus--makes us really fit in).

Professor N took us to an old fort where slaves were kept before being shipped across the Ocean. It was a really strange excursion. The fort that we were going into has actually become a house for people, so we were literally going into their houses. There were some children wandering around a big open area in the middle, and lots of adults around the sides. The children smiled at us and told us we were beautiful when we were leaving. The adults just stared. It was pretty uncomfortable, because their stares were most certainly not welcoming. We completely understood--we were entering their homes. It was still strange though.

All in all, it was a pretty incredible trip. Professor N is teaching a class that I'm taking this semester, called Global Connections: Accra. Apparently, we get to go on lots of similar trips all around the city. I'm pumpedddd.

Other crazy things that we have done so far:
- Taken our first intensive Twi class. I suck at it, but I'm trying really hard! Word I use the most: pronounced ma-da-si (thank you). I have no idea how to spell it.
- Gone to the University of Ghana, Legon to register for classes. It is a little insane there. There are 30,000 students and the organization is pretty non-existent. I found it interesting and funny, but some people were getting pretty frustrated. They keep telling us to practice the number one rule in Ghana: be patient (only slightly different from New York...right).
- Learned about cultural dos and don'ts. Some key don'ts: don't use your left hand...for basically anything, don't cross your legs in the presence of a traditional ruler, don't ask anyone to go to eat with you unless you intend to pay for them, and don't be offended if you are proposed to (in most cases).

Tomorrow we get to go to visit traditional coffin makers and shops! But for now, maadwo (goodnight)! Love to all!