You sit and watch TV. It will be just like you are in New York!

Last week was not quite as lovely as some of the ones that preceded it. I was sick for two days, I had two papers due, and there was a robbery in the middle of the night in my friends' bedroom while they were sleeping in the room.

Needless to say, I was pretty ready for a break from life here. Since I can't exactly hop a train and go home for a weekend like when I'm in NY, I was incredibly thankful for the opportunity to do a home-stay this weekend. Home-stays offer us the chance to get to hang with a REAL Ghanian family. We were warned that life might not be as comfortable as it is here, but we were promised some necessities (a bed, running water, etc.). We were told that we should try to immerse ourselves in the experience--demand to help with chores and cooking, try to learn some new phrases, go out and meet people, etc. While I knew it might be an awkward or slightly trying experience, I also knew it could be a great way to learn more about the culture and a much-needed escape.

And what an escape it was.

I was assigned to a family with another girl in my program named Bianca. I didn't know her very well, so I was excited to get to hang out a little bit. We got picked up Friday afternoon and taken to the office where we would meet our family. While we were waiting, we made friends with a guy who said he was sad that none of the boys in our program decided to do the homestay. His wife is from the UK and is currently traveling, so he wanted a guy to keep him company. He had apparently thought that he was getting a student for the weekend, so he serviced his car and killed a cow. Sadly, none of the guys followed through with the trip. We called one of the guys to let him know what he was missing out on, and he promised to do the next home-stay. Talking to this guy in the office made us wonder what we were getting into--I certainly hoped no one had killed a cow to welcome my vegetarian mouth.

We got picked up about a half hour later by a lady named Nepare. She reminded me a little of my mom--sweet, outgoing, talkative, welcoming, just quintessentially mom-like. She had a different personality, but it was comforting to be with a motherly-figure. She lives with her husband and has three children, but the oldest just started school in the US and the two younger ones are at boarding schools in Accra. I was a little disappointed not to be with kids for the weekend, but we talked to her two daughters on the phone and skyped with her son in the US. 

The drive to her house (driven by her chauffeur) took a couple of hours because of the distance and because of traffic. She lives on the outskirts of Accra up a long, bumpy dirt road. We ended up at a beautiful white house called "Mount Pleasant." The house has a porch on the outside and overlooks the entire city of Accra. The views were absolutely amazing. At night, the lights just sparkle, and during the day, you can see miles. It was amazing (pics below).

The inside of the house is gorgeous too. Although we had been warned not to let them treat us too much like guests, we didn't really know how not to. We were given cokes, directed to relax on leather couches, and given a remote control. We got to watch some TV that we were used, like MTV. We met Nepare's husband, our dad for the weekend. He's an adorable man. Nepare and Josephine, a girl who helps with the cooking and cleaning, made us a delicious dinner of rice, a concoction of tuna and vegetables, and plantains. We skyped with their son, relaxed some more, and went to bed.

In the morning, we were going to go to a wedding with Nepare. She works as a judge in Accra, so she had to go to work for a few hours early in the morning before we could go. Unfortunately, Bianca got a call from her around 9:30 (we were going to leave at 10) saying that she had been in a car accident on her way to work and was trying to sort it all out before going to the wedding. It was just a fender bender, and everyone was fine. We were told to enjoy our breakfast and relax some more, and she would be home in a while.

After a delicious and massive breakfast, Bianca and I decided to walk down the dirt road and explore a bit. We didn't really find much in the way of shops, but we did notice some interesting differences from the area that we live in. For one thing, there are really cute baby goats all over where we were staying. They're about the size of a small dog and just the cutest thing you've ever seen. Also, while Nepare's family seems quite well-off, a lot of the people working in the shops seem to be in a very different socio-economic class. Nepare explained to us today that their area is still developing. She said that a lot of families that move to Accra end up moving into houses that are in the process of being built (so they are basically concrete shells). They don't pay rent to stay there, but it gives them a home and gives the builders some security that no one is going to steal their building materials. When the houses are finished, there are sometimes issues with the families not wanting to leave, but sometimes they just move on to another location. Anyway, another random observation is that people there were not as obsessed with Obrunis. We talked to a few of the locals and waved to all the children, but people were not running up and grabbing us, or rambling in other languages to us. It was a welcome change, but very strange.

After a wonderful little walk, Bianca and I headed back to hang out at the house. We ate some lunch (again, served right to us--so nice!) and then just rested. I spent the afternoon on the porch, looking at the scenery and reading a book. It was rejuvenating and absolutely perfect. 

Around 4, our hose parents made it back. They wanted to go to the end of the wedding reception, so we got changed into some decent clothes and piled into the car. After a quick drive, we got to the wedding. Saturday was the Christian service, not the traditional one. Since we were getting to the reception several hours late, they were just cutting the cake when we got there. The bride and groom looked beautiful and the venue was gorgeous. Everything was in gold and maroon. The cake-cutting and toast very similar to an American wedding, except the people were louder, the colors were brighter, and people were constantly dancing around. Before the toast, they opened about 6 bottles of champagne in front of everyone. The guys opening the bottles kept spraying the champagne into the air and on the floor while jumping around. After the toast, we all got to eat cake! Rum raisin...mmmmm. Then there was the procession out of the venue, and it was fantastic. Everyone stood in line to shake the hands of the bride, groom, and their families. But everyone wasn't really standing--they were dancing. The entire time the line was going, they were dancing dancing dancing. And rule number one of dancing in Africa: there are no rules. It was wonderful.

Saturday night was pretty quiet after that. On Sunday, our host family took us to Bojo beach, which is about 10 minutes from their house. We hadn't brought our bathing suits, so we just sat and relaxed for a bit. There's a little river that you have to cross on a boat to get to the beach right by the ocean, but we just stayed on the river side. It was more time to just relax and admire the beauty of Ghana.

And so ended my wondrous weekend. It was not what I probably would have asked for from a home-stay weekend, and certainly not what I would have expected, but it was absolutely glorious and just what I needed.

View of Accra from my porch at the home-stay.

Bride and groom at the wedding

Pretty little girls at the wedding.

Bianca, Nepare (my host mom) and me at the wedding

Fishing boats at Bojo beach.

Vacation, wish it would never end

We had our first weekend trip this past weekend! We left wayyy too early on Saturday morning (6:30 departure!!!) and traveled three hours to the Coconut Grove Beach Resort, which is a real beach resort. It's absolutely the most beautiful place I have ever stayed. There are palm trees, a wondrous breeze, little lizards that run around on the ground, white sand...ah. It was glorious.

Our welcome to Cape Coast was a delicious brunch. There were these amazing rolls with real jam and little croissants with chocolate fillings and omelets and beans and fresh fruit. And it was a buffet! So I got to go back about a zillion times for more. Delicious.

After brunch, we got herded back into our coach us and were driven into Elmina. I hate the bus. It's not that it is uncomfortable, but it makes us stand out like sore thumbs, as if we don't already. People just stare and point. Oh well. I love Elmina though. It's more what I thought Accra would be like the first time I came here. It's a little fishing city. All the buildings are close together and bright colors like yellows, pinks, and reds. People are everywhere and so are animals (chickens, dogs, goats, etc.). We drove past canals with a million fishing boats that are all painted bright colors too. They are beautiful.

We arrived after a little while at Elmina Castle, one of the major ports of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. We had a tour of the Castle. I had been there the last time I was here, and I remembered it so vividly. It's hard to put into words what it is like being there: incredible but absolutely terrible. It's unreal to be in the dungeons, to smell the awful scent and imagine there being three hundred more people in that single room, to see the well where the female who was chosen by the mayor would be publicly washed then snuck up a trap door to his bedroom, to be closed into a cell where belligerent slaves would be left to die, to be in the "room of no return" and see the three foot tall door through which the slaves would leave Africa forever. It's awful. It's amazing. Terrible. Like I said, no words can really capture it.

After that intense morning, we left and went to grab a quick snack. The restaurant that we were stopping at was built on stilts over a pond full of CROCODILES. Weeeeeeeeee. It was so cool! We were literally 10 feet away from them. I got some sweet pictures. It was so cool! It was one of those stereotypical "Oh goodness I'm in Africa! WITH CROCODILES!" moments. Glorious.

Then we continued out to Kakum National Park. We had a little 30 minute hike that actually was about 15 minutes, and we arrived at the renowned canopy walk. I say that it is renowned because it is one of those ways that NYU sells going to Ghana. There are pictures of people on it all over the NYU in Ghana literature. Basically, you walk on these bridges made of wood boards with rope netting on the side of you between the trees. The catch is that you are up ABOVE most of the trees, so so so high up! You are only even with the tallest trees. The bridges wobble in the wind and the ropes only come up to my elbows (most people's chests or shoulders). We got to see the absolute most amazing views in the entire world. I wish I could just go sit or lie down on the platforms on the trees for hours. It's thrilling, being so high, and it's just so gorgeous. Ahhh I want to do it again. If anyone ends up visiting me, we have to go (hint hint).

After the canopy walk, we went back to the beach resort and a bunch of us went swimming. Then we had a delicious dinner, that included some sort of seafood soup WITH CRABS. I was so excited. One of the waitresses took my bowl when I wasn't quite done, so I had to go back for more. And we had cheesecake for dessert! Ahh it could not have been better. We got to try some palm wine (which I don't even know how to describe--I think it tastes bitter? Maybe?). It's a very distinct taste. Some people loved it, some hated it. I wasn't really on either side for the night. The resort had made us a bonfire on the beach too, so we just hung around and waded in the water. One girl, Daniella, was holding a soda bottle and got knocked over by a particularly rough wave (the water was reallllly intense the whole time). She ended up falling and catching herself with the hand that was holding the soda bottle on a rock. Basically, she cut herself pretty deeply and had to go to the hospital for stitches. She's probably the sweetest person alive, so she was a really good sport about it. The rest of us made sand-castles and sand-cities for a long time, then went to bed pretty early. Sadly, another hospital visit happened that night because one of the guys, Joe, got really sick. He was a little better by the time we had to leave on Sunday, but we all felt bad that he was so sick. We seem to have had a lot more hospital visits the past few weeks with people being sick :-( Cross your fingers for us all!

Sunday, we woke up, ate wayyy more than we probably should have at the brunch buffet and went swimming. We waded in the ocean--the Atlantic Ocean, but the East Coast of it--crazy, right? But we couldn't go swimming because it was way too rough. We went swimming in the pool for a few hours before packing up to come home! We all wanted to stay longer.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. Now, back to the real world...of Ghana?

Crazy picture Alex took with my camera on the canopy walk.

Me on the canopy walk.
You can see how high the ropes were! That long horizontal line--that's the bridge we were walking on.
CROCODILE!
Fishing boats in Elmina.
Bats in the Castle.
Elmina. It's so beautiful, but it was really foggy out.
Elmina Slave Castle (the outside).

White Ghanians.

Eeeks, I need to post more often! Lots has happened this week so far. Take a deep breath--this is a longgg post.

Sunday we had our cooking class with the CRAs. I was being taught by Debbie, who is probably the sweetest person in the world. She taught us how to make red-red, which is beans and plantains. It's probably my favorite dish here in Ghana. One thing we realized about the food is that it is all made with a TON of oil. It's not vegetable or olive oil either, it's called palm oil and it's bright red. I think that's one of the reasons that the food here is so hard for all of us to eat--so much oil! We did use a different oil to fry the plantains. The beans were made with palm oil, garlic, ginger, onions, peppers, and tomatoes (I think), and the plantains were simply fried. We shared our food with the other houses, so I also got a lot of fruit and some eggplant soup. All of the food was incredibly good, as always!

After the cooking class, almost everyone in our program went to the World Cup Qualifying Game of Ghana vs Sudan. It was insanity. The stadium apparently holds 40,000 people, and it was overflowing. People were sitting on the stairs in every available space. Somehow, for 5 cedis (which is about $3.5), we got tickets for seats right by the field. A few people ended up having to move up, because they couldn't see what they were watching, but because I'm tall, I had no problems. It was incredible. I have never been to a professional soccer (or futbol) game, but everyone who had said that they are really different here. First of all, while probably every obruni within 50 miles came, there were still so few of us. The fans are moving absolutely the entire game. While they all took breaks, there was always thousands of people dancing. You know how at sports events in the US, people start the wave? It typically makes it around once (maybe) then dies? Here it got started, went around the entire stadium with 40,000 people four complete times (as in every single person did it), then continued for about 4 more times with half the people still going, before finally dying. Fantastic.

There were some crazy dedicated. I have a picture of one below--they paint their entire bodies and just dance around in front of everyone for the whole game. Other Ghanians would just get excited and start dancing back and forth in front of everyone. Like I said, people were always moving. The guys behind us kept getting mad when people would walk in front of us and they couldn't see. They even got mad at the cops, yelling at them to move.

There was just so much energy in the whole place. Whenever Ghana would score the people would erupt. At the end of the game, the players ran right by us and waved and people were squishing us all into the glass barrier that separated us from the field. The cops on the other side of the barrier threw a couple of extra jerseys or something over the top, and there was practically a brawl for who was going to get it. Actually, while we were trying to back up and get out of the fight, a couple of people were trying to pickpocket us. My friend Joey caught a guy right in the act and managed to keep his stuff. Parker got his wallet and phone taken, and I actually turned around and a guy was holding my insulin pump. It was the only thing in my pocket and I'm sure he thought it was a phone or MP3 player or something. I need to figure out another way to carry it in crowded places--I'm lucky he gave it back!

By the way, Ghana won 2-0. Weeeeee. A group of us decided to walk home (it took about a half hour). Most of us were wearing either tee-shirts or flags or something. Everyone we saw looked at us and yelled, "GHANA GHANA GHANA!!!" People were so excited! At one point, we got called "white ghanians." It was glorious. 

So my Sunday was really great. I could not have asked for a more amazing experience or more amazing food.

Monday was pretty amazing too. For my Global Connections class, we went on a field trip to what my professor called "Danish Osu." It's called that because that is where the Danish set up trade forts in pre-colonial times, and where they had slave forts. We had done some reading about it before going, so it was pretty insane to actually see the places that we were reading about. There were 16 of us on the trip, so it was hard to hear the guy leading us (who is an architecture  professor I think at UG). All the sudden, we looked up and we were at a slave castle right by the water. It was kind of startling. The castle was originally a trading post, then taken over by locals, and eventually reclaimed by the Danes. Then, it became a slave castle where slaves were kept before being marched out to the sea and taken across the Atlantic. Now, it actually is where the government resides. Ironic? We weren't allowed to take pictures, since it is a government building. At one point when walking back, Sarah pointed out that there were holes in the huge stone wall surrounding the castle. Sticking through the holes were guns, with guys constantly holding them, ready to fire if attacked. Right outside the walls, all these little children were playing soccer and running around. The two pictures shouldn't really fit together, but they did...

We also went walked through some of the old original Danish houses. Now, they are homes to local people. It was weird, walking with a group of 16 obrunis though these people's houses and just staring at the architecture. The people were all really nice, but the level of poverty was just so apparent, and we were walking around in our nice clothes with our nice jewelry and nice bags...it's just hard. It's had to see people living in such slums and feel like you're just a tourist (which we really were).

Overall though, it was really interesting. I wish all history classes were like this--you read about something, then go see where it took place. Alas, they are not, so I must make the most of this one while I can.

Tuesday I went to my internship again! To get there, I rode in a trotro! Trotros are kind of like mini-buses and the major form of public transportation here. They seat about 25 people and go from one stop to another, making a few other stops along the way. To get from Accra to Tema, it cost me less than one cedi, whereas it would have cost 12 or 13 cedis in a cab. The one issue with trotros is that they can take quite a while to leave, because they wait until they are full to leave. So, for the ride back, we had to wait almost 45 minutes in the trotro to leave. It's going to take some getting use to, but it was actually decently comfortable to ride in and a really easy way to get back and forth from City of Refuge. The trip will take at least 40ish minutes each way, so I think I'm only going to be able to go one day a week. That's okay though, because it sounds like I'm going to get to do a lot of research-type things, which I have to do here anyways (where I can get internet).

So for my internship, I got to work with one of the two little boys who doen't know enough English to go to school yet for a little while. He knows the colors pretty well, but doesn't yet know all of the letters in the alphabet. John and Rachel are going to be working with both him and the other boy during the days to get them up to speed so that they can start school as soon as possible.

The rest of the kids started school on Tuesday. Apparently, they thought they were starting on Monday, and were all so excited that they got up at 2am and put their uniforms on. They were quite disappointed when the bus did not come to get them at 6:30 Monday morning. Tuesday they were all just as excited though, and the two boys who didn't get to go were apparently quite sad. It was a strange experience working with the little boy, because I was doing things that I'm used to doing in Jumpstart with 3 year olds. He has just never been taught English, and he's trying really hard to learn (I think he's 7 or 8). I really hope he catches on quick, because I know he wants to be at school with the rest of them.

After that, I talked to John and Rachel for a long time about the story of City of Refuge and what their role is going to be there. Like I said, I think a lot of what I'm going to be doing is research-oriented and doing things like recording data electronically. They're going to be doing a lot to try to further develop the organization, so I'm going to get to help a lot with it. It's going to be an interesting experience--I don't think it will be especially structured, because there is just so much to do but we don't really know what to start with or what things that we see as issues are really just cultural differences. I'm excited though--I think I'll really get to see the impact of my work, and it's a really intimate organization.

Then the other kids got home. When we asked if they learned anything in school, they all said, "Noooo, tomorrow! Tomorrow we will learn!" I ended up playing with one little boy for a long time, just rolling a tire back and forth and seeing how far it could go. Apparently the kids don't really have toys, but Rachel was saying that she didn't see that as a problem. They seem to be able to amuse themselves quite well, and they aren't even concerned about toys. I think I'm going to make some play-doh to take in on Tuesday. If anyone is interested in sending me a package with some stuff for these kids though, let me know. I talked to John and Rachel and we came up with a list of some things the kids could use. I'm going to double check the list before telling anyone what to send, but it would be so wonderful to be able to help them out. 

If anyone wants to look at the website for the organization, it's http://www.cityofrefugeoutreach.com/City_of_Refuge/Freedom_Has_A_Face.html

I think that is actually a page within the website, but you can explore it and see what they do. It's pretty amazing.

Then today I had my music and dance class, and it was the first one where we actually danced! Aka, the first one where I got to make a complete fool of myself! At least I'm not the only one who can't dance very well. We learned three different parts--one that was a step, one that is a shoulder movement, and one that is a hand movement. Each one individually was not a big deal, but doing them all together was wayyy beyond me. It was really fun though, and a decent little work-out. A bunch of us girls in the class are hanging out tomorrow night for bonding time, and we're going to try to practice it some so that we can learn the new stuff next week. The teachers were really nice though--a bunch of our Professor's students from a dance group or something came to help out. They kept saying "Smile for me! Smileeee!" And I did.

The crowd at the game.

A few of the players right after the game.
Me and Holley eating FanIce, aka the greatest thing ever invented. It's like little bags of fluffy ice cream. Mmmm so good! And only about 15 cents a bag.
One of the crazy dedicated fans.
Cooking! The beans were in the red schtuff, and you can see us frying plantains.

Life is good.

Friday, after a two hour wait for the driver, I finally got to go to City of Refuge. The trip there was about an hour, driving through Accra and then into Tama, a neighboring city. The drive was actually really cool, simply because we got to see and an area that was not Accra. It was much more rural and had many fewer people. I saw a monkey being walked on a leash like a pet--I wish I had had my camera to record it! 

A trip down a twisty little dirt road (the dirt is red though, not brown) later, we were at City of Refuge. It is a small concrete house with a fenced in yard. An older Ghanian couple, who act as the parents of the 24 children housed there, met us and greeted us. We were led into what kind of looks like the living room, where 24 kids between the ages of 5 and 12 were waiting. They all got quiet really quickly when they saw us, and sat on chairs/couches just watching. These kids are just absolutely beautiful. They had the brightest eyes and biggest smiles (although they tried not to let us see their smiles too much--they were shy). All of them were rescued from the Volta region where they had been sold basically as slaves to the fishermen there. They have had to do harder manual labor than most Americans will ever have to do, and some of them are only five. The purpose of the City of Refuge is to get these kids out of these awful situations and into a warm, safe home. We met a young couple from Florida who just got there a week ago and who are going to be living there for a while, seeing what they can do to help. They told us that a lot of the kids still have contact with their parents who sold them, and their parents won't take them back because they know they have a better life at City of Refuge. The parents don't necessarily not car about their children, but sometimes they have to sell one child to feed three others. It's absolutely horrific.

All of us sat around with the children so we could talk a little bit about what it is that we were hoping to do there and what the center could use. Apparently the kids spend a ton of time doing chores and schoolwork--getting these kids into school is another huge goal of this organization. They have a yard to play in, but the yard is pretty much clay-like dirt and concrete. They get some tutoring from the couple, John and Rachel, and from Kofi, one of the administrators there. They have no organized sports or games or anything, but they do have a ton of books and apparently get really excited when they get to read one-on-one with someone. 

So a major need of the center is just more tutoring with the kids and playing with them. There are some nearby fields that we can take the kids to for sports, and John and Rachel want to start some sort of garden in the back yard. Some of the girls that I was with are really into theatre and dancing, so they want to do some theatre games with the kids. One major barrier these kids have is that they don't know very much english. After third grade, all of their schooling is done in englis. This means that two of the kids there can't even start school next week because their english isn't good enough for their grade level. They're going to need a ton of one-on-one time to get them caught up and ready for school. For all of the kids, we're going to try to use a lot of English to help them learn more (and maybe they can teach us some Twi!).

At this point, we got a tour of the building. There are four bedrooms that hold 6 kids each (there are only 6 girls, the other 18 are boys). They have the living room, a huge long table that they eat at, a kitchen, and the yards. They really just don't have much to play with, mainly books and stuffed animals. John and Rachel were talking about things they want to do to help the kids, such as sorting through the books and creating some sort of color-coding system for what level of reading they are for.

When we were done the tour, I was already so stoked about working there. Then I got to go to the back room with John, Rachel, Kofi, and Victor, the NYU internship coordinator, to talk about what I want to do with my internship. I know I definitely want to have a balance of spending time with the kids and also doing some stuff on a larger scale, like learning about how City of Refuge works. I got to talk to everyone for a long time, and it sounds like John and Rachel are going to work with me a lot to figure some stuff out about City of Refuge. They said one major area that isn't very developed is research on child trafficking. It's a hard balance, because they don't want the kids there to think that every time they see a white person they have to talk about their story, but these kids do have really insane and incredible stories that tell a lot about child trafficking. Apparently, there is very little literature on the subject. I think I'm going to structure my internship around doing research on child trafficking or something. I'm not entirely sure exactly what I will do yet, but I'm SO EXCITED! I was on a high all of Friday night. I feel like this is why I came to Africa and the type of thing I really want to do. It's the perfect organization for me to be working with--small and intimate, tons of potential, room for new ideas. Ahhhhh so excited!

Yesterday Holley, Sarah, Miranda, Kalin, Katie and I all went to a pool at a local hotel. It was such a hot, perfect pool day. I ended up getting really burned despite putting on sunscreen every 15 minutes, but it was worth it. It was just relaxing and warm and felt like a vacation.

I love it here! Now I'm about to have a cooking class with our CRAs--I get to learn how to make fried plantains! Then later today, we're going to the Ghana-Sudan World Cup qualifying soccer game! Life is good.

One love, one heart, let's get together and feel alright.

Ah, I haven't posted in quite a few days! Updates updates updates.

Lots of random stuff happened this week. My classes were good for the most part. One frustration is that here they never have our readings ready for us. We typically don't get them until the end of the week, which leaves the weekend to do them all. Our professors apparently didn't know that it was taking so long for us to get the readings, so that should change. Otherwise, classes have been fun. They are all supposed to meet for three hour blocks, but I haven't had one go for more than two and a half hours, except for my Music and Dance class, which always goes long. I'm thinking that our classes here are not going to be quite as intense as in New York, but I'm really okay with that!

My friend that I met last weekend is actually named Juliana, not Jillian. Silly me. She's quite a character. I went back to say hi to her on Tuesday with Holley and Alex. She was around the back of her house with four of her friends. She was making foufou, which meant she was pounding rice or batter or something similar. She kept pounding it with a huge wooden pole, then using her hands to scoop it into a pile. I have a picture I'll put up showing it, because it was really cool to watch. She told us she would teach us how to make it, so we have to go back sometime soon to learn. She kept laughing and saying, "This is African food!"

One of her friends, Barbara (I met her the other day too) has a one year old son named Amartin (or that's how it sounds). He was there with her again on Tuesday, so I asked if I could hold him. I held him for a moment or two, and he just was staring at my shoulder and touching it. I think he was trying to figure out why my skin was white. He then finally looked up at my face, got a little freaked out (again, I'm assuming about how white it is) and wanted to go back to his mom. I have a picture of him too--he is a little chubby boy hehe.

On Wednesday after Twi, Whitney, Alex and I went back to find her. Her daughter, Precious, found us walking into the yard and took us to Juliana's stand. She has a second-hand clothing shop right by the fruit stands that we go to. Her sister was visiting from Aburi Gardens with her one year old son, who was adorable! Parents here are much less over-protective of their children than we are back at home. The little boy was crawling around on the dirt and playing with rocks. I would have freaked out and made him play on something soft, but like I said, they give their children, even small ones, a lot more freedom. There were tons of other kids running around, including Prince and Princess, the 5 year old twins of Helena, Juliana's other sister. I'm not really sure how they are all related and if when they say sister they mean biological sibling like we do. I think they may call all relatives of similar age brother and sister, but I'm not sure yet.

We talked to Juliana and her friends for a long time. They were telling us how they want to marry white men because white men treat their wives with respect. They seemed to think that the laws we have in the US prevent any mistreatment of women. We had a discussion about it and how that is not always true. Apparently they don't have similar women's rights laws here, or as strong laws about anti-abuse...

So it was an interesting discussion. Juliana called me again last night just to say hi and that she missed us. All of the women we talked to are so cute--they get almost giddy when talking to us. They seem to really like having white friends, maybe because there just aren't very many of us? They're so sweet to us though--they gave us cokes as gifts.

We went to Reggae on the beach again on Wednesday. It is such a spot for foreign students, but so much fun! People kept asking me how I knew the words to some of the songs, even though they were mainly Bob Marley's most famous songs. There was this group of acrobatic guys who started doing a performance in the middle of the night. They're really crazy to watch (some pics below). Maybe I'll learn to do those poses while I'm here!

Food has continued to be pretty great, except for something we ate on Wednesday made all of our stomachs hurt. I have no idea what it was, but Holley, Whit and I were all not feeling good yesterday. So yesterday was a movie day after class. We watched the Breakfast Club, Save the Last Dance, and Superbad. Some people went out last night, but I watched the West Wing and went to bed early and today I've started to feel a bit better! I'm hoping that this is the hump to get over and after this I'll be able to eat everything and be fine.

In a few hours, I'm going to see the site at which I'm doing my internship! It's a fairly new organization called "City of Refuge" that works to help children who are the victims of child trafficking near Lake Volta. I can post more later about what it's like there and what I will be doing! I'm so excited.

Julianna making Foufou

Acrobats on the beach

Holley and me playing in the water at Reggae, and below, the girls before going out. Notice more Marjorie clothes!

Precious and Amartin. He's the one who was freaked out by my being white.