hmm....what to name this post?

Just a note to everyone: if there are bad spelling mistakes, I'm not actually dumb...I just don't proofread...it takes a long time to blog everyday haha...

Today was a long day, but it was really good!

We woke up earlier and had to be at the Blue Alliance for 8:30am. It was across the city and we had to take a couple trotro’s to get there. A couple named Mike and Suzanne run this organization in Ghana and they are going to be SO helpful for me with teaching the women business/bookkeeping! Basically what they do is run training and workshops that help people see opportunities for themselves, improve how they already run their businesses, or help them start new ones. They had so many great ideas for me and they definitely made me feel a lot better about going to Asamankese next week. I am so excited to get started now!!

We went to the Ghana Police Headquarters after that and got a whole speech on safety. This police man was so excited to tell us all about Ghana, and I was so tired that it was taking a lot of effort to stay awake. I don’t think he noticed my eyes glazing over. I promise I heard everything...He was a very good looking man. I tried to convince Awu (Akos) that she should marry him but she wasn’t so sure, haha.

After that, we had to go back to the Accra Mall to get a few things. The air conditioning, again, was SUPER nice. We also treated ourselves to ice cream; our excuse being that we need more calcium do to the lack of milk and cheese here. (By the way Mom, if there is ANY way that you could make it possible to send me dairy products...please. feel free.) YUM!

Petra and I had a lot of fun with Awu today; we have been getting pretty close. It is really sad that today is the last day we will be with her. (Tomorrow we visit Asamankese, Saturday we have the day to do whatever, and Sunday we move to Asamankese...)

Now that we are starting to go to Asamankese, I might as well explain my trip. I called my blog “Asamankese Adventures” because that is where we will be working and living. Accra is the capital city of Ghana, and we have been staying with a host family here for a week to get adjusted. This Sunday, we move. We will be staying at a guest house with a lady named Auntie Joe.

Asamankese is about 2 ½ hours north of Accra, 3 hours by trotro. It will be a long, hot ride, but I am excited to see where we are staying and meet the people there! We have to leave Accra at 4:30am tomorrow morning, so THAT I am not looking forward to...I will just go to bed early tonight. I will try to blog tomorrow night when I get back, but no promises, I will be TIRED.


OH YA! We took our first trotro by ourself today! Awu let us go home alone. We did it successfully. Congratulate me. 

Interesting things that I have learned here so far:

-Ghanaians are extremely friendly.

-the people here LOVE seeing white people; the children especially.

-being dirty, sticky and sweaty is just something you have to get used to; my usual obsessive compulsive hygiene routine has had to change...

-never try and catch a trotro anywhere between the hours of 4:30 and 6; people are getting off work and you will never get one. The hours between 12 and 2 are insane on the roads, so don’t try and get anywhere on-time during those hours of the day. Oh, and in the mornings, everyone is going to work, so it’s insane! ...basically it is always crazy trying to get a trotro around here.

-if you want to get to the Accra Mall, get on a trotro that is yelling to Madina. But first you have to go to the Police Headquarters on a trotro that is yelling to Circle but they just yell “CircCircCirc” and twirl their fingers in a circle. To go home anywhere, get on a trotro that is yelling to Accra. Then get off at 37 and take a car to Labone. If you are lucky enough to get a trotro to Labadi you get off at the general hospital. Which is also called the Poli Clinic....ya......it is crazier than it sounds, and I am the one that has to get lost in it all haha...

-I love the trotro. It costs only pesawas to get anywhere. Ps. The Ghanaian currency has “Cedi’s” which are the dollars, and pesawas which are their “cents.” It is very easy since it’s so similar to the way Canadian currency works.

-negotiating with taxi drivers is hilarious. They always try and charge you double since you are foreigners and think that you don’t know what you are doing...which is true...but I am learning.

-All food here is red. They use tomatoes in EVERYTHING.

-I LOVE rice. And yams...but I’ve already stressed that point strongly.

-The children here are the sweetest and I just want to hug them all day long.

-When it feels humid and like rain here, it isn’t going to rain. It is just humid and you have to deal with it. Even when you get your hopes up because the clouds are dark. I will probably regret wishing for rain in March. Apparently it rains all month.

-I tried Banku for the first time today. Only a bite though. Mummy said my stomach wouldn’t be able to handle a lot of it yet. It was kind of sour.

-I love Ghana so far.