Good thing "Amen" is the same in any language...

Pictures above: candy stall near my hotel, and market near Central Accra.

I’ve been to my fair share of churches before, but going to church this morning with two young women I had met the day before was quite a different experience...

We walked into the church- a cement building with fans, and blinking lights strung up- sometime before 10:30 am, and service didn’t end until around 1pm. Most of the service wasn’t in English, so often I didn't know what was being said. One thing that really stood out to me as unique was the offering- two rounds of offering where everyone went up front to drop money in a box, and then someone would call out different amounts, and people who wanted to given that amount, in addition, would go up and throw money in the bucket. There was also lots of singing, a sermon, communion, praying, and some baptisms. People were very kind to me there, and said that I was welcome to come back again in the future.

After church, the two women offered to take me to their house nearby. We walked into an old-looking, one story building, into a dark hallway, and into the first room on the right- I was immediately taken aback by what I saw. The walls were dingy and baren; clothes and belonging were stored in suitcases, plastic bags, and a closet; as I sat on the simple bed, covered by a cotton sheet, my mind flashed back to my hotel room- cheerful yellow walls, a TV, my own bathroom. I was simply stunned by the contrast, and didn’t know what to say.

Wow, a lot to think about and let sink in as this weekend comes to an end…

Jollof Rice, Commando, and…Living Snails?

Yesterday, I bit off more than I could chew, and so today I decided to keep it simple: see Central Accra. There were some tall buildings, but they paled in comparison to the hustle and bustle of the seemingly endless stalls, stores and sellers- I walked for about 2 hours, and I’m sure I didn’t see everything.

Local cuisine: I had trouble finding anywhere to sit down and eat, so I ate on the go, getting some small bananas (from the lady in the bottom picture), grounds nuts (sort of like peanuts out of the shell), and drinking from a fresh coconut (see top picture)! Some other local treats I saw but didn’t eat: lots of fish, vegetables I couldn’t identify, and some sort of snail/shelled ocean creature- and I’m pretty sure I saw one still moving around!

Night life: The past few nights, once the sun’s gone down, I’ve stayed at the hotel. Tonight, I decided to be more adventurous, and ventured out on my own, on a search for jollof rice, which is rice mixed with red stuff, and it’s kinda spicy. I got mine with some pieces of beef, for a grand total of 80 cents.

TV and Movies: Coming to Ghana, I left behind my beloved trashy reality television, but thanks to the TV in my room at the hotel, I’ve gotten a taste of Ghanian television entertainment. Ghana has its own television stations, and a film industry, but also Nigerian and other African shows/films are popular- movie titles include “Commando” (I think it’s about someone in the military, and likely has nothing to do with the American meaning of the word!) and “Hot Fork”. As I write this, X-Men: the Last Stand is on TV; other US imports include Friends and CSI: Miami.

House Hunters: Ghana Edition

Well, if yesterday was a gentle intro to Ghana, today was a sort of crash course.
Today I set out find long-term summer housing, something I’ve never really done in the US, let alone in a new country. Not only that, I was determined to go on my own, braving public transportation. The first tro-tro (mini-bus) I got into made it all seem deceptively easy- I simply made a circle motion with my finger, signaling I wanted to go to Nkwame Circle.

After that, a significant portion of my day was spent trying to figure out which tro-tro to use- most tro-tros don’t have signs showing their destination, so it can be a bit overwhelming having repeatedly ask where they are going, and half the time not being able to understand one another’s accents.

One of the most challenging parts of walking around is that I get a lot of attention constantly, 97% from Ghanian men. They will shout out to me- “my wife”, “white man”, “Gloria” being some of the more unique name’s I’ve received. And many are quite persistent- they will grab your arm, or try to walk with you, repeatedly asking questions.

But good news- I did find housing, and I did make it back to my hotel, so maybe not too bad for a day’s work, and only my second day here.

Arrival and First Day

Hello from Accra! As some of you know, I am spending the summer working at an NGO called Ghana Center for Democratic Development. I figured a blog would be a good way to keep lots of people up to date at the same time about my adventures here. Feel free to comment below, or email/facebook me if you have any specific questions, or just want to say hi!

After an 11 hour flight from New York, I arrived in Accra around 8am local time (4am at home), and was getting settled in my hotel by around 10am. Driving there, I was struck by how flat the country is (what a contrast to Cape Town, with Table Mountain, where I studied abroad as an undergrad).

The people at the hotel are so nice and hospitable (which, I have repeatedly been told since coming here, is a wonderful trait of Ghanians). The crazy traffic with lots of taxis and tro-tros (mini-busses), and crowded markets, people speaking in a variety of languages, can be a bit overwhelming, but luckily a hotel employee (himself a student) has been very helpful in showing me around, getting me a phone, etc.

After lunch and a much-needed nap, I want for a walk on my own to get a better sense of the area- lots of shops, stalls, selling everything from cell phone minutes to bags full of water to refrigerators. Tomorrow I'm going to try to navigate public transportation on my own, keeping in mind the hand signals that I've learned are used to signal where you are going. Though it’s raining cats and dogs right now, hopefully tomorrow will be a beautiful day