Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 6:53am
Dear Friends,
I
woke up this morning to a welcome cool breeze coming in the window and a
less welcome someone preaching over the sound system. I love it when
its cool enough to want to cover up with a sheet. It doesn’t happen very
often and is so nice when it does. There was a small storm the other
day with thunder and lightning and slightly cooler temps. Any relief
from the constant heat is most welcome.
This past week has
been another good one, not least because I got to celebrate my 30th
birthday here with some dear friends. My birthday was on Wednesday. When
I got up, sometime around 9am I think, I came out to our sitting
room/kitchen/dining room/study area Abby, my roommate, had decorated the
room with “HAPPY BDAY CAT” in cut out letters from a notebook that are
taped up to the cupboards with duct tape; a sign saying “Good Morning
Kakrah,” which is now a nickname she has for me after someone
misunderstood what I said my name was and said “Kakrah?” and I said,
“No, Catherine,” which she enjoys hollering at me and actually means the
younger of 2 twins; a sign saying “Birthday Breakfast” under which she
had the hotplate, a plate and silverware set up for me to heat up the
tomato omelet and toast she had bought the previous day; as well as some
treats like Pringles, some of our favorite chocolate sandwich cookies, a
Winnie-the-Pooh sippy cup sort up cup, and a small jar that had
‘roompons’ and a phone top-up card in it. ‘Roompons’ are roomie coupons
that she wrote out for me with things such as she will do the cleaning
for a week, fetch the water for a week, clean all the dishes for a week,
or give me a compliment in every sentence, and a few others. I loved
it!! So creative and thoughtful and fun!! Yay for amazing roommates that
make this experience even better!!
She had left for
lecture so she wasn’t here when I got up. After her lecture she and
Patrick took me to Baobab House which is a charity in town that has a
little restaurant and gift shop in it. They have the most amazing
sandwich there!! I love this sandwich!! It’s avocado, tomato, and
cucumbers on lightly toasted wheat bread with some seasoning, too. It is
so very good and too small since we always want more. Such a treat!!
I
had 2 classes to go to in the afternoon before we could go out in the
evening. I had invited some friends to join me at Oasis, a local
restaurant that has a good variety of American food and makes it really
well, and is right on the beach. Sometimes there is a drum and dance
group that performs there but not on that night, which was ok with me
since its easier to talk and get to know people without that going on.
We were a group of 15. In case you want to know the names of all of us,
from America it was myself, Abby (W. Virginia), Jessica, Regina, Patrick
(all from Michigan), Coleen (New York), Marte from Holland/the
Netherlands, Johanna from Germany, her boyfriend Adam from Ghana, and
then Selorm, Lillian, Espoir, David, Prince, and Emanuel from Ghana. All
of my friends from Ghana that came all live in this hall with us and
are people I’ve gotten to know and have a great time with.
I
had a margherita pizza which is a very thin crust with tomato sauce,
cheese and sliced tomatoes on it and is very good. Some others had
veggie pizza, chicken and veggie pizza, chicken sausage pizza, chicken
burger, hamburger, cheese pasta or any of the local dishes. The cheese
pasta is kind of like hamburger helper without meat but with cheese. Its
very good. This was the first time having pizza and having extended
conversations with white people for some of the Ghanaians. We had a
great time talking and eating and just enjoying the evening. I’m so glad
I was able to provide the opportunity for some ‘firsts’ for my African
friends as well as enjoying some ‘firsts’ of my own. My first birthday
in Africa is a pretty big first!!! After we had finished eating and it
was time to go, we called Nanayo, our taxi driver that we often use for
group outings and such, piled into 3 taxis and went back to the hall.
Oh, they had sang happy birthday, too, and instead of cake since there
wasn’t any, they got me crepes that had cinnamon sugar in them! Yummmm!!
So good! Some of us hung out in our room for a little while, talking
and such. Patrick plays in a band at home and had brought his guitar to
play some music so he played my an anti-birthday song that was pretty
funny but I don’t remember the words other than “Its your birthday . ..
You’re not special . .” something like that. So funny! Then he played
some other songs as well. Made me want to go hang out on the beach with
everyone with a bonfire, music and a beautiful beach to enjoy. We didn’t
go to the beach though. It was a truly memorable day and I am entirely
grateful and blessed by these dear friends who made it such a great day!
A
little bit, or maybe a lot perhaps, about my classes now. I have
classes 4 days a week with no more than 2 classes a day. Poverty studies
is my favorite one so far. It is so interesting and relevant for what
the kind of work I want to do when I’m done with school. I’m one of 5
group leaders for a project we have been assigned. We have to choose 20
African countries, choose 10 poverty indicators under 3 categories of
social indicators, demographic indicators, and economic indicators,
gather that info, rank them and then present the info to the class at
some point. I’m looking forward to this project. There are 8 people in
my group and for the most part they are punctual and are hard-workers,
which is not a given in any group setting and even more appreciated here
since I have no idea how they do group projects here. They have been
very helpful and my being the ‘group leader’ doesn’t really mean much.
We all work together. There are 4 of us Americans in the class which is
only about 40-50 people and we meet for a total of 3 hrs, twice a week.
We always stand out in any class and sometimes its nice to not be the
only white person in the class so you can compare notes and
misunderstandings. Justin, Regina, and Jessica are also in this class
with me.
My second favorite class is Ghanaian culture
which is a 3hr class once a week. I’m learning a lot and it is so
fascinating. So far we have talked about basic history and makeup of
Ghana, with the 10 regions and climate being discussed. We are in the
Central region. We’ve also talked about the many different languages
here. The main ones that are spoken here in Cape Coast are Twi (chwee)
and Fante but there are people from all over the country from different
tribes and backgrounds. The professor will often ask about the
traditions of different tribes since the class is very diverse. Its so
interesting to see the differences in traditions, language, and
everything. I love it. We have also talked some about gender, marriage,
and bridewealth issues. Fascinating stuff. The bridewealth tradition is
still used but has changed quite a bit in some areas. For example,
sometimes the groom need only bring a bottle or 2 of schnapps, some
fabric for the mother and women in the family, and some other small
gifts. In the north where cattle are still a sign of wealth and are much
more widely used, cattle can be the bridewealth. There is so much info
to absorb but the professor is always sure to make sure we are
understanding the discussion and will ask us about how we do things in
America, too. Coleen is in this class with me and there is maybe 80
students in this one. We sit on rickety, wooden benches at long tables
that are somewhat rickety, too. We can sit 5 comfortably on 1 bench and 7
very uncomfortably. It is so hard to sit on these benches, that are the
most common form of furniture for the classrooms, for more than an hour
and this 3 hour class is somewhat brutal. We do get a small break at
about 2 hrs.
Slave trade and colonialism is taught by a
woman, is only 1hr once a week, has maybe 150 people in it and I’m the
only white person. My friend Selorm is in this one with me so that’s
fun. That’s how she met me actually. She came to our door in the hall
one night and introduced herself saying she was in this class with me. I
loved that! She has become a dear friend very quickly. Her name means
God (Se) loves me (lon is love, me which sounds like meh, means me) and
sounds more like Seh-lome. I didn’t know there was an r in it until she
spelled it for me. She is from the Ewe tribe so that is a little tiny
bit about the language there. ‘Me lon wo’ is I love you, ‘akpe’ is thank
you, ‘nam’ is give me, and that’s what I know for now. More lessons in
progress. The class is very interesting and I’m really glad to be taking
it. This class is in the same building as my GH (Ghana) culture one.
There are some photos up showing the classrooms and I’ll label them on
FB so you know which ones I’m referring to, should you want to take a
look.
Deviance and social problems is one we have twice a
week for a total of 3 hrs. It is a criminology course which I didn’t
know when I signed up for it but am really enjoying. Ruby and Johanna
are in this one and its close to 200 people I’d guess. The one room we
use is packed and then the 2nd one we use is overflowing since its not
meant to seat that many people. The classes are not in the same rooms
all the time and are subject to change, as with many things including
the class times, at the whims of the students or the professor. So far
we are discussing what deviance is and what it looks like in GH culture.
If it works out, at some point we will take a trip to the prison in
Cape Coast and also attend a court session. Sounds interesting and
slightly scary. Haha! Looking forward to it though.
In
most classes the prof lectures and you write . . . everything, not just
what you find to be relevant or new info, nope, you write it down
verbatim. Some of the classes are like this and its another difference
in style. If you are not writing it all down, someone next to you is
likely to tell you to write it down or show you their notes so you can
get it. The prof will often site references as he’s talking, too, and
you write that down as well, author and year. Not all my classes are
just strictly taking notes the whole time, there is some discussion
throughout. It seems that the students are prone to laughing and getting
loud at the oddest things. They can get really loud and we, if there is
more than one white person in the class with you, just look at each
other wondering what was so funny and what we missed. Sometimes it seems
half the class time is spent waiting for everyone to quite down after
some comment or other. Another difference, though I imagine there are
classes like that at home. Most of the classes, at least all of mine,
are majority male. I’d guess at least 80% are males. Perhaps that
accounts for some of the immature behaviors?? LOL!! Just a thought. Put
down the moldy tomatoes, you know its true. Haha!!
My last
class is Social structure of GH and is my least favorite. In fact, I
dislike it quite a lot. There are 3 groups of this class because it is
so big. It is a compulsory or required class here so they had to split
it up into 3groups. We are in group 2. We being Marte, Jessica, Regina,
Abby, Coleen and myself. There are about 100 people in this class I’d
guess, maybe more. We meet twice a week for a total of 3 hrs. There has
been a TA (Teacher’s assistant) teaching it the past few times and he is
very hard to follow. He jumps around from topic to topic, never
finishing a thought, like someone doing a connect-the-dots puzzle with
the dots not connecting properly or in any sort of understandable
arrangement. And its not just us who feel this way. I asked some other
students about it and they find him hard to follow too. So glad its not
just us!! I’d give you a brief synopsis of the class content but I’m not
really sure what’s going on there to be honest and its kind of boring
so I’ll leave it at that.
We meet so many people everyday:
in the lectures, walking anywhere, at any restaurants or café’s we go
to, sitting in our rooms, in the taxis, everywhere. Everyone wants to be
your friend, for any variety of reasons: because you’re white, because
you’re white female, because you’re American, because they want
something from you, and sometimes because they actually want to know you
and be your friend. I’m being serious about these reasons. Very rarely
does it feel like someone doesn’t have an agenda in meeting you so when
you meet someone who seems to genuinely want to get to know you for who
you are, not because you are white and from America. (Ok, just so you
know, they are now playing a song that has dogs and cats barking and
meowing a song . .. Wow!! This is the worst song I’ve heard yet and its
part of some church service that is being broadcast and the song was “we
wish you a merry Christmas.” Again, WOW!! Haha! Oh Africa, you are
crazy!) Right, where was I . . . I’ve lost my train of thought.
They
seem to be doing some sort of trivia game now with a rep from each of
the blocks in the dorm, with the exception of ours since I may be the
only one awake and there’s no way I’m going down! We are in cell-block
D, as I call it. Its always entertaining here. If you can’t find the
humor and amusement in all these things then you are likely to go
slightly crazy and we all know I don’t need any more crazy so I choose
to be amused.
Cooking. Hmm. Well, we have a hotplate and
some pans that we use for making things like eggs, toast that just
crumbles usually since the bread is crumbly anyway, rice, hash browns,
pasta, ramen, and other such things that are easy. We haven’t learned to
make the local dishes yet. People keep threatening to try and teach us
though. Haha! I would actually like to learn how to make some of the
dishes. I know, shocking!!! I’ve got to have something to show from this
trip other than photos I figure. Abby likes to cook things so I let
her. I’m no fool!! Ok, I can be, but if she wants to cook who am I to
deprive her of that pleasure. She really likes to make guacamole which
is so good!! We’ve shared it with some of our friends here and they seem
to like it but are usually hesitant to try it. We use plantain chips to
dip in it or we use it for a spread on bread. Its very good. Salsa has
also been made which is really good, too! Oh, a huge thanks to David and
Diane Stoothoff, and all of you who helped with that, for the last
package they sent that had 2 bags of potato chips in it!! Such a treat!!
One of the bags had been punctured in transit and was crawling with
ants but the other one was fine and so very tasty!! They don’t really
have potato chips here and if they do they are French fries. I have
found a brand of Pringle-type chips that are pretty good but are usually
all smashed. Still edible.
I don’t remember if I have
talked about the local dishes much in a previous letter so if I have,
bear with me. If not, listen up. Soup. They eat many dishes that are
soup-related or soup-like. If you know me at all you know that I am not a
fan of soup generally and to eat hot spicy soup in this climate seems
an odd thing to me but whatever. They have Banku, Fufu, Gari, and
Red-Red as some of the main dishes. Banku and Fufu are both soup-like
dishes that served with a mound of dough made either from maize or
cassava, I think, that you scoop onto 2 fingers and then dip into the
burning hot soup and then scoop into your mouth. The soups can be with
fish or chicken and are fairly thin soups with a big kick. They use
pepper in lots of things and its so hot! Good, but very spicy. I’ve
tried a bite of the Banku but not the Fufu yet. Red-Red is fried
plantains that are still soft and then some sort of bean thing with it.
The plantains are good but I haven’t touched the beans. Maybe I will,
maybe I won’t. Either way, I’m still having a grand time so might I
suggest you reserve your judgment for something other than my eating
habits? Ok, thanks. LOL!! The Gari has a few varieties and I don’t know
much about it but the one dish I had was with an egg soup/sauce that was
very spicy but so good. I’ll get back to you on what Gari is exactly. I
have also tried a groundnut (peanut) soup with rice and chicken and
that was really good!! I like the peanuts they use in the dishes. Boiled
yams with some sort of fish stew was also good. The yams tasted like
potatoes kind of. Not much flavor but a similar texture .. . kind of.
I
am slowly learning bits of the different languages. I’d love to be
taking lessons like the kids doing the homestay get but I’m not so I’m
trying to learn from people at any opportunity. Just starting with basic
phrases and pronunciation and working up to bigger sentences and
conversations. Its going slowly since I haven’t made it a priority but
I’ve got a few people that have been teaching me some and I plan to make
it a point to bring a pen and notepad and write it down cuz if I don’t
write it down, its hard for me to remember it or to visualize how to say
it. I need to see it to really get what they are saying and how they
are saying it. I don’t know if that makes sense.
Not sure
what this weekend will bring but I’m sure there will be more memories to
share by next week. Thank you! Medaase! Akpe! For all the birthday
wishes and prayers and thoughts from everyone. It always means so much
even if its just a little note. I feel like I’m pretty well adjusted to
life here, despite the frequent frustrations and such, and am enjoying
settling into a routine of sorts. In sharing these frustrations and
successes please don’t think that I am dwelling on the negatives, just
trying to share all of the experience. I enjoy every day and feel like I
am growing in leaps and bounds in so many ways. Who knew this
experience could be so incredible and scary and moving and life-changing
in so many ways that I couldn’t have begun to comprehend before
embarking on this journey? To be able to see so many dreams coming true
in Africa, and not just my dream of coming to Africa, humbles me, scares
me, excites me and moves me in so many ways that I can’t even express.
Turning 30 here has been such a huge milestone with all that is going
on. Wow!! Thanks again to all of you who have been supporting me in any
way. Love you dearly and I’m glad to be able to share this journey with
all of you. If you haven’t gotten a response to an email I’m still
working on them. Don’t worry. I’m getting there. Alright, that’s all for
now. Love to you!!
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