Hey family and friends!

A fairly focused entry for today ;) I’m going to talk about animals in Ghana, because they’re interesting, because they take up a whole entry by themselves, and because it’s Saturday, which to me implies “extra random things” ;) My extra random thing for you today is my current understanding of animals around Cape Coast.

So, we’ll go in order of experience. The first I ever figured about animals in Ghana came from Eleanor Branch, the Guilford coordinator of our program. She “warned” me that in Ghana goats and chickens roam the streets. For some reason from what she said, I thought that simply meant that *some* people’s goats/chickens roam the streets, or that they simply did sometimes. I don’t think this was because I was unwilling to face reality – I think I simply somehow misunderstood. Goats and chickens are *everywhere*. The groups of them are not overly large – generally you’ll see four to eight animals at a time, but the fact is that they can go anywhere. Chickens and goats roam over everyone’s yards, through all the streets, basically just grazing. To my initial alarm, they also jump down into the sewage gutters to eat & occasionally walk. I should never have been worried, because chickens can flap, and the goats are pretty good jumpers. Also, the taxi drivers are adept at avoiding them, and while they don’t run from humans they don’t seek their company either. My closest encounter with chickens was trying to harass them away from a dog’s food, and only once have I seen a near-accident due to goats (trying to cross a busy road in a herd. The first one was safe, the last one caused the car to swerve).

Both chickens and goats apparently go home at night & get more food & shelter, though I haven’t witnessed it yet. Chicken’s eggs are sold in the markets, though I’m not sure whether they come from individual’s stocks or from farms farther away from Cape Coast. People also eat chicken meat here, also easily bought. Ironically, there’s a store on the way to town called “Innocent Blood: Frozen Chicken Parts”. I’m quite sure that the Innocent Blood is meant to be a reference to Jesus rather than a macabre joke, since over half of the named stores here have religious slogan names, but it’s still funny and strange to me. Goat meat is also eaten… I think it’s generally part of “Light soup”, often eaten with Fufu.

The main thing about casually living with chickens, of course, is that the roosters crow. My family doesn’t own any chickens (or goats) but they’re around our house all the time nonetheless. Mostly these roosters crow in the morning & the evening, though Katie & Chantal say that they crow all day in Ola. Also, about my third week in Ghana I got really annoyed with the roosters because the later the day went, the more the final note of their call sounded like a death caw. “Cock-a-doodle- O-What-A-Cruel-World!” or “Er- er-er-er- EEeeehhrhrhr…”. It was just something that grated on my nerves, and I know that it was wearing on Chantal a few weeks ago. But since then, I haven’t heard the roosters as much, though I know they’re still as active as ever.

The baby goats, on the other hand, can sound like babies/children crying, which is equally disturbing. Katie, whose host mother Giftie is a veterinarian, tells me that they do this consistently when getting shots. There are two kinds of goats here: tall ones and short ones. I personally think the short ones are cuter, because they’re more round & less mangy, but both sets of babies are adorable. The adult tall ones get to be maybe 3 feet tall, while the short ones max at 2 feet or so. Their bodies are also structured very differently – the tall ones have spindly, tall legs. The short ones, when pregnant, get remarkably wide from a bird’s eye view.

Akwasi also jokingly warned us on our first night in Ghana of the “giant spiders”. I sincerely think he was joking, but I have seen on giant spider… it was maybe 4 to 4.5 inches in diameter, and was climbing the walls and curtains in a professor’s office where we were having class. The professor made fun of those who jumped, saying how strange it was to have a generation of Africans who were afraid of spiders ;) “It’s just Anansi”… the irony was that we had just been talking about an Anansi story. This happened in my Jesus in the African Context class. Apart from that, though, I sincerely haven’t seen too many spiders. I saw one this morning that shocked me – it was hanging on my screen door and was maybe the size of a half-dollar – but there are so many more ants than spiders that it’s just not a concern at all. No one has said anything about any poisonous spiders yet.

A side note about Anansi: I really need to hear or find more of the Anansi stories. Anansi is the trickster character of southern Ghana. I remember hearing about him occasionally in elementary and middle school. Some of the tales definitely made it to the US through the slaves, but mostly my introduction to Anansi came through others’ later study of African lore. Anansi really survived in places like Jamaica, though. His name changed to “Nancy” or “Mr. Nancy”. If you read Neil Gaiman’s book American Gods, this will all make lots of good sense, and I bet you will be happy with Gaiman’s scholarship and interpretation. It’s very neat. But anyway, Anansi is always going around tricking people and getting the best of them. Some critics wonder whether these stories teach children to be mischievous and lie, but Africans counter that these are stories about surviving – about not using might, but cleverness to solve problems. You’ll notice that most tricksters (spiders, foxes, ravens, kokopelli, Brere rabbit (who coincidentally also probably came from Ghana- the northern part)), are small, and not usually considered powerful. Isn’t that interesting?

The lizards here, though, are my favorite. There are two completely different common types. One kind I see mostly inside: they’re these almost amphibian-looking green or light brown little things, and they’re about the size of the small green ones we have at home, but their skin is smoother, and they climb walls with fingers that look like suction cups. One occasionally goes across the wall of my room, but I see them more often in my hall and on the wall near the TV set in the living room. They’re very attractive, I think.

The other lizards are much more spiky & rough-looking, but I like them, too. Their bodies are 5 to 7 inches long, I would guess, and their tails are about the same length. They’re also generally greenish or brown in color, though they’re duller, dustier versions of the colors. They often seem to have yellow heads. They scuttle across the ground, and climb exterior walls. You can often see them around our house, or around campus buildings, but they tend to avoid high-traffic areas. I think they may be territorial, because I’ve seen them fight a few times, though it seems to be more a matter of intimidating and pushing the other lizard (laterally pushing your side against the other’s side) rather than outright violence. They also bob their heads up & down in an interesting fashion.

I very rarely see pigs or rabbits here, though I know that people occasionally keep them. The only purpose of keeping them, however, is to eat them. People also “hunt” snails to eat, which is interesting. People think they taste great. I haven’t tried them yet to be able to comment, but I have at least seen them: they’re huge! We’re not talking about escargot here, we’re talking about snails in shells twice the size of my fist. The ones I saw in my kitchen were still alive. It was very enlightening to actually see what people were talking about, but also unfortunate that I missed the year at Fairview elementary where the AG kids got to learn about snails.

People do keep dogs and cats, but it’s not nearly so common as in the US. The cats all seem to be essentially wild, and the dogs just do as they please. But all of them stay outside. It’s rare that they’re even allowed into the living room of a house. My friend Nana says that people just generally don’t notice animals here. They don’t show them affection very much, or do anything with them. When I asked whether they thought baby animals are cute, he thought that people wouldn’t deny it, but would still be rather indifferent.

As far as looks go, though, the cats here (which are far more rare than the dogs) tend to be rather small to my eyes. They’re just very thin, and so they give the illusion of length, but I don’t think they’re particularly malnourished – it’s just how they’re built. The dogs are also small: they generally just come up to your knee. They have small ears that go upright, and they have short coats. They’re generally fairly lean, and have medium-long legs for their little bodies. I refer to the picture of Giftie’s dog, at the top, who has just had puppies.

Also, I’m not sure whether this is significant or not, but whenever my sisters refer to insects, they say “small animals”. Like when I want to sit on the floor, or go in through a door that is currently being swarmed with insects who are drawn to the light, they say “no, there are small animals”. I don’t think this implies any affinity. Insects are simply ignored, flicked away, or killed when found, depending on the situation. But I wonder why they don’t use the word “insects”. Perhaps they were never taught it, or perhaps they were taught but it didn’t stick for some cultural reason.

As for touristy animals… well, they didn’t start off being tourist attractions, but now some are to some degree. I may have written about these before, but bear with me briefly. In Kakum National Park, 30-45 minutes away from Cape Coast, there are supposed to be elephants and monkeys. People are fairly certain that they still exist there, because not too long ago they had to scare the elephants back into the forest to keep them from eating people’s crops. The problem, though is that most of the animals of Kakum are nocturnal, and hard to track. So, sometimes people stay there overnight to try to see the elephants, but it’s difficult. Mostly they just settle for educating people about them in the museum that comes before the canopy-walk. At Nzulezo we really did see monkeys in the village. They were rather small and cute, and were perched on the railings and windowsills of houses. We also saw, though, a baby crocodile that a little boy had caught and was keeping on a string as a pet. We were told by people outside the village that people around the area used to eat crocodile (they do get bigger there) but that now, because of ecotourism, they’ve stopped. Through a bizarre set of circumstances, we actually bought and then lost that particular one. It was unfortunate all around, though the crocodile was extremely neat. I don’t particularly want to go to the place in Ghana, though, where you can sit on a live, docile (overfed) crocodile which is supposed to be a sacred animal. There’s just something even more wrong about that.

Anyway ;) that’s all I have to say on animals. I think they’re neat, and like to watch them when I have time. Generally, though, they’re disregarded in this part of Ghana… we haven’t even learned about animal spirits in my African Traditional Religion class, though I’ll let you know if it ever happens.

I love you all :) I hope you’re well. Be thinking of me as I write papers and quizzes, though they shouldn’t be too bad.

Thanks again for caring!

Much love,
Rachel Rose

Going to Candler, Matters of Cloth, School & Blogging

Dear family and friends!

Hello :) it’s been a long week, but not at all a bad one. The major news: I have decided to go to Candler School of Theology next year for seminary! That’s the one in Atlanta, at Emory, where I got a full tuition/fees + stipend scholarship. I was also offered a very nice scholarships and lots of encouragement from Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge/Boston and Wesley Theological Seminary in DC, for which I am extremely grateful, and this made for an extremely difficult decision. But after lots of praying and thinking, I decided/found that the next thing I need to do in my life is find out more about my own tradition: what it means to be Christian, and Methodist, and the specifics of theology and circumstances (and hopefully leadings of Spirit) that have led us to where we are today. I still very much believe in what’s going on at Harvard, in terms of reaching across traditions to find what’s similar, and different, and means of appreciating all these aspects and doing true ministry through them. But right now, I feel like an adept in both of these fields, and while I want to become an expert in each, the former field is what I need to work on next, even while keeping in mind all that I’ve learned through the latter. And I think that I can do this better at Candler than at Wesley... Wesley has been extremely kind to me, and I know so many nice churches up there who would support me, but I just don't think it's where I'm meant to be. The environment just didn't settle perfectly with me. So, again, so many thanks to Harvard, Wesley, and much of what they stand for, but I feel like I need to go and learn at Candler.

As a side issue, I’m kind of excited about going to Atlanta. A small part of me feels like it’s right for me to stay in the South at this point (ironic that I’m writing this from Africa, I know. This is also right, just for this specific time period ;)). And I’ve had a passing fascination with this city that I barely know. Charlotte often measures itself by Atlanta, trying to repeat its successes and avoid its mistakes, eventually hoping to surpass it, so it sparks my curiosity. I’ve only been there a few times, with my family to visit my Uncle Steve, Heather & Vonda, but I also have friends who have gone through school there and met many dancers from the area.

And I’m glad that I’m looking forward to a worshiping community. I know that I could/should find this at any seminary, but regardless, I’m excited. This element has woven throughout my life, but was the closest it’s been to perfection last summer at Joshua Youth Camp, at CCC. I feel like at Candler I’ll find another experience of this and work at it yet again.

So, that’s it ;) I’m going to Candler, and I’m glad for it. I think I feel similarly to the way I did after I picked Guilford- still a little nervous, though happy to know where I’m going. And after my wonderful experience at Guilford, I’m confident that I’ll be content anywhere I’m led to go.

Anyway, let’s get back to Africa ;) Did you know that I’m in Ghana? It’s amazing and so interesting. So I’m going to talk about it again for a while ;)

We’ll start from the angle of cloth. Now, I still haven’t bought cloth, but I plan to, as everyone is encouraging me to get clothes made, and I also think it would be a good idea. I just haven’t at all decided what kind yet. If you would like to send me designs/pics/drawings of clothes that you think would look good on me, I’d be exceeding grateful ;) Right now I’m just trying to be observant and draw ideas every once in a while.

But cloth is something in which Ghanaians take a lot of pride. They accord imported stuff higher quality, but they love their own. They’re typically wax prints, though people also do a good bit of batiking here, and it’s beautiful. The wax prints can be extremely bizarre, with all kinds of designs, but I think at this point I would recognize Ghanaian designs anywhere. And all the print designs have names- often the names of proverbs, though a professor also mentioned one that subversively critiqued the government’s economic policy, which I thought was cool. So, if you know the name of the cloth you want, you can just ask for it that way. But apparently when you go to the market, if you take too much of a cloth merchant’s time without buying anything she’ll get mad and insult you (in Fante) as you leave. I have not yet experienced this as I have not yet even tried to buy cloth ;). Also, sellers may carry one company’s cloth, or multiple kinds. Imported stuff is generally called Dumas (I think… named after Dumas’s brother, purportedly a cloth merchant in Ghana at one point. So all the imported stuff got his name). Then there’s GTP, believed to be the highest quality Ghanaian cloth, and then ATL, which believed to be more modest.

A “piece” of cloth is 12 yards. Generally when a couple wants to get married, the guy has to buy (among many other things) 5 or 6 pieces of cloth for the wife’s family. It’s very important, and cloth is often given as gifts to mothers, mothers-in-law, and wives by both men & women. However, it’s usually bought by the half-piece, or 6 yards. Six yards is enough to make a full woman’s outfit: two yards for the top, two yards for the skirt (usually separate from the top, so it’s not a “dress”, per se), and two yards for the cover cloth. Now, the cover cloth is used to tie/wrap your baby to your back, but simply having a cloth is a sign of physical/emotional/financial maturity. Women just *do* use cover cloths, often. As for financial maturity, if you didn’t use a cloth, people might think that you could only afford 4 yards of cloth rather than 6. As for men, they do get shirts made from Ghanaian cloth, but traditionally men wear one big 8-yard piece of cloth kind of like a toga. These days they often wear shorts underneath them, and they’re usually worn to church, and cultural/official occasions like funerals. I’ve only seen one person wearing one at the University, but people wear them proudly on TV all the time, and they were all over the place at the 50^th anniversary celebration. So, because of these standard increments, you just can’t by 3 yards of cloth. They generally sell them by 6 yards and by 2 yards. If you don’t like it, that’s too bad for you ;).

Now, women don’t always wear their traditional clothes either… often they’ll wear bona fide dresses around the house, or in the market. But this 6-yard business is similarly for church & official occasions. Naana Jane, our (brilliant, amazing) African Literature professor and one of the few women faculty always wears such clothing to work, and always looks wonderful. In that way she reminds me very much of my mother. Generally, though, women wear a mixture of Ghanaian cloth and western clothing. The main requirement is that it can keep them cool enough. Also, day to day they’ll use any suitable cloth to carry their babies, or just to wrap around themselves in the evening. There’s more significance to it than I fully understand (why one would wrap an extra cloth over a part of your body that’s already completely covered), but that’s ok. Maybe it’ll sink in more before I leave.

The next matter: What is a market?

I was rather surprised a few weeks ago to find out that I’ve never actually been to Koto Kuraba, the main market in Cape Coast. My thought was: “but I take a taxi to Koto Kuraba all the time!” My misunderstanding was in the definition of a ‘market’. You see, people sell things at stands and shops all along the street, and having seen nothing else that resembled a market in the area, I thought that people were referring to this… The thing is that the Koto Kuraba market is hidden. There’s a gap in the shops, a few stores down from the taxi station, on the opposite side of the road, and the gap is no bigger than a common doorway. But through it you can see wooden stands lining a walkway. I know because I saw it for the very first time this week, but still have not gone in. Now, to be perfectly fair, I’ve wandered through and bought things at the Abura market and also at the mini-market at school, but it’s interesting how my very limited experience of them (supermarkets, farmer’s markets, the market near the cathedral we visited in Germany, the market in Charleston SC) influenced what I was willing to accept as a “market”. Such an odd word. I’ll try to look up the etymology today.

Things that are going on in my life: There have been some serious electricity issues going on recently. I think we’re going to have “Lights Out” once every four days, now, but it’s also been happening without warning again, which is unfortunate. People are getting upset that the government (which owns/regulates the power) hasn’t figured out any long-term solutions to this problem. They blame it on several things: the rain, people farming along the banks of the river leading to the dam, but regardless there are still some things that could be done. Anyway, for me this means that on nights when the power goes out, I get very tired and see no point in staying awake for long ;) This has been just as well this week, because I keep having to wake up at 5:45 so that I can get someplace by 7:30. I had church at 6am on Sunday (fortunately that’s about 30 steps from my house), class at 7:30 on Monday and Wednesday this week, and then had to make it to the internet café early on Tuesday to send off my acceptance to Candler before an 8:30 class. Thank God for Thursday. It’s been my favorite day of the week since I started doing handbells in middle school.

Also, I had a short assignment due this week, and one quiz; both went just fine. I feel like I have a strange, slight advantage in being able to rant easily and quickly in English, and therefore put more on the page during a timed quiz. Of course, usually I’m slower than everyone else, so perhaps it evens out. We’ll just hope.

However, the language issue is a serious one in religious studies classes. Terminology and semantics are important- people need to be on the same page when discussing something, but imagine how in the US one word of a religion discussion can set someone off on a tangent in the wrong direction, completely misconstruing what the other person was saying. Now imagine how much more likely this is to happen in an environment where English is used, but is never a person’s first language. Sometimes it’s painful. But I am happy to say that at this point I am learning a lot, particularly in my Jesus in the African Context class, but also in my Muslim Ethics class. More on that next week. African Traditional Religion is picking up slightly, but it’s still difficult. My advice to all future Guilford students coming to Ghana: don’t take 200 level classes. Just don’t. It’s a bad idea. You’ll learn things, but not at all what you were expecting to learn. And I really did want to learn African Traditional Religion more in-depth, and though now we’re working towards that again, there are these huge gaps full of talking about the similarities, differences and relationships between ATR & Christianity. And Western Culture, and ethics, and so many things that are strange to talk about in an African Traditional Religion class. Yep. Frustrating.

I think it’s partially because there’s this inner conflict in the University philosophy between Western and African teachings that simply hasn’t been reconciled. So some professors are just trying to indoctrinate their students “correctly” (if such a thing was ever possible) rather than teaching them things and letting them figure it out. People place so much faith in teachers here, and ask them questions that I think are really strange in such a context. Ex: “Well then, professor, how should we preach?” Granted, they’re asking a Presbyterian minister in a Jesus in the African Context class, but it’s weird to me. Interestingly, this professor, while he does speak on practical matters & give his opinions all the time, doesn’t answer such questions. He has a very interesting approach which is growing on me, though I don’t agree with everything he says. Also, the student who asked the above question- I’m really grateful he’s in our class. He’s a very nice boy, and is simply trying to learn. I’m just surprised at where he looks for answers/solutions.

Finally, I would like to comment on the state of this blog, and its future. I had a really nice conversation with my sister Hannah this week, and she mentioned that she and the rest of my family really like reading what I write every week- that it helps them feel connected. She was speaking mainly for my immediate family, but I know this to be true for other parts of my extended family and some friends, too, and I’m so glad it serves that function. That was precisely what I was hoping for when I made it before I left. I mean, I also hoped it would provide a bit of reflection space, and would allow me to pass on some knowledge to those considering or preparing to come to Ghana, but I really wanted it to give my family and friends a wide-angle view on how I’m doing, what I’m learning, and what life is like for me here. I’m happy that it does that to some degree. I like writing, though sometimes it’s difficult to sit down and make it happen ;) I like exploring all the webs of inter-related meaning that are forming in my mind through all of these observations. I hope they’re ok, but I also know that the effort is good for me to explore it through some outlet. I have attempted to be honest about both the joys and the difficulties, but also attempted not to let this be a simple account of my actions, nor a place to rant about life’s drama, as so many online journals become. I know that I’ve probably partially failed at times, maybe even gone farther than I should have in this very entry, but I’m trying to make this a good, true space.

All of that said, I thought that I would simply let it end when I came back home, or maybe a few entries later, to document the readjustment period. I thought that maybe I would pick it up again whenever I went traveling, or began something weighty and significant. However, my sister has made the point that life itself is weighty and significant, as are grad school, moving to a different city, etc etc. She thinks I should continue with this when I get back, and her point is well taken. So, I have some slight reservations, but I will. Thus, in case you continue to be curious, this log will continue to record how this Rose experiences the Wind :) How fitting that metaphor has turned out to be.

In the meantime, friends and family, I’m doing fine, and I still love you and miss you. I’ll get started on next week’s entry asap (I have so many things I still haven’t covered! ;)) I really hope you’re well, and thank you for caring!

Much, much love,

Rachel Rose

Building supplies

Hello family and friends! :)

Yay, it’s letter/blog writing time again! Things that have been going on:

Classes are proceeding as usual… it’s about mid-semester, so there are quizzes happening and assignments to be turned in. I was surprised, though I perhaps should have expected, that our assignments are turned into the department offices. Also, apparently every time I turn something in, I’m supposed to write my number on top of it, and then put my name next to my number on the sign-in sheet. Bizarre ;) though understandable. I’m just not used to it. Also, I’m not used to such pomp surrounding 1-2 page assignments. It boggles my mind.

There’s a series of plays happening at UCC which I’ve been attending with Nana (good family friend/ Oceanview internet café person) and Katie. I think they’ve mostly been Ghanaian plays so far, though a Nigerian one is playing this Friday and Saturday. One from last weekend was done in conjunction with the National Theater in Accra, which is a big deal. And I’ll happily admit, that one was great. It was called “The Other Independence Story”, and was about four prisoners who had been released from prison, and then proceeded to discuss their options for living out in the world, with freedom. These were generally grim. In the process, they discussed a lot of other national issues and disparities, embroiling them further as metaphors for the nation after “Independence”. In the end, 3/4 decided to go back to prison, convincing themselves that it was a reasonable place, so that they could get food and shelter. The fourth one decided to start up a business in casket-making: since so many people were dying of AIDS, there would be a growing market for caskets. Yep, it was a sad play, but as I was telling Nana, really, there’s still plenty of hope in Ghana, and surely it means something that this sort of theatrical commentary can exist and come from the National Theater and a State University.

Today is a very busy day at my house, and Mother is rather stressed, because the (Anglican) bishops of Secundi & Tamale are here. Both of these are cities in Ghana. There’s also a bishop of Cape Coast, whom I’ve met. They’re all very nice. I think they’ve just come to meet and talk; I’m not aware of any specific purpose. But the house is all a-fluster. I imagine they’ll be talking to the Seminarians a good bit, who are having a heavy week of meeting people, since I think they also met an Anglican priest from England who’s doing research at UCC. People from all over seem to converge here to communicate quite a bit.

Another interesting, if alarming tidbit of my life from the last week: so I was sitting below the building that houses half of the Arts faculty, and a friend who was sitting nearby suddenly peered at the tree next to me and told me to move to another bench. There was a worm climbing the tree, and it looked to me rather like a slug that had attached bits of bark and leaf debris all over it’s body. “One bite from that bug, and you’re dead” he said. Isn’t that interesting? ;) I wasn’t ever in particular danger, though, as the tree was at least two feet from me, the bench never touches the tree, and the worm was climbing the opposite side of it. But anyway, he said that people also can extract medicine from the worm, but never gave me its name, though I asked.

And finally, I got more mail! Just one more piece. It was from Keith Nash, who works at the Senior Center in Albemarle and is one of my favorite people in the world. It was wonderful to receive mail, especially from him. I know, though, that more mail has been sent that I just haven’t received. Thank you so much to everyone who has been sending anyway! The thought is very much appreciated. I will try to write more letters back soon, and we can hope that those arrive. Just to reiterate in the meantime, though, my address here is: Rachel Rose Randall, St Nicholas Anglican Seminary, PO Box A162, Cape Coast, Ghana. A neat thing that someone said to me this week: “And what was St. Nicholas known for? He was known for surprises!” What a daring notion upon which to build a seminary ;)

On to other topics of interest (to me, and I hope to you):

Construction in the southern part of Ghana. So, I had guessed that most of the buildings here were made out of concrete, and I was right. Everything from houses to businesses to University buildings are made from concrete, and you can see buildings under construction in various places. Looking at one, I became very confused to see what looked like bamboo and other slim & sturdy but somewhat bent trees used as framing in a big building. I thought: why would you do that, unless perhaps you had no other wood? Because they were hardly uniform, and it would be difficult to nail anything to them because they’re round and are not perfectly straight. Akwasi has explained things to me now, though, and this makes plenty of sense: wood like that is only used to prop up the concrete as it’s setting. Once the concrete’s finished, they can remove the wood and simply build around the concrete. Also, concrete blocks are often used for walls (not just poured concrete or anything, though I have seen rebar sticking up in some places. Not sure of the full implications. I wish I understood construction better) but unlike in the US, you never see it because they cover it first with a layer of mortar, and then paint it. So it all looks smooth and uniform. Interesting, no?

Of course, poorer people continue to live in homes of wood, with thatching and walls woven from leaves, but in many ways these homes can keep you much cooler than concrete ones. Stands for vegetables and fruit along the road are constructed from wood of various kinds, and sometimes their shelter is woven leaves, but more often it’s a piece of tin roofing. Tin roofing seems to be used for most buildings in general, though sometimes I don’t think it’s nailed in because you can see big rocks sitting on top of them. Finally, some stands/stores are sort of free-standing sheds, similar to what you might be able to get in the US… picture a storage building maybe 7’x7’, with two big doors across the front. Generally there’s also a little roof overhand. People just lock the doors shut when they’re done for the night, and they can sell all kinds of things from there; it’s usually a mix of related products. The key to this situation is that the sun may scorch, but so long as you can find a little shade, there’s enough breeze to keep you comfortable. So, everyone builds shade into their endeavor, whether a bit of overhang or an umbrella or whatever. Also, people at stands along the road and in town are not ashamed of sleeping at any time of day at their businesses. It’s very interesting.

Another issue I’ve been coming to terms with this past week: the word “Master” in Ghana. It’s generally used as an equivalent to “Sir”, so you might call out “Sir!” “Master!” or “Madame!” to someone here to get their attention (The emphasis on Madame is on the second syllable, and no one says “Ma’am”). But to me it’s still such a strong word. A friend of mine beat me in many games of cards, and said that I should call him “Sir” or “Master” from now on, and I just don’t think he understood that I *can’t*, though he eventually understood that I wouldn’t ;) He was sort of joking. But anyway, it appears in the vocabulary somewhat jarringly, for me. For example, the common term for “colonialists” is “Colonial Masters”. There are currently a few people at the University who are trying to change it to “Colonial Oppressors”, but it’s a slow, strange battle, because a) some Ghanaians have mixed feelings about colonization, and b) the word simply isn’t as strong in Ghanaian English. But Ghanaian English is weird because it’s definitely not the language of Ghanaians- they don’t own it like they own their other languages, they simply use it as best as they can.

Anyway ;) those are my meandering thoughts for this week. It’s been busy, but hopefully I’ll be able to write more later.

Be thinking of me as I figure out seminary things!

And thank you so much for caring :)

Love,

Rachel Rose

A couple of commercials, and good news! :)

Hello family and friends! :)

My one new thought on Accra (prompted by a newscast on the topic) is that the city was rather clean while we were there, the result of months of cleanup. The citizens just hope that it’ll stay that way. It seems that some layer of government has finally hired sufficient sanitation crews, and the TV news, at least, reported favorably that soon after the celebrations, even the venues and streets used were once again clean. I thought it looked ok, but then again, I usually felt like we were in hip parts of Accra. I don’t know what the proportion of hip parts to non-hip parts would be there either, alas.

I would say that the hip part of Cape Coast is either the University or Kingsway. The University is kept nicely, but Kingsway has all the nice amenities. It has the Areeba (cell phone service) store, the main banks, Melcom (the only real “store”), Oceanview (the best internet café), and at least one hip NGO which also runs a clothing store and a restaurant.

OK, time to share some observations: Ghana uses commercials to communicate general, long term announcements. They’re all music videos, to some degree, and use catchy tunes. I suppose that you could call them propaganda (and for certain ones, I’m sure that the opposing political party would) but generally they are well-received and say genuinely useful things :) A few lyrics and descriptions:

The National Identity Card commercial: A choir singing in high pitches, dressed in Ghanaian clothing, neatly lined up, using British intonation. Beginning lyrics:
Our nation calls for duty now
All for one and one for all
The time is now or never friends
We are called to get involved

The “Ghana” is 50 Commercial, originally in this form, now with variations that include speeches by the President and various religious leaders. It includes pictures celebrating, dancing Ghanaians (historic and current), pictures of prominent people in history, and lots of Ghanaian flags. Also, though the song used was sung by a man, a market woman is the main person mouthing the words… and then, at the “mark of fresh beginning -> reflect on our history” is a man in traditional clothing. “Osagyefo” means something to the effect of “Savior”, & was a title given to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana. Lyrics:
On the 6^th of March 1957
A great nation was born
In West Africa
In Africa, called Ghana
We had our Independence
Which brought us freedom and justice
Oh yes, we wish to proclaim
(Ghana!) Ghana is 50
(Ghana!) Congratulations!
(Ghana!) Ghana is 50
Let’s all celebrate!
A mark of fresh beginning
And rebirth of our nation, yeah
So this is the time
To reflect on our history
(Rap section)
Osagyefo! Dr Kwame Nkrumah we salute you!
(Dr Kwame Nkrumah giving famous speech): Ghana, your beloved country, is free forever!
(cheering)
A new Ghana!
Championing African Excellence!

There are also some awesome videos around lullabies of the various languages of Ghana, which I’ll try to describe later. The commercial for the currency change will get some attention in the future too, as will the phenomenon of sing-along true commercial advertisements ;) And the nation’s national anthem & pledge are particularly telling of the patriotic feelings, so I’ll post them next time.

I am amazed that none of these videos are in the internet (or at least anyplace where I can find them). In a completely different direction, here’s an article that has to do with power issues in Ghana, climate, water, industrialization, coal-using power plants, and even Alcoa, the company with the huge plant in Badin, NC, which makes that town so bizarre ;) O so relevant and interesting. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=120841

So… other things that have been happening: I’ve been sick. I got sick last Thursday night, and am still trying to fully recover (but don’t worry, I’m nearly there :)). I went to the hospital, which people here use much as we would use a doctor’s office and/or emergency clinic, and they gave me Malaria medicine without bothering to do labwork, because it’s just so common for foreigners to get Malaria and my symptoms *kind of* matched ;) in hindsight, I probably didn’t have it, but at the same time, taking the medicine, which makes one incredibly tired, has been a trial which has ultimately brought me closer to Mother, so in the end that’s the greater good. Because of the timing of my illness, I’ve been missing church, but not school. I should be completely back on a regular schedule now.

Classes are still occasionally frustrating, but I’m also making more friends in them, so it’s ok. I can definitely handle it. I’ve also had a couple more good conversations with the Dean, my host father, which is really nice. I have trouble following his precise train of thought when he preaches, but I like every single thought he touches upon along the way ;) And the seminarians continue to be a solid, caring group of friends. I don’t know most of them as well as I’d like to, but they really do care despite how busy and specific their lives seem to become.

Also, I have one big piece of news: I got a full tuition scholarship plus $3000/year scholarship from Candler! :-D It’s so exciting! I’m actually going to grad school, and I really won’t have to be deep in debt. I know that I’ve been working hard for much of my life so that I could partake of these opportunities when they came along, but at the same time I know that I am still extremely lucky and blessed to have received this. These scholarships are so competitive at this level, and for this kind of schooling. I’m also blessed to have had rich life experiences, and to know how to write about them, making this scholarship possible. Not to mention how fortunate I am to have family that looks after me & my education, and a sister who will relay mail for me while I’m in Ghana ;) I find it wonderful that my older two sisters were instrumental in making sure I went to NCSSM, and that my younger sister has ensured that I can go to seminary so smoothly. Yay family, YAY God, and yay church and friends who have been thinking about me & praying for me. I’m so grateful.

So, this makes it very likely that I will be going to Candler in the fall… I have to let them know by the end of the month. But I’ve talked to my parents and we’re going to wait another week or so, just to see what we hear from the other schools. So :) more definite news to come over the next two weeks. But isn’t this exciting! Everything’s coming together. Even while it’s still tricky, and complex, and worth lots of pondering and prayer, at the same time it’s coming together :)

This week was filled with being sick, preparing emails, and moments of rejoicing, but rest assured that there will be even more about what I’m learning of life in Ghana next week :) I’m actually keeping an organized list now of things I want to talk about, and I’ll try to get all of them typed out & onto this blog before I leave ;) I’m glad it’s so complex, even when it’s hard. The world is really a glorious place.

*hugs* to everyone, and thanks so much for caring!

Love,

Rachel Rose

Good things and cumbersome things

Hello dear family and friends!

I’m going to write about some of the sheerly happy things and feelings I’m experiencing here. We’ll mix these up between old loves and new, though I suppose they’re all truly a mix of both.

First of all, there’s the wind. It’s not always present, but it helps define Cape Coast for me. The heat can be overwhelming if you’re in the sun, but a spot of shade and a little breeze coming off the ocean make everything better. Wind makes it possible to have an open-air church. Wind from the sea rips away any pretensions when it comes through a taxi window during the day, and gently hugs you when coming through a taxi window at night. When the power goes out, we sacrifice privacy to receive the wind by tying up all the curtains. Wind is one of the many graces that allows my world here to function. And on Sunday night, when Akwasi, Lawrence, his wife, Katie, Chantal & I went out to dinner by the shore, the wind was a constant presence. I think it was blowing Northeast, not perpendicular to the ocean as I would have thought. And the whole time that we were eating dinner, I felt like dancing because the wind exerted almost the exact same gentle pressure as someone leading me… and it felt wonderful even though I couldn’t have a human partner.

Next: there’s this awesome little table, with its own tiny webbed table cloth, just inside my bathroom. On top of it, I have books, a light for when the power goes out, toilet paper, and also a vase with a fake yellow flower. That vase and flower on that cute little table, even though I don’t consciously notice them every day, make me inexplicably happy. They create a nice atmosphere in what would otherwise be a sterile place.

And of course, there are books. I only brought a few, but they were so good to me while they lasted. I’ve also recently found a library not far from where I work in Abura, and there’s a small room filled with books for adults (and a somewhat larger one for children) which I think will force me to stretch my reading habits :) But it’s also just so nice to have time to read again. Not all the things I’m reading are good, but I that makes me appreciate the good stuff all the more.

I am also truly thankful for malaria preventative medicine, multivitamins, and acidophilus: I haven’t really been sick yet. I’m thrilled.

I love the people who work at the stands below the seminary. They’re so nice, and they stretch my Fante understanding, but are very patient. And they let me go when I need to go. It’s nice to have people just to say hey to… who have no expectations of you beyond saying hello, who are perfectly content with the way you are.

I’m extremely amused by how popular my green dress and green flip-flops are here. I originally didn’t like the dress at all, but it grew on me, and the lovely ladies at Centenary UMC approved, so I brought it to Ghana, where it’s only been met with more approval. Some people have wondered whether I had it made here, which is a high, if accidental, compliment. (I’ll be getting some clothes made here soon). Also, the dress flip-flops that I asked Chelsea if I could bring have been a *huge* hit. And I don’t usually like flip-flops, but they give my feet enough padding, they’re nice enough to wear to church, and they’re pleasantly cool. I’m grateful that I was able to bring them.

Next, there’s the music on my laptop and MP3 player. I think that I left the cord for my MP3 player at home, but the music on it is good, and for either device, I love how the headphones allow some songs to tickle my ears, playing some things from one side, some things for another. That technique can be overused, but in general is underrated.

Finally, I love this stuff called Tampico. It’s a citrus drink, with orange, lemon, and the juice of something else I can’t recall… In fact, I think I’ve only had it four times – but it was so yummy. Completely worth remembering.

Now for some reflecting of a different sort. All this time in Ghana I’ve been incidentally, inadvertently drawing a lot of attention to myself. For the most part, it can’t be helped. I stand out. Men will continue to come and propose marriage (casually ;)) unless I cloister myself permanently in my family’s house.

However, there are particular activities which draw even more attention to me, even though that’s not my intention. Dancing and swimming are the best examples, because women here don’t dance in groups or swim as much as men. Then, beyond that, I have a different skin color from everyone else, so people can help but notice. I suppose, though, that it’s not truly the attention that’s the most difficult – it’s that if I draw the attention of X number of people, then Y/X will always come up and hound me, trying to get my phone number, or coming too close, or both. That’s the problem.

Of course, I’m becoming more and more aware of this issue, but at the same time, I don’t want to give up dancing or swimming. No one here would say that it’s wrong for me to practice these activities, and yet nevertheless I suffer negative consequences for doing them. Katie and I were talking about this, talking about how someone might argue that I’m “asking for it”, like they say that girls who dress scantily and are then abused are “asking for it”. But I’m not. I just want to dance and swim – and nothing that I can say or do can *make* someone do something. The argument about coercion as a limiting of options works in my favor, not in favor of the boys harassing me, who have every option of leaving me in peace and continuing with their normal activity. So Katie and I have been talking about the idea of women being punished, de facto, for activities in which they exercise free will. This whole set of ideas is very interesting, but I haven’t sorted out my feelings about them yet.

It’s also very difficult when people that I don’t trust say things about principles with which I agree. For example, men who dance too close to me say “Don’t you want to make friends and lasting relationships in Ghana?” Men in the street who say “Bra” (Come) say “I think whites and blacks should go together, like piano keys”. For this comment, I would go even farther, but while I have to agree with these comments, and while they’re being said with a degree of sincerity, they’re used to try and back me into a corner, to convince me to do something I obviously disagree with for completely different reasons. Also, men will occasionally ask, “Are you afraid of me?” or say “Don’t be afraid”. This is a tricky one. Very occasionally it’s said by someone I am beginning to trust. Most often, though, it’s said by men I don’t trust. And then I would like to say, “No, but go away”. That’s difficult, however, because they haven’t broached that level of rudeness, or done anything explicitly wrong. Often they’re so persistent because they’ve begun trying to flirt, and they don’t want to lose face in front of their friends by failing to get my phone number (so I’ve been told by one of them, and so I’ve perceived). Also, I’m generally not afraid of them – I would simply feel much more comfortable if they were not present. And so continues the host of evasive maneuvers which I’m learning to convince them that a) I’m truly unwilling, and b) not worth all this effort. I had to employ them yesterday to fend off a girl who wanted me to give her money, buy some chocolate, and take her with me to Cape Coast.

Of course, there’s also the reasons why I get harassed in the first place: a) the aftermath of colonialism and the continuing neocolonialism keeps people poor and desperate, b) people know that I have at least enough money to be here, c) Obrunis are often gullible, generous, patronizing, disrespectful, and contemptuous. Therefore, why not take advantage of anything they dish out? As in many cases, these are the reasons, but they’re not excuses. We need to get rid of these reasons, or most of them. I’m ok with generosity ;)

However, I would like to frame all of this by recognizing all the extremely nice, helpful people in these situations.

Ex 1: when I was swimming, there were three siblings and two other girls who wanted to play with me instead, and temporarily kept the cat calls at bay.

Ex 2: the most recent time that I danced with a group in public, some of the boys were legitimately nice and thrilled that I was celebrating dancing with them on the 50^th anniversary of Ghana. They didn’t make me stay the center of attention, but sincerely wanted me to join a circle of dancing. A few came up just afterwards and shook my hand, and another was telling me how glad he was that the anniversary had come, that Ghana had succeeded in peace for this length of time. He danced with me during the next song and fended off the more oppressive boys. The ones who had shaken my hand were silent support when I was trying to fend off another boy.

Ex 3: I got separated from my friends at this big shopping event (Trade Fair) in Accra two nights ago. I was tired, stressed out, unsure of how to get ahold of them, and generally looked lost. But then this guy came up to me along with his girlfriend (he was definitely much more talkative at first) and asked me how I was doing. We talked for a good while as I waited, and they stayed with me until I found my friends. They even insisted on getting me a soda. They definitely eased my nerves, and it was nice to meet random people and actually make friends for once.

So, anyway, those are the main thoughts I’ve processed from the last week ;) The 50^th anniversary celebration was awesome. We went to the main at Independence Square, which had an awesome atmosphere, and then saw parades and parties along the street near our hotel. It was extremely festive, and the cultural dancers were so impressive… it provided yet another example of how dancing is never completely new – it can simply take on new forms and contexts. Once I learn more about that type of dancing, I’ll let you know. Also, the night before that we went to “The President’s Show”, which was a huge concert with section of fireworks. The most moving part was watching Akwasi celebrate.

Perhaps there will be more on Accra once I have some more time to think about it ;) Classes start again tomorrow, and then we’ll be back into our “normal” routine for a short time.

I love you all, and I really do miss you! I think about you, pray about you, and even dream about you often.

Thanks for caring :)

Much love,

Rachel Rose

Takoradi trip and other small items

Hello family and friends!

I miss you very much, though culture shock is tapering off again ;)

We’ll start with things that have been happening:

My classes are all continuing, and becoming fairly regular and normal. I’m still a trifle confused about the soap box status of some of my classes… That is to say, my professors have very interesting opinions ;) Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I don’t, and that’s fine… but especially in my African Traditional Religion class, the mob-like reactions of the students make me wonder how discerning they are about the professors remarks. He states as fact things that I consider beliefs, generalities and stereotypes, and it makes me nervous. But this is the same person who earnestly solicits my opinions about his plan to bring Americans to Ghana to educate them about religion & history. I also think that while he didn’t teach our class this Tuesday, he called the TA while *he* was teaching to relay a message that he wanted to meet with me. So bizarre.

Anyway, all of my classes now have regular schedules and permanent places to meet. They’ve all also started assigning moderate homework, though I’m waiting for bombs to fall. In my African Traditional Religion class, for example, the syllabus that I just received says we have a paper due in roughly 2 weeks. Nevermind that we won’t have class next week because it’s the 6^th of March. I guess I’ll call him about that soon.

Work at Planned Parenthood has also become fairly regular. I can’t remember whether I’ve said this, but now I know how to take people’s weight, ask them how old they are, where they live and what they do for a living… the hard part, however, is when they also respond in Fante… but I’m working on that, and slowly but surely learning the names of local villages and their correct spellings. Soon I’ll also learn how to give Depo injections (a fairly simple undertaking) and facilitate pregnancy tests. By the by, abortion is illegal in Ghana except under extreme circumstances concerning the health of the mother, so that’s not what PPAG is up to. Instead, they offer counseling, help for people with fertility problems (did you know adoption is looked down upon here? More on that later), and TONS of options for contraceptives. These final things are rather intense. They sell condoms, of course, but also there are pills of various kinds, the Depo injections which last for 3 months, and the Norplant implants which last for 5 years. Eesh. Or, as Ghanaian Akans would say, “Eii…”

As a note, people say “Eii” all the time here. They’ll say it in response to surprising situations, whether it’s a strange bit of conversation, an alarming tackle in a Chelsea football game, or someone getting hit on TV (there’s a lot of hand-to-hand violence in the movies here. Ghanaians say it’s predominantly in the Nigerian movies, but I have my doubts.) Sometimes there’s a connotation of disapproval, depending on the context, but sometimes it’s merely surprise. Interestingly, people’s voices go very high when they say this- especially the men. Men don’t allow their voices to rise in pitch like that in the US unless they’re playing or mocking someone, but here even when people’s voices break or crack on TV (say, for some televised preaching), it’s taken completely in stride. Also, Eii is pronounced “eh” or “A-E” if you like, starting high and then falling slightly in pitch.

We’ll stay on the topic of gender norms, though, because it’s interesting, even though I feel like I’m just beginning to get my feet wet.

1) Marriage proposals: I get lots of casual marriage proposals here, and they don’t usually come in the form of “will you marry me?” nevermind getting down on one’s knee ;) The conversations usually go something like this:

Gentleman my age or older: Obruni!

Me: Otse den? (how are you?)

G: Bokoo (fine/cool)… Eii! (surprised that I speak some Fante) Apow mue? (How are you/ your health?)

Me: Nyame n’adom (By the grace of God, I am fine).

G: What is your name? (some people switch to English here, others don’t)
Me: Rachel/Esi, and you?

G: Kofi. Where are you from?

Me: I’m from the US.

G: What part?

Me: North Carolina

G: Oh, I have a friend in Michigan… How do you like Ghana?

Me: It’s nice, I like it a lot.

G: What are you doing here?

Me: I’m studying at UCC.

G: Oh! What hall are you staying in?

Me: Actually, I’m staying off-campus with a family.

G: Is your husband with you?

Me: Um, no…

G: Is he at home?

Me: No, I’m not married.

Ending A:

G: What! Why not?

Me: I’m too young…

Ending B:

G: Then I will marry you.

Me: Erm, no…

So, partially this is “interaction with foreigners” rather than “gender norms”, but we’re getting to that. Anyway, this is really how lots of my conversations here go. I usually have at least one of these a day. People always want to know how I like Ghana… more on how Ghanaians feel about their home later. And some want to know where I live specifically (and I’m vague or not depending on the situation), and they offer to visit me, to which I say that my family probably wouldn’t appreciate it. Simple enough ;)

But anyway, I’ve come to the conclusion that while some marriage proposals are cheeky, or weirdly earnest, or attempts at winning my general good favor, at other times men are simply trying to be polite by offering to marry me. It’s a strange sensation, but I think they’re trying to acknowledge that I would be a fine person to marry in general, which in Ghanaian culture is a compliment since they so highly prize marriage and having children. So, as a result of this realization I’ve started saying, “no, but thank you” instead of just “ack, no”.

2) Other gender thing: So, since the continuation of family is so very important, and people must have children, it’s inconceivable to be homosexual in this culture. As in almost all African countries, homosexuality is illegal. And apparently, if you’re a man who looks too “feminine”, people might very well shun you out of mere suspicion that you’re homosexual, but I’ve seen very few people who stretch away from gender norms here. Expectations for men and women are very different here from the US, though. For example, when women have facial hair, they just keep it. They don’t mess with it, they leave it, though Clare said that both men and women shave their armpits (I haven’t noticed). Also, here men who are friends often walk hand in hand, lay their heads in each others laps, and whisper into each other’s ears. No one’s homophobia kicks in because it’s absolutely inconceivable that lovers would be so open about their affection – so they must just be friends. And that’s just the way it is.

Now then, onto the Takoradi trip from last weekend… in truth, it was mostly a trip to Nzulezo, the village on stilts, which took up all of Saturday, but we left Cape Coast on Friday by tro-tro (scrappy 12-20 passenger vans), ate at a nice restaurant, and then slept at a nice hotel in the middle of town. We decided that we could leave the hotel by 7am and still get to Nzulezo in plenty of time since it was about 3 hours away. This consisted of 2 hours in a tro-tro, and then 1 hour in 2 taxis over dirt roads. Actually, it’s four hours, because then there’s the hour long canoe trip along this waterway to the village. So, all in all, 8 hours of traveling, plus some time needed for seeing the village, which took maybe 30-45 minutes, and time to eat.

Unfortunately, though, we didn’t get the early start we had hoped for: our trotro got stopped about 5 minutes away from the station by the police because, in fact, it was a community work day to clean up the city, and even tro-tro drivers weren’t supposed to work. Nearly everyone in the tro-tro tried arguing with the police, who are notoriously pliable, or at least bribable, but it didn’t work. There was even a man going to a funeral, but they didn’t budge. So, we stayed in Takoradi until 10am, when the work hours were over. It was very interesting to see the clean-up effort, in any case. Takoradi already seemed to be cleaner than other cities we’ve been in here, but they went to such lengths as pulling up the heavy concrete gutter covers to shovel out the muck in them, and I was impressed. People were also washing sections of pavement, sweeping everywhere, and all the shops stayed closed. *Nobody* was driving on the roads. Again, Ghanaians are very fervent about the idea of everyone sacrificing for the good of all. By the by, this clean-up was for the 50^th anniversary celebration on March 6^th, and has apparently been happening on the last Saturday of every month in all Ghanaian cities for a year or so.

So, anyway, after all of that, I think we got to Nzulezo at about 3pm. It was a bizarre experience… the homes were very well constructed, though the walkways weren’t. I learned that when new homes are built, the whole community comes together to establish the foundation, and that they pound the support stilts into the shallow water like fufu. So all of that was very interesting. But it was also awkward that not everyone in the village was happy about being on display. I couldn’t even really speak to any of them because they’re Enzima and we’re only learning Fante. C’est la vie, I suppose. We met with the chief, and were told we were extremely fortunate that he was available. He inspected the documents that said we’d paid, and answered our questions, but seemed frustrated by some of them, perhaps because he didn’t speak enough English to be able to explain as he’d like, but perhaps also because he was tired. Chantal also ended up buying a baby crocodile that a kid had caught, and there’s no denying that it was cute, but getting a pet that we’re not particularly prepared to take care of makes me nervous in general. We unfortunately lost it later (it got out of its tiny cage, and Akwasi’s first reaction was to throw it out the taxi window… *sigh*), but buying it was the most positive interaction we had with the people of Nzulezo, so at least that’s something. I never cease to be amazed, however, at how these bizarre tourist experiences end up indirectly teaching me much about things I never expected to learn. At any rate, we got back to Takoradi at 10:30 or so that evening. We went to the beach on Sunday, and I got to swim in the water (yay!) but there’s a whole story attached to that which I’ll relate next time (probably Saturday) ;)

Also, I don’t think I’ve written much about this yet, but March 6 is the 50^th anniversary of Ghanaian independence, and it’s a HUGE deal. Ghanaians are *so* proud, but at the same time, some are critical about the amount of problems Ghana’s still having after 50 years, and the hypocrisy that still occurs. For example, the 50^th anniversary cloth was made in China instead of Ghana, and some people are really mad. But anyway, Chantal, Katie, Akwasi and I will be going to Accra on the 5^th (Monday), and staying till the 7^th, to see preparations and clean-up in addition to the celebrations themselves. Hopefully I’ll get to write once more before then, though ;)

And last but not least, some clarifications on the last post: part of the whole water conversation is that even though I have running water now, it makes a huge difference to know that my friends in Ola still don’t have it… so even though I still need to take showers lest I start itching, I now take them with a much different mindset. And sachet water, btw, sounds bizarre, because you wouldn’t think they’d be convenient to actually *use*… but they are! You simply set them down on the opposite corner from the one you’ve torn to drink, and then they sort of slouch a little never ever spill unless you press on them. It’s nice :)

Anyway, I love you all, and I hope you’re well! Feel free to write :)

Thanks for caring!

Love,

Rachel Rose