I Can't Wait To...

Well, it has been quite an experience being in Ghana for the last 8 months. Although it was difficult at times, I have learned so much from this experience and I’m quite sad to be leaving although I’m also excited to be going home. I have compiled a list of 12 things I can’t wait to do once I’m back in Canada. There is no particular order to this list.

#1. I can’t wait to drink water straight from the tap with ice cubes. Although it is super convenient to be able to buy water sachets wherever you are in Ghana, it is terrible for the environment and it creates a lot of plastic waste. I am looking forward to drinking water from the tap and not worrying about getting sick from drinking water.

#2. I have really REALLY missed cheese and I can’t wait to buy some cheese and eat it. Usually the best we can do is eat the Laughing Cow cheese if you’re being budget-conscious. Yes, it is possible to get real cheese (and sometimes we do get it when we buy pizza), however it is often extremely expensive. Yogurt and other dairy products are hard to find in Ghana as dairy isn’t part of a typical Ghanaian diet.

#3. I can’t wait to pay for something while using my debit or credit cards. Other than using the cards at the ATM, they really have no use in Ghana as cash is what everyone uses to pay for things. I’m also looking forward to paying for something in cash without worrying about change. Getting change in Ghana is always a challenging experience (we’ve come up with a few reasons for this but who knows why this is), and it is frustrating when they refuse to accept anything but exact change for the item you wish to purchase. 

#4. Going to the grocery store will be great because I know that the items I wish to buy will be on the shelves and I only need to visit one store to buy all the groceries I need. I found it a bit frustrating at first when I would go to the grocery store expecting to purchase certain items and the store wouldn’t have anything on my list even though they had it the week before. Such is the reality of life in Africa and it teaches you to buy in bulk if the store has the item that week.

#5. I really miss taking the train or the bus that runs on a schedule. Public transportation in Accra is frequent however the big city buses are not on a schedule and are not a reliable form of transportation. It will also be nice to use my bus pass instead of having to pay the bus fare. Tro tros are amusing however they really are not the safest method of transportation.

#6. It will be great to always be able to find a bathroom when I need it. Finding a bathroom is challenging in Ghana, especially when traveling. I’ve learned how to use a urinal (what an experience), among other toilet situations. It is really an awful experience when you get the ‘Ghana tummy’ or desperately need a toilet and you can’t find one. Everyone has their own unique bathroom-related story to tell. Bathrooms often are not equipped with toilet paper (even in my building there is no toilet paper), so you learn very quickly to bring some tissue with you.

#7. It will be really nice to wear jeans again. It will also be nice to not get your clothes dirty as soon as you walk out the door as it is so dusty in Accra.

#8. I can’t wait to see my family and my wonderful boyfriend who have all been incredibly supportive throughout this experience. I miss them terribly and it will be great to see them all in two short days. I don’t know how I could have done this without their support.

#9. I’m looking forward to having an apartment again. It is an interesting experience living in a University residence building again however I prefer having some privacy. I also can’t wait to have a kitchen to cook in as I rarely cook for myself here as the kitchen is only equipped with a hot plate. I look forward to having my own bathroom and having a quieter place to live.

#10. As much as I wanted to attempt driving in Ghana to say that I had tried it, I have not attempted to drive. I look forward to being able to drive myself somewhere and not have to worry about taking public transportation. 

#11. I have been pretty sick since February with malaria and I haven’t been able to get as much exercise as I would like. It will be great to visit a doctor and figure out exactly what is wrong with me and receive treatment. It will be great to get healthy and stay healthy.

#12. Finally, I am looking forward to graduating from University! It has been a long four years and it will be nice to move on with my life. I have enjoyed my experience but I’m ready to be an adult. I will look back on this experience with fond memories but it is time to progress to the next step.

Another Tale of Broken Electronics

Having a cellphone while in Ghana is very important to me. Really, it’s my lifeline. I use it to communicate to people at home and in Ghana in addition to using it for e-mails, internet, homework and work documents. 

You might remember me discussing my great used Blackberry purchase at a special place in Accra called Kwame Nkrumah Circle (locally known as Circle). In my first post I mentioned how overwhelming Circle was on the first day I was in Ghana - in hindsight, perhaps not the best choice to go to Circle while jetlagged and absolutely clueless but we managed. Circle is essentially a central transportation hub with a huge tro tro station (and at least 3 auxiliary stations that I have stumbled upon), STC and VIP buses have stations here, there is a Post Office and several markets. Circle is also a great place to buy used things like cellphones and bicycles. 

The purchase of my used BlackBerry Bold 9000 for what I thought was a pretty reasonable price was amazing. I couldn’t ask for more from a phone. It was pretty banged up when I bought it and it was quite remarkable that it worked perfectly despite its age. I will admit that it was very big and heavy and often got dropped but I tried to take care of it. I was hopeful that it would last the 8 months of my placement. Sadly, that was not meant to be, as it died forever on Sunday February 26. I couldn’t believe that it was dead dead even though it resetting itself constantly over the weekend. This was a bit of a problem because I had been working on an assignment for work on the phone and lost all the work. A reminder that relying so heavily on electronics is perhaps not the smartest thing (eventually I will learn this).

I had to do a great deal of soul searching about what kind of phone I would purchase for the remainder of my placement. I had two options: buy another used BlackBerry and run the risk of getting a garbage phone or buy a cheap, disposable phone to text and call without all the fancy extras. In the end, I decided the BlackBerry was the best option for me despite the fact that I will only be in Ghana for another 52 days. Could I have survived without the fancy phone? absolutely, but I didn’t want to.

So decision made and with my budget in mind, off I went with a friend to Circle Tuesday morning to once again buy a phone. I promised myself that this time I would shop around and not buy the first phone I saw like last time. I promised not to buy on impulse and make sure it was worth buying before handing over my Cedis. Ian and I hadn’t gone too far down the road before we saw a guy with nice looking BlackBerrys in his little glass case. We stopped to talk to Isaac and saw a BlackBerry in good condition that looked alright. Bargaining is like a sport and it is quite addictive. Within a few minutes we got him to cut the price from 200 to 150 and we quickly tried making a phone call and making sure all the buttons and camera worked.

I lost my desire to shop around and handed over the money and became the owner of my new BlackBerry. I didn’t realize until I got on the tro tro to come home that the buttons have what looks like Arabic characters in addition to the regular characters on the buttons! woops!! Never mind, I replaced an ancient Bold 9000 with a Tour 9630 2009 model.

So far, the Tour has been alright. It seems to be a cross between the Curve and the Bold. Having owned both models before, it seems to combine the features of the Bold in a smaller, lighter handset. So far the Tour is alright, it isn't my favourite model and I miss the bigger screen of the Bold but really, I can't complain.

My wonderful little purchase will only be mine until the day I leave as I’ve decided to return to Circle and sell it back to one of the boys on the street so that someone else can enjoy it. Right after buying it one of the other boys asked me if I was interested in selling it. I’ve got a better idea of how much I can get for it so we’ll see what happens when the time comes!

Welcome to 2012

Having a full month break at the holidays was exactly what I needed to feel refreshed and excited to go back to work. I don’t think anyone would dispute the fact that being a tourist in a country is far easier than trying to set up a life and work. Only once you are immersed in a place you begin to appreciate and understand it. Being in a country for two weeks or even a few months isn’t enough time to really understand what is going on in the particular country. Traveling to tourist areas in the country also means that you are likely interacting with people who are accustomed to hosting tourists.

Traveling with my parents and with my boyfriend made me appreciate how much I have learned about Ghana in such a short period of time and I don’t assume for one second that I know all that there is to know. I was really proud of myself that I was able to navigate without getting lost or needing to ask for directions. I was also really proud of myself for being able to bargain for taxis and get a good price with confidence I didn’t know I had. I had some serious concerns that this experience was not bringing out the best in me, however I know I will be going home a more confident person and that I need to worry less and enjoy the remainder of this experience more.

I am excited to make new friends in the coming weeks as all of my friends on campus have returned home. I wasn’t expecting to make such great friends and they really made this experience a lot of fun. Whether we were celebrating small victories or getting over our problems by eating ice cream in the parking lot, there was never a dull moment. 

I really hope to spend more time at work and also working on my blog for the remainder of my placement. I think my body has had enough of traveling for the time being and I am not opposed to saving some money by staying close to Accra.

I have also compiled a brief list of the things I want to accomplish by the time I leave Ghana. I am quite amazed at how much I have accomplished in only a few months. Hopefully I will continue to grow and learn in the coming months.

The Ghana List:

• Fall asleep on every beach I visit
• Learn a bit of the local language (Twi) (done)
• Take a tro tro by myself (done)
• See a hippo in the wild
• Take a safari through Mole National Park (done)
• See an elephant in the wild (done)
• Ride on a motorcycle (done)
• Ride on a tractor (done)
• Visit a witches camp in the north (done) 
• See one of the historic mosques in the North (done)
• Visit Kejetia market in Kumasi (done)
• Tour at least 10 forts/castles
• See monkeys (done)
• Climb a mountain (done)
• Learn how to negotiate for a taxi (done)
• Do some African dance (done)
• Master cooking one Ghanaian dish
• Make a charitable contribution in some capacity

New Placement

Over the last week, several of my classmates have been given a new field placement for next year. I have also been given a different placement, one that I am pretty excited about. I have now been assigned to work with the group Friends of the Earth or (FoE), an advocacy group with offices in many countries around the world. My original placement was of interest to me however I am confident that working with Friends of the Earth will be a positive experience and I will learn a lot.
FoE is the largest environmental organization in Ghana and they work towards promoting awareness of environmental problems in Ghana. The position is as a researcher or program officer. I am most excited about the opportunity to do research about electronic waste and urban waste in Accra, the capital city, where I will be living. From my research, Accra appears to be a cool city with lots to see and do and I am sure I will enjoy my time there.
Hopefully in the coming weeks I will get more information about this new placement. I am excited to know what my specific job responsibilities will be. I know that this placement will be a better fit for me and I am excited to do research and possibly work on my writing skills.