Ghana be... fun

The Final Countdown…

I really haven’t been very good at keeping my blog updated this year, or in fact getting out and doing things that I could have been writing about.  In all fairness, I have been pretty busy with work, and weekend and evenings have often had a work-like feel to them, but that is a reason and not an excuse- as I am often told.

However, the decision has now been taken that this is the last school year in Ghana and with jobs in Dubai and new adventures to look forward to I have a real incentive to make the most of the last few months in this country and get around to revisiting places from the past and making, “one last trip” out to certain places.

That isn’t to say that new things have to stop though, and there is a new(ish) restaurant that has been frequented a few times, and will continue to be so until June, and last week I was out in Kokrobite for a few days. Granted I was chaperoning a school trip and had to take 56 Grade 6 students along, but it is still a chance to get to see some more of the coast. Ghana does has a fairly impressive coast, not necessarily the type of beach you want to be sitting on and sea you want to be swimming in, at least not here with the under currents and the rocks, but it is quite something to look out at.

Of course there was the usual drumming and dancing component that inevitably comes with any trip to the village, and the never-ending music that seems to blare from every nook and cranny, but there was also a whole new enterprise springing up- recycled jewelry. I’m not really sure that jewelry made of shells, old rubber tires, aluminum cans and waste metal is my thing- I am much more of a drink the soda, and collect the pearls from the shells kind of a girl- but it is refreshing to see so much effort going into the idea of recycling and reusing the objects that would otherwise go to waste, or be left littering and cluttering up the beach.

This weekend has also played host to the Holiday Bazaar, which saw the usual mix of things for sale, kente cloth, drums, masks, carvings, food, beads and baskets. All of which I have looked at, thought about and then decided that I am leaving and I don’t need to be trying to pack more things in my suitcase to ship out; a fact I am sure my parents will appreciate as it would all, no doubt, have ended up being stored somewhere in there house. 

Next week is Thanksgiving, possibly my favorite adopted holiday, mainly as it is a chance to eat turkey and to have a well needed day of work, just in time to start planning and starting to think about Christmas… although this year I am heading back to the UK, for the first time in nearly a decade, and I have already done all the shopping I need to do online. Again, I think my parents are glad I have finished shopping (or nearly) as their house (or so I am told) is starting to represent the local sorting office.

With four more weeks to go, before heading off for Christmas I am sure I will manage to find some more adventures to keep me busy. This year I am looking forward to the cold, Christmas markets; carol services and a short day… what with switching between the northern and southern hemispheres I think I have had 7 longest days in the year and avoided the shortest day for the last three years, this time I will feel like I have had a season and a winter. I can’t wait!

Ghana be... fun

Back into Africa… again!

The summer was great, the travel was amazing and I seeing family and friends was enjoyable. But as ever, all good things must come to an end. Having been back in Accra for just over a week now I have spotted a few of those familiar, frustrations and eye rolling moments that let you know you are home.

Top ten ways that I know I am back in Accra…

1.     Mosquitoes are buzzing around and mosquito nets are once more a familiar sight before bedtime- now if only I had it over the bed rather than still draped over a chair it might prove to be more effective.

2.     Every time I step outside the compound gates I am confronted with the blaring of taxi horns and cries. “No, I did not want to taxi the first three times you yelled at me, I still do not want one now, and reversing down the road and asking me to tell you where I am going is not going to convince me to change my mind!”

3.     But- while we are on the subject of taxis…. Yes, they are all cars that are at least 20 years old, yes they have to have a wonky chassis and crack in the windshield, and yes you have to haggle and agree a price with will be three times the rate for a local, just because of the obroni tax… but I still know that ALL taxis have orange corners and I’m not going to get in any random car just because you say I can!

4.     Traffic! Enough said. I was surprised in Moscow over the summer, but I still think Accra drivers and the most insane I have ever seen. If there is a space fill it- who cares what side of the road it is on, or which way you are facing, or even if you are going in the right direction. No space? No problem! Either drive on the verge, or into someone else. Oh, and don’t forget the market with the constant roadside sellers that you need to weave between.

5.     Chicken shawarma- I forgot how good that was. I put it down to the garlic mayo… thank good for the Doxy, it has benefits other than keeping malaria at bay J

6.     The amount of male genitalia I see on a daily basis. No one should see as much as I do! I think even a doctor would be hard pressed to see what I see.  I should point out that this is not through choice, but just because I happen to be walking/ driving along the road.

7.     Which leads into number 7, and is not exclusive to Africa and Ghana by any means and I have seen a fair few offenders in America and Europe over the last few months, but… what is it with the jeans around the knees and the underwear on show look? The worst case was over the weekend, where the jeans were so low that there was skin between the bottom of the boxer shorts and the top of the jeans, enabling jiggle and genital escapage with movement!

8.     Housing quirks…. I have a shower which leaks and doesn’t empty- ever! Not because it is blocked but because it is a plinth rather than a tray, has no lip and the water needs to run uphill to get to the plughole.  Electric sockets that are so randomly wired you have no idea what switch controls which power source- it is the Salvador Dali of wiring, maybe an early physics plug and play lesson with a 9 year old? But all of which runs on a generator, when the diesel is there.

Shower- in progress earlier this year.

9.     The water truck arrives- no water does not just magically flow freely throughout the house and run effortlessly out of the taps; it is delivered in a truck. Once every few weeks the water truck appears and fills the tank at the side of the house. The drinking water comes from a water cooler and the volvic bottles are replaced every few days, and the water in the pool- now salt water- well, I have no idea where that comes from, but it is very clean and refreshing looking.

1 Finally and by no means least- you know you are back in Accra when you can see so many smiling and helpful faces around you. You catch up with friends and colleagues, weekend brunch dates start to show up on your calendar again, the sky is usually blue, the weather is hot, fresh coconuts and mangoes grow in your garden, palm trees can be seen out the window, and drumming can be heard coming from… well actually I have no idea, but it is a familiar sound.

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Of course there are plenty of other Ghanaism- the church and the mosque trying to outdo each other on volume at 5am on Sunday morning, people sleeping in the road- yes with traffic moving around them- a constant source of fear to me, the newspaper guy who stops to great you every morning no matter how busy he seems- and yes he is always trying to teach us new Twi words, the children who are convinced you must be a ghost, and the lady who owns the store on the corner and will try and order anything you need- “It’s finished.” Maybe a familiar phrase but you know she is out looking for more.

Great summer- nice to have some familiarities back after 7 weeks of travel and adventure, but now it is time to start planning the next one. 

Ghana be Fun!

Elmina Time

I was just thinking that it has been a while since I last updated my blog (I’m going to blame work) and I ought to get back to sharing some of the comings and goings that I have recently experienced, only to realize that my last update was just after a trip along the coast too. I’d like to try and bit more positive this time… however….

We have spent the last three weekends at home, doing very little. We have met some friends for brunch most weekends, we have caught up with people over dinner and drinks and even managed one lunch date, but generally the weekends have brought little our way in term of travel. I would like to say that this has been down to the weather starting to feel hot, humid and the rains coming more frequently, but that does only account for a small part of the laziness and lethargy we have encountered. This weekend we decided to make an effort. The rain that had poured down earlier in the week had cleared and the skies were once again blue, clear and the sun was beating down. What better weekend to get out of the city, away from the humidity and pollution and head out to the coast.

Elmina was the destination of choice, the traffic is a chore for the first hour of the trip, but then the road usually empties out, and the second hour can be quite pleasant. It has been a while since I have come out this far, possibly as long as nine or ten months; and I am constantly hearing about how Ghana is a country on the up. The economy is growing, communities are developing… there was significantly more traffic on the roads than I remember! There were also a substantial number of dumper trucks carting sand and gravel around, these were nearly as prevalent as tro-tros.

 

It is great that the economy is growing, and I have no idea how much of this transportation is done legally, but a lot of this “sand winning” or sand mining that goes on along this part of the coast is illegal and causes damage to the coast line. The erosion in this part of Ghana is a big problem, as is the damage it causes to local villages, houses, buildings and roads. I guess the long-term potential damage is a price that some locals are prepared to pay to make some money now, and in certain respects I can see that. Why try and save for a future that you will never see if you don’t act now to create some opportunities for yourself and your family. Nonetheless, with a long-term tourist outlook it is a shame that this area is being destroyed.

I am going to avoid the inevitable whine about the hotel, yes, it was ridiculously expensive for the jaded 1970s atmosphere, damp moldy room, cracked light sockets, and wall in a state of disrepair. No, the food was not worth the extortionate price we had to pay, of course the room was not ready at check in time, yes they had lost the reservation and the prepaid booking, and of course they tried to offer us rice and fish heads for breakfast- but all of that was expected. As was the sound of me turning not my mother when they asked us to pay again for a room we had already paid for. It doesn’t matter how hard I try or how hard I tell my self not to, I suddenly seem to be possessed by her thoughts and out of my mouth come all the phrases and tones I heard growing up and swore to myself I would never repeat. I have to admit- they so seem to be effective though.

Despite this, it was a relaxing few days, the coastal breeze stock the stickiness out of the air, the sea crashing on the rocks a nice sound to fall asleep to, the fishing boats and the trees are picturesque, and I am remaindered about the parts of Ghana I enjoy.

Ghana be Fun

Two in One:

 I thought I ought to take a few minutes to write a blog entry and catch up on the last few weeks, which have been an interesting mix.

First there was the Worldreader trip. For those of you have never heard of Worldreader they are an organization who provide e-books and digital readers to schools in the developing world, in my case the ones I know about are n Ghana.  The idea behind it being that by helping these children gain access to books and resources they have the opportunity for a better education and the chance to change their future.

At Adesio Primary School the students in Class 5 and Class 6 take part.  These are pretty big classes by any standards, with the students telling us how they either go to school for the morning shift (7am -12pm) or the afternoon shift (12pm -5pm) with each shift containing 45-50 children.  All of these children are in one classroom, with the teacher at the front, the desks set out in rows and one blackboard at the front.  Having taught classes of a similar age before, I do not relish the prospect of having 45 students squashed into a small, non air-conditioned space for either a morning or an afternoon, the idea of having 90-100 papers to grade for each task set is also more than a little alarming. 

All the students in the top two years of primary school now have access to their own kindle. These kindles have school-books, text books, grammar, and reading activities on, as well as having local stories, local folk tales and stories about events and experiences that the student can identify with.  The students all seemed to have read all of these books before and could talk about which were they favorites and why they liked certain aspects of the fairly simple stories.  One of the girls I was reading with told me all about how she gets her twin brothers and younger sister ready and helps to feed them and look after them, and carry them on her back when she isn’t at school. It is a world so far removed from any I can imagine, I did wonder about how much help it actually was being involved there.  Was I imposing my values and beliefs on an aspect of society for whom they actually weren’t going to be of any practical value? You only have to look at what I do for a living to know that I hold education and continued learning and development in high regard. But for a girl of 11, who was the second oldest of six children and who already says that when she finishes school in a few years she will be working, cooking food and looking after her family I am still not sure that reading stories about Kwame driving a taxi to town are going to be much help.  Then again, everyone needs to start somewhere and maybe for the girl who told me she wanted to be a nurse in the future this was a good stepping-stone on her way to achieving her dream.

When it came time for the break it was time for the kids to teach us something and so we found ourselves learning some azonto dance moves.  This is a type of Ghanaian dance that has evolved from the Apaa dance created and performed by the people of Bukom.  It involves lots of knee bending, hip swiveling, and includes what seem to be depictions of ironing, washing, boxing, praying and swimming to name but a few. It also relies quite heavily on rhythm and coordination- both are skills I lack in abundance.

Luckily I was marginally better at ampe than I am at azonto, although I feel this may be more down to luck than anything else.  Ampe is a playground game that involves jumping up and down and clapping. Much as the students tried to tell me it was a game of skill and judgment I am skill inclined to think it is luck.  Basically you do a shuffle and a jump step before landing with one foot pointing toward your opponent.  Depending on where your feet land and where your opponent lands points are awarded.  If you both have the same foot forward player one wins, and if you have different feet forward player two wins. As I have no control over the other player, I definitely think luck plays a bigger part, although I think the idea is that you start to read the body language and reactions of your opponent.  The game is so energetic though; that by the time I would have been able to start reading reactions I was well and truly ready to stop playing.

The contrast to this was a weekend trip to “Blue Diamond” a beach resort on the way out toward Cape Coast, just before Saltpond. It came highly recommended and was, as far as these places go, an enjoyable place to spend a few hours.  Full marks fr effort, a drink upon arrival, a clean stretch of beach, nice food, and a pleasant bar area. 

However, it was $115 a night, which by any standards is not cheap, and there were a few things I would expect to be slightly better.  The room did have AC but the plug attaches on the fridge and the bedside light were not the same as the sockets in the wall, meaning that neither of the appliance could be plugged in. The room also came with a kettle, but upon arrival we were told that we could not bring our own food or drink without paying $50, so no tea or coffee then!

Maybe I am being picky but for US prices I am expecting US customer standards. This was a nice enough place to be for the weekend but $50 might be a more realistic price.