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.
.
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.
