I had the best meal since I've come to Ghana last night: zebra! It was absolutely delicious. Brandon, Mary Beth, Andrew, Ben, Kristine and myself went to El Gaucho Steakhouse in Osu and chose from an assortment of South African game meat. Brandon got Kudu, which is an antelope-like animal with long, spiraling horns/antlers. Ben got the Ostrich. It was a bit chewy and I was surprised because I thought that ostrich would be "white" like chicken or turkey, but it was red meat. Kristine and I got the zebra. I got mine medium-rare and it was perfectly cooked. It's hard to describe the taste; it's similar to a beef steak, but it has a different aftertaste. Mary Beth had an order of frog legs and Andrew ate before we left, so he didn't have anything. It was pretty pricey; my zebra cost $30 plus the 15% national sales tax (which is only ever charged at nicer restaurants and stores). Brandon and I were a bit disappointed because our Ghana guidebook said that they served crocodile there, but it wasn't on the menu. I hope to go back there once more before I leave and have another type of meat. My apologies to any horse-lovers out there, but zebra tastes pretty damn good and I might need to try an Appaloosa or a Quarter Horse when I get back to the States.
After dinner, we went to Champs Sports Bar at the Paloma Hotel to watch some college football. They were showing the Alabama vs. Georgia game. It was really nice being able to see some American football for once. The game didn't start until midnight here, so we only saw the first hour and a half of the game before we got too tired and came back to campus. I really wish they were showing the Penn State - Illinois game! After reading up on the game this afternoon, I really miss being back home. I also missed the Bloomsburg Fair, which makes my stomach even sadder than it already was from eating Ghanaian food. Anyways, at the bar, they were having there own version of the "Price is Right." They had a product from Ghana and there were three contestants, each guessed it's price and the person with the closest bid without going over won the prize and got a turn to spin the "Wheel of Fortune." Well, when they were calling up the contestants for the first round, the M.C. mentioned the name Nick 'something' but the guy didn't stand up. So everybody at the table started to pretend like I was that guy. They were yelling "come on Nick," and lifting my arms up, so the M.C. was convinced that I was the Nick guy and I went up on stage. Our item to bid on was a box of tea bags from India. The two other contestants, a girl from NYU and a woman from London, guessed 4 cedi and 4.50 cedi/pesewas, respectively. I guessed 9 cedi and the actual price was 10.60, so I won! When I spun the wheel, which was actually an animation on the D.J.'s laptop, I had to read a tongue twister to win my prize, two six-packs of Hunter's Gold Cider. Everybody at the table went nuts when I was right the first time and they nearly died when I tried reading the tongue twister. It was so much fun! Thank God the real Nick didn't go up!
In one of the later rounds, another girl from the NYU group went up on stage. He asked them where they were from and the one girl said, "about an hour north of Harrisburg." I was shocked! When I try to explain to people where Danville is, that's how I describe it (that, and, the town next to Bucknell University). The M.C. asked the name of the town and the girl said Sunbury. After the round was over, I went over to their table to talk to her and as soon as I sat down I knew I recognized her from somewhere. I asked if she went to Shikellamy High School and she had and then it struck me...she competed in forensics. It was Elise Brumbach. I never really talked to her much back in high school because she was two years ahead of me but we have a lot of mutual friends. The whole thing just made me think how small our world really is! I mean, randomly running into a girl from red-neck Central PA in a sports bar halfway around the world in Ghana. We exchanged numbers and we'll probably meet up and get dinner sometime. Yesterday was just a great day all around (excluding my minor bout of "stomach issues" in the afternoon). Everything else is going well here in Ghana. It was a typical week and this weekend has been incredibly relaxing (it helped that I have the room to myself for the next week and a half because Simen is traveling in Mali until next weekend). It was the first weekend that I haven't traveled since being in Ghana. I got my hair cut by my friend Becca this afternoon and she did a really good job. Otherwise, I threw a frisbee around with Brandon for a little, watched two episodes of House, and got some work done for classes. In the words of Forrest Gump, "that's all I've got to say about that."
Greg
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Kumasi
So, I've spent the past two weekends in Kumasi, which is about 6 hours north of Accra. Two weeks ago, I went with Carly, McKenzie, and Maggie. We met up with Sammy, Eric, and Kristine at the Guestline Lodge Hostel, which cost 15 cedi/night (not too expensive, but we've stayed in nicer rooms for less before). The STC bus there was 10 cedis, but it was well worth it for the air-conditioned ride. We left Friday around noon and arrived in Kumasi at 5:30. We checked in to our hotel and went for dinner at Vic Baboo's Restaurant (a delicious assortment of Ghanaian, continental, and Indian cuisine). We were hasseled by street vendors outside the restaurant for a few minutes, but didn't buy anything. On Saturday, we went to the Kumasi Children's Home and played with the children for a couple hours. They were so excited to see "oborunis" and they ran down to us and jumped in our arms upon our arrival. I played soccer with the boys while the three girls played with the girls and carried some babies around the way Ghanaians do (on the back with a cloth wrapped around their bodies). The kids all loved having their pictures taken and they asked us for a copy the next time we to Kumasi. I still haven't found a place to get pictures developed, but Carly (who is involved with Project Polaroid) might take her Polaroid camera up with her next time to take pictures of the children. After we left the children's home, we went to the largest open-air market in all of West Africa. It was rather intimidating, not to mention filthy, so we didn't stay very long. We went to the Kumasi Cultural Center to look at the craft shops there, but everything was really over-priced, so we ended up going back to Vic Baboo's for a late lunch and got some crafts from the street vendors there. Saturday evening, the seven of us went to this amazing Indian restaurant, claimed to be one of the best Indian restaurants in the "West," and it lived up to the hype. Now I'm not an expert of Indian cuisine, but the Chicken Tikki Marsala and Garlic Naan was delicious. It was rather pricey, but definitely worth every pesewa! I had a long talk with Kristine that night, about life, love, our futures, and everything in between. I was pretty tired so I went to bed early. Our bus left at 12:30 Sunday and we arrived back in Accra around 6:30.
I went back to Kumasi this past weekend with the Penn State group. We left this past Thursday and came back last night. Here is a rather brief description of what we did each day:
Thursday - 6 hour ride to Kumasi. I listened to my iPod almost the entire time (thanks Ben). Upon arrival, we went to the Arts College located just outside of Kumasi and met with a world-renowned ceramic artist who has artwork in the UN office, the Ghanaian embassy in the U.S., and several art museums throughout Europe. Afterward, we went for lunch. Next was a trip to the Kumasi Cultural Center (again) where we went on a tour of the Asante Warfare Museum. It was pretty cool! There were ancient swords and weapons of various kinds. We also received a guided tour of the former Asante King's Palace. It had a lot of artifacts of previous Asante kings. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures at either of the museums. We ate dinner and went to our hotel. I watched V for Vendetta with Mike on my laptop in our hotel room. Got to love air-conditioning and a hot shower!
Friday - We had a 2 hour drive north of Kumasi to Techiman, one of the provinces of the Asante Kingdom. There, we met with the chief for a while for him to discuss aspects of his peoples' culture. The chief sent us, with one of his "servants," to several rock formations just outside of the village. These rock formations are regarded as holy religious sites to both Christian and traditional African beliefs. We climbed up this huge escarpment for a couple of hours! It was an amazing feeling once you got to the top. Most of the people struggled climbing it, but thankfully my days in Boy Scouts prepared me well. I also got some fantastic pictures from the top of the "mountain" that we climbed of the surroundings. When you picture Africa in your head...this is what we saw (for the first time)! It was so cool. There wasn't really any wildlife, other than the usual insects and lizards, but the scenery was beautiful. I can't wait to show everybody pictures of this when I get back home. After we descended the mountain, we went to the Brobina-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary. It's this small village that monkeys live on the outskirts of and come into town around dusk and dawn. Unfortunately, just as we arrived, it started pouring down rain and the monkeys had already returned to the surrounding jungles. We saw a couple way up in the trees, but they were too far to get pictures. We went back to our hotel for dinner.
Saturday - This was a pretty uneventful day. We drove back to Kumasi from Techiman, but along the way we stopped at a craft village that made wood carvings, a batiking village (a type of printed cloth), and a kente village (a type of weaved cloth, this is the "traditional" African cloth). We were allowed some time to shop at each of the three villages. I got some really cool stuff, for myself and as gifts for others. Can't wait to show everybody what I got in December!
Sunday - we went to an important festival for the Asante people (that occurs every 40 days), but I can't remember the name of it for the life of me. We also met the Queen Mother of the Asante people. It was pretty cool, but our tour guide didn't tell us how long the ceremony would take and none of us were really prepared to sit for 4 hours without eating. Sam, our tour guide, is a great guy, but he doesn't communicate very well at times. Oh well! After the durbar, we ate lunch and left to come back to Accra. I finally arrived at the hostel on campus around 9 p.m. and went to bed very soon after.
So, that was an incredibly condensed version of my weekend, but I promise to share more about it when I return home. I have a lot that I need to read for lectures tomorrow, so I need to get going. All is well other than my trips lately. Still haven't had too many problems with bugs. Last night, I woke up in a cold sweat, my back itched, and my heart was beating really hard and really fast. I ended up having to call my mom at 4 a.m. here (mid-night back home) to ask her what was wrong. Thankfully, in addition to being a wonderful mother, Nancy Walker is an incredible nurse and told me what to do to get everything under control. We still don't really know what caused the symptoms, but they haven't recurred again. If they do, I'll probably have to go to a clinic and get everything checked out. I'm sure my mom didn't sleep too well after that phone call, but everything is fine for now! My last class of the day tomorrow is cancelled, so I only have two and I'll get to go to Pizza Inn two hours earlier than normal! I also got my first package from my mom today. It took six weeks to get here and was pretty expensive to send, but it was definitely worth it. I've been re-stocked on peanuts, hand sanitizer, K2O drink mixes, deodorant, etc. for the next couple weeks. They have this weird policy in Ghana in regards to postal services. Even though my mom paid a ridiculous amount to have everything shipped here, I still had to pay transit fees and the Ghanaian national tax on the "value" of what was sent. Luckily, the guy processing our packages was very friendly and studied at the University of Ghana a couple of years ago, so he gave me a reduced value of my package. My mom had it insured for about $75, but he only charged me for $40. The taxes and transit fees still came out to 20 cedis! I guess I learned my lesson for next time...pay the $50 charge by the airlines to bring EVERYTHING you need with you, rather than having it shipped. Well, I need to head out now.
Until next time,
Greg
I went back to Kumasi this past weekend with the Penn State group. We left this past Thursday and came back last night. Here is a rather brief description of what we did each day:
Thursday - 6 hour ride to Kumasi. I listened to my iPod almost the entire time (thanks Ben). Upon arrival, we went to the Arts College located just outside of Kumasi and met with a world-renowned ceramic artist who has artwork in the UN office, the Ghanaian embassy in the U.S., and several art museums throughout Europe. Afterward, we went for lunch. Next was a trip to the Kumasi Cultural Center (again) where we went on a tour of the Asante Warfare Museum. It was pretty cool! There were ancient swords and weapons of various kinds. We also received a guided tour of the former Asante King's Palace. It had a lot of artifacts of previous Asante kings. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures at either of the museums. We ate dinner and went to our hotel. I watched V for Vendetta with Mike on my laptop in our hotel room. Got to love air-conditioning and a hot shower!
Friday - We had a 2 hour drive north of Kumasi to Techiman, one of the provinces of the Asante Kingdom. There, we met with the chief for a while for him to discuss aspects of his peoples' culture. The chief sent us, with one of his "servants," to several rock formations just outside of the village. These rock formations are regarded as holy religious sites to both Christian and traditional African beliefs. We climbed up this huge escarpment for a couple of hours! It was an amazing feeling once you got to the top. Most of the people struggled climbing it, but thankfully my days in Boy Scouts prepared me well. I also got some fantastic pictures from the top of the "mountain" that we climbed of the surroundings. When you picture Africa in your head...this is what we saw (for the first time)! It was so cool. There wasn't really any wildlife, other than the usual insects and lizards, but the scenery was beautiful. I can't wait to show everybody pictures of this when I get back home. After we descended the mountain, we went to the Brobina-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary. It's this small village that monkeys live on the outskirts of and come into town around dusk and dawn. Unfortunately, just as we arrived, it started pouring down rain and the monkeys had already returned to the surrounding jungles. We saw a couple way up in the trees, but they were too far to get pictures. We went back to our hotel for dinner.
Saturday - This was a pretty uneventful day. We drove back to Kumasi from Techiman, but along the way we stopped at a craft village that made wood carvings, a batiking village (a type of printed cloth), and a kente village (a type of weaved cloth, this is the "traditional" African cloth). We were allowed some time to shop at each of the three villages. I got some really cool stuff, for myself and as gifts for others. Can't wait to show everybody what I got in December!
Sunday - we went to an important festival for the Asante people (that occurs every 40 days), but I can't remember the name of it for the life of me. We also met the Queen Mother of the Asante people. It was pretty cool, but our tour guide didn't tell us how long the ceremony would take and none of us were really prepared to sit for 4 hours without eating. Sam, our tour guide, is a great guy, but he doesn't communicate very well at times. Oh well! After the durbar, we ate lunch and left to come back to Accra. I finally arrived at the hostel on campus around 9 p.m. and went to bed very soon after.
So, that was an incredibly condensed version of my weekend, but I promise to share more about it when I return home. I have a lot that I need to read for lectures tomorrow, so I need to get going. All is well other than my trips lately. Still haven't had too many problems with bugs. Last night, I woke up in a cold sweat, my back itched, and my heart was beating really hard and really fast. I ended up having to call my mom at 4 a.m. here (mid-night back home) to ask her what was wrong. Thankfully, in addition to being a wonderful mother, Nancy Walker is an incredible nurse and told me what to do to get everything under control. We still don't really know what caused the symptoms, but they haven't recurred again. If they do, I'll probably have to go to a clinic and get everything checked out. I'm sure my mom didn't sleep too well after that phone call, but everything is fine for now! My last class of the day tomorrow is cancelled, so I only have two and I'll get to go to Pizza Inn two hours earlier than normal! I also got my first package from my mom today. It took six weeks to get here and was pretty expensive to send, but it was definitely worth it. I've been re-stocked on peanuts, hand sanitizer, K2O drink mixes, deodorant, etc. for the next couple weeks. They have this weird policy in Ghana in regards to postal services. Even though my mom paid a ridiculous amount to have everything shipped here, I still had to pay transit fees and the Ghanaian national tax on the "value" of what was sent. Luckily, the guy processing our packages was very friendly and studied at the University of Ghana a couple of years ago, so he gave me a reduced value of my package. My mom had it insured for about $75, but he only charged me for $40. The taxes and transit fees still came out to 20 cedis! I guess I learned my lesson for next time...pay the $50 charge by the airlines to bring EVERYTHING you need with you, rather than having it shipped. Well, I need to head out now.
Until next time,
Greg
Monday, September 15, 2008
Catching Up...
Well, it's not going to be as in-depth and detailed as I would have liked, but here is the recap of what I've been up to the past two weeks.
Two weekends ago, Saturday (6/9) to Monday (8/9) our group from Penn State, which consists of Andrew, Mike, Terrell, Kevin, Caroline, Danielle, Christine, and myself, went to Cape Coast and Elmina for the weekend. We left around 6 a.m. on Saturday. I wanted to kill myself when my cell phone alarm went off at 5 a.m. It didn't help that I was up until about 12:30 on Friday night watching Gossip Girls with Carly and McKenzie. I know what you're thinking...what the heck is Greg doing watching Gossip Girls? I know because I thought the same thing myself. But to be honest, it's really not that bad. This doesn't mean that I have a new found liking for excessively dramatic and cheesy girl television shows, but it does give me something to do in the evenings. Anyways, the drive to Cape Coast was about two hours. When we arrived, we grabbed a quick breakfast at a restaurant that overlooks the ocean, right next to Cape Coast Castle. As soon as we were done eating, we went a couple miles away to join a parade. We were actually in a parade! It was a bit awkward. I felt like an animal on display at the Bloomsburg Fair as little kids and adults alike pointed their fingers at us and laughed/smiled. The guy that we were behind must have been pretty important because women kept coming up to him and fanning him throughout the parade route. He also had an entourage of people to get him water and energy drinks (he drank three during the parade...can't be good for his heart). At one point in time, a television station came up and interviewed him while walking along the street. But, he was a really cool guy and was encouraging us to dance with him. I'm not much of a dancer, but I tried and the Ghanians certainly got a kick out of watching me. The parade was fun for about the first two hours, but after that, it got incredibly hot. I got a sunburned neck and nose because our tour guide didn't tell us that we would be out in the sun for so long, so I didn't put any sunscreen on. After about three and a half hours and 5 miles of walking we finally got to the end of the parade route. The reason for the parade was part of an all-day celebration where all the "sub-chiefs" recommitted themselves to the "head chief" on that tribes new calender year. There was a durbar that the president of Ghana spoke at, but we didn't have time to stay around. We got a quick lunch and then went to Cape Coast Castle. We got a guided tour. It was intense! They took us down into the dungeons where they kept the slaves back in the 17th and 18th centuries. The tour guide also showed us the governor's room, the "trading room" (where the merchants bartered over the purchase of slaves), and the "door of no return" (the door that the slaves were filed through on their way to the boats to leave for Europe and North and South America. After the tour, we had a few minutes to walk around and take pictures. I went back down into the dungeons to get some pictures and I was the only person down there. It was incredibly creepy; I had chills in my spine. I got some great pictures though and I can't wait to show everybody when I get back! We went back to our "botel" (a hotel that is essentially a boat on a huge pond). There were crocodiles in the pond! It was so awesome. We threw bread into the water and a ton of fish would come and start eating it. Then, all of a sudden, crocodiles would lunge out of the water to eat the fish. They are such powerful animals. It was a bit intense knowing that they aren't penned into a specific area and could come out of the water onto the land by our rooms at any point in time, but the staff assured us that there have never been any attacks in the botels 30 years of operation.
On Sunday, we woke up around 9 a.m. after a fantastic night's sleep (I had an air-conditioned room for the first time since I've come to Ghana)! We ate breakfast at the botel and then drove about an hour west of Cape Coast to Elmina (named by the Portuguese in the 17th Century after "la mina" - meaning "the mine" because of all the gold that they found in the region). We went to Elmina Castle. We received a tour there as well. The tour guide there was much better and well-informed. While the dungeons weren't quite as eerie, the stories about the British Governors and soldiers taking advantage of the female soldiers and showing us how they selected their "prizes" was saddening. The castle itself was nicer than Cape Coast Castle in terms of architectural design and restoration projects. One of the coolest things about the castle is that it hosts the second oldest church built in West Africa (the first was destroyed during a conflict between the Dutch and the English over control of "Gold Coast" colony - the old name for Ghana). I got some awesome pictures there as well. After our tour of the castle, we ate lunch and went to a beach resort for the afternoon. The beach was beautiful, especially in comparison to my experiences at Labadi Beach and Ada Foah. There was no trash in the water or on the beach within eyesight. The waves were the perfect size for body surfing (made me wish I had my boogey-board) and they had really comfortable chairs to sit in and just enjoy the surroundings. We stayed there until about 4 p.m., then got in our bus for an hour and a half ride to a remote village in the rain forest. There, we saw a bamboo orchestra play some traditional African music that was accompanied by an African dance ensemble. It was spectacular! One of the coolest cultural experiences I've encountered thus far. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. When we were finished watching the dancers and listening to the music, we got up and joined them in dancing. They taught us a traditional African dance. Let me tell you, it was quite tiring. I give these dancers a lot more respect for what they put their bodies through. I thought dancing to one song was tiring, imagine what dancing to 7 songs is like! By the time the orchestra was finished, it was getting dark and we had to leave right away before it got too dark. The roads here at nighttime are very dangerous because of all the potholes and drop-offs on the side of the roads. We all wanted to stay and see the village, so I guess I'll just have to make it a point to go back there at some other point in time this semester. We went back to the botel and went to bed.
Monday morning we went to Kakum National Park around 10 a.m. and went on the canopy walk tour. It was a pretty tiring trek up the side of the mountain to get up to the canopy level of the trees below. Once we got to the canopy, my excitement quickly turned to sheer terror. Now, I'm not usually that afraid of heights, but if you saw how primitive looking these walkways that were suspended 40 meters (approximately 130 feet) above the jungle floor, you would understand. The park rangers assured us that there have never been any fatalities in the parks history, but that didn't seem to help calm down my nerves. I was okay crossing the first of seven walkways because it was pretty stable and not quite as high off the ground. But on the second walkway, the boards in the middle creaked really loud as we walked across them and I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. I made the mistake of looking down! Imagine looking down on the tops of trees that are as tall as the tallest trees back in Pennsylvania (and you're still well above them). I got some really cool pictures, but they do the canopy walk no justice. By the fourth and fifth walkways I was feeling as "comfortable" as possible and by the end I was really excited about what I had just done.; walked along 300 meters of a walkway made of rope, a wooden walkway situated on top of an aluminum frame (resembled a narrow ladder), 40 meters above the ground! If you ever get a chance to come to Ghana, I highly recommend spending a day up on the canopy walkway in Kakum National Park. It is a once in a lifetime experience (especially considering there are only 3 other similar canopy walkways in the entire world). We ate a late lunch at the park before driving three and a half hours back to Accra. It was an awesome weekend; the best I've had here in Ghana so far!
Well, I've been working on this for quite some time and I need to do some work for a group project meeting that I have at 5 p.m. today for my history class. Sorry I didn't get a chance to completely catch-up on my life, but I'll fill everybody in on this past weekend and my trip to Kumasi sometime soon. Tomorrow is my busy day, so I probably won't be online, but I will try my hardest to post the rest on Wednesday, seeing as I am going out of town again this weekend. We're leaving Thursday morning and returning Sunday, so I will be without Internet for a couple of days again. If there is anything you need from me for the next week or so, make sure you email or facebook me by Wednesday, otherwise I won't get it until next Monday. Hope all is well with everybody back home/at school!
Let's Go State (3-0),
Greg
Two weekends ago, Saturday (6/9) to Monday (8/9) our group from Penn State, which consists of Andrew, Mike, Terrell, Kevin, Caroline, Danielle, Christine, and myself, went to Cape Coast and Elmina for the weekend. We left around 6 a.m. on Saturday. I wanted to kill myself when my cell phone alarm went off at 5 a.m. It didn't help that I was up until about 12:30 on Friday night watching Gossip Girls with Carly and McKenzie. I know what you're thinking...what the heck is Greg doing watching Gossip Girls? I know because I thought the same thing myself. But to be honest, it's really not that bad. This doesn't mean that I have a new found liking for excessively dramatic and cheesy girl television shows, but it does give me something to do in the evenings. Anyways, the drive to Cape Coast was about two hours. When we arrived, we grabbed a quick breakfast at a restaurant that overlooks the ocean, right next to Cape Coast Castle. As soon as we were done eating, we went a couple miles away to join a parade. We were actually in a parade! It was a bit awkward. I felt like an animal on display at the Bloomsburg Fair as little kids and adults alike pointed their fingers at us and laughed/smiled. The guy that we were behind must have been pretty important because women kept coming up to him and fanning him throughout the parade route. He also had an entourage of people to get him water and energy drinks (he drank three during the parade...can't be good for his heart). At one point in time, a television station came up and interviewed him while walking along the street. But, he was a really cool guy and was encouraging us to dance with him. I'm not much of a dancer, but I tried and the Ghanians certainly got a kick out of watching me. The parade was fun for about the first two hours, but after that, it got incredibly hot. I got a sunburned neck and nose because our tour guide didn't tell us that we would be out in the sun for so long, so I didn't put any sunscreen on. After about three and a half hours and 5 miles of walking we finally got to the end of the parade route. The reason for the parade was part of an all-day celebration where all the "sub-chiefs" recommitted themselves to the "head chief" on that tribes new calender year. There was a durbar that the president of Ghana spoke at, but we didn't have time to stay around. We got a quick lunch and then went to Cape Coast Castle. We got a guided tour. It was intense! They took us down into the dungeons where they kept the slaves back in the 17th and 18th centuries. The tour guide also showed us the governor's room, the "trading room" (where the merchants bartered over the purchase of slaves), and the "door of no return" (the door that the slaves were filed through on their way to the boats to leave for Europe and North and South America. After the tour, we had a few minutes to walk around and take pictures. I went back down into the dungeons to get some pictures and I was the only person down there. It was incredibly creepy; I had chills in my spine. I got some great pictures though and I can't wait to show everybody when I get back! We went back to our "botel" (a hotel that is essentially a boat on a huge pond). There were crocodiles in the pond! It was so awesome. We threw bread into the water and a ton of fish would come and start eating it. Then, all of a sudden, crocodiles would lunge out of the water to eat the fish. They are such powerful animals. It was a bit intense knowing that they aren't penned into a specific area and could come out of the water onto the land by our rooms at any point in time, but the staff assured us that there have never been any attacks in the botels 30 years of operation.
On Sunday, we woke up around 9 a.m. after a fantastic night's sleep (I had an air-conditioned room for the first time since I've come to Ghana)! We ate breakfast at the botel and then drove about an hour west of Cape Coast to Elmina (named by the Portuguese in the 17th Century after "la mina" - meaning "the mine" because of all the gold that they found in the region). We went to Elmina Castle. We received a tour there as well. The tour guide there was much better and well-informed. While the dungeons weren't quite as eerie, the stories about the British Governors and soldiers taking advantage of the female soldiers and showing us how they selected their "prizes" was saddening. The castle itself was nicer than Cape Coast Castle in terms of architectural design and restoration projects. One of the coolest things about the castle is that it hosts the second oldest church built in West Africa (the first was destroyed during a conflict between the Dutch and the English over control of "Gold Coast" colony - the old name for Ghana). I got some awesome pictures there as well. After our tour of the castle, we ate lunch and went to a beach resort for the afternoon. The beach was beautiful, especially in comparison to my experiences at Labadi Beach and Ada Foah. There was no trash in the water or on the beach within eyesight. The waves were the perfect size for body surfing (made me wish I had my boogey-board) and they had really comfortable chairs to sit in and just enjoy the surroundings. We stayed there until about 4 p.m., then got in our bus for an hour and a half ride to a remote village in the rain forest. There, we saw a bamboo orchestra play some traditional African music that was accompanied by an African dance ensemble. It was spectacular! One of the coolest cultural experiences I've encountered thus far. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. When we were finished watching the dancers and listening to the music, we got up and joined them in dancing. They taught us a traditional African dance. Let me tell you, it was quite tiring. I give these dancers a lot more respect for what they put their bodies through. I thought dancing to one song was tiring, imagine what dancing to 7 songs is like! By the time the orchestra was finished, it was getting dark and we had to leave right away before it got too dark. The roads here at nighttime are very dangerous because of all the potholes and drop-offs on the side of the roads. We all wanted to stay and see the village, so I guess I'll just have to make it a point to go back there at some other point in time this semester. We went back to the botel and went to bed.
Monday morning we went to Kakum National Park around 10 a.m. and went on the canopy walk tour. It was a pretty tiring trek up the side of the mountain to get up to the canopy level of the trees below. Once we got to the canopy, my excitement quickly turned to sheer terror. Now, I'm not usually that afraid of heights, but if you saw how primitive looking these walkways that were suspended 40 meters (approximately 130 feet) above the jungle floor, you would understand. The park rangers assured us that there have never been any fatalities in the parks history, but that didn't seem to help calm down my nerves. I was okay crossing the first of seven walkways because it was pretty stable and not quite as high off the ground. But on the second walkway, the boards in the middle creaked really loud as we walked across them and I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. I made the mistake of looking down! Imagine looking down on the tops of trees that are as tall as the tallest trees back in Pennsylvania (and you're still well above them). I got some really cool pictures, but they do the canopy walk no justice. By the fourth and fifth walkways I was feeling as "comfortable" as possible and by the end I was really excited about what I had just done.; walked along 300 meters of a walkway made of rope, a wooden walkway situated on top of an aluminum frame (resembled a narrow ladder), 40 meters above the ground! If you ever get a chance to come to Ghana, I highly recommend spending a day up on the canopy walkway in Kakum National Park. It is a once in a lifetime experience (especially considering there are only 3 other similar canopy walkways in the entire world). We ate a late lunch at the park before driving three and a half hours back to Accra. It was an awesome weekend; the best I've had here in Ghana so far!
Well, I've been working on this for quite some time and I need to do some work for a group project meeting that I have at 5 p.m. today for my history class. Sorry I didn't get a chance to completely catch-up on my life, but I'll fill everybody in on this past weekend and my trip to Kumasi sometime soon. Tomorrow is my busy day, so I probably won't be online, but I will try my hardest to post the rest on Wednesday, seeing as I am going out of town again this weekend. We're leaving Thursday morning and returning Sunday, so I will be without Internet for a couple of days again. If there is anything you need from me for the next week or so, make sure you email or facebook me by Wednesday, otherwise I won't get it until next Monday. Hope all is well with everybody back home/at school!
Let's Go State (3-0),
Greg
Sunday, September 14, 2008
My Apologies
Hey everybody,
I'm incredibly sorry for not posting for such a long time. I've been very busy the past two weeks and tonight is no exception. I don't really have time to post about all that has happened since I last wrote, but I can assure you that it is on the way (possibly even tomorrow). I have a lot to share, it's merely a matter of finding to the time to sit down and type it all out. I just wanted everybody to know that I am well. Rash on the arm still hasn't gone away so I might be going to clinic on campus tomorrow to get it checked out. Otherwise, I'm doing great! I traveled the past two weekends (to Cape Coast and Kumasi) and had two exams last week (one in each of my history courses), hence the reason I haven't been keeping up with the blog.
In other news, Penn State is doing fantastic! I mean, it hasn't been much of a challenge so far. Coastal Carolina High School, come on? The first true challenge lies ahead this Saturday when we play Illinois, but I'm confident that Joe Pa can pull out a win. Let's go State! We found a Sports Bar in Accra that shows American Football (both professional and collegiate) from time-to-time. This past weekend, they had the Ohio State-USC game and the NC State-Clemson game. I got really excited when we found it!
Well, that's all for now. It's been really nice hearing from people via facebook and e-mail! I really appreciate all the prayers. I can feel God's protection around me.
Greg
I'm incredibly sorry for not posting for such a long time. I've been very busy the past two weeks and tonight is no exception. I don't really have time to post about all that has happened since I last wrote, but I can assure you that it is on the way (possibly even tomorrow). I have a lot to share, it's merely a matter of finding to the time to sit down and type it all out. I just wanted everybody to know that I am well. Rash on the arm still hasn't gone away so I might be going to clinic on campus tomorrow to get it checked out. Otherwise, I'm doing great! I traveled the past two weekends (to Cape Coast and Kumasi) and had two exams last week (one in each of my history courses), hence the reason I haven't been keeping up with the blog.
In other news, Penn State is doing fantastic! I mean, it hasn't been much of a challenge so far. Coastal Carolina High School, come on? The first true challenge lies ahead this Saturday when we play Illinois, but I'm confident that Joe Pa can pull out a win. Let's go State! We found a Sports Bar in Accra that shows American Football (both professional and collegiate) from time-to-time. This past weekend, they had the Ohio State-USC game and the NC State-Clemson game. I got really excited when we found it!
Well, that's all for now. It's been really nice hearing from people via facebook and e-mail! I really appreciate all the prayers. I can feel God's protection around me.
Greg
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Quick Update
Life has been good ever since the return of the UNC/miscellaneous group on Monday evening. In fact, I had the most fantastic meal during my entire stay in Ghana so far Monday night. Carly, McKenzie, and I made some delicious pasta with tomato and basil sauce. Carly brought a blend of spices from back home that is to die for! We had a great time preparing, eating, and even cleaning up. We listened to random classical music on my iTunes while we ate. I don't know how many of you watch the Office, but it's our very own version of "The Finer Things Club." The comparison is almost perfect, except we have 2 girls and 1 guy vs. the actual club which consists of Pam, Toby, and Oscar (1 girl, 2 guys). I'm sure Eric is proud of my Office trivia knowledge. Last time it was third in the beet eating contest, next time it will be first in the trivia challenge. Too bad I'll have to miss the Office Convention again this year. I'm really going to be depressed if I can't watch the episodes online at NBC.com (hope I'm not breaking copyright laws by saying that).
Yesterday was a typical Tuesday. Three classes beginning at 11:30 a.m. and going until 7:30 p.m. Thankfully, I have a two hour break right in the middle of that to get something to eat and go to the bathroom. By the end of my last lecture, all I can think of is the delicious Veggie Supreme Pizza waiting for me at Pizza Inn (got to love gas station food). We got smart this time and had the rest of the group order our pizzas for us, so they were ready by the time we got there. Otherwise, it takes 45 minutes to and hour to get your pizza. When we came back to ISH we had cake in celebration of Callie's 22nd Birthday! It was pretty good for Ghana, but it wasn't quite the same as those delicious cakes my mom gets for everybody's birthday back home. Even though I won't be home for my birthday, I hope there will be a nice big cake awaiting me when I return (wink-wink, Mom). Everybody hanged/hung (I never know which one of those to use) out in my room for a little. Thankfully I didn't have any classes today to worry about and could stay up a little later than normal.
Today was pretty busy, despite the fact that I didn't have any classes. I woke up around 9:30 a.m. and immediately got dressed so I could walk up to the History Department and pick up a packet to read for next class. Side note, textbooks are nearly impossible to come by here in Ghana, so we have to pay for photocopies every time we have a reading assignment. Turns out they didn't have them ready yet ("Tomorrow" they said. That's what they always say). Then I went to the Economics Department to drop one of my Econ classes because it won't transfer back to Penn State. Next on the agenda was Barclay's Bank to exchange some money. That is always quite an experience. Imagine trying to stuff 100 people into a room the size of my family room (hopefully most of you can picture the size because I'm a terrible judge of dimensions) and there is almost no semblance to the lines. People always cut in front of you unless you literally remain inches away from the person in front of you. After that was over, I went to the Political Science Department to drop one of my PL SC courses that doesn't fit into my schedule. Finally, I stopped by JQB to drop off my registration form at the international programs office before heading back to ISH to take a shower and eat lunch. Then I went to the main entrance to meet up with Callie, McKenzie, and Carly to come to Busy Internet in Accra (which is where I am at present). I'll probably be here for another hour or so to send out some emails and do a bit of research for my Sociology class. There's a little Shania Twain playing over the radio right now that's driving me crazy.
So that's all the day-to-day things that have been going on since I last blogged. Now I have just a few random things to mention:
- I've developed a small rash on my right wrist that seems to intensify in sunlight. It itches from time to time, but otherwise doesn't really bother me much. Hoping it goes away on its own though.
- I went to put my Kent State or Penn State hat on today, only to discover that they're both growing mold. Disgusting, I know, but I like them both too much to part with them. I'm going to hand wash them and pour some boiling water on them and see if it helps. It's probably a result of my sweat, dirt, and Hunter's residue that's been sitting in humid, tropical weather for nearly a month.
- The weather here is completely unpredictable. It can rain, be windy, cloudy, and sunny all in the same day. Makes it very difficult to predict when to take my rain jacket and umbrella, so I usually take them everywhere.
- One of the cleaning ladies brought her children to the hostel with her the other day. The son's name was Jones and his older sister was named Elizabeth. I sat and talked with them for a couple minutes while their mom was cleaning the bathroom on our floor. I gave them each a piece of gum and they loved it. Then we played a game where I would pour some multi-colored chips out on the bench (Jones is using them to learn how to count in school) and they would race each other to count them first. Elizabeth usually won, but Jones didn't seem to mind.
- I love the girls from UNC! The southern accent (mostly Carly) and personality beats northern girls any day. If I wasn't so close to graduating, I would definitely consider transferring to UVA or Chapel Hill. I will most definitely be visiting Genevieve and Kyle again, (and now Carly, McKenzie, Callie, Maggie, and Mary Beth) this spring! For the record, my wife must be from south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
There's a lot more I could add to this list but I've been working on this entry, the last entry, and a couple emails for a while now and I'm tired of thinking! I think I'm going to use the rest of my incredibly fast Internet time facebooking and looking up airline prices to Cairo (that's right, I might be flying to Egypt for 10 or 11 days later this semester, if the "Price is Right" (which is another (triple parenthesis...I know you hate me right now Rafik) thing that I miss from back in the States)).
Salutations (Charlotte's Web anybody? Which, coincidentally is the name of a beautiful southern city that produces equally beautiful southern women),
Greg
Yesterday was a typical Tuesday. Three classes beginning at 11:30 a.m. and going until 7:30 p.m. Thankfully, I have a two hour break right in the middle of that to get something to eat and go to the bathroom. By the end of my last lecture, all I can think of is the delicious Veggie Supreme Pizza waiting for me at Pizza Inn (got to love gas station food). We got smart this time and had the rest of the group order our pizzas for us, so they were ready by the time we got there. Otherwise, it takes 45 minutes to and hour to get your pizza. When we came back to ISH we had cake in celebration of Callie's 22nd Birthday! It was pretty good for Ghana, but it wasn't quite the same as those delicious cakes my mom gets for everybody's birthday back home. Even though I won't be home for my birthday, I hope there will be a nice big cake awaiting me when I return (wink-wink, Mom). Everybody hanged/hung (I never know which one of those to use) out in my room for a little. Thankfully I didn't have any classes today to worry about and could stay up a little later than normal.
Today was pretty busy, despite the fact that I didn't have any classes. I woke up around 9:30 a.m. and immediately got dressed so I could walk up to the History Department and pick up a packet to read for next class. Side note, textbooks are nearly impossible to come by here in Ghana, so we have to pay for photocopies every time we have a reading assignment. Turns out they didn't have them ready yet ("Tomorrow" they said. That's what they always say). Then I went to the Economics Department to drop one of my Econ classes because it won't transfer back to Penn State. Next on the agenda was Barclay's Bank to exchange some money. That is always quite an experience. Imagine trying to stuff 100 people into a room the size of my family room (hopefully most of you can picture the size because I'm a terrible judge of dimensions) and there is almost no semblance to the lines. People always cut in front of you unless you literally remain inches away from the person in front of you. After that was over, I went to the Political Science Department to drop one of my PL SC courses that doesn't fit into my schedule. Finally, I stopped by JQB to drop off my registration form at the international programs office before heading back to ISH to take a shower and eat lunch. Then I went to the main entrance to meet up with Callie, McKenzie, and Carly to come to Busy Internet in Accra (which is where I am at present). I'll probably be here for another hour or so to send out some emails and do a bit of research for my Sociology class. There's a little Shania Twain playing over the radio right now that's driving me crazy.
So that's all the day-to-day things that have been going on since I last blogged. Now I have just a few random things to mention:
- I've developed a small rash on my right wrist that seems to intensify in sunlight. It itches from time to time, but otherwise doesn't really bother me much. Hoping it goes away on its own though.
- I went to put my Kent State or Penn State hat on today, only to discover that they're both growing mold. Disgusting, I know, but I like them both too much to part with them. I'm going to hand wash them and pour some boiling water on them and see if it helps. It's probably a result of my sweat, dirt, and Hunter's residue that's been sitting in humid, tropical weather for nearly a month.
- The weather here is completely unpredictable. It can rain, be windy, cloudy, and sunny all in the same day. Makes it very difficult to predict when to take my rain jacket and umbrella, so I usually take them everywhere.
- One of the cleaning ladies brought her children to the hostel with her the other day. The son's name was Jones and his older sister was named Elizabeth. I sat and talked with them for a couple minutes while their mom was cleaning the bathroom on our floor. I gave them each a piece of gum and they loved it. Then we played a game where I would pour some multi-colored chips out on the bench (Jones is using them to learn how to count in school) and they would race each other to count them first. Elizabeth usually won, but Jones didn't seem to mind.
- I love the girls from UNC! The southern accent (mostly Carly) and personality beats northern girls any day. If I wasn't so close to graduating, I would definitely consider transferring to UVA or Chapel Hill. I will most definitely be visiting Genevieve and Kyle again, (and now Carly, McKenzie, Callie, Maggie, and Mary Beth) this spring! For the record, my wife must be from south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
There's a lot more I could add to this list but I've been working on this entry, the last entry, and a couple emails for a while now and I'm tired of thinking! I think I'm going to use the rest of my incredibly fast Internet time facebooking and looking up airline prices to Cairo (that's right, I might be flying to Egypt for 10 or 11 days later this semester, if the "Price is Right" (which is another (triple parenthesis...I know you hate me right now Rafik) thing that I miss from back in the States)).
Salutations (Charlotte's Web anybody? Which, coincidentally is the name of a beautiful southern city that produces equally beautiful southern women),
Greg
Responses
In response to some of my "readers" comments/e-mails.
Aunt Lynn - Sorry about not responding to that initial comment you left during the "Packing" entry (or any other comments you may have left). It seems like there may be some sort of problem with the website itself because other people have said that they've left comments and I haven't received them. The comment you left yesterday was the first comment I've had since "Packing." So if anybody else has sent me comments that I haven't responded to, it's probably because I'm not receiving them for some reason or another. As Leonardo DiCaprio said in "Blood Diamond," "T.I.A. (this is Africa)," so that could be part of the problem. But, in response to your questions. My leg has been taking longer to heal than I had expected. It still hasn't "scabbed over" completely, but I think that it might get rubbed off when I sleep at night. I continue to consult WebMD for information and I will be sure to get it checked out at the first sign of infection. Neosporin has helped I think, but I really wish I had some NewSkin with me. As I mentioned before, all the Ghanians are huge Obama supporters. In fact, one Ghanian walked passed me today and said "McCain's losing!" I don't really know what elicited that comment towards me (I guess I just have that conservative Republican aura about me). I doubt the Ghanians are concerned with who McCain's running mate is, because they have all assumed that Obama has already won. They do, however, know what a running mate is. They are having a presidential election here in Ghana on December 7th and some of the billboards post who the candidates' running mates are. They actually use similar tactics as American politicians use in selecting their running mates. For example, a candidate from Accra (in the south) is likely to pick a running mate from the northern or central region to win more votes. For my sociology class, I'm going to be conducting independent research on the cause for Ghanian support of Obama. My tentative research question is, "Does the overwhelming African support for Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential Election stem from a racial connection with the candidate or a genuine belief that he will improve the condition of Africa?" Many people that I have talked to about the election really just want to see a black president in the U.S., but there have been others that believe that Obama will bring a paradigmatic shift in U.S. foreign policy towards Africa (which I think is an absurd belief). I want to find out which one is true. Hope that answers your questions Aunt Lynn. I'll be happy to answer any others that you may have.
Mom - see above for the condition of my leg. Even though I already told you this the other day, I want to publish my ideas for your world conquest on my blog. So, as some of you may or may not know, my mom was in charge of the nursing staff at the Evangelical Community Hospital Ambulatory Surgical Center (or something like that) last week while Leslie was away. The following is an excerpt from the email message I sent her:
"Maybe you should form a coup d'etat, overthrow Leslie and her regime of terror, and usurp power for yourself! I'm just kidding of course, but if it means more money, I'm not. And if that's successful, don't stop there. Take over the entire hospital, then Lewisburg, then Pennsylvania, the U.S., and become dictator of the world. I will totally submit to your rule if you promise to make me your chief advisor with a hefty salary of course."
Don't really know why I felt compelled to post that on my blog. Probably for the sheer amusement that it will bring to her co-workers this week. I'm sure they're missing seeing my bubbly face around there every week to receive my allergy injections. By the way, I was completely kidding about your "regime of terror" Leslie. You're wonderful! But Dr. Tenedious on the other hand...
Eric Yale - "I'm not your friend, buddy." I miss you man! Glad to hear everything worked out relatively well. Just remember that the same void that you feel in your heart is the same that I will experience this spring when you're in Rome. We'll just have to ensure that Christmas Break is amazing and will heal our broken hearts. I'll send you an email in the next couple days about your "Shaping" class and in regards to our previous conversation. Take it easy...
Patrick Wagner - Glad to hear all is well at Pitt and you're enjoying the blog. Thought I would give you a little shout-out because it gives me the perfect segway into saying, "Pittsburgh Stinks!" I mean, they lost to Bowling Green. Can you say over-rated? Let's Go State! But seriously dude, I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying yourself out there (even though your football team is terrible). Miss you man! Can't wait for more Sheetz and Hess Fields excursions over Christmas Break.
Tim McKinley - "Ghanarrhea" is terrible! I love reading your outlandish messages on the Facebook thread. Although, that map of Soda vs. Pop is a bit flawed. The sample size is way too small to cover every county in the U.S. They probably only polled 5-6 people in each county. Interesting nonetheless though. Hope you have a good semester! See you in December...
Kyle Perez - This is a test to see if you're actually reading my blog since you were complaining about me not writing on your wall. I've met these really awesome girls from UNC, which means I will most likely be coming down for another visit again this spring (pass the word along to Genevieve if she isn't reading my blog). Hope you're having an awesome semester so far! I was surprised when I saw UNC's pre-season ranking in SI. They may actually have a pretty good football season (but nothing compared to Penn State). Oh, and Michigan is going to be terrible! Hope you didn't get your hopes on that one. By the way, I met this girl from Elon who is dating a guy who's in SigEp there. They're balanced-man...made me think of you. Take it easy dude!
Stu Ruston - Wish I was at State this semester man (but at the same time, not really)! When I read about our trouncing of Coastal Carolina it really made me homesick, or at least "State College-sick." Hope your semester is going well so far. If you run into Yongsheng Chen, tell him I said, "helrow!" Can't wait to be re-united this spring...hopefully as roommates! Take it easy dude!
To "Everybody" Else - (if I didn't mention you specifically, you should categorize yourself as a part of "everybody") I miss you and can't wait to see you; either over Christmas Break, Christmas Eve with the family, or spring semester at Penn State! You can continue to send messages via my blog, email, or facebook. But if you're feeling overly adventurous, you can try calling me at my Ghanian cell phone number...+233-024-019-2358. Just remember that I'm 4 hours ahead until daylight savings (when it changes to 5 hours).
Aunt Lynn - Sorry about not responding to that initial comment you left during the "Packing" entry (or any other comments you may have left). It seems like there may be some sort of problem with the website itself because other people have said that they've left comments and I haven't received them. The comment you left yesterday was the first comment I've had since "Packing." So if anybody else has sent me comments that I haven't responded to, it's probably because I'm not receiving them for some reason or another. As Leonardo DiCaprio said in "Blood Diamond," "T.I.A. (this is Africa)," so that could be part of the problem. But, in response to your questions. My leg has been taking longer to heal than I had expected. It still hasn't "scabbed over" completely, but I think that it might get rubbed off when I sleep at night. I continue to consult WebMD for information and I will be sure to get it checked out at the first sign of infection. Neosporin has helped I think, but I really wish I had some NewSkin with me. As I mentioned before, all the Ghanians are huge Obama supporters. In fact, one Ghanian walked passed me today and said "McCain's losing!" I don't really know what elicited that comment towards me (I guess I just have that conservative Republican aura about me). I doubt the Ghanians are concerned with who McCain's running mate is, because they have all assumed that Obama has already won. They do, however, know what a running mate is. They are having a presidential election here in Ghana on December 7th and some of the billboards post who the candidates' running mates are. They actually use similar tactics as American politicians use in selecting their running mates. For example, a candidate from Accra (in the south) is likely to pick a running mate from the northern or central region to win more votes. For my sociology class, I'm going to be conducting independent research on the cause for Ghanian support of Obama. My tentative research question is, "Does the overwhelming African support for Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential Election stem from a racial connection with the candidate or a genuine belief that he will improve the condition of Africa?" Many people that I have talked to about the election really just want to see a black president in the U.S., but there have been others that believe that Obama will bring a paradigmatic shift in U.S. foreign policy towards Africa (which I think is an absurd belief). I want to find out which one is true. Hope that answers your questions Aunt Lynn. I'll be happy to answer any others that you may have.
Mom - see above for the condition of my leg. Even though I already told you this the other day, I want to publish my ideas for your world conquest on my blog. So, as some of you may or may not know, my mom was in charge of the nursing staff at the Evangelical Community Hospital Ambulatory Surgical Center (or something like that) last week while Leslie was away. The following is an excerpt from the email message I sent her:
"Maybe you should form a coup d'etat, overthrow Leslie and her regime of terror, and usurp power for yourself! I'm just kidding of course, but if it means more money, I'm not. And if that's successful, don't stop there. Take over the entire hospital, then Lewisburg, then Pennsylvania, the U.S., and become dictator of the world. I will totally submit to your rule if you promise to make me your chief advisor with a hefty salary of course."
Don't really know why I felt compelled to post that on my blog. Probably for the sheer amusement that it will bring to her co-workers this week. I'm sure they're missing seeing my bubbly face around there every week to receive my allergy injections. By the way, I was completely kidding about your "regime of terror" Leslie. You're wonderful! But Dr. Tenedious on the other hand...
Eric Yale - "I'm not your friend, buddy." I miss you man! Glad to hear everything worked out relatively well. Just remember that the same void that you feel in your heart is the same that I will experience this spring when you're in Rome. We'll just have to ensure that Christmas Break is amazing and will heal our broken hearts. I'll send you an email in the next couple days about your "Shaping" class and in regards to our previous conversation. Take it easy...
Patrick Wagner - Glad to hear all is well at Pitt and you're enjoying the blog. Thought I would give you a little shout-out because it gives me the perfect segway into saying, "Pittsburgh Stinks!" I mean, they lost to Bowling Green. Can you say over-rated? Let's Go State! But seriously dude, I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying yourself out there (even though your football team is terrible). Miss you man! Can't wait for more Sheetz and Hess Fields excursions over Christmas Break.
Tim McKinley - "Ghanarrhea" is terrible! I love reading your outlandish messages on the Facebook thread. Although, that map of Soda vs. Pop is a bit flawed. The sample size is way too small to cover every county in the U.S. They probably only polled 5-6 people in each county. Interesting nonetheless though. Hope you have a good semester! See you in December...
Kyle Perez - This is a test to see if you're actually reading my blog since you were complaining about me not writing on your wall. I've met these really awesome girls from UNC, which means I will most likely be coming down for another visit again this spring (pass the word along to Genevieve if she isn't reading my blog). Hope you're having an awesome semester so far! I was surprised when I saw UNC's pre-season ranking in SI. They may actually have a pretty good football season (but nothing compared to Penn State). Oh, and Michigan is going to be terrible! Hope you didn't get your hopes on that one. By the way, I met this girl from Elon who is dating a guy who's in SigEp there. They're balanced-man...made me think of you. Take it easy dude!
Stu Ruston - Wish I was at State this semester man (but at the same time, not really)! When I read about our trouncing of Coastal Carolina it really made me homesick, or at least "State College-sick." Hope your semester is going well so far. If you run into Yongsheng Chen, tell him I said, "helrow!" Can't wait to be re-united this spring...hopefully as roommates! Take it easy dude!
To "Everybody" Else - (if I didn't mention you specifically, you should categorize yourself as a part of "everybody") I miss you and can't wait to see you; either over Christmas Break, Christmas Eve with the family, or spring semester at Penn State! You can continue to send messages via my blog, email, or facebook. But if you're feeling overly adventurous, you can try calling me at my Ghanian cell phone number...+233-024-019-2358. Just remember that I'm 4 hours ahead until daylight savings (when it changes to 5 hours).
Monday, September 1, 2008
Axis and Allies, House, and Evans Agyei
Hello everybody! All is well here in Ghana and pretty unchanged since I last posted (only 48 hours ago, I know, but it feels like forever). Things have been pretty dull around campus this weekend because a lot of people were away traveling and until today, the weather wasn't ideal. Today is the first day it hasn't rained at all since Wednesday. Thankfully, I have my laptop here; otherwise, I would have likely gone insane! I've been playing a lot of Axis and Allies on my computer whilst listening to classical music on iTunes. Carmina Burana by Carl Orff makes for some great background music for the World War II-based strategy game. Also, I have watched the entire first season of House since I bought it on Wednesday. The episodes are roughly 42-44 minutes in length and there are 22 episodes in the first season. That's approximately 16 hours in total, 2.67 hours per day, 3.5 episodes per day. Season Two starts tonight (and might be done just as quickly as the first season)! I'm sure that Will and Ben are happy to hear of my recently discovered infatuation with Dr. Gregory House and his team of diagnosticians. Almost makes me wish I was going into medicine...almost!
I had my first "visitor" today. Mr. Evans Agyei, the Gideon that my grandparents met at a conference this summer, came to Legon this morning. He lives in Asamankese, about 1.5 to 2 hours north of Accra. I was abruptly awoken at 5:45 a.m. by Mr. Agyei to let me know that he would be on campus in about an hour. I about died! I set my cell phone alarm for 6:15 a.m. and slept right through it. I woke up 6:45 a.m. and panicked because I thought he was there. Thankfully for me, he got stuck in traffic; unfortunate for him. He finally arrived around 8 a.m. His son Selorm is also a student at the University of Ghana, but lives off campus. We waited for his son to join us for breakfast but there was some miscommunication between the two because the son went to the wrong meeting place. Mr. Agyei and I went for breakfast and waited for his son to arrive. We ate at Tasty Treats and got the "full breakfast," which includes sausage (actually hot dogs), an omelette, beans, breadrolls, and a cup of tea for 3 cedis. We talked about Mr. Agyei's life, family, school that he runs, etc. He asked me a lot of questions about my stay in Ghana so far and about my grandfather. We talked about the Gideons and he told me several stories about his experiences in Louisville for the Convention this past summer. He plans on returning to the U.S. in two years for another convention. Half-way through breakfast, Selorm arrived and we talked a lot about our education. His son lives in Madina, a suburb of Legon/Accra, and we exchanged numbers. He has given me an open invitation to his home and agreed to travel with me when I got to Asamankese to visit his father. At the end of breakfast, we all got a picture together (reminiscent of the picture that he took with my grandparents at the convention) and hugged. I can't wait to go visit Mr. Agyei at his home. He said that he'll show me around his home, orange and pineapple farm, the Golden Child Complex School (the grade school he runs), and the village. He is friends with the chief, so we'll probably go meet him as well!
After they left, I did some work in my room until lunchtime. Mike and I went to the Night Market. I had white rice with vegetable stew. It was pretty good, but lukewarm. That is my biggest complaint about the food here. I don't mind eating cold food if its meant to be cold, or warm food if its meant to be warm. But I hate eating warm "cold" food and more commonly, cold "warm" food. Oh well! The internet at ISH 1 hasn't been working the past couple days, so I decided I would trek across campus to the Jones-Quatrey Building (JQB for short) and use the wireless access in the International Programs Office. I'm actually about to head out now. The group is due back any time now and Carly, McKenzie, and I are going to make dinner together tonight. Probably spaghetti and sauce (how African)! Tomorrow is my busy day (3 lectures and half-price pizza at Pizza Inn), so there may not be a post.
Until next time (I'm really struggling to come up with creative salutations),
Greg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
