long overdue post!!

I'm sorry for not writing earlier, the internet is somewhat hard to come by around here!

It's taken me a long while to process everything that's been going on around me/happening to me. I've been in Accra for a while now. While Accra is considered Westernized by African standards, life here is so different. At first, I was finding it extremely difficult to cope with language barriers. We obruni's would walk down the street and locals would be "yelling" or talking to us in Twi. As a torontonian, my instinct was to assume they were lewed or mean comments and therefore, ignore poeple. Popo, our local guide alerted us to the fact that they were saying hello and asking us how we were. We were being extremely rude by ignoring them.

One day at the beach, we were feeling harrassed by the local vendors. This continued onto the streets of Osu (a district of accra). Why were these vendors so pushy?? Simply because we were tourists. I was not happy,and VERY uncomfortable. The next day, the thought of going into Osu required a lot of strenth and tolerance. A vendor approached me and said "I remember you, how are you?" He didn't try to push his merchandise on me, he simply wanted to talk and share stories.

With a population of 1.2 million, accra is a bustling city. I was shocked that this man would remember my name and face. Now I'm not naive enough to ignore the fact that I'm a minority and therefore stand out like a hooker in a church, but I have problems remembering the names and faces of people I am in direct contact with, let alone complete strangers. To me, his ability to connect showed a greater emphasis on people and community (in the greater scheme of things).

Why in Toronto are we so keen to ignore eachother and go about our days as if no one else exists? I'm not saying that one culture is better than the other, we all have reasons for the way we act. I just find it extremely curious that Accra and Toronto have comparable populations, and yet, we are so different.

WILL POST PICTURES SOON!!

Akwaaba (Welcome) to Ghana!

I've been in Ghana almost five days now, and I must tell you how fantastic it is. We'll start with the simple stuff:

The weather is fantastic: not too hot, not too cold. It rains nearly every day, but for 5 minutes and then it stops!

I am doing orientation for the first week in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Next week I will go to Kumasi where I will do my placement. My homestay in Kumasi consists of a mother, father, and 5 year old child. I am very excited to meet them!

Orientation is going well. Basically, this week is used to accustomize ourselves to a different culture. This process is harder than I expected it to be, but a task I am very keen on taking on. I live with 16 other people in an 8 bedroom 4 bath estate (in Accra). Five other people are in the volunteer abroad program, the rest are journalists from England and North America. It is very nice to have this little "reminder" of home amongst a strange and new country.

The people here are so friendly. As we walk down the street, we hear vendors and random people yelling "ETE SEN, OBURONI!?" which means "HOW ARE YOU, WHITEY!?" They mean this in the most loving way, and of course, my answer is "BOKOO, OBIBINI" --> "COOL, BLACK MAN!"

Then everyone laughs.

Well, that's it for now. I haven't quite had the chance to really gather my thoughts as our days are extremely busy. Once I have a chance to sit and take everything in, I will make a more substantial post.

Love,