i don't understand how people multitask
it's always so nuts (embarrassing? humbling?) to read back over what you've written in the past. no matter eloquently you write (not to say i write eloquently!) or how heavy the subject matter, it always seems to lose some legitimacy because it was written in the past--by the old you about your old problems that are often already resolved or at least forgotten. long sentence.
anyway, i'm abroad right now. in ghana. we're visiting cape coast right now, where the internet is actually pretty fast, which enabled me to rediscover this treasure. i've been sending email updates (well, only two so far) to close friends and family who are interested to hear how things are going. most people are keeping blogs, i think, so i thought i'd start posting the content of those emails here, for my PERSONAL RECORDS. and also to satisfy my irrational(?) fear of forgetting. i think the only friend i still have who uses LJ is raborné, who is also on the email list. sorry for the redundancy, amiga.
August 28:
Dear Loved Ones,
I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to send a proper update. It’s hard for
me to write to all of you at once, so forgive me if this update sounds
generic. I just wanted/needed to crank something out to all of you
inquiring minds ASAP. Why does this sound so formal? I hope it wears
off…
As you probably gathered, the internet access is really iffy here. I
bought the hostel wireless the other day, but it only works
sporadically and very slowly. I don’t know if it will be possible to
skype. I know that some people have done it, but it’s always been late
at night when few other people are using the wireless. Just an FYI.
Now on to all of that CULTURAL stuff, I guess. Things are very
different here, but also really similar. I didn’t get off campus until
today (Friday) when my group brought me to Medina Market which was
HUGE and somewhat stressful for me (everyone yelling out “OBRUNI
OBRUNI” [White person! White person!]) and of course I felt the need
to make eye contact with everyone I passed so that I felt extra
terrible when I walked off without buying anything, small children
sulking disappointedly. But it’s supposed to be the most
obruni-friendly market in the area. Tomorrow I go into the city
(Accra) for the first time with a girl named Chobbis who is paid by
the SUNY Brockport program to be our friend/guide. She’s just going to
show me around, I guess. I don’t really know… but I’m excited because
I’ve been getting pretty restless cooped up in the hostel.
Anyway, please let me know what you want from Ghana. I bought some
fabric today because it is just so damn pretty. I’d like to have
things made for you guys if you’ll let me know what you want made and
what color/type of fabric. Or if you don’t want clothes, I can keep my
eyes peeled for trinkets or whatever else you’d like.
Ghanaians laugh at everything, but not necessarily because they think
it’s funny. Apparently it’s sort of a default sound equivalent to “I
heard what you said and understood”. For a while, I thought I was just
hysterically funny. And it’s still sort of flattering/comforting to
see smiles even though it doesn’t necessarily mean anything positive
haha. Yes, people here are very friendly just like the guide book told
me they would be, but that makes it hard to tell when you’re genuinely
liked and when a person is just fulfilling their societal duty to
smile.
I haven’t given any gifts yet, though I brought a lot. Well, I gave
the woman at the Night Market (right by my hostel) a bottle of hand
sanitizer because she was really into mine when she saw it the other
day. In America you’re so bombarded with hand sanitizer that you don’t
realize it’s strange until you watch someone else experience it for
the first time. The woman I gave it to makes redred which is the only
traditional Ghanaian meal I’ve eaten outside of the hostel. It’s beans
mixed with palm oil and ground cassava with shredded onion on top +
fried plantains. It’s tricky to know what to eat. So far, I haven’t
been hit hard with anything. Fingers crossed. But if I do get sick, it
will pass! So don’t worry mom/dad/mom mary!
Man, it’s so strange to write to you all at once.
Yesterday we experienced out first power outage. The international
students hostel has a generator, so we were still lit up like a
Christmas tree, but nothing else around was. It really rubbed it in my
face that international students are still treated differently even
though we come to the country to learn what it is like to be a person
who is living there like everyone else.
Today I went to my first psychology of religion class. I got there
about 10 minutes early and there was a young man standing in the front
of the classroom preaching his Christian heart out. Among other
things, he reminded us that taking a psychology class about religion
WOULD NOT GET US TO HEAVEN. The majority of the country is REALLY
Christian, but no one really seemed to be paying any attention. People
moving chairs and talking while this guy yelled and sang. I became
concerned that the class was going to be a lot less theoretical and a
lot more Christian worship than I’d expected, but then the lecturer
arrived and said that he was a Muslim and that the class would not
speak about particular religions, only religion as a concept/element
of human life. Religion is EVERYWHERE here. Tons of classes start with
prayer. But DON’T WORRY MAMA, it’s all part of the experience. A
butterfly flew around the huge room all throughout class and no one
else seemed distracted but me. I get the feeling this is going to be a
common theme.
It’s so funny: the kids here want nothing more than to have their
picture taken. They will ask you to take their picture. But once they
hit a certain age, it all of a sudden becomes offensive. I’ve become
really camera shy as a result (though I would have been anyway… I hate
feeling like a tourist even though I OBVIOUSLY am one). I’m taking as
many photos as I can, but it’s good to travel light here so I don’t
always have my camera on me.
Next weekend my group travels to Cape Coast.
That’s all I can think of for now. I’m really glad I’m here. Life here
is much slower, which suits me, I think.
My address:
Julia Hofheimer
International Students Hostel 1, Room 195
University of Ghana, Legon
Accra, Ghana
PLEASE feel free to write me back (hit “Reply” instead of “Reply All”
if you only want me to see it, mama). Or to send me a letter. I love
you all so much and am so grateful to have such lovely, interesting,
caring people in my life. I hope to send another update soon. There’s
no telling if I’ll even be able to get this one sent tonight; the
internet is really crazy slow (that’s one reason why I’m sending one
mass email instead of a bunch of individual ones). I want to hear
about you guys.
I LOVE YOU!!!! (I feel like I should say this in Twi-the African
language most widely spoken here-but I don’t know how to say anything
but “Hi, how are you?” a million different ways… and I can’t even
pronounce it correctly! I tried to say “good morning” the other day
and was informed that I’d actually said “I’m late”…)
Julia
anyway, i'm abroad right now. in ghana. we're visiting cape coast right now, where the internet is actually pretty fast, which enabled me to rediscover this treasure. i've been sending email updates (well, only two so far) to close friends and family who are interested to hear how things are going. most people are keeping blogs, i think, so i thought i'd start posting the content of those emails here, for my PERSONAL RECORDS. and also to satisfy my irrational(?) fear of forgetting. i think the only friend i still have who uses LJ is raborné, who is also on the email list. sorry for the redundancy, amiga.
August 28:
Dear Loved Ones,
I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to send a proper update. It’s hard for
me to write to all of you at once, so forgive me if this update sounds
generic. I just wanted/needed to crank something out to all of you
inquiring minds ASAP. Why does this sound so formal? I hope it wears
off…
As you probably gathered, the internet access is really iffy here. I
bought the hostel wireless the other day, but it only works
sporadically and very slowly. I don’t know if it will be possible to
skype. I know that some people have done it, but it’s always been late
at night when few other people are using the wireless. Just an FYI.
Now on to all of that CULTURAL stuff, I guess. Things are very
different here, but also really similar. I didn’t get off campus until
today (Friday) when my group brought me to Medina Market which was
HUGE and somewhat stressful for me (everyone yelling out “OBRUNI
OBRUNI” [White person! White person!]) and of course I felt the need
to make eye contact with everyone I passed so that I felt extra
terrible when I walked off without buying anything, small children
sulking disappointedly. But it’s supposed to be the most
obruni-friendly market in the area. Tomorrow I go into the city
(Accra) for the first time with a girl named Chobbis who is paid by
the SUNY Brockport program to be our friend/guide. She’s just going to
show me around, I guess. I don’t really know… but I’m excited because
I’ve been getting pretty restless cooped up in the hostel.
Anyway, please let me know what you want from Ghana. I bought some
fabric today because it is just so damn pretty. I’d like to have
things made for you guys if you’ll let me know what you want made and
what color/type of fabric. Or if you don’t want clothes, I can keep my
eyes peeled for trinkets or whatever else you’d like.
Ghanaians laugh at everything, but not necessarily because they think
it’s funny. Apparently it’s sort of a default sound equivalent to “I
heard what you said and understood”. For a while, I thought I was just
hysterically funny. And it’s still sort of flattering/comforting to
see smiles even though it doesn’t necessarily mean anything positive
haha. Yes, people here are very friendly just like the guide book told
me they would be, but that makes it hard to tell when you’re genuinely
liked and when a person is just fulfilling their societal duty to
smile.
I haven’t given any gifts yet, though I brought a lot. Well, I gave
the woman at the Night Market (right by my hostel) a bottle of hand
sanitizer because she was really into mine when she saw it the other
day. In America you’re so bombarded with hand sanitizer that you don’t
realize it’s strange until you watch someone else experience it for
the first time. The woman I gave it to makes redred which is the only
traditional Ghanaian meal I’ve eaten outside of the hostel. It’s beans
mixed with palm oil and ground cassava with shredded onion on top +
fried plantains. It’s tricky to know what to eat. So far, I haven’t
been hit hard with anything. Fingers crossed. But if I do get sick, it
will pass! So don’t worry mom/dad/mom mary!
Man, it’s so strange to write to you all at once.
Yesterday we experienced out first power outage. The international
students hostel has a generator, so we were still lit up like a
Christmas tree, but nothing else around was. It really rubbed it in my
face that international students are still treated differently even
though we come to the country to learn what it is like to be a person
who is living there like everyone else.
Today I went to my first psychology of religion class. I got there
about 10 minutes early and there was a young man standing in the front
of the classroom preaching his Christian heart out. Among other
things, he reminded us that taking a psychology class about religion
WOULD NOT GET US TO HEAVEN. The majority of the country is REALLY
Christian, but no one really seemed to be paying any attention. People
moving chairs and talking while this guy yelled and sang. I became
concerned that the class was going to be a lot less theoretical and a
lot more Christian worship than I’d expected, but then the lecturer
arrived and said that he was a Muslim and that the class would not
speak about particular religions, only religion as a concept/element
of human life. Religion is EVERYWHERE here. Tons of classes start with
prayer. But DON’T WORRY MAMA, it’s all part of the experience. A
butterfly flew around the huge room all throughout class and no one
else seemed distracted but me. I get the feeling this is going to be a
common theme.
It’s so funny: the kids here want nothing more than to have their
picture taken. They will ask you to take their picture. But once they
hit a certain age, it all of a sudden becomes offensive. I’ve become
really camera shy as a result (though I would have been anyway… I hate
feeling like a tourist even though I OBVIOUSLY am one). I’m taking as
many photos as I can, but it’s good to travel light here so I don’t
always have my camera on me.
Next weekend my group travels to Cape Coast.
That’s all I can think of for now. I’m really glad I’m here. Life here
is much slower, which suits me, I think.
My address:
Julia Hofheimer
International Students Hostel 1, Room 195
University of Ghana, Legon
Accra, Ghana
PLEASE feel free to write me back (hit “Reply” instead of “Reply All”
if you only want me to see it, mama). Or to send me a letter. I love
you all so much and am so grateful to have such lovely, interesting,
caring people in my life. I hope to send another update soon. There’s
no telling if I’ll even be able to get this one sent tonight; the
internet is really crazy slow (that’s one reason why I’m sending one
mass email instead of a bunch of individual ones). I want to hear
about you guys.
I LOVE YOU!!!! (I feel like I should say this in Twi-the African
language most widely spoken here-but I don’t know how to say anything
but “Hi, how are you?” a million different ways… and I can’t even
pronounce it correctly! I tried to say “good morning” the other day
and was informed that I’d actually said “I’m late”…)
Julia