"I am drenched! But that is ok, we're water proof"-Andrea Heinz
Hey all!!
Well it has been a while since I have written here so I thought that I would drop a line and update about what I have been up to lately.
I have spent two weeks in Kumasi so far and it is so different than Accra. We are staying on the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). It is HUGE compared to Augie and yet very refreshing. We make a habit of trying to walk as much as possible around campus but to get to central Kumasi it is about a 20-30 min cab ride (or taxi as they are called here). The atmosphere on campus is very relaxing and people are not walking around trying to sell things to you or ask for money because you are white. Asking for directions is great because if the person doesn't have much to do or isn't on their way to class then they will actually take you where you asked. We are staying in the Engineering Guest House that has never had all their rooms booked for on month straight. It took a little getting used to after coming from a hotel but the staff warmed up after a few days. There is one security guy named David and he or rather the guest house has a dog. It is a great relief for those of us who miss our animals at home. This dog, of which I cannot pronounce his name, is great because unlike most dogs in Ghana he is not afraid of people. He gets a little nervous at night when people approach but he is normally with one of the security guys so he warms up quickly. He is about knee height and a tan color much like a yellow lab at home. Although he is definitely a mixed breed. Another great thing about the dog is that we don't have to worry about rabies, fleas, ticks, or lice; he is very clean and well feed.
Kumasi took some getting used to because we are so far out of the city but I have done a little more exploring lately and it has been successful. The Monday after we got to KNUST a few of us went and explored to find somewhere to eat lunch. In an attempt to get to a restaurant Karen knew about we wee dropped off by the taxi driver on the wrong side of the city and to the plans changed just a bit. We walked around and met some nice fellows that were artists so of course we were expected to come and see their work and buy it. Then we walked around and found a restaurant that was completely empty but had great food. Most of us ordered grilled chicken and chips (French fries for those of you who don't know British English). It was crazy how cheap the food was compared to Accra. It was a huge difference with some of the meals being half of what they were before. That is a huge plus to being out of Accra and in a university town. the next few days we had a lot of work to get done for class so I spent most of my time either sleeping, reading, or writing papers. But another highlight was when our dean of the college came to visit us (he posted pics o his visit on line so here is the link http://augieinghana.blogspot.com/). He is so cool and I could listen to him talk for hours. We went to a Kente village (traditional Ghanaian weaving, which I am also learning how to do) and met Armstrong who would later teach us how to make these cool bracelets. That weekend after the dean left the group took a trip to Boabeng-Fiema monkey sanctuary. It was so cool because we walked around the "forest" and these monkeys were just chilling. There were brown monkeys and black & white Colobus monkeys. The brown ones were more people friendly while the black and white were shyer. But I borrowed some binoculars and got to see them up close. They were eating and jumping from tree to tree. Then on the way home, consisting of a 5 hour bus ride, the driver put in "American Cyborg, Steal Warrior" and it was by far one of the worst movies I have ever seen. But it was great because everyone thought so and thus the whole bus got really into it because it was so stupid. I am most definitely buying it when I get home and a bunch of us are going to have margaritas and watch it. Then came more homework but in all reality I didn't have any plans so it was fine by me.
This past week the art class spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday learning how to do Adinkra. It is a traditional type of printing on fabric. The cloth is colored in the dye from a root of a tree (of which I can not spell or pronounce) and the ink is made from the bark of that same tree. The first day we spent dyeing the fabric and smashing the roots to boil them. The second day we got to carve the stamps out of the calabash gourd. This was really hard for some people because the knives we had weren't sharp enough so some people ended up cracking the calabash. Oh, calabash is what holds shea-butter in case you were wondering. So I chose to carve the Adinkra crocodile that stands for adaptability because it lives in the water but breaths air. Then the other one I tried to carve was a heart with some curli-ques on it that stood for, learn from your mistakes but that was an abysmal failure as the whole thing managed to break. I thought those too were most suitable for me because I try to adapt as best I can and my mom always says "what did we have here?...A learning experience" when I screw something up. After the carving which was over seen by David and his brothers and the entire village of children who were on Easter break, we came back the next day to actually do the printing on our own Kente fabric David (the director of the project) wove. Normally Adinkra is worn for funerals and is black fabric with black printing but we did it different because we were not going to make a whole cloth for a funeral. All in all it was a great experience and I don't remember when I have been so crafty. The only hard part was when all the children were around always asking for money, food, or our plastic water bottles. It is so hard to maintain perspective when all you want to do is concentrate on what you are trying to do and not be poked or have your tee-shirt pulled every minute with another request you have to deny. I think I have managed to learn the tool of ignoring them while others on our trip have reverted to frank rudeness that I find very ignorant and irritating. I can't wait to show everyone all the crafts I have made and how they turned out so great.
Steph and I went to lunch yesterday at the cafe I think we are going to celebrate my birthday because they have great food and SIX, yes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!!! pages of cocktails. I can't wait to get something that is not rum and coke that I could jump for joy. I think the girls, Andrea, Rachael, Steph, and Beth have something planned but they have kept it in the cone of silence and I don't know what it is. I am really excited to have my b-day here but it will be sad to not be able to get the birthday phone calls from the family and such. I also hate to have class on my birthday but I think I can manage it because the day after my bash we don't have class till 10:30-ish as apposed to 9am.
Today some of us went to the huge Central Kumasi Market which is the largest outdoor market in all of Africa, or that is what we have been told. It was different from Mkola market in Accra that I wasn't to sure what to do with all that I was seeing and smelling. There isn't a huge main street like in Accra, rather many streets that make up the market area. The group of us didn't have any set agenda so we just took turns walking first and deciding which way to go. I managed to find the railroad tracks that made up a foe-sidewalk and got stuck behind a lady caring something stinky and I was not quite right for the rest of my time there. But once we got around her I then managed to find the area that all the fish and meat was sold. EWWW!!!! I don't think I will ever get that smell out of my mind. But luckily there was light at the end of that fishy tunnel....FABRIC!!!!! I think I have become addicted to buying it and I might need a 12 step program. but I figure anything that I don't have made into clothing, oh yes I am getting many an outfit made by our trustworthy seamstress Shelly, I can make/add to my quilt or give to my gram because she always has a 101 uses for fabric. Oh yeah and I am making a quilt from all the cool things I make/print in Ghana and cool prints I find in the market. Rachael is going to take Steph and I back to the market to find more fabric and beads because I actually didn't buy anything today.
On my way to the internet cafe tonight it started to drizzle and the drizzle turned into rain which turned into a downpour. It was great because it hardly ever rains like that in the states where it is so warm that the rain is a relief and yet doesn't make you freezing cold. It was the best 20 min. walk to the internet cafe ever; I arrived completely soaked and happy.
I think that is it for now and I shall leave you with a funny e-mail my mom sent me. I can't wait to hear from ya'll find out what has been going on in your lives.
Peace,
Danielle
Ps.
I am going to a catholic service with a professor from campus on Easter Sunday; I’ll let you know how that goes.
TOP TEN INDICATORS THAT YOUR EMPLOYER HAS CHANGED TO A CHEAPER HEALTH CARE PLAN:
10) Your annual breast exam is done at Hooters.
9) Directions to your doctor's office include "Take a left when you enter the trailer park."
8) The tongue depressors taste faintly of Fudgesicles.
7) The only proctologist in the plan is "Gus" from Roto-Rooter.
6) The only item listed under Preventative Care Coverage is "an apple a day"
5) Your primary care physician is wearing the pants you gave to Goodwill last month.
4) "The patient is responsible for 200% of out-of-network charges," is not a typographical error.
3) The only expense covered 100% is "embalming."
2) Your Prozac comes in different colors with little M's on them.
AND THE NUMBER ONE SIGN YOU'VE JOINED A VERY CHEAP HEALTH CARE PLAN:
1) You ask for Viagra, and they give you a Popsicle stick and duct tape
Well it has been a while since I have written here so I thought that I would drop a line and update about what I have been up to lately.
I have spent two weeks in Kumasi so far and it is so different than Accra. We are staying on the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). It is HUGE compared to Augie and yet very refreshing. We make a habit of trying to walk as much as possible around campus but to get to central Kumasi it is about a 20-30 min cab ride (or taxi as they are called here). The atmosphere on campus is very relaxing and people are not walking around trying to sell things to you or ask for money because you are white. Asking for directions is great because if the person doesn't have much to do or isn't on their way to class then they will actually take you where you asked. We are staying in the Engineering Guest House that has never had all their rooms booked for on month straight. It took a little getting used to after coming from a hotel but the staff warmed up after a few days. There is one security guy named David and he or rather the guest house has a dog. It is a great relief for those of us who miss our animals at home. This dog, of which I cannot pronounce his name, is great because unlike most dogs in Ghana he is not afraid of people. He gets a little nervous at night when people approach but he is normally with one of the security guys so he warms up quickly. He is about knee height and a tan color much like a yellow lab at home. Although he is definitely a mixed breed. Another great thing about the dog is that we don't have to worry about rabies, fleas, ticks, or lice; he is very clean and well feed.
Kumasi took some getting used to because we are so far out of the city but I have done a little more exploring lately and it has been successful. The Monday after we got to KNUST a few of us went and explored to find somewhere to eat lunch. In an attempt to get to a restaurant Karen knew about we wee dropped off by the taxi driver on the wrong side of the city and to the plans changed just a bit. We walked around and met some nice fellows that were artists so of course we were expected to come and see their work and buy it. Then we walked around and found a restaurant that was completely empty but had great food. Most of us ordered grilled chicken and chips (French fries for those of you who don't know British English). It was crazy how cheap the food was compared to Accra. It was a huge difference with some of the meals being half of what they were before. That is a huge plus to being out of Accra and in a university town. the next few days we had a lot of work to get done for class so I spent most of my time either sleeping, reading, or writing papers. But another highlight was when our dean of the college came to visit us (he posted pics o his visit on line so here is the link http://augieinghana.blogspot.com/). He is so cool and I could listen to him talk for hours. We went to a Kente village (traditional Ghanaian weaving, which I am also learning how to do) and met Armstrong who would later teach us how to make these cool bracelets. That weekend after the dean left the group took a trip to Boabeng-Fiema monkey sanctuary. It was so cool because we walked around the "forest" and these monkeys were just chilling. There were brown monkeys and black & white Colobus monkeys. The brown ones were more people friendly while the black and white were shyer. But I borrowed some binoculars and got to see them up close. They were eating and jumping from tree to tree. Then on the way home, consisting of a 5 hour bus ride, the driver put in "American Cyborg, Steal Warrior" and it was by far one of the worst movies I have ever seen. But it was great because everyone thought so and thus the whole bus got really into it because it was so stupid. I am most definitely buying it when I get home and a bunch of us are going to have margaritas and watch it. Then came more homework but in all reality I didn't have any plans so it was fine by me.
This past week the art class spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday learning how to do Adinkra. It is a traditional type of printing on fabric. The cloth is colored in the dye from a root of a tree (of which I can not spell or pronounce) and the ink is made from the bark of that same tree. The first day we spent dyeing the fabric and smashing the roots to boil them. The second day we got to carve the stamps out of the calabash gourd. This was really hard for some people because the knives we had weren't sharp enough so some people ended up cracking the calabash. Oh, calabash is what holds shea-butter in case you were wondering. So I chose to carve the Adinkra crocodile that stands for adaptability because it lives in the water but breaths air. Then the other one I tried to carve was a heart with some curli-ques on it that stood for, learn from your mistakes but that was an abysmal failure as the whole thing managed to break. I thought those too were most suitable for me because I try to adapt as best I can and my mom always says "what did we have here?...A learning experience" when I screw something up. After the carving which was over seen by David and his brothers and the entire village of children who were on Easter break, we came back the next day to actually do the printing on our own Kente fabric David (the director of the project) wove. Normally Adinkra is worn for funerals and is black fabric with black printing but we did it different because we were not going to make a whole cloth for a funeral. All in all it was a great experience and I don't remember when I have been so crafty. The only hard part was when all the children were around always asking for money, food, or our plastic water bottles. It is so hard to maintain perspective when all you want to do is concentrate on what you are trying to do and not be poked or have your tee-shirt pulled every minute with another request you have to deny. I think I have managed to learn the tool of ignoring them while others on our trip have reverted to frank rudeness that I find very ignorant and irritating. I can't wait to show everyone all the crafts I have made and how they turned out so great.
Steph and I went to lunch yesterday at the cafe I think we are going to celebrate my birthday because they have great food and SIX, yes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!!! pages of cocktails. I can't wait to get something that is not rum and coke that I could jump for joy. I think the girls, Andrea, Rachael, Steph, and Beth have something planned but they have kept it in the cone of silence and I don't know what it is. I am really excited to have my b-day here but it will be sad to not be able to get the birthday phone calls from the family and such. I also hate to have class on my birthday but I think I can manage it because the day after my bash we don't have class till 10:30-ish as apposed to 9am.
Today some of us went to the huge Central Kumasi Market which is the largest outdoor market in all of Africa, or that is what we have been told. It was different from Mkola market in Accra that I wasn't to sure what to do with all that I was seeing and smelling. There isn't a huge main street like in Accra, rather many streets that make up the market area. The group of us didn't have any set agenda so we just took turns walking first and deciding which way to go. I managed to find the railroad tracks that made up a foe-sidewalk and got stuck behind a lady caring something stinky and I was not quite right for the rest of my time there. But once we got around her I then managed to find the area that all the fish and meat was sold. EWWW!!!! I don't think I will ever get that smell out of my mind. But luckily there was light at the end of that fishy tunnel....FABRIC!!!!! I think I have become addicted to buying it and I might need a 12 step program. but I figure anything that I don't have made into clothing, oh yes I am getting many an outfit made by our trustworthy seamstress Shelly, I can make/add to my quilt or give to my gram because she always has a 101 uses for fabric. Oh yeah and I am making a quilt from all the cool things I make/print in Ghana and cool prints I find in the market. Rachael is going to take Steph and I back to the market to find more fabric and beads because I actually didn't buy anything today.
On my way to the internet cafe tonight it started to drizzle and the drizzle turned into rain which turned into a downpour. It was great because it hardly ever rains like that in the states where it is so warm that the rain is a relief and yet doesn't make you freezing cold. It was the best 20 min. walk to the internet cafe ever; I arrived completely soaked and happy.
I think that is it for now and I shall leave you with a funny e-mail my mom sent me. I can't wait to hear from ya'll find out what has been going on in your lives.
Peace,
Danielle
Ps.
I am going to a catholic service with a professor from campus on Easter Sunday; I’ll let you know how that goes.
TOP TEN INDICATORS THAT YOUR EMPLOYER HAS CHANGED TO A CHEAPER HEALTH CARE PLAN:
10) Your annual breast exam is done at Hooters.
9) Directions to your doctor's office include "Take a left when you enter the trailer park."
8) The tongue depressors taste faintly of Fudgesicles.
7) The only proctologist in the plan is "Gus" from Roto-Rooter.
6) The only item listed under Preventative Care Coverage is "an apple a day"
5) Your primary care physician is wearing the pants you gave to Goodwill last month.
4) "The patient is responsible for 200% of out-of-network charges," is not a typographical error.
3) The only expense covered 100% is "embalming."
2) Your Prozac comes in different colors with little M's on them.
AND THE NUMBER ONE SIGN YOU'VE JOINED A VERY CHEAP HEALTH CARE PLAN:
1) You ask for Viagra, and they give you a Popsicle stick and duct tape