September 6, 2011
This is our third to last day in Accra, as our group heads off to Kumasi on Friday morning. I feel as though I am finally becoming accustomed to certain things in Accra, which is a pretty comforting feeling. As we live so close to the Madina Market, I know my way around the market and can walk to my homestay alone. Since many of you know, I'm usually horrible with directions but having to learn my way around Accra is a really good challenge! I also feel much more comfortable walking on the streets, in general. The streets all have large gutters with sewage and garbage on either side, so as you walk, you have to avoid them at all costs. The traffic is absolutely crazy because in most places, there are no signs, lights, or traffic directors. Yet the tro-tros, taxis, and cars all figure out how to get to their destination. And I have actually only seen one traffic accident. Despite feeling more comfortable, I have been feeling a little more homesick. I feel like the feeling kind of comes in waves and in certain situations. I miss Coe and ASA, as well as all my friends there. I really miss my family too. Amy is moving on with her life, and a part of me definitely wishes I were there to share in her changing life. A boy on our trip, during a conversation about all of our homesickness, reminded us that everything at home will still be at home when we get back. This was a really nice reminder. Of course there will be a few changes, but I'll only be abroad once and my home, along with the people in my life, will all be there when I get back to the states.
Today for lunch, a group of SIT students walked across the University campus today to take advantage of a deal at a sort of pizza restaurant, comparable to pizza hut, located in a gas station. The deal was 2 for 1 pizzas. I ended up eating a very American puri puri chicken pizza that was delicious! We all drank coke or fantas and bought some ice cream treats for dessert. I do really love the Ghanaian food, but today the western food was just what we all needed.
Tomorrow is our last day of the Twi language course in Accra. We will be picking up a Twi language class once we get to Kumasi, as well. We have to perform a skit in Twi with a group and do an oral quiz with an instructor. Twi is quite hard, for many of my group members, myself included. The language is extremely tonal. However, the more I hear it being spoken, the more I can catch in conversation. Terrin and I have a lot of studying to do tonight, and I know that the entire group will feel better once the quiz is done tomorrow. Yesterday Terrin and I tried to practice with our homestay brother, Kwese, who is 30 years old. He told us that students can actually choose to learn a variety of traditional African languages in school, and he happened to not choose Twi. However, most people in Accra speak Twi, so he knows how to speak Twi in most conversations. His mother, our homestay mother, Helena, is actually Fanti and speaks Fanti. Therefore, Kwese and his siblings all speak a mixture of Fanti, Twi, and English. Jifa, my homestay sister, who is in her twenties, is the only sibling who learned Twi in school. The whole family was extremely helpful, and I found it really interesting to learn that they had actually not been speaking just Twi to each other while we were in the house! Who knew?
Also, Terrin and I have a 2 year old homestay sister, however, she is technically our homestay mother's granddaughter. Anyway, this past week she has become a lot more close to us and started speaking a lot more to us. Her family is actually teaching her English because they know she will learn Twi from her friends and family later on. Her name is Jo, and she is absolutely adorable. Everyday when we come home from school, she runs up to our legs and hugs us. It's nice to feel a little bit more a part of this family too!
I'm really ready to travel to Kumasi, and begin traveling in general. Walking home from school today, I thought, I won't be in Accra again until October. And when I'm back in Accra, I will only have a month left in Ghana. This was a comforting thought as well as an exciting thought! I'm really excited to compare different parts of Ghana, and see a huge portion of the country.
I have taken a ton of pictures already, and definitely want to put them on my Facebook. I'm going to try to do so tomorrow so hopefully you all can see a little glimpse of my life in Ghana thus far!
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