End of Kumasi - On to Morontoo!

September 21, 2011

We are almost out of Kumasi, and basically done with our scheduled classes.  Twi classes officially end on Friday.  I'm a bit nervous because not only do we have a quiz, but also, we actually have to try to use our Twi when we go into the villages next week.  We also have a dance performance on Friday.  Dance class has been really fun, sweaty, hot, and exhausting.  Our dance teacher definitely instructs in a way that is completely non-Western.  Our group often finds ourselves frustrated with the teaching technique, but I can't help but think how sweet it is that I am taking a traditional African dance class in Ghana!  We leave for the villages on Saturday morning! I'm really ready to be done with Kumasi for a while.  I'm not sure if it was the hospital/malaria episode, or just Kumasi in general, but I really miss Accra and am not the biggest fan of Kumasi.  Accra is also much more like a city with a lot more to do and see, so I'm really excited to go back at the end of October! I may even be staying there for a chunk of my independent study project in November!

Like I said, on Saturday our group travels to the Ashanti Villages.  Today we visited a museum at the palace of the current Ashanti King.  I learned so much, and feel as though I definitely have a better grasp as to the history of the place I am staying.  The area where the villages are located is called Bekwai.  The three villages we will be split into include Morontoo, Ampento, and Beposo.  Some have Twi letters in them, so these may not be exact spellings.  I, along with 6 other students, will be placed in Morontoo.  The villages range from about 800-400 people, and are located at the most 20 minutes apart.  We stay with a family, but eat as a group.  We will get to visit schools, cocoa farms, etc., as well as take part in everyday village work with our families.  I'm really looking forward to mixing things up a bit and not having to trek to school everyday.  I'm sure I will have wonderful stories about the village in a few days! We are supposed to have some electricity, not super dependable, but I will try to post when I can.

As far as Ghana, I suppose I am getting used to the environment here. Everything is still a bit odd.  I was talking to a girl earlier today, and literally everything one does here is a challenge.  I miss the convenience of the Western world.  Also, many people in Ghana do not have hobbies or do as much as Americans are used to.  This could be a great thing, depending on how one looks at it, but it is something to get used to.  I certainly am used to always being busy or doing something, yet life here is just not that way.  Perhaps this will be a very good lesson to take back.

I must say that I am getting a bit tired of the food here as well.  I thought that I would absolutely love it, and I do most of the time.  Much of the food tastes exactly the same, however.  I think the villages and other places we travel will have slightly different cuisine, which will be a treat.  The fish here is also not the fish I pictured.  No one identifies exactly what type of fish it is, and the taste is EXTREMELY fresh.  A very interesting taste in stews, etc.  Today after the museum, a couple of girls and I went to a large gas station and actually found some American-style food.  I had my first Ghanaian cheeseburger with French fries, and an ice cream sundae.  This was the most amazing treat! My cheeseburger was wonderful with real cheese! And the ice cream sundae was called a "bee sting" and had vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and crumbled pieces of sugar cone. Delicious!  Speaking of ice cream, there is also a treat that one can find quite easily on the streets here called "FanIce".  FanIce comes in a thick plastic bag and is essentially vanilla ice cream, though it tastes like funfetti icing : )  Yum! In order to eat FanIce, one has to bite the corner off and suck out the ice cream.  In the heat, this is the perfect treat! They also have chocolate flavored, strawberry flavored, and fruit flavored.  The people selling them ride bicycles with large boxed coolers attached to the handlebars.  And FanIce is only about 20 cents American dollars! Even better!

The weather has definitely been changing here! It has been getting a lot hotter and sunnier.  Yet, in Kumasi it rains almost everyday.  The rain is usually really hard but lasts for less than an hour.  I prefer the heat but the rain has become a little annoying. Other than that, I'm learning a ton, and am really excited to visit the village.  I really cannot believe that it is the end of September.  However, I also cannot believe that I will be in Ghana for another 2 months.  The time is weird to think about.  We have been here for so long, but it feels like we have so much more to go.