Akwaaba!- Welcome from Ghana,
Our journeys to Ghana were all different, with half of us coming from Australia and half coming from Europe. MJ, Siobhan, Hayley, Dian, Jyo and I all met up in Johannesburg Airport. When our flight was delayed by one hour due to a baggage issue we were so frustrated but Ellie and Georgina had it the worst. We were waiting for them to arrive every day and not sure of when they were coming. As we did not know what had happened to them we were more concerned about Seth buying us our SIM cards so that we could contact home. On arrival we were met by Tina, Felicia (owner of the hostel), Seth and Evans at the airport and driven back through the streets, getting our first glance at the suburbs of Accra. We immediately noticed the religious messages in shops names, such as ‘God is in control hair salon’, ‘by his grace beauty’ and ‘in the name of god vegetables’. Bec and Sophie saw a burning car on their drive to Felcare hostel. Kate, Hayley, MJ, Siobhan, Jyo, Dian and I were greeted at 1am by a home cooked meal of rice, veggies and chicken. Each meal since then has been similar but a different combination of carbohydrate and meat, with vegetarian options for MJ, Jyo and Dian.
Our first day in Ghana was spent at the hostel, where we played ball games with Felicia’s children Mikael, and Emma, with several neighbourhood children. We also learnt that our water source would be water bags; 30 for 1 Ghanaian Cedi (about 15 Litres for AUD $1). At first they were very shy, but now they have endeavored to learn all our names. They particularly struggled with Eleanor, but by the third day they had everyone’s memorized. However Georgina and ellie and still not arrived. That afternoon we all had a nap before dinner as the intensity of the children’s’ fascination wore us out. We then slept for a full twelve hours.
On Monday we began the day with a health/safety and culture lesson. We learned things such as it is rude to use your left hand when gesturing and that it is a compliment to be told that you are putting on weight (it is a sign that you are being looked after by your spouse!).
Then we took a trotro, which is a small chartered bus, into the centre of Accra. We trekked throughout the city to multiple banks as not everyone’s cards worked at all the ATMs. Just before we were about to pass out from heat and sweat, Seth bought us some delicious street donuts and what tasted like the best ice cream in the world. We all followed our tour guide Kofi to the art market and while we were walking he explained that Kofi is a name given to a male born on a Friday. At the markets, we were swamped by vendors who all wanted us to buy their dresses, bags, shoes and other items. Seth taught us how to bargain and helped us out when we got stuck with pushy sellers, who managed to sell MJ and I Ghanaian name bracelets. Sucked in. Five of us got a great deal on bags and we then caught a trotro back to the hostel.
Tuesday morning we woke up to an interesting Ghanaian breakfast of corn maize porridge, which we all tried and all agreed that it tasted much like beer and wine, but not in a good way. We then had a language class and learned some useful phrases such as ‘I don’t love you’ (Mempe Wo) and ‘No I have a boyfriend’ (Mewo Mpena) in response to marriage proposals. We then drove down to Bojo Beach, Big Milly’s Hotel, in the trailer of a ute. On the way we were called ‘Obroni’ meaning person from over the sea, by several locals. At the beach markets we bought dresses, genie pants, bracelets and learnt about traditional beads that women wear around their waists which are meant for their husbands’ eyes only. The beach was very Rastafarian and had a soundtrack that consisted of the best of Bob Marley. MJ, Siobhan, Hannah, Kate, Iszy and I walked through the beach town to find ice cream and noticed lots of baby chickens, ducks and goats along the way. Kofi explained that the animals walked the streets during the day but always find their way home by sunset. We arrived home after a painful bumpy ute ride because the roads are splattered with enormous potholes!
Finally Ellie and Georgina had arrived after a two day delay, telling us horror stories of 32 hour delays, damaged planes and lost baggage. They are both relieved to have finally arrived.
Dayie!- Goodnight,
Love from Eleanor.
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