So, I'd like to start off by saying one thing: it's pretty humid here. I've told that to everyone, and I can't really get over it. It's so different than the ever-so-mysterious weather of Syracuse, where most know that it could be a beautiful summer day and the next begins with snow. The weather has been pretty consistent (then again, I've only been here for a day), even at night. It may have cooled, but I don't think I ever would know. Considering the extreme lack of sleep I obtained on my flight to Ghana, I spend the rest of the day in a lazy existence, moving about sluggishly and acting unusually antisocial. Perhaps it was the superstorm of fatigue and perfect no-blanket sleep weather that led me to crawl into bed around 8:00pm.
I woke up a few times in the night, once to the room being lit (the room I slept in also housed some other people, including their luggage), the other out of confusion (the light was still on and gave the appearance of daytime), and the third time around 3:00am because I was pretty well rested. I woke up in a pool of my own sweat, hair sticking to my face like flies on fly tape. I moved my hair and wiped off what I could with my sheet. I tried to connect to the wifi but I couldn't get a signal. Giving up, I plugged my cell phone charger into my adapter and inserted it into the wall. No charge. It appeared as if the power was out. I turned on my laptop and plugged my cell phone in the USB port. Awake and sweaty, I decided to play a game of Solitaire on my computer. I won on the first round, undoubtedly the only time in my life that will ever be accomplished. Not about to press my luck, I moved onto Mahjong. Believe it or not, I groggily won on the first round as well. Figuring that I peaked on computer games, I decided to try to fall back asleep. I was successful. Third win of the night.
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| HOLLA. |
I woke up again to the sun, not the room light, and the bawking of chickens outside. It seems like the sound of chickens is as frequent as crickets in nighttime or dogs barking during the day. It was around 9:30am or so and I checked my fully charged phone. After that, I dug my toiletries out of my backpack. The worst part of using a hiking backpack is getting things out. It fits so much, but damn. I mistakenly packed my towel on the bottom and in order to get it, I had to weave through a full arm's length of clothing and other things. I grabbed my towel after a bit of struggle and found my toiletries. I had to fill a bucket with water from outside and use that as my shower.
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| Close, but no cigar. [trendir.com] |
I got dressed and had my first true realization. I successfully bathed using about five gallons of water. What? Showering in the US is a completely different story; I'd be willing to bet that a five-gallon shower is around one or two minutes of constant water streaming out. How incredibly wasteful of the developed world to take fresh water for granted, it literally slips down the drain. It makes me think about other parts of my life that I could be practicing more sustainably, especially with water.
After the shower, I drank some water. The first rule of coming to Ghana is that you really shouldn't drink from the tap. They sell pouches, called sachets, of water containing purified water. They're like mandatory Capri Suns and I really like it. The pouches prevent people from making a quick buck by rebottling water from the tap. This ensures that you're getting something safe to drink without a doubt.
After that, I read for a little while in the main room in the AIESEC house. The heat was steadily increasing outside and everyone seemed to be moving at a snail's pace, including myself. The afternoon was spent lounging: napping for some, browsing the web for others, or reading (like myself). I ate large slices of bread that had the consistency, weight, and texture of sponge cake. Very light. It had swirls of brown around it but tasted like regular bread. I also had some tea, complete with canned tea creamer (I think that's only in Ghana, someone please correct me if you've seen it elsewhere) and sugar. I spread orange marmalade on the bread. Two pieces filled me completely.
Afterwards, I continued reading. I haven't read for fun in such a long time, I almost forgot what it feels like to be immersed in a book and the plot. The Life of Pi is an excellent book and an easy read. I haven't finished it yet, but it should be finished shortly.
After a while, I went with an AIESEC member to exchange my currency. It was a nice five minute walk from the house, down the road and to the right. I saw a bit of town then. It was just around the time that school was let out, because I saw a ton of kids walking home in school uniforms. There weren't sidewalks, per se, and the sides of the roads had red sand. Taxis flew by (most of the cars are taxis, it seems) and the side of my maxi dress flowed to the breeze created by the cars. As we walked, I saw two dogs. They looked pretty small, compared to what I'm used to. They also have a higher pitched bark. The AIESEC member told me that most of the dogs that walk around in the street during the day belong to different people in the neighborhood - they just let them roam knowing they'll come back before night time.
We get to the exchange place and I give the teller money. He gave me a wad of cash in return, and for a quick minute I forgot that the exchange rate is in my favor, effectively doubling my money. It's mostly in five cedi bills so the pile of money I have is a good three inches tall. I jam it into my small wallet and sort it out when I return to the house.
During my walk back (and there for that matter), I noticed how foreign I was. Every person we passed looked at me for longer than I would experience at home. Crowds of people would turn around to look at me, and a brave few would say hello. It was never a menacing stare, it looked to be fascination. I'm not sure how often you see a six-foot tall White woman walking around the back roads of Ghana, but I'd be willing to bet it's more unusual than the norm. I was told that staring will happen almost every time I go out, so it'll be something that I need to get used to...
Once I got back, I started writing this post. The power went out for a few hours, preventing me from writing much. I walked across the street to buy water, I was pretty thirsty. I bought the satchets instead of the bottles, and 50 satchets cost me 1 cedi, which is roughly 50 cents. That's 25 liters of water right there, folks. I drank two right off the bat and filled my two water bottles. It took two to fill my big Nalgene and only one to fill my glass water bottle. That leaves me with 45 until I need to buy more. I think that'll do for a while. Knowing that water is pretty cheap is wonderful, especially considering that I need to drink it profusely; I'm convinced I'm sweating everything out. Hopefully my body gets used to this humidity quickly (which, apparently, is cool weather in comparison to January).
Also, some interesting noticings I've experienced recently:
1. I'm taller than most people here.
2. The humidity doesn't stop. Ever.
3. It gets dark really early.
4. There's a goat outside and every night it seems to baa. What?
5. When children call me Obruni (an affectionate term meaning White person, and apparently this is going to happen often), I am supposed to say Obibini (meaning Black person) in return.
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