Akwaaba! (Welcome!)

Well, folks – I am in Africa! It has only been two weeks since our plane touched down at the Accra airport, but it already seems like a lifetime of impressions, sounds, sights, smells, noises and a choc’ful of other fun stuff. I am currently going through intensive language and technical training in the Eastern region of Ghana where every person greets you with the “How is your whole being?” question, and where schoolchildren and goats chill on steps of numerous churches.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here are my first impressions of Ghana:

1.       At the airport’s entry we were immediately taken temperature. So far, there has not been a case of Ebola here!

2.       We were driven to the Peace Corps office with a police escort to beat the Accra traffic! Mind you, this royal service only happens when a new batch of trainee arrives; for the rest of the week our drivers battled with numerous tro-tro drivers.

3.       Traffic is crazy. Not Boston-like crazy --- Moscow-kind-of-crazy! All post-Soviet peeps will understand me. Drivers make their own lanes, honk all the time and pick up more people than their lil' cars can fit. Also, tro-tro (the local version of a Russia marshrutka) rules. It is a mini-bus which can fit tons of people along with their kids, goats and merchandise.

4.       DO NOT use your left hand here! If you’re lefty (like me), you’re pretty much screwed. Pointing, greeting, and handing things with your left hand is extremely rude. So, it took some time getting used to this for me, semi-lefty. Good thing I write with the right (ha!) hand.

5.       Children (and people in general) are super-polite. They greet each other for hours, and are very helpful to us, Obronis (local name for foreigners, including white people). A lot of times local folks would chastise someone who tried to give us wrong change or dupe us in any other way.

6.       Ghana – the country of contrasts…. Just like any other developing place (like Kazakhstan), super-rich and super-progressive borders super-poor and super-traditional ways of life. After one week in Accra with its sky-scrapers and Star beer billboards, we were taken to our home stay families in a tiny village of Anyinasin (Eastern Region), where there is one paved road, three working street lights and tons of goats. People have cell phones there, but they wash themselves with bucket baths. FYI – I do enjoy bucket baths! They take minutes and save tons of water.

7.       Local food is delicious. I already tried and liked “red-red” (fried beans and plantains), banku (a ball of fermented corn dough), bofrut (a donut hole), groundnut (peanut) soup and fried tilapia. Oh, I also tried fu-fu, but I’ll tell you about it later. The families we are currently staying with, feed us A LOT. And they won’t hear “No, I’m very full” for an answer – they’ll just feed you more. I was surprised to discover that the food here is fairly spicy: the Ghanaians put a lot of “pepe” (hot pepper) in their sauces and soups. So far I eat my dishes on a mild side.

8.       HOWEVER….. there is no cheese around here! I am being deprived of cheddar, brie, mozzarella and gouda. So, if you’re reading this blog, please please please send me cheese. It won’t spoil, I’ll swear. And if you’re felling generous, please also send beer (Yingling , Shipyard Pumpkinhead or Harpoon, where art though?).

9.       I don’t want to end this post begging for food, so I’ll continue with more impressions. It is hot and humid in here! But it is fairly tolerable. There is even a slight chill early in the morning and a pleasant breeze in the afternoon. Also, it is a rainy season, so it rains almost every afternoon – so, if you have any laundry hanging on a clothesline (which is also washed and rinsed in the bucket), you better take it down J.