Groundhog Day - Ghana-style

Almost right after my nostalgic thoughts about urban life and good food, came one of my favorite days of the year – Groundhog Day (February 2^nd). As many of you know, it was brought to the US by German immigrants, where a groundhog can “predict” whether or not spring would come early. But main reason I love this day is because it gives me a legitimate reason to watch one of my favorite movie with fantastic Bill Murray as Phil Connors, the embittered weather man, who has to re-live Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney over and over again. His reactions to this jinx are priceless: there is shock, anger, denial, recklessness, indulgence, depression, enlightenment, grief, and finally, acceptance and enjoyment of the same day over and over again by helping others, learning new skills (piano, ice sculpting, car repair etc.) and accepting life as it is.

As I was watching this movie for the N-th time in my little cottage, I thought that my current situation is not unlike Phil’s: I am in a tiny village with a slow pace of life, where everybody knows each other. I tend to go through the same motions day after day: waking up, greeting people, going to farm, working on my garden, cooking dinner, reading a book, going to bed. But then, as in the movie, this sameness and feeling of being stuck can be, as Rita (Phil’s love interest) put “not a curse – it depends how you look at it.” It’s true: I’ve got two years to take a deep breath, look around and learn more about others and myself. I can read good books and learn a new trade. I can continue training so I could complete the Accra Marathon in September. I can ponder on my next steps in life – will I want to finally settle in and have a family, or will I continue to roam? Will I go to grad school or work for Peace Corps or another international development organization? Will I live in a humming city or a quiet town? As of now, I can take it all in and re-live the same day over and over again without feeling stuck or useless. Thanks, Phil.

The Nostalgic Post

Well, what can I say? Things are quiet, but things are happening. In the past several weeks, I put together a soap-making making group, joined a church choir (and already participated in a singing competition!). I also met the area business development reps, did a speech on the importance of clean environment, and visited several local towns. On a regular basis, I monitor my container gardens, make pineapple jam, grind egg-shells for calcium intake, cook red-red and play “Oshiva-Oppale” with kids.

And yet, and yet….

I feel like I’m not doing anything. Worse, I’m getting a bit moapy…

I’m starting to miss things from home (both from US and KZ). Some things are not even something I expected to miss or crave: for example, I really want Oreos, even though I did not care for them too much. I do miss winter and snow (and yes, I should be happy being in a warm Africa now while Northeast is snowed in, but I do miss this season with its skiing trips, snow days, borcht, hot toddies and pub crawls with hashers). I miss walking in the city and stopping by at any cafe where I can order a cup of coffee, sit on a sofa and listen to whatever barista is playing at that moment on her Pandora station. Or, going to Burren to have a pint of Shipyard and chat with Irish bartenders with their awesome accents. I miss general feeling of being in a city and being left alone in the crowd. Here, I’m not able to blend in – everybody knows me, everybody wants to greet me, everyone knows where I live.

Yeah – the anonymity of a big city (and its abundance of good eateries!) – is something I clearly miss at the moment. I know that it is natural, that it is part of the adaptation process; I realize that missing something from home will always be around during my service, so I’m not shocked or upset by it. It’s like missing your old love, but not the actual person – it’s missing the feeling of contentment and excitement, and reminiscing good ol’ days without focusing on any negative aspects of the relationship. And this is how my urban nostalgia is currently functioning: I long for my favorite places in Boston, Cambridge and Philly with their snowy streets, twinkly lights and other winter delights, but I do not miss winter traffic and curses of commuters; I do not miss being stuck in the office, or constant bombardment of ads on T trains; I do not miss city loneliness (which is different from the anonymity that cities give you). Also, I know that even if I could take off to US just so I could satisfy my cravings for Yuengling lager or scones from Flour, it is not enough of a reason for me to come back to the US, even for a little while. In fact, it will be pretty ridiculous. So, in times like these, a Skype call from a friend and a bottle of Club at a local spot would do a trick. Besides, it is pretty warm where I am, and I do not have to shovel any snow. Sorry-o.