Sickness, Beaches and Fabrics

So, I'll recap from the beginning of the week so I can finally be up to date.

Tuesday: I got very sick from either bad food or a 24 hour bug. This resulted in me freaking out that I would either have to go to a hospital here, or die alone in Africa. This was obviously very dramatic, but at the time seemed real. It was an interesting experience to be very sick in a foreign country without having any family or friends to take care of me.

Wednesday: On Wednesday Michael (my friend from Greensboro) and two other girls (Catherine and Katy) and I went to La Bodi beach for reggae night. We had a blast! There was a large stage set up in the middle of the sand, where many different local reggae bands played. The music was an interesting mix of reggae, hip-hop and rap. Everything had a great beat and I had so much fun dancing into the night with my friends and locals we met! Unfortunately, there are some Ghanaians who come to reggae night specifically looking for tourists to try to date/hook up/get money from. Luckily, we had a few local friends who kept these people at bay. The process of getting back to our hostel that night was also quite an experience. As we exited the beach, about eight taxi drivers ran up to us, offering different prices to take us home. These drivers were relentless. As we haggled with one driver, at least three others would jump right in our faces to offer a lower price. We finally agreed up on a price, and Michael climbed into the backseat of a taxi. As soon as he did this, another driver ran up, slammed the door and started yelling in Twi (the local language) at the driver. Soon there were about five drivers all yelling at each other, while poor Michael was trapped in the taxi which soon started to drive away. Luckily, one of our local friends ran over, Michael was able to get out of the taxi, and we walked across the road to catch a ride.

Thursday: On Thursday Michael, Catherine, Katy and I traveled to the town of La Paz. La Paz is much more rural than Accra or Legon, and we walked through the villages and saw many street vendors and restaurants. While there, we ate in a tiny shack where we basically sat in the back of a kitchen. Despite the sketchiness of the structure, the food was the best I've eaten so far. The chicken and rice were spiced and the coleslaw-ish dish was fresh. The cook was very excited to have Americans in his restaurant, and wanted to know if we liked the spices, if we would come back, etc. As we walked through the villages, we saw many children playing soccer and some really cute kittens! Unfortunately, the sewage in rural areas is literally a latrine a few inches deep that runs in the middle of all of the roads. The smell is definitely something you have to get used to. Later, we stopped in a small bar/ restaurant, where American hip-hop was blaring on the radio. It was surreal to be in the middle of rural Africa and yet hear music I have on my ipod. Oh, globalization.
On our way home from La Paz, Catherine and I bought FanChocos, which are basically frozen chocolate soymilk in plastic bags you open by ripping them with your teeth. They remind me of what a dairy freeze pop would be like.

Friday: Today, we woke up early and traveled to a medical clinic to register. The process of registration took about two and half hours, during which we had nothing to do but sit and wait. After this, we traveled as a group to Medina to buy fabric. (Side note: there is a woman who comes to our hostel three times a week who makes BEAUTIFUL clothes out of African fabrics for $3-8). The Medina market was so alive with vendors selling literally everything you could think of, from whole fish to luggage to manicures. We spent the afternoon browsing for fabrics and taking in the sights. Now, I am back at the hostel, using the internet cafe here and getting hungry for a dinner of bananas, peanut butter and doritos. None of you really have any idea how delicious this meal sounds to me. Also, last night we made grilled cheese and chicken sandwiches in the hostel, and this was also a joyous occasion of American food. Also, the hostel across from us just opened a cafe with chicken burgers and milkshakes. Excitement!!!


Hopefully I will be able to upload my pictures soon. So far, I have only been able to use desktops, so when I am able to use my laptop, expect many pictures!