OOPS Classes are OVER

So I got back just in time to go to my last classes in Twi language and in Human Rights in Africa. Others are ending next week...looks like my little spring break jaunt went right through the WHOLE SEMESTER. If I had taken any longer I would have started missing final exams... Ohh man I have a lot of catching up to do...Looks like I am staying in Accra this weekend to chill and maybe going to the Aburi Botanical Gardens too. After that it is back on the road for 6 weekends (not straight through) and then maybe the big trip. Oh with finals somewhere in there too...

I LOVE MY RUGGERS

Congrats to my rugby girls on winning quarterfinals and making it to semis!! I am sooooo proud of you guys KILLING Richmond in last weekend's game. Makes me miss you sluts and your escapades sooo much. I will be thinking of you this weekend and I will be sweating lots over here instead...just for you. You are going to make it to Nationals...I know it! SO proud.

I'm back to Accra. Got in at 4 AM today and went straight to class. SUCH a nerd...I know. So I'm just going to chill and read a bit before going into town for dinner. Nice to be back and taking it easy and showering regularly again. I think I have the rest of my weekends all planned out til school ends which is amazing. This semester has flown by...

Trip Re-cap

So the trip has been really good. Definately had a ton of fun but also have been challenged like rarely before. So we left Accra and headed up to Ouagadougou with all of the fun transportation problems that I wrote about. Rested there for a few days and continued up to Mopti, Mali by bus. Mopti is this really nice West African city with the Niger river running right through it. We met this guy there who set us up to get transport to Timbucktu in the morning. The trek to Timbucktu is really intense...either you go by the Niger river which can take over a week (especially in the dry season) or you go by 12 hours in a 4WD vehicle. We chose this option. We drove up there, bumping and grinding all the way in the sand and on the way I even got a marriage proposal complete with an engagement necklace. These gents really know how to treat a lady. When we got to our hotel, we went out clubbing in Timbucktu (ONLY white people there) and then spent the next day touring the city and went on a camel ride into the Sahara Desert for the evening. The trip out was great...especially bright stars when there is NO nearby city to pollute the sky. Unfortunately, I got into a bad situation and ended up having some money stolen. Some things you have to learn the hard way I guess. From Timbucktu, our group split and my half went to Dogon Country, where you can hike through cliffs and rocks and explore villages there. Really amazing how people can live with such little access to the outside world...and mostly to water. The trip was nice, but intense and we got to sleep on rooftops every night. From Dogon, we hitch hiked with this random French group and got back to Ouahgouya, Burkina Faso with them. Got hit on a LOT but also got to sing at the top of my lungs while riding through a desert for FREE. Possibly worth it. Went back to our friends in Ouagadougou to recharge and then set off to see hippos. On the way, saw this horrible car accident. A truck carrying tomatoes overturned and killed one of the people in it. The body was lying out in the road, mostly covered by a thin sheet. We all got out of our bus to pay respects and it was really overwhelming and sombering. Made me think too about the shortness of life as well as the need to be as safe as possible over here. Went to see the hippos in Wa today and am getting on the safest transport possible back to Accra. The trip is about 20 hours so I'm glad we're playing it safe, even though it is expensive. Overall, I've had a good time and learned and experienced SO much. I'm ready to be back in Accra to chill and recharge but am planning a trip through Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Cameroon for May and June. BUT I will definately be back for my 21st bday and you are all coming to celebrate with me.

On my way home...

Back in Ouagadougou on the way back to Accra to start going to classes again. Overall, the trip has been great despite some minor setbacks like broken down buses, the car accident, having money stolen, and a few unwanted sexual advances. However, highlights included a camel trek into the Sahara Desert, sleeping every night on rooftops under the stars, speeding through Mali in a strange Frenchmans car listening to Coldplay, and hiking in Dogon Country where people live in and and around cliffs. On the way back to school, we are stopping at a Hippo Sactuary in Northern Ghana to see these animals in action (and take some notes for UMD rugby on how to hippopotomize). The loss of money leaves me a little short on funds for going to Niger but maybe once school gets out, I will take a trip...its in the works now. Just about 30 hours by bus and some hippos and I will be home safely (which is quite a feat the way that the trip has gone).

Transportation

We are now three days into our trip to Mali, and although we have not seen much in the way of famous sights, we have experienced some really amazing things. It seems like there is something exciting happening every day. We were unqble to get seats on the luxurious STC 24 hour bus to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, so we decided to use other means. We took a bus to Kumasi from Ghana and then got on another one to Bolgatanga in the north of Ghana. However, this bus broke down at about ten at night and the passengers all got out to stretch qnd relax as we waited for it to get fixed. We laid on the side of the road, with the bus behind us for protection. Soon, we started to drift to sleep and I awoke several times in the night to feelings that I was certainly going to be killed by the cars and buses speeding by. At 6 AM we were still lying on the road and went into a neqrby village where a very friendly group of people allowed us to shower and fed us boiled yams. We ultimately backtracked and took alternative transportation to the North of Ghana.

However, this night on the road was nothing compared to the leg from Paga to Ouaga. We hired a car which was rather slow and the driver had to keep stopping every 5 minutes or so to pour water onto the engine. We should have taken this as a sign. Instead, we continued on our way and were mid conversation when the car began to spin. We had no seatbelts and the doors didnt even open from the inside. The car spun and spun and I was sure that it was going to flip and that we were going to be seriously hurt on this very remote road. Luckily, the car stopped spinning and we were able to climb out as gas leaked from the tank. When we looked, the whole bottomof the car had fallen off including wheels and axle. No one was seriously hurt although it was scary to think of how it could have ended. We were qble to get into the back of a bus of people heqded to Ouaga and are now here staying with friends. Scary lesson in African transportation though... We have our visas and all for Mali and are headed there tomorrow if all goes as planned and there are no more transportation disasters. Should be beautiful. I wont have a lot of internet access out there so I will report later. Everyone take care and be safe. I am going to travel smarter from here on out...

MALI EXCURSION

Tomorrow at 730 AM, I am leaving for a 2 week trip through Ghana and Burkina Faso into Mali. Our ultimate destination is Timbucktu but there is little planning done so we will see if we make it. No transportation figured out, no hotels booked, no nothing. I never was so good at planning. Ideally, we will bus up to Mopti and then take a boat on the Niger river to Timbucktu where we can ride camels in the Sahara Desert. Hopefully, this will all work out and I won't end up living on the side of the road somewhere in Ghana. Interesting points about this trip besides the zero planning: 1- It is 114 degrees Fahrenheit right now in Mali. 2- I can only bring one small LL Bean backpack with like 2 changes of clothes. 3- I probably can't shower so much... 4- I am missing a lot of class. I have no cell phone service and most likely no internet either. So I will be back in like 2 weeks... Unless I decide to stay forever...

March 6th is the New July 4th

March 6th, besides being the day of Miller's birth, is also the independence day of Ghana. This year marked 49 years free from British colonial rule. So interesting and different to be celebrating independence of a country that occurred within my parents lifetime. In the morning,we got ready at 6:30 to go to this volleyball tournament, but we were the only people not on Ghanaian time. People started filtering in about an hour later and the bus left at like 9. As we were waiting, this building had a peculiar amount of water pouring out of it. My friend, Felix, this hilarious volleyball player started yelling "Wake up wake up. Your house is on water!" Then Joe chimed in about "No no, this is Legon waterfalls. Get your cameras ready." Just an example of how fun these guys are. Once we got to the court, we took a cab to independence square to see the celebration and hear the President speak. Ghanaians my age had told me to avoid this situation since it was boring, hot and crowded. Instead, they told me to go to the beach. However, I wanted to see the official celebration and we went into the thick of it. The entire stadium was full of people carrying the Ghanaian flag and proudly displaying their country's colors. On the floor was a whole formation of military officials as well as tanks and fancy cars. Up on this balcony type thing, President Kufuor delivered a speech on Ghana and independence although the hum of the crowd made it dificult to hear. A band played some songs, including the national anthem, and soldiers marched with the flag held high. We had come rather late, so it was soon over and we went back for the tournament. In addition to volleyball, there were men's and women's teams from four schools in football and basketball as well. The three of us were the only obrunis there and we had a wonderful day with the volleyball teams. Our university won both the men's and women's tournaments and I have many new friends and protectors. A little sunburn and some hunger at the end of the day were well worth it. I definately crashed at like 9 PM when we got back. Forget July 4th. I am celebrating March 6th from now on.

Weekend in Accra

This weekend, I decided to stay in Accra and do some exploring and studying for a change of pace. We may be planning a 2 week trip to Mali starting on Friday, so I wanted to catch up on work and be well rested for the excursion. I have a book to read, an exam, and a report to write before we go. Oops. So on Saturday, we went to lunch in Osu and checked out this salad place. SO good... AND I was lucky enough to run into my leg slapping husband while I was down there (which is good for wedding planning purposes). Then we went to the International Trade fair which is like this huge swap meet of artisans and vendors. It was like mayhem with everyone trying to sell their things. I was however able to find "Mandingo Bitters" which should be really fun to try. I will smuggle as much home as possible. I bought a few other things like necklaces, cloth, etc. You know, the usual. The rest of the weekend I pretty much chilled and did some studying. Went to a few bars and had a pretty good time. Champs was this bar with like all obrunis but there was a live band so it was pretty good. Tomorrow is Ghana's independence day so I think I am going to hear the President speak although apparently it is nothing like July 4. I will probably just end up on a beach somewhere. Sigh...what a rough life. Miller, little did you know you share your birthday with GHANA. Also made a big decision to apply to stay in West Africa for the summer for a USAID internship in West Africa. I think I'd rather come back and work in DC and catch up with everyone but the experience would be great. We will see what happens but as of now I'm coming back on May 20th. I do need to get back to see my baby sister off to college for sure. She got into the University of Southern California and I'm sooo proud. BB wish I was home to celebrate with you. She offers us all a place to crash for Spring Break if she goes. Not really but maybe. Have to be up early for the celebration tomorrow so I'm heading to bed.

Power Outages and Baby Having

Classes are a bit different here than in the United States. For example, the other day I was sitting in my culture and development class and we were taking notes when the power just goes out. This might not have been a problem except for the fact that it is a night class. So we sat around in the dark waiting for power to return. Meanwhile, the lecturer is walking all around and we are not sure if he is leaving and if we can go too. Finally he announces that we will wait just 30 minutes (classes are only 2 hours!) to see if power comes back. So we are just waiting in total darkness and it gets to about 20 minutes and the lights come on and we continue with class. Wow the things you dont think about back home. Also, I am in this Culture and Reproductive Health class and we were having a discussion about marriage and children and this girl in class turns and asks if I am married. As I reply NO WAY, I notice that she has a ring on her finger as does the other guy that I'm sitting with. Whoa people get married young. Salima also has a 2 and a half year old daughter who lives several hours away in the North of Ghana with her husband. They ask me all of these questions about when I am going to get married and how many kids I want and all of these things...and I'm like wow...umm im years away from thinking about marriage at all...and i dont even know if i will get married or want kids... which is like a totally foreign idea here. Funny to think how our lives are so different and we are both sitting in class, learning about pronatalism in African culture. I feel so young and carefree compared to my peers...