Just slip out the back jack, make a new plan stan...

This picture is of me pounding fufu at the school I teach at. I wrote this in another one of my posts how this was part of their "Home Ec" class. This picture is kind of really old but I promise I'll upload pictures one day.



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Great, great friends-
I know its been a while and there’s just so much to update on. I’m going to try to recap as much as I can before dinner at 7 so here I go. I just want to say thank you for all the beautiful e-mails that were sent to me in support of my friend’s passing. It feels wonderful to know that friendships can still survive while traveling across the world. I love you all a lot.

Onward! Spring break… so that was two weeks ago. Let me just say that I can’t wait to show you all the picture my friends and I took. Best 10 days of my life. As prep for this trip we figured we would just make a list of things we would like to get to and just let trip unwind itself. Needless to say, with very minimal planning- everything fell into place perfectly. I decided I’m not that great at giving full recaps about things that go on in my life so instead I’m going to make a list of my favorite parts of the trip. Mix things up a bit. So I did this trip with Tina and Eric so you all aren’t confused when I throw those names in. SOLID.
SO!
DAY 1: Beyin area- specifically Nzuelzo
-When we got to the Stilt Village in Nzuelzo (which literally means village on water), I was proposed to by this gentleman, Kweku, but unlike the other proposals I’ve received- he was actually the most serious about it. He was ready to take me to meet his family.
-The water that this village is on top of is also used for them to bathe and go to the bathroom in… which we didn’t know beforehand because it didn’t smell at all and we saw fish swimming, so when on the canoe our tourguide suggested to just swim to the village, we definitely enthusiastically considered it. But we didn’t. Don’t worry. lol
-So this village was basically constructed by wood and was just, you know, hanging out over water so at night when we went to bed I had a dream (thank you anti-malaria medicine) that the fish were gnawing at the sticks that were holding up our little hut and we were eventually going to fall into the water. I don’t know where I get these things from.
-At night when we were walking around greeting the people from the village, we met all these ADORABLE children. I played shay-shay-coolay with them and they absolutely loved it and wouldn’t let go of our hands when we announced we were leaving.
-While getting to the stilt village you go through this nature trail and then end up at this little pond where you hop into a canoe (ours was named Tupac) and are led by guides through the freshwater lagoon. On our last day, I saw a flower on this lillypad and had said in passing how beautiful it was and the guides stopped the canoe, went backwards, and made a necklace for me made solely from the stem and flower. Incredible.
-There is this man- the villagers called him “the white man” from Spain who has constructed a house on the other side of the lagoon and hangs out all the time there. I introduced myself and got to speak Spanish to him! Highlight of that day.
DAY 2: Beyin Beach Resort…orr the place I want my wedding reception to be at
-This place was actually paradise. Not kidding. It was owned by this British couple with two adorable children that just ran around the lodge. The place was constructed entirely by sticks and surrounded by palm trees… while overlooking the ocean. I told you it was amazing.
-That night we ate dinner at a neighboring restaurant owned by an NYU alum! He was originally from Ghana and went to the states on scholarship and has now returned to start an NGO in his hometown helping people with HIV/AIDS. He found out we were all NYUers so he set up a table for us right on the beach- candlelit and everything- and cooked us the best meal ever. He also gave us a little big of this cognac he had prepared himself with tree barks and other natural herbs. Tina was a trooper and drank it all but I really couldn’t get myself to drink it. Too strong. But on a positive note- it had a nice color! Lol
-After dinner, Tina, Eric, and I star gazed while laying on the beach and playing 2 truths and a lie. Great game.
-That morning I had the “FULL English Breakfast” which consisted of red beans, an omelet, toast, freshly made jam, bacon, freshly squeezed orange juice, and milo. Portion control doesn’t exist here. I’m over it.
-That night I had a dream this medicine man was staring at me from outside our hostel and so in the middle of the night I sat up, and told Tina: “We’re not staying here another night. Thoughts feelings impressions?” I was obviously sleep talking. Thanks anti-malaria medicine.
-That night a coconut also fell on our roof and scared the SHIT out of us. That same night I woke up in the middle of the night and grabbed Tina (for no reason) and then grabbed her again, but that time she grabbed me back. The funny part was that we never exchanged any words during this little outbreak we had. Sleeping was not an option on this trip- obviously. Except I really slept in every moving vehicle I was in.. but I digress….
DAY 3: “Our goal of the day was to get to Techiman.. but we never made it” –Tina
-So we were trying to get to Techiman, but we underestimated how much time this would take. So on our ride from Beyin to Takoradi there was a woman who sat next to us who was strangling two live chicken. Every time we would go over a bump the chickens would make the noise chickens make. They were rubbing against Tina’s leg, it really was a great time. On another tro we were on, we packed at least 20 people in, you know, a 10 seater van. The assistant conductor (aka the man who collects the money) was literally hanging out of the trotro. This was also a great time. Lol
-So then we finally get to Takoradi to take a van to Kumasi and someway another I ended up in the front in a really comfortable seat next to this Ghanaian who offered me FanIce (amazing ice cream) while Tina and Eric were stuck in the back sitting in chairs that instead of declining, INCLINED so their chests were pretty much on their knees. I don’t know how they are alive is what I’m gonna say about that. On the ride it rained and it was just so refreshing and beautiful. When we got to Kumasi I was so excited because I had just listened to a great podcast about the banking crisis, but Tina and Eric actually were ready to kill someone. Lol oh life!
- So then since it was already night time we decided it would be a better idea to spend the night in Kumasi instead of trekking all the way to Techiman (another 5 hours away). Where were we going to stay you ask? Manu’s Guest House of course. How did we arrange to stay there? By calling Armstrong whose number was on a sheet of paper taped onto the entrance door. Just say yes, just say yes.
-That night I had a dream this man was staring at me from the window and I’m pretty sure I slapped Tina in the middle of the night. We were also sleeping on top of this orange fleece thing that made me want to vomit. But the bed was incredibly comfortable so cheers.
DAY 4: Techiman, specificailly Boeng-Fema
-In the shared taxi on the way to Nkoranza (which would eventually take us to Boeng-Fema) there was a little boy and his grandmother (with huge black rimmed glasses wearing the traditional funeral wear) squeezing in the car with us. I had an extra orange so I decided to give it to him and he just sat looking out the window sneaking looks at me every now and then. He was just the cutest. Then we just drove on this hilly road and it was the most calming ride ever. Mmmm
-So then we got to the monkey sanctuary. I have the best pictures/videos ever of these little creatures. That nature walk was absolutely breathtaking. I have never seen such GINORMOUS trees in my entire life. The monkeys were called black and white colobus and mona monkeys. Look it up! There was big monkey that they thought was the “friendliest monkey in Ghana”- his name was Daniel- although we’re pretty sure he just really wants food from us. Daniel is not the friendliest monkey in Ghana.
-We met this German journalist (Michael) who wasn’t the biggest fan of Obama- for reasons that weren’t all that clear other than him thinking that he’s too popular- but he was still really interesting and I think he found us pretty entertaining. Lol He recommended going to Italy when I very ignorantly asked him the best place in Europe. Lol
-We also met this guy named Rob who studies Evolutionary Locomotion (Tina thought this was pretty cool)
-The woman who cooked for us, Bea, made the besttttttttt food. For dinner she made noodles with this tuna tomato sauce… mmmm so good. For breakfast the next morning she made pancakes from scratch with this jam… also from scratch.
-We met a Peace Corp volunteer, Erik (not to be confused with the Eric that I went on this trip with), who told us some pretty scary things that have happened in Ghana in the past that locals are too afraid to tell us lol But I mean he was really cool and it was fun to have someone I could talk about The Office and Seinfeld to.
-At night when I went to go brush my teeth at the communal sink… there was an infestation of TOADS. Great times.
DAY 5: The road to beautiful Buoyem
-So we wake up nice and early (thanks to Bea waking us at 6:50 AM… our alarms were set for 9 AM but alas!) and all is well.. until we get into this tro-tro that will take us to the Techiman station. The entire hour long trip I got disgustingly car sick. Motion sickness has never been so real.
-We finally get to the station and I’m revived with some Sprite (yes! I said it! I’m drinking soda here… it’s too good to pass up and I figure I’m helping the Ghanaian economy and they use real cane sugar so it’s not as bad and also it’s so refreshing so whateveri’mover it). At the station we randomly meet this Ghanaian, who after I tell him I was born in Colombia, informs me that he works in Spain! And speaks fluent Spanish! So then for the second time in one week, I have a full-fledged Spanish conversation.
-At the station there were all these cars with this sticker of this man from the 80’s (who looked JUST like Uncle Jessie from Full House) and underneath it it said, “Thinking of you at a time like this.” Don’t you worry- I got a picture of it.
-As soon as we got there we went on the walking tour of the Bat caves with our tour guide Enoch. Once we were in the caves we felt this nice breeze… which was being made by the flying bats around us lol While we were walking to another bat cave, Enoch suddenly disappeared and next thing you know he was climbing a tree trying to fetch us some papaya. Then we walked to this rock that overlooked the jungle we had spent over an hour hiking to share the papayas Enoch had gotten for us.
DAY 6: I don’t want to leave.. let’s stay in Buoyem
-The next morning we woke up early and went down the street to pick up eggs, tomatoes, onions, oil, and bread- each from a different woman in the village. Enoch brought us a pineapple as a welcome present and then we all ate together. It was so lovely because it was actually pretty cool outside so we didn’t have to turn on the fan!
-So then we put on our bathing suits and were led by another tour guide (the village chief’s nephew) to the waterfall and Africa Rock. Enoch couldn’t take us because one of his relatives had passed away during the night time. When we walked down the street, a lot of people were wearing black and crying… it was really sad. Funerals are a huge deal here and at the end they have the “funeral party” where you pretty much celebrate the deceased person’s death. Very different from back home. Anyway, we hiked first to Africa Rock that had this incredible view of the village and then hiked up to the waterfall. I have plenty of pictures of that… BREATHTAKING.
-Later we met the chief of the village! This is a hugeee honor is Ghana. We were all so nervous and made sure we didn’t use our left hand, or that Tina and I didn’t cross our legs, things like that.
-That afternoon Tina and I weren’t feeling too good (Eric swore it was because we drank the bagged water, but we’re still convinced we just got a cold from the climate change) so we stayed in our beautiful guest house that was completely empty and sooo wonderfully spacious. These girls who were fetching water from the pump down the rode saw us sitting on the porch and came over to talk to us and ask us things about America. They kept wanting us to dance so Eric and I showed them some of our African Dance moves. They were impressed. Lol
DAY 7: En route to the Sacred Gardens
-When we got to the village where the Sacred Gardens were we really wanted something to eat. Upon asking where we could go to grab something, we were told there wasn’t anything to eat in the village. At this point Tina and I were still not feeling well so we decided we would leave Eric to go on his excursion and we would go off to the Monastery that we heard was nearby. Best decision of our lives. We get to this monastery in the middle of nowhere completely surrounded by trees and these incredible rock formations. Tina and I kept looking at each other and being like- ‘how did we even get here!?’ It was just beautiful.
-So turns out we could stay with the monks so we put our things down and went to join them for lunch. These monks were the coolest people ever- we talked American and Ghanaian politics, our dreams and aspirations, learning Twi and Ghanaian culture, and other great things. They were so friendly and talkative- and SO funny. Just great.
-Tina and I went to explore the Monk compound and found acres upon acres of all this land covered in beautiful and perfectly kept vegetation. They even had a garden where they grew tomatoes, pineapple, bananas, and even GRAPEFRUIT!! Mmmmm! Then we found this incredible rock formation that we climbed on top of- best view ever. Then we ended up spotting a couple of monkeys! So great.
-So we had been informed that luckily we had come on a holiday (which meant they weren’t fasting and were celebrating with food they usually never eat)- I think it was St. Joseph’s day or something… not sure- regardless, the food at dinner was SO GOOD. There were PACKS of Ghanaian chocolate for dessert as well as two types of homemade cake. For the meal portion there was this incredible salad (most of the vegetables came from their garden), this mushroom soup, really delicious chicken (that wasn’t fried!!!), and the greatest rice ever. The monks know good food.
DAY 8: Day of travel, travel, and more travel to end up in…?
-This day was filled with FanIce, plantain chips, and water, which meant lots and lots of travel. We were trying to get to Green Turtle Lodge (this eco-friendly lodge that is even equipped with self composting toilets and solar panels) which we had gone to before, but we ended up getting a text from one of the managers saying that all the rooms were booked. So we pulled out the guidebook and decided the best idea was to just find a hotel for the night in Techiman. Then this guy literally came out of NOWHERE and offered to show us where the hotel we were trying to get to was. After a half hour walk and us having absolutely no idea where we were, our friend walked us into the hotel. At this point all we really wanted was a bed and sleep. We were able to get a room for about 7 US dollars a for a room with a fan, so we were set.
Day 9: The guidebook says “Hideout Lodge” is the perfect place for relaxation. Let’s go there.
-While waiting for the tro-tro to fill up at the Techiman station, there were these kids outside of our windows that were trying to selling pure water and bread. I ended up talking to them and drawing pictures for each one of them. After giving them their pictures one of the girls goes, “You will buy bread,” and so I told her I didn’t want bread, but that I had given her a picture she could keep, without missing a beat she said “This isn’t money. You have money to give me.” Sigh. It was kind of funny but also really sad how these children are taught by their parents to beg for money…especially from the white man or woman.
-So then we get to the Hideout Lodge by crossing over this bridge made out of wood that separates the small village and the beach town where our lodge is at. When directed to where the lodge was, we were told “where the big rock is.” I honestly am going to miss how people give directions here. Lol
-We end up at this BEAUTIFULLLLLL deserted beach filled with Rastafarians lol We stayed in an empty hostel that had walls full of bright colors surrounded completely by vegetation. There was also an option to stay in a tree house, but we had too many people.
-After spending the entire day laying on the beach and almost getting killed by the waves, we had a beautiful candlelit dinner- realllyyy great food- and then the rastas made a bonfire for us and brought out their drums and rattles. We ended the night by laying on the sand and talking to our Ghanaian friend Enoch about friendships and relatinships, and then just before we were about to go to bed- I saw a shooting star.

It was a perfect end to a perfect vacation. I couldn't be happier here. I'm just having such a wonderful time and learning so much about myself and the people here. I can't stress enough about how necessary it is to travel outside of the US, there is just so much the world is waiting to talk to us about, but there isn't enough people willing to listen.



So where I'm at right now. Some recaps on the past couple of days:
My afterschool art program got funding from NYU!! Really excited about that. Hoping to paint a mural at the school with the kids, so hopefully that will come together. I went to a Togo versus Cameroon futbol game (it was held in Ghana because Togo was banned from having games due to their unruly behavior lol) the other day- INSANE. So much fun. The Togo man I was sitting next to gave me the BIGGEST bear hug after Togo won. What else what else... I still need people's measurements. Send them to me on gmt235@nyu.edu. I've been watching a lot of great movies with my friends here, including "Jesus Camp" So disturbing, but a must see. Also saw "Last King of Scotland," also very disturbing but incredible. Right now I'm FINALLY reading "Into the Wild," its so perfect for where I'm at right now in this trip. It's so strange to be with some people on this trip who genuinely dislike being here, it just makes me think about how spoiled can be. I mean, for once, I'm not stressed with thousands of papers I have to write or the millions of errands I have to run, and people still complain. It's people like that just chose to never be happy. Hmmm. What can you do but wish them the best and continue to move forward. Luckily for me and my friends, we are having the best time of our lives and not letting their negative energy get to us.
Oh oh exciting news! My African Dance class is having its final performance at the end of this month!! I'm having someone videotape it so I'll definitely share it when I come home. They are making costumes for us and everything. !!!!!!!!
I'm just going to miss the security guards and drivers here so much. Yesterday for April Fools I told one of them I was going home because I hated it here so much and he was like "OH!!!!!!!!!! why!" Playing April fools jokes on Ghanaian is just so much fun. They laugh SO hard after the fact lol
Also, if you have some time after reading this ridiculously long post, watch what they are doing to my temporary home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr1zQrXM_7s
Not okay.

Well my friends, thank you for those who read this, and for those who attempt to thank you to you too. I know these are long entries. Again, I apologize for my typos and run-on sentences but there is no way I can go back and re-read these entries lol
I miss you all incredibly andd good news! I will be going back on facebook next week because lent is over! I think we're actually going to Togo next weekend for our Easter break. It's a french speaking country but none of us speak french. Should be interesting. Look out for that post.

I love you I love you and I love you.

Ama