Leaving Accra for Bolgatanga!

I can barely believe the last 48 hours! So crazy!
It all started yesterday when we were scheduled to leave for Bolgatanga (where the rural libraries are which is where I am doing my research project). It was early in the morning and I still had a lot of prep work to do so I sent Nicolas (coworker/friend) to get our bus tickets. He was supposed to take an hour or hour and a half tops so when he wasn’t back for 2 going on 2.5 I started to get worried. In true Nicolas style, he had forgotten his cell phone and taken all my money so there was no way for me to contact him. Long story short, I find out later that the bus station was too crazy so Nico recruited his nice cab driver to help him navigate the mess. Then after they were successful at getting tickets, nico rewarded their job well done by inviting our friendly neighborhood cab driver to have a beer with him before they started back! Meanwhile, back at the hotel, we are an hour past checkout and I was literally throwing his stuff across the room to get it all out before we got charged for another day…doing this while I try to think of what I am going to tell nico’s mom after we find out he got run over by a Ghanaian bus
Bus station
In his defense, the bus station was the craziest thing I have seen. You couldn’t find anything unless you knew exactly where it was. It was a station attached to a huge market place. So some fun things that happened while waiting for the bus:
1. Nico tried to do a “wife swap” with a Ghanaian man he made friends with at the station. Not cool. I knew something was up before the situation was explained to me cuz the Ghanaian kept winking at me and saying “I will meet you on the bus.” I then preceded to look at Nico with my best “I am NOT amused face,” and he just shrugged gave the guy a thumbs up and said “good trade”…great
2. I met Stephanie, a Ghanaian girl that sells water sacks at the market. She helped me navigate the labyrinth of the market. I was trying to locate some “luxury” items to buy as gifts for Lucas and john (other library workers already in bolga) and she was on the phone 24-7 with her friends at stalls trying to get everything. Nico was watching the stuff at the time so I came back to the station with Stephanie to put down all the stuff. Nico than made Stephanie the “add in” to the wife swap.
3. we are just about to board our bus and nico looks at me and says “we should get a futbol for the kids.” Then he looks at his watch, sees that it is 2 minutes till boarding and says “you should go get one…NOW!” and before I have time to think, he shooooose me away and I am on the phone with Stephanie telling her to come back and see me cuz we gotta make one last purchase
4. The next 10 minutes were a crazy panic as we dashed from stall to stall looking for our prize. She held my hand and dragged me through the market asking everyone in the local dialect (twi) where we could get a soccer ball. Not able to offer much help I just allow myself to be dragged around and like a deer in headlights, saying things like “futbol! futbol!” and “thank you, thank you” in the local language. We finally get to a stand that has it and I start bargaining with the woman selling it. It is then that I get the sweetest call from Nicolas. He calls, I answer hello and he says “We are LEAVING. BYE!” and hangs up. I then grab the lady’s hand, pay her her last price, grab the ball, grab Stephanie’s hand and RUN! It was the most exhilarating 3 minutes of my life. Buses, stalls, railroad tracks, people moving things, setting up stuff-jam packed and we just ran right through it all. I twisted and turned through every nook and cranny. At the end I went into a dead out sprint and hurtle jumped over a banana and a coconut wagon. I looked back and noticed that I not only lost Stephanie but I had drawn a crowd. All 30 taxi drivers were yelling and cheering for my marathon run. They were shouting out me saying “ya, ya, u go white gurl you run, ya ya!” I gave them a thumbs up, caught my breathe, and found Stephanie. End of the story is, I jog back to the station and see no one on the bus. My eyes find nico, waiting for an explanation which is just (of course) met with him complaining how sweaty I am and how he has to sit next to gross me for the next 14 hours. In true Africa style, we just then began to board but we did not leave till 2 hours later.

Moremi Initiative: Women Leaders of Africa

Visited the University of Ghana today to talk to Moremi Initiative participants which is a program that takes young women leaders from all over africa and gives them one month of leadership training and then a year of mentorship to design and implement their own community enhancement projects. I spent three hours with them today and left so inspired for life. these ladies are between 19-25 year old and all they have done for their communities all ready is more than most people do in their entire lives. I interviewed social justice: lawyers, journalist, bankers, social entrepreneurs all having the goal of using their talents to elevate the status of women in their community and improving their areas. Talking to them renewed my hope, and after already seeing a lot of poverty just in this area...it was so welcome. they are working to spread awareness on an assortment of issues from child labor to aids to unemployment and gender equality. these women are so articulate and have such a presence at such a young age it is truly impressive. i interviewed ladies from SOuth africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and many more. have to go but also visited kathy knowles library in osu. talk about a heart warming experience. more later

usa vs switzerland

great conversation. so i am talking with prince (p) and emmanuel (e) (other guy works at my hotel)
e: hey hey, any guy bother you today?
me: no way i am a tough girl. grrr (flex my guns)
e: hahahaha oh yes yes u very tough girl...yes yes i see this
p: oh hey my sweet sister US play switzerland tomorrow...u have to see with us. we cheer loud for your country
e: oh yes yes we do. switzerland will be like tea
me: (confused look)
e: the US will just drink them up!
me: ahh yes! you know what tomorrow is ....Tea Time. ( i put up my pinkie and pretend to be drinking tea)
e, p, random other guys start cracking up and i get another way harder than they think slap on the back. and i leave them to laugh and fake drinking tea to each other
like 2 hours later...two other guys at the hotel that i dont even know just point at me and say "tea time" with their pinkies up...apparently good news travels fast
and i have a new name to add to the list! all smiles here! good night guys

Ghana number

here is my ghana number: 0548638813
please feel free to call me on skype but remember i am 7 hours ahead. the country code for ghana is +233.

Last night was good. Lizzie ended up not being able to meet me but i went out anyways. i met 2 ladies from belgium both working on their phd. they were leavin accra that night to go home after a 3 week trip. we talked for a long time and they gave me the load down on places to go and culture points. The white bell is a great place but it was empty when i was there for the most part. things dont start happening till after 11 but i was too tired to stay out that late. but the music was awesome. so great to see the waiter bring me my fufu (traditional plate) while being in a dancing line with the other waiters. Adriana...you would love this music!
I slept in this morning, then started calling people to make appointments. I already have a few meetings set up with different NGO and non profits who do work with women empowerment. they all sound wonderful. i did this all in my room so when i left prince was there to greet me. i was talking to some other people but when he saw me he immediately left them to come over and shake my hand. now my official name at the hotel is 'my sweet sister' it is what all the staff calls me, started by prince. btw, prince and ringos are the head people and i am waiting to meet the night staff who i am guessing will be named madonna. cant wait.
now i am off to go to different book stores to get some ghanian kids books for the library. gregory wants to meet up later for food.
my backpackers place is fine. there is no running water or working toilet but i feel very safe.

safe and sound in Accra

made it to accra!
lucas is who runs the libraries that i am going to be working in and his older brother, gregory, lives in accra. gregory picked me up at the airport. he is a great guy and we talked for almost 2 hours while we were stuck in traffic on the way to my hotel. he is an accountant. just finished getting his masters in accounting from the university of ghana. he gave me a 2 hour tutorial on ghana education prompted by my incessant questions. but we did take a break to talk about his catholic background. i asked if he went to church and he promptly commented that "only old people go to church..only they have the time!" i told him that i just graduated and after he heard that he now calls me the big boss! so that is me the big boss.
I made friends with this phd student that was on my flight. she is stayin at a hotel close to mine so we are going to have dinner tonight together at this place that i read about in my book.
i love the guys that work at my hotel. Prince is who i made the reservation with and he checked me in. we started talking and he invited me to watch the colombia vs germany womans football game with him and 'the guys'. they all look tough but get them started on futbal and they just turn into the biggest sweethearts. i told them i was rooting for ghana when they played the us and you should have seen the smiles and how they were cracking up. one of the big guys- ringos- slapped me on the back so hard i almost feel over cuz he was laughing so hard.
when i told them i wanted to go to the internet cafe..prince held my hand and walked me down the block. the who time he was lecturing me on how i need to be so careful cuz" everyone wants to be your friend' i promised him that if anyone wants to be my friend they have to ask prince's permission first. he smiled!
i have to go meet lizzie for dinner now but i will send my cell number soon.
if you couldnt already tell...i am already in love with this country. speaking the language helps soooo much cuz everyone is so nice that u really do want to talk to everyone!

T minus 24 hours

Leaving for Ghana....tomorrow!
I am so sorry for all those I did not have a chance to say good bye to. Preparing for everything has been so crazy but I love you all and thank you for all the good luck wishes...I will need it!
Will let you know when I arrive safely in Accra and what my cell phone number is!
Going back to the homeland!