Accra, July 6

Day Nine

Things that are frustrating:

• No internet access at the School of Public Health
• Walking over a mile to get Ethiopian coffee only to find that the shop is closed (never mind the sign out front that says “24x7”)
• Having to put sheets on my own bed after coming home to find that the bed has been stripped and not re-dressed…scary mattress ☹

Things that are comforting:

• Having someone volunteer to help me light the gas stove when I can’t get the friggin’ box of damp matches to light
• Cooking my own vegetables for dinner to supplement my Ghanaian meat-and-starch diet
• Chatting on Skype with my family ☺
• Watching kids’ movies (e.g. “Inkheart") at the Accra Mall, despite the fact that I would never pay to see these movies back home.
• Having the police stop traffic on Legon Road (a four lane highway) so that I can cross to go to school. Gotta love a little white-girl pity…

Things that are amusing:

• Having throngs of 3- and 4-year olds chase me down the street shouting “Obruni” (which means white person). Some days I want to call back “Bebeni” (which means black person), but I’m not sure if they would giggle or cry.
• Seeing a trotro fly by at 80 miles per hour with the phrase “Only God” stenciled on the back. As in, “Only God can save you from this accident waiting to happen.”
• Having my one good South African TV channel turn into an NC-17 movie at 10pm. Eeeh!
• The only coffee shop in the area that makes coffee with real beans (as opposed to powder) has an advertisement for “Flappacinos.” Ha! Starbucks would be proud.