Okay, a lot to catch up on! So this might be a bit scatter-brained. Classes started this week. I'm not so sure about my schedule so I think I might change it up a bit but as it stands, I'm in four classes - one meets two times a week - so at this point I have class Monday through Friday. Yuck.
Monday: Abnormal Psychology at University of Ghana
Tuesday: Reporting Africa - a journalism class with graduate Ghanaian students at UGhana
Wednesday: Projects in Photography
Thursday: Post-Colonial Studio Arts
Friday: Reporting Africa (part two)
My abnormal class didn't meet this week, so we'll see if I like it when I go this Monday. I'm really enjoying Reporting Africa, except for that it meets on FRIDAYS! This class seems like it'll help me erase a lot of the stereotypes that I have about Africa. She is very focused on the objectivity of our writing and making sure that we show Africa, not necessarily in a good light, but an honest light. For our investigating, etc, I'm paired with a Ghanaian girl named Gloria who is interested in female education and human rights - two things I'm very interested in, so it should be fun! She'll also help me get around the city and help with interviews and stuff for the class. Photography was good also! Our first assignment is to photograph and interview a fellow classmate - Marlee and I are paired together. So I'll be taking beautiful pictures of Miss Marlee for my class... then lots of pictures of Ghana to put up too! I didn't particularly enjoy my studio arts class so we'll see about that - if I don't stay in that I might either get into a music class or a documenting class where we'd make a movie about Ghana.
Both abnormal and my reporting class meet at University of Ghana in Legon which is about a half an hour drive away. This drive is always something else. There are street vendors who try to sell you stuff through your window every minute of the way! Today some man was selling two puppies. CUTEST THINGS EVER! They both fit in one of his hands and he was just showing them to us. I really wanted to take one. When we saw this, we started contemplating who would buy a puppy on the side of the road - puppies aren't really an impulsive buy usually. I guess in Ghana maybe? In addition to the puppies, they sell: bobble head dogs, tourism maps of Ghana, matches, MTN calling cards, foam jigsaw puzzles, inhalers, plantain chips, fish, fresh fruit, fabric, gum, mentos, lots of Obama stuff, flags, hammers, and an occasional window washing, even if you don't want it.
I'm very excited to start community service soon! We submitted our requests for community service this week - I'm hoping to help out at an Autism center! NYU doesn't recommend working here if you don't have experience with Autistic children because one of their students was bitten once... but how often do you think that happens? I asked the owner of the school and she said she didn't mind at all and she actually preferred if you didn't because then you have no preconceived notions about Autism... so we'll see if that works out. If not that then a Drama Therapy center to help disabled children or another special school called New Horizons. I'd be happy to be placed in any of them, so we'll see what the community service director thinks is the best fit.
Tuesday, we watched the Inauguration of President Barack Obama at the WEB DuBois center with Ghanaians and a bunch of other international/American students. It was spectacular. It was all outdoors with big screens of CNN. There had food stands and a gift shop set up with Obama paraphenelia and traditional Ghanaian clothing. Ghanaians were so excited about his Inauguration and were all shouting "OBAMA" and the whole day people were so thrilled to see Americans and proud of Obama's presidency. The whole time I sat there thinking about how nice and warm it was outside and about how cooooold Greer must be (25 degrees, real feel 11!)! I was wondering where Greer was sitting, when she'd get on CNN =), and which ball she'd be attending. I don't think I've ever watched an Inauguration but watching this one was quite magnificent as I feel like so many people are so hopeful about our countries future. Pretty cheesy, but I was just so moved when we all sang the National Anthem and I was just thinking about how we were in Ghana singing it and about how many people across the whole world were singing the National Anthem at the very same moment. My favorite quote from the evening, "You will be judged on what you can BUIILD, not on what you can destroy."
In other news, Marlee, Mallory, Leah, and I went grocery shopping the other day and it was quite astonishing at the similarities and differences in Ghanaian and American supermarkets. ShopRite is like an American WalMart, only probably cheaper and a bit smaller. Well... cheaper when it comes to most things. I wouldn't recommend buying strawberries or grapes here, as they'll run you a good 20 cedi. I'll be sticking with the 70 peswa pineapple and 10 bananas for 50 peswas (Ghanaian cents). (Note: Cream Crackers from ShopRite just don't measure up to the ones from Koala) After we left the supermarket, we were waiting to get a ride and we were approached by GTV (Ghana Television) about our opinion of Chris Brown. Hmm... we were then interviewed and apparently we're going to be on Ghanaian TV tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon talking about how we think Chris Brown is hot. Slow news day I guess.
Wednesday night, we went to reggae night at Labadi beach! So fun - lots of reggae music and dancing. This is a weekly thing, so I think we'll be going back for more next week!
The lady who makes dresses came to our residence hall yay!, so I gave her my fabric and what I wanted done! It's only 5 cedi to get it made! I don't ever want to buy American clothes again. I'm going to be so spoiled.. I'm making a skirt with my first fabric. I'm going to the market again sometime soon to get more fabric to make other dresses! I'm so excited!
Last night, we went to this bar to see Jasmin (a girl from our program) do a 'spoken word' - she was incredible! Everyone was so moved by her. It was basically like very dramatic poetry reading but it was all memorized and so passionate. It was amazing to see! Then we went out to the same dance bar that we went to last weekend which was again so much fun... and a lot less hot and sweaty because it's been a bit cooler this week, phew.
Tonight, we did what I feel like we do best.. hang out! We played football and soccer outside, then listened to music, then watched the Ali G Show (almost peed my pants) and the Office (also peed-pants worthy). Other pasttimes: Cranium, Planet Earth, eating Cream Crackers, and figuring out where we want to go for spring break.
Tomorrow we're going to the beach and staying there over night in a rented tent. We're roughing it. I'll write all about it.... when I'm back!
I still want to write about the city of Accra because I'm pretty facsinated by it and its metropolitanity (if that's a word) and other fun stuff like the costs of everything here, because if I don't do that soon, I'll probably stop being so astonished by some of them... but I had to catch up on this past week, since I've been a slacker. Off to take a (finally) WARM shower!
peace love peace love love
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment