Monday
Today was a national holiday, so no classes! Yay! The California Study Center had our monthly wellness breakfast this morning, so bunch of us headed over to IPO at 8:30, bright and early. Auntie Rose had a delicious breakfast our granola, yogurt, pita, bananas, hard boiled eggs and REAL CHEESE. I can't emphasize how hard non laughing cow cheese is to come by people. It's a struggle. We ate and had a discussion on continuing phases of cultural adjustment. Afterwards a friend needed to head to the art supply shop, Acrylics, in Osu to get some supplies for her internship. We taxied down and did some exploring in Osu for a little while. We went into this awesome store called Global Mamas, it's a non profit, fair trade organization that sells clothes, jewelry and lotions, all produced here in Ghana. It's an awesome store and I will definitely be making many trips back for souvenirs! ;) After that we headed over to Acrylics, only to see it was closed for the holiday. We instead headed over to one our favorite spots, Pinnochio's, an ice cream shop. They have the most delicious ice cream in such a variety of flavors. I had a double scoop of some sort of french fruit and a delicious dark chocolate. So worth the 11 cedis. After that we headed on back to ISH and just hung around for the rest of the day. That evening, it was one of the girl's in the groups birthday so we went out to dinner back in Osu at a Japanese restaurant called Monsoon. It was pricey but delicious! I had salmon and avocado spring rolls (no raw fish for me) that were excellent. I came back and did a little bit of writing for my research project and then headed to bed.
Tuesday
I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I did absolutely nothing of importance until dance class today. Soccer in the morning and then I wasted my internet away watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix, and the heat was so intense that I couldn't even bring myself to leave ISH for lunch and just ate at the kitchen downstairs. So I hid inside all day, basically. We were supposed to have our IA (interim assessment AKA midterm) in dance but (big surprise) it was once again postponed. We practiced the dance we're being tested on on thursday a few times and then began to learn a new dance. The new dance is significantly harder with much more intricate body movements, but I'm looking forward to getting more into it!
Wednesday
Coastal Management in the morning. Today me and the other girl from the California program in that class did a presentation on coastal management in the United States. I think it went well, the students chuckled at our accents throughout the presentation but they seemed interested in what we were saying, nonetheless. Lecture was interesting, we discussed different coastal habitats and how different human activities effect them. I felt pretty smart because Professor Nyarko talked a lot about the SOngor Wetlands where we went last weekend and I could connect that well. That afternoon I had a meeting with Professor Appeaning-Addo to talk about the natural science behind wetland destruction and erosion. He was awesome and interesting and I ended up talking to him for about an hour. I left are meeting super jazzed to start writing and headed back to ISH. I was just walking up to the parking lot when I ran into a friend who inquired as to why I wasn't in Twi class. In my excitement at my project, I totally blanked on going to class. Oh well (sorry Mom and Dad). No new Twi phrase for ya'll this week! Spent the evening writing and then when outside for Mama Tantalizing for dinner (she had mashed potatoes!!!)
Thursday
Started out with soccer practice and then NGO's. We started talking about how to establish a mission, in preparation for our group projects. Headed back to ISH for a little while afterwards to rest and avoid that intense noonday African sun. We headed to Environmental Ecology afterwards where we talked about the carbon cycle, pretty much review from ENVS 24 back in Santa Cruz. After that we had our Dance IA! I think it went well, I mean I'm taking the class Pass/No Pass so I just need a 60%, but i'm pretty sure I got a solid "pass". Headed to the Night Market for dinner (jollof rice, shito, boiled egg and a pineapple) and hung out with friends for the rest of the evening.
Friday
Swung by the post office and IPO early and then headed back to ISH only to realize that the power was out. I secretly had plans for another Gilmore Girls filled morning but that was obviously thwarted. I headed downstairs with my iPod and a book, deciding to just hang out, snack and read outside since there was a breeze and the room was too stuffy without the fan. Power stayed out all day and into the evening so I spent the day downstairs out at the shady tables in the quad alternating between reading and chatting with people who came by throughout the day. I played a little bit of Owari with some of the guys from the Cali Crew (a game similar to Mancala) and realized I suck at it. I've decided to get a board and practice. Mid afternoon, the water also went out which was actually kind of comical since a lot of the Cali Crew was doing Insanity (a work out tape) outside and were all sweaty and gross only to realize there was no water for a running water shower when they were done. Spent the evening hanging out and went to bed early since me and 2 others decided on a hiking trip for the next morning. (Still no power)
Saturday
Me and two of the other girls from the Cali Crew left ISH at about 7 to head out to the Shai Hills Resource Reserve. It's 3 short tro tro rides away from Accra so it didn't take us too long to get there. However, the entire way there we couldn't help but glance up at the threatening looking clouds in the sky. As we sat on the tro tro on the way there, suddenly we saw baboons on the road! We were soon at our stop and as soon as we stepped in the gates of the park we were surrounded by baboons! We got our guide and decided on the shortest of the 5 trips offered for time and money purposes. We set off (clouds still looked menacing) and soon encountered ostriches! They are such cool animals,, that I've never really payed much attention to before. We continued on after encountering them, along a fairly flat savannah terrain. Even though this turned out to be the easiest part of the journey, it was nice because I felt that we were getting a tatste of the landscape you typically think of when you think of Africa; that wide open savannah. As we were walking, our guide, George, pointed up at a pretty decent sized mountain in the distance and informed us that that is what we would end up on top of at the end of this. Slightly surprised we continued after him, as he announced that the rains were coming and sped up his pace. At this point we were getting to some pretty steep rock faces to climb up and he was flat out jogging to make it to the cave at the foot of the summit before the rains. As we hauled ass up the mountain face, through crevices and up steep rock faces, we managed to make it into some dense jungle just as the sky opened up. It was pouring rain and we were still only about 3/4 of the way there and slowing down. Soaking wet, I looked up at this next rock face, slightly discouraged when suddenly I heard a growl. Alarmed, we all looked around, thinking of lions and the like. George calmly stated "oh no it is just a monitor lizard! They are big lizards, maybe 5 feet with sharp teeth and very aggressive. Do not worry!" Let's just say that was enough for the rest of us to scamper up the next set of rocks without a look back. We finally made it to the cave, which was absolutely amazing It's just so fascinating to think about how some of these things are formed over time! We waited there for awhile, hoping for the rain to die down so we could head up to the summit. It didn't so we decided to go anyway. As we sat in the cave we looked around and inquired as to how we would make it to the top of the mountain from here. George pointed to a pretty narrow crack in the ROOF of the cave, indicating for us to climb up there.Not sure how, but we managed to get up there and shimmy on through. The sight was one to behold. As we sat up on the summit, drenched to the bone, with the rain still coming down on us, looking out on to the African savannah I couldn't help but be reminded of the opening scene from The Lion King where Circle of Life plays. It was absolutely beautiful. Because of the rain I didn't get too many pics, but I guess that's just a reason to go back, right? After sitting out there for a few, the rain got the best pf us and chased us back inside (also I swear I heard another growling monitor lizard in the bushes and I'm not one to overstay my welcome!). We then proceeded to slip, slide and clamor down the mountain back to the main gate. It was an adventurous trip and I'm kind of glad we got to see it once in the rain, because it gave us a different perspective. I should also point out that we thoroughly amused/annoyed every tro tro that we took back to Accra (sopping wet, muddy obruni's are apparently not a common sight.).
A few pics that I managed to get!
Sunday
Woke up quite sore today from our journey yesterday! Also woke up to the power still being out. I just lazed around for awhile and it ended up coming back at around 9. That afternoon, Auntie Rose and Uncle Albie had gotten us all tickets to the Accra Hearts of Oak v. Asante Kotoko game here in Accra. They are the two big country rivals (think Dodgers v. Yankees) and people get quite passionate about the outcome. We first had lunch at one of the beach resorts on the coast in Accra. We spent about 2 or 3 hours there, just hanging around and eating. The lunch buffet was delicious, one of the best we've had since being here; it had a nice eclectic mix of Ghanaian, Asian and American food. After we headed on over to the stadium! It was quite exciting, pulling up to the crowded stadium; there were people all around selling a myriad of souvenirs. I was already wearing a jersey so I didn't buy anything else, but it was fun to see. We started the hike up to our seats (we were in the sky box) which were incredible. About half the group was for Accra (whooooo!) and the other half was for Kumasi (booooo!) and Auntie Rose had promised us all ice cream form Pinochio's should Accra win. The game was a good one, with Kotoko scoring early and dominating the field. We all had a good time watching the game and buying cheap beer from downstairs. With about 10 minutes left Accra got a goal in off a penalty kick, tying it up. The game ended 1-1, good enough for Auntie Rose, so we did indeed head over to Osu for ice cream! The game had a lot of good energy and I'm looking forward to trying and making it to a Black Stars (the Ghana national team) game before I leave as well!
Today was a national holiday, so no classes! Yay! The California Study Center had our monthly wellness breakfast this morning, so bunch of us headed over to IPO at 8:30, bright and early. Auntie Rose had a delicious breakfast our granola, yogurt, pita, bananas, hard boiled eggs and REAL CHEESE. I can't emphasize how hard non laughing cow cheese is to come by people. It's a struggle. We ate and had a discussion on continuing phases of cultural adjustment. Afterwards a friend needed to head to the art supply shop, Acrylics, in Osu to get some supplies for her internship. We taxied down and did some exploring in Osu for a little while. We went into this awesome store called Global Mamas, it's a non profit, fair trade organization that sells clothes, jewelry and lotions, all produced here in Ghana. It's an awesome store and I will definitely be making many trips back for souvenirs! ;) After that we headed over to Acrylics, only to see it was closed for the holiday. We instead headed over to one our favorite spots, Pinnochio's, an ice cream shop. They have the most delicious ice cream in such a variety of flavors. I had a double scoop of some sort of french fruit and a delicious dark chocolate. So worth the 11 cedis. After that we headed on back to ISH and just hung around for the rest of the day. That evening, it was one of the girl's in the groups birthday so we went out to dinner back in Osu at a Japanese restaurant called Monsoon. It was pricey but delicious! I had salmon and avocado spring rolls (no raw fish for me) that were excellent. I came back and did a little bit of writing for my research project and then headed to bed.
Tuesday
I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I did absolutely nothing of importance until dance class today. Soccer in the morning and then I wasted my internet away watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix, and the heat was so intense that I couldn't even bring myself to leave ISH for lunch and just ate at the kitchen downstairs. So I hid inside all day, basically. We were supposed to have our IA (interim assessment AKA midterm) in dance but (big surprise) it was once again postponed. We practiced the dance we're being tested on on thursday a few times and then began to learn a new dance. The new dance is significantly harder with much more intricate body movements, but I'm looking forward to getting more into it!
Wednesday
Coastal Management in the morning. Today me and the other girl from the California program in that class did a presentation on coastal management in the United States. I think it went well, the students chuckled at our accents throughout the presentation but they seemed interested in what we were saying, nonetheless. Lecture was interesting, we discussed different coastal habitats and how different human activities effect them. I felt pretty smart because Professor Nyarko talked a lot about the SOngor Wetlands where we went last weekend and I could connect that well. That afternoon I had a meeting with Professor Appeaning-Addo to talk about the natural science behind wetland destruction and erosion. He was awesome and interesting and I ended up talking to him for about an hour. I left are meeting super jazzed to start writing and headed back to ISH. I was just walking up to the parking lot when I ran into a friend who inquired as to why I wasn't in Twi class. In my excitement at my project, I totally blanked on going to class. Oh well (sorry Mom and Dad). No new Twi phrase for ya'll this week! Spent the evening writing and then when outside for Mama Tantalizing for dinner (she had mashed potatoes!!!)
Thursday
Started out with soccer practice and then NGO's. We started talking about how to establish a mission, in preparation for our group projects. Headed back to ISH for a little while afterwards to rest and avoid that intense noonday African sun. We headed to Environmental Ecology afterwards where we talked about the carbon cycle, pretty much review from ENVS 24 back in Santa Cruz. After that we had our Dance IA! I think it went well, I mean I'm taking the class Pass/No Pass so I just need a 60%, but i'm pretty sure I got a solid "pass". Headed to the Night Market for dinner (jollof rice, shito, boiled egg and a pineapple) and hung out with friends for the rest of the evening.
Friday
Swung by the post office and IPO early and then headed back to ISH only to realize that the power was out. I secretly had plans for another Gilmore Girls filled morning but that was obviously thwarted. I headed downstairs with my iPod and a book, deciding to just hang out, snack and read outside since there was a breeze and the room was too stuffy without the fan. Power stayed out all day and into the evening so I spent the day downstairs out at the shady tables in the quad alternating between reading and chatting with people who came by throughout the day. I played a little bit of Owari with some of the guys from the Cali Crew (a game similar to Mancala) and realized I suck at it. I've decided to get a board and practice. Mid afternoon, the water also went out which was actually kind of comical since a lot of the Cali Crew was doing Insanity (a work out tape) outside and were all sweaty and gross only to realize there was no water for a running water shower when they were done. Spent the evening hanging out and went to bed early since me and 2 others decided on a hiking trip for the next morning. (Still no power)
Saturday
Me and two of the other girls from the Cali Crew left ISH at about 7 to head out to the Shai Hills Resource Reserve. It's 3 short tro tro rides away from Accra so it didn't take us too long to get there. However, the entire way there we couldn't help but glance up at the threatening looking clouds in the sky. As we sat on the tro tro on the way there, suddenly we saw baboons on the road! We were soon at our stop and as soon as we stepped in the gates of the park we were surrounded by baboons! We got our guide and decided on the shortest of the 5 trips offered for time and money purposes. We set off (clouds still looked menacing) and soon encountered ostriches! They are such cool animals,, that I've never really payed much attention to before. We continued on after encountering them, along a fairly flat savannah terrain. Even though this turned out to be the easiest part of the journey, it was nice because I felt that we were getting a tatste of the landscape you typically think of when you think of Africa; that wide open savannah. As we were walking, our guide, George, pointed up at a pretty decent sized mountain in the distance and informed us that that is what we would end up on top of at the end of this. Slightly surprised we continued after him, as he announced that the rains were coming and sped up his pace. At this point we were getting to some pretty steep rock faces to climb up and he was flat out jogging to make it to the cave at the foot of the summit before the rains. As we hauled ass up the mountain face, through crevices and up steep rock faces, we managed to make it into some dense jungle just as the sky opened up. It was pouring rain and we were still only about 3/4 of the way there and slowing down. Soaking wet, I looked up at this next rock face, slightly discouraged when suddenly I heard a growl. Alarmed, we all looked around, thinking of lions and the like. George calmly stated "oh no it is just a monitor lizard! They are big lizards, maybe 5 feet with sharp teeth and very aggressive. Do not worry!" Let's just say that was enough for the rest of us to scamper up the next set of rocks without a look back. We finally made it to the cave, which was absolutely amazing It's just so fascinating to think about how some of these things are formed over time! We waited there for awhile, hoping for the rain to die down so we could head up to the summit. It didn't so we decided to go anyway. As we sat in the cave we looked around and inquired as to how we would make it to the top of the mountain from here. George pointed to a pretty narrow crack in the ROOF of the cave, indicating for us to climb up there.Not sure how, but we managed to get up there and shimmy on through. The sight was one to behold. As we sat up on the summit, drenched to the bone, with the rain still coming down on us, looking out on to the African savannah I couldn't help but be reminded of the opening scene from The Lion King where Circle of Life plays. It was absolutely beautiful. Because of the rain I didn't get too many pics, but I guess that's just a reason to go back, right? After sitting out there for a few, the rain got the best pf us and chased us back inside (also I swear I heard another growling monitor lizard in the bushes and I'm not one to overstay my welcome!). We then proceeded to slip, slide and clamor down the mountain back to the main gate. It was an adventurous trip and I'm kind of glad we got to see it once in the rain, because it gave us a different perspective. I should also point out that we thoroughly amused/annoyed every tro tro that we took back to Accra (sopping wet, muddy obruni's are apparently not a common sight.).
A few pics that I managed to get!
Woke up quite sore today from our journey yesterday! Also woke up to the power still being out. I just lazed around for awhile and it ended up coming back at around 9. That afternoon, Auntie Rose and Uncle Albie had gotten us all tickets to the Accra Hearts of Oak v. Asante Kotoko game here in Accra. They are the two big country rivals (think Dodgers v. Yankees) and people get quite passionate about the outcome. We first had lunch at one of the beach resorts on the coast in Accra. We spent about 2 or 3 hours there, just hanging around and eating. The lunch buffet was delicious, one of the best we've had since being here; it had a nice eclectic mix of Ghanaian, Asian and American food. After we headed on over to the stadium! It was quite exciting, pulling up to the crowded stadium; there were people all around selling a myriad of souvenirs. I was already wearing a jersey so I didn't buy anything else, but it was fun to see. We started the hike up to our seats (we were in the sky box) which were incredible. About half the group was for Accra (whooooo!) and the other half was for Kumasi (booooo!) and Auntie Rose had promised us all ice cream form Pinochio's should Accra win. The game was a good one, with Kotoko scoring early and dominating the field. We all had a good time watching the game and buying cheap beer from downstairs. With about 10 minutes left Accra got a goal in off a penalty kick, tying it up. The game ended 1-1, good enough for Auntie Rose, so we did indeed head over to Osu for ice cream! The game had a lot of good energy and I'm looking forward to trying and making it to a Black Stars (the Ghana national team) game before I leave as well!
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