- Went to the mall for the first time without help--it was kind of terrifying. I went with my roommate, Erin, and we took a cab because we have yet to learn the trotro system and couldn't figure out how to successfully get one to stop for us.
- Got into my first shouting match with a cab driver while bargaining for the price of said cab ride. At least it felt like a shouting match to me because I hate being aggressive. There are no meters in cabs here so you have to negotiate how much you're going to pay. It stresses me out a bit, but it worked out alright!
- Took my first bucket shower because the water went out the other night. It was actually not too bad. It's admittedly not super convenient, but it's better than going to bed feeling sticky and gross.
- I was going to go to my internship yesterday just to meet my supervisor. Everyone in the development studies track was supposed to meet at 9am a little ways away from the hostel but Erin and I got lost on the way and were pretty late. I felt bad, but it turns out it didn't even matter because they only had enough staff at the office to accompany some people to their internships, and they left me and one other girl there to wait until somebody came back to take us. They never came back. We waited there for 3 hours. We both took a nap, and I stared at a painting on the wall for so long I could probably create an accurate reproduction from memory. I was only slightly annoyed though, because I got to sit in an air conditioned room and sleep for a while. Score.
- And I registered for classes earlier today! I'm taking a bunch of classes on development and one on African international relations, and then Twi and my internship.
So far things have been interesting, but a lot of things are super confusing and frustrating. Ghana is definitely much different from what I was expecting. Or it could be just what I was expecting, but actually experiencing the things I was anticipating feels different. I'm probably not making any sense. For example, I knew I would stick out as a foreigner, and I considered how that might feel, but it feels a lot more awkward than I anticipated when I'm walking down the street by myself getting stared at or being called an Obroni (white person). It's not upsetting by any means, and no one means offense by it at all, but it just makes me feel much more self-conscious than usual. It's just one of those things to get used to.
It's nice when I get alone time to think about everything, though. For me, just spending a little time by myself helps me let go of the frustrating things and enjoy the fact that I got to come here. Since I've been here, it's been really busy and I don't get much time away from the CIEE group. It's hard to find my way around without a group anyway so we've all come to sort of rely on each other. But the few times I've been able to get away and take a walk by myself or just sit on my balcony at night and think, it's been really pleasant. I love the fact that I have a balcony to sit on and ponder things. And watch little animals run around. I saw a little kitten out there in the field behind the hostel the other night. And a dog. And sometimes there are horses. I love it.
It's crazy that it's only been a week. It honestly feels like it's been so much longer than that.
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