to Accra, Tamale and back to Accra

Once I got my boarding passes at the KLM counter there was no chance of changing my mind, I was going to Ghana! We left Toronto on Thursday afternoon and took two planes to Amsterdam and then to Accra. I was really excited to fly over the Sahara so I made arrangements with Ryan and other JF’s to change seats so I could look out the window. This is what I saw…

We arrived in Accra at night with a mix of excitement and tiredness. When we stepped out of the plane all I could think of was how hot and humid the air was; the smell and heat of the tropics covered us like a thick wet warm blanket. At the airport we were greeted by Ghanaian flags, posters with football players and many eyes that looked at us full of curiosity. Mary picked us up from the airport and took us to a guesthouse where we spent the night. Driving through Accra reminded me a bit of Guatemala City: lots of traffic, many people walking in the streets, billboards, and cars honking their way to through the streets.

On Friday morning we jumped on the STC bus heading north to Tamale for two more days of training. The trip was 13 hours long which is apparently a record time considering that buses brake down often and that there was some construction on the way. The bus ride didn’t feel too long though because there was so much to see!

We had our first taste of Ghanaian mangoes at one of the stops and had to drink a lot of water to compensate for all the sweating. Sitting beside me, two men discussed the Nigerian movies that played on the screen and laughed so hard I couldn’t help laughing too although the plot wasn’t necessarily great.

In Tamale, the long term volunteers met us at the station and introduced us to Ghanaian street food, that is, fried plantain with spices and yams with “peppe”. I was so tired it wasn’t hard to get over the jetlag and fall asleep under my new mosquito net as soon as we got to the guesthouse.

We spent the next two days learning more about practical things like how to drink sachet water and how our placements fit in EWB’s overseas strategy. The most exciting part was going out into the market and trying to buy food and other things; I got some cloth to get a dress made. It took me a while to understand how money works cause people give prices in the old and new currency (10,000 old Cedis equals 1 Ghana Cedi) so I was never sure how much to pay.

At the market what struck me most, apart from the way little kids looked at me and called me “white person”, was the little variety in the products that were sold. The food was almost only yams, cassava, bananas, mangoes, a few vegetables, bread and some meat of unknown origin. I didn't see many crafts except for traditional cloth in all possible colours.

On Sunday we had a lunch with a couple of Ghanaians and I tried fufu (pounded yams) with palmnut soup. It was really good to have a nice conversation with a local after my failed attempts at making conversation at the market the day before. Ghanaians are know to be very friendly and welcoming and they finish a handshake by snapping out of each others fingers. I’m nowhere close to mastering this skill or speaking with a Ghanaian accent but I’m working on it!

Then the day to start work came and each of us headed our own way. Shyam and I traveled back to Accra on another long bus ride but managed to sleep almost seven out of the thirteen hours. We are staying at Mary’s room close to the KITE office for now until we find a family to live with and sort out our work schedule. Being in modern Accra after going to the North is a little strange and I’m looking forward to experience more rural Ghana soon.

Today was our third day at work and I’m slowly getting to know my new environments and getting used to the climate. I have lots more to say but I think I will save the rest for the next post and head to bed soon because it has been a long week. Stay well and can’t wait to hear from you.