The chief is angry.

Don't drink the water. That is all I have to say. I have met the chief, and he was not too friendly. I can't remember if I've already explained that saying in this blog, but in Twi they say "I am going to meet with the chief" if they need to go to the restroom. Read my next article, it will explain it better. Yesterday all I ate was one kabob. My stomach is just not cooperating with me. Today I'm actually starting to feel a little nauseated. I forced down some oatmeal this morning though so hopefully I will be able to get my strength back up.

I attempted to do my laundry this week (as you can see in the picture). It was interesting to say the least. I will definitely appreciate washers and dryers so much more when I get home. And to think I used to complain about throwing my clothes in a machine and turning a knob!

I'm really excited about my classes. The creative writing class is definitely going to be my favorite. The prof has lived all over the world and has written several books. He is also friends with many famous writers.

Last night I went to a restaurant on the beach with Will, Michelle, Megan, Festus, and Daniel. Megan and I had to use the restroom so we asked the waiter where it was located. He pointed to this straw shack that had a sign that said "female" on it. We walked over to the partially enclosed hut where we saw two rocks spread apart and a slight dip in the ground. "Is that the toilet?" Megan asked me. Yes, it was. You do what you've got to do...

Well, I'm going with Michelle and Megan to the pool for a bit. Some sunshine might be good for me. I might even force down some fried yams. Go a little crazy, you know!

Would you think 40 bug bites is a lot?

What if I told you those 40 bug bites are on my legs alone!

I need to find some deet!! And a mosquito net for that matter. I honestly didn't think I had that many until I decided to count them today.

20 and corn-rowed

^ my corn rows! haha I know it might look silly but it is so much cooler in this heat!

Things here in Ghana are getting better every day now that I'm starting to understand the culture a little more. I went to Medina today with Tell (another exchange student) and 3 Ghanaian guys. They were loads of fun and had me laughing more than I have since I got here. We're going back to the beach tomorrow morning, then off to Cape Coast Saturday and Sunday. I've lost a ton of weight because my appetite is really minimal these days. I ate a hearty lunch of red red today though. Now that I'm trying more of the local food I am not as grossed out as the first week when they slapped a plate of fish heads down on the table. Don't think I'll ever be ready for those.

Check out my article in the Scene section of the East Tennessean. www.easttennessean.com

free time finally.

Well it seems as though I finally have some time to relax. The beach was a lot of fun yesterday. The man who said I was a temptation to mankind first walked up and kissed my hand. I've been wearing a ring on my left hand to discourage things like that from happening. He noticed the ring and asked who my husband was. A guy from New York was sitting at our table and so he claimed me. The man then looked at Zack (the New Yorker) and said in his thick Ghanaian accent," Your wife is like an electric current!" Our table of course burst into laughter at this. Poor Zack has been the husband to about 8 girls now. I saw him today and he joked that this would be illegal back home. I'm sporting 10 different tan lines now after spending so much time in the sun.

We will be traveling to Cape Coast this weekend to visit the castles and stay the night. Should be fun.

I'm thinking about getting a bike. There is a group of us that might be taking an 80 mile bike trip. (Travis, quit laughing.) Actually my calf muscles are starting to show like they never have before. I walk about 5 miles a day under the African sun. I'm going to be pumped and tan when I get home! ha. Oh...and corn-rowed. I'm getting my hair braided today or tomorrow. It's my birthday gift to myself. It's so hot and humid here that my hair forgot that it is curly. All it knows to do is frizz and poof. I don't really care if I look like that white girl who is trying too hard. At least I'm not getting dreads.

My roommate has not arrived yet, although my neighbors roommate got here yesterday and said she is friends with her. I'm just happy she has a name I can pronounce (Cassondra), and I'm hoping she brings a mini fridge. Now that the ISEP orientation is over we are all having to fend for ourselves when it comes to food. We all go to the night market by our Ish (dorm) and get egg sandwiches for lunch and dinner, then usually the Bush Canteen (another outdoor market) for some sort of rice dinner.

Well, I think I'm going to sign off for now.

The bug bite count is well over 10.

beach

Visited the beach today. Was told by a Ghanaian that I am a temptation to all mankind.
hahaha!

another day in Legon.

Things are going good still. I tried to upload some pictures onto the blog, but the internet is being fussy tonight. I'm hoping I can get some pictures in before Sunday for my article (Which I still haven't written, sorry Eileen haha).

We experienced our first power outage tonight. It only lasted a few hours though. I'm going into Accra tomorrow to get some much needed supplies; such as a cell phone, bug spray, sunscreen, a mosquito net, etc.

My roommate is supposed to be arriving tonight. I haven't been to my room yet to check and see. I walked all over the place today and my feet are killing me due to the rocky, dusty roads. I'm horribly filthy too. Can't wait for a shower.

I'm going to try to go to a different internet cafe tomorrow so that I can upload pictures.

8 mosquito bites.

Finally here.

3 mosquito bites.

To find yourself, sometimes you first have to lose yourself. I can't think of a better way to lose yourself than in West Africa away from everybody you know and everything that is familiar. This will truly be the experience of a lifetime.

I arrived at the campus around 10:30 last night and walked into my new humble abode. It is nice, for Africa. There is a ceiling fan which I'm definitely thankful for. The Africa sun is stifling. Today I got to explore the campus and listened to lectures about the Ghanaian cultural taboos. Many things to remember. Should be very interesting.

Lunch was served today around noon. Fish heads, rice, and goat meat...I should be a few pounds lighter in June. Couldn't do the fish heads. A little to wild for me.

I also got to explore the market tonight. I learned some Twi from a guy selling fruit there. Early at one of the lectures we learned that in Twi, to say "I have to go to the restroom" you would say "I have to go meet with the chief," (in Twi, of course). Definitely the new catch phrase.

Make that 4 mosquito bites.

8 hours in a London airport

Well, I made it across the pond. Now I'm stuck in the London airport for 8 hours waiting to get on the plane for Ghana! I've wandered around all of the shops at the airport. Saw a bottle of liquor that was 3,900£...kinda crazy.

When we arrived in London this morning, we had to wait at the gate for a while and nobody knew why. Then all of a sudden some London police came on board and escorted out the man sitting right in front of me! I'm guessing he was in trouble and trying to leave the country. Made things interesting.

We flew into London as the sun was rising and the fog was lifting. I sat there sipping tea and eating an English muffin while I watched it all. Now in a few hours I will finally be leaving for Ghana! The flight should be very beautiful. I will be flying over Spain and parts of North Africa.

In all honesty, I don't think I really grasped the fact that I'm leaving the country for 4 months until I was at the airport saying goodbye to Mom and Travis. It was really weird taking off and knowing that I won't be back until June. I'm still very excited about what awaits me though! I'll be sure to add pictures once I get to Ghana!!

6 days to go!

Less than a week until I leave! I'm getting more and more excited, even though it's starting to get stressful getting everything in order. Thank goodness my mom is on top of things. I have this horrible tendancy to procrastinate and put things aside until later. Unfortunately you can't do that when you're planning to move abroad for 4 months.

We went shopping today and bought some shoes that I will need for long walks across campus to my classes. My grandmother from California called while we were in the store. She happens to own the largest number of shoes of any person I have ever met. "Oh you're shoe shopping!" she said. "What kind of shoes are you getting?!" "No heels, Noni...sorry." Who says being in your late 20's [cough cough] means you shouldn't be stylin'? Much to her dismay, I'm more of the practical type. I like shoes that will get me where I need to go without feeling like I need foot replacement surgery by the time I get there. Although, I must give Noni props...she is stylin', even in her late 20's.

I also bought some luggage. I'm about to get out all the things I will be taking to Ghana to see if I have enough room in the two suitcases. I'm trying out this "packing light" thing. We'll see how that goes. I won't need extra room for hair straighteners and blow dryers, so that will leave some space. It's going to be an au naturel 4 months, that's for sure. I'm looking forward to it though.

I've had a lot of one-on-one time with my piano the past couple of days. When I'm at ETSU I have to walk to the music building to practice, so it's really nice having my old piano right here to play when I so desire. It's got me thinking about whether or not there will be a piano at UG. I would imagine that there is. Hopefully I will be able to practice when I'm there. When life gets tough, or I'm just having a bad day, the piano is the most therapeutic object I have ever found. Well, that, and a pen. I guess I just have to put my creative energy toward something in order to get my mind untangled.

Anyway, I have a lot to do. I guess I should quit procrastinating. Hey, they say admitting you have a problem is the first step...