Kumasi!

Second week

This is Bri, Sarah the younger, and Matt. ( yes I made up the name sarah the younger because there is another sarah who is older)

They live about 5 minutes from me and they are who I hang out with in Koforidua.

Precious isn’t it?

This meal is called Jolaff rice and chicken.

It’s been my favorite so far.

Probably because it is not far from an American dish.

Some of the Ghanaian women from work invited me, Matt, Sarah the younger, and Bri over for lunch.

She fed us Banku,(I think that is how it is spelled)

It is like eating dough that you dip in a fish and vegetable stew.

Pretty delicious and sits at the bottom of your stomach like a

ROCK

I started work at the hospital in the Physiotherapy Ward last Monday.

Things I have seen:

Someone carry what looked like to be at least 50 pounds of junk on her head.

A woman with all of the skin missing on her hand

Lots and lots of stroke patients

A woman with an amputated leg walk for the first time

AND LOTS of naked people.

Normal? In Ghana of course it is normal.

Things I have done this week:

Hand washed all of my clothes

(yes that is my underwear)

Taken bucket baths…. And even some running water showers! Which were glorious.

Taken a taxi to and from work everyday

Poured hot wax on 3 people causing them to scream

Helped stroke patients with their exercises

Ultrasounds, electric stimulation, “microwave” as they call it and infrared

Things I have learned this week:

I need to learn more of the Twi language

I need to almost always bargain for lower prices on things

But the most important thing I have learned is….

GHANAIANS TAKE FOREVER TO DO ANYTHING!

If you ever go to a restaurant you should expect to get your food at least an hour after you order it. We have waited up to 3 hours for our food.

Their sense of time is much different than ours in the west… more they just do whatever whenever.

Anyways…

This weekend we went to a town called Kumasi

It has a huuuuge market.

The Market is also extremely crowded

We had people grabbing us from left and right trying to get us to buy whatever they were selling.

For example one man yelled at me “OBRONI OBRONI! Very pretty, buy my pants, very pretty!” then the man threw the pants at me and so I threw them right back… trying to hit his face.

He sure knew how to get me to buy some pants…

False.

We went through the meat section of the market… it was soooy disgusting.

Animal intestines sprawled everywhere on slabs of wood sitting in the sun.

There were also GIGANTIC snails.

Our next stop was the cultural museum for the Ashanti region.

Needless to say it was not worth the 2 cedis we paid for it.

But we did go to an old military fort which was pretty awesome!

Next we bought some paintings from a man on the street!

I love them

Roommates… can we please use them in our house next year? Yes?

Good!

That night we were lucky enough to eat at a restaurant where they had hamburgers and fries

HAMBERGURS AND FRIES!

We were in heaven.

This is our hotel room.

We slept three to a room. In my room it was me, Nieve and Sloane.

We may or may not have broken the already half broken door so that it no longer locks.

Don't worry dad we stuck a table in front of it every night so no one could get in :)

Here is a little positive poster for you guys at home.

Trip rating: Pretty darn good 

This next week I will be going to the Wood Market, Bead Market and then…

Cape Coast for the weekend! YAAYY

P.S. here is a preview to what I get to ride in and see every weekend...

Love you all!