Adventure...

Today has most certainly been the best day so far.

It began with an orientation from Kwasi and the CIEE group on how to register. Registration at this university is really quite rational, I think, for a country that is not heavy in it's internet use. One walks to every department on campus to look at what they have posted for courses for this semester. If you are lucky, they even say what time the class is at already! (Darn Religious Studies department... you are holding me up!) And then you stand in a long, slow line, to file a physical registration form for each department. As international students (though regulars might do this as well, actually), we must staple a passport photo to each registration form. Now, I have heard an awful lot of complaining about this process from former CIEE Ghana students. "It's hot." "The lines suck" "Why can't it be on line?" "Campus is too big" (Ok, it is will over a mile wide and long, but most buildings are in the first, slightly up hill 3/4 of a mile...) Please people... y'all picked Africa. I thought it as was quite fun, getting to see the campus and all the departments. It's also really nice to actually see other students, because campus has been very empty for a few days.

Perhaps the best part of the day happened at the end of Registration orientation, before all this occurred. The Development Studies track had a meeting to meet a man (I'm not sure his name) who works out of the center that our courses will run from. A: The center is off campus- which is wonderful! A 20 minute walk, but I get to get off campus! 2: Our Twi class, when it starts, wil also be at this center- off campus again! C: We unfortunately did not learn our internships today, which we thought we would. Apparently they are still being finalized. However, he did disclose the details of a few of them- Some of us are working in offices in microlending, some of us are teaching in rural schools (huts), some in hospitals, assisting the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients, some are in orphanages tutoring or teaching basic computer skills to orphans. You guys, I couldn't stop smiling listening to him speak, I was so excited to learn about the whole thing. Also cool, the minimum time on an internship is 8 hours per week, most are 12ish +, and some are self sustained at as many hours as we feel to put in. They are also all off campus, some significantly far away... We come back together as a group and discuss what is happening for us and what we are doing for these sights on a regular basis. Amazing, really. For those of you who didn't know, i asked to be placed with children in an educational or advocacy setting, but I also have my women's center SAPET stuff on my resume I submitted, so I'm unsure of where I'll be, but I should know before the end of the month. This is hands down what I am most excited about for being here, and learning about it was a big boost.

I have also now had my first travel out into "Ghana." The university feels like just that, a university. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it's uniqueness- but I really hadn't been off campus or not at a hotel or between yet. Two friends and I took a Taxi to Shoprite, the Accra Mall. Yes, Accra has a mall, with very expensive boutiques, two grocery/ home supply stores, and not a whole lot more... I was buying essentials, laundry detergent (I'm almost out of clothes already) toilet paper (no bathroom in Ghana has toilet paper, folks) napkins, etc. It was fun. Funny though, I never saw myself in a mall in Ghana. Here's the thing though- I am in a really developed capital of a country, by African standards. Many of the commodities that i didn't think would be available are here in abundance. Ghanaians dress very nicely. So being in a mall is really not that weird. Afterwards, we got another cab (sorry, taxi, they get really confused when we can cab) and asked the guy driving for a real Ghanaian eatery. He knew right where to go. We made close friends with Kofi tonight. He explained the tension between Ghanaians and Nigerians (The N's are apparently quite shady figures) buy Ghanaian standards), he explained that his other name "George" was required before he could go into university because "Kofi" is just way too common (Every man born on a Friday.) Getting to this "Chop Bar," as sit down restraunts are called here was quite an, um, experience... Ghana does not do traffic lights, blinkers, turn waiting, or get this -seatbelts. Yes. And there are vender's between the lanes, when there happens to be a space. Heroing to say the least. Well, we made it back into East Legon to the Chop bar, and when I can figure out how to post a pic of my food I will, because words cannot do Banku and Fish Stew justice. Lets just say, I ate a soup with my right hand this evening...

On the way back, Kofi asked us to be his "sisters." In Ghana, all friends are family. It is an honor to have a "brother." At the gate of the University, when he should have dropped us off (only special Taxis can drive on campus as a security measure) he told the guard in Twi "I don't want to leave my sisters, I want to see them safely to their rooms" and the guard considered, then let him pass. Those are Ghanaians for you.

And then, long experience short, we ran into seamstresses in the hostel. I now own 2 Ghanaian style dresses, a skirt, and a top... all for about US $23. Actually, until my comoddities run and dinner out, I had spent a grand total of 5 Cidis. That's, oh, about 5.05 US. My meals yesterday and today totaled just above $1. And I'm happy about that, not because this is a cheap country for an American, but because I haven't thrown my money about lavishly in the way they all expect an American to. On a final note, all Ghanaians believe that there are no poor Americans. If you try to tell them that we too, have homeless, with no food or shelter, they will not believe you for a second. So to spend what they spend on a day to day basis feels realy, really good.

Until later:)