Friday to Tuesday - brace yourself
Wow, it feels like I haven’t written in a year. I’ve got a lot to talk about (5 days now) so I’ll just start from the beginning.
On Friday morning I caught the bus to Accra. It took six hours to go 270 km and I was in the middle seat of the back row. I could not get comfortable to save my life. On the front of the bus was the make and model: it is made by Faw and was a King-Long. So on the front of the bus it said Faw-King Long. It is actually a pretty good description of the trip.
I was staying with a friend of Dr. Addae’s who works for the UN and she sent a UN car to pick me up. It was a beautiful air-conditioned Land Cruiser. I felt pretty special getting chauffeured around in it. Acutally, I felt like a stereotype. I went to the Wharton session which was very interesting. It’s a top-notch school. It has a reputation for rejecting younger applicants, so getting in there will be tough. I don’t think it’s my first choice, but I’d definitely consider it if I got in. However, I’m almost certain that I’m going to wait a year. I want to get some more work experience so I’m probably going to be in Toronto. Anyone want to give me a job?
On Saturday, we went to a funeral for about half an hour. I could write a lot about it, but all I’ll say is that women can turn on the wailing like a switch. People will be dancing one minute and then bawling the next. And when there are 400-plus women wailing, it’s loud. That afternoon I went to some tourist spots with Nana Aba (who I was staying with). We went to the cultural center, the museum and mausoleum of the first president, Nkrumah, and the stadium. The museum was interesting. Nkrumah was a communist, so there were lots of pictures of him with Fidel and Che and Mao and all my other role models. There was also a temporary display that was all Cuban propaganda. What that was doing in Ghana, I don’t know.
Moving on. We went to this bar called Osekan. It was right on the water and absolutely amazing. We went back there that night again. This time in a BMW—one of Nana Aba’s friends is a special assistant to the president. He had some really interesting stories about the fraud and intimidation perpetrated by the last government. It sounds like Ghana was near rebellion in 1996 but the leaders of the current government decided to wait for another election, which they were able to win, despite more cheating. It goes without saying that I’m thankful not to have to face machetes when I go to vote.
We also went to Champs Sports Bar cause I wanted to see if they would show the hockey game. They didn’t and being there was so weird. There were actually more white people than black and it looked just like a Canadian sports bar. There was a Habs jersey mounted next to a Leafs one and ESPN on the big screen. It was like stepping into Canada. But in Ghana. I actually felt pretty uncomfortable there with my Ghanaian friends and we left quickly.
On Sunday we went to church for four hours. Four hours of church in a foreign language is a long time, but it was not bad. It was so lively with lots of singing and dancing and collection. They seemed most vigorous during the collection that went to fund the running of the church. But the music was incredible. There was a guitar, a drum set, a keyboard and African drums.
I have more stories, but they’re not as important, so I’m going to leave them out. In conclusion, Accra was great. It is way more modern than Kumasi, which was strange. I’ve grown used to not having running water and living in a city without more than a handful of modern buildings so going to a city that could pass for a Western one (albeit only in some neighbourhoods) was a culture shock. I really enjoyed it though and am going to try and get back once more before Christmas.
I came back Monday morning and had to go to immigration to get my visa extended cause it expired that day. Why is it that bureaucrats act like any request is the greatest inconvenience of all time? They certainly don’t make it easy to get. I also have to apply for a re-entry visa for Christmas and that will be a nightmare. “Why do you want to come back to Ghana!?” It’s impossible to convey the tone of the officer who asked me that.
It’s now Tuesday afternoon. I went out for pizza with Martin and it was probably the best meal I’ve had since I’ve been here. It was 2 for 1 today so we got two larges for about 8 dollars. I also got an ice cream sundae for dessert. And I still have three pieces left.
Ok, this marathon has to end. I’ll finish off with the old standby: hockey. It sounds like we should have won on Saturday but sometimes, you don’t get the bounces. Too bad. At least we got a point. Worse is losing Kovalev. Fortunately, we’ve put a lot of points in the bank and can afford a short slump. Hopefully the boys will rise to the challenge.
Sorry, one last thing. I just finished East of Eden. What a fantastic book. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better run of books in my life. It is so good. And that’s a massive understatement.
On Friday morning I caught the bus to Accra. It took six hours to go 270 km and I was in the middle seat of the back row. I could not get comfortable to save my life. On the front of the bus was the make and model: it is made by Faw and was a King-Long. So on the front of the bus it said Faw-King Long. It is actually a pretty good description of the trip.
I was staying with a friend of Dr. Addae’s who works for the UN and she sent a UN car to pick me up. It was a beautiful air-conditioned Land Cruiser. I felt pretty special getting chauffeured around in it. Acutally, I felt like a stereotype. I went to the Wharton session which was very interesting. It’s a top-notch school. It has a reputation for rejecting younger applicants, so getting in there will be tough. I don’t think it’s my first choice, but I’d definitely consider it if I got in. However, I’m almost certain that I’m going to wait a year. I want to get some more work experience so I’m probably going to be in Toronto. Anyone want to give me a job?
On Saturday, we went to a funeral for about half an hour. I could write a lot about it, but all I’ll say is that women can turn on the wailing like a switch. People will be dancing one minute and then bawling the next. And when there are 400-plus women wailing, it’s loud. That afternoon I went to some tourist spots with Nana Aba (who I was staying with). We went to the cultural center, the museum and mausoleum of the first president, Nkrumah, and the stadium. The museum was interesting. Nkrumah was a communist, so there were lots of pictures of him with Fidel and Che and Mao and all my other role models. There was also a temporary display that was all Cuban propaganda. What that was doing in Ghana, I don’t know.
Moving on. We went to this bar called Osekan. It was right on the water and absolutely amazing. We went back there that night again. This time in a BMW—one of Nana Aba’s friends is a special assistant to the president. He had some really interesting stories about the fraud and intimidation perpetrated by the last government. It sounds like Ghana was near rebellion in 1996 but the leaders of the current government decided to wait for another election, which they were able to win, despite more cheating. It goes without saying that I’m thankful not to have to face machetes when I go to vote.
We also went to Champs Sports Bar cause I wanted to see if they would show the hockey game. They didn’t and being there was so weird. There were actually more white people than black and it looked just like a Canadian sports bar. There was a Habs jersey mounted next to a Leafs one and ESPN on the big screen. It was like stepping into Canada. But in Ghana. I actually felt pretty uncomfortable there with my Ghanaian friends and we left quickly.
On Sunday we went to church for four hours. Four hours of church in a foreign language is a long time, but it was not bad. It was so lively with lots of singing and dancing and collection. They seemed most vigorous during the collection that went to fund the running of the church. But the music was incredible. There was a guitar, a drum set, a keyboard and African drums.
I have more stories, but they’re not as important, so I’m going to leave them out. In conclusion, Accra was great. It is way more modern than Kumasi, which was strange. I’ve grown used to not having running water and living in a city without more than a handful of modern buildings so going to a city that could pass for a Western one (albeit only in some neighbourhoods) was a culture shock. I really enjoyed it though and am going to try and get back once more before Christmas.
I came back Monday morning and had to go to immigration to get my visa extended cause it expired that day. Why is it that bureaucrats act like any request is the greatest inconvenience of all time? They certainly don’t make it easy to get. I also have to apply for a re-entry visa for Christmas and that will be a nightmare. “Why do you want to come back to Ghana!?” It’s impossible to convey the tone of the officer who asked me that.
It’s now Tuesday afternoon. I went out for pizza with Martin and it was probably the best meal I’ve had since I’ve been here. It was 2 for 1 today so we got two larges for about 8 dollars. I also got an ice cream sundae for dessert. And I still have three pieces left.
Ok, this marathon has to end. I’ll finish off with the old standby: hockey. It sounds like we should have won on Saturday but sometimes, you don’t get the bounces. Too bad. At least we got a point. Worse is losing Kovalev. Fortunately, we’ve put a lot of points in the bank and can afford a short slump. Hopefully the boys will rise to the challenge.
Sorry, one last thing. I just finished East of Eden. What a fantastic book. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better run of books in my life. It is so good. And that’s a massive understatement.
posted by Tony at 3:49 p.m.
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