Rain, market, new friends, classes, food and water.

It rained today! It was very unexpected because rainy season doesn’t start until after March. Think of one of the most severe thunderstorms in the States, and that’s what we experienced here today. That’s pretty typical later in the spring though here. The sky got so dark and ominous, and the thunder and lightning were crazy. It poured buckets for an hour, then stopped, and it’s now continuing. I live on the first floor and a bit of water came in through the bottom of my door. I think the wind blew it in, but it wasn’t too much.

This morning Genna and I went back to Madina Market. This time we were on a mission to find pretty material to have clothes made. It was a little overwhelming. Everyone at the market targets us as customers most aggressively because we’re white. We finally came across these two women selling very nice, pretty cheap fabric so we didn’t even have to bargain with them. I got a total of 7 yards of different patterns to make a skirt, a dress, and a top. It cost me about 18 GHC (cedis, pronounced like CDs). Genna’s host sister is a seamstress so I’ll probably go over tomorrow to get measured. She said it will cost around 15 GHC for dresses and skirts.

Kelsey (another Clarkie) and I have become close with Ester and Agnes at the night market. Ester must be just a few years older than us, and her daughter Agnes is 9 years old and goes to the primary school on my university campus. My first night on campus I got an egg sandwich from Ester and she invited me to sit down and join them. Now it’s wonderful to stop by their stall every day for a sandwich or just to stop and say hi and see how Agnes’ school day went. Their village is in the Eastern region, a few hours north of us, and they live and work at the little market here. It is these connections that have made my stay in Ghana so meaningful so far. Kelsey has had malaria and has been recovering for the past week so last night I went to Ester to get dinner for us. Ester asked for Kelsey’s number and called to say hi and that she hopes she feels better. Agnes also got to visit Kelsey in her room. Anyways, last night Ester saw the ring I wear on my left hand and asked if I’m married. I told her I’m not and that I’m not ready to be and a little too young. She said I’m plenty old enough since at 18 I became an adult. She said that she’s getting married on April 2^nd and that Kelsey and I are invited! I can’t wait to go to a Ghanaian wedding.

At least a few times a week, men who talk to me trying to be friends or something more will then notice my rings and ask if I’m married. It has definitely helped thwart any unwanted advances from the opposite sex, who are very forward towards American girls. In other cases, I’ve had very good, genuinely friendly conversations with the men here; more so than with the women. I am still learning about the gender roles in Ghana and Africa in general, but the women seem much more guarded and less outwardly friendly. I usually feel like they’re just staring at me or judging my outfit. This has not been the case with every woman of course, it’s just been my experience so far.

I have another new great friend named Daro. He is from Togo and is studying in Ghana for graduate school. We have the type of relationship that I guess you could call a “cultural partnership”. He is trying to be a diplomat so he wants to practice his American-English with me, rather than the more Ghanaian English that he speaks here. He also hopes to come to America one day so he is learning about the culture and what to expect from me. Meanwhile, he has explained lots of things about the world economy and African culture to me.

The second week of classes is almost over. I am in Deviant Behavior, Medical Sociology, Twi (the most spoken language in Ghana), Psychology of Religion, and traditional dance. I’m auditing Culture and Reproductive Health which is also really interesting. So far I really like everything, especially Medical Sociology, the professor is great. As for Twi, it’s difficult so that just means putting in the extra effort both in and out of class. Hopefully my roommate will help and we’ll speak to each other so that I can get practice. 

I'm sure some people are wondering what I do about water. You definitely can't drink the water here unless you boil or purify it. So you have the choice between bottled water, which is expensive (1GHC) or buying water sachets. They are little pouches with 500mL of water in them. They cost 5 pesewes, which is less than five cents. I buy a pack of 25 sachets for 1 cedi. So instead of buying one bottle of water to last me an hour, I buy 25 sachets to last me a week!

Side note about food: tonight my roommates' friend had brought over Banku. It is starchy dough made out of corn that you break off, dip in a peppery salsa-type sauce and swallow whole. I liked this a lot more than fufu, which is usually in an okra soup. They also had delicious tilapia. It was a whole fish right on the bone that i just pulled off pieces and ate with my hand. this meal was the best tasting authentic Ghanaian food that i've had so far!

Overall, things are going great. I feel more settled in every day!