Adventure to Medina
Today was my first solo adventure in Ghana!
Volta Hall was noisy last night, so I slept in until 8am and then read for a while before heading out at 9am (this is very late by local standards, given that I was woken up at 4am by the singing from the Pentecostal prayer meeting). I had a fried egg sandwich (40 cents) and a cup of Milo (hot chocolate, 80 cents) for breakfast at Akwafu Hall (another dorm, the name means farmer).
Across the street and just to the left of the main gate of the university I caught a tro tro headed north. (A tro-tro is a kind of mini-bus into which 20+ people squeeze on a set driving route.) I'm not certain of the final destination of my tro-tro, but I asked the mate (the guy who is in charge of filling up the tro-tro and collecting the money) if it went by Zango Junction. I gave him 2000 cedi (20 cents) and at first he didn't give me any change. I didn't know the fare, but it is 3000 cedi for the 20-30 minute ride to the central Accra market. Then the passenger behind me hissed at the mate and so he gave me back 500 cedi. I had heard that it was hard to get cheated on the tro-tro because there are lots of other passengers watching, but this was my first experience of it in action. In general, I like the tro-tro better than the drop-taxis. Not only are the taxis 10-20 times more expensive, but I also somehow feel more vulnerable with just other foreigners in a cab.
The tro-tro dropped me off at Zango Junction (at one end of the Medina market) and I could see the Shell Station that was my landmark for finding the Areba cell phone office (to try and sort out why my parents can't get through to me). I was done (mostly unsuccessfully) with that errand by 10:30 and decided to walk around the Medina market.
I have been to the Accra (Mecheda) market four times now, and am starting to feel more comfortable finding my way around it. Accra is a really big market and has a good selection of (western) clothes, shoes, books, and, of course, my favorite department store - Melcome. However, after today, I think that for general trips to the market, Medina is both closer and all more comfortable.
Part of this might have been that I was on my own (not with any other white foreigners) and so I got to interact with more people. I received 4 marriage proposals in the hour or two I wandered around. The best came from a man selling some nice pottery; I might go back and try to get a vase later.
The most exciting part is that I found PVC piping! I have been very frustrated with the trip-lines that are currently holding up my mosquito netting, and so I am constructing a frame out of the PVC. The men selling the PVC joints (a different place from the pipe) wanted to know if I was a plumber. I should have answered yes (since I actually have done a little plumbing), but instead I told them about my project. They were very supportive and drew a diagram as we discussed what joints I should get (this also included a marriage proposal). I really enjoyed all of the interactions and it was lots of fun to laugh with people.
On the tro-tro ride home, the mate was really good about storing my pipes along the floor of the tro-tro and I sat next to two older ladies. When I motioned to them that we were at my stop (because they had to get out so that I could), they said to the mate that the "foreigner" (in English) wants to get off. It was surprisingly refreshing to be referred to as such, it felt very respectful. I often have people yell "obruni" at me. Obruni also means foreigner, but especially down at the Accra market it is often in the context of "Obruni, give me" or "Obruni, come here and buy from me." Sometimes I will also be referred to as "white woman" (which is how some people translate obruni).
The joints didn't fit perfectly with the pipe, so I have been layering the glue into the structure and hope to have it finished tomorrow. I picked up some clothes I ordered, and was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out.
I also cooked my first dinner in my new rice cooker. I made rice with squash, carrots, green beans and spring onions, a can of tomato paste and some random spices I picked up in the market. It was great to eat so many vegetables that were not drenched in oil, but it tasted about like the rest of the food I have been eating. In general, there is not a lot of depth to the flavor of the food, and there is more chili pepper than I think is necessary, but I like the food, especially jolof rice.
Volta Hall was noisy last night, so I slept in until 8am and then read for a while before heading out at 9am (this is very late by local standards, given that I was woken up at 4am by the singing from the Pentecostal prayer meeting). I had a fried egg sandwich (40 cents) and a cup of Milo (hot chocolate, 80 cents) for breakfast at Akwafu Hall (another dorm, the name means farmer).
Across the street and just to the left of the main gate of the university I caught a tro tro headed north. (A tro-tro is a kind of mini-bus into which 20+ people squeeze on a set driving route.) I'm not certain of the final destination of my tro-tro, but I asked the mate (the guy who is in charge of filling up the tro-tro and collecting the money) if it went by Zango Junction. I gave him 2000 cedi (20 cents) and at first he didn't give me any change. I didn't know the fare, but it is 3000 cedi for the 20-30 minute ride to the central Accra market. Then the passenger behind me hissed at the mate and so he gave me back 500 cedi. I had heard that it was hard to get cheated on the tro-tro because there are lots of other passengers watching, but this was my first experience of it in action. In general, I like the tro-tro better than the drop-taxis. Not only are the taxis 10-20 times more expensive, but I also somehow feel more vulnerable with just other foreigners in a cab.
The tro-tro dropped me off at Zango Junction (at one end of the Medina market) and I could see the Shell Station that was my landmark for finding the Areba cell phone office (to try and sort out why my parents can't get through to me). I was done (mostly unsuccessfully) with that errand by 10:30 and decided to walk around the Medina market.
I have been to the Accra (Mecheda) market four times now, and am starting to feel more comfortable finding my way around it. Accra is a really big market and has a good selection of (western) clothes, shoes, books, and, of course, my favorite department store - Melcome. However, after today, I think that for general trips to the market, Medina is both closer and all more comfortable.
Part of this might have been that I was on my own (not with any other white foreigners) and so I got to interact with more people. I received 4 marriage proposals in the hour or two I wandered around. The best came from a man selling some nice pottery; I might go back and try to get a vase later.
The most exciting part is that I found PVC piping! I have been very frustrated with the trip-lines that are currently holding up my mosquito netting, and so I am constructing a frame out of the PVC. The men selling the PVC joints (a different place from the pipe) wanted to know if I was a plumber. I should have answered yes (since I actually have done a little plumbing), but instead I told them about my project. They were very supportive and drew a diagram as we discussed what joints I should get (this also included a marriage proposal). I really enjoyed all of the interactions and it was lots of fun to laugh with people.
On the tro-tro ride home, the mate was really good about storing my pipes along the floor of the tro-tro and I sat next to two older ladies. When I motioned to them that we were at my stop (because they had to get out so that I could), they said to the mate that the "foreigner" (in English) wants to get off. It was surprisingly refreshing to be referred to as such, it felt very respectful. I often have people yell "obruni" at me. Obruni also means foreigner, but especially down at the Accra market it is often in the context of "Obruni, give me" or "Obruni, come here and buy from me." Sometimes I will also be referred to as "white woman" (which is how some people translate obruni).
The joints didn't fit perfectly with the pipe, so I have been layering the glue into the structure and hope to have it finished tomorrow. I picked up some clothes I ordered, and was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out.
I also cooked my first dinner in my new rice cooker. I made rice with squash, carrots, green beans and spring onions, a can of tomato paste and some random spices I picked up in the market. It was great to eat so many vegetables that were not drenched in oil, but it tasted about like the rest of the food I have been eating. In general, there is not a lot of depth to the flavor of the food, and there is more chili pepper than I think is necessary, but I like the food, especially jolof rice.
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