we'll have to move at a trot

Things I Have Noticed in Accra:

1.    Things tend to…not work. We have a hot water heater for our shower - I’m sure you know where this is going. Pretty much it is a box that we turn on and it supposedly makes our showers hot. The other day while I was showering I was facing this box when the wires that go from the box into the wall where they do their electrical magic sparked, smoked, and stopped working. This was a week ago…it has still not been fixed. So instead of sucking it up and taking cold showers I walked to the other houses everyday and used theirs…except now I can’t because they have no water at all. The internet and air conditioning also tend to work on their own schedule, and when washing our clothes the sink will just turn on. It’s an interesting experience.
2.    Tall skinny white girls are not a hot commodity to African men. I thought that being an obvious ‘obruni’ would get me a lot of unwanted attention but actually we hardly ever get noticed because we travel with so many gorgeous girls who are not tall, gangly, and white. Going out in Accra has forced me to appreciate my own company because that is all that I’m getting. The exception to this rule is my roommate Maggie, who is tall skinny and white, but everyone absolutely loves her and falls in love with her. I don’t know her secret…but she gets all the boys. The rest of us usually end up talking to Rastas, Africa’s Best Street Dancers, or men who are far too old to be at the same places that we are.
3.    There are some people who will try and play on our naïveté. I expected this but it still surprises me. The other day I went into a store (store meaning a stand on the street) to buy shampoo. I asked for shampoo…I was handed body wash. When I pointed out that this is for your body she said, “Yes, it is body wash, but your hair is soft, you can use it on your head.”  It was also ridiculously overpriced. At this same place while I was being convinced that my hair is soft enough to use body wash in it my friend Holley was told that the Fanta she wanted to drink (which usually goes for about 50 pesewas – 30 cents) actually cost 1 cedi 25 pesewas. Needless to say we did not buy anything from this stand. 
4.    Ghanaians like to take their time…for everything. Coming from New York where everything is scheduled and everyone is always rushing, I was warned that Ghanaians are more laid back about when things start, arriving on time, etc. This caution has been proven true. When we’re told that we’re eating at 10:30 in the morning so we are leaving at 10:15, we will not actually leave until 10:30, arrive at 10:45, and then sit and wait until 11:30 for food to be served. This leads to a lot of standing around and a lot of sarcastic banter between Holley and I, which I think that only Holley and I enjoy.

Today we received our first custom made dress my Marjorie, who is amazing. Five cedis for the work and ten for the fabric and in three days I have my first Ghanaian dress. Pictures to follow.  Today was also my first class, which is taught by the former mayor of Accra, Uncle Nat, and lasted all of an hour. Strenuous day.