6/18

6/18

I went into Accra yesterday to check out Osu, their commercial center. The market was pretty overwhelming. I had some idea of what to expect, having been to markets in South Africa before, but some of the vendors were in your face about buying their things. Maybe I’m just forgetting how it was before, but I don’t remember it getting to that level in other markets I’ve visited. White people stand out very easily in Ghana—that could explain why vendors flocked to us like we had big flashing lights over our heads. One pretty good trick a lot of people had was meeting you and asking your name, only to find you five minutes later and present you with a bracelet that had your name on it that they tried to compel you to buy. I caught on early and told them my name was Xavier—they didn’t have a premade bracelet for that one.

I was able to get what I wanted—a Black Stars jersey—for a pretty cheap price. I had to haggle for a while and pick through things to find one I wanted, but I was successful. I also purchased a cool wooden crocodile bottle opener for a few Seti—a necessary purchase now that the lady at the shop downstairs judges us every time we ask to use her bottle opener. The market could have been very overwhelming if you weren’t prepared to say ‘No’ to people, but thankfully I knew what to expect and was able to walk away with things I wanted at a price that was fair.


Today was a pretty laid back one. Things seem to close up at the university on the weekends, so we couldn’t rely on our hostel café for lunch or dinner. I went to “Tasty Treats” down the road and even though they were closed, we managed to finagle some takeaway meals from them. This could be a problem in the future—we need to find reliable places to eat on the weekends when our first options are not available. On the way we saw a pet monkey tied to a tree. It was cool to see a monkey, but sad to see it run around the tree with a rope around its waist.

There are a group of missionaries on campus, and I ran into them near the basketball courts today. They’re nice enough, but it can get irritating when someone starts going off about Jesus. They told me about a Ghanaian league soccer game they might go to on Wednesday. That would be really fun to check out.

Will and I went to an open-air market on campus and checked out the bar shacks over there. It was an interesting scene. It was very much an “only in Africa” experience—not only because the drinking age is 18 here. It was nice to get over there and hang out for an hour in a new place.

I think people are a little intimidated by how hard it can seem to get out and find interesting things to do on a whim. Today was the first day we didn’t do a whole lot, and people seemed a little down tonight after a lethargic day. I am convinced that we will be able to find more interesting things to do as the days go on and we become more familiar with the city. Tomorrow we head to the beach if the weather cooperates. That should be a good start!