"You either laugh or you cry!" continued..

So as I was saying, I have made some awesome friends! Actually, everyone on this trip is amazing but because I am around the Aussie 24/7, she has become my constant source of entertainment. The group split up on Tuesday after Orientation (they went to the other village... well a city, really), but we will see them again on Saturday when they come down for the weekend. I can't wait to see them all because as you could imagine, in the face of complete dispair (which we all were at the beginning), you become quite close with one another.

Where was I before I had to run to the front of the shop and give more money for more time? By the way, an hour of internet cost 8,000 cedis which is less than a dollar (roughly 80cents). Life here is soooo different! It is very slow paced and nothing ever has a schedule. For instance, we were to have a health talk on Monday to give us an idea how to avoid malaria and giggas (the bugs in the sand that burrow into your skin and lay eggs!) but the nurse didn't show up. She came on Tuesday morning, which for Ghanians, is no big deal at all. The emphasis is not on time mangement and efficiency (e.g. walk as fast as you can and do as much in a day as you can), but more on family, play time, and proper greetings. I live in a small room with two sets of bunk beds but it's just the Aussie and I so we each use the top bunk to sleep and the bottom to store our stuff. I sleep under a mosquito net (as you could imagine) which often gets tangled in my feet or falls off the posts at night. Sarah and I spent three hours buying twine in the market and devising our own system of hanging the mosquito nets which is working much better (but took much deliberating and communication problems between the Canadian accent and the Australian accent). When I wake up in the morning it's usually beacuse of roosters. There are heaps and heaps of roosters randomly walking around everywhere and they start yelping at the break of dawn. I am sl0wly learning to ignore them but at the same time, a 6:30am wake up in Ghana is VERY beautiful! A breeze is always blowing through the room (which helps with the 34 degree heat) and when I look out of my window, I see kids, huts/mud houses, palm trees and the odd goat. It's really quite humbling...

Many things are unidentifiable in Ghana... such as the rashes, food, and bugs. To start, everyone seems to have an unidentifiable rash. Sarah's is new to this morning and appears on the top of her foot. We think it might be ant bites. I have what I think is heat rash on my arms and neck. Although it itches slightly it is not worrysome. Others have speckly rashes, bites and the odd black dot underneath their skin. The odd black dot is identifiable, though, and is called a "gigga." Giggas are the only reason why I am still wearing shoes on a beach because they are the little bugs that burrow into your toes and lay eggs. I am determined NOT to get any giggas because first of all, they are disgusting and secondly, to get them out involves digging with tweasers or other sharp objects and I'd like to avoid that. Day by day the food is becoming familiar to me (but it is still unidentifiable). Because there is not a luxury of having a snack like granola bars or whatever from home, when meals come around it's a time of sheer happiness! Rice, weird stews, lettuce without dressing, and fried bananas are staple diet for me now. As well, any beverage other than water is non-existant. So for anyone wondering what I eat/drink during my stay, well... it is, as I stated before, unidentifiable (but tasty!)

I just have to post this blog now before I lose it... but I will continue as I have a few more stories and a bit more time before I head out!