Junie's Online Thoughts
Saturday, April 26, 2003
I could have sworn I did a blog a few days ago, but nothing shows up except the one from Tuesday. Has it been that long? Sadly, I dont have much to report. Vera made me a new dress and some gift clothing, we went to a party last night at Ross's boss's house way out in East Legon. Paul is leaving for Europe to meet his pregnant wife. He's an Australian gold miner here and very, very wealthy. His house felt absolutely surreal. HUGE. Three stories. marble tiles on the floor. Three or four bedrooms. Swimming pool. Hot tub. Huge lawn. They had seven kegs, a bunch of alcohol and minerals. Ross had arranged for a trotro to give us all rides, and we went early with him. No one we really know or hang out with was there yet, so we drank, and sat around awkwardly. Later, Afrika and his drumming friends performed, all painted up NIgerian style. The Ghanaian folks in the neighborhood, or vendors in the area, were peering over the fence, while rich white ex-pats and staff Ghanaians milled around. It was so very, very weird and uncomfortable. I wanted to leave, but the trotro had gone. He took forever to come back, as taxis dont really go in that neighborhood (since everyone there owns expensive cars and doesnt need a taxi). Finally, at one he showed up and we could go home. Painful. I appreciate Ross hooking us up with a ride and free drinks, but boy was I glad to get out of there. Just not my crowd.
Today Ebenezer's mechanic came to look at the car and ended up taking it away to replace the battery. Fine with me...it was just sitting there dead as a doornail. Maybe this time he will fix it for good so we can actually start driving it. EMailing today....I want to be low key today...and Harry Potter is playing here at Busy tonight. Might just see the movie tonight or tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Im feeling better today. Still fighting a liquid stomach, but I can walk at a moderate speed, I ate two pieces of toast and one egg for breakfast (wow! my entire eating yesterday consisted of two soda crackers, four spoons of yogurt, three spoons of bouillon cube soup and a litre of apple juice). I tire easily and skipped out of French class today. We're still on lesson zero, so I thought I could miss it without too much guilt and without missing too much. I guess I will have to bring toffees on Friday, though.
We're meeting CheYen and Heather at 3 to say goodbye as they leave for the Volta. So sad...I wish they would stay around and hang out with us. Oh well, now we have a place to stay and people to visit when we go to the Volta next month. My ears are full of junk and my heads not too sharp today, so thats it for now......
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
I had such grand plans for my blogger today. I had done all this internet research so I could write about how all the really fun and cool EAster traditions are all from pagans, but then the weekend happened and theres too much other stuff to write about. Next year, maybe. We left for KoKrobite on Friday afternoon, just in time to catch the last available room at Big Milly's. Heather loved the place (I was worried we were dragging her there and she wouldnt like it) and we were sooo glad to be there as well. The food was great...there was a beach BBQ with a dancing drumming group that eventually pulled us in the performance circle and made us dance......hadnt planned on making an ass of myself that night, but oh well. Saturday was relaxing, but the waves were so strong. Twice I got nailed...once on the ear and the other on the neck. Decided I needed to get out of the ocean. Stayed until Sunday, when our friends Sean and Brad offered us a ride back to Osu instead of having to negotiate a trotro. They were staying down the beach at Andy's Akwaaba Lodge, more expensive, but self contained with a nice bathroom, a loft and bigger rooms. As we waited for them to finish lunch, a huge commotion broke out. Rumor had it that the gardner didnt want to work anymore since it was Easter, and either bought a snake or made up the existence of a snake so he could get out of work. Sean, hearing this, played along and helped search for the snake in the brick pile behind the latrine. He was like, there's no snake, pushing his hand in there, whacking a machete. One patron was scared off, but returned shortly after with some fisherman and their net, hoping to trap it with the net. Others armed themselves with poles or a 2 x 4 covered in nails. (People here are deathly afraid of snakes.) The moved the bricks and tons of cockroaches, along with a huge lizard, ran out. Sean yelled, there's no snake, its a lizard, and came back to the bar to eat his lunch. A few minutes later, after screams and hoots, the gardner emerged, carrying a snake on the edge of his naily 2 x 4. We were speachless, and I had to get a closer look. After cursing myself for the 100th time that I forgot my camera, we watched the gardner defend himself to the German owners. The owner snapped a photo just as he nailed the snake in the head for what looked like the millionth time. Then he paraded it around before setting it on fire.
We drove home to empty Accra streets and had a peaceful night. (Except for the ants...while we were gone, they struck again...creating three anthills along the floorboards in two rooms. I dumped poison on them, but I really need to get the heavy duty spray and shoot it up by the ceilings.) Monday we putzed around before going to Sadaf's house for an afternoon bbq. It was great and her house is incredible. HOwever, when I left early to meet up with Heather, I started to feel sick. CheYen, the guy who lives in the village with Heather (and I forgot that besides the malaria and typhoid and heat rash, he's also had problems with both eyes and back pain), frequently comes to Accra to escape the village life. He spends $200 a night at the five star Labadi beach hotel and offers to pay for Heather if she will come with him and keep him company. He was getting in from london that night, so I went with Heather to the hotel and went nuts. Hot water, air conditioning, cable tv with music videos, big beds, radios and phones in the bathroom, a mini bar, a huge restaurant and pool and stuff. I even got a free glass of pineapple juice while I was waiting in the lobby for Heather. Surreal, but really really fun. Jeremy joined us later, we watched MTV, then went with Heather downstairs so she could eat. I felt progressively worse, and finally decided to give up hours of cable tv watching to go home and sleep. The taxi ride was excrutiating.....I almost started crying because I knew I was going to be sick. We made it home, I raced to the bathroom, sat down on the toilet, put a pail in front of my face and got incredibly. I cannot remember a time when I vomitted so severly...I thought my chest and throat were going to explode. The shatting wasnt any better (wont get too graphic) and by then I was running a 101 temp. I tried to drink, but every time I did, I had to run to the bathroom again. I slept, and felt much better today. STill shitty, but better and my fever is gone. I cant really eat yet...and I need to keep drinking before true dehydration kicks in. We are going back to the hotel with Heather tonight to watch a little tv and meet CheYen before they both return to the Volta tomorrow. Sad...she's so great, I wish she would stay in Accra and hang out with me all the time. Oh well, this way I can visit the Volta and see her class and have fun. Will write more tomorrow....so low energy today.
