Junie's Online Thoughts
Friday, September 12, 2003
Lordy. Yesterday, among other things, we went to Lufthansa so I could confirm my flight. Highly bizarre. Before then, it was easy to operate in a haze of denial. But when I watched the ticket agents, my stomach clenched. I got nervous. I had to actually LEAVE. Even though it was more than three days in advance, I was the last one to confirm my flight out of Accra, so I didnt get the first row in Coach that I wanted. Instead, I got the last available seat in the very last row. (I have two large gifts for my sister and Friend Marta, which I dont want to check for fear of breaking. I was hoping to lean them against the wall in the front, but maybe I can slide them behind my seat in the back....we'll see.)
Jeremy has not been in a good mood all week. In fact, he's been a little bit beaten and moping....I completely understand. When he left for the U.S. back in June, he was the lucky one--entertained by the conference and seeing family and friends. I was the unlucky one left behind in a house full of all of his stuff and a big empty bed and no one to play with. This time around, he's the unlucky one....for a lot longer than three weeks. I keep telling him that the time will go so fast. He's coming to WI in just over a month for the wedding, but time is different in Ghana than in the U.S. Fast or not, we both are going to be blue and lonely and missing each other. Time apart sucks, one month, three months, three days, its all hard when you're used to seeing each other every day.
Anyway, I confirmed my travel plans, then we drove to Shangri-la to swim in the pool and sit in the sun. Not a bad afternoon----getting pink, doing a few laps, eating ice cream, surrounded by palm trees and tropical breezes. Despite my doubts, I left completely relaxed. If only the relaxation could last longer....
Then we went to Star World, mostly so I could take a photo of the doll version of my friend Angie, but I also wanted to play the 200 cedi slot machines. We lost 7000 cedis (less thana dollar), took two photos, listened to the advice on how to play the slots from the guy next to us, then left. We tried to get some drinks at Virus, but it was closed. Instead we walked to Duncan's, where we met up with some Peace Corps folks for a beer. I got bored, so we left.
On the walk home, I bought a bootleg copy of The Two Towers, and we watched that when we got in. Frustrating..mostly because they stray quite a bit from the book and invent a whole bunch of new crap, having less faith in men than the book did. The movie also brought in some stuff from the third book that hasnt happened yet....it was a little disappointing, but I think I was expecting to be in awe. I will read the Return of the King on the plane ride home, since knowing the story helped a lot watching the second movie. I wasnt sure if I wanted to know the ending, but I'd like to read the book first before seeing the movie around Thanksgiving.
This morning, I need to get organized on a few fronts---have to look up some stuff for my sisters wedding, mail a few things, buy some gifty groceries and zip up the last suitcase. Coping becomes easier when I have details. It makes me feel more in the loop and less panicky. We're going bowling with friends tonight. That should be fun.
Tomorrow I think I'd like to return to the hotel to swim more...anything to relax. My stomach has been in knots all day. And my bowels are starting to get angry too. Worst part is that Im going to have my period on the plane, on top of being freaked out. Sunday afternoon is going to be hard...my plane leaves earlier than I thought. Less time for goodbyes and more time to sit on a plane before I can sleep. Ack. Ack!!!!!!! I really really hate goodbyes at airports, especially my own. Ack!!!!!
I am really looking forward to a lot of things at home though. I will be happy to see my family after being so long in Africa, my sister, my parents, my grandmother. Plus all the extended family..including a few new editions I havent met yet. Then there's Jeremys family....all my friends in Atlanta, MN and WI and beloved Squeak. Its easy to get caught up in the stress in packing and leaving, and forget all the fun things waiting for me at home. I dont mean to sound like its all glum and panic. Im excited too. Its just a mixed bag of emotions right now. There's a lot of fun stuff coming up...my sister's wedding, spending a month with my family, working at my old job, running a half marathon, catching up with other family and friends....and Im curious to see how it all fits together. I feel like Ive changed so much during my time here. I look at the world differently. So it will be a trip to come home...to see what's changed and what's stayed the same.
So this is my last blogger before I arrive stateside. If you want to send email, keep in mind that I wont be checking my email again until probably Wednesday. Please dont send any photos or large files, as my hotmail will fill up. I will see y'all soon.....wish me luck and wish me calmness. Im out.
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Yesterday was a strange, but okay day. For lunch we ate at Providence, a Ghanaian restaurant so I could take a photo of the food, and enjoy their groundnut soup. Jeremy had evergreen (spicy spinach) soup with fufu. Yum, but filling.
I started the packing extravaganza, mostly because it made me anxious to see the giant mound of stuff piled on our spare bed. More than half is in the suitcases, with plenty of room to spare for all of my stuff. I even packed one of Jeremy's bags for when he comes home in October. We have way too much stuff. I dont know how it all accumulates, but good god. Thank goodness we have three trips to take it all back to the U.S.
After dinner, Jeremy joined some friends for bowling and I stayed home to clean and pack. I started to get really really sad. It finally hit me that Im leaving. I wont see Jeremy for a long while. Theres so much to deal with at home. Its going to be really hard and lonely and sad. I cried a bit, then decided to distract myself with some phone calls. Chatted with the folks....then tried both my grandmother and Marta, neither of which were home. I wanted to continue down the list to Angie and my sister, but the mosquitoes hit and I decided to walk the 500 steps back to my house.
The phone sits on the street right next to the dirt road that deadends into our complex door. Halfway there, a guy pulled up next to me in his car. The passenger window was open. He extended his hand. "Hi, Im Patrick." This is the point, where if I was in the U.S., I would ask "What the fuck do you want?" before shooting my pepper spray. Eleven thirty at night, a woman alone down a deserted dirt road and some stranger stops by in his car. Here, its not so uncommon, but it still creeps me out. "Please," he said, "Can I chat with you for a while?" Sorry, its late. I want to go to sleep. "Can I come back another time?" Sorry, I have a husband. He then asked me something three times that I couldnt catch...it sounded like can I come by for your colleagues...maybe asking me to hook him up with my white friends? I said, Sorry...and walked away. Blech. Who actually does that? And more importantly, who actually gets into a strangers car to chat in the middle of the night? Blech.
Jeremy and I were both wound up so we talked until nearly 2 am. This morning, after waking up a little later than I wanted, I went to the Cultural Center to finish up my gift shopping (brother in law and friend and friend), bought a movie, bought some toilet paper and light bulbs and promised my hawker friend I would stop by on Saturday to buy some sandles from him. THeyre kind of ugly, but Ive been promising him since I got here....anyone want some sandles??
TOday Jeremy is driving me around to pick up some kick ass gifts for my sister and friend Marta, then to RAchel's to drop off her French book, then to buy some last items before we go out for yummy Indian food tonight.
Hopefully tomorrow will be as hot as today so I can sit out in the sun and go swimming at the Shangri-la hotel's pool. Everyone wish for a sunny Thursday, ok?
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
Boy its been forever. Blogger wouldnt let me in on Saturday, when I was all excited to write about the concert.....so today is going to be a little bit long.
The concert was interesting and tacky and funny and weird. As part of a cultural exchange protocol signed by Ghana's president J.A. Kafour and the President of India, Penaz Masani was sent to perform with three dancers. In addition, Sony Mochiba, the "Ghanaian Indian" and his troupe were also geared to perform. The concert was supposed to start at 7 pm. We'd purchased the cheap 20,000 tickets, so we were herded to the side door and up the stairs, away from all the rich people and VIPs watching a loud, off-key brass band playing in the lobby. While we waited, I scouted the crowd....in the VIP section (most of which didnt fill up until the very, very end) I'd say the divisions were 60% Indian, 38% African and 2% white. In the main 50,000 seats, it was more like 85% Indian, 14.5% African and .5% white. Up in the balcony with us, there were 75% African, 14% Indian, three white people (two of those were us) and two Asians. As people filed in, Celine Dion belted out her ballads (and you know Ive been in GHana too long when I neither mind Dion, nor notice that Im singing along.)
Finally, more than an hour late, the MCs promised to start soon. Thirty minutes later, the lights dimmed, and the announcer informed us that Ghana's president was here. In he marched with is entourage, then the Vice President, then Indian's High Commissioner and other distinguished guests. The brass band played Ghana and Indian's national anthem (picture a 6th grade band quality here....) and the program finally commenced.
Of course the President (who has the charisma of a wet noodle) gave a long and rambling speech about how he didnt think he could come tonight but at the last minute decided to come and thats why we were late, and about his agreement with Indian to exchange events and how much India has helped the nation. Then the Indian High Commissioner spoke, then the MCs again, and finally, Masani took to the stage.
Ok....picture a set that looks like its leftover from an old community theatre play. (It would be truly tragic if they created it especially for this evening, or worse yet, flew the thing over from India.) Giant triangles stood with the happy/sad theatre masks hanging above them. The rest of the stage is empty, except for a giant desk, filled with computers, office supplies and oodles of extension cords running into a power strip and two plastic chairs sitting nearby. We assumed the office must play into one of the numbers, but no. I think someones office space existed on the stage and they were too fricking lasy to move the desk away for the performance. They couldnt even be bothered to cover the desk with a cloth. Classy.
Penaz seems to be a cover singer who recycles hits from the 1950's to today from popular Indian or Bollywood movies. She constantly encouraged the audience to sing along as her medley moved through the decades. The dancers looked like a cross between Star Search and a high school talent show...complete with brightly colored fringed costumes and lots of hair tossing. THe highlight had to be Penaz's stirring rendition of JLo's "Waiting for Tonight." Oooooo yeah.
Penaz took a break and after exclaiming, "Wasnt that a fabulous performance???", the MC introduced Sony Mochiba.
Sony is an interesting fellow. FOrmerly a professional footballer, he was injured in a car accident and decided to become a charismatic singer and dancer. The Ghanaians in the crowd seemed to like him and his talented (albeit exaggerating) dancers (who in all honesty were a million times more compelling than Penaz's dancing girls.) Sony creates his own type of music called Hipdia, or a mixture of hip life and India. Picture lots of samples (James Brown, breakign glass, Michael Jackson, car sirens, robots, scratches, news announcements and more...in just one song!!) and a mishmash of rap, high life and Indian percussion. Like Penaz, the music was canned, karoake style, and Sony and his Indian lady counterpart danced while doing the worst lipsyncing I've ever seen. He also liked to spell his name YMCA style at least 45 times in a half an hour......OOOOH YEAH!!!!! Many times during his performance, Jeremy and I turned to each other and asked, "What the hell is going on here?"
Sony finished and the MCs announced a brief intermission, pleading with the audience to hurry back into their seats within fifteen minutes. We bought some food and soda, then watched the crowd. Fifteen minutes passed and the MCs began their repeated trips to the microphone urging people to sit down. Problem was, the microphone didnt project into the lobby, and with the brass band playing again, no one could hear them. The International Conference Center staff just sat around, chatting. (I kept thinking that if they were in the U.S., the event staff would be infiltrating the crowd, pestering people to sit down so the show could start.) Thirty minutes later, the auditorium was still half empty. The schedule promised another 45 minutes of Sony, then a 15 minute finale from Penaz. I didnt want to sit through more Sony...and Jeremy had only come to humor me...so we decided to head on home. What an evening!!
The next night, our friends had a going away party at their house with more booze than I've yet to see in Ghana. Both Jeremy and I paced ourselves, and had a pretty good time chatting with the folks we knew.
Sunday we left for Kokrobite. I love Big MIlly's and its slow season, so the place was nice and quiet. I was hoping for some sun to get a little bit tan, but no luck. The sky grew overcast and the air turned cold. No tan for me. We hung out, ate good food, read and played cards. I tried to relax.....trying to pretend that all of these preparations are merely for show and that I dont really have to leave in six days. How can that be? HOw can it be September 14th already??
When the sun refused to come out yesterday, we left right at noon and returned to Accra. I think we pooped out from travelling, so we didnt go salsa dancing at SEvens. Instead we defrosted the frig and freezer and watched movies (Charlies Angels Full Throttle--pure silliness, The Hulk--piece of crap, and the Italian Job--decent caper.) We lead exciting lives, I tell you.
Today Im checking email...running errands....finishing up some odds and ends. I think Im going to start packing tonight. All of my crap is piled like a mountain on the spare bed and it makes me anxious when I look at it. Its better if I hide it in the suitcase instead. Ah, denial. Love it.
