Girls Girls Time

This is what Felix tells me it is called when girls hang out together – girls girls. The same is true when boys hang out together – boys boys. This weekend was a lot of girls girls time, from running around East Legon to traveling to the beach.

On Friday night we now have a tradition of going to this place called “Jerry’s.” It’s the homestay hangout – conveniently located central to all of the people staying with families in East Legon. This time though our friends who are staying on campus also came to join us. We sat outside talking and listening to music for hours. It’s a good time to relax, to talk about how we’re dealing with different things in our homestays, and to get to know one another better. Felix is such a great host brother that he even came to pick me up and bring me home.

Saturday morning I went on a run with Zoe around East Legon to figure out where everyone on our program is living. Turned out the run was pretty long and very hot. It was nice though to see the area in which we all live and how spread out we all are. Once I got back I did my wash (laundry) and hung it up to draw. Then I walked to the A and C mall to meet Melissa and we got smoothies at the Coffee Bar in the center. This is probably going to be where I spend most of my time – the latte there was delicious!

We had a “Welcome Durbar” that night for all of the international students. There we were welcomed again to the University and were able to meet other international students. We had traditional Ghanaian food and they also performed traditional dances with music. Part of one of the dances required the lead dancer to stick a needle through his cheek. I was in awe.

Today we went to the beach! It took about an hour to get there. It was good to figure out which trotro to take and learn the hand signals (because every direction has a different signal and not all the trotros go to the same place). The beach here is very different – there are people everywhere, horses, people under big canopies with lounge chairs, traditional music along the ocean, and huge waves. It was a lot to take in all at once and I will need to return to take photographs. I had one of those moments when I was standing in the ocean – am I really here in Ghana in the ocean right now?

I am. I’m here and I’m living here. Realizing that I’m here for four months has allowed me to begin to be comfortable, to begin to find a routine, to take in all that is around me. This weekend was a good time for me to start to balance home, friends, and school. There is so much to do that it is good to remind myself that I have time, time to enjoy Ghana.