Accta, computers, heinz baked beans and Old Skool Reunion

Apologies, it's been a while...

The trip to Accra to pick up the computers was as hellish as I was expecting.  Jackson and myself set off 5am on a Monday.  Eventually got a tro-tro from the village at 6 and on board an air-con one to Accra around 6:30.  It left shortly after surprisingly and a relatively comfortable journey for once.  However, it did take forever and we alighted around 11!

Before heading to sort out the computers Jackson had to visit the insurance place again as they were still taking money from his account.  Not as bad as last time, only 1 hour of complete boredom and wasting time.  I was falling asleep and waking as my head fell forward, having a few strange looks from people as they passed by.  I did wonder if I was snoring.  They were prob thinking 'Why is this white lady sitting here sleeping? Doesn't she have anywhere to go?'

It was hot, I was shattered so I told Jackson I'd pay for taxis to get us around as I couldn't face all the palava of trying to find tro-tros and the time it would take.  The taxis were only around £1.50 so a bargain really.

We found the pc shop and proceeded to decide on the ones to buy.  Four were prepared for us, which again seemed to take forever and I fell asleep again, on a very uncomfortable bench in the shop.  After waking to find they still hadn't finished I headed over the road to pick up any sort of energy drink I could find.   Did the trick and I was raring to go, sort of.  I think we were there for around 2 hours, can't really be sure as I spent most of it asleep or in some sort of slumber and was just thinking of getting back to the village and lying down for a kip.  I felt a bit guilty, as Jackson watched the guys sort the pcs and make sure they were all working properly, they must have thought I was a right lazy cow.

When they were all done I was mistakenly expecting them to be boxed up carefully with bubble-wrap for transporting back, but oh no nothing of the sort, how could I be so silly.  A carrier bag for the keyboards, mice and power cables and fresh air for the monitors and boxes.  Now was the time to bet on what and how many things would actually make it intact.

We managed to persuade a taxi driver to take us to the bus station, where, after a relatively short African wait we or should I say 'I' got on a natural air-con bus while poor Jackson sorted getting the pcs in the luggage hold before everyone else took up all the room. 

After melting in the seat for about an hour and starting to look like a boiled lobster I was extremely glad the bus set off, even if it only made about 100m before hitting the notorious Accra congestion.  I know leather seats are easier to wipe down and clean but really not good in hot countries with no air-con.  An hour and a half later we left the bussling, gridlocked city and were on the road to Ho.  Yay!  Eventually arriving at Sokode around 7pm to unload the computers and pick up a very eager taxi to the village.  He was charging far too much but by this time I really didn't care and just wanted to get home.

The computers are now all set up and being used in the school. Yay!  Still not that many really considering there are about 40 kids in each class, but at least they can work in smaller groups and take it in turns to learn and practice without 20 of them trying to huddle around one pc while being shown how to point and click and select applications.

The day after Accra I mainly spent asleep or listening to music.  I was absolutely shattered.  My iPod has been my faithful friend since being here and can't imagine not having it.  Days of not being able to do much or anything in the village (there's not really that much do to apart from wander aimlessly or sit in a drinking spot and try and get online) have been helped by this little device.  Hooray for technology!

The rest of the week was spent going to school and having my hair braided again.  This time smaller briads, closer together and a mix of red and blond. Very nice even though it was a very uncomfortable six and half hours sat on a wooden stool, wondering whether it would ever be finished and could they hurry it up a bit.  Not good.  If you've had your hair braided properly you'll understand the discomfort and at times pain of the weaving.  If you've never had it done, imagine several people pulling small clumps of your hair very hard in different directions at the same time for hours on end.  Added to that the small wooden stool I was crouched on.  Go on, give it a go!  The outcome is great mind, so kind of worth the hell you go through.

Steve had work to do over the weekend at Akosombo.  Some surveying and construction stuff so we met up on Sunday evening.  We were supposed to travel to Accra for a few days on the Monday but Steve had a 'runny stomach' as they say over here and so we stayed in Ho and I cooked potato stew.  Maybe because he had been feeling unwell he didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about it.  Either that or he basically didn't like it.  I did, especially as it was something different to rice, pasta and banku so it didn't go to waste.

When I went to pick up the ingredients I have never been so happy to see a can of Heinze Baked Beans in my entire life.  I will never take them for granted again.  Heated up with some bread one morning, lush. In the evening with a triangle of Laughing Cow melted in.  Mmmmm. Lol.

We eventually headed to Accra on Friday.  Staying at Steve's uncle's place.  Richard and Shine (his wife) seem a lovely couple living in a house that is unfinished and continually being worked on.  It seems to be a common thing over here that building starts and can continue for years while the owners keep raising money to finish.  I think it'll be a very nice home once they've finished everything and in a nice quiet area, apart from a dog next door barking anytime there's some noise from outside.  I'm also sure the cockroaches and mice will decrease.  Lol.

On Saturday with a few of Steve's friends we headed to the Trade Fair in Accra for the 'Old Skool Reunion' programme.  Similar I think to those we have back home, although I've never been to one of them.  Loads of past students of various schools, colleges and universities turning up, dancing, singing and dressing up in various dubious costumes and clothing.  It was a really good laugh with some famous Ghanaian DJs and singers later in the evening.

Each of the colleges has a traditional spiritual group or cult.  During the afternoon these paraded through the area doing their particular singing, dancing or fierce staring and rituals.  Everyone takes these very serious and no photos are supposed to be taken of them.  On the other hand you have groups such as the Facebook Sec Tech who dressed up as women and jumped, danced and ran around doing all sorts.  Very funny, although I thought a woman standing next to me was going to be sick whilst watching three men being particularly rude with each other.  Lol.  I'll upload the pics to facebook.

I also joined in the dancing later in the day and evening which seemed to surprise quite a few people and often brought some unwelcome attention from blokes.  As I mentioned in a previous post, the type of dancing over here to R&B/Hiphop tunes is the bump and grinding type.  Not my sort of dancing.  I particularly enjoyed dancing in a field to some reggae band.  Prob because I recognised the songs and they even played Holiday by Madonna, which is not something I'd expect to hear over here and did feel a bit weird.

We started to head out and make a move home around 8ish.  It took a while as taxis and buses full of tired revellers were competing with people walking in and out.  I was glad when we finally reached the road and decided to sit and chill with a drink for a while.

Around 10 we tried to get a taxi back to the house.  The first two wanted the equivalent to about £7.  Steve and Salom thought that was far too much and even though I said not to worry, for about a 40 mins drive I thought it was a bargain, they were having none of it.  Eventually another friend of Steve drove past and picked us up.  I wondered whether my hearing would ever be the same from the extremely loud music playing in his car but it was that or walking and spending hours trying to get a taxi.  It was very busy, people still dancing about in the streets and by this time getting a bit drunk, so having to walk through this didn't fill me with joy. 

About an hour and 200 metres later the driver's wife phoned him, basically to tell him to shift his arse and get home.  Therefore we had to find a taxi which Steve managed to do relatively quickly but costing around £10.  I didn't care, it was 11ish, I was tired and that's about how much it costs me to get from Bridgend to my house after a night out.

We finally arrived back at the house around 12:30.  The traffic on the road to and from the Trade Fair was horrendous and not helped by a taxi breaking down and one car bumping into a bus.

Sunday was spent in Madina a few miles down the road where I found a twix in a Shell garage shop.  Yum Yum!  We saw Salom off on a bus home and then relaxed in a drinking spot on the way back to the house and deciding that we would take Richard and Shine out for a drink and some food to thank them for their hospitality.  They were very happy with this and in the evening we sat in a rooftop bar not too far from the house.  Really nice spot benefiting from a lovely cool breeze.

I've no idea how the wildlife is doing in Akrofu as I've not been there for a few days.  I'm hoping the goats and chickens are still frolicking about in peace and my room hasn't been taken over by over zealous spiders.

Note to self: don't walk around at night yawning with mouth wide open.  Various insects try and find a new home.

Until next time,

Sam x