Awkwaaba! Welcome!

Written September 2nd 9:45 pm

I’ve arrived safe and sound in Accra, the capital of Ghana. As I made my way to the departure gate to Accra in Amsterdam, reality finally set in. Two security guards from the airport nearly toppled me over as they ran past me – an elderly man laid passed out in front of the gate blocking my passage to the plane. I looked at the old man and then at the sea of unfamiliar faces and I knew that this was not going to be an ordinary trip.

As the plane’s wheels touched the runway in Accra the entire plane burst into jubilant cheers and the man next to me leaned in and said “welcome to Ghana.” In the mass of people that waited outside the airport for friends and relatives I heard someone shout out my name. Aseye, AJWS’s in-country representative luckily had come to pick me up. As Aseye was negotiating the fare down for a taxi home two men came running up to me a poster with my name neatly displayed on it. Auntie Alice’s son Baafour and his friend also came to pick me up from the airport… my first taste of Ghanaian hospitality! As we struggled with the 200+ pounds of luggage three other men came to help maneuver the bags over the dirt parking lot (my first taste of Ghana’s opportunist) and I could not help to smile at the unique entourage that had greeted me upon my arrival.

Auntie Theo (my landlady) had food waiting for me when I finally made it to my new home. I can only describe the outer house that I am sleeping in as somewhat like a rustic camp lodge leaving much to be desired. Let’s just put it this way: I am typing this in pitch black with no electricity and no running water with the blaring noise of the neighbor’s generator mocking me. Ghana’s energy is supplied by a dam that was built in the Volta region of the country and due to lack of rain the water level is low forcing the government to initiate “power saving” similar to the rolling blackouts in California. When there is running water I can take a normal shower and the unheated water feels refreshing in the African heat, otherwise I have to use buckets to wash myself “top to bottom like you are a car” as Aseye explained to me. However, I have already begun to settle in and I think my new place will suit me quite well. Auntie Theo is an incredibly nice older lady and is the headmaster of a local school. I plead with her all the time not to serve me so much food but she tells me that her goal is to have me leave Ghana a fat fat man. There is a dog at the house whose name is Mojo but I secretly call him “The Beast” like in the movie the Sandlot. He lives outside and I still have not gotten a good look at him but his wails at night sound terrifying. I keep my distance from the beast. I asked Auntie Theo what kind of dog it was and she said “a normal one.”

Accra is a busy city that baffles me. To add to the confusion the address system is completely useless. People tell directions relative to well-known landmarks. For instance Baafour business card reads: “Design Impressions / opposite Hotel President”. Navigating through the city has to be met with a certain amount of humor and I am comforted by the fact that soon I will be as comfortable on these streets as the ones at home. Besides, the people here are terribly nice and would be more than happy to show you the way.

It can be a bit lonely when I’m sitting in my place, but everyday I am meeting more and more people. Friday night, Baafour picked me up and took me to his family’s house. As we were eating dinner, Auntie Alice (Baafour’s mother) turned to me and said, with the utmost sincerity, “this is your African home and you should come any time you’d like”. I am still amazed at their warmth and kindness even though they barely know me and I am confident that this sort of hospitality is not unique to this family. Me and Baafour picked up Kenneth, a family friend, and went out for the night. I thought we were heading to a bar but instead we went to someone’s birthday party. Luckily it was a ‘drink all’ meaning all the drinks were free. Ching Ching! I sipped on some scotch as I talked to Kenneth who very kindly explained to me that this is my homeland and he grabbed my hand to say ‘welcome home brother’. It’s feeling more like home everyday.

P.S. One thing I must explain is that Bafour’s family is very well off. Poverty abound, the streets of Accra are cluttered with small shacks, homeless people, and an excess of garbage…it can really get to you. It was one of the more surreal moments of my life to be navigating through these roads in a brand new 2006 BMW sipping on courvoisier (im not joking). I’m still not exactly sure how to feel about this. There is a large gap between the haves and have-not’s in this county and it was impossible not to feel guilty seeing the city in such a way.

I have not touched on so much that I wanted to explain but I will keep the updates coming! Please know that I miss you all and am doing great here. I can’t wait to start my work at Street Girls Aid on Monday.