So Reggae Night was fun. We ended up going to La Beach. The plan was to get a bunch of taxis, but Jenna and I ended up being left behind by accident because we ran back inside to grab our stuff. Obed ended up picking us up with a friend since he was going too. The situation actually worked out better than we hoped because Jenna and I got to experience a little bit of the local life, going to two local bars before La Beach. We also experienced a local drink, called Judgement Day (I don't remember the Twi name they use). It was this really spicy drink with ginger and gin in it. The band at La Beach was really good and everyone just had a fun night, dancing, and hanging out.
Today we were taken on our first Trotro ride. A troro is a popular mode of transportation around here. They have large vans that seat about sixteen and they pack everyone in. It only costs between 20 and 50 pesewas, in general. They go to all different places and they can be overwhelming in the sense that there is no orderly fashion to which people enter so if you want a seat you have to more or less push your way on, and god forbid you need to get off to let someone out for their spot you need to be quick at getting back on before someone takes your place. But its very convenient. And the ride itself is strangely familiar with its jolting and chaotic traffic patterns. It reminded me of being in the IH.
So we took the trotro to Medina Market first where there was literally anything and everything you could imagine. They sold fruits, vegetables, pigs feet, fish, live crabs and snails, clothes, jewelry, cleaning supplies, shoes, school supplies, and almost anything else you could ever need. It was crowded and we were called Obroni alot. Obroni means white person and obibini means black person. Obroni isn't meant to be a negative term, at least not in most cases, but more of just an observation. We were told to just smile, wave, and keep walking showing that it doesn't bother you.
After Medina Market we went to 37 Military where you can get trotros and taxis going almost anywhere. Its the central hub for them. We also were shown a large vegetable stand and another grocery store. From there we went back to Legon, where campus is. But I see many trotro rides in my future.
One very strange thing we have noticed about our ISEP group is the number of multiples in our families. I have the twins, Zurha's younger brothers are twins, Wilder is a twin, Jenna is a triplet, Vanika is a twin, and there may be one or two other people with twins in the family, but its very unusual. Twins in Ghana are dresses in the same color, and if you are a twin or the parent of a twin you wear white for the mourning period after the death of the twin.
Whenever you are in a vehicle and you are stuck in traffic or at a light men and women alike walk through the road with items on their heads selling stuff to people right through their window. One woman on our trotro bought a water sashae. Its kinda cool being able to grab a bag of plantains chips or a fresh banana or even a bracelet right from the seat of your car. It also has never ceased to impress me the items that woman carry on their heads. They carry boxes with meat of pastries in it, or huge stacks of cloth or water. Its really amazing!
Tomorrow we are going to Cape Coast Castle and staying over nights in the area and then on Saturday we will be going to Kakum National Park. Right now I'm going to pack. Shouldn't be too hard for one night.
Peace.
Katie
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