Where have all the cows gone?

In reality, I don’t even know if there are cows in Ghana. I have yet to see one. But if they have beef, they must have cows somewhere, right?

My next question then is: Where have all the DAIRY cows gone? There is hardly any dairy available here, much less consumed. How do these people have strong bones? Where is this calcium they are getting because I don’t see it? I have been here just under three weeks and I have not had a slice of cheese or class of milk. We even have goats in my yard at home and we do not utilize them for either.

I’m not going to lie. I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but I really miss cheese. Actually, there are a lot of foods that I miss already, but I’m not going to list them here because a) that would take too long and b) it’s only been 3 weeks.

Another perplexing food question is why isn’t mercury poisoning a problem? I asked my host dad this question just the other night and he responded with “It isn’t a problem because we don’t know about it”.
What a statement. I’m sure that sums up the majority of the problems throughout the developing world.
He even told me that Ghana had been encouraging its citizens to eat more fish because of its nutritional advantages. Fish really is great for you, and I personally love it. It’s protein packed and full of omega 3s. Who doesn’t love omega-3s? However, I’ve had fish for the past three nights in a row and I’m a little worried. At home I usually don’t eat fish more than once a week, twice on occasion, especially tuna, which I’m told is very high in mercury. How then, do the Ghanaians survive? My family for example eats fish a minimum of four times a week, every week. They don’t know about this problem, but that doesn’t mean they don’t suffer from it. Do they just chalk it up to another case of malaria this time with a stomach ache?

This also leads me to think, what other problems does the country of Ghana suffer from because they just don’t know about it? And why don’t they know about it? Ghana may be suffering from brain drain, but mercury levels in fish is (at least in the West) a pretty well known thing. I would think that this would at least have been brought over by some of the many scholars who have visited. Is the country purposefully trying to keep Ghanaians in the dark? And what else could they be keeping secret?

On a much lighter and less frightening note, I have finally played football with Ghanaians. Twice. Once was on the beach with a large game of monkey in the middle. The second time was just on a street off of mine with a bunch of neighborhood kids. Some of them including Tony Yeboah’s children and nephews. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I played football with Tony Yeboah’s children. It’s going to be a great 4 months.

Oboruni

Oboruni. White person. Essentially, someone who sticks out like a sore thumb here. The object of many men's eye. A stranger. Me.

And that is exactly how I feel. Strange.

I have never lived abroad before. The most time I've spent in foreign countries was two weeks in Russia. Not that big.

This however, this is big. I've had no practice for this. I was just thrown into the ring to battle with conflicting emotions, new and exciting food and people, but most importantly, just the whole experience of living in a developing country. Which is exactly what Ghana is.
Ghana is not developed, but it is certainly in the process of it. There is poverty knocking at the door of the richest man in Ghana, who lives on my street. When a girl sees me talking on my cell phone while walking down the road, she extends her arm, begging for money, telling me she's hungry. Men and women do acrobatics on the beach and eat and regurgitate glass to try and amuse the wealthier folk who can actually enjoy a day relaxing on the beach.

Most families don't have running water, and if they do, it trickles. My shower each day consists of running a shower head over my body countless amounts of time to try and wash the dirt and grime that I've collected throughout the day walking to and from the university and other various places in the city of Accra. I don't think I will actually be fully clean until December when I come home and vigorously scrub all the dirt of my body with a horsehair brush.

Despite all of these weird adjustments that will take a while to fully make, I am just getting through this one day at a time. Each day is new and exciting. The learning curve is huge and I can't even fathom the type of person I will be come December.

tick tock tick tock

The time has finally come. I will be leaving for Ghana in just about 4 days. I can't believe the wait is over!

I can't decide if I'm more excited or nervous. I think my mom is nervous and worried enough for the both of us. The only thing I'm really worried about right now is my flight. I just am a little apprehensive about not finding my program leaders when I arrive in Accra.
I'm also a little nervous about meeting me family, but luckily I have a week of orientation to adapt to the weather and time difference and such, so I'm hoping that will make the transition easier.

I also hope that choosing to have family doesn't take too much away from the university experience. I'm sure it will be worth it for the full cultural immersion.


It's exciting to think that next time I post I will physically be in Ghana!

Nante yie!