Joanna in Tarkwa, Ghana 11 Feb 08

Greetings from Tarkwa, Ghana, West Africa!

I am having a great time and the people are wonderful. I live in a smalbrl room near the University of Mines and Technology campus. I arrived late on Tuesday, February 5th in Accra, Ghana (the capital of Ghana) and after a bit of struggle managed to find a hotel room for a reasonable rate of $60 US. Unfortunately, the water was not running, but was on by the next day (although no hot water). A big bonus was that the air conditioning actually worked! It is hot here. Most days are around 90 - 95 F and really humid. Accra was a typical large 3rd world city. It was noisy and there was a lot of trash around, but the people are wonderful and compassionate.

There was even more energy around the city because of the Africa Cup (soccer) was been held in Ghana and there was a game held that evening in Accra.

On Wednesday morning, after a cold shower and a breakfast of scrambled eggs and baked beans, I made my way to the bus station to figure out how to get myself to Tarkwa. Sammy, a very nice man on the hotel staff, drove me into the city and gave me a breif tour of the major sites. On the busy ring road, you can find vendors selling everything from oranges to hub caps to car floor mats. They stand in the middle of the road holding the items up and when you slow down for traffic they come by your window and quote you a price. Ghana has recently changed their monetary system to make transactions easier. It used to be about 9500 Cedis to one US dollar. Now it is about 0.97 Ghana Cedis to one US dollar. this makes things a lot easier for me to calculate and you don't have to carry dozens of Cedi notes around.

My hotel was also a jazz club and there was live music each night. I met some Nigerians who were in town for the soccer matches and they invited me to have a drink with them that evening at the hotel. They asked me if I have ever been to Nigeria and after I said "no" they said I should go sometime while I am visiting Africa. I told them I was concerned about the safety in Nigeria, but they assured me that the US press has blown everything out of proportion and if I would allow them to be my host, I would be more than safe.

Even with their assurances, I don't believe I will put Nigeria on my list of thing to see while in Ghana!

That evening I enjoyed a Star Beer and listened to songs like "You Are Wonderful Tonight", by Clapton in a sort of elevator music sound.

Well, the following day I traveled by bus to Tarkwa. The bus left at 2 in the afternoon, so I knew it would be dark by the time I arrived. Since we are so close to the equator, the sun rises about 6 and sets about 6. My host in Tarkwa, Dr. Richard Amankwah, said that he would be sending his student, Victoria, to collect me at the station.

The bus ride was long, about 6-7 hours, but fairly comfortable. I arrived in Tarkwa without incident and after a bit of a wait at the stop, Victoria found me and drove me to the University Guest House. I did, and continue, to get a lot of attention here. I am the only Broni (White) in the whole town..I think. I get a lot of looks and people want to ask where I am from, etc. I don't ususally mind, they all have good intentions. The kids, in particular, come up to me often saying "Broni, broni, what is your name?" They like to touch my skin and sometimes ask for money. I don't give them money just because then I would have dozens of children following me around town. So I tell them that I don't have any money today, but I will be in Tarkwa for 5 more months and that I will be sure to give them something before I leave.

English is the official language, but most people speek Twi (pronounced Chwee) or fanti. The accent they speak english in is very strong and it is often difficult to understand them. I am learning, but slowly.

My room is small but comfortable...and has hot water! I do have to get used to the bugs and other animals running around. I am trying to live in peace with the insects and geckos in my room. Here is a picture of Mr. Spidey, he lives on the wall by my door. We had a talk and I told him as long as he doesn't come into my bed, we won't have any trouble.

Outside my house/apartment there are also many goats and chickens. I took this picture from my front doorway:

The goats don't really bother people and will run if you try to get too close. There are also lots of chickens. The only problem is that the roosters crow all day, beginning at about 6 am. this is a problem!

Tarkwa is a heavily forested tropical rainforest. There are lots of palm trees, coconut trees and orange trees. The back of my place is all jungle, but it is being removed rapidly for building. Here is a photo from my back porch:

Since I have been in Tarkwa, I have been to a true Ashanti funeral in Kumasi and to church...Yes, church. Folks are really religious here! I went to a baptist church where there was a lot of singing and dancing.
I will write more of my experiences as time goes on, but for now I should try to do some work!