Monday, February 6, 2012

Fufu. The other white meat.


Hello dear blog followers! 
It’s been too long (again…) since I’ve updated my blog, which I apologize for if you are depending on this for updates. 
So the past week and a half or so has been pretty good.  I believe that first off, however, it is time to do the much anticipated work update. So as a few of you know, I am actually in the process of moving to a new NGO.  I’ll be in the same city so no need to move or anything like that.  The NGO that I was working for is a relatively large one and is staffed by some of the most well educated and motivated people I’ve meet in Ghana.  That being said, after a month of observing I was noticing that there was little room for improvement from one little white girl from the US.  So when my own project offered the opportunity to begin working with a newer/smaller NGO that needs some serious foot work I agreed to change (anyone out there thinking of teasing me because I don’t know how to relax, can it.  I already know that. :) Thanks.).  I will simply say that there was “a little” backlash when I told them I was leaving and after multiple somewhat confrontational meeting with the higher ups I think (hope) that I left without stepping on any toes.  I will say that this was one of my first brushes with the bluntness of some Ghanaians.  Asking “why are you giving up?” to someone who is going to a new job would be shockingly inappropriate in the states and I will admit that even though I understand the cultural difference, I still bristled at it.  All three times.  But I’ve agreed to come back as often as my schedule can manage as a kind of contractor to help with a couple of projects I helped to start. So tomorrow (that’d be Monday as I’m writing this, but we’ll see when I actually post this.) is my first day at my new project working doing health outreach to youth through sports.  I don’t think I’ll have much to do with the actual sports aspect, but they need some big time help with organization, curriculum development, funding, and all that.  I’m trying to stay positive about the new situation, and I am expecting good things.  (Later update!  The job went really well today! They have about a million bajillion things they want me to do, but I'm very excited.  I was even attacked by children today!  My new coworker had to pull me out of the pile by my arm.  I wanted a shower almost immediately, but it definitely made me smile!) 
So what’s new, what’s new?  Here are some thoughts. 
I went for a short outing today to my project office and decided to keep track of the people who yelled at me on the street.  23 people yelled at me, mostly men and children (WHAT A COINCIDENCE.), two people offered me rides in their private cars (Ohhhhhhellno.), had 2 little boys walk and talk with me for a while, and 3 people asked for money. 
I’ve been to the beach two weekends in a row.  I believe I could swim in warm water, sit in the sun, and eat fruit for lunch every single day for the rest of my life and die a happy person.  Ok, I’d probably get bored and make myself overly busy somehow, but seriously everyone.  Swimming in the ocean is awesome.  Really, really awesome.  Also, the last time we went to the beach some extremely friendly South African gold miners paid for everything all day after we talked to them for a little while.  Not a bad deal.  A little odd.  But still not a bad deal. 
I ate my host mom’s fufu for the first time today.  It was such a momentous occasion that Uncle Archer, Auntie Doris’ best friend, actually took my picture eating it.   Fufu (for those of you who think that fufu sounds more like a name for a small dog) is kasava root and plantains pounded with a stick until (as far as I can tell) the starch breaks down.  This process produces a food with an indescribable texture that one is supposed to eat with the hands, and you are instructed not to swallow.  I will compare it to… powdered mashed potatoes that have been cooked for too long and can now be rolled into a very sticky, yet kind of elastic ball.  That’s the best I can do.  Auntie Doris promptly forced a large glass of red wine on me just before I was about to leave the house.  Anyone who has ever had red wine with me knows that I turn a striking bright pink when I drink it, the perfect shade for going out in public.  Honestly, sometimes it is hard to be this attractive all the time.  It’s a burden.
Auntie Doris also said something to me today that made me feel really good.  She said she was going to miss me when I am gone.  Today marks my official 1-month from leaving home, although you’ll have to give it another two days before my arrival in Ghana anniversary.  I woke up missing everyone so badly, just wishing for a lazy day in my pj’s in front of the fire, and wanting a hug (there is a SERIOUS lack of hugs here).  But after a little food, kind words from Auntie Doris, and the realization that I’m actually making friends here, I started to feel a little better.  I can now sing along with the popular songs, give directions on the street, speak a little (a VERY little) bit of fante, hail a cab like a boss, recognize the signs of rain, sleep through my neighbors slaughtering a goat, joke around with my family, and eat soup without utensils.  It feels like a world away today, but I think I’ll be making it through the next two months.  

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