back to my kalyppo and nescafe life...

My parents left last night. Although it was hard to see them go, yet again, I know that in 10 weeks I will be walking out into the snow and ice of MN to see them again.
Change of plans.
British Airways wouldn't allow Eli to change her ticket from Ghana to Iceland, and United Airways wouldn't allow me to change mine. So I am coming home.
I am sad because I am seriously craving adventure, but I am relieved for a couple reasons.
1) I love Ghana, and all that, but seriously NO ONE GETS ANYTHING DONE HERE. Initiative doesn't exist, and it drives me absolutely nuts some of the time.
2) Volunteering without a degree is difficult. The programs that accept volunteers have enough problems as it is, trying to feed people, and keep people alive for example, and they lack the infrastructure to be able to find good work for unqualified volunteers. Not to mention this is AFRICA. This happens in the US, so its bound to be ten times worse here.
3) My mom almost had 10 anxiety attacks here, and I think it would be better for her health and sleeping habits if I came home for a bit.
4) I want to get some interviews in when I'm home for summer internships that Jean Holloway is going to pull some strings to get.
5) I miss snow :)
6) and Steven.
I just finished the last good breakfast I am going to get in a long while. I want to stay for a bit and swim in the pool etc...but I would almost rather just get my butt on a trotro home so I can wash my clothes and sleep in my own bed. Somehow I miss my little house, with no running water and enormous spiders.
I should get a move on though, I have a 5 hour trotro ride ahead of me.

its just a fond farewell to a friend...

Let me be superficial for 45 seconds (out of 9 months ok??)
My mom brought Itunes for me to stock up my Ipod as part of my birthday present. THEY HAVE GREY'S ANATOMY. I bought the second season. ONE EPISODE TAKES 30 HOURS TO DOWNLOAD. I feel like crying.
And then I tried to download pictures of my life in Ghana. Thats not working either.
Okay enough of the bull for a while.
Anyway, its very bizarre to have my parents here. I feel like too much of a tourist. It is much easier to be a volunteer in this country then a tourist. When I'm with my parents I feel like I am exploiting this country. When I'm a volunteer I get paid minimum wage, and work for relatively nothing just to better it.
So I am enjoying the week with them, but its putting me in a bizarre limbo. For one thing, I am starting to miss home because I have part of it here with me. Also, I am beginning to realize how much I have seriously changed and how difficult its going to be when I get back.
Not to mention I am so cynical. Its unbelievable. I should work on that.
Anyway, we went to the Elmina Castle today, a slave trade castle that stands as a testimony to the disgraces of humankind. It was very interesting, but very predictable. The tourists sites in Ghana are lacking, but its not like I was expecting too much.
I am getting in the weirdest mood with my parents around. I feel much more comfortable travelling on my own and with my volunteer friends because I have probably become accustomed to that. It feels alot different to move around with my parents. I have to explain things, and tell my dad to stop taking pictures. When I'm by myself I know where to go, and don't care that I am travelling on disgusting public transportation (not to mention fatal...) I can just go around as I please. My parents are too old to sit in a trotro for 7 hours.
I would kill to know what Meredith Grey is up to right now.
Well maybe not kill, but I would sure as hell wait 3o hours to find out if I could :)
I think I am finally going to figure out my travel time this week! Its so exciting to know that I am going to get to travel the whole rest of the spring. Its a waste to go home. I took a year off of the one thing I have wanted my whole life, so I might as well actually live the life during these 9 months.
And I think I am going to stick with pre-med. My top two now that I have thoroughly sucked my dad of info: Infectious Diseases (Includes AIDS/HIV) or Women's Health (the latter especially in Muslim countries, where women aren't allowed to be examined by male doctors, the only that exist.) These two would give me the most varied, interesting and valuable experience in travel medicine. Not to mention the fact that I can do my residency in a third world country (my dad just happens to know the head of the international medical program at the U of M.)
In other words I wouldn't have to wait 12 years to help people.
hoorah

good and evil matched perfect it's a great romance
i can deal with some physic pain
if it'll slow down my higher brain

well i'm 19

Just thought I'd write a quick blog about the huge transformation that just occured within myself. I'm 19. Again, I had to remind both of my parents about it.
Screw it, I'm going to eat cake tonight.
Love and miss everyone and seriously 30 people asked me for my address so here it is, yet again:
Rebecca Holloway-Nahum
The Salvation Army Clinic
PO Box 14
Wiamoase, Ashanti Region, Ghana W. Africa

My parents can't deal with Africa, so I gotta run.
Hugs from a very happy 19 year old.

brush the cobwebs of the sky

I am now sitting in Osu, the most westernized part of Accra in the most unbelievably fast internet cafe I have ever been to. I bought an hour but I will probably only need 20 minutes because it moves so quickly. I feel so out of place.
As part of my birthday present my parents allowed me to stay in the nice hotel they rented for all of use a night by myself. Highlights:
Hot bath
Breakfast Buffet
TV
Not to be too graphic, but first I took a shower and scrubbed the hell out of myself, then I took a bath. I still somehow managed to be so dirty that I left a dirt ring around the tub. I haven't felt clean in 3 months. Now I do.
This morning I got to eat eggs, bacon, CEREAL, REAL COFFEE, I went up to the line at least six times, and everyone stared at me. There was a feminist conference there, and I told them I was a volunteer, and they all laughed and said they could tell. I seem deprived.
I watched The 40 Year Old Virgin. So happy.
I have the volunteer bug still. I thought that once I got here I would just think of things in dollars, but I just can't. They charged $12/hour at the ICafe at the hotel so I walked the hour, instead of taking the $4 taxi to this ICafe which costs $1/hour (and its considered expensive :))
I'm probably going to have a hard time with money with my parents because they won't think any of this is expensive, but I freak out spending more than 50 cents. I am going to eat fast food all day to make up for the dinner I had last night which was $7.
I hadn't slept for 3 days before this. We spent Thursday and Friday with the Dutch guys, and then the volunteers had a birthday dinner/party for myself, Liane and Caro on Saturday. Its been like a 3 day party. We went to the best Indian Restaurant I have ever been to. And I am pretty sure I'm not just saying that because I haven't had real food in 3 months. I think it was just that good.
I am SO EXCITED to see my parents. Every time I think they are coming in 8 hours I get this really happy feeling. Its awesome because I'm definately not ready to go home yet, I can't imagine that for months, but I am ready to see them because I really have missed them alot.
So I'll blog maybe within the next, but probably not until I get back to my real life which isn't till next Wednesday.
Miss everyone. Have a good Thanksgiving, and I give everyone permission to eat more to make up for the fact that I won't get to eat any traditional Thanksgiving meal (especially the pumpkin pie.)

and how much did it cost
I was dropped from
the moonbeam
and sailed on shooting stars

progress takes away what forever took to find

for one thing i am totally beat. i painted for 8 hours today and everything hurts ah.
i find it funny that i accomplised as much in one day as my roommate did in 9 days while i was gone.
just a bizarre thought...
i am glad to be back home in wia, but now i am in kumasi meeting eli to go out with david (the med student from a september post) and his friends. sorry for the lack of caps, this keyboard is really difficult to type on. not to mention it took me 9 minutes to upload a website. glorious.
anyway, i have been keeping myself busy the past couple days. my parents come in 4 days, which is awfully weird. i still feel like its months until they come. i think a nice western trip with them will be good for me. i am wearing a little thin with the pleasant facade i keep on regularly here. usually after saying 2 words everyone thinks you're best friends. its actually because i'm white.
i thought the white thing would wear off after 3 months, especially in wia because its a small town, and they see me everyday. but no, i am still followed and yelled after as if it were day one. i told laura once that all the kids come running after you yelling "obruni" and she said "oh, thats so cute." and then i threw up in my mouth a little. i asked eli where she thinks the kids get this from, the obvious answer...their parents, who behave in the same way.
anyway, i don't have that much to say because i've just been doing the same old to past 3 days. i'll write when i have something interesting to say.

the dreaming tree has died

don't be fooled by the rocks that i got

Okay so now I am in Tamale, the Upper Western Region's capital. Quite the bustling city, with alot of bikes with reckless riders that more or less make me anxious. Ho hum.
So we have been on the go since I last wrote on Wednesday. In Wa, we saw the excuse for a palace, which we weren't allowed into because of "reconstruction." Then we went to Wechiau and stayed over night in the most empty town I have seen. We had a nice 5 km bike ride, and saw the head of 2 hippos. One of which, they know to be extremely aggresive. I named him Harry the Angry Hippo. I'm so clever.
The next day we went to Tumu and stayed in another barren guesthouse, then got up at 5 to catch the early morning trotro to Navrango, but ended up waiting until 2:30 to finally get on it and go. The road was not paved until 10 minutes outside of the city, and obviously there was no AC in the trotro, so by the time we got out we looked oranged because we were so covered with dust. Not to mention in sat in our lungs and now we both feel ill. So typical.
At first we really enjoyed Navrango. We stayed in a nice guest house with running water and electricity, but then the next morning, all before 10 am, we were frenagled for money 5 or 6 times. When we finally got to Paga after literally running for our lives from some crazy old man who was running after us with a stick, and from a young girl who snuck into the guest house's restaurant to sit with us and ask for numerous things, we paid a ridiculously high price to see one crocodile and walk around hud huts for 10 minutes. Not to mention 2 men followed us all around town and then claimed to have been guides, and of course asked us for money.
I have to say though, that this trip has been quite a success regarless of the dust, and constant on the go attitude. I have enjoyed getting out of Ashanti, and also hanging out with Eli. Shes even thinking about travelling with me when I make my way up to Israel which would be so awesome.
Of course, the title of this post is dedicated to her amazing ability to put feeling into Jlo's sound and meaningful music.
Anyway....
Luther's dad sent me an awesome email to guide me in trying to figure out some more service work I can do in Ghana, and also (hopefully) in Morocco and Egypt. Thanks Ralph! I really want to work in a non-private organization, and I would LOVE to live with a family, even though it would be difficult to arrange that on my own.
And after my ICYE turmoil, I think I am done with the disaster they call volunteer programs.
My feelings about how much I can actually change here sometimes get really bad. I get so frustrated because Africa is not at all, in anyway, meant to be a comsopolitan based, western society. Nothing from the environment, to the geographical placement, to the attitude and state of mind of its citizens is conductive to it.
The transportation system and road ways are terrible, no one could ever be on time, because it doesn't exist. The climate and environment is not encouraging to create and build proper buildings, roads, electricity etc... Not to mention everyone who has any brain at all wants to get the hell out of here. They are all convinced that turmoil only exists in Africa. I told someone once that there is poverty in the US, and he didn't believe me.
Most people here are determined to make sure I am aware of the suffering that takes place in Ghana, as if its some big secret. I often wonder why they think I came here at all...clearly it was to get rich and exploit the poor...
If the West would have just left Africa alone it wouldn't be in the constant phase of catch-up that will last forever at the rate its going at now. It will never posses half of what western society posseses, and even though in my eyes not only is it OK, but better, everyone hates the idea of it.
Its hard to work somewhere, trying to change something, do something good, when no one who belongs to it actually has any faith or pride in it. They would much rather change places with me.
If Africa's people don't love Africa how in the hell am I supposed to love it?
I don't mean to be a debbie downer, but for the first time I actually saw some genuine African villages on our long trotro rides, and it WORKS here. The mud huts and the straw mats, and the beautiful tribal braiding, and the somewhat ridiculous religious practices, and the basic food, its meant for this place.
In small, real villages money doesn't matter so poverty doesn't exist. Starvation isn't an issue, prostitution isn't a thought, orphans are taken care of...
If I could have changed anything in the course of the world, I would have build a huge fence around this beautiful continent and not allowed the arrogant White Man to come in and change the way of the life that is functional for this place.
Western society's history is an embarressment.

I do get frustrated and down alot when I allow myself to sit inside those thoughts, but I also try to keep my heart in the right place. I am here. I care. If I can do something so insignificantly small, but still positive than so can the 6 billion other people in the world. 6 billion insignificantly small, yet positive things could add up to some pretty damn significant positive things.

The small villages also remind me that some people here must have faith in their country and their culture to resist the push of Western society upon their traditions. Its really quite an inspiration, and makes me extremely happy.

I am so excited to see my parents. If this trip has done anything, it has given me a ridiculous appreciation of them. I have never had to stifle my own dreams. They really allow me to make my way in the world as I see fit. And as I see it, its the only way to make your way anywhere.

Okay I'm off to look for guides on West Africa for my travels. I might not be able to post for a while because the week I get back will be quite busy.

Missing everyone.

i'm still jenny from the block
used to have a little, now i have alot
wherever i go i still know where i came from
:)

someone, please god give that baby a tit

Okay, so right now I am in Wa, the upper western capital of Ghana. For the past 3 days Eli and I have been back packing our way up and around Ghana, and will hopefully be back in Kumasi, in one peice, by Monday.
On Sunday we went to the "Tano Sacred Grove" (grove-/gro'v/[grohv]–noun 1. a small wood or forested area, usually with no undergrowth: a grove of pines.) and our tour guide spoke in extremely broken English very slowly, repeating everything he said 4 times. It was very pretty and a really nice walk. According to him the first people in Ghana were guided by a woman possesed by a spirit to a god in a brass bowl hiding under a rock. Interesting...
at least we laughed about it.
The next day we were to the Buoyem bat caves and hiked 18 km (around 13 miles) to get there, visiting various "rock formations" along the way. Also a nice hike, although I was sort of crabby pants because I was wearing $5 hiking sandals that weren't too good on my toes. Oh well, Eli is always trying to keep me upbeat so I survived :)
However, I am beginning to think that there isn't that much to see in Ghana...
It reminds me of when we were at the national museum in Accra. We had just walked around the entire museum, but as always Eli was slowly lagging behind, having only seen the first floor out of two, and the following conversation occured:
Eli: Is there anything interesting on the second floor?
Rebi: Is there anything interesting on the first floor?
Hehe...
Anyway, to get here to Wa we at first waited in Wenchi, a terrible little hot sweaty village with a terrible guest house, for EIGHT HOURS, then we got on a trotro that would not stop breaking down at 3 pm and didn't get to Wa until 1:30 am. We finally got to some random Numbu guest house with a paper thin mattress which you could feel the boards through, and conspicuously disgusting things sitting in the toilet...
I guess thats what you get for $3 a night though.
But today we started out the day right with a good breakfast of eggs, and some cute little old african man drove us to the icafe on his motorbike. Yay!
Later today we are going to see some "interesting" sights around Wa, then go to the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary, which was actually rated by the UK as one of the top 3 sanctuaries in the world, so maybe there is something interesting on the second floor...
After Thursday we are going to the crocodile sanctuary, Paga, on the border of Burkina and Ghana, then to Bolgatanga to see a "witches" camp, for women who have been accused of witch craft and exiled from their villages. Then we will finally get to Tamale by Sunday, and hopefully get an STC (the most normal type of bus in Ghana) back to Kumasi.
If and when these things actually get done, I will blog about them.
I will impulsively write this, even though I have kept it from everyone but Steven, I chopped my dreads, like 2 months ago, because they were so hot and uncomfortable. So now I look like a boy. A short boy with a girly figure...ya not so much because of the 3 times/day carbs I intakes regularly.
Oh, and the title of this post is dedicated to the baby in the 10 hour trotro ride that would cry and cry until it was fed.
I miss everyone, and can't wait until my parents come for my birthday! I can't believe I'm going to be 19 in a couple days. I grew up so fast :)
Girls, keep your emails coming, I miss you sooo much.
Hugs all around.

It took 20 minutes to get to the posting page...

So I'll begin this blog with a story that I am gratefully borrowing from Eli.
So the International Community School (the wealthiest school in the Ashanti region), there is a variety of ethnicities among the students. During the discussion of What Would Jesus Do, WWJD, the teacher called up 4 Ghanians and 1 Indian student to the front of the class. Then she chose another Indian girl and asked her "If you were on a deserted island and had one bottle of water, who would you share it with?" The girl obviously chose the other Indian boy because more than likely they were friends, and their families were friends etc...But then the teacher asked all the students watching this demonstration why she chose this particular boy. The students then all began to yell "Because he is white!" "He is white!" etc...The teacher clapped her hands together and responded, "Yes kids, because he is white." These kids were 6 or 7 years old, and this is one of the most highly paid teachers in Ghana...
Ya.
Anyway, I have been in Kumasi since Wednesday, and I am ready to get home! I am tired and I need a bucket and sponge shower soon. We are stopping by the orphanage on the way home to give Reverend Kofi the money, and make detailed plans as to when everything should be completed.
Eli has come into contact with a woman who works at the main brothels in Kumasi, giving presentations on AIDS awareness and other STDs, and I might be able to work with her if I talk to her soon enough, and find a way to get some time off during the week so I can get myself into Kumasi.
I also found a project up north in Nkronza that is really great, Operation Hand in Hand. Its an orphanage for disabled children. However, its not the typical orphanage. The children live in little houses in pairs or in threes with 2 parental figures, so they are basically simulating a type of family life, which I think is a really positive way to raise the children. Also they provide education, phy ed, and many other activities so that the kids actually have something to do, instead of wandering around the town, and maybe getting themselves into trouble. I am still waiting to hear back from the director to see if its okay if I can only come for 3 weeks. Hopefully everything will work out.
I am also starting to debate whether or not when I'm in Morocco and Egypt if I should only travel for 1 week in each country, and use the remaining time to do more service work. Thats why I took this year off, and its something I want to do the rest of my life, so I might as well get as much experience as possible now :)
Okay everyone I am FINALLY going to pick up my package my parents sent me a month ago. Hoorah! I truly love and miss everyone and love hearing from you. Especially Steven, because he appreciates the sound of my voice :)

I believe its love thats hiding there
in the shadows, in the darkness