I Should Have Brought A Sham-Wow

Seriously, though, it would have been really helpful. I had a teacher who has done work in South East Asia and he said that’s what he used for the sweat. And the infomercial man is really convincing (was that Billy Mays or the other guy?).

Last night I went out to dinner with the other volunteers because one of them is going home today. We went to this place called Ceslbridge, which is an outdoor pub. It’s hot even at night, but it is much more pleasant, especially with a breeze. Anyway, all of the other volunteers ordered their beers and other drinks. When the waiter came to me, I asked for a Coke and I think he was kind of surprised. I almost asked for water, because that’s what I usually get when I go out, but then I remembered where I was and figured that wouldn’t be the best idea. It was good though. Coke here seems to be less carbonated than in the States, which I kind of like. The food was good too. My first real meal in Ghana, and guess what I had…a cheeseburger and fries. Ethnic, huh? It was a good burger, but the ketchup tasted kind of funny. After that we all took taxis home. Even though I got in bed around 11, I could not fall asleep until around 1:30. I’m never taking a nap again…and I love my naps.

I started my internship today. I got an outline of the projects I will be working on for the next 12 weeks and I’m so excited, but there are some things that I’m not too confident about, even though it’s stuff I have done in school. It’s different doing it in the classroom compared to the “real world”. One of the projects I’m excited for is interviewing people who have been cured of TB and getting the story of their illness and the struggles they went through to be cured. These stories will then be put together into a booklet and hopefully used to reduce the stigma surrounding those with TB. For a few weeks, I will be doing reproductive health education in primary schools, which is pretty sweet. Hopefully I can use some of the things I’ve learned to contribute to the program. I have some other responsibilities, but I’m not sure exactly what they all entail. Today I met 3 of the people I will be working with, but tomorrow I will be going around to meet other volunteers and see more of what DIF does.

Today I also had my first taste of real Ghanaian food. For lunch I had beans with palm oil and this cornmeal-ish stuff (they call it red red), fried plantains that were spicy, and fried potatoes. It was pretty good, but tasted pretty different from anything I’ve ever had. I’m excited to try more stuff as I’m here longer. I have yet to have fufu, which I’m told is a must.

Since being here, I have never been so grateful for cold showers. They are truly magical after coming home from a long day in the sun. Water heaters here are highly overrated. Another thing that is magical – ceiling fans. I could sit under the one in our living room all day, but sadly I must go outside. It is always nice to come home to though. Magical thing #3 – sport sunblock. I have been out in the sun for hours at a time and have not gotten burned. Instead, I remain my usual pasty whiteness. Hopefully I will get a sweet tan before I come home and make you all jealous.