It has been so long since I have been able to use the internet! I have been living in Gwollu for about a month now, so here's what I've been up to (breifly):
-My place is awesome... I got some covers made for my furniture (kind of looks like leopard print, very nice!) and I put down some linoleum flooring (called "carpet" here) in my main room so my place is very comfortable.
-I have been named "Speaker of Parliament..." Different groups of men frequently sit (during the dry season when they are not farming) in the same place together somewhere in town and they call their groups "Parliament." So one of my first days in town some guys called me over to sit and talk with them in front of a hardware store. Ever since I have stopped by almost every day and so they (half jokingly) have dubbed me the speaker of their parliament. It's awesome.
-I got a bike... and a fridge... I hope. I am just returning from Tamale where I got a bicycle. The bike was "new" and seemed pretty nice but already (in 1 day) the chain has broken twice and the front tire has popped twice. That was just from me "trying it out" after the guy (who I paid) "fixed" it. Argg... it was a very frustrating purchase. AND continues to be... this morning I travelled from Tamale to Wa on a very overcrowded bus and they refused to take my bicycle on board anywhere. SO, I had to SPRINT about 1k down the road (and then back, to catch the bus as it was pulling away) to put my bike (and pay someone) on top of a different bus which I was TOLD will arrive across the street from this very internet cafe "sometime today." Don't worry, I've got the internet cafe guy on the lookout for me. We'll see if this bus/bike arrives and what type of condition it is in! Oh and the fridge... I gave a fridge repair guy $100 to go and get me a fridge in Kumasi... But I do kind of know the guy... so I am pretty sure he will return (with a fridge) later this week, as he promised!
-I just used a seriously GROSS public latrine in Wa. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Thankfully I was smart enough to at least travel with my own toilet paper so that I didn't have to use the one small piece of newspaper they offered me. There were tons of little worms and bugs all over... I think I have said enough on this subject.
-Cowboy Hat! My friend and I both bought Indiana Jones style cowboy hats in Tamale for $2 this weekend. They are awesome.
-SNOOOOOP DAWG. I am getting a puppy tomorrow. There were a few across the street from me and so they are saving me a male for when I get back tomorrow. He will be named Snoop.
-Election Results: After some relatively minor disputes/revotes/allegations the Ghana Presidential Election is finished. Professor John Evans Atta Mills, the National Democratic Congress Candidate, has been sworn in as President. The NDC has not been in power in Ghana for 8 years (the NPP has), so this move will be sure to change some things up. I watched the swearing in event on TV with some friends in Gwollu... it was really cool.
-No Local Name Yet... My community has still yet to officially give me a local name (I think it has been due to a combination of procrastination and election stuff, other events, funerals in town, etc.) but I think this week we are having some sort of event/ceremony. People in town have been suggesting names to the Chief and my counterpart so some areas of town are already calling me various Sissala names. What they will ultimately decide I don't know, but the debate has been pretty heated as I hear certain people lobby in support/opposition of specific suggestions. Mostly though, I am known as "Mister Adams." The kids, and my night watchman, also just call me "master" which is a little awkward/funny. In Ghana (and perhaps other places) "Adams" is a Muslim name. Since almost everyone in my town is Muslim, they seem to be very excited/confused when they learn my name is "Adams" (they always add the "s" even if I don't, so I just go with it). So I am ALWAYS being asked if I am a Muslim and I have to politely explain that I am not and that "Adam" is considered a name of no particular religion in the U.S.
-CROCS! I mentioned in an earlier post that my town has sacred crocodile ponds... I checked them out and they are awesome! 100+ crocs live happily right down the street from my house. Since it is the dry season, their pond is getting low and so many of them come out frequently to just lay/play in the sun. There are some nice trees to sit under next to the ponds so sometimes I just go to watch the crocodiles. You can get really close to them and they don't bother people at all. All sorts of people go in the water to fetch barrels full of it in the very same pond where all the crocs are. Some of the kids even know that one of the biggest ones will allow you to grab its tail (and they do it!).
Alright, my time here at the internet cafe is running out so I will go. Still no bus/bike (yikes!). Oh well, it will all work out... always does! I likely will not be making it to a reliable/functional internet connection very often so I appologize in advance for not responding to emails or posting frequently. I hope everyone had a nice holiday season... to all those in the snow, if I could send you this 100 degree heat I would!
