Ahhhh!
There is so much to say and I have limited time in the Internet cafe and it will be closed tomorrow and I leave to travel Morocco on Tuesday, and I don't know when I'm gonna be able to get online again, and I know when I get back I will tons of MOROCCO stuff to say, and I will have forgotten all my GHANA stuff to say. Yeeeeeeesh.
So: Out of an original group of 60 people there are about 15 of us left. The day that most everyone left was TERRIBLE. Oh my god. I haven't cried so much since I said goodbye to Tyra and Melody outside Holy Cow at like 2am my last night out in the city. So...there were a lot of tears. SO many tears. My handkerchief ( I have several--to wipe sweat, not tears or snot) was DISGUSTING. It got quite the scrubbing in a bucket of cold water and bar soap in between my jeans and one of my 5 wife beaters. Let me tell you.
I realized as I was hugging goodbye all these incredible fascinating people I have met here that I am always the one leaving. I don't think there has ever been a time when I have been left. That was the strangest feeling. I mean, I left Sweet Home for San Francisco, I've left like 6 jobs on my own, and have left really wonderful friends behind. I left San Francisco for Ghana, and now 45 people left me in Ghana to figure out how to function without this huge group around me. They shifted my reality and perception of what my Ghana experience IS. The second half will be infinitely different from the first. Different people, a new sense of belonging, the fear that I will do something wrong has been numbed, it's still there under the surface...but Ghana has become my home...at least for the time being. Wow.
All of these people leaving also made me realize that I am leaving eventually. I still have 6 months, which is longer than I've even been gone...but that time is only going to get smaller, and that is SO terrifying. There is so much to do and see and feel and experience in such a small amount of time. I find myself wishing I didn't have to go to school...even though that is the purpose for my stay.
The last 3 weeks here have been really intense. I finished my finals, maybe not with flying colors...but then again, a 70% is an A here...so who knows? I finally finished that research paper, with my advisor being horrible and heartless until the end. In the process of finishing that paper I got to meet and interview the former First Lady of Ghana, Nana Rawlings. She is the president of a women's organization I was writing my research about, and a total feminist. I really liked her, even though I was a little afraid of her. I travelled to Ada Foah (Adda Fo) Estuary, where the Volta river meets the ocean (it was practically a calendar picture, perfect beaches, palm trees, hammocks, amazing) and climbed Wli (Vlee) Falls. This is maybe the hardest thing I have done in a long, long, time--4 hours up and back down an incredibly steep mountain to see both the upper and lower falls, but totally worth it because we totally got to SWIM in the water fall pools. It was wonderful. And then just hanging out with people until they boarded planes to go back to a world I am starting to blur with everything I've grown used to here.
After everyone left campus (international and Ghanaian students alike) the National People's Party (NPP) held their election on campus to pick their candidate for the upcoming presidential election in 2008. 19 men covered the campus in their campaign posters and billboards, and in a matter of about 2 days, 2300 delegates from around the country arrived to cast their votes on Saturday. With them came what seemed to be half of Ghana in the form of supporters, merchants, protesters, and general ass-holes. All of us oboruni (white/foreign) girls hid in our dorms for the majority of the weekend in order to save ourselves from the inevitable harassment. (not being able to blend in EVER can really be a pain) The elections are over, and now campus is covered in garbage. Tons of food remains, campaign posters, water sachets (pure water is sold in about 16oz plastic bags for 5 pesewas--not sure I mentioned before...) among the mess.
I've also been planning a 3 week trip to Morocco with Elena. We leave on Christmas day (4:00am flight--yummm) and are visiting Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, and Marrakesh, and might pop over to Spain for a day or two. It is going to be a really nice vacation from everything. Different from both Ghana and the States. We're hoping that the different cultural climate will be fun, but won't put us through a new form of culture shock...here's hoping.
I will write about my Morocco adventures when I get back--possibly along the way, depending on the availability of Internet cafes.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I love you.
