December 25, 2007

• this is africa

  ACCRA, GHANA | HILL VIEW HOTEL, OFFICE è

  “T-I-A, man, T-I-A.”

  it somehow becomes the rationalization of everything that goes wrong here.  things like cabbing to the bus station only to find there are no seats to burkina faso — not now or anytime before christmas.  or cabbing to the airport, twice, to find expensive flights to ouagadougou, later being informed that a confirmed outbound does not a confirmed inbound make.  or, driving up and down through northern ghana and getting a flat tire, twice.  or, transporting two tied-up, screaming lambs and a goat on the top of your four-by-four for 1000 kilometeres.  or, not having enough money and losing your atm card to the bank of africa atm machine, shortly after imprinting your pin.  or, killing or trapping cockroaches in your bathroom, showering under cold water or with no water pressure, or watching your driver vomit on the side of the street.

  this trip, a “pre-trip” to the official ghana study trip which begins on the 27th, has been everything but relaxing.  much of it was spent haggling, negotiating, and driving along bumpy roads.  it has been, many times, miserable and frustrating.  add to that a lack of rapport that i’m typically accustomed to when traveling long distances, and we have a recipe for wanderlust gone awry.

  there have been some redeeming moments, though.  i loved the scores of children who wave at you as you speed past on the highway, or who congregate around your digital camera eager to see pictures of themselves.  i loved the charming little francophone town of bobo-dilausso, in the western part of burkina faso, which reminded me a bit of hanoi with its bicyclists, colorful streets, and french bread bakeries.  i have been impressed with the spirit and friendliness of the local ghanaians and burkinabe who, despite their position on the lowest rungs of the poverty ladder, remain respectful, generous, and refreshingly upbeat.  i have enjoyed practicing my french, eating chinese food in ouagadougou, and sipping a local village’s brew from a piping hot cauldron.

  still, i can’t help but think how expensive this trip has been, both in direct and opportunity costs.  west africa is less inexpensive than all of us had imagined, and being away for the holidays has taken a larger toll on my psyche than i had expected when i first very excitedly booked this trip months ago.  it’s christmas morning here, and it feels so incredibly surreal.  it’s humid and hot (84 degrees fahrenheit), and i’m in freaking africa on christmas day.  i mean, come on, WTF?

  fortunately, last night we connected with the second years who travelled through senegal and mali to ghana, and that has injected the experience with a boost of energy and normalization.  though i miss home and not excited about returning to the states just ten hours before my first class of the winter quarter, i am looking forward to really getting to know ghana and bonding with twenty-five of my gsb classmates.

  wherever you are in the world today, i hope you’re having a very merry christmas and happy holiday.

   

  • 4:32 am
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