Hey all,
You didn't think I'd post here again so fast did you? Ok, maybe not so fast, but compared to my last update, I'm speedy. Well, neither did I. But here I am. I first want to say how cool it is that I am apparently getting people who read my blog from all over the world. That's awesome.Over half my views from this past month have been from overseas. So hello everyone!!
Now onto what I really wanted to say...it's that I have the travel bug again. I've been in one place far too long. Not that I don't like it here. But I need to go and see something. What? I don't know, but I do know that while I'm still going back to Ghana at some point, I want to see more of the world. Now I know your thinking "are you nuts?", and sometimes I think I am, but I still want to travel. I've always wanted to travel, my first love was Italy simply because I liked pasta, and that came from Italy as far as I was concerned. And also I wanted to go there because I loved learning about Ancient Rome when I got older. I did make it there in 2005 on a school trip and loved every minute of it. Then came the decision to go to Africa. I had always wanted to go there long before I told anyone my intentions. I remember watching those World Vision shows that they had on TV for hours, even though they tended to repeat after a while, when I was not even 10 years old yet. Then I got it in my head that I needed to go and do something, so I picked up and left.
And yeah, it was a little nerve-racking the first time around. Before that, the furthest I had travelled completely by myself was only 4 hours away from my parents to Moose Jaw, and even then I had my Grandparents close by. But that didn't stop me from flying half way around the world by myself to Africa. And while I do believe people back here were worried when I missed that one flight and they didn't know where I was because they didn't know when my connecting flight was, I was perfectly fine. I wasn't to worried. I figured out it's just easier not to worry yourself to much, I won't help and just get you worked up. Although I do remember that first phone call to my Dad, almost six days after I had seen him last, that was completely awesome.
Anyway back to my original point, I need to travel. But it won't be anytime this year, there is this thing called a job that gets in the way. Although I will admit working in insurance actually pretty good. I enjoy it, surprisingly. But I still need to travel, I want to see the world. And it will happen, just like I told everyone that I was going to Ghana in the first place, and just like when I told everyone I was going back, they're likely not going to believe me. It's ok, I've come to expect that. But I figure I might as well do it while I'm young and not tied to anything. I figure that I should do what my auntie and I discussed a while ago, that when I go to the airport next time, only tell my parents that I'm going for a few weeks. But just as I get through security, yell back to them that I'm actually leaving for a year and then run like h*ll. We figured it would be hilarious to see there reactions to it.
I don't know what else to tell you, I doubt anybody even cares at this point anyway. But just wait and see, once I have the time and money, I'm outta here...again. Just don't tell the parents.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Its Been a While
My last post I said I'd update this place again at some point, and I don't want to make a liar out of myself so I'm updating again. Its been a year and a half since I've been home. And I can honestly say I miss Ghana as much now as I did the day after I got back. I can't believe its been that long, wow, time flies when your, well, working I guess. Since I've been back I've moved out and am currently working 2 jobs. I never thought I'd have 2 jobs at once, but its not too bad actually. Although they couldn't be at more different places. I am going to miss my 4:30am shift when I go full time at the other place. I'll miss all my old guy regulars who come in for coffee, there so nice, and for the most part, not to creepy.
I have good news about one of the kids at the childrens home, I was on facebook a while back (I think about a month ago or so) and came across a picture of my princess that I hadn't seen before. If you don't remember my princess, Adwoa, was the one little girl during my first stay at the childrens home that I got really attached to, and honestly looked and bringing her here with me. Well, this picture was taken about 2 months before I went back to Ghana the second time, and she looked so big and healthy, it was awesome. Auntie Esther, the house mother at the girls house had told me she went with her mother, but I wasn't sure how much I believed her because I had known her to not tell the truth on something like that, and the first time I asked her about Adwoa she said she didn't know who I was talking about. But the picture that I seen proves that Adwoa was doing very fine only 2 months before I went back, which means that she likely did go with her mother and and not what I feared most. If you ask my mom, I'm sure she'll tell you how happy I was when I saw that picture. I believe my words were that that picture didn't just make my day it made my whole life. That picture is still the background on my cell phone.
I'm still planning on going back, it will happen for sure, but this 2 jobs thing has kinda slowed down the plans for that. But I will. After I came back the first time, everyone asked if I liked it and if I would ever go back. Now they all skip right to the question "when are you going back". Because they know it will happen. I said in one of my previous posts how different it was coming back home the second time compared to the first time, and I can still say it was totally different. I was talking to someone during Christmas who had been to Jamaica recently and they said how some people here don't realize how lucky they are unless the travel somewhere else and see for themselves what really goes on. And its totally true, I really had a hard time coming back the first time with some of the people who live here and act entitled to everything, when back where I had been where some kids dinner would be 1 cup of this milk/porridge stuff and that all they got. If that spilled on themselves when they ate/drank it, well, then didn't get anymore. And then the would lay there because they couldn't literally walk or talk or do anything unless someone helped them even though they were 4 years old. It was really frustrating. But coming back the second time, I don't know if I was used to it, or if I knew what to expect more, but it wasn't as tough. That doesn't mean I didn't want to leave Ghana the second time, definitely not.
But onto happier notes, I still miss FanIce, FanYogo, riding in tro-tros, taxis, and almost getting hit by many vehicles. Especially semi-trucks, those are fun when they come up behind you and drive probably 4-5 feet away from you at 50 kph, that's usually when they honk too. Or when you get yelled "Obruni" at by random people on the street and they ask you something in Twi and then laugh like crazy when you can answer them in Twi. I miss fufu, groundnut soup, jollof rice, plantain chips and yams. And the fish that you get with your meal that still has everything too it, including head and its eyes. I miss the bugs, lizards and huge frogs that make a cool sound when you step on them (accidentally I might add). I miss the cockroaches that would crawl underneath my bed when I was trying to sleep, and killing them with about 15 whacks of my sandal. I miss the spider that was always on the wall of the shower and that one time it had a friend spider that was way bigger. Sleeping under mosquito nets, bug spray, sunscreen, water sachets, getting marriage proposals, annoying chickens, constant 30 degree heat, and walking around town by yourself where you don't know anybody, don't speak the language and stick out like a sore thumb but yet still feel at home.
At Christmas two years ago, we went to the Christmas Eve service at our church, and at that service was a couple, from here, who had lived in Ghana, for 2 years I believe. They came up to me at the end and asked how I was in twi, I was so shocked I couldn't really answer. We talked for a while and it was awesome. Just as I was leaving, I was walked beside the husband who was waiting for his wife, and told him Merry Christmas in Twi, the look on his face was fantastic. I don't think he expected to hear that.
Ok, I'll stop writing now. I had written a whole other paragraph but deleted it because I decided it didn't need to be here. I may come back to blog again some time, but I really don't know.
I have good news about one of the kids at the childrens home, I was on facebook a while back (I think about a month ago or so) and came across a picture of my princess that I hadn't seen before. If you don't remember my princess, Adwoa, was the one little girl during my first stay at the childrens home that I got really attached to, and honestly looked and bringing her here with me. Well, this picture was taken about 2 months before I went back to Ghana the second time, and she looked so big and healthy, it was awesome. Auntie Esther, the house mother at the girls house had told me she went with her mother, but I wasn't sure how much I believed her because I had known her to not tell the truth on something like that, and the first time I asked her about Adwoa she said she didn't know who I was talking about. But the picture that I seen proves that Adwoa was doing very fine only 2 months before I went back, which means that she likely did go with her mother and and not what I feared most. If you ask my mom, I'm sure she'll tell you how happy I was when I saw that picture. I believe my words were that that picture didn't just make my day it made my whole life. That picture is still the background on my cell phone.
I'm still planning on going back, it will happen for sure, but this 2 jobs thing has kinda slowed down the plans for that. But I will. After I came back the first time, everyone asked if I liked it and if I would ever go back. Now they all skip right to the question "when are you going back". Because they know it will happen. I said in one of my previous posts how different it was coming back home the second time compared to the first time, and I can still say it was totally different. I was talking to someone during Christmas who had been to Jamaica recently and they said how some people here don't realize how lucky they are unless the travel somewhere else and see for themselves what really goes on. And its totally true, I really had a hard time coming back the first time with some of the people who live here and act entitled to everything, when back where I had been where some kids dinner would be 1 cup of this milk/porridge stuff and that all they got. If that spilled on themselves when they ate/drank it, well, then didn't get anymore. And then the would lay there because they couldn't literally walk or talk or do anything unless someone helped them even though they were 4 years old. It was really frustrating. But coming back the second time, I don't know if I was used to it, or if I knew what to expect more, but it wasn't as tough. That doesn't mean I didn't want to leave Ghana the second time, definitely not.
But onto happier notes, I still miss FanIce, FanYogo, riding in tro-tros, taxis, and almost getting hit by many vehicles. Especially semi-trucks, those are fun when they come up behind you and drive probably 4-5 feet away from you at 50 kph, that's usually when they honk too. Or when you get yelled "Obruni" at by random people on the street and they ask you something in Twi and then laugh like crazy when you can answer them in Twi. I miss fufu, groundnut soup, jollof rice, plantain chips and yams. And the fish that you get with your meal that still has everything too it, including head and its eyes. I miss the bugs, lizards and huge frogs that make a cool sound when you step on them (accidentally I might add). I miss the cockroaches that would crawl underneath my bed when I was trying to sleep, and killing them with about 15 whacks of my sandal. I miss the spider that was always on the wall of the shower and that one time it had a friend spider that was way bigger. Sleeping under mosquito nets, bug spray, sunscreen, water sachets, getting marriage proposals, annoying chickens, constant 30 degree heat, and walking around town by yourself where you don't know anybody, don't speak the language and stick out like a sore thumb but yet still feel at home.
At Christmas two years ago, we went to the Christmas Eve service at our church, and at that service was a couple, from here, who had lived in Ghana, for 2 years I believe. They came up to me at the end and asked how I was in twi, I was so shocked I couldn't really answer. We talked for a while and it was awesome. Just as I was leaving, I was walked beside the husband who was waiting for his wife, and told him Merry Christmas in Twi, the look on his face was fantastic. I don't think he expected to hear that.
Ok, I'll stop writing now. I had written a whole other paragraph but deleted it because I decided it didn't need to be here. I may come back to blog again some time, but I really don't know.
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