Well, time here goes on, and i learn more everyday...
Sunday morening... I wake up and my house is empty, so I call my host dad and he meats me at atomic junction and we make our way to big mamma's prespitiran church. where we are split into bible studies groups by theday we are born.. Me, being born on a thursday(making my name Yaw (pron. Yao)) I went up to the balcony past the sweet organ and into a class in which I understod nothing, not becasue I don['t study the bible but because I don't understand the local language(s). Luckly the day was cloudy and the fan above my head made the time pass quickly, through the beautiful songs and times of prayer...

I have learned that people here do not always go to church for religion, but rather for socail standing, when asking my host dad why big mamma goes to church in New Town in stead of Haatso, (my home town), he said it is becuase she is high up in her church and would have to start from zero at her other option, the presbitiain chuch in Haatso...

Apon arriving home, I was feeling a little strange so I put on my sunglasses and went out to look at stuff inmy home community. As I went i met many people, as usual, but most importaintly was a group of kids playing soccer, (football), and I joined them, they kept asking me wheather I was going to play with them, as I was playing, and in about 30 mins, the game started, and it was great fun, very fun, untill some guys tried to steal my bike infront of my eyes and I decided it was time to go...

Now I don't want you to get upset, I saw them doing it, and knew what was going on, it was jsut strange, and besides, by bike was locked anyways... Just an interesting occurance that has not bothered me, so let it not bother you...

My classes are also going very well. We are learning from a very well educated man about Ghanaian institutions and their impact or not on development...
All that is being taught is very related to our everyday lifes and it is facinating and very fortuanate way to learn about a culutre.

I have also started buying avocado's and making sandwhiches for lunch everyday. It is nice, and tasty.

Well that is my life up to now. I hope you are all doing very well

PEACE adn LVOE
ALEX

Yesterday I tried my hand at our family bussiness: water distribution to people who don't have running water. So, we take water frfom the government company, which I am sure we pay a lot for, then put in two 250 leter and one 140 leter containers (polytanks) on the back of a big blue truck and drive throuhg potholed roads untill we get to our destination.
Yesterday we need help from on person becuase our hoses weren't long enough and the road to on tank had been washed out, then we went and helped a differnet person with the same problem. The driver said to me, we help each other, it is how we can all do our work. A very nice centiment...
As we went people thought it was halarious for an obruni (white man) to be delivering water people asked the driver things like "where did you find him" and all was jolly as we rolled down the dirt raod.
Also, my computer has been fixed, by time... I tried to use it yesterday and it worked jsut fine, strnage, so now I have my music, my word processing and my music recording devices all back (plus some more pictuires of Kate),

I find it interesting that sometimes we take for granted bits of infrastucture that here are sparse. Traffic lights do exist but are not always followed, roads are not maintained at all, land lines are almost unheard of, water outages are common, washing machines are only for the wealthey (I now have cuts on my hands from doing washing) garbage pick up is expensive and is brobably jsut burnt anyways, there is bottle recycling, and bus services (thouhg total different than ours) but Canada's infrastucture is tightly put together, and we often forget that, I think...

PEACE and LOVE
ALEX

Well, times here are going well, I have now been here three weeks, and feel more comfortable everyday, yesterday, I went down town to eat a falafel and when I came back to the university after a very enlighten disscusion with the taxi driver about development and my role as a westerner in Ghana, I had a warm feeling inside that let me know that this place is special and that I am learning a lot here, in a comfortable way.

I have also aquaired a bike, a nice green womens bike, with no top bar, it is nice. ..
I also took my banjo to school toady and meet some americans who want to organize a blues jam, just my style...

And my family at home is going better and better everyday..
I get home and they are there, we sit toghether for hours and talk, or i listen to them speaking Krobo, but it is nice, we do our homework together there is many children, Kofi, Renata, Diana (is to girl who cooks), and some more, whose names I haven't cuaght yet, but that does not seem to matter... my day are getting fuller and fuller with school and spending time with family, I can hardly find time to do all of my readings..;. but i dso themn anyways...
I feel more comfortable here everyday, and times keep on going...

I still miss oyu all and hope that your situation finds you in a good state of mind.

PEACE and LOVE
ALEX

Dear all,
They have jsut unvailed a plan here to build the east legon road bigger, which is a very good idea as it is always filled with traffic. And the traffic here is not like our traffic in Canada but it has a different sort of energy, people slowly inch forwards untill the on comming car ahs no chioce but to stop, however the stopped drivers do not mind but curtiouly let their fellow man/woman into the lane. No one seems to get to mad, as happy horns are blown to let people know you are there, or if you are a taxi driver to attempt, with a face like a puppy dog, to convince the pedesstrain to join you.
In the city it is the same however the grid lock is much more sever, as thee levels of high way are all in grid lock, it is amazing sometimes to think that one could walk faster down the road than to be in a motor vehicle.
The only time people seem to get mad is when someone commits a driving error or if they see a small fight starting on the side of the raod, then everyone in ear/eye shot will yell untill the situation is resolved, or the auto they are in has moved forward in the traffic.
I guess that the traffic isn't always this bad, however at rush hour, and also other points in the day, this seems to be the trend.
BUt me, walking a lot am jsut an observeer, giving all the rights of way to the drivers as to be sure to save my own life.

As big black clouds of smoke come out the back of trucks I am happy, knowing taht this is my home, but also that these roads will soon be more lanes and the congestion, at least for the time being will be lessioned.

But i guess it is not much different than toronto...

PEAce
ALEX

wELL i WANTED TO WRITE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE CAPE COAST CASLTe, I think all people who go there feel emence sadness to see the dungeons and the 'door of no return' where slaves passed through for 200 years... and in contrast to the huge rooms and party parlors of the brittish governer. The feeling is sad and dark, and it is hard to deal with. I begin to feel guilt because of my race but some conversations from the day before come to my mind. THe man I met and sang with about BOb marley talked with me a lot about how all people are the same, it doesn't matter your colour, for that is only skin deep. And my race based guilt turns into sadness about the humnas who had their lives changed for ever as they passed in and out of this huge caslte. We are all one people, and the pain of any should make us feel for the human race, not for one race or another, not guilt based in what some of my ansestors (maybe not directly) were a part of.

As we leave cape coast we see the white walls of a terrible place shining in the sun , looking out wards towards the americas over the blue waters of the atlantic ocean...

it is friday morlning and the weekend trip I have just finished is under way. I meet my 4 travel companions at campus and se beging heading for the State Transport Companies(STC) bus station which takes you to Cape coast. YOu see here the is not jsut one bus station therre are many, and depending on where you want to go, you go to different places in Accra. We get stuck in thick traffic on the two lane rd out of legon and think that we muight miss our bus. So we get to 'circle' (Kwame Nkrumah Cirlce) and some helpful friends who we've just met takes to a cab and we ask to go to STC station. He takes us for a very reasonable price to a bus station. We pat 3$ for a 3 hour bus trip and leave out, amazingly right on schedual (ish). The road is very good in parts, but some parts there are detours due to constuction and we must drive at 10 or 15 KM/h. We pass many differnet types of house on the raod, we see mud huts with thatched roofs, we see broken down block houses that are inhabited by poor people, we see huge mansions a top the hills that role on and on in the distance.
When we arrive in Cape coast the air is realxed and the people are nice, they do not hassel us the same as people in accra... But on arrival we find out that the bus we took was not STC but that the taxi drive took us to a better cheeper bus station... it is great howe thigns are working out. We also meet richard, a beach hussler who is our age adn he 'escorts' us around for the whole weekend, (unasked). That night we sit on top of our cheep hostle (30 000 CEDI, 3$ ) and drink some beers and eat a lovely dinner. After the at we go out andLOOK AT STUFF around town, it is beautiful, the old castles are depressing but beuatiful and the architecture in this town is amazing, with very much colonial influnce and old buildings left from the 500 that cape coast was the colonial administrative centre. The kids all run to us and we talk to everyone, even a game of hacky sack get a lot attentin and we play in a huge circle.

That night I meet a man and we have a two hour conversation (sing along) to bob marley lyrics, it was very deep for us both...

The next day we contiune on route to our main estination, the Kakum natioanl park, which was okay, but not the highlight of the weekend. ON our way home we are picked up by a pick up truck and ried back to town in the truck bed.

OUr trip was very fun and I feel like I know a little more about ghana now. I am learning to intereact beter with people as I become more comfortable and used to the differdnt culutral ways of conversation and meeting people.

I am feeling very good today and am looking forward to the rest of my time as I continue to learn in this great country.

I learned on this trip that everywhere you go here, people will help you, even if they do not do what you asked, you get where you are giong adn make many friends en route...

PEACE and LOVE
ALEX

Well I have 3 short thing to talk about today...

TOday, as I was walking into school, 2 people, men of about my age, stopped me and said the exactly same thing...
I like you as my friends, and I say politly, oh, good, I like you too, then they ask for my phone number, of which I say I have none, and then they say they will miss me untill I see them them next. I fins this a little strange, what does this really mean, they always make sure to know exaclty where I am from, maybe it is genuine, but I have just met these people walking on the street, so I don'\t want to give out my ohione number to them right away. Maybe I am being to cuations... but this is something not normal in Canada I think...

Yesterday, Iwent into down town Accra, it was very very very busy, people everywhere, most with some thing or another perched lightly on the top of their heads. These things never fall and never seem to be taken down... The sidewalks overflow on to the street and wild commotion is everywhere, of which I am adding to.. It is great, but very overwhelming.

Today I played with the puppy at my house for the first time, it is very cute, we actually have two puppies, of which the father and mother live in our house, well in the yard, but they are allowed to come in to the house sometimes. THere is also anohter male dog who fights with theother male dog, it is a funny soap opperea of dog interactions. I also see many other animals. I see mostly lizards of all different sizes. At any point when you look to an outside wall, you will see one, some are only green while others are brightly coloured. Other common animals are goats, manly small eating grass near the ditches, and chickens, with many little chicks in toe. I also see cats, but mostly only kittens, i don't know why. And unfortunalty, Nick , I haven't seen any turantuals or scorpions yet, but if I catch one it will be in the mail... (hahahah) I don't think that will be possible thouhg. These sceans are lovely and usually make me happy. sometimes the animals don't seem to be owned by anyone, but I am sure that they are, but there is no leash attaching them to their owners.
We feed our dogs old food that we get from the rice seller down the road, I tihnk it is cheaper to own a dog here becuase o fthe free dog food.

Well, Have a good weekend everyone.
PEACE

There are many ways to buy things here...
First off is the street side sellors, they are either in little stalls or walking on the street selling to people in cars, taxi's and tro tro's. THey sell everything you might need, from tolet paper, to pens, to electical adaptors, to apples and other foods, esspecailly candyies. The road side stalls also sell much, things like clothing, phone cards, fruits and vegitables, school supplies. These road side stnads are made of things like wood, small stands, or bigger store like fronts, but some are alos old truck containers, or some just bamboo.

YOu can also go to the market, where many people, mostly women are seling everything, and I mean everything, live crabs and snalls, peanut butter, cloth, shoes, cd's, dvds, hardwars and the like.
At all of these places the price are not set but must be bargained... as we bargan more we learn the reall prices, but now we are other ripped off, but being ripped of here, we still pay less than we would in canada...

OR you can go to the supper market where I could get most of the nice things from home, and here all things are expensive but they price tags, no bartering here...

AS I walk down the street people yell at me to buy there goods, come here my firend, come here and buy, please... buy from me...

This is common place... and happens all over town


Well, this weekend I am going to be taking a trip to the cape coast and to a national park and maybe some slaving calstles, I will wirte more on my return about that trip, but maybe give one more little thing here tommrow before i LEAVE ON FRIDAY...
tune in

PEACE
ALEX

I Think it will be jsut a short one today but i am working on my next good one...

Yesterday a man came to me and said a whole story about how he wants me to give him money, now this is common place here, but often you can tell that they are trying to work some money out of you by giving a story that might not be true, but this man, from burkina faso crying as he talked and obviously didn't want to be talking to me by never making eye contact with me... I heard him and was almost in tears myslef... so I gave him 20 000 cedi ($2.50) and left feeling very bad about it all...

Then I got on my tro tro home and the man didn't ahve any change for my big bill, so he gave me the ride home for free exlaiming "take, you are a white man and I am a black man" after i got off i wished I had said, we are both men, the same inside...

Is it karma, or what, it is wierd, and when I got home I was relieved to be somewhere a little normal and safe feeling...

PEACE
ALEX

The shirts people wear here hold more wieght in Canada i think... The logos and names mean more to us in our heavily consumerist society...
I See American eagle outfitters or Fubu, disney or DKNY, basketball and most interestingly to me HOckey jerseys, the new york rangers, the columbus blue jakects, the colorado avalanche. I wonder if they know what these signs mean to some people. I wonder why and how these articles of clothing that would cost many million Cedi in Canada end up in the hands of people who could not afford them at those prices.

Yesterday two things happened, one good and one bad...
6 more kids moved into my house, i don't know yet who they all are or who's they are, but there is a new energy in my house, and one is named nicholas, a name that means a lot to me...

But the bad thing was that i turned on my computer and it beeped at me and wouldn't turn on, totally broken, and little ants came out, i don't know if that was the cuase but i know that i can't get it fixed here, so I guess i will send it home later and get it fixed under warrenty in Canada... to bad... the last thing i did with it though was listen to Ry Cooder's in to the purple valley, not a bad end to a great computers life, eh?

I composed the candaaina national anthem as my ring tone on my cell phone, a little reminded of home, i guess...

PEACE ALEX

Sweeping....
All day it seams, the concreat gets sweept, the floor and most interestingly the dirt.
As i walk along i see women bent over withthere left hand on their back speeping with read brushes fasened with string.
The dirt is red-organge, and is being sweept of many layers of other red-organge dirt...

But in the mnarket, where i went today, the dirt seems to be layers deep of garbage, esspecialafter the heavy morning rain, the mud is deeper than mybirkinstocks... but the buslte and calls of obruni (white person) fill the air as we walk. Every one wants us to buyfrom them but some jsut want to be our friends and we stop to talk...we buy ornages from a woman withmany children and eat them by squezing them into our mouths through a little whole in the top... refreshing indeed



I start class on monday after a trip to the beach tommorw, i got my readingsd, there are a lot, but all are interesting.

PEACE and LOVE

ALEX

NEWS BULITEN - +233 24 6706883 is my new cell phone number, it wont be on always but it is there for all to use it, thats why i have it, thanks for the birthday money granny...

I get up...
it's 6:30 and i am refreshed after going to bed at 9 or 9:30...

I get ready for school and walk dopwn stairs and wait akwardly for the girl who cooks to ask if I am waiting for my food, she brings out some porage, not oatmeal, and some bread, toady i had egg in my bread...

I leave very early for school and either get a drive with my host mom or take the tro tro from super-market junction to atomic junction and then walk to legon, where the school is, on the way i pass some monther with children on their backs singing beautiful song, i pass people selling everything from phone cards to fruit, from car parts to clothes, I pass shops like in gods grace mufler shop, or the holy name car eletrical survices... I go to the "on the go" (yes the same as the ones at gas stations in canada and buy water then make my way to school (the 'on the go' here doubles as a bar at night). The school has a wide avenue, like university ave. in toronto and white and brown buildings with taxis and cars whipping down both sides - and the traffic ahs the right of way in all situations here.

That is my typical morning (so far)and it is great, i haven't had a coffee in days but the morning expience is better than the best of coffee or the second best cup of earl grey tea.

PEACE
ALEX

Your sitting at the dinner table, the maid brings out a pail of water and you all wash your hands and dig in, literaly with your hands, the food is lovely, even i liked the fish last night for dinner, the conversation quickly slips for english into another language and you sit smiling. every once and a while your new host father turns to you and says are you okay, yes you answer and the conversing continues...

YOu are walking down the road, it is neither rural nor urban but a strange hybrid of the two, people are yeling, the thick black smoke is pouring out of th eback of most cars and a man hanging out of the side of a tro tro is yelling uninteligable place names at you, the smell is of burning garbage and dust, it is great,

these are jsut tow of my expiernces that have shpaed my early expience here in ghana, along with my good friends from canada who attend classes with...

Today after a nice lunch of beans and plantain banana and fried yam, followed by a few 7.5% guiness we go and have a group dance lessions, this was fun, but we all had troubles getting the real nice rythems of the 2 drums and one cowbell. IT is nice, all things are new it is only the long amount of time untill we all next meet that gets to me, but that will get easier with time, thats jsut how it works.

PEACE and LOVE from LEgon, in Tacobell internet cafe,

ALEX

It has been brough to my attention that i cannot spell... deal with it please... sorry..

I moved in with my new family, Boitine my father is a great man, has already delcalired that i am his son and given me his name as my ghanaian name, and also ofered to find me a bride, as is coustomary for a 21 year old's fahter to do. I told him i was married but htat was soon worked out and the joke did go over well.

I live in a 2 story house and have quite a big room to my self, it is sometimes awkward with a cook but the family and extended family who is around are very nice.

I went to bed last night overwhelmed at 8 oclock, but with meeting my class mates again i felt good.

Well, today i started twi classes at the university, that is one of the many local languages, the teachers is very funny, and te whole class is involved. We had to buy these little exersize books to do homework in, it feels a little like greade 1 in that respect, but that is fine, i hear the schools are a little more regemented here.

After that we went in a tro tro (or mini bus) ride into Accra, it was busy as ever and so much going on, acctually a little over whelming, but very fun some of the group stayed on but i felt it nessasary to make my way home and write you all on this blog. and to take it easy as \I was feeling a little flustered, but i met a nice drumming instructor on the way home and talked to him and now, after a 40 minute walk on the side of the road home from school i feel great.

I am trying to write a lot here now, but it might slowly teater out, I find comfort here, something that i though I would never find from a blog, becuase i feel connected to all of you whom have made my life what it is.

PEACE And LOVE
ALEX

Well, I left london,

I got to hethrow and was throuhg check in in 5 minutes, though most lines we hours long, lucky me, and after a tedious, but relaxing 45 minutes throuhg security and a pint of guinees at the bar, i was on route to ghana.

I arrived in 24 degree weather, cloudy and in a power outage, the volta river is low and the dams aren't producing enough elctriicty, so rolling outages are in effect.

IT has been rather chilly and raining since then. but the power is back onb.

today i meet and move in with my host family which is very exciting, and we start class today, well, orientation, realy calss starts next week. All of the people here are great, and the times are fun and so far, relaxed.

I hope that you all are doing well, and checking this blog... so i know that it is usefull.

Please comment?


That is it for the edition.,
PEACE and LVOE
ALEX

Well, I am about to get on the tube and ride to the airport here in london.

My time here has been very nive, seeing |Jen and Chris (and Matt) and my god mother at the palace. I have enjoyed it all, though here in Brent I feel alm,ost as if i ams till at home in the annex, the next leg of my trip will be a bigger shock, I think.

After a few nice night at a few different pubs I am ready to leave, but hope to be back soon (8 months) to see my good friends again.

Thanks Jen and Chris,

I hope all whom be reading this are doing well.

PEACE
|ALEX