Ghana Odyssey Day 7

I walk Giftie to school and hear the hundreds of younger students recite the national pledge of Allegiance and visit Giftie's first grade class.  With the teacher present, the kids are shy (the fact that some teachers carry canes and are very stern may explain this).   An unattended class nearly riots when I stop in and say hello.  I peer around guiltily to see if a teacher is going to show up unhappy and waving her cane.

 Rosie from the AFS office arrives by taxi to take me into central Accra for the day.  Actually, I have no idea where anything is in Accra, a most jumbled up and chaotic city if you are in a moving vehicle.  Taxis play a constant game of "chicken" in an effort to make forward progress.  They take detours that only make sense because the goal is to avoid gridlock, even if it means driving you twice as far.

The AFS Office was a beehive of activity, with newly arrived students being tutored in basic Twi (a Ghanian language) and local young volunteers manning all the computer and smart phones, enjoying the wifi.  I join the group for lunch at a nearby restaurant that caters to AFS  and have a delicious lunch of a small whole fish, rice and veggies. 

 Essie, a young returnee from a year in Vancouver, Washington,  graciously agrees to accompany me on a shopping expedition and I finally got to visit Global Mama's flagship store.  It was nice but there was no leadership person to speak with.  Essie and I were impressed by the various bags and products made out of reused water bags.  These water bags are a scourge to the planet.  It is an uber-cheap way to package 12 ounces of water in a flimsy plastic bag, but then they are tossed aside and clog up the waterways, streets, etc.  The  litter problem here is appalling.  I consider taking some pics of it, but honestly, I don't have heart to send  home evidence of it.  Such aspects of Accra would turn off most everyone, but then they would miss the amazing hospitality and friendliness of the Ghanaian people.  

I reward Essie with a stop for frozen yogurt at an upscale mini mall.  Frozen yogurt is definitely not the food of most Ghanaians.  This girl has friends wherever we go.  I see why her Vancouver high school elected her Prom Queen.

Towards dusk Rosie attempts to introduce me to a ride on a tro-tro, which is the Ghana form of local transportation.  All are packed. These privately owned death traps are various types of vans which cram in as many riders as allowed and are cheap and somewhat effective.  It is form of mass transit but does not seem to make a dent in the severe congestion problem.  We walk instead to the central station and I take a LONG bumpy taxi ride home.

I want to see more than Accra and I am working on a plan to go to Cape Coast.  The limiting factor is that everyone insists I must have an escort and so my natural tendency to pack up and go must be restrained.  

Litter-hating Jackie

(Pics: kid riot, lunch w AFS Students, shopping w Essie, water bags bag, dress shopping)