Saturday, August 13, 2011

Every Meat has a touch of bitterness




Driving in Ghana is one of the most difficult challenges I have experienced since moving here. What’s amazing is that I’m trying to do it AT ALL! Many of the Ghanaians I know just think I’m crazy for not hiring a driver. Honestly, there’s a kind of sketchy ebb and flow to traffic here that I don’t mind in usual circumstances. I just deal with it….not so different from driving around in Los Angeles to tell the truth.

HOWEVER, the other day we were having just a beautiful day when we drove to Cape Coast in order to make a reservation and payment for the Calvin students to stay there and spend time at the national park and in the city of Cape Coast to attend a large festival.

Charles Prempeh (our fantastic grad assistant) traveled with us and the conversation was lively as we observed the roadside sellers of Kenkey, melons, vegetables, pineapples, and wild game. We took care of the reservation and even visited the University of Cape Coast where I met some of the theatre faculty and discussed the possibility of doing a Fulbright there with them in their small theatre department.


Here are roadside pictures of us eating coconut -- it was so good!


On the return home, we hit rush hour in Accra, which is NEVER a good thing. So, here we were stuck in the Obetsebi roundabout. This is what it looked like from the drivers’ seat:


So, then we were just sitting there and waiting and waiting to get our way through the tangled web of traffic in front of us. All of a sudden this large city bus just came up the side of us and scratched our entire side of the car and the tro tro in front of us! Just pushed and scraped his way through this roundabout! Absolutely crazy! Never seen anything like it in my life!

We got his license and reported him to the bus company who told me that they would “get back to me.” I doubt it, but I guess I felt a little better reporting it.

Charles, on the way home from this debacle, said well “every meat has a touch of bitterness.” Meaning, my beautiful stay in Ghana was now tinged with that edge of bitterness by this accident.

I’m laughing about it now. So…no worries. Moving on to our next interesting moment! And yes, I am going to keep driving.


The sweetness came back as we celebrated Sam's 17th birthday with spaghetti/meatballs and homemade chocolate cake made by our dear cook Charles Quansah. And here is Charles Prempeh eating his first spaghetti EVER! Plus Sam with his birthday cake and a gift of fabric from Charles.






1 comment:

  1. I would like to go driving with you in GR after you get back. But stay clear of my car! Love reading these... Love Jaz

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