Weekends are when I have time to be a tourist and explore more of the Greater Accra Area. Two weeks ago I was able to go to the beach. The beach was a lot of fun, but you could definitely tell it was a tourist spot. One reason was because I saw other white people there. There were also a lot of people trying to sell the items they make such as beaded bracelets and necklaces. There were also a strip of restaurants along the beach, We sat a table in the sand under an umbrella and enjoyed a light snack. The place also had music playing so Doreen and her friends convinced me to dance with them. I am the epitome of the phrase, you dance like a white girl. We also took lots of pictures. There were many people with horses on the beach that would let you ride them and take nice pictures on them, for a fee of course. I had a lot of fun that day.
This past weekend I toured the University of Ghana, the Museum of the first president, and went to Madina Market. The University of Ghana is pretty big, well at least compared to St. Norbert. I enjoyed being able to see how their school is set up. I was also able to go to a small market on campus and try another Ghanian food. I tried bank with stew. It is kind of hard to explain but it is dough type food that you dip into the stew and then eat it. If you don’t eat it with the stew it is very sticky. I am not sure how much I like it, but I think now that I know how to eat it properly I will like it more when I try it again.
We also went to the museum of the first president of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. There is a monument built there with the tombs of him and his wife. It is a nice small park that is made in remembrance of him. Ghanians are very proud of him because he is the one who lead Ghana to it’s independence on the 6th of March. I am very interested in seeing how they celebrate their independence here. I also bought my first touristy item which is a bracelet with my name woven into it in the Ghanian colors,
Upon leaving the museum life became interesting. I received my first marriage proposal from a complete stranger, which is not uncommon. They think that since I live in the United States if they marry me they will get a free ride to the U.S. I know that they are going to say something about marriage right after they use the awful pick up line, “I like your body shape.” Nothing good ever comes after someone says that. Luckily I have a good attitude about it because I know that this is something that happens often. Usually after the instance has passed I just smile and laugh.
On our way home we stopped at Madina Market for Doreen to pick up a few things for school. Saturday is market day, so it was very busy and everyone wanted to talk to me. Some people just want to say hi, and some people are shocked that an “obroni” or white lady is at the traditional market. I am hoping this weekend that I will go to the market with Sister Monica and maybe even buy some fabric to make a dress. My goal is to limit myself to only having 3 dresses made for me while I am here, but we will see.
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