Mid October

realize I don't write as often as I should. I justify the way this had played out through the ideology that I feel that not enough people read this, so, in the total end, we are even. In any case I figure now would be a good time to try and throw some words in about what im up and such. Tomorrow I leave for Egypt and will be there basically until the end of the month. For the most part every weekend in Novemeber I have something planned, usully I am out of town. Once I return from Egypt I will have roughly 7 weeks left and will be busy, but not enough for it to be a health inflicting problem. I am around the half-way point of my time here right now, but Egypt will make things go much faster. We intend to visit Cairo, Mt. Sinai, Alexandria and Luxor in our time there. In any case my internship is going well, we are planning huge event and im on a small task force assigned to do so, we are making great progress. The biggest issue will be coming soon, since there are 3 main prople on the assignment and I will be gone the next 2 weeks, and 1 other member will be leaving in november for about 2 weeks so we will be a little shorthanded for a while. My internship here is with the West Africa Aids Foundation and the event we are planning is a huge concert/drama/testimonial in regard to world aids day (december 1st, however out event will take place the saturday before, the 28th). In any case I have to sign off now, I hear great stories and experience a variety of ifferent things, but writing about them is not the same. I can tell stories, those perhaps will paint the pictures much better than hollow words on a computer screen. Having said that I have many stories and am currently collecting more, so that I may appease my audiences of those back home, and enlighten them to the structure, society and overall world of Africa. Take care all, I will write once more upon my arrival back to Ghana.

Wake me up when September Ends

So the month of september has, pretty much, gone by. It is odd, it seems as though each day is long yet each month is short. At this point though I just need to make it through October and November, and then the early days in December are as the finish line to getting home. I have been doing well, I have not yet cought Malaria or anything like that. I do expect to, the vast majority of students studying here get Malaria, and it is treated among the locals as a cold is treated in the states. I have been doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, excersizing and playing sports, reading, talking, hanging out, watching movies, making friends and all that other stuff just fine. I am enjoying the hot weather as much I can, remembering the icy cold of how michigan can be , and making the best of it being warm for the majority of the time. This weekend we are going on a trip to another region, which I am looking forward to. In 2 weeks we'll be starting mid terms, then the week after that we have mid term break. 1 more week in classes and then its november, so I suspect October will go by fairly easily and swiftly as well. As mentioned earlier, it seems as though the months do. The days however are a different story.

Alright, so I guess some people are reading this and keeping tabs, and I don't intend to disappoint. Back home Oakland finally started today, after a week long hault of negotiation between administration and faculty. Which is good in a way, the last week I wish I was around there for the adventure and whatnot, but now its all over. here i've been working at my internship, mondays and tuesdays, at the west africa aids foundation. Im in charge of giving ideas and bettering the website, creating informational pamphlets, and part of a group which is celebrating a hue 10 year anniversary event for the organization. Classes are going good, im in class for a grand total of about 5 hours per week. 1 class I find boring and long. One I find interesting and long, one I find short and interesting. The long ones are 2 hours, the short is only 1. I have my history of Ghana class, socialogy/development in ghana class and a short internship class. They're all going fairly well I suppose. I have been doing a lot of walking around, mostly by myself, often at night. There is geat weather here to just wander around and enjoy. From my experiences it is relatively safe, my greatest problem with the area is having mosquito bites on my arms, growing the chances that I will catch, or already have, Malaria or some other random disease. In any case thats a short update on me, everyones comments are eatly apprectated (so I am assured people are actually reading), and I will write again soon. Until next time everyone.

over 2 weeks

Today marks over 2 weeks of me being here. I feel like... no, I know im missing a lot back home and i can do nothing about it. I have to get used to being here I guess. Time sees to fly here, every day going by, going by, i cant believe its been two weeks. Its september now. I have, like, 15 weeks left at this point. when i look at 15 the number it seems small, weeks go by so quickly here, though nothing is rushed. I spend time reading books and talking to people for the most part, much different from back home. I spend time thinking, laying in bed, staring up... just thinking. I wonder why im here to some extent, believing I have worth back in the States and people need me and go back, then the sinking feeling in my gut kicks in and tells me I am not really needed anywhere and the three words about life still stand "it goes on". I have a feeling nobody is really reading this, and thats fine, i havent written in a while and nobodies really complained. That is to be expected i guess. I'm just not exciting, old news. Above that I have no news, here is more of a void than anything. A lot of my stories i've realized are from parties and times with close friends but I have neither of those here so I have nothing to talk about. I dont want the simple "went to class and couldn't understand teacher" or "at my internship and blogging" like i am right now to be all this is. The weathers hot, yes. The water you cant drink, no hot water in the house. theres spicey food, people urinate when they want. public transport are vans. English is the official language, though hardly anyone speaks it. Really, aside from that I dont know what to say. that sums it up thus far. Its more like a vacation to hang out and calm down and have nothing happen in your life. For me, though, my life involves so many others, and when my life comes to this 4 month calm halting period, where i get more than enough sleep and rest and whatnot, everyone elses lives are picking up, its the fall... school is starting,new friends to be made, recruitment for orgs, meeting teachers...finding new loves and burying the ideas of old ones. As everyones lives advance to these things mine lays dormant, unmoving. I will wake up in michigan in the middle of December and it wont seem like i was here. It will seem like a dream to me, and reality would have passed as though I was in a coma for 4 months and i will have to readapt to the world then. I don't know if i'll be able to or not, but trying to keep up with it, trying to keep my standing in the world ground is trivial, for it moves when i do not. The world is the quicksand and I am but dormantly standing on it, ever sinking, and I wonder wether the time I can finally move will be a time I can still breathe, gasp for air and get on with everything, or if it will be a time when i have sunk too deep.

1 week

Today marks 1 week since I have arrived. I will be learning about my internship today, which as far as I can tell I will be part of the West African Aids Foundation. What I will be doing is still unknown. Classes will start in two days, so after this week I should have a good idea of what to expect academically for the duration of the semester. I miss people back home, life, parties, bowling, not spicy food, hot water and other things but I am dealing accordingly here. I am having fun and getting a good experience out of it. Currently it is the coolest month here, and it is still always short weather, it will be getting progressively hotter. Essentially that entails me leaving Ghana on a hotter month to go to Michigan where it is one of the coldest months. There will be a good 70 or so degree change from the day I leave here to when I arive home. Yay. Yesterday we wenty to a mall. Overpriced (even by our standards back home) but it was the closest thing I found to stores like home. It also seemed most people there were not from the area, many arabic and whites were wandering around, so I was sure it was a tourist attraction or at least a place where many people there were new to the area or just exploring the 3rd worlds attempt at 1st world standards. They even have a movie theatre in there, 6 movies are offerted and they are not too far behind the US. I intend to see a few movies while here, it should be nice. Slowly but surely I am getting to know people. I want to meet more people in government but it seems people not only are not involved but have no political nature but to find someone who wont screw them over. perhaps its just the people ive met so far. In any case I must be off now, to learn of my internship. Take care everyone :)

Friday

I have now become used to seeing random goats and chickens wandering aimlessly throughout the streets. Horses as well and of courses random people. It seems the only other white people here are on the university grounds, or hang out at this arabic owned place called Frankies. The times I am able to use a computer are limited, likely 20 or 30 minutes a piece, so long posts will only be things I type in advance and get internet for later. This is one of those shorter times, as I try to e-mail professors and such as well as communicate through facebook and write on here. So far this seems boring but people know whats going on and they can be assured I am alive I guess. I am about to start my 3rd session of Asante Twi so I must be off, take care all.

Within The Country

I have been in Africa for a few days now and im getting used to it. There are walls, barbed wire and security guards in many areas, and it is not safe to go out at night. In short it is no too different from Detroit. So far here I have already seen a fight between locals, people begging for food and a man urinating in open public. This only assures me more that we are not so different. The house we stay at has all of the above secutiry precausitons as well, which it would appear seems greatly in our favor. We start classes next week, as for now we are part of a week long orientation process to the city and the local customs and language. We have a good deal of free time, and it seems the 9 of us are getting to know each other quite well. The staff still mixes up names, and we still mix up or totally destroy theirs so for now we are even. Well time is short so im off again, I feel as though I bored people as it would appear most of my friends and colleagues want me to capture or kill Rhino and I have not even yet seen one. Anywho take care all, you'll hear from me again soon.