Akwaaba!

I'm here!! I can't believe it, I really can't. I'm sitting in an internet cafe at a small hotel in Cape Coast where I've finally seen a computer!

My flight was long and arduous. After a full 24 hours of traveling and crazy time changes, I ended up in Accra and only 4 hours ahead of Massachusetts.

The program has been trying to make things really easy for us during our time here, so when we arrived Saturday night to a "Lights out" (which is basically a blackout for part or all of campus) at our dorm, they put us in a nearby hotel. We've been eating every meal on campus at this one restaurant that serves semi-American food (French fries? Omelets? c'mon people!) and we are trucked everywhere in the cushy new van Tufts just bought for the program. Despite all of this babying, it's really nice to get to ease into things here. The TiG program only has 6 students on it (and all girls), most of whom haven't been to Africa before. So they are experiencing a lot of the Africa-shock I got the first time around.

The most fun was when we had to do some light shopping, so we hit up the local market on a Sunday. It was pretty bustling but because it was a Sunday and most Ghanaians are at church all day on Sunday, it wasn't even half of the normal size. We got to roam through (obviously being called "obruni", which means foreigner) and there was so much awesome stuff! Giant snails, dried fish, bread, spices, cloth, electronics, appliances. Everything. You name it and it was there.
I am going to have so much fun once I get the hang of all the market things.

Speaking of market, the food here is awesome. Well, most of it. I love rice, which seems to be a staple in every meal. Add in fried plantains (the sweet kind, like South American fried plantains but also a savory kind sort of like starchier french fries), FRESH PINAPPLE, FRESH MANGO, FRESH PAPAYA, FRESH COCONUT, and FRESH ORANGES. What am I going to be doing this semester, you ask? Eating. Women (and some men) carry huge baskets and bowls of fruit on their heads to sell to you when you are in your van or in a tro-tro (which is sort of like a giant van that acts like a bus and has a specific route). They cut the pinapple for you right there, the pop a hole in the coconut or orange and you can drink the juice directly from it! Ohhhh I'm in heaven. I can't wait until they let us walk around campus so I can burn more calories and eat more fruit. Haha

I wish I could post pictures but this internet is too slow and I'm in an internet cafe in Cape Coast. Today we went to Kukum National Park, which is this awesome rainforest reserve in southern Ghana. We got to go on this amazing canopy walk where you go across these 7 stretches of suspension bridges above the forest canopy. It was gorgeous and soooo fun. They had nets underneath the rickety part so it wasn't all that scary, even though it bounced and shook like nobody's business. I'll put up pics soon, I must have taken 100 of them.

Tomorrow we go to Elmina and the Slave Forts on the coast, which should be a heavier experience than playing in the rainforest all day. I'll post again when I can!


ALSO! I got a phone! My number is 011233243413296. I know that looks long but the 0 is to dial out of the US, the 11 is Ghana's country code. 233 is our area code I think? And the rest is my phone number. I can recieve incoming calls for free and make international calls for something like 20/25 cents a minute. If it won't break the bank, let me know if I can call you! And if you want to call me, you can get an international calling card or try enjoyprepaid.com. One of the people here highly recommends it. I haven't checked it out yet, so I won't make any promises.

Okay, that's all for now!!

Do you like getting mail?

I know I do! (hint hint)

But, if you want to the occasional postcard, letter, or other goodie from me , I need your address!

You can either write a comment below or (if you're too nervous about letting your address float around in cyber space) send me an email at megankathleensullivan@gmail.com with the word "address" and your name in the subject line!