Magic Berries and Technology Woes

So the internet here is too slow and the computers are too finicky with flash drives to be able to upload photos. I know, heartbreaking. It's even more heartbreaking that I spent the last hour and a half trying to do so. So I guess my words will have to suffice for now.

The slave forts were a really... grounding experience. I'm not sure if grounding is the right word for it, but I'm at a loss for any others. It's really difficult to explore that side of human nature. To understand the actual experiences that came out of those places as well as the far-reaching implications. Sometimes we don't want to remember suffering like that; it's easier not to remember. (And on a completely different note, did I just use a semi-colon correctly? If so, that would be the first time in my entire life when I did. And in a blog, no less...) But it was really hard, yet really important for us to go there.

Cape Coast and Elmina (the two towns where the slave forts were situated) were amazing! Seriously, I've never seen a place so alive and vibrant and colorful and loud. That was what I thought West Africa was like. Especially Elmina. It was this wonderful port town on the ocean. Thousands of people were crowding around the shore as boats were coming in and this fed directly to the market behind them. It was just a sea of reds, blues, greens, blacks, purples. Just movement and color and ocean smells. I loved it. I definitely want to go back.

Coming back to orientation was less fun... lectures in a stuff room are not as interesting as exploring (although far less intimidating, which is important in these early stages). These lectures are getting a lot more interesting, though, now that we are talking about real issues in Ghana. So far we've discussed political history and traditional and modern social institutions. I can't wait for the lecture on youth in modern Ghana and the one on culture, food, and festivals. (I mean, you know me and food...)

Ohhhh food. So you may or may not know about this little thing called "Magic Berries" aka Red Berries aka Miracle Fruit. Check out this link to the article on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_fruit). So these berries grow in Ghana!! Not just in Ghana but on campus! Outside of the chemistry building on a big tree!!! I know, exciting right? I saw them on a British TV talk show a little while back and had no idea they would be here! Tonight we tried them with dinner and it was so ridiculous. At the guest house they always serve rice with this spicy tomato sauce and the tomato sauce tasted really sweet. Almost like a sweet and sour sauce. French fries tasted more like fried dough. My guava juice tasted as if someone had dumped a bunch of sugar in it. The fruit itself doesn't taste like much, it's a little sour. But afterwards you feel like you have powdered sugar coating your tongue. It was really weird and really awesome. Next time we want to try them with better foods like vinegar and lemons and mustard and hot sauce.

Alright, I'm not sure if I have much else to say... I hope everything in your parts of the world is great... Send me emails, I love hearing from everyone!