"basketball," karaoke, and Ga

This weekend was definitely a blast. Friday night I ended up going to an Ashesi "basketball game" with some girls from my hall and other CIEE girls. There was a team from each year and they all played each other. "Basketball" is in quotations because that was the saddest game I have ever seen. It was like watching 3rd-graders play. No joke. We at least had a good laugh at their expense. One of the Ashesi girls is trying to set all of the white girls up. She picked out a boy for me that's technically my age, but a "fresher" (a freshman). Greaaaat.

Saturday was pretty productive. I woke up early and cleaned the apartment with my roommates. After that, I went grocery shopping with Busola (my Nigerian roommate) and Evelyn (CIEE). I ended up getting a TON of groceries, which was much needed. I also got my own, reasonably-priced bucket to carry my shower stuff in. Hooray!! Our cab driver helped us negotiate prices. Once I got back I went to some shady-looking Chinese restaurant that actually had really good, really cheap food. Later on that evening, a big group of us went to a sports bar called Champs. 10 GHcedi all you can drink on Saturday nights. At first I thought that was crazy and wondered how they made any money from Saturday nights until I realized that Ghanaians and Africans in general usually can't drink that much. Bars would go out of business in the U.S. if they tried that. Let's just say I felt sorry for the boys that came with us. Two drinks and they were done for. However, I ended up meeting a ton of great people there. I met who I want to be in 7 years! She did the Peace Corps for 2 years in Togo and is now living in Ghana with her adopted 9 year old daughter. She also has a husband back home so it's a legitimate family she's started. She's getting a job with UNAID while she's here. Can you say my future dream? Anyway, became friends with her and her Canadian friend.
Quick side note: in this sports bar I saw a DALLAS STARS JERSEY!!! I semi-freaked out and once again, nobody I hang out with really watches hockey. Sad day. :(
Anyway, I ended up doing karaoke only once to Madonna's Like a Prayer. It was originally supposed to be only my friend Emily and I, but the new friends I made as well as all the Ashesi guys we came with jumped up on stage. What a mess. No worries, I didn't sing into the microphone, but I did keep it away from one of the guys who was intent on screaming the lyrics into the mike. Crazy.

Sunday I went on a field trip to Tema with my Twi professor and a couple of other CIEE girls. We went to a town called Nungua and met the First Lady of the town as well as a lot of the lesser chiefs. We also went to a coffin shop. They make the COOLEST coffins here. They shape them into anything you want pretty much with a hollow part in the middle for the body. We looked through books of pictures of what they've made. I saw a chili pepper, lots of birds and cars, an elephant, and even a statue of Samuel Adams holding the United States Constitution. We also walked through an indigenous village. Unfortunately my Twi lessons didn't help at all since in this village they spoke Ga (another local language). We were able to ride in a wooden truck thing. It's hard to describe. It's like a truck, but in the bed of the truck, it's wooden with some benches that people sit on. I realized that some of the national sports here are dodging potholes and bargaining. After our trip, Evelyn, Tomoko and I navigated the trou trous back home. Even though I should have done laundry and hw all day, I'm glad I skipped out because honestly, when else am I going to get these experiences?
One of the saddest things though is I saw my first severely malnourished child in person. Her limbs were virtually stick thin and she had the protruding belly. :( Once again, I heard the word obroni everywhere I went.

Tidbit of the day: When people say "I'm coming" they actually mean they're going somewhere.

Love from Accra!