No Electricity, No Water .... Earthquake?! ... making the best of everything

Hey guys,

So sorry it has taken me sooo long to update this. The past couple of days have been CRAZY. I currently am sitting in the international office writing to you because I have no electricity (thus no internet). We also have no water so I got to take my first official bucket shower. In which you get water from a spicket in our courtyard and carry it to the showers to bathe. It was not that bad. The only part that is quite awful is that everyone still uses the bathrooms so they smell horribly, because we cannot flush.

We are going on our 4th day with no electricity and no water. I am not sure why we have such problems with it. My only thought is that we as foriegners use too much electricity. I have talked to a couple locals and they never seem to have a problem with no electiricity/water.

Other Adventures:
Sunday we toured Accra the capitol of Ghana. It was really cool we went to the burial site of their first president and got a tour of his life. We went to the beach was absolutely breath-taking.... just like the movies. We also saw a palace and the American Embassay (don't worry I didn't take any photos). The reason why I didn't take any photos is because they didn't inform us to bring them so I forgot mine back in the hostel (dorm). But not to worry I will take pictures of my room and the surrounding area and post them soon!

During our tour on Sunday our group got dropped off at a local market in order to experience more of the culture of Ghana for 15 minutes. The second we got off the bus all the locals SWARMED us. They were touching and talking to us and were very pushy. They wanted us to buy something from each one of our stands. Chelsea, my friend and I saw these amazing intricate paintings on canvas. The guy who claimed he was the painter made us look through them all and when we saw some we liked he set them aside. So by the end we had like 10 paintings set aside. We told him we were just looking and not interested in buying.

Unfortunately, he would not take that for an answer. He informed us it was Sunday and that we would get a good price. He started off by saying that one painting normally ran for 20 cedes (Ghana's currency). We were told because we are white they jack up the prices very high and we MUST barter. We should pay no more than 55% of their first offer. So Chelsea and I picked out our favorite painting. He rolled them up and put them in our hand and told us we would make a very good deal for us. His first offer he said normally one painting is $20. We bartered and said we would take 2 for $20 paying $10 each. He said no, no, no, I will do 2 for $25. At that point we were very stressed and many locals were still very close around us and we didn't feel comfortable (clutching our purses). So I told Chelsea we should walk away. So we did and the second we did the guy said fine fine and immediately started rolling them up. He said we will give them to you for 2 for $20. As soon as we paid and people knew we had money everyone just wanted us to come in and look, all saying that "looking was free" but in reality when you looked they all just said I will make you a very good price. When we finally got back to the bus we had local students that had been showing us around the campus and had been with us the whole week and wanted to see what we had bought. When we showed them and they asked us how much we paid.... they were shocked, one local said that it wasn't TOO bad but the other said she would not have paid more than 5-6 cede for one painting. Basically we are OBVIOUSLY still learning.....

The best part of the whole expericence was that the painter said his name was Joe... and when we got back to the bus, we looked at the bottom of the painting at the signature. Chelsea's said "Joe" mine said "Evan" .... So something tells me he did NOT paint these!

Next adventure on Sunday was off to buy our necessities... pots pans to cook with, toliet paper, buckets to shower with, towels, pillows, mosquito nets, anything anyone needed. So I gathered my items: bucket, cutting board with knifes, soap for washing clothes, pins to hang photos.... and toliet paper that was suppose to be 0.50 pesawas (Ghana's coins) At this point I was exhausted from traveling all day and experiencing everything and not being able to shower. So I proceeded to check out. My total came to $13.00 and I only had $12.00 on me so I had to return my cutting board and knifes. I went to the bus and everyone was like ohh how much was the toliet paper. I was like oh it was a really good deal only o.50 pesawas. and they were like ohhh nice! Until a girl said oh, I thought they were 0.50 pesawas a rolls. I proceeded to check my reciept only to find out she was right! I got charged 5.00 cede for the cheapest toliet paper ever! Basically I am STILL learning.....

SO END OF STORY I was exhausted, sweaty, hott, and just wanted a shower! So we hung out for a while and went to bed around 11. It was hard to fall asleep especially because of the mosquito net that makes conditions extra hott and with no electricity we had no ceiling fans running at night. So when we finally were asleep we got rudly awaken at 3:30am by pounding on our door. It had been our friends from the floor above. They were frantic and told us that we had to get out of our room because there is an earthquake warning. So we quickly jumped out of bed and pounded on our neighbors doors to wake them up and went outside. No one knew what was going on and everyone was complaining and just wanted to go to bed. We stood outside for about one hour and finally called our coordinator. She informed us that it was a joke that had come across the radio and the whole country of Ghana thought it was true. Soooo... my night/day was truly the most eventful thus far.

Needless to say the next day was rough and I am not sure I have had a good nights sleep yet. But it has to take awhile for my body to adjust to such different experiences. Even with everything said I am having a very very good time. The locals are soooo friendly here and I am learning soooo much! On accident I keep using my left hand to wave or to recieve things with and that is very much an insult in Ghana. The right hand is what should be used to shake hands, wave, and recieve things with. Soooo much still to learn.

Well I think this is intense enough for now. There is rumor that we have electricity back already but that was said yesterday too. So if that is the case I hope to write more soon!!

Miss everyone!!!

~"Amma" (Saturday-born) Stacie~