Reshelle - Anansi Travel

December 9, 2000: We boarded a big bus to get to Accra. It was quite a change. I'm not sure if it was for the better or worse however. The driver had already driven from Cape Coast to Kumasi and was now going to continue on all the way to Accra. I am very glad that at the time I was blissfully ignorant of this little fact. I was very confused at everyone's interest in watching him like a hawk. I remember laughing with Julia as we watched person after person pop up to observe what was going on in the front of the bus. It reminded me of that carnival game where you hit the gophers as they pop up out of the ground. Heads kept bobbing up all over the bus.

It was a fairly comfortable, if not long ride, and as I said before I had adequate entertainment to keep me going. When we got into Accra it had gotten pretty late. We were all very tired, but I think Amy Sue was the most tired. When we got to the hotel ! ! she was falling asleep on the counter and the manager gave her the room key so that she could go up to bed. It was pretty cute, she seemed so confused. We went up and rested for a few minutes then went out to eat at a restaurant not too far from the hotel. I remember thinking that I wasn't going to like Accra. I'm not sure what I was basing this judgment on even now. It actually ended up being my favorite part of the trip. Amy Sue and I met some really wonderful people there at the hotel. I hope that they continue to be out friends for years to come.

The first day we went to the National Museum. It had such an incredible exhibit. I especially loved the stools and the gold weights. I had just bought my own stool in Kumasi so it was interesting to see all of the old stools there at the museum. I seem to have acquired quite an affinity for Asante stools. The gold weights I found interesting because of how elaborate and beautiful they were. It was also fun to think that I was learning how to make them, although not with such expertise. Even with all of this, my absolute favorite part of the museum was the student show in the back. There was a show in the back that was sponsored by the Peace Corp that incorporated students from several different schools for the deaf all over Ghana. I found it absolutely fascinating! Amy Sue and I are even attempting to purchase a couple of pieces. I just hope that it works out. There were some gorgeous batiks that would put most of the batiks at the Carafour in Bassam to shame. There was also a quilt, some hand made books called "jotters," drawings, carvings, castings, and some great animal sculptures. I took more pictures in that room than I did in the rest of Accra. We spent so much time in there that we didn't have time for several of the things we had wanted to do with our day, but I enjoyed myself so much looking at that art that I really didn't care.

From there we headed into a more "down town" area. We wanted to buy some records and change some money. Diallo also wanted to by his "belle femme" (wife) some gold jewelry. While we were doing this a huge rain storm began and continued for quite a while. Water was flooding the streets. They don't have drains like here in America so the water doesn't have any sort of escape route. It just turns into a torrent running down the street. We waited it out in the money exchange. It was not such a bad place to wait. We then went to the gold shop. It was definitely an interesting experience to go shopping in a storm. When the rain comes like that the power goes out so we were picking out gold jewelry in the dark. If you wanted to see a piece you had to take it to the window and try to see it in the fading sunlight. I will always look back at that experience with amusement. We were very tired after all of this so we headed for a restaurant for dinner. I had the most delicious fried chicken with fried rice! In fact we went there the next night and I got the same thing. Why mess with a good thing.

That night Amy Sue and I sat out in the courtyard and wrote in our journals and talked with some of the guys that worked at the hotel. Yao, Maule, and their uncle, Lord Kenya. They were really great guys. Lord Kenya is a rapper in Ghana and it was really interesting to hear what he had to say about music and the difference in rap in the US. I was exhausted, but I stayed up for hours to talk with him. It was nice to connect with someone on that level again. It is sometimes so hard to do that at the house. I don't know if it's a language barrier or what. The next day we talked some more and they invited us to a naming ceremony that was going to happen at the hotel that day. We had already made plans to go to a soccer game, but after that we went to the party. The soccer game was great! I don't know what was more entertaining though: the game, or the men watching it. We took a young boy that we met at the hotel. He seemed to really enjoy himself. The dance was great. Lord Kenya even performed a couple of songs for everyone. It must be kind of a strange feeling to perform for your family like that. I really enjoyed myself, although I did have to leave a few times to avoid a rather amorous man. We ended dup staying up really late again with the guys. I'm really going to miss them. The trip home was much shorter than expected. We missed the bus because it was all sold out. I remember being annoyed that we did this, but it turned out to be a blessing. We took taxis and small buses to get home and got home by 7:30. It only took 12 1/2 hours. The second group didn't get home until 2:30am. I was very happy that we missed that bus. It was nice to arrive home and see everyone.

November 26, 2000: Kumasi. I loved Kumasi. I loved Ghana. I look back at my trip and have so many emotions come rushing back, but I suppose that has been the case for this entire trip. Going to Ghana was a refreshing break from what we have experienced in Cote d'Ivoire.

I guess I should start with the bus ride from Cape Coast (El Mina) to Kumasi. We were late getting to the station so we missed the big bus. We then raced to the other station and just made it onto one of the smaller buses. I think that it took some finagling to get us on though. I'm not sure exactly what was said however because Albert was arguing in Twi. It turns out that he must have been good though because we made it on the bus. Sort of. It was already pretty full and there was no more room for luggage so we held our bags on our lap. I felt like what those poor little sardines must feel like in their can. Getting on was also pretty funny. Because the baggage was full everyone had things piled in the aisles and the seats that were available were in the back. I felt like that scene at the end of Crocodile Dundee when he walks over all of the heads of the people in the subway to get to the girl. True it wasn't nearly as dramatic, but the image amused me anyway. Besides, I definitely needed to keep my humor if I was going to enjoy that ride! I turned out to have some nice seat mates. One was a mother with a small child about one year old. He was very fascinated by the strange white women next to him and couldn't resist touching me. It was a nice start to a long bus ride to be able to play peekaboo with such a curious little boy. The girl on the other side of me was very sleepy. I turned out to be an unofficial headrest. I was actually very surprised at how quickly the ride actually went. After no time at all I forgot the tingling of my crushed knee caps and it was replaced with an ache and then a rather pleasant numbness. I'm not sure what attributed to all of this. Perhaps it was the drowsy heat, the lulling roar of the engine, or maybe my distraction caused by seeing other buses roar by us with 10 ft loads strapped on or numerous goats walking around on top. It's hard to say. But it was a fairly quick, and very entertaining four hour ride.

It was strange arriving in Kumasi. I haven't been in any big cities, except twice to Abidjan, in two months. I wasn't really sure what to do with myself. The bus dropped us off on a busy highway that was near to our hotel. I remember thinking how strange it was how much the view changed as soon as I got a little off of the highway. We walked down the winding dirt road, which had a number of very large and inconveniently place potholes, and out popped our hotel, the TK Modern.

We were very tired by this time, so we were anxious to get checked in, shower, and possibly take a nap. Things don't always go as planned though, and the check in process seemed to take about 47 hours. I could be wrong though, I wasn't wearing my watch. We did finally make it into our rooms, and life in Kumasi began. Amy Sue and I finished "freshening up" before the others and went out to the courtyard to get a Fanta. We tried our fist Fanta Limon, which became our staple beverage through out Ghana. That and Malta anyway. The girls that run the hotel are very nice. We made their acqaintance and they began teaching us a little bit of Twi. Small, small. That night we didn't do much, we were all very tired. We walked down to dinner and we also stopped and met Albert's brother, Andrews.

The next morning Albert spent with his family. We spent a relaxing morning catching up in our journals. At around 9 or 9:30 Andrews and Albert came with breakfast for us. It was such a wonderful thing to do for us. It made me feel very welcome. We got a bit of a late start, but it was very nice to get a chance to visit with Andrews. I really enjoyed all of Albert's family. We went all over that day! We saw the doctor's training hospital, and near to that, the Ashanti sword.It was interesting to hear the story told by an Ashanti, someone who has personal pride in the telling. I think that to me, that was almost as interesting as the story itself. I really loved being able to talk to so many people and learn straight from them. It was a new experience not to have to leap across a language gap. We also went to the Ashanti Palace. What I found to be fairly interesting is that parts of it is still being used and infact, there is a house behind it being renovated for the King. I love that their kingdom is still so strong. They are a great power in Ghana, and I can see why when I see the pride with which they pass their stories on. I think for me, the most fascinating part of my trip was the people and how they relate to each other and to life in general. From there we went to the Kumasi Market. WOW! It is so overwhelmingly large. I loved it and I hated it all at once. I loved all of the incredible things to look at, hear, smell, and SO MUCH! I've also never felt so little personal space. It seems strange to have people feel that they can touch you and say anything they want to you. I had many women grab, not just touch, grab my butt. They seemed to think it was a friendly gesture, a way to let me know they liked me. That is not how I felt though. There is definitely a different feeling about personal space here than at home. I'm also feeling tired of being a spectacle. It will be quite a feeling to walk down the street and not be noticed, not be stared at, yelled at, and who knows what. What a thought. It was a very long day anyway. After all of our trapsing about town we went home, ahowerd and then left for Albert's family home. It was great to see the whole family living in one house. There were aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings living together. They were such a happy group, we recieved a very big welcome. I especially loved the children. They were so eager to be our friends. They loved to play and sing with us. I only wish we could have spent more time with them. But all too soon there was a taxi waiting for us outside and we had too many rushed goodbyes to say. I personally remember second guessing the idea of getting back into a taxi after the ride to the house. I guess I havn't shared that part though. We were suprised to run into traffic, living in Bassam, traffic is something we don't have to deal with.I remember giggling about the feeling of swerving through all of the cars, braking, speeding, honking, it's a mess. Driving here is a much different experience than a home. One that you sometimes just have to laugh at or you will never step foot in another car again. I have been continually surprised at the longevity of the cars here. The taxi we took that night was very new, so I was surprised when it kept dying. It got progressiviely worse untill, at the middle of a very steep hill it died again. I will never stop laughing at the image of us in a little taxi, crammed full with 4 in the back seat and 2 in the front passenger seat, weaving in and out, backwards through rushhour traffic. The driver kept trying to push start it by coasting backwards down the hill. We weren't even staying on the right side of the road. Sorry Mom, I know you won't want to hear this. All of us girls think it was the alternater, but you'd never see them admit it. Needless to say it was a very long day and I slept very soundly that night.

The next day we got a much earlier start. It's a good thing too because we had alot to do! We ended up hiring a taxi for the whole day. We went to several artist villages. First we went to the woodcarving village. I loved it there! I met a nice man named Apon. He helped me alot with questions and let me take photos and even let me into the area where they actually carve. I ended up going to his shop across the way and buying a stool from him. It has a Kosafa on it. It is a symbol which means, "go back to your roots," or" if you go, come back again." We also went to the adinkra cloth village and Bonwire, the Kente cloth village. We met all sorts of wonderful people who spoke with us and answered all kinds of questions for us. After that we still had some time so we went to dinner and then the National Center for Culture. I met the most incredible carver there who's name escapes me right now. I'm sure I'll remember in the middle of the night. One silly thing I observed that day is a group of African Americans who were apparently on a tour. Albert kept giggling and pointing them out because they were everywhere we went, even the same restaurant. I think he got quite a kick out of it anyway. He still talks about it! But more later, I need some sleep now.

November 23, 2000: So I've arrived home safely from Ghana. What an incredible trip! I am still processing a lot of what happened so I'm not entirely sure what to say. This seems to be the norm for me on this trip however. I sometimes don't know what to do with all of the observations that I hold on to in my brain. Everything here is new to me. Where do I file it all? What should I think about it? What DO I think about it? I sometimes wonder if I will ever come to any conclusions. I also wonder if I even should. I guess I just need to jump in and try, so here goes!

The first day was a little confusing. I've not done much travel outside of the Bassam area so I haven't come across all of the "gendarmerie." This is what the military is refereed to . It was definitely a new experience. I can't even decide on how to describe it. I don't know if I was confused, scared, or just annoyed. In Cote d'Ivoire they have many military check points. I can't even count how many time we had to stop between Bassam and the border. It really got old. They seemed to especially like to make us, ( me, Amy Sue, and Julia,) get out of the bus. They didn't make anyone else get out, or at least they rarely did. I know it is because of the fact that we are American. What I can't decide is why exactly we are singeled out. Is it because we are a risk? Because we are different? Or is it merely that they are hoping for some money. I just don't know for sure. I have my suspicions though. Everyone seems to have their price. It's just a matter of finding out what it is. On the way into Ghana they only checked our bags. On the way out they also checked our companions' bags. It's just a new experience to get used to. Border crossings here are much more work and much more elaborate. I never thought I'd look at the border wait to get into Canada as a blessing, but....

Once we got into Ghana things went much more smoothly. Ghana doesn't have all of the stops. At least they don't actually stop you when you drive by. When we arrived in the town directly across the border we had an opportunity to meet the mother of one of our friends here, Antoine. Her name was Kathryn and she is quite a wonderful lady. It was really nice to meet her. I enjoyed seeing the resemblance between she and Antoine. She and Julia had met once before and had started to develope a relationship which was very nice to see. Things were still a bit confusing. This is also where we exchanged our first money.

The money in Ghana, the cedi, is very bulky. Their biggest bill is a 5000. 5000cedi equals about $1 US. We all got a good laugh at each other's money belts. It was really quite ridiculous. Carrying almost 1,000,000 cedis around in 5000c bills is not necessarily very efficient. But it was a nice relief from the grumpiness I was feeling from being in the bus.

We arrived in El Mina in late afternoon. Our hotel was really very charming. We took showers and rested then went out on the town for a quick tour. I forgot my camera and am still kicking myself. The town is so beautiful. It is very picturesque. We spent the evening walking around looking at the fishing docks and checking out the castle. I could spend hours looking at the fishermen at work. All of the energy and color that I saw was definitely a sight for sore eyes. We were getting pretty hungry and so we were looking for a restaurant. The trouble is, there aren't any. We went back to our hotel and borrowed some pots and bought cassava and fish on the street. It was delicious, although I was tired so I didn't eat much of it. We had more than enough for the 5 of us and we spent about 7000cedis, which is just over $1 US. It's amazing the contrast that we found in price. Breakfast the next morning cost us 10000 each.

The castle was amazing. Again, I find it hard to find words to express what I truly felt when I was there. I don't think that is something that I really need to explain though. I would think that is fairly obvious to all. It was one of the most heartbreaking experiences of my life. I don't really feel like talking about it. I think that everyone should experience it. .

I almost forgot one interesting fact of the morning though. It is very near to election time in Ghana. All of the different party groups were parading around town singing, chanting, and dancing. It was very exciting to watch. I love how involved everyone is here in politics. I never get that involved at home. Here, it is not really a matter of choice.

From El mina we headed to Kumasi. But this story I will leave for another day. Now I'm tired. I did afterall, just eat my Thanksgiving dinner. It was pretty close to tradional: roast chicken and fries. Bon appetit!

November 11, 2000, My African Folktale: It was a long time ago, during a great famine, that this story took place. It is a story of an unlikely friendship. Fox had been out hunting all day for his family. There was no food to be found. Not in the forest nor in the plains. He was becoming very discouraged because his three baby cubs were very hungry and had not eaten for many days. He was beginning to fear that he would not find food, but then he came across a beautiful lake. Fox had been traveling far and was very tired and thirsty. He decided to rest and refresh himself. As he bent down to drink the cool water he noticed a frog looking intensely into the sky. All of a sudden the frog jumped and lapped up a fly. When he did this he jumped directly in front of Fox. "Hello Frog," said Fox, "I am so glad to have found you." Frog new what this meant. He was very aware that Fox had many children to feed and that there was little food to be found. He was also very sad because he too had little tadpoles to go home to. "Hello Fox," he replied," It is so nice to see you. What have you been doing this fine day?" Fox replied, "I've been out hunting but there is no food about. I am sorry to say it, but I must bring you home to my cubs. They will die if I do not bring them some food soon." "I too have children waiting for me," said Frog, "and they will have no one to protect them from fish if I do not return. They will all parish." "This is a fine mess we have then Frog," said Fox," what shall we do about it? I can most certainly not let you go for my children will starve, but if I take you, your children will die also." "Well," said Frog," I think we have a very big problem to solve. I do not want any of our children to die." Frog thought for a moment. Perhaps there was a way that they could both help their children. "I know," said Frog,"I have four legs and can swim very well. I can still swim if I only have three. You will take one of my legs home to your children. They will have food and my children will still have protection." "That is a fine idea Frog," sid Fox," I thank you for your great kindness and hope that much good luck comes your way." They did as decided and both went home to their children. Soon the famine was over and and both of their familie thrived Had it not been for Frog's quick thinking one of them would not have survived. The gods saw his great generosity and wondered how they could repay him for his kindness. A couple of days later, Frog woke up from a wonderful night's rest and he had four legs again. And to this day Frog's generosity is still repayed.

November 9, 2000: So much has happened here, I don't even know where to begin. Life has definitely been interesting to say the least. I remember thinking before I came here what an opportunity I had been given. The chance to experience something that not alot of people get to see. I never even fathomed what I would truly get out of this experience. I'm still not able to really comprehend what all really happened here.

There are so many things that happen in the world that most people do not truly understand. I just experienced something that I never thought I would be a part of. I don't mean to say that I was actually a part of it, just that I was a witness to it. I think that is where an important part of my learning here comes in. I have to remember that even though I am living here, I am still just a visitor. No matter how involved I become in the lives of my friends, I will always be a visitor.

A good friend took part in the protest over the election. We asked him why he did this, it is very dangerous. He replied that this is just what you MUST do. It is for his country. My friends live a very different life experience than me. I take many things for granted that they have to fight for.

I am still not sure how to put my experience here into words. I guess that is something that will come with time. For now I am just trying to stay in my head, in my heart, and in the hearts of my friends as much as possible and hope that I can keep these experiences with me always.

August: All of my life I have wanted to go to Africa. I remember being really small and seeing some African art somewhere. I was just fascinated by it. I don't know what it was, it just caught my imagination.

Art has always been a big part of my life. Actually it's more like a part of me that has to be let out. As far back as I can remember, I have created art. It's a form of expression for me. Sometimes, that is the only way that I can truly express an emotion. Growing up, my mom always made sure that I had lots of paper, crayons, all sorts of supplies to use. She recognized that part of me long before I was aware of what I was doing.

I graduated from WWU with a BA in Art, but that isn't what I had planned. I met Kathryn at Whatcom, taking her pottery class and decided to switch from Biology to Art. She had given my something, I don't even know how to describe it, I just knew that this is what I needed to do.

Needless to say, I work in a grocery store. I started there in high school, planning to put myself through college. Now I am still paying off that college. Jobs in art are hard to come by. I guess that is where this trip to Africa comes in. I want something to get me back into the groove of things. I haven't been doing my art nearly enough. It becomes easier and easier to put off, and I become more and more stressed as I do this. I see Africa as a new starting point in my life. Something new to experience and learn from, to get me out of this rut I have fallen into. Who knows where I will go from there, but I know it will be SOMEWHERE. I guess it's time to create my own job.

©Anansi