A Week in Accra

It seems impossible to me that a whole week has passed since I arrived here. I'm not quite sure if it feels longer or shorter, the novelty of being here is still very much present yet I've found friends that feel like I've known them for years.

There has been a lot of laughter this week, shared anecdotes of times that cause us to gasp in horror and giggle until we cry. Nights of awkward dancing to beautifully rhythmic music, drinking wine and eating mango on the porch, evenings of snuggling up to watch a movie. I feel happy and safe, enjoying the time spent with lovely people but feeling comfortable enough to say when I need to check out and be alone. 

I have tried to learn Twi. The letter combinations make little sense to my confused mind but our professor was encouraging and the few phrases I do know have already been employed on market stalls and in supermarket queues. It's been fun to practise, and makes me feel less of an obnoxious "obruni" (foreigner). And, happily, I've rediscovered my love of reading: a new-found book devoured in three days because I was so desperate to find out what happened next.

I look forward to settling into a routine, one that will surely start tomorrow with the beginning of classes. I'm branching out of my comfort zone with those, attempting a creative writing course that is both a terrifying and thrilling prospect. I'm also hoping to take my first psychology class, I wish I'd tried one much earlier but better late than never right?

The photos above are a mixed collection of my week, the few explorations contained within lectures about how not to get mugged (pretty much like every other city I've visited). They represent a snapshot of Accra: memorials, statues and parks that I have wandered around. My favourite picture, though, is that of the fu-fu: a yam like dough that sat in a bowl of spicy soup which we pulled apart. It was a taste of food that I had never experienced before, one that tested the limits of my spice tolerance but delighted me nonetheless. 

I'm finally looking forward to the next five months, isn't that wonderful?

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