wait, am I actually in Africa?!?

Today we had more orientation stuff. One of our professors, Nat Amarteifo, (who used to be the mayor of ghana!) told us a bit about the history of Ghana and then we went on a bus tour of the city. They took us through Jamestown, which is one of the poorer parts of the region, and it was really sad to see. The houses were literally one room boxes made out concrete with tin roofs held in place with rocks. There were people bathing in dirty water holes and emaciated goats everywhere! Definitely not at all like the area we are staying in, and seeing this way of life made me appreciate everything I have back in New York so much. Regardless of their horrible living situations, all the Ghanaians waved and smiled at us through the bus window. They would crowd around the bus and try and get us to buy stuff from them by shoving like, bracelets and crazy sculptures in our face and grabbing our hands. I’m thinking it wont be as intense when I am no longer traveling with 42 other (mostly) white American kids...

After the tour we went for lunch to this place called Frankies and they had hummus!!! Which they spell it "homos" (and when I told this to my mom via email, she wrote back asking if they had “lesbos” on the menus as well. haha mom!) I freaked out! It tasted so good and I was so happy to have protein/ anything besides white rice!

Dinner was at Sunshine Salads in Osu (they have a branch in Lebone which I’m sure I will try very soon as our meal plan covers dinner there on Tuesdays and Thursdays). I had salad (!!) a noodle dish, yellow rice and this amazing spicy, mushroom-veggie-gravy-saucy stuff. They also brought out some veggie somosas that they has left over and it was the most amazing somosa everrrr! Hints of cinnamon and cumin mmmhhmm mmm! I think I’m going to try and steer clear of deep fried foods from now on though. I feel like all the meals I have eaten here are really heavy and we’ve been shuttled around on a bus everyday. Not walking + heavy foods = blaahh.

organic brown rice!! yeee :)

After we finished eating, my friend Kate and I ventured out to find some groceries to bring back to the house. The school stocked our kitchen with a few basics like toast, crackers, and lots of juice J but I realized that because it is going to be a challenge to find protein in many of my meals (why does everyone think that vegans only eat vegetables!?!) I bought a banana (plantain? I shall find out…) at a stand for 40 pesewas. We also checked out Qwick Pik, pretty much a mini mart, and I found organic brown rice for c4.40**sigh of relief** There is no official certification symbol anywhere on the label, so I’m gonna have to trust Kiki’s on this one…I’m going to chop up my banana (or plantain, still dunno) and freeze is so I can make a hemp protein smoothie tomorrow!! Yummm. I’m so exhausted and have to wake up at 7am, yet again.

P.S. For my class The Art of Travel I have to write a blog post on varying aspects of my semester abroad in Ghana. You can read those entries over here.

AKWABA!

Today (ok, so yesterday, but the internet wasn't working then, something I will be getting used to) was my first day in Ghana! First we went to the academic center. It was pretty basic, two classrooms, a library, photo printing room and a kitchen. We sat outside and were introduced to the program coordinator, the teachers, security guards etc… After sitting through that for a few hours, we went to lunch at Headlines Hospitality. It was served buffet style outside. They served us the most amazing juice before our meal. I had watermelon juice and it may have been the most delicious thing I’ve ever had. They’re really into juice in Ghana (maybe because the water is so bad??) There was so much food! A bunch of different rice dishes; plain white rice, and “yellow rice” which obtains that color from the spices it is cooked in, not artificial coloring, they assured us. There were also rice balls, made from rice that is soaked for days, and then pounded and cooked so that it turns into dough. You are supposed to rip off a piece and use it to scoop up soup, but the peanut soup had chicken in it so I ate mine with this salsa-ish stuff. However, they ran out of the normal rice balls and only had this one kind that is prepared differently, and it tasted a little fermented so I only had a bite or two. In addition to yellow rice, I had some spinach-mushroom stew that was sooo good and spicy and some simply sautéed vegetables and my new favorite thing….fried plantains!! Holy crap so good! Not at all like the ones I’ve had in the US. No, these were super sweet and practically melted in my mouth!

After some representatives from the phone store came and sold us some phones. I got a Nokia, which makes me nostalgic because it is just like my first cell phone, only a bit thinner. This took a really long time some how (there were 43 of us!) and by the time we got back to the dorm I had just enough time to body shower (which I really needed) before dinner.

This is where I live. whaaaa!?! (via NYU)

For our group dinner, we went to Tante Marie, which is where our meal plan provides dinner Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They serve African food from different regions and tonight it was Ghanaian. They had salad (!!!) really good rice, sautéed vegetables which a really yummy spicy red sauce and more fried plantains!! I wish I took more of the fried plantains but they were cut into little pieces and looked like home fries which I don’t really like, so ya, I wish I ate more of those but I’m sure there will be many more plantains to come. I am so tired from walking around in this heat and I think my body is still adjusting from traveling so much the past few days.

Tante Matie (via NYU)

The trip over here wasn’t half as bad as I expected. On the flight from New York to London I sat next to this adorable old British man. Only he wouldn’t stop talking and we was telling me about how he was two-time cancer survivor and his wife is so sick etc etc so I couldn’t really cut him off without sounding like a bitch. When I finally got to my house (or should I say palace!!!) I just unpacked and fell asleep! Mmm sleep sounds good right now! I think I’m going to read the trashy magazines I have left over from the airport and do just that!

goodbye prezzy, adorably decorated by my mom. awww

how to cook your life

today i got vaccinated for yellow fever, hepatitis a, typhoid and polio (wtf!) in preparation for studying abroad in africa. i talked to the doctor (who specializes in disease prevention) about what there will be for me to eat as a vegan in ghana that wont err have me living in the bathroom for the entire four months that i will be there. he told be that the prominent cause of sickness over there and reason for such intense disease prevention (ie why i feel like i have two dead arms right now) is the poor quality of drinking water in third world countries. at first this was a hard concept for me to grasp as i have been spoiled by nyc tap water all my life

he informed me that i must avoid all fruits and vegetables that don't have a skin you can peel off (although if i bring a vegetable peeler and wash n peel veggies like carrots myself, they should be fine to eat) pretty much anything raw, and especially no food from street carts.

my dreams of stopping by the fruit lady, balancing an array of tropical treats on her head as i walked to class were destroyed.

"if all the fruits and vegetables are tainted, then what CAN i eat without getting sick" i asked him. you can eat what ever you want as long as it is boiled. raw fruits and vegetables have unsteral water all over them, and that is what will make you sick. and die. (he didn't actually say that last part) so, no foraging my way through the tropics, but at least i wont have to eat goat's blood and cornmeal, or whatever.

after walking home in the sweltering heat, feeling as if i had just got beat up, i collapsed on my bed and watched and unexpectedly amazing documentary called how to cook your life.

German filmmaker Doris Dörrie documents a summer in the life of renowned Zen practitioner and cook Edward Espe Brown as he teaches culinary classes in Zen centers in Austria and California, revealing the role food plays in our bodies and spirits. Informative, provocative and funny, Brown serves up a unique combination of inspiring wisdom and kitchen skills that will raise even the most demanding foodie to new spiritual and gastronomic heights. (via netflix)

it was really so inspiring. Edward Espe Brown seems like such a cool dude. at one point he quotes his guru, suzukie roshi, by saying, "when you're cooking, your not just working on food. you're also working on yourself. you're working on other people." i know this sounds really crazy, hippy-dippy but its so true. it actually gives us health and vitality to make things by hand (and then we give it away) where as buying fake, overly processed stuff without thinking about it harms yourself (lack of nutrition, satisfaction etc...) and the environment (excess packaging, production pollution, waste...) the overlying message that resonated with me is that the outcome of our life is in our own hands! in addition to inspirational, i found it to be pretty entertaining...like this one crazy forager lady who walks around her neighborhood with a big bowl and picks shit out of peoples backyards and dumpsters! definitely recommend it!