To back track and bit...
We ended our stay in Kumasi with spending lots of time at KNUST (Kuame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology) hearing lectures about the history of Ghana, religion, dress, gender roles, child health and socialization in Ghana and the story behind the many fabrics and art of Ghana. The lectures were from actual professors at the university, it was a real treat!
Later that day we visited the kente villages and got to watch a private exhibition of the Kente weaving. This is an incredible process...until I can get my pictures up, check this out:
I had an opportunity to make one of my favorite purchases of the trip...this beautiful piece of Adinkra stamped cloth---big enough to make a bed spread! It is my favorite color green and it is adorned with the beautiful symbolic stamps...here is one of my favorites:
It is two alligators sharing the same stomach, which tells us that while we may have different means of getting some place or some thing, we have the same destiny...in short, it is unity through diversity. Pretty Deep stuff...Also, on May 25th, while Americans were BBQ-ing and enjoying a cold one on the beautiful lakes of our country, Africans were also celebrating African Unity Day/African Liberation Day. Our tour guide described this day as one in which everyone is asked to bring into their consiousness that Africa is One. It is also a day to “mark each year, the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the People of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.” Its a really neat holiday.
On the 26th, we headed to the coast! we stopped at the Manhyia Palace home of the Asante King, it was a little dry and the tour guide at the palace tried his hardest, but the true highlight was hanging with the peacocks on the lawn-can't wait to put up the pictures!
We drove by the biggest market in all of Ghana...words cannot describe the picture, but it was like that flea market that you love at Giants stadium, mom? only it is about 10 times bigger and they sell raw meat. Get it? Oh, also, its like 100 degrees out and you can barely communicate with people who see you as a giant dollar sign. One crazy thing was that they had these huge plastic bags PACKED with donated items from the salvation army. We had a whole lecture about how many of our donations in the US are actually sold to wholesalers who then sell to merchants who then sell it to the people here...I could have sworn I saw an old PHS shirt I had donated---but we had to keep driving by...so sad to think that what we would like to donate to charity, is then being sold to those that really can't afford our hand-me-downs.
On our way to the coast we drove through one of the largest villages producing gold, which is completely owned by a South African company...Ghana does not own any of their gold producing land. Horrible..and to make it worse, you know what the name of the company is that owns the land that we drove through? ANGLOgold...vomit.
One last note, particularly pertaining to the title, and then i will let my next entry be about some of my experiences on the Coast...
I feel like I have been eating non-stop...I've been trying so hard to make healthy choices, but the healhty choices are the most hazardous to your health (ie: fruit, fresh veggies, etc). Anyhoo, the last few days in Kumasi were rough on the tummy, and it sure didn't end there. After about 6 days of...umm...as my sister and I like to call it...cha cha cha (if you don't know what I mean, ask your mother...heh heh or send me an e-mail and I shall clarify). I finally sucked it up and took the Cipro, a major antibiotic to get rid of whatever was going on. The first day I took it along with my malaria pill...the first day was our travel day FROM the coast to Accra (where I currently am)...BIG MISTAKE. I was doubled over in pain and nausea-absolutely miserable. It was a little embarrassing because I was feeling a bit emotional about being so physically ill (my family knows how I get...), I didn't throw up or anything but I really wish I had. Nausea is such a pesky little feeling. The professors were SO SO nice, they would fan me, gave me mints, and offered to have the bus stop at any moment. It was so comforting-thank goodness. Some of the girls would come by and rub my back, offer me water, etc. I can't imagine a better group to be traveling with. We are officially all women too, our social work professor, Dr. Lowe had to leave due to a family emergency and he was the only male on the trip! Girls Gone Wild in GHANA (not really...and Dr. Dozier's hubby is here, but he stays pretty behind the scenes...) but you get the point. I am very well taken care of!
Stay tuned....
Love,
The Never Want to See Another Toilet Travler
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