Happy, well-fed and worm free!

Hello my darlings

I cannot believe that a week has gone by since my last post. How quickly time flies, and yet how different the pace of things here in Accra. I walk much more slowly, it takes me much longer to cook, to get ready in the morning and to accomplish anything really. I sleep much less than I do in Canada too (I actually wake up at 7, which some of you will know is unheard of for me at home!). Yet somehow, some way, the days keep on running away on me such that I wake up, blink and the sun has already set. Well, I guess it's a good sign, how quickly time is flying...proves that I'm certainly not bored!

Other than confused and distorted perceptions of time, all is well. This week proved a very productive one on the work front. I had five meetings/interviews with local organizations involved in HIV/AIDS and women's related issues, all of which ended up being very interesting and inspired me to write pages and pages and pages of notes. I continue to enjoy my time with SWAA very as well, getting to know the wonderful staff a bit better every day and familiarizing myself with their projects, partners and members. The last meeting of the year for members and the executive committee took place on Thursday, and was quite the experience. The turnout was the biggest they'd ever had, and so imagine about 80 women, men and children squeezed into a room made for a 40 person capacity, max. As a result of this, I had to share my seat with a lovely little 6 yr old girl by the name of Cherie, who spent the meeting holding my hand and drawing in one of my note books, a wonderful addition to my aesthetically monotonous research notes. As seems to be customary when I attend meetings here in Accra, I was given the chance to stand up in front of everyone, introduce myself and say a few words...I think everyone was quite entertained by my pitiful attempts at expressing my gratitude in Twi... with 80 women, men and children breaking out into loud spurts of laughter. Rule 3: the obroni must not take him/herself seriously when attending meetings in Accra!

So work is good, my health continues to be good (still no worms...I wonder if I'm going to keep you updated on my worm status in every blog entry) and in general, life is good...very good. I feel like I am settling into a nice little routine here, figuring out the city and how to get around within its sinuous, crowded and unidentified streets, where to get the best price for mangoes and bananas, and knowing which streets to avoid if I don't feel like talking to one of my many many "friends" (the ones I was complaining about in my last entry! I have made a couple more since, might I add). I have also been blessed to meet an array of truly wonderful souls since my arrival, whether my peeps at SWAA, my dear friend Tim and his entourage, my roommie Ranjith, or Lidvina, a young woman from Toronto who is working on a CUSO project surrounding women and legal issues in Ghana. Moments spent in their company certainly help to ease homesickness and loneliness, though this is not to say that I don't think of you all often and miss you just as much!

Hmmm....I seem to feel rather uninspired this evening, and I'm not sure why exactly. After all, every day here is full of endlessly new and enriching encounters, sites and smells...is it perhaps that I have drained all my writing energy scribbling crazy research notes throughout the week? Or perhaps is it the Whitney Houston music blasting in the speaker right behind my head. Speaking of music, I was treated to my first live Ghanaian band last Saturday evening...and at a terrasse by the side of the ocean to boot! I danced a bit (to the amusement of the crowd, constituted primarily of Ghanaians) and just marvelled in a state of perfectly sober euphoria (okay, I had a few beers, but still) at the shere luck I had to be there, under the stars and by the ocean, listening to some damn fine "high life" (a local style) on a really bad sound system that didn't even matter.

This new weekend promises to be just as lovely...with more exploration of Accra tomorrow with Lidvina, the evening spent at another terrasse, still by the ocean though, and an adventure to a town a few hours away on Sunday, with Tim, his dance troupe and their german guests.

So yes, tis my report for this last week. I am happy, well-fed (in fact, I think I am gaining weight...though people had predicted I would melt with the heat...the latter seems to do little against the sheer power of Ghanaian cuisine...a very yummy combo of fried stuff, carbs carbs and a bit of meat on the side! I cook and make sure to get my recommended servings of veggies and fruits, but still).

Though I am really loving my time here, from the meetings, to the time at the office, to the weekends spent at the beach listening to live reggae...I still think of home often, and miss you all very much. I hope that all is well with you, that you too remain worm-free and that you're getting used to the cold cold cold while I continue to grow a little bit less obroni with every day that passes under the seering Ghanaian sun (not to rub it in or anything).

Bisous mes cheris, je pense a vous
Sophie