Orientation and Introduction to Ghana

Orientation is starting to wear me down quite a bit, but I am still having an amazing time. We're busy from one minute to the next, starting at 8:30 in the morning and going till 8:30 at night. We all want to go out, but at the end of the day all we want to do is sit, chat, and sleep. My bed is becoming comfier by the night, as its quite stiff and my pillow is flat as cardboard. Luckily I have two stuffed animals to keep me comfy and feeling a bit more like home.
We've done a TON these few past days. Monday we were introduced to all the staff and got a rundown on safety, culture, housing policies etc. We had a delicious buffet lunch at Headlines Hospitality, so we got to eat as much or little as we want and try whatever we want. I had a spinach dish, eggplant dish, and a peanut soup. The peanut soup was super fresh, so there was alot alot of oil in it, so I stayed away from it in the end, I knew my stomach wouldn't appreciate it. Next we met with our RA's (resident assistants, same in the States) and learned more about our residences. We went to dinner at one of the restaurants that we have our meal plan at. The food was really good and the atmosphere was fabulous, all outside with a thatched roof, absolutely gorgeous.
Tuesday we had lots of lectures. My favorite was one on Accra from the old Mayor. He then gave us a tour around the city, showing us the major areas and what they're called and all about. It was really interesting and he definitely knew what he was talking about. We had lunch at a place called Frankies, they served pizza, burgers, grilled cheese-lots of American foods. The thing I was most excited about however was.... french fries and ketchup!!! We then had a lecture on all the community service opportunities that are available for us. It was really interesting and I am going to have a really hard time picking which to do. I originally knew I wanted to do the West Africa AIDS Foundation, but after hearing their speech and asking the director some questions, it seems as if I would be doing more clerical work, which I get enough from with Gary B : ) I also learned that the percentage of AIDS documented in Ghana is 2.7%, probably actually around 5% with all the undocumented cases. There are so many other organizations that were desperate for volunteers, and it seems as if the bigger the corporation, the less help they need. We had group dinner at the other restaurant we can use our meal plan at, Sunshine Salads, and it was delicious as well, lots of salads and wraps, more healthy options which was very nice. Again, when we got home we all crashed and fell right asleep by 10:00.
Wednesday was the longest day of all. We started with an overview of Asheshi University, the other university we can take classes at. It was a very beautiful campus, although very small, only three buildings. They had a pretty good library though, and I hear they have a great canteen. I plan on taking a Music and Dance class there if everything works out. I have a performance at the end of the year of everything I've learned, pretty cool. We then went back to the NYU School for a lecture on "Cultural Do's and Don'ts." It was really interesting and I learned alot that I would not have known otherwise. We had another lecture on religion after that, and I can't tell you what I learned because I definitely passed out for the most part of it. It's 90 degrees, with a cool breeze outside, its just like the beach! And my sleep time is off! How could I stay awake?! We then went for a tour of the University of Ghana. It was HUGE!! Bigger than any school I have ever seen in the United States. It has 40,000 students!! I sat in a classroom and immediately knew I would be way too distracted to actually pay attention, definitely not for me, although very interesting to visit. After that we went back to NYU to take our first Twi class. I LOVED it!! It was so much fun and I am really excited to be able to speak to my neighbors and all the people I meet on my walk to and from school. Then we went to the Koala Supermarket, a store that sells mostly international treats that foreigners miss. I got a razor, some apples, and laundry detergent, spending a total of 23 cedi (about 19 American dollars). We had dinner as a group and at the end of the day, we all plopped straight into bed and fell right asleep.
Yesterday we started with a lecture on Medical Care and Living Healthy, something that scared us, but at the same time eased our minds alot. As it turns out, mosquitoes with malaria only come out from dusk to dawn, the majority of which time I am not outside. Also, Ghana has so many cases of malaria that they are experts at treating it. I will not die from malaria while here, the doctors are just too good at treating it. Unfortunately malaria is one of those diseases that stay with you your entire life, causing you to get flu like symptoms frequently during the year. Luckily, I take my medication every day, apply bugspray like its my job, and have air conditioning in my house (which means no open windows EVER). We then took a tour of our neighborhood Lebone, which was really helpful and got me to know the map of where I am. We went back to the center to discuss a book we had to read and then went to the US Embassy to get some tips and pointers about our stay in Ghana. It was really interesting and fun, and I met alot of interesting people. The best part of yesterday however was our night out. We went to a bar in Osu (the city) where they play live music and there is alot of dancing. The whole thing was outside and was very inexpensive. The people are so friendly and everyone loves to dance. It is such a different night-life than the States. Here, girls dance with girls, boys dance with boys, and there is nothing homosexual about it. It is simply that everyone wants to dance, so you find a partner, and you dance, simple as that! I had tons of fun, and met alot of really great people.
Today was pretty relaxed. We went for a tour of the Artist Alliance Gallery, a beautiful buy tiny gallery right on the beach. Then we went for a tour of the Kwame Nkumah Mausoleum, the burial place of the first president of Ghana. This country has alot of really interesting history, and I really enjoy learning about it. We have rest time now, and then have our second Twi class. Tomorrow and Sunday we can do whatever we like! Saturday me and my roommates are going to buy fabric and get clothes made, and on Sunday its beach day baby! (My UK roommate Sophie says 'baby' at the end of everything, I feel like its a bad habit I am going to acquire).
Well that was long! I love the food, I love the people, love the language, and can't wait to get really comfortable, and be able to call this place my home.