well, we decided to go to togo (tiny country east of ghana - deal with the brackets all you whiners)... it was an adventure, to say the least.
we ended up making a 4 day weekend out of the trip, just because it is kind of far and there was a lot of the country we wanted to explore. we left early friday morning (with a very hungover becky, who made the trip a lot funnier). we had to get visas sorted out in accra because, for whatever reason, i thought a single entry visa was smarter to buy than a multiple entry one. i was wrong. we spent the day getting our visas changed (pure luck that they were willing to do this for us, normally its a 2 week bureacracy-packed process). it took most of the day and ran very much on 'african time' where they'd say come back at 1230 to pick it up, but then make us wait and watch hilarious nigerian soap operas until 3pm. its times like that when you catch yourself thinking how nice it would be to be back in the west where things run on actual time. just as i was thinking that though, i remembered that if i was in canada, the immigration officers would have told me from the begining to go home and do it the regular 2-week way because they dont make exceptions for tourists who decided they wanted to go to another country for the weekend just cause. we got it though, and left for togo a bit behind schedule. i did get to ride in the front of the tro tro though which was thrilling.
we had to cross the border into togo at night which was kind of nerve racking.. everybody around was pretty sketchy and was trying to rob us by pretending to know where bathrooms were.. luckily, our tro tro driver had his friend walk with us so we were okay and crossed eventually. sadly, the good reputation i thought canadians had internationally came to an abrupt end. when paying for my visa to enter ghana, i was charged double what the australians were and also more than the american. apparently, we have really high rates for visas and so other countries retaliate by charging canadians just as much. touche.
the hotel that we stayed at in lomé (the capital) was pretty nice, but unfortunately was full of white men coming to togo for sex. charming hobby that togo is apparently known for.. prostitutes come from ghana and nigeria to work in togo, probably at this hotel. we spent a good chunk of our first night watching old ugly white men drink and then spend time with stunning togolese women and thene eventually, start looking really excited and proud then go upstairs with them as their new pervy buddies cheered. absolutely disgusting and something i just cant understand.
we spent 2 days in lomé going around and seeing the sites... it used to be the paris of west africa (former french colony) and so i got to practice my french and eat lots of baguettes mixed with lebanese food... we went to a market full of animal guts and giant fish, walked along a gorgeous beach and got absolutely pummeled by rain at one point. the real kicker of the lomé visit was when i was changing money and had the money changer make off with $20. he and his little buddies managed to distract me and pull this huge swipe on me and two of my friends, making off with almost $100 total. the twerp. its hard to describe how sneaky this guy was without doing a dramatic reenactment.. but he was good.. i was kind of impressed a couple hours after i was done being mad.
after our stint in lomé, we went to togoville.. a village just east of lomé and a major voodoo centre. after a few more glitches caused by the libyan president's visit to the country and taxi drivers who dont know where theyre going. in togoville we did this tour of the major voodoo parts of the city and also hit up a spot where in the 1940s, there was a report of the virgin appearing over the lake. it warranted a visit from the pope and everything... got to see the pope boat that he took out there and everything. pretty interesting, but a little bit hilarious. as much as i love seeing things like this across west africa, you cant help but leave feeling like you've been conned. i might have mentioned this in my last post about the stilt village and how it felt like it was one big show for the dumb white tourists. ahhh well. all part of the experiene or something like that.
on monday we came back to ghana to get back to work and everything. itwas a really long trip home with massive pot holes, police checks that made us get out of the car and a lot of swerving. we stopped at the mall in accra around dinner time to get some pizza and other supplies from the grocery store than finally went back to camp. just as i thought my adventure was over, i realised i'd pulled a where's waldo move by leaving my wallet in the taxi. whoooops. luckily, it had no money in it and all that was there is stuff i can replace. still felt like a massive idiot though. i think i managed to get all of the dumb tourist mistakes overwith in one weekend.. knock on wood.
as for this week.. i havent got a lot planned. i came back after 2 days off to a class that was actually happy to see me which was kind of fun. it was also really cold today, to the poin that camp looked somewhat hilarious all bundled up for +15 weather.. one kid came to class with a full blown winter jacket on. i think it also made them slightly more relaxed and willing to make division flashcards and write stories. it was a nice change from last thursday when all the local teachers had to go to a meeting with the UNHCR (who is guaranteeing teachers jobs when they return to liberia because there is such a shortage). it meant that school was run all by international volunteers who have absolutely no authority at school. i think i broke up 10 fights between kids.. at one point i turned around to see one of my boys on top of his desk ready to pounce on two other kids where were throwing fists at him. its a lucky thing that in grade 3 they're not very big and i can still pick them up and plop them in desks on the other side of the room. its only ever a short term fix though because in 5 minutes they've moved again. sadly, i think the only way i can get the kids to behave is if i have bobby (my liberian teacher) in the room with me. i've come to terms with it haah.
whaaat else has happened since last week..... oh. on tuesday night i went to ahve dinner at my afrian mother's house. this woman, christine, had apparently adopted me as her daughter while i'm here and insited on me and a friend coming to her house for dinner with 2 teachers (one of whom is her buduburam son.. she's got a lot of adopted kids). anyway. she made us one of the major traditional liberian foods.. fufu and soup. fufu is maize (corn) that is pounded into a powder and then mixed with water and cooked into a doughy ball type thing. the soup is made with fish and really hot peppers (dont know if i mentioned that.. its incredible though!). i'm hopingthat soon she'll have me over to learn how to make it, or at least try other food.
alright. theres more to type but i just noticed how long this was getting. i hope everything is going well at home... i miss it all a lot, but have decided that i'm never coming back - even with all the shit that happened this weekend, i wouldnt want to be anywhere else!
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