From Elmina to Akusombo

2010 FIFA World Cup fever has stricken the country of Ghana. Beginning last week, the World Cup is being held in South Africa and it is Football MaDDNESS over here! Representing from Africa are Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, GHANA, South Africa, Coute de Ivoir....and maybe another team too, but I think that's it. So far Ghana is the only African team to win their first match and today they play their second match against Austrailia (who already got their assess KICKED by Germany 3-0) So, yeah, I've been paying attention. If Ghana wins today they'll be the first team in the entire competition to qualify for the second round of matches right away....it's a big deal. Everywhere you go there are Ghanaian flags, banners, horns, whistles, team jerseys, you name it....red, green, and gold everything. On TV people have composed and recorded songs to cheer on their Black Star team and when it comes to game time.....people are holing up everywhere to watch the matches. Four per day for this past week and you can see people huddled around TVs inside and outside to watch. Makeshift theaters are set up throughout the towns and if it's not on TV you can hear the matches on the radio.

This past weekend I traveld to Accra and stayed right on the beachside with the sounds of the ocean wafting through the windows. On Friday night there were reggae DJs playing outdoors until the wee hours of the morning. Around 1am or so they brought on about 7 different live acts who rotated through the mic and over various riddims. Pure hotness....it's a shame that it's difficult to bring people over because about 5 of the 7 acts were infinitely better than many of the people we end up seeing over and over again back home....and they were pretty much freestyling! Nice vibes. Even had a couple women up there with them. Ghanaian dancehall I would probably liken to the Jamaican dancehall rather than what we have in the US. Good vibes, nice flow, quality mic-man talkin' up the place. It was great.

Accra the city was a little intense. We did marketing where you can get EVERYTHING. (and here we have the live chiken section....oh, and around this cornere you can buy clothes....and here's the plastic container street....and fish, and fabric, and more clothes, and shoes, and big silver bowles for the head, and soap, and vegetables.....on and on and on) I guess the market in Kumasi is even bigger! We flowed around and met family and cooked in lunch in the military compound (yeah, strange at first to me, but just another place that people live). Visited people in the shanty sections of Accra...cooked more food...watched some close-up fufu preparations....and more reggae music.

One of the mornings in Accra we sat on the beachside and wathced the intricate dance of fishermen and net as they pulled in their morning catch. 4-10 men working for over an hour to pull in their net from the ocean. It was beautiful.

Crap....running out of time here.... :)

This past week I linked up with the public health nurses and helped them with their H1N1 vaccination clinic. Pregnant women, healthcare workers, security people, and other high risk populations (but mostly those three). The public health nurses are a pretty funny and entertaining bunch. They seem to like me a lot and at this point I'm doing all the injections and helping them with their paperwork too. Of course, I'm much too efficient for Ghana so I'm learning how to slow down my pace of work to match their stride. Mid way through the day we usually retire to thier "office" and watch the World Cup match of the moment....hahahah!!! Nursing Ghana style.

This past Thursay (after a DELICIOUS meal of groundnut soup and ken-key) Kenya and I headed back to Accra to link with our resident King Nana. We hit up yet another wonderful outdoor music spot and had a GREAT time dancing to live high-life and reggae music till the wee hours. I loved it! And of course everyone thinks it's the greatest that I get out there and dance, and of course...me being me....I put in my 20 cents (peswas here) and had the band play what we wanted to hear. So much fun!!!

Yesterday we traveled from Accra up to the River Volta to the town of Akusombo where it is just BEAUTIFULLLLLL here. Totally tropical and lush. We're staying right pon the riverside and even got to got out in one of the wodden canoes the local peeps use to travel the river. That one was for my Dad....canoeing in Ghana! So blessed. We tried to take this amazing ferry ride today further up the river, but becasue of Ghana's World Cup match today the ferry's not going!! Hahaha.....we wanted to watch the match anyways....Ghana's gonna KICK Austrailia and qualify for round 2!!!

Love you and miss you all.....Ghana is amazing....we should all come back here together! Bless.