somewhere out there: back from the north

Hello again to all,

As always, I hope this finds you well. Can you believe we're almost to the end of August???!!! In 8 days I will officially be arriving at the airport to check in for my flight...!! Although it's been a great trip, I'll admit that I'm ready to come home. What most am I looking forward to? Probably the clean bathroom with a toilet that always flushes!!!! haha That and milk...surprise surprise. What will I miss most? Definitely the warmness and generosity the people continually show me here. The marriage proposals? ...I don't know that I'll miss that...haha I'll also miss being able to bargain for everything I buy (especially now that I've mastered that art!!). However, what's even harder to believe, is that I'll be back in school in 2 weeks - can't say I'm quite ready for that!!!!!!!! I am really looking forward to catching up with you all though.

Some quick facts from my trip up north - although we spent a good 45 hours, if not more, on a bus in 6 days, it was definitely worth it. The week started off with a quick trip to Kumasi, the 2nd largest city, where we spent some time at a craft market. It's hard to describe what it's like to be a white person (obruni) in these situations, but you literally get pulled from place to place. "Come to my shop...no my shop...me next..." It's good fun. The next big event was the safari. It had rained quite hard the night before so many of the animals had been scared off into the far forests, but it was still some good fun. We started out the day eating our breakfast, only to be graced with the company of a monkey...who decided to take our bananas into his own hands. After 3 or 4 trips back and forth to the table where our bananas were sitting, he had finished eating them all. LOL All I could think about was Curious George. Definitely not something I'll forget quickly!! The safari itself wasn't quite as exciting as I'd hoped, partly because of the prior rain, and partly because Ghana's 'African' animals are limited to monkeys, warthogs, antelopes, elephants, lions (who sleep at this time of year), and a few others. But it was still a FANTASTIC experience. The next big event was spending 2 days in one of the northern mud-hut communities. WOW. This will BY FAR be the highlight of my trip. The people were so warm, wonderful, joyous, and friendly - I really can't describe. This was TRUE Africa. We also spent a few hours doing some traditional dancing with the local people, so I've drastically improved my dancing skills (HAHAHA) - but I don't think I'll fit in at the nightclubs in Canada with this type of dancing!!! But it was really wonderful. ...and that's all I'll say about that for now...

My mom has pointed out to me that (alike my favourite older brother), I always end my emails with "I have so many stories to tell you, I don't have the time but I will tell you later" but that I never go back and tell the stories. It's true - there's always too much to say!! But indeed, I have been keeping a journal. As with everything else, I haven't always had time to write, but I've been sure to keep a summary of each day's events, as well as the 'random Ghanian facts' which I'll have to share once I get back to Canada. Now for some of the questions... No, I'm not that tanned...lol...I'm sure most of my friends will look more like they've been to Africa than I do...but I'm a sunscreen goddess, so I don't mind. Yes, the sun sets quite early - it's dark around 6:30 pm - but yes, it does cool down at night. The weather, however, has been far from unbearable. In fact, often it's been great! I'm sure Canada's had some hotter days than I've had here. The inevitable fruit question!! YES THE FRUIT IS FABULOUS!!!!!!! ...particularly the pineapple, ironically! It happens to be my favourite...

Okay, time is almost up, so I'll have to finish answering the rest sometime soon. But know that as always, I am so appreciative of the emails you send - it really does make the time here much easier, particularly on the rough days.

But, I will see/talk to you soon.

Love and hugs to all,

Teresa