a good day

Yesterday was a good day. We had language lessons in the morning and in the afternoon we had our African drumming and dancing practice. Both Twi teachers decided to combine two of our classes and we played language games. One of the teachers would say something and we had to translate it into Twi, or he would ask for certain vocabulary words or how to greet certain people. For example…one way to say “my name is” or “they call me” would be “yefrε me Hayley” and “I am twenty-two years old” would be “madi mfee aduano-mmienu.” So we did these kind of exercises for two hours and my team ended up losing (we only had 3 people and they had 4) but it was only by a few points…it was fun though and I think we were all surprised by how much Twi we have actually learned. After class I had 3 hours of independent study so I came home to hang out with my host family and eat some lunch, and then I ended up watching a couple episodes of Sex and the City.

At 3pm we all loaded into the Peace Corps bus, which is always a good time because it has AC. We drove to the Peace Corps hubsite in Kuku and got ready to practice our dance. I think the dance we have been practicing is actually from Nigeria and I think it is called “Flowers.” It’s actually pretty fun. We all look pretty silly doing it next to the Ghanaians but it’s definitely entertaining.

After dancing I came home and hung out with my sister for a little while, then my brother, Mark, and my friend Derick (his Ghanaian name is Abrokwea) came into the courtyard, so we all hung out together. My sister told me I was making dinner for us, so I decided to keep it simple and I made some spaghetti but I had no meat sauce so we just added butter. I told them I would make some better food when we go to the market and I can buy some ingredients. They kept laughing while I was cooking because I couldn’t touch the metal pot because it was so hot, but they kept picking it up with their bare hands. Fun cultural exchanges. After dinner I went to fetch water with Mark and I was trying to explain to him what a lightening bug was but I don’t think there is a Twi word for lightning bug. When it started to get dark I decided to put on the movie Tangled for all the kids that had accumulated in our courtyard. There were about 20 people gathered around my little computer and they all loved the movie. After the movie the younger kids dispersed and it was my sister, Millicent, my brother, Mark, Derick, and a few other friends of my brother that live here. They were showing me how they dance…apparently there is a dance called Azonto and they just kept saying it’s the crazy dance. It’s fun to watch Ghanaians dance because they all dance so well. It’s so unfair. We stayed up till about 1130 talking (or they were talking in Twi and I was trying to guess what they were saying), but as my language lessons continue it is easier for me to recognize some of the things they are saying. At one point all the guys were making fun of my sister because they were telling me she keeps sneaking off to call her boyfriend but she kept denying it. It was a really fun night and I’m really glad I’m living with the family I am. I really like them a lot and they are really very nice and patient with my Twi slash good about translating to English.  

This morning I am going to the Methodist church with my sisters Millicent and Grace and I think my younger brother Kujo is going as well. I think some other PCTs are going there with their families as well. The church is right next door to our house so we don’t have to go very far, which is nice. Then after church, hopefully, a couple of us are going to Koforidua (a nearby market town) so we can use the Internet. It will be the first time I have used the Internet since I left Philadelphia. I am really dreading checking my email as I imagine there will be millions of emails to sift through.