I love you, i hate you

Two posts in one day (Just cause it'll be my last chance to post before I leave). I'll continue posting when I get back to provide links to uploaded photos and maybe a blog or two about my transition back to America. A few friends and I complied a brief (and not at all complete) list of things we will miss and things we won't miss about Ghana:

I WILL MISS:

1. Ghanaian hospitality/friendliness

If you come to Ghana, you will be floored by Ghanaian hospitality. It is remarkable. They welcome you with open arms and are so pleased you chose to come visit and learn about their culture. Their generosity makes the transition period much easier.

2. Banku

I'll try to find a recipe for banku and stew. Yum yum.

3. Being a goddess

(I am personally unsure of whether or not I will miss it. This one is Ashley's point.) Non-black people are pretty idiolised here. People definitely treat you differently because of your lighter skin color.

4. Seamstresses

I will miss having easy access to talented, affordable, and accessible seamstresses. Two seamstresses come regularly about twice a week to ISH and there are seamstresses at all the markets who can custom make anything you want. It's pretty sweet.

5. The vivid culture

Ghanaians are so proud of their culture and roots. And they have every reason to be. I've definitely learned a lot from them about their culture and also learned to really value and appreciate my own.

6. Sense of community

Ghanaians are peaceful people and have a strong sense of community. They see people as their brothers and sisters. They have each other's backs even if they are strangers to one another. It's something I highly admire and will miss terribly when i get back home to America, where people are independent minded and have the pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps mentality.

7. Trotros

8. Cheap goods

9. The ease of traveling

10.Fanice

This is a popular brand of icecream. You buy them in small sachets and they can be found anywhere on the streets. SOO delicious.

11. Alvaro

This is equivalent to my Manzana Lift craze from Mexico. It's a fruit flavored soda. YUMM! my new favorite drink.

12. Laid back-ness

I think I've gotten way more laid back since I left America. Everyone here is so easy going and chill.

13. Freshness of foods

14. Drinking out of bags

After a month of buying bottled water, all the Obruni's switched to the common way of drinking water - out of plastic sachet bags!

15. Professors

16. Ghanaian music

17. Safety

Ghana is extremely safe. I can walk outside by myself at night and feel completely safe and comfortable. There's little to worry about rape, assault, and the sort, like in the States. The only thing one has to watch out for is getting robbed. Even still, Ghanaians have an extreme disgust for stealing. They will chase after a robber and beat him to the point of death if authorities do not interfere in time. A few of my friends have even witnessed this. It is so heavily looked down upon.

18. Free time

19. Thunderstorms

20. Hawkers

So convenient to have hawkers. You can do all your shopping from a tro-tro/car. And it's so cool how they carry everything on their heads!

21. Twi

I'll miss Twi and Pigeon English! And Ghanaian slang, which I AM bringing back to the States.

I WON"T MISS:

1. Open sewers

2. Absence of toilet paper in most bathrooms

Always remember to carry some tp on you.

3. Ghanaian creepy men

4. Mosquitos

5. Fufu

Like Banku, but without flavor, and is not as sticky. Most people love it. I'm not one of them.

6. The heat

7. Getting onto tro-tros

8. Taxi drivers

9. Bargaining for everything

10. Unpaved roads

11. Skin color-based attention

12. Unpunctuality

One disadvantage to ghanaian's laid-back manner is their tendency to be late. It's instilled a horrible habit in me! =P Hopefully I didn't get too affected by this.

13. Chicken and rice meals

14. Lack of food variety

15. Cheesy American pop/country

16. Ghanaian education system

They like to call it "Chew and pull." Basically cram everything in your head before finals and then spit it out during exams. Contrary to American's system of critical thinking-based learning.

17. Patriarchal society

18. Age-based respect

(Another one of Ashley's. I for one don't mind it as I feel Chinese culture is like this as well). There is a lot of mannerisms when it comes to age. You must respect your elders, even if you don't agree with on issues.

19. Not being able to walk around barefoot at home

(This is Jean's. It's so dusty that it's better to just wear shoes inside the room. Although Glenda and I had a no-shoes policy and we swept regularly, our feet still got dirty.)

20. Ants!

21. Lack of customer service

In America, customer service is highly valued. Not so much a concern here. You'll still receive it of course. But it's not a high determining factor for how business performs.

OK. signing off folks. It's been AMAZING. Thank you for following my adventures (stay tuned for pictures). I had such a blessed opportunity. I will never forget my time here. I will definitely come back in the future. If you guys get the chance, please visit Ghana. It is a beautiful country.

See you on the other side. =)