20091101

homestays

week before last, some of us did homestays with families in the area. naomi and i stayed in a modest home in west legon, about 2 miles from campus. it took us most of the week to figure out transportation to and from...many days we ended up just walking home. by far the best part of homestays was aunti jemimah's outdoor shower. best. thing. ever. talk about washing your cares away! who wouldnt want to take a refreshing cold shower under the african sunset after accumulating a day's worth of grime and sweat?


auntie had her own rain-catching tank so she would never run out of water, but the power went out a few times during our stay, on campus and at the house. i cannot tell you how frustrating this was- we couldnt do any research (no internet), and with no fans or anything, all we could really do was lay inside, sweating. yuck. lets home that doesnt happen again.


part of our scenery from our daily walk through mempaesem

personally, i can't say i had the most satisfying homestay experience. our family carried on with their lives around us, and did not try to engage us in anything. they mostly ignored us...not what i was expecting. plus, we had no personal space...our bed was in the corner of the living room. which meant waking up on african time (read: extremely early) and no privacy, really. and the commute just added another element to the incredible amount of stress i was already under. maybe it was just bad, bad timing. i am glad to stay that patrick and corrie had a fantastic time in their homestay. i visited them at their house, and it felt much more like family. so i guess i claim a small part of their experience vicariously. needless to say, i was very happy to return to ISH. i could settle down a bit, not live out of a suitcase, be in a room by myself, and cook some vegetables. (in case i hadnt said this, traditional ghanaian food contains very little vegetables. it's more meat and starch). so...yeah. i think that's it. i was very happy to be back on campus.

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