So I ate some almonds on the plane. For those of you fine-feathered-friends of mine that know me, then you know what this means. For those of you who don’t know me, I will throw you a hint – pain. Despite this small glitch regarding my personal comfort, safe arrival in Accra with all of my luggage in hand. Only however after a 7 hour flight, an 8 hour layover, and another 6 hour flight. Phew. Needless to say, sleep was number one on my agenda when I arrived to The Hotel Georgia in Accra. After a nice lengthy twelve-hour rest, the Ghana Crew met with Mr. Kwesi for a short introduction to the week and a half ahead, which will be spent in Accra. He says no one is allowed to leave because that would be a waste of America’s tax dollars. Being that I’m working for a government funded organization, I found this rather entertaining. Love a man with a mind on the economy.
Being in Accra feels as if I haven’t left Chicago. Already have a trip to the shopping mall under my belt. A mall you ask? Yes, one that has a movie theater, an apple store, and a store called Game aka Wal-Mart. I ate some chicken nuggets at the Chicken Inn and I people-watched as throws of people roamed the mall searching for love, clothes, or like me, a gallery of people to gaze at. I know I’m not in Kansas any more, but Accra is the Africa that most people don’t know about and it’s not all that different from the city of Chicago that you all know and love. Taxis, hotels lining the streets, men and women wearing the latest fashions, banks, atms, wifi galore. Not too long ago I was at a friend’s cookout and a young man there told me to watch out for the people in the bush who will want to chase me down with spears. At least for the next 10 days while I’m in Accra, I think I can rest assured that no spears will be heading my way in this fairly well-developed city.
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