Sorry guys, I have been lost from blogosphere for a while. I have been in Madrid (Alcala de Henares) the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes!
Things are different here, I was so happy when I was leaving Accra but now there are a few things that I miss and a few behaviours I find strange here.
One is that everyone assumes my friends and I to be Americans, I guess because we look well to do.
When we say we are Africans it is like we just burst a bubble. So, today we were at a shop buying umbrellas and the woman at the counter asked us " Son americanas". My friend Lisa got really annoyed of the recurrent questions and said "Yes" she made it worse by saying I was from Hawai. Really??
Secondly, whenever we take out huge euro notes like 50 or 100 euros the sale person oggles it and cross checks to see if they are not fake. I don't know if they think all black people are poor or criminals. (Smh)
Thirdly, I really miss African weather. It is summer all year round!! The temperature here is from 7C to 17C, and it is not yet winter. If winter comes "I don die finish". My skin started cracking and becoming really dry so I made up my cream using lavender oil, petal essential water, olive oil, shea butter (my friends and I brought it from Ghana) and our lotions. The result was awesome! My skin looks fed now though it is not at its 100% best.
But, what I love best about Spain is shopping. Their prices to me are so cheap and its autumn time so most summer clothes are ridiculousy cheap. I am going to shop and re-stock my summer clothes. It is always summer in Ghana, right?
Besos a todos, I am off to bed.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Au revoir Ghana
This is my last time writing from Ghanaian soil for some time. I will be away from this land for some months and I am really sad. Today went to do some last minute rounds and ended up buying so much Ghanaian food (gari,shito and fufu mix). My luggage is full of food and hair products but few clothes!
Sorry, for taking so much time to write but I have been during these last few days a tourist, a dedicated choir member(my church had a concert), a disheartened girl(lost my purse again!!) and my big sister's guinea pig. Too much to say but so little time..
So, I will just write down what I will miss about Accra.
The sweet mangoes, bananas and pineapples that are sold everywhere on the street.
The silly adverts that are played non-stop on tv that get etched in your memory for ever.
The beautiful voices of my choir members during rehearsal.
The trendy places like Smoothy bar in Osu, Lizzy sports complex and Kofee Lounge in East Legon.
The love shown by friends family and loved ones.
Au revoir amis et a tres bientot.
Sorry, for taking so much time to write but I have been during these last few days a tourist, a dedicated choir member(my church had a concert), a disheartened girl(lost my purse again!!) and my big sister's guinea pig. Too much to say but so little time..
So, I will just write down what I will miss about Accra.
The sweet mangoes, bananas and pineapples that are sold everywhere on the street.
The silly adverts that are played non-stop on tv that get etched in your memory for ever.
The beautiful voices of my choir members during rehearsal.
The trendy places like Smoothy bar in Osu, Lizzy sports complex and Kofee Lounge in East Legon.
The love shown by friends family and loved ones.
Au revoir amis et a tres bientot.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Did I step into a circus or class?
Hey Guys, remember I mentioned previously that I was attending a PR/Marketing class? Well, tomorrow will be my last day and frankly I am elated as well as saddened by this fact. Why elated? Because, going for this class in the evenings was not easy (fine, I admit laziness) because I had to contend with traffic, hunger and tiredness. On the other hand I am saddened because of the uniqueness of the people in my class.
The class takes place in a small hall that has existed for more than five decades but, which surprisingly is still in relatively good shape except for the cracking sounds of the floor boards whenever it's stepped on. There is only one door which serves for entry and exit. Thus, whenever one is late and enters the class he/she comes face to face with the lecturer and students. Although, there is only one door and a few windows the temperature is always cold. I literally had to wear a sweater to class everyday. Why? Because some ancient air conditioning system decided to punish us with freezing cold air.
Despite all these elements I enjoy the class because of the students. We are about thirty people from different backgrounds, religion,jobs and even ages.
The student body varies from a Hajjiah who is a midwife who relates every marketing or PR question with scenarios she had in the labour ward or in her clininc. She uses every opportunity to market the services that are available in her clinic like adult circumcision etc. Can you imagine??
Next, we have a funny guy who works at a local radio station called Peace fm. Everything about this guy is hilarious; his smile, his clothes( bright neon shirts) and his english. He has a thick Ashanti accent(if you are Ghanain you will know) so, most of his l's are pronounced as r's. It takes a huge effort for him to say a complete sentence in english. When he finally does I have a huge grin on my face. I absolutely like this guy, he will make you happy every time.
Then we have the "three high class babes". They always come in late, looking fresh with their brazillian weaves cascading down their backs. Sometimes instead of staring at the lecturer I will be staring at their heels or their designer bags!
So, by tomorrow I will have a PR/Marketing certificate and the great thing about it will be how fun it was learning in the class that seemed more like a circus.
The class takes place in a small hall that has existed for more than five decades but, which surprisingly is still in relatively good shape except for the cracking sounds of the floor boards whenever it's stepped on. There is only one door which serves for entry and exit. Thus, whenever one is late and enters the class he/she comes face to face with the lecturer and students. Although, there is only one door and a few windows the temperature is always cold. I literally had to wear a sweater to class everyday. Why? Because some ancient air conditioning system decided to punish us with freezing cold air.
Despite all these elements I enjoy the class because of the students. We are about thirty people from different backgrounds, religion,jobs and even ages.
The student body varies from a Hajjiah who is a midwife who relates every marketing or PR question with scenarios she had in the labour ward or in her clininc. She uses every opportunity to market the services that are available in her clinic like adult circumcision etc. Can you imagine??
Next, we have a funny guy who works at a local radio station called Peace fm. Everything about this guy is hilarious; his smile, his clothes( bright neon shirts) and his english. He has a thick Ashanti accent(if you are Ghanain you will know) so, most of his l's are pronounced as r's. It takes a huge effort for him to say a complete sentence in english. When he finally does I have a huge grin on my face. I absolutely like this guy, he will make you happy every time.
Then we have the "three high class babes". They always come in late, looking fresh with their brazillian weaves cascading down their backs. Sometimes instead of staring at the lecturer I will be staring at their heels or their designer bags!
So, by tomorrow I will have a PR/Marketing certificate and the great thing about it will be how fun it was learning in the class that seemed more like a circus.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Visa Process 2
I would not have taken so long to write the sequel if I had not gotten my visa. I am sure I would have been ranting and blaming the embassy but since I escaped that ordeal, it has made me complacent.
Guess that is the same thing that happens with childbirth right? During labour, women go through the worst pain ever but when the baby is out and they are staring into their child's eyes all the past pain is forgotten.
Anyways this is no excuse, my sincerest apologies.
On to the story, I was called on my phone twice to report to the embassy. One of the most annoying things about this particular embassy is the fact that people queue outside the entry gate waiting for the guards to grant them entry. And, to make make matters worse the main entrance is adjacent to one of the busiest streets in Accra so all those who go through this visa process are likely to be stared at by passerby's, commercial cars and all sorts of people. It is embarassing! All I want is a student visa for a year not a resident permit...furthermore there is recession affecting most of the European countries. Why would I want to stay there??
Next, the door is opened up for you, there are routine security checks and you are ushered into a small hall (my livingroom is even bigger) where you join another queue. There one meets all manner of people. Some coming from small towns all over the country who have been waiting for their visas for ages, business women and young guys applying to schools outside.
I wonder why Africans like travelling out so much, if you tell me to go through this process again I would decline. I have applied for several visas but this particular process was very ANNOYING.
The worst part of it was when I went for the visa and opened my passport... I saw a three month visa!
So, as usual I asked a whole lot of questions to the guy behind the counter and he said " Don't worry, when you reach there your school will help you extend it to a year". I was so confused, why would they give me a three month visa when I specified I was going to be schooling for a year??
When I came back home and showed it to my mum she was like " so is for this three month visa that you went through all of that stress".
Thank God I am through this, and I'm gonna enjoy all I can from this visa because I worked for it.
Hasta la vista.
Guess that is the same thing that happens with childbirth right? During labour, women go through the worst pain ever but when the baby is out and they are staring into their child's eyes all the past pain is forgotten.
Anyways this is no excuse, my sincerest apologies.
On to the story, I was called on my phone twice to report to the embassy. One of the most annoying things about this particular embassy is the fact that people queue outside the entry gate waiting for the guards to grant them entry. And, to make make matters worse the main entrance is adjacent to one of the busiest streets in Accra so all those who go through this visa process are likely to be stared at by passerby's, commercial cars and all sorts of people. It is embarassing! All I want is a student visa for a year not a resident permit...furthermore there is recession affecting most of the European countries. Why would I want to stay there??
Next, the door is opened up for you, there are routine security checks and you are ushered into a small hall (my livingroom is even bigger) where you join another queue. There one meets all manner of people. Some coming from small towns all over the country who have been waiting for their visas for ages, business women and young guys applying to schools outside.
I wonder why Africans like travelling out so much, if you tell me to go through this process again I would decline. I have applied for several visas but this particular process was very ANNOYING.
The worst part of it was when I went for the visa and opened my passport... I saw a three month visa!
So, as usual I asked a whole lot of questions to the guy behind the counter and he said " Don't worry, when you reach there your school will help you extend it to a year". I was so confused, why would they give me a three month visa when I specified I was going to be schooling for a year??
When I came back home and showed it to my mum she was like " so is for this three month visa that you went through all of that stress".
Thank God I am through this, and I'm gonna enjoy all I can from this visa because I worked for it.
Hasta la vista.
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