Iowa: You Make Me Smile

While in NYC, I was lucky enough to have a drink with two of my Malaysian friends (visiting on a short exchange program for young professionals). Crazy to see them halfway around the world more than a year later. Jack, as always, teaching me new words and using English better then me. Sharizal, healing from a car accident and stylish as ever with sunglasses, hat and cane. It was great to see you both!

Back in Iowa...

Got a haircut (first in 10 months!)
Went to the dentist
Drove (!)
Visited my cousin and her 2-wk old baby boy
Survived the mall without shellshock. All my shopping was easily finished in Africa, but was accompanying my procrastinating sister! The bag I brought home will go back full of provisions for me, since all contents will be parceled out for the holidays.

I'm sad I can't enjoy unlimited hot showers---my skin is so dry and my lips so chapped! I think I prefer the grease monkey I am in Ghana's humidity.

I am unskillfully answering the standard questions: Do you like Ghana? How does it compare to Egypt and Malaysia? I miss my favorite inquisitors R. and M., who always ask me the most thought-provoking questions (and cook really yummy food and provide me with the image of the family I aspire to have one day).

Happy Holidays! Enjoy the time with your loved ones---I will be!

Landed

I'm sitting in a 30th floor apartment on the Upper East side of Manhattan with a great view. The weather, though cold for me, is almost 50. Thank goodness I'm being eased into winter.

No hitches in the flight, no public transit worker strike when my plane got it. Friend waiting at airport with coat and, better yet, homemade brownies. She'd remembered it's my favorite. Subwayed to Katrina. Hot shower, Thai food.

I can drink water from the tap.

I blend in (I think I like standing out).

On the flight between Accra and Lagos (transit): Someone's phone made the rooster sound and this totally pimped out Nigerian guy goes, "Nani kore?!" I blinked twice, cocked my head to the side and asked him if he'd just spoken Japanese, thinking something in a local Nigerian language might just had the same sounding words with a different meaning. Yep, he had exclaimed, like a little Japanese schoolgirl, "What's that?!"

Laundry List

Here are my notes from my trip in Guinea. Sorry it's not much, but at least it's something. I couldn't bring myself to blog then because 1) exhausted and 2) French keyboards.

• men taller
• more colorful
• "busted"
• roads not as bad as was expecting
• Customs women at airport: out for blood. If women ruled world, myabe NOT be such a good idea...
• coworkers complaining
• women with babies on backs, loads on head, same as in Ghana
• their version of tro-tros are mini-vans with chain-sawed out triangles in back for (minimal) air
• Plane was tro-tro like, jumping from Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, to Guinea. Abijan, Ivory Coast was full of waterways, as was Conakry, Guinea. Water more incorporated into city layout than in Accra.
• Women with heads covered but also some in slip dresses. Saw a couple of young women washing clothes in bras on side of street
• mosques, not churches
• street signs clearly marked
• I had problems with decimal point in converting/calculating costs
• A papaya costs $.50 (in Ghana it's $.20)
• Had to buy knife and spoon at market so that I could then eat papaya
• ate banana that was big and fat and disgusting---turned out to be an apple-banana. more dense, less mush, left icky film on my teeth
• just speaking English and smiling: hard to be in a place where back-up language is French, which I don't speak
• lots of men sitting around
• need to bring flashlight next time
• power outages at least 4x/day...luckily never in elevator when lights out

Where I Am

I got back from Guinea about 1.5 weeks ago. After a quiet Monday back at work, I began another circuit ride in Ghana. That's why there' s been no time to blog! Working early, short lunches, staying late. Weekends have been full of Christmas shopping.

I played basketball on Sunday for the first time in years. I feel it all over my body now, but can't wait to do it again! It was the birthday celebration for a girl who played bball at Duke (that means she's GOOD!) and was followed by some yummy Eritrean food. In the second game, Boys Vs. Girls, the girls took a strong lead: 5-1. But in a hotly contested game, the boys squeaked by for a final score of 7-6 (each bucket was one point). Only a few injuries were sustained (dislocated shoulder, 2 bumps on foreheads, a cut by an eye from glasses getting knocked). Next time (which will have to be January since so many of us are traveling), volleyball!

I leave on Thursday for the US via NYC (2 days). Looking forward to connecting up with people after my longest absence yet (10 months)!!!! Drop me an email with your current contact info!