as long as you're still walking...

Yesterday Jens got hit - in the arm - by the side mirror of a van.  Don't worry - he is absolutely fine - there is no bruise at all.  But it would have been nice for the driver who grazed him to have stopped to check.  Instead we had to chase him down.

We were walking down the street when a white van came speeding by.  I heard a soft thump and saw Jens stop short.  The van went a few feet further, paused for a few seconds, and started again on its way.  We yelled and waved, it stopped again, paused to decide, then sped down the road.  We both took off after it, yelling and screaming "STOP!"  Some interested passersby asked what was going on and I told them eagerly before running off again.

In Accra there's a strong notion of "street justice."  A few months ago we heard about a case on the UG campus where a woman accused of stealing was caught and abused by a gang of male students, and recorded on phone video cameras (reported here and blogged about here, for a start).  If two cars bump each other on the road, a screaming match is just around the corner.  So it's no surprise that the driver who hit Jens took off.

What did surprise me is that the onlookers didn't do anything about it.

I was hoping I'd get some kind of crowd following the van or that the word would spread down the street faster than the car.  Instead they just listened to my story and urged me to run.

Turns out the van was headed to a hotel two blocks away.  Jens caught up with it as it screeched into the gated courtyard.

The driver's explanation for his hit-and-run?

• I was in a big hurry to get here.
• You were walking in the middle of the road.
• People get hit with side mirrors all the time.

And the kicker, folks:

• I saw you could still walk, so I knew you were okay.

Anyway, the driver continued, I said I was sorry.  What more can I do?

It's true.  There's not much in the way of auto insurance here.  The police, we are strongly sure, would not have done anything.  Jens's arm was feeling okay right afterwards.  (Today it doesn't even hurt, let alone have a bruise - lucky he didn't get hit any worse.)  It was incredibly frustrating, though.  Had Jens been truly injured, would the driver honestly have thought more seriously about stopping - or been faster to run away?  Is an apology after you try to flee the scene really enough?

I went to the doctor today with a coworker (this relates, I promise) - she has tonsillitis, I have an ear infection, and now we both have antibiotics - and she was saying that doctors here don't listen as much when white people complain.  They think we exaggerate every pain we have.  So when she told the nurses the blood pressure cuff was squeezing her arm too tightly, they told her it only hurt because she was speaking while it was measuring.  Though she had started to speak only after it started hurting.  There wasn't any acknowledgement of her pain, or that something might truly be wrong.  There was only the need for blame to fall elsewhere.  And if she was still able to talk, presumably, they thought she was okay.

There's no question that obronis in Accra often have more wealth, possessions, and opportunities than a vast majority of the people they interact with every day.  That doesn't mean, though, that each of our experiences is less worthy - or that our words should have any less impact.  Being able to afford an extra cedi or two for each taxi ride doesn't mean I should be required to pay it.  

I heard of a friend who was overcharged 10 pesewas (cedi-cents) on some fruit she bought, and when she brought it up the vendor looked at her earnestly and said, "I need it more than you."  Does that give the fruit vendor the right to take more money from one person than from another?

A culture clash, indeed.

pains and therapy

Guys, I have sciatica!

Some kind of hip pain indeed I do have.  It's caused by a tight muscle in my sacrum squelching one of the nerves that runs through my left hip.  It's also caused some misalignment up my spine.  I'm in physical therapy now, and the therapist is going to cure some of my excess flexibility while we're at it.  It turns out that my being special is actually not gonna be healthy for my hips later on.  While she was pushing and prodding the muscles along my spine she poked at my right rotator muscle and declared it felt "like bubble wrap."  Owwwww!  Goodbye, duck feet; goodbye, creepy flexible-foot-based party trick.

I've also got a nasty cold - my first one since arriving here.  Three days into the new job and I'd lost my voice; this weekend I'm so congested I can't taste anything.  It's really weird!  It feels like my tongue is numb... but it's not.  I can still taste salt, mustard and Nutella.

I'm trying to take it pretty easy today and hope I'll be in working order by tomorrow.

Ghanaian Names

Naming conventions in Ghana never cease to make me grin.  Apart from the run of names you hear around most of the English-speaking world, there are three ways this can go, as I've seen it in Accra so far:


1. Names ranging from the old-fashioned to the biblical.  Dorcas, Mabel, Enoch, and a dozen Emmanuels to every one of everybody else.


2. Out-there names describing personality characteristics, or hopes.  Allswell, God's Willing, Wonder, and the slightly more everyday Patience, Constance, Mercy, Charity, or Wisdom.  


3. Traditional naming.  Every day of the week has one or two assigned names for each gender.  Because I was born on a Tuesday, my Ghanaian name is Abena (OBB-nah or, as the caretaker of our building often says it, Abrah).  People on the street who want to address you but don't know your name, if they choose not to yell out "Obroni!", will take a one-in-seven chance and call out one day name or other.  Most commonly I think I've heard Akosua and Adjoa.  If I'm in a mood to respond, I'll say hello and tell them to call me by the right name!


There's a Facebook application that figures out this process for you, or if you'd rather not link it to your profile, just find your day of birth (here's one such site) and match it to your name!  Taken from another blog, I present you with names and characteristics of each day.  I just discovered that both kids in my family were born on Tuesday, but I don't know exactly how well these qualities describe me or Z.  Jens is Kojo, meanwhile.  Our guards often use these names as they roll off the Ghanaian tongue - much easier than the neighbor girls' pronunciation of my name: "Hello Frantchka!"

Males
Monday: Kojo, Kwadwo, Jojo, Cudjoe
Tuesday: Kwabena, Ebo, Kobena, Kobina, Kobby
Wednesday: Kwaku, Kweku
Thursday: Yaw, Ekow, Yao, Yokow
Friday: Kofi, Fiifi, Yoofi
Saturday: Kwame, Ato, Atoapem, Kwamena, Kwami
Sunday: Kwasi, Akwasi, Kwesi

Females
Monday: Adwoa, Adzo, Ajoba, Ejo, Adjoa
Tuesday: Abena, Abla, Araba, Abina
Wednesday: Akua, Akuba
Thursday: Yaa, Aba, Yaaba, Yaayaa
Friday: Afua, Afi, Afia, Efie, Efua
Saturday: Ama, Amma, Awo
Sunday: Akosua, Esi, Kisi

Characteristics of Each Day

Monday’s child is the father or mother in the family; nurturing in nature, dependable and organized, and protective of his/her family.

Tuesday’s child is the problem solver and planner of the family. They are structured in nature, neutral in all matters and never takes sides.

Wednesday’s child is fully in control of every situation, does not want to be told what to do, knows it all, is spontaneous, vibrant and cordial. Be sure not to cross his or her path though…

Thursday’s child is quiet in nature and incredibly observant. They are generally listeners, not talkers, and analyzes situations very well.

Friday’s child is a leader, not a follower. He/she is very temperamental but has a big heart. Generally the instigator of everything.

Saturday’s child likes to take control of family situations. He/she runs the show and make the rules, but will go out of his/her way for others anytime.

Sunday’s child is the passive, sensitive and warm member of the family. He/she tends to be shy and likes to keep to his/her self, but is very aware of his/her surroundings and usually is the secret keeper of the family.

Otherwise, I'm coming down with my first West African cold, starting up with a four-day sore throat.  Taking it easy today in hopes that it fades pretty quickly.  Something has been going around for the past couple of weeks, though.  I'm planning for my parents' visit at the beginning of August, and getting ready for yet another exam at the Goethe Institut signifying that I've finished level B1 and ready to become an upper-intermediate.  That concept is very hard to believe; loads of my upper-intermediate students in Dublin were leagues ahead of where I see myself!

Accra signage...

In a taxi. Just saw a car with an ad for the no-longer-operating Afriqiyah Airways which had the first two A's removed, leaving FRIQIY Hairways. Intentional or not, I laughed.

Just back from immigration to collect the residence extension in my passport. It wasn't ready yet on the expected due date, to the extent that the employee asked me, "why are you here today?" On the form they gave me, the officer wrote the initial of my first name and my full middle name.  When they called out my middle name, I had no idea they were asking for me until the penny finally dropped on about the fourth repetition.

Got an emergency appointment with the recommended dentist for this afternoon. Bad stuff started happening last night and I'm looking forward to seeing this guy, who's been recommended by friends, guide books and my own embassy. Enough of trying the locals- sometimes you just have to go to the Lebanese.

Taxi driver just said to me, "I want to pass here to swerve the traffic." The things these guys do with the language never cease to amuse!

posted from Bloggeroid

heeeey, blogger's back!

After a long and eventful two days in which I couldn't post anything but wanted to so much, it's finally available again!

Thursday night I went to the hospital!  A Sprite bottle shattered and a shard hit my foot; I wanted a doctor to tell me if I needed stitches.  (Didn't.)  On the plus side, I got registered with the hospital, then examined and disinfected and bandaged up properly.  It's quite minor and will probably be gone within the week; it's already closing up quite well.  But it did hurt!

Last night we had a really fantastic party.  There was friends, food, music, drinks, dancing, chatting, smiles all round, and everyone LOVES the house.  It's hard not to!  We met the neighbors, too, and overall had a really good time.  I've also now promised to invite people over for breakfast some time to make the best use of our coffee machine.  Louisa started this idea of having people over for breakfast, and it's great.  A low-key Sunday brekkie.  Maybe in a few weeks.  Cappuccinos and huevos rancheros!

For now, I got a lovely African rainstorm around 10:30 which sounds like it's winding up now.  A fresh clean start for a fresh year of life!  AND, the Eurovision finals are being streamed in the expat-oriented sports bar tonight.  What a fabulous birthday I'm having!

Changes and transitions

Waiting at the dentist to be seen. Today is a day of appointments all over the world, as both my mother and Jens's are going in for (different) common but significant procedures. I wish them good surgeries, quick recoveries, health and strength.

The last week and a half has left me too preoccupied to blog. We are still without curtains in the big window in our bedroom, which has taken my thoughts up recently (as in, every time the sun rises at 6!). Also I've seen the doctor twice; once to test for infection and yesterday to discuss the results (no infection, hooray). Today I'm hoping a Ghanaian dentist can finally sort out these sensitive teeth where the Irish have failed; I really hope so!

Monday night marked the start of Passover, a holiday of change and transitions. More on that another time...

The coming of April has made me realize how much I miss watching spring emerge from winter. Here, sunshine and warmth are a given no matter what month it is. Even during the rainy season, they get an average of 5 hours of sun a day. My favorite part of the year has always been seeing life come from bleakness as the world reminds me of reasons to rejoice. I miss the lilacs.

If anyone in Accra is reading this, I'd also like to extend an invitation to an event happening 10 days from now, on Saturday the 30th of April. Accragio (my choir) is participating in a benefit concert in aid of Japan, along with many other musicians, magicians and performers. It's at the Mensvic Hotel swimming pool in East Legon. The catch is that a ticket costs 80 cedis (or 150 for a pair), but the consolation is that it all goes to help survivors of the earthquake(s) and tsunami. Come if you can. I've heard it'll be great; the choir certainly will be.

Tonight I am missing a performance of a Chinese disabled people's performing troupe which I think would be inspiring and fascinating to see. Denver has a group like this, I think, and I never got a chance to see it.

Maybe some day...

Does anyone know where we can find cheap but modern curtains in Accra? We are going to look at fabric shops on the weekend after seeing 3 mostly disappointing curtain shops already. It doesn't make sense to pay 15 or 20 cedis a yard for fabric that's not something we love, but at some point I'd like to be able to sleep late in the darkness again!

posted from Bloggeroid

aaaanother house update

LL (that's Landlady) said the house was being cleaned up professionally on Monday.  When we called to check up on it, she insisted we'd be "pleasantly surprised" with what we saw.  Aimee the Roomie and I went over Monday night to check it out.  Not Clean At All - open paint cans, smears on the floor, dust all over the place.

Meanwhile, Jens got a phone call yesterday evening, saying that the mattresses we had ordered were ready.  (As the new place is unfurnished, obviously we'll need something to sleep on until the shipment comes in, and we'll use them as guest mattresses once our real ones come in.)  So he went over there to take the delivery and put them somewhere.  He reports the place is now sparkling clean.  All that remains is the cooker (stove/oven) needs to be installed and the internet needs to be set up.  (their promise of last Friday became Tuesday became today...)  If they take much longer, I'm convening a wild party in our flat.  We're directly above their office.  That'll force them to leave the office and go get our internet set up!

Tonight we're off to yet another concert at the Alliance Française (well, March is Francophone Month at the Alliance, so I guess it's full of special events).  The Ivorian Dobet Gnahoré is apparently a singing, dancing, drumming sensation, and we get to see her for the bargain price of 6 cedis.  


The choir's fantastic fun.  I'm in a four-strong alto section along with seven tenors, six sopranos and two basses.  We have a show on April 30th, a benefit for Japanese tsunami/earthquake victims.  The director is dynamic and devoted.  I am so, so excited to be singing again.


In personal news, I'm inches away from calling a local dentist.  My teeth are starting to go crazy every time I have something cold and/or sweet.  No fruit juice in Accra?  I don't think so!  My No Worries guide (in-depth insider-insight Yellow Pages written by expats, for expats) has a good list of recommended dentists, so we'll see.