Questions Answered

So i realize that i keep asking for questions and peole continue to send me them but I never get around to answering them. So to remedy this situation I will be answering questions from Ms. Betsy Franson as well as any others I can in the next 12 minutes I have left. Here we go:
Question 1.
What's the weather like?
The weather is Hot, but it's a warm heat. There are very few places with A/C so everyone is just kinda smelly and dirty. Ghanaians don't seem to sweat and I have to admit that I have somewhat gotten used to the heat. Also, it is the rainy season so there are monsoons that bring downpours that flood everything. It isnt as hot as Phoenix in the Summer but its still pretty freakin hot.
Question 2.
Cuisine and Drank?
The Ghanaian food is pretty awful. They have Banku that has a similar texture to play dough and Fufu that has a similar consistency to thick paste. Banku is cassava and plantains pounded to make a ball of playdough and Fufu is corn. The process of making Fufu is very sexual. The man stand over the women with his giant smasher and in a rhythm smashes the fufu as the woman takes water or something and folds it over. Everytime the smashers is inches away from the womans hand as they work together in rhythm (one man no chop!). The fufu and banku are served in different types of soup: light soup, ground nuts soup... and usually either chicken, fish, or goat or strange meat. Also there is Jollof rice that is rice with some sort of seasoning that is pretty good. Kenkey that i talked about in the last post is by far my favorite local food. I have however found a way to eat the banku and fufu by swallowing it as fast as possible without out chewing. Oh and i forgot to mention all these excluding the rice is eaten with your hands. You ball up some banku or rip off a piece of fufu and dunk it in the soup and throw it in your mouth (no homo). Further on the food... there are many items that the street hawkers sell to you on the side of the road while in traffice things like: Plantain chips, pure water, fanchoco and fanyogo (ice cream), chocolate, corn and cheesy gordita crunches (not true but sometimes i dream about it). I also recently did some not so smart decisions while waiting for our bus broke down on our trip to the Volta region (more on this trip next post). I tried an oyster kebab, shrimp, grass cuter kebab, snail kebab and a bag of tiny fish that i didn't really know what they were from the side of the road. I sometimes question eating seafood in fancy restaurants in the states but for some reason, i was probably dehydrated, i just had to try it. THey were all pretty ok except for the snails that were what you expect a snail to taste like. My stomach was pretty ok after teh strange foods but I had a mean poop (gross) the next day. Nothin to write home about... or i guess it was. And id like to let you know that as I was writing this my co-worker put a gizzard kebab in my face and I took a huge bite of it. It was spicy.
A note on bowel movements: I used to take the act of taking a poo for granted but it is a miracle of the human body. I would like to tell you a story of Nick, one of my fellow companions/roommates in Ghana. He is a good kid from small town Montana and he went 12 days without taking a poo. He took 8 laxatives drank as much juice and coffee as her could and nothing. Yesturday was a huge step for him as he was able to squeeze out a little something the entire dilema is a process and I will surely keep you updated on his status. Today he is light on his feet an opptomistic after eating at a lebanese restaurant that is sure push its way through. Sorry if this was gross, but I thought it was funny.
One last thing on food. There are legitamte shopping centers and even a brand new mall in Accra with plenty of food that is recognized. Although I have lost plenty of weight since I've been here I have been eating well and when I start my job at coconut grove my boss said im guaranteed to gain some pounds. OK anymore food questions please bring them on. Also if you want to send me some Goldfish or some gushers please feel free. If you can figure out how to get me a chipotle burrito or a prince pucklers chocolate oreo malt ill worship you like a god.
Question 3.
Do Ghanaians drink a lot?
Well it depends on the Ghanaian. There is a very healthy nightlife for ghanaians and expats. The local drink of choice is beer or gin. They have local beers like Star (my brew it's heiniken) and Club that are popular, Guiness is also hugely popular among Ghanaians. There is also palm wine that is pretty hit or miss. It is moonshine made out of palm frawns so the alcohol content depends on the bottle you get. Also Apeteche is supposed to be the strongest gin youll ever had and if it is made the wrong way you can go temporarily blind. I havent tried apeteche yet. I dont know I feel like ive talked about some of my nightlife adventures before and im sure ill let you in on more stories latter cause Betsy has soooo many questions.
Question 4.
Are the schools in session now?
The university of Ghana is on break but there are still people hanging around but not as many as during the school year. THere are still kids wearing cool uniforms running around so i assume there is some schoolin going down. Also my 14 yr old bartender has to close the bar up at 10:30 cause he has school.
Question 5.
What about women in Ghana?
The ladies in Ghana are some of the prettiest girls i've ever seen. Everytime I turn my head its like 10! 10! 10! 10! I havent hooked up with any local girls...yet. Yes I will keep the gypsy tears close. THere is a gender divide and men are looked at to be dominate but I haven't really noticed too much I dont know what you call it... feminism crap. I work with strong intelligent ladies who work with men. We have female announcers and editors and producers.
Question 6.
What do most people dress like?
Most people dress in american style clothing. It is funny i find that people in the US go to places like Abercrombie to buy clothing that looks throwback and everyone in ghana has that gear but it is just sent over from the states. I love looking around and seeing the jerseys people wear. Ive seen Eddie George, Quinten Jammer, Michael Jordan. And even a couple Diamond Bs hats. The traditional wear is also sported by people in everyday wear but it is becoming less popular. The men wear booboos that are like mumus just one piece long tunicy type things that look awesomely comfortable. No, I havent gotten one cause I would look ridiculous. THe women are always immaculately dressed with long dresses with colorful african prints and braided haird. Looking good. Ghanaians definetly know how to stay fresh to def.
Question 7.
Have you found yourself a virgin wife?
No, I am single and now aparently a bit of a stud muffin. The office is working hard to find me the right virgin wife as the marketing department and newsroom battle over me. Its really bizarre.
Question 8.
What sports are big there?
Football (Soccer) is not just big but it is the only thing that Ghanaians care about. Everything is football. They also have Golf, Hockey (yes ice hockey), but Football is the sport of choice. If Michael Essien ran for the presidency he would win unanimously(Michael Essien is a Ghanaian who plays for Chelsea, he just signed a fatty 5 yr deal with the club and is one of the best mid-fielder in the world, he also is the spokeperson for fanyogo an frozen yogurt type thing)
Question 9.
Do people watch a lot of TV?
No most people don't have a tube, but they do usually find one to watch football matches. The green zone (the name of our house) does have a TV but no satelite so we never watch it. Without Satelite there is only 3 or 4 channels that are pretty piss poor. Really funny comercials though and i get satelite at work so i can watch CNN and stuff. Radio though is the number one media in ghana and Peace FM is the number one radio station. Everyone listens to the radio at all times.
Question 10.
Are there a lot of X-pats?
Yes there are X-pats and X-pat bars for them to mingle. I havent really chatted up with too many but they seem allright. Alot of people from Ireland and the UK. Some from the states. Ryans is one of the popular x-pat bars and they serve jager shots, pretty cool. Dont know what else to say about that.
Question 11.
Do you play your harmonica?
Yes, all the time. I dont know how to play but I pretend and try to follow along with bob dylan and billy joel. I have also kinda learned when the saints go marching. Im working on the ducks fight song. Thanks for the harmonica it makes me look like such a baller.
Question 12.
Are you really staying for 6 more months?
Yes, yes I am. I changed my plane ticket to February 2nd 2009! (I cant believe it is 2009) I am going to Cote D'ivoirre, Mali, and Togo on a little holiday with some of my friends and some Peace Corps kids that i call 'the Corps' for almost 3 weeks then I'll spend a couple days in Accra before heading to Cape Coast to live at the resort. Ive talked more with my boss and he said that I would just be based out of the coconut grove helping out with the radio station and travel around with Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, who is running for president helping with the campain. He is with the CPP and if you want to learn more about it id google it. He recently came out with a manifesto and i support most of what he says he is a really interesting guy. The next couple months are going to be unreal. I am getting a drviers license (i dont know why) and will be living the good life on the beach while helping the community and being a baller.
Allright I think that is all thanks to Ms. Franson for her questions. Please do send more and ill try to answer them as swiftly as I can. Still gotta tell you about volta region as this is my last week at Peace FM i should try to get some work done. I miss you all keep in touch. Sorry for the typos spellcheck is down.