Ghana in Reverse (Six)

Mom has a week and a half between work in Tanzania and Kenya and I’m going to travel with her through Tanzania and Zanzibar. Dar es Salaam seems like a real city! Zanzibar is gorgeous and has delicious coffee! Addis Ababa is a confusing airport and people who speak Amharic don’t think so, which makes sense, but I still maintain that even if I can’t read the signs I should be able to navigate an airport without confusion, so I’m standing my ground on a theoretical design basis! I feel ecstatic and small.

I read King Leopold’s Ghost and The Catcher in the Rye for the first time, which is two more books than I’ve read in so many months. Finnegans Wake or The Silmarillion probably would have been better choices, for a less endemic and more time-consuming type of torture. My mother wonders aloud why I read books I know are going make me cry. I’m just not the type of person who reads a book from beginning to end when I know it’s devoid of intellectual value and/or alternative realities by chapter two (maybe three if it’s gotten good reviews). I just put it down. ‘Beach reads’ are a waste of time, in my humble opinion. No offense to James Patterson. I took a shower. Many showers in fact, and I feel guilty, but I’m fucking happy to get out and even happier to see my mother. I’m loved and I’d almost forgotten.

Back in West Africa, it seems like the seasons have changed during the week and all the sudden it’s hot as hell and the traffic is even worse than it normally is. Is it my imagination, or does the heat make the market smell worse? When I get back to the house, the power is out, the internet is out, and there’s no food. Not even eggs. Seriously, what are you eating? You know white bread has practically no nutrition, right? When was the last time you pooped? I’m worried about you.

Blackberry art of the day

Since I’m typing all of this with my thumbs, I’m going to take advantage and post Blackberry photos that I (most likely) haven’t even seen on a computer screen and they stay how they are, which is nice for me.

An attic window. This attic has no cross ventilation and as a result is uncomfortable at best but is also great for hot yoga if you’re into that sort of thing.

All Aboard the Jesus Train

Sunday morning is the most important day of the week around these parts and calls for a celebration. Ghanaians get up very early (as does Jesus apparently). The Jesus Train consists of what is perhaps three or four separate groups of about 20 individuals who walk down our street singing jubilantly, sometimes with drums. They are singing in Fante and I don’t understand, but there is only one reason for a six am wake-up call on Sunday and that is Jesus. Sometimes it sounds like they’re in the house.

I’m happy you’re happy and that I don’t understand Fante and the music is enjoyable but it’s honestly six am.

I’m moving up in the world.

This is my first smartphone, and I’m using it to write a blog post because the power has gone out again. I’m more connected in Ghana than I was in the States. And yet no running water (fine) and every month the power goes out for half the day over the course of about a week (note to self: build recurring power outages into schedule) and there are a lot of bugs in Africa (I try not to think of all the ‘non-traditional’ food items I’ve eaten unintentionally since arriving two and a half weeks ago) and for all this I’m grateful. It does make it awfully difficult to get any work done or sleep at night if the power is out (especially when the power is out) but on the other hand the pineapples are always ridiculously delicious. And its mango season too! I miss broccoli.

Back from backeast, and still rockin’ the vacation cereal.

So in homage to my stomach, here’s my first entry about FOOD! I’ll probably never do a food entry again, but for some reason I find this bread charming. I think it’s the potential that I like.

Pen Blows. *insert childish giggle here*

They are beautiful regardless and are the work of Shane McAdams

Fancy footwork

from Eiknarf, from somewhere else.

Found with the subtitle “not an asshole”

If you can spot the reference, you get a damn gold star!

from this isn’t happiness.

Aftermath

On a side note: I saw this picture twice in two different places: on dethjunkie and HERE. The second presentation was magical, I’m sorry to say it.

A summary of sorts.

Apollo and Dionysus

from NY public libraries