Recovery time

After my glorious start to 2008, I decided to spend a few recovery days at the Peace Corps office in Accra. Dehydration to the point of fainting takes its toll on the body!!

Yesterday, a former Peace Corps Volunteer arrived in Accra. He and I have been in contact since before I arrived in country. He offered some good advice before leaving the states and I thought I could return the favor by giving whatever travel advice might be applicable after 17 years away from Ghana.

I'll admit that it's a bit odd writing about the experience since this gracious host/guest also follows this blog.

A good thing about the past several days is that I've been pining to get back to my site. I have only been there for a month but this time away keeps me thinking about what work I can be doing in Bormase and how the Nartey family is doing. Eva and Raphael will return to school on Monday so I've missed some prime days at my new home.

On the other hand, I've enjoyed a very tourist view of Accra. A visit from a returned Peace Corps Volunteer has its advantages. There is a small give and take in that the guest understands the financial struggle that comes with volunteering but does not necessarily know how things are done in Ghana today. In exchange, we current volunteers get to live life as though we're not constrained my Peace Corps finances and our guest can buy a phone, get around Accra, find a nice place to stay and decent food without getting sucked into tourist traps all day. I must admit that it feels as though I'm getting the better end of the deal. I've taken hot showers, slept in an air conditioned room and eaten food that is served on a plate while in return I can only help with finding a place to buy a phone, where to rent a car, how the exchange rates work.

More than anything, I think it's been cool to hear stories from 17 years ago. Many things have changed completely and many are exactly the same. I still go to fetch my water, I still have no electricity, tro's are still uncomfortable and the roads are still in terrible condition. Over the past 17 years, the housing for some volunteers has changed by leaps and bounds. Some live with showers and flush toilets and 4 bedrooms. On top of trading volunteer stories, it's been great to hear stories from after Ghana. How do you re-acclamate? What do you do for work? So many questions and so many answers yet only a glimpse into what the next two years (and beyond) will hold.

This afternoon, we took a taxi to the mausoleum Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana's first president). Sculptures and other beautiful pieces of art surround the mausoleum but what was most interesting to me was contained in the one room museum. Some history on President Nkrumah's life is given and pictures blanket the walls. In a 10' x 10' space on one wall, Nkrumah is shown dancing with Queen Elizabeth, shaking hands with Khrushchev, sharing a car with JFK, sitting down with Fidel Castro and chatting with Mao. Talk about rubbing elbows with a variety of people. Only some of the pictures had dates but from what I gather, most were taken between 1958 and 1961. Nkrumah was responsible for the construction of the Volta Dam. This dam provides Ghana with a huge amount of electricity but also flooded millions of acres of fertile farmland. Much of the land was Krobo land. Construction of the dam was initially funded by Russia but was finished with American dollars. I'm still terribly naive in regards to Ghanaian history but this short touristy trip really opened my eyes. I'm looking forward to learning more about it.

Our cab driver next took us a few kilometers to a nice cliffside lunch place. My fellow volunteer, the returned volunteer and myself sat, chatted and ate for what was close to 4 hours. When we got back to the parking lot, our taxi driver was still sitting in his car. He was prepared to drive us back to our hotel in exchange for 50 Ghana Cedis. I didn't pay for the lunch or for the hotel so I was in no position to bargain for this taxi drivers services. Instead, I stood by while American business tactics and sheer principle drove down the price offered by a hard working Ghanaian who was clearly trying to take advantage of a relaxing day paid for by tourists.

I completely agreed with both parties. We did not ask the driver to stick around and wait for so long. He did not tell us that he would stick around and charge us for the time. We all thought that he would be there waiting for us and he thought that we would come from our lunch and provide a nice pay day without the 4.80/gallon gas prices that accompany a normal work day. On the other hand, the driver could really use the money and the Obruni can more than likely spare the money. Who's right and who's wrong?

Akwaaba Ghana!!