Update from Ghana

Today is market day in Damongo, it is as hot as ever, and for the first time I was able to walk through the market, enjoy the strange aromas and not be afraid. To be honest, as exciting and wonderful as the African market is, it is a scary experience your first couple of times! People yelling, you buy 12 avocadoes when you just want two, nobody has change, yelling cabruni! Cabruni! (white man, white man)…its scary until you know how to deal with it, who to talk to and who its ok to ignore, learn a few phrases, and so on. Some funny things I observed in the market today while sitting with Rabi while she sold her soap were people buying and wearing toques in 35 degree heat, I tried a ball of groundnut powder mixed with maize flour and ginger, very spicy and tasty, and I learned a few more tricks in greeting etiquette (of which there is a lot). Oh and the watermelon here is the best I have ever tasted, dark red and full of flavour!
My health has been rocking me since I have been here, but I am trying hard to get my body adapted to the food (it needs transfats and other crap from home!), which is a frustrating endeavor, but well worth it since I ain’t got much weight left to lose! On a trip to Tamale to take out some money and meet up with some other JFs, we enjoyed some ‘white people’ food, including apple pie and some beer! One thing that I am definitely missing is my sweets, I will have to find substitutions in the foods here…I am on a mission.
Here is a picture of some of the street food that is delicious, and is decently safe I would say if you see them fry it in front of you and take a sizzling hot one, watching its journey from the fryer to your bag. The boy standing there is Rafiu, the driver at my office.
Here is one of my horses! They make me so happy on my way to or from work when I see them. Here is my first African outfit! I have 2 more on the way and can’t wait to buy some more cloth for other outfits.