Home Stay - June 14th 2012

June 14th, 2012 - Home stay

            We have been in home stay for three full days now. At first it was really hard. Just as hard as it would be to go into any stranger's house and trying to integrate into their daily lives. They have been encouraged to speak only Twi which makes learning about the culture very difficult. I am learning though, and I am becoming more familiar with the family as they become more familiar with me. I am lucky enough to have electricity because a few volunteers don't. We also have a toilet that works with gravity (you just pour a bucket of water into the bowl when you're finished and it goes down). I have been taking bucket baths which isn't too bad. My room is basically just a cement room with a bed, and a plastic nightstand. The hardest part is getting used to the food. It's not bad, just different. I have yet to try something that I do not like, which is awesome. The fofoo and banku are a little difficult to manage because it is messy and difficult to eat. They are not meant to be chewed, but instead you dip it into the soup, and then swallow it. Fofoo is made from ground cassava and plantains, and banku is made with ground and fermented maize. They have something called red bread, which is fried plantains in palm oil and some of seasoning. They also have peanut butter,  but it is made out of ground nuts and called ground nut paste. The consistency is more of a liquid than a solid, but it's very good. I have been eating a lot of fish in different stews and soups.

            Last night when I was outside we saw a scorpion (which are very poisonous). I also saw a very large spider... in my room.... inside my mosquito net... He is now living underneath my bed.

            My favorite part about home stay is the nights. I go with my mother and sister into town from about 7:30pm until 10pm every night. We sit in front of the store that she owns and I get to chat and laugh with the children and community members. I learn some of the local language (Twi), and write my lesson plans. Staying out so late is catching up with me though because I get up around 6am every morning, but the roosters and goats start making noise around 4am... UGH!

            Other than some of the new cultural aspects it still hasn't really "hit me" yet that I'm in Africa, except every day from about 12pm-3pm when the heat become almost unbearable. Maybe it's a good sign? It really makes me feel that I have made the right choice and this is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. I really don't think I'll ever have a moment where it "hits me" because it feels so right and so natural. Just another adventure in my life.