Recap of What I Did on My Birthday

Tuesday: My birthday
My roomie woke me up to answer a phone call. I was knocked out and it was 6 ish in the morning. But at the same time, we've been advancing our clocks for some time now so I really lost the concept of time. The phone call (to my surprise) was from my older sister in Chicago. Very random but a lovely surprise. I talked about this already in my post... so I'ma skip on to the details of the day/night.

So me, Stephanie and Stephen met up for breakfast. We talked and figured out the best place to go would be to Accra instead of Axim beach. Stephanie had went and said it was beautiful...but it was a beach and we could get that anywhere (kinda true). Plus, Accra had a beach. Not to mention, my sister had suggested I go....along with the interport student, Shirley and some of the other SAS people who either went or were planning to go. Didn't have to do much convincing. I was willing to go. The complicated part was figuring out the logistics. When was the right day to go since we had different FDP schedules and that was the biggest conflict. I saw Yohanna who also said they (her, Ally and Erica) were trying to go as well so we decided to merge the groups. Agreed to meet at Tymitz square at 9:15 and leave. Stephanie had to go wake up Mike and let him know. I was trying to find both Anna's and Jamie's rooms to wake 'em up and let them know (and find out if they didn't mind hahaha). Anna was knocked out when I found her hahaha. She agreed to meet us because as we now noticed, we weren't going to be leaving anytime soon. Then Stephanie left Mike a note on his door after she finally found his room. I called Obai to wake and ask him if he was interested but he was not very functional hahaha. I found Jamie's room number and called her and she was in on the new plans. Fast forward, we meet and find that Ally was coming but she was supposed to be meeting her father in Accra on thursday. Her challenge was trying to get in contact with him to notify him since we cannot access our shipboard email while off the ship. We finally got on the move. We took the shuttle to the end of the gangway and got swarmed with folks the minute the doors open. Chaos erupted. We were standing right next to each other but there were so many men in our faces, trying to get us into their taxi's so they could get our service...others were trying to sell us things...asking us for our names so that they could inscribe it on products and make us buy it that way (they got a lot of folks that way...you tell them your name, you turn around and suddenly there's a bracelet with your name on it and you feel bad because they did it hahahaha)...but you get the idea. There was madness happening and it was bad enough we didn't have a plan going into it, but this created a feeling of panice because now we had to spring into action. We had to keep regroup because several aggressive taxi drivers had started leading some folks in the direction of his cab... we finally got it together and split into two. Myself, Jamie and Ally did not have cedis (or limited) so we needed to Accra to find more banks and get exchanges for USD. We got ripped off (which we realize when we get off at the Accra bus station). Each cab driver charged us 10 cedis per cab. It was only supposed to be 3-5 cedis per cab to the bus station. Lovely. That was a great start hahaha. Much of the same things happened once we got out. The Ghananian student at the Field Activities desk back on the ship had told us the bus was the best way to go since it was safer and it should only be 8-12 cedis depending on the bus we took. There was also a “ford” type of bus that they said was the best one because it was air conditioned for 9 cedis... but when we asked questions about it, men were leading us away from the bus and trying to get us into one of those van taxis. We asked him how much it would cost and he said 8 cedis. We declined...it wasn't much of a great save and for a 4 hour or more trip, it would not be a comfortable ride. Needless to say, a gracious woman (who I guess felt sorry for us since we were being tugged and walked back and forth), came over and told us to take the bus because it was the better option. We thanked her and that returned a sense of relief. We had to wait for the next one since the current one was full. We took this time to talk about the funds for it... people waiting for the bus simply stared at us. It was pretty unnerving. There was a bit of spotting for the bus going on and after we secured our tickets...we were good to go. We had to keep asking the dude if there were 8 tickets. He kept nodding but he wouldn't give/show us the tickets...we didn't want to be separated and we weren't going to hand over the money without seeing all of the tickets so that was interesting. Next bus arrives and thank gosh it was legit. It was air conditioned, and there were TV's. All of the seats had plastic wrap over it and was a normal two-seater coach bus. We paired off and got comfortable. We sat in the lot for a good 30 minutes. Then the bus pulled out and we were on the move. Jamie pointed out this sticker that said “Jesus warned of hell” next thing you know, this guy who I presumed was the driver (but apparently not) stands in the middle of the bus and proceeds to give a sermon. He started off with a prayer which wasn't uncommon (our bus driver on the African drumming & dancing trip prayed before we left)... but this time it served as a prelude. I didn't want to be rude but I was tired and fell asleep. When I woke up, he was speaking in another language...not sure if it was Twi. But after a couple of emphasized points, he handed out bottles of something that a few women took sips from. It's funny being in the same quarters with people and not quite understanding the same information that is being delivered...he went on preaching and the only parts we understood was when he asked for an “Amen.” Finally he completed his hour or so and then movies were played. There was a 3 part series of a film called “Evil Soul.” It was pretty bad and an amateur film (terrible audio). The comical aspect was any inclusions of songs were all in English and happened to be Alicia Keys... they didn't correspond with the story line at all. Anyway, the bus makes some stops which people get off... there are not indications of where we are so I ask the girls across from Jamie and I. They said something like Malawi?? We stay and after some ways the bus comes to a stop. It is Kaneshwa? Something like that. But it is a location within Accra. Actually, when we got off the bus and looked at the map, we finally realized that Kaneshwa was way on the left side of the map and there wasn't much around. We would have to travel distances to get where the touristy areas of attraction were. We also had a few friends who had mentioned plans but we weren't sure if they'd followed through with them. Accra was huge, communication was limited and we had launched into things without thinking. We walked around a bit trying to find a currency place and after a lot of walking back and forth we went to some Forex place. Afterwards, Stephen decided to leave. We couldn't understand why since we had just arrived and it was such a long trip for (evidently) nothing at that point but he was adamant...saying he had things to do the following morning etc. The real reason was he was overwhelmed, but what could we do. We walked him right back to where we got off the bus and he brought his ticket and got on the bus to Takoradi. We discussed taxis to just take us to Frankiesville/franks some area we located on the map. It was supposedly a more lively area than the others. We hadn't thought too much into other than getting there and figuring it out. But that quickly changed when we got bombarded with cabs who were trying to get fast money. We had a moment of confusion, this one yelling at another... and even among us we were getting irritated and a few snappy conversations were exchanged. We couldn't be separated we kept reiterating because we didn't know how far into the city or had any idea what we were going to do. Different cabs = different routes which equals lost people since we had no landmark or address to send the cabs to. Finally they produce this mini-van looking thing. We get in after we find that it will be $15 cedis per person. The drive was extensive. At some point we pass through what looks like a shopping boulevard. The car slows down (pedestrians everywhere) and I recognize a few people. Jamie, Kayla, Geoffrey, Esehnem, Dan, Sarah and some others. I yell their names and they turn and then theres this ecstatic period of waving and screaming. Meanwhile, inside the car the rest of girls are telling the driver to let us out here. We pay him and run across the street. Everyone is hugging and exchanging stories about what mornings we had...What were the chances of running into SAS people on crowded streets in Ghana.. and especially given our lack of planning. Nuts. We decided to eat since my crew and I hadn't ate so much as breakfast that morning... we were tired, sweaty but happy. We pile into this place that has a joint pizza, chicken, grill and ice cream unit. Then we notice Aisha, Tahira, Courtney and Brittney across the street and we call them over. Again, there is a massive hug fest and a whole 'lotta “I'm sooo glad we ran into you! Omg thank Gosh for SAS.” I gotta say...We were being very “American.” That attracted some dudes selling things. This one boy looked about 15 and he wouldn't stop pestering me. He placed some stuff in my hand and told me a price. I said no thanks and continued walking. He is persistent and tells me he'll give it to me for “free” but hopes out of the kindness of my heart I would give him something. Again, I say no thanks. He takes another approach and ask me my name and why I won't buy from him since I'm “black like him.” Oh man...Needless to say, he decided that I should have it and said if I wanted to pay or if I got money from the ship (everyone knows when we come in... the image the ship has when we come into these ports is quite ridiculous but understandable...locals really assume that we are loaded with money). Jamie comes out and grabs my hand to lead me away from him and he's thrusting a necklace in my hand. I'm giving it back to him telling him I'm not paying. He's like no, take it. I'm telling him, if he's freely giving it away that's one thing, but expecting something is to make a purchase and I'm not purchasing anything right now hahah. Jamie's getting annoyed and saying things and I'm like okay whatever. He solidifies the deal by saying, no really, you can have it. Maybe you'll be my girlfriend and i'll wait for you and some other stuff on those lines...and I'm like ohhh nooo buddy... but it was too late, he had already turned and Jamie had darn near dragged me in the shop. They were watching from inside so naturally they wanted to know the details. Everyone's laughing by the end and I feel kinda bad but hey, what could I do. Ironically, I found that the symbol of this necklace meanings “Finding/searching for your roots.” Isn't that wild? I've wore it ever since. Someone remembers its my birthday and then everyone's going off about why didn't I say it all this time... and I'm laughing like why would I announce it. Besides we had had quite a morning...the last thought on my mind was the fact that it was my birthday... Anna gets up and heads to the ice cream counter, calls me over and wants to treat me to an ice cream cone. I'm slightly embarrassed but hug and thank her... happy of course =) After Ian, Jamie and Kayla get back we head to the hotel they were all staying at... we'd discussed everyone crashing at the same hotel...for safety, comfort and financial reasons.Plus we wouldn't have any other way to get in contact since there were few people with functional cell phones. I was totally happy of course. We get settled at the hotel and debated between staying at the beach. Dan was tired but was leaving that night to head back to Takoradi. The rest of us milled around, some ordered food and ate outside, or smoked hookah. I went to the cyber cafe across the street from us. It was 1 cedi for an hour... I definitely paid like 3 or 4 in total... The minute I logged onto Facebook I wanted to cry. It was over 200 notifications, 17 messages and 8 or so friend requests. As I was reading through the birthday comments and messages, more kept coming in. It was overwhelming and I suddenly realized all those I left behind. I spent the remaining hours poring through folks pages and pictures trying to familiarize myself again. It's funny how much can change in month. Crazy how little crosses my mind other than my current situation. But that is a mechanism for adaptation. Outta sight, outta mind has some purpose. But it was refreshing and wonderful to catch up with folks. I did feel that sense of urgency creeping back up when I was leaving the lab. Even in my status or the replies I left. Email me I keep saying. Read or comment on my blog, I reiterated. Throughout the voyage, I found myself getting irritated when I checked my ship email account and didn't hear from my friends/fam. That was multiplied when I would cave in, buy minutes to log on Facebook and then see a ton of messages/comments...when I've only repeated myself a mil times and how to contact me... Then I realize where I am...and I'm over it. So much happens in a day that I wouldn't be honest if I said I thought much about anyone or anything outside of shipboard life. It takes a little more time to construct an email than it is to find my page on Facebook and send a note. I think people cannot fathom how limited internet I have here. But whatever!

We left the lab to see where we were heading that night. Walked to a spot but it wasn't opened and had closed at 9ish pm. Anna and I were singing Beyonce and a few other songs. That was a riot. We all ended up going to this Lebanese restaurant to eat and wait for Geoffrey's local friend to shower and meet us to take us out to a club/bar. It was cool eating dinner with everyone... however random the Lebanese part was... haha. They played a lot of T.I. Which was interesting. A bunch of folks order falafa?? I and others ordered the hot wings...they were interesting... Ian didn't like them and compared it to a spicy tomato sauce... The thing was they were prepared without the sauce baked or cooked on it... instead it was a thick or soupy sauce...the fire was in the after taste. It crept up on you. You licked your lips after a bite thinking the sauce was weak and lacking...a couple moments later your lips were burning. Haha... finally we get the bills, and walk back to the hotel waiting again (Geoffrey had went to the atm). By the time they got back (15 mins later), folks had started getting settled in bed so it was about half of us going out (some in the cab, others in the local's car). The place is Duplex bar and it is several blocks away. Fast forward, we walk in and it requires immediate adjustment. It is smaller than anticipated and more of a bar but has enough room for dancing. Folks are jamming and we get right to it. Hahaha... I had limited cedis and limited alcohol experience so I went with a can Heineken (it was the cheapest...I don't even drink beer—lol). Grinned and bore the not so pleasant but not too life threatening taste... I didn't realize how much fun there is in being less concerned with how you look, but in the amount of fun you can reflect on after the night is completed. Anna started doing some crazy guitar mimics and cowboy gestures. We looked ridiculous but yes, in the middle of the floor, we repeated it and we were laughing and having fun at it. It felt great to be in the moment, totally and completely. I can remember a moment where I never thought I would step foot anywhere dancing was required. Singing was my strength, but funny how we dance when we feel no one is laughing. I was much too self-conscious to enjoy myself at clubs. I had to build myself up to that point whether it was one strong drink (1 long island) to get the courage I was lacking... but here I was... dancing, completely unaltered by that Heineken with the most eclectic group of SAS folks. Not even my usual crew. Which is even more awesome. The door opened and some girls walked in and suddenly it was another hug fest. More SAS students. These three girls had told us they were searching for the Freedom in Creation (SAS related) group but couldn't find them... they got a ride and basically found themselves with 4 dudes who were from different countries and spoke different languages. They suspected it was fishy and asked them to take them to the nearest bar. At first they weren't going to come in, but decided to and it was obviously fate that they did. We assured them they could crash with all of us! At some point in the evening, Jamie (who was flirting and getting drinks hahaha) got the bartender to pause the music and she gave me a shout out. It was amazzzzing... but I was embarrassed (in a good way)... she said that we had a long day, but wanted everyone to join in wishing her friend (me! Whoop whoop!) a happy birthday...then everyone started singing it and applauding. I was elated. The music resumed and I got another Heineken on the house. Probably shoulda picked another drink to begin with, eh haha. But that's what I love about SAS and what I admire about myself. Some people won't push themselves. Some people are that afraid of being uncomfortable, or being challenged...or being outside the usual... I attract it and draw to change like a magnet. I've done so much in my life that was different than I've ever expected. Heck, I didn't even think I would make the trip from Takoradi and be in Accra, Ghana for my 22nd birthday, let alone with the people I was with, let alone drinking Heineken ...or enjoying it and laughing and dancing so much. It was sincerely one of highlights of my LIFE and I thank everyone of those who celebrated it with me. I couldn't have begun to know how they would have played a part in shaping it earlier that day or at any point in the voyage... Goes back to my point about being open to receive change and those God place in your path at the designated time. Came back to the hotel...stayed up until 6ish am, watched the sun rise by talking with the bartender guy then he left...with Jamie...haha. We  Courtney and I stayed up and talked. We took a walk in search for the 24/7 hour cafe when that was unsuccessful we headed back. Had first dibs on breakfast (tea, omelet and toast). Time sped forward and I ended up leaving with Kwabena (Cobie), Dan and Esa to head back to the ship. I had my Castles and Slaves Dungeon trip early thursday morning.  The others were either meeting for farewell lunch with Esehnem and shopping or staying at the hotel/Accra until late Thursday. The entire taxi ordeal to get back was crazy. We took one of those miniture vans which seated other folks as well. The trip was immediately lengthened when we realize that we stopped at least 4 times...and it was because the driver was making personal errands.... unbelievable. We had already endured some moments we could do nothing but hold our breaths hoping weaving through traffic wouldn't be the end of us. We get off and again, I fall in love with the emblem high above the buildings. We were hot, sticky and stinky. Love the ship sometimes. Ahahaha. Got back in time for dinner... saw Stephen who told us that he had gotten mugged when he left us. The bus does bathroom pit stops. He got off to use the bathroom and was approached with a gun for his wallet. Pretty wild. Oh and Dan who left Tuesday night (after we all got settled there) for a community service on Wednesday morning even though he was exhausted (he'd been in Accra for 3 days) told us he ended up missing it anyway and was upset he'd missed going out with us... womp womp =)

Recap of African Drumming & Dancing on Sunday, Feb 6th

I walked towards the bus and noticed folks giving the bus driver their tickets. I completely forgot about the yellow ticket system for SAS pre-sale trips. I ended up getting a duplicate one because I started panicking when I tried to think back what happened to mines. I thought I hadn't received it in the recent ticket cycle. Turns out, I had got my Takoradi tickets earlier in the semester... I had put them away and forgotten all about them. But at the moment I didn't remember this... I told Christy that I hadn't received mines...and neither had any of my roommates. I was pretty convinced...and I convinced her. Shaking my head... haha...

So we got on the bus. It was something like a Coach bus. I sat next to Mary (oh the irony...) but we had bonded since the evening we danced after the Ghana pre-port meeting. The drive into the city was about 15 minutes. Since it was our first glimpse at Takoradi, it gave us an insight that most folks didn't have. We got to see beyond the port... and to be honest, this particular port was not attractive. Actually it was very sketchy looking. There were a ton of warehouses and shipping containers...we didn't quite understand why we didn't go to our original port in the beginning. We were scheduled to sail into Accra, but apparently the summer voyage is going to Africa and they switched our ports. It's a money thing I'm sure... We are staying in Africa much longer than they are so Takoradi was a cheaper stay. It's funny how we discuss these things. We found that filling up for gas costs about $100,000. We even found out that docking in Bahamas cost us $70,000. So our little fees and our tuition here is somewhat chunk change. This ship means business!

But back to the story...we were almost surprised when the bus stopped. We were already there. Locals were staring at us and pointing. We entertained our eyes by people watching. It was amazing to see people balance things on their heads. One guy had so much silverware. He had an unopened pots and pans set. He balanced that on his head, along with some other things. We were gasping from the inside of the bus because we just knew that there was nooo way he could do it. But he did... and we watched him walk calmly down the street. He wasn't even stiff! More and more we watched people walk through the crowded market streets. The theory seemed to be, why carry things when you can put it on your head?  There were some jerks on the bus ride. Two happened to be my residents and I had to contain my feelings of disgust. Some people should watch what they say, but at the same time, they have to be who they are...

We start piling off our bus and into the building. The first thing we hear is drumming, intense loud drumming. There are men sweating but they are smiling and drumming. Around them, locals gathered, watching us file in. It was difficult to figure out what the inside could look like from the outside, but we walk past some slot machines...kinda like their casino.Then we entered this pavilion area where there were chairs set up in a circular form with respect to the a platform. However, the first thing that hits you was the smell of must. It was already humid, but this was a whole 'notha level of “no air”. The guys continue behind us, drumming and break into dancing. It was difficult not to cringe. I could see on everyone's faces the same thing: Man it stinks in here. We were outside, but there was no wind. It was like funk suspended in time, must resonating and no sort of channel to flick it away. It was pretty bad. But then we were captivated by a series of different dances. The beauty of music is it transcends space and time. We lost track of our previous senses and immersed in the hynotic beats of the drums. Feets were tapping, fingers were snapping. We were swaying, we were bobbing... it was hard not to. All of the dancers, both male and female were muscled and toned. They look made from marble. It was impressive. Hahaha. I couldn't help but think if I want a 6-pack, this is the way to go. They had a set routine in place, but every now and then they would pull an unsuspecting person up to dance. I was pretty relieved I was sitting on the outer ring instead of the inner. I wasn't feeling too confident in my moves just yet. For a few songs, they invited us all into the circle and that's when it got funny. You could see the discomfort and the expectations we have of ourselves (that innate desire to do things right/be amazing at it). It's cool to bask in this universal “badness” where we could only laugh at ourselves and others. You break walls that way, and that is certainly something we learned from these dancers. Things got even more intense when we were told we were going to learn a routine and perform it. For the remaining three hours we practiced. And practiced...and practiced. The way they moved was impossible to imitate. They were graceful, yet they were assertive. It was quite a contrast. They told stories with their hands, with their stomachs, legs, and smiled the entire time. That had to be the part we were hung up on. Ever watch someone do something that until you try for yourself, know isn't all that easy...but they smile the entire time and make it look simple? Exactly. These people were extraordinary. The sweat factor was rising and our air supply was declining. Every now and then I had to stop and gasp for air on the sidelines. Hygiene is different in each country, but add intensive, rigorous dancing as such, plus the climate...and you have an equation for a possible heat stroke. My water went from ice cold to lukewarm...to an almost tea-like temperature. Kept sipping though...we were not stopping or getting lunch any time soon. Besides, it was sooo much fun.

Stopping only set me back in learning the steps... plus everyone wanted in on the experience so no one sat down. Actually there were a bunch of times I felt lightheaded now looking at that situation, we were pushing it hahaha. More and more locals were watching us at this point. There were a ton of kids as well. They were the ones who'd set up our chairs. Several of them continue working, others milled around waiting for assignments... the youngest ones sat in loose chairs behind us and watched. There was a point when we were watching some young teens dance when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I look around and this little boy says, “Excuse me miss, but the man behind me wants to speak with you.” I look in the direction he indicates and there is an older dude who is waving me over... Definitely wasn't feeling the idea of being summoned. Certainly not my cup of tea...or the fact that he sent the kid over. But that's a whole other story. Anyhow, Mary who was sitting next to me had a worried look on her face. I didn't really know what to do. I know what the rules are... I am familiar with the role of women in the Ghananian society (thanks to my International Perspectives on Family Violence class), I also didn't want to get the kid in trouble so I kinda nodded my head in acknowledgement. Mary and I whispered for a bit, figured I would play dumb and hope he forgot about it. Continued recording as a new rhythm erupted and new dancers ran out into the center. No later than 10 minutes, another tap on my shoulder has me turning around. This time an older teen boy, whispers and informs me that the man requests my presence...something of that nature. Mary is telling me not to and maybe we should change our seats ahahaha. I don't want to move my seat, but I am still stuck as on what to do. I don't want to be disrespectful so I turn around and give him the “one minute” finger...and then we both leap into the circle when the dancer asks if any of us wants to try hahaha. When we get out, I pretend to be engaged in a conversation...then I make a dramatic show of how I am recording the event... he didn't send anyone to bother me so that was a success. We continued dancing and dancing. Let me described to you the sweat... We saw what looked like a splash of water fly around a lot...this wasn't water. It was sweat.

The dancers were dripping with sweat and it flew off of them effortlessly. They didn't even appear to be affected by it. We were in the beginning...but after a while, we were sweating so much as well that it no longer bothered us. We took a break(finally) for lunch. The guy who had summoned me earlier seized the moment when I walked past to exit. He grabbed my hand and introduced himself then launched into a series of questions which more or less consisted of obtaining my contact information...Ahh...some Ghananian men...hahaha...but moving on, lunch was to be held at a hotel resort. SAS had to make sure that it is was to its standards naturally so this hotel was some bit away. We get to the hotel and it's gorgeous. We see another pre-sale group enjoying lunch (they had did the Sekondi and Takoradi city orientations). The place also had a pool that looked very appetizing at the particular moment. Apparently it cost 20 cedis to jump in and swim...but it did look wonderful. We get in line to eat and I'm talking to Megan and some other folks...and no soon as I get my food, she is sitting down in this kinda slump...and her eyes glaze over. Her half-filled plate starts sliding off her lap and I grab it... folks around start noticing and they offer her water before she faints. Definitely scary to see... she was dehydrated and it served as a lesson to everyone else. Folks started guzzling water and trying to cool down. After eating it was difficult to want to do anything else but sleep... but we found out that there was more to do. We would be drumming this time for the remaining 2.5/5 hours left. I wasn't planning to dance anymore but what do ya know... I danced.

Megan opted to stay on the bus. She was feeling really weak and it was sad to know how much she and I talked about this trip and her ending up missing stuff, but these things happen. We broke into two groups—one would learn the percussion aspect... and the other would learn the dance for the rhythm the drums would be playing. Knowing myself (hahaa) I decided to just get the dancing part out of the way. The instructor went easy on us in the beginning and told us not to push ourselves beyond our limit, drink water and take breaks...but shortly into it, it was back to that same intense pressure hahaha. So yeah, wasn't really feeling the whole dancing while food swished around in my stomach in addition to the humidity, sweat in the air and stuff but it ended before long. We learned some songs that I definitely can't spell or pronounce properly but that was half the challenge haha. One was a call and response. He starts off: “Wa-ya wa-ya non ko ko,” we answer, “Wa-ya wa-ya non ko ko” and that is it. We repeat it a few more times. Another (or the one most challenging) was: “la le la a ole, sala ma na eenia konia a ole...” Definitely not correct spelling wise and to be honest I don't quite know the words...but that's the closest we got to correct. Haha. We switched and I found my love. It was sooooo much fun drumming. I actually didn't want to do anything else but drum. I hid and kept drumming while folks switched off and rotated dancing. At one point I was sitting next to one of my professors and we kept laughing because we couldn't sing the song and drum at the same time. You really have to be absorbed into your part and keep repeating it mentally. Definitely difficult to do when there is so much happening and you are the heart of it as a drummer. Smiles were contagious, it was impossible not to smile. You couldn't help but feel pretty darn amazing. Oh how I love music.

We returned to the bus after pictures and things. The sweat factor was unbelievable. You could wring your clothes...that's how much sweat generated. I couldn't just stash my clothes in my hamper and wait until we left Ghana for laundry day. We already had limited water supply (we get our water from the ocean and it goes through a purification process... the water in Ghana isn't the safest to begin with so we were using what was stored until we left). My room would have smelled terrible and my roommates wouldn't have appreciated it. I wouldn't have been able to bear it. Every article of clothing worn was hand washed and from the conversations with my friends afterwards...we thought alike. Quick snapshot of Monday: I slept...and slept and slept. Woke up for dinner, ate. Went back to my room... slept some more. Woke up 9ish and flipped on the SAS channel. Watched “The Sentinel” and some of the “Sherlock Holmes movie” and Obai dropped in. Then kicked him out and slept some more... hahaha. African drumming and dancing is the ultimate mind and body workout. I recommend it for weight loss and stress management. Great fun and exhausts the entire body in the process.

IT"S MY BIRTHDAYYYYY!!

So i will have to write about my experiences about African Drumming & Dancing that happened on Sunday when i get a chance....
but that won't be now hahaha

My older sister callled meeeeeee!! it was 6:45ish here in the morning (so i don't know what time it was in Chicago) but my roommate Mandy woke me up to hand me the phone... talk about surprise... the prices to call are pretty steep so I didn't expect to call or receive any calls from anyone. We talked for like 9 minutes before she got disconnected... then she called back and we talked for like 7 more minutes. In that time span, I managed to sum up everything i've done in Africa so far, talk about sketchy Manaus, Brazil and my love for Dominica. hahaha. Guess you only really need 16 minutes... she gave me tips on what to do... what type of people to hang out with for the best deals (hahaha) but eh, what can you do.

I think i'm going with Anna and Jamie to the beach, but we may end up heading to Accra. My sister and a bunch of other people said we should so we might. It's 4 hours or so away... but gotta go... breakfast is calling my name!

Can't believe I turn 22 today. feels...interesting. I am excited to get out and about today. I will say this: I slept all day yesterday and woke up at 4ish in time for dinner, returned to my room and slept and woke up around 9ish and watched "The Sentinel" and the Sherlock Holmes movie that was on loop on the SAS channel. African Dancing and Drumming takes a full day of recovery. Seriously. IF you are looking for a weight loss plan, do it. It's insane how much you work out... it was intense. The sweat was ridiculous. I'm talking about splashes of water flying from your body (and especially the guys showing us).

But yeah, I'll get back to that....may not be until after thursday so bear with me. Hard to keep up with the blog or stay in the room when we get in port. No one wants to stay on the ship any longer than you have to once we dock...we do enough of that already (while at sea) and we leave Ghana and will be sailing for 5 days (after thursday night) to head for Cape Town, South Africa so I'll be on the ship plenty. Anyhow, gotta go meet the girls at breakfast and then we'll figure out what we're gonna do. Either way... i'ma avoid being on this ship tonight and tomorrow. Then Thursday, I have my trip to the Castles and Slaves Dungeon... sigh. Alright y'all!

I'm out!

Breakfast in TAKORADI, GHANA !

Soo...right now the original classic, “I'm never gonna dance again...” is playing on the SAS information channel and that reminded me of of my best friend and the last few songs I sung w/Romell in the studio. Even more ironic is the Cee Lo Green song that my friends recently played (and also what my music & cognition professor used as an example in class) which naturally made me think of Ajani. Womp womp... quite a morning. We arrived in Takoradi not too long ago! I'm the first thought I had when I woke up at 7ish this morning was why are we still moving? One of my main motives to go to breakfast was so I could snag (with the rest of my stealing peers) the tiny boxes of cereal, fruit and other randoms. I've been building quite a collection in our fridge. Times are hard, prices are ridiculous at the pool & piano bar, plus hunger just strikes at isolated moments. But back to things: we generally wake up and we see land already since they dock at least by 6:30. 7ish is late because the first trips start at 8 am and it would be impossible to clear the ship with customs—who by the way is pretty gangsta! Most times we have to come to a stop (the navigator from the visiting country) gets on and directs the rest of the way into the location. When I walked out to deck 5 to get a glimpse, there was a motor boat speeding off. The customs guys had apparently jumped onto the ship. Well we had slowed down significantly, but still. That's pretty wild. Only in Africa. Hahaha. Kwabena pointed out some jellyfish and looking at them you could almost think they were floating muffins (as he put it). The ocean/water is like a beautiful...greenish blue? The Atlantic that we have been sailing on is a deep blue, this one is sorta like a teal? It's hard to explain the color of water! Well I am honestly sleepy but I can't go to sleep...my trip isn't until 10 am but we have to get downstairs by the 9:45. I  don't know why we didn't get any announcements...by now. Hmm.

We'll be in Ghana by 8 am =)

The most incredible evening just happened. We had our preport meeting for Ghana. As usual, those meetings are long but informative. Esehnem (Interport student from Ghana) was soooo funny- she  has presented and sat in our classes. She's so blunt, its hilarious. She commented on the ship's attempt to have Ghanian food for dinner... she told us what was wrong with it and where to get the real stuff hahahaha. She also taught us (along with Shirley) some Twi (pronounced Chwee) phrases so that we can communicate although most people speak English. We (Alyssa, myself and some other folks) sung the Ghanian song “Ma Na Efe” with John (faculty/piano player/SAS choir). What's cool is that we finally added the percussion so it synched well and people started dancing in the middle of the stage. I also had went to the African dance class prior to the meeting, and to my surprise we were practicing a number to perform later that night for the preport meeting. During the practice the dance instructor appointed Obai or as she said “Obama” (he's now known for that since his sea--Arabian Sea) incorporated his imitation of Obama in their chant for the Olympics …. to lead us in the performance and practice. Everyone was in single file but branched to the left and right, forming a circle with inner rings.  It was sooooo much fun and the nervous jitters of dancing for our peers after less than an hour to somehow learn i!!! No one cared that we couldn't really stay on track since it was difficult to see the instructor... Later on the LLC's had a fake round of jeopardy where they “played” using rhetorical questions and answers (just to reiterate information we had on our green sheets). Then Dr. Bill and Laura had a group of students perform the piece of writing they wrote. They're a hilarious pair. Ever meet two old people whose work chemistry is so great? We always look forward to the tidbits because they come up with clever ways to deliver all of the health precautions. Finally the meeting ended and a ton of us were trying to figure out what to do between Monday and Wednesday. I am going to the reallllll African Drumming and Dance workshop tomorrow. We have to meet at the pier by 10 am. I CANNOT WAIT!!! I cannot explain to you the number of calories I certainly lost just by the earlier venture... we were sweating, we were laughing...it was exhilarating.  Great fun indeed. But to learn from the source is gonna be awesome. Plus its for my class (Music & Cognition) so that's perfect. Thursday I am visiting the castles and slave dungeons. That should be interesting to say the least. The preport meeting concluded. Afterwards, we stood around (a few of us) planning to all meet up in Malachi's room. However, some of the African music started playing and some people started dancing in the center. I didn't even know all of them (only one person) actually. But we started dancing and talking... next thing you know 3 hours pass. In that time span, we found a way to connect my laptop to amplify it. At first we were dancing and had to kinda huddle (and muffle our laughs) so that we could hear the laptop since we were in the Union...but then we called a water break and one of the girls went upstairs and got her ipod speaker system which essentially meant I could plug it in (and we switched up to the ipods/iphones for variety in music). It was soo much fun. Two girls were in there on their laptops, talking and they couldn't help but laugh. People would walk in and either join us, laugh from a distance or walk in and stare puzzled. We had to tell them we were just dancing for the heck of it. We played a range of songs. We played more african drumming stuff I had on my laptop.The funniest was when the females started teaching Jack and Mark how to move their hips hahahahaha. Jack was serious about it. He was really trying and it was hilarious because it looked like sporadic twitching hahahah. Then there was like this obsession period where everyone was trying to do the Beyonce dance (single ladies & crazy in love) hahahahahaha. Jamie was sooo serious about doing the “uh oh uh oh” part right she kept saying she was gonna practice everyday until she could do it hahaha.  We played Titanic (Mark, Jack, Mary and I) did some soppy ballet ensemble hahahaha. Heartbreaker was our opportunity to “model” or walk down the runway “aka start from the side and end up into the center.” We made a fool out of ourselves trying to learn how to “dougie” from this girl named Lauren (I believe)... hahahaha. Then we were trying how to do the Michael Jackson “beat it” dance. Jammed to the “Cupid shuffle,” “Cha cha slide,” and “Electric Slide.” Man there were so many moments.... ahhhhhhhhhh. All of our conquests were videotaped though. I will be replaying these videos tonight for my pleasure (and share em with the other folks). There's never a normal day on this ship. Gotta love SAS. We make moments Kodak. Funny story, we introduced ourselves once we was ready to leave the Union. Literally now a half hour ago. I guess that goes to press the notion that a human connection goes a long ways. We couldn't stop laughing at the randomness of it. I mean, think about it. We didn't know each other but we connected from a song. We ended up making it into this dancing frenzy on a moving ship ahahahah (I almost forgot about that part) while out on the Atlantic Ocean...nearing TAKORADI, GHANA! Talk about making everyday count. A part of me was apprehensive about Africa since I have some heavy stuff scheduled...but I am now excited and I know that I won't be the same person because of it. We're in Malachi's room at the moment... Obai is knocked out (snoring) and is somehow bridged between Kyle's and Malachi's bed. Anna is playing a game on Malachi's laptop, Malachi's playing his PSP... I am being extremely literal and typing this all up hahaha. Just happy. =) The fact that they are arguing about whether men should be forced to watch movies like “the Notebook” (Anna's claim that its better),  vs “Titanic” which Malachi swears doesn't make him “soft” because it is a “better” movie. Just another night on this awesome ship, talking 'bout nothing! Couldn't wish for a better evening... =)

SAY HELLO TO THE SEMESTER AT SEA 2011 OLYMPICS CHAMPION!!!!!!

WE JUST LEFT THE UNION FOR THE CLOSING CEREMONY. RED SEA WON RED SEA WON RED SEA WON RED SEA WON AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 THROUGHOUT THE DAY THERE WERE SO MANY COMPETITIONS (CHECK THE PREVIOUS POST) IT WAS HARD TO CHEER EVERYONE AT ONCE BUT WE SPLIT UP AND STUFF.

IF YOU FEEL LIKE I'M YELLING AT YOU... IT"S BECAUSE I AM!!! I'M SO HOARSE! ACTUALLY, THE WHOLE RED SEA IS!!! HAHAHAHA. WE CANNOT BELIEVE IT!!!!! WE WERE LIKE THE UNDERDOGS OR THE SUBTLE SEA. WE ARE THE SMALLEST IN NUMBER... 63 AS COMPARED TO THE OTHERS (YELLOW, MED., BALTIC, LUNATICS, AEGEAN, ARABIAN, SEA SALTS) BUT WE WON. WE FREAKING WON & WE HAVE THEEEE BIGGEST BRAGGING RIGHTS FOR THE REST OF THE VOYAGE... ACTUALLY FOR THE ENTIRE SPRING 2011 SEA OLYMPICS!!!

BUT GOTTA RUN SO MUCH HAPPENING!!!!! RED SEA RED SEA RED SEAAAAAAA

SEA OLYMPICS ARE COMING UP!!!

--Tuesday
Sea Olympics are coming up...and sadly I am the RA for a bunch of passive folks. Unfortunately Amy and I are more laid back in nature than most people –certainly than other RA's & LLC's so we may have to step our game up. It's not helping our reputation right now unless we are the subtle, passive team that surprisingly beats everyone and take the title of Sea Olympics champs....The prize is the bragging rights and being the first to get off the ship once we sail into San Diego... I don't know any way to end that would be sweeter than that...I had the luxury to board a day earlier and avoid the chaos and long lines (thanks to work study), I am kinda spoiled and would like the same treatment or at least similar hahahah.  We had a Sea meeting the last two nights where we introduced the activities taking place and we practically had to beg folks to sign up so that we could get full participation points. The activities by the way are: hula hoop competition, limbo, SAS trivia/jeopardy, crab soccer, 4 different types of SAS adventure relay races, dress your LLC (which should be funny), synchronized swimming and some other things that I can't think of at the moment.

Listening to Kem. For whatever reason, his songs has been in repeat for me. I literally have not listened to any other music throughout the day or night but him. When I'm not listening to “Fascination, Say, Love Calls or I Can't Stop Loving You,” I am humming any of the four. Pretty random. Joined a few clubs and attended meetings: Multicultural Connections, Black Student Union, Students of Service, Christian Fellowship Group... all went well and there are a ton of things that overlapped the same meeting times....

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so it is wednesday 23:12 to be exact. Just got back from the opening ceremony for SEA OLYMPICS!!!TRUE I WASN'T HYPED IN THE BEGINNING BUT I AM NOW!! hahaha. Man the energy in the Union was RIDICULOUSLY through the roof. People are still whooping and hollering as we exited... the pressure to win is on. Ahahaha. Earlier, we met again in the hallway at 8:30 to revise our chants and we felt confident about it but sadly we was the second team to present our chants so we had a score  of 10, 9, 9, 9 which wasn't bad...but that put us second to the Sea Salts (the old folks aka life long learners)...but then everyone else's chants naturally came along and we didn't place at the end :( Sucks but eh definitely was entertaining. While we were waiting to even be called (after our hallway rehearsal) we had a team photo (or multiple ones) I should say since we all couldn't fit.  The first group called to get seated in the Union was the Lunatics or Lunacy  (the creative name the staff, faculty and their children came up with in respects to the Chinese New Year, this is so of topic but today they had “chinese food” to honor it and it was disgusting mm mm mm lunch however was amazing...fish and chips –the fries were the seasoned ones...even the fish was amazing...we've all asked the same question, where have they been hiding meals like that one ok back to what I was saying though), we were the second sea called to the Union and it's nothing like watching your competition file in after you're already in... but we were looking at folks gear, scoping out their banner, and critiquing their chants... Then it came time to have it judged by the panel. This took a while though because the union was soooo noisy. Everyone was whistling, chanting, and trying to be heard hahahaha. It was wild. Loved the chaos though =) Was the best feeling ever. Red Sea really pulled together. I guess it was hard not to function as a unit since it was us against them. Everyone had some incredible cheers (well most of us hahaha)...the Captain and Dr. Bill spoke and they were great as usual (had everyone laughing or amped...combination mostly). They kept trying to remind everyone of good sportsmanship and how it's okay to lose and having low expectations is the best way to go hahahaha. Well I tried to do what I could to account what happened, but this is one of those moments where the videos I took better tell the story. Plus I don't really feel like sitting still and typing this I just knew that if I waited...what happened yesterday + tonight + how crazy tomorrow will be, will not be recorded and certainly not in much detail hahaa. But yes, tomorrow is the big day... there will be a barbeque as well and the best Sea shall win... I wanna see everyone compete at once but it is physically impossible to be everywhere at once =( Thank gosh tomorrow is a “reading day” so we don't have any classessssssss!!! Breakfast is even scheduled a half-hour later (7:30-9:00) because it is assumed people will be up late tonight... most definitely lol. Alrighty, I'm getting antsy to leave my room. Ciao.