"It's Nice To Be Nice"

Hello friends!

So yesterday was my last day in Cape Coast. I did my final few lessons on the drum and dancing and did a final performance for the troup. Considering I only did lessons for 1 week I was pretty pleased with how it went it was a really good way to start off my time in ghana! That afternoon abe and I just did lots of running around and sorting things out etc. Kookua had taken me to a seamstress and got this really kool skirt and dress fitted and sewed for me with this material she had. Its really kool:) I had started to warm a lot more to mama t the past few days as well. We had a few showers together and she was so excited by my shampoo and was asking me all these typcal girly questions and washing my hair. It was really nice. Anyway I realise shes just a little girl growing up into a woman and finding her way and i liked her a lot more. Shes very eager, smart and exciteable and its good to see, a it bossy but hey who am I to talk?:P Anyway my last night I spent with Abe and on wednesday morning got up for my final breakfast with the family. Mama T was crying her eyes out because I was leaving and was just sitting behind the house and wouldnt go to school! I felt bad and realised I would miss the family a lot and was quite humbled by how much they were going to miss me too. I was very lucky to be with them and have them take care of me. Good old nesta helped carry my bags to the taxi and we hugged goodbye and I travelled up to the bus station where koffi was waiting. He was going to accompany me to accra and take me to where I could order and choose a djembe drum from a freind of his who makes them. So glad he came with me because accra on first inspection was friken intense. So loud and busy, people and tro-tros everywhere and people just screaming out random stuff. Anyway he took me to the art centre which is just like a market area where people are making and selling traditional african stuff. Its a place where many tourists go to buy souveniers (some literally get off the plane, stock up there and leave!) and is quite expensive. Anyway we met koffis friend called Kwasi and I chose a drum design for him to make for me. I chose 3 adinkra symbols from the book I bought (strength, spirituality and examination) which all have deeper meanings which I wont go into now, but is really special and should be awesome. Will pick it up at the end of my trip. Anyway I was going to go stay at some place called akuma lodge which was close by and in the lonely planet book and get the guys to take me there but Kwasi and Koffi both said that place has gone down hill over the past year and was not a very clean/safe/enjoyable place to stay anymore. Kwasi the guy who makes drums said I could stay with him for the few days before I move off if I liked! I was stoked and his junior brother godwin took me there straight away. The people here are so accomodating and friendly its amazing. Everyone says hello to each other in the morning and although admittedly some of the attention I get is very questionable there is little evil intent rather understandable oppurtunistic behavior which you can resist quite easily Kwasis house is right near a place called labadi beach and is very small, clean and perfect for the next few days. Kwasi says he has lots of people stay with him because he meets many travellers through his drums and was happy to have me. Both boys have been so helpful already and always call me to check up that I am okay while they are at work. I bought a cheap phone here in ghana and now have a ghana phone number and mobile to use which is very handy. The boys came home at about 6.30 and Kwasi who loves to cook made us a really nice stew with rice. Kwasi had 3 pictures on top of his tv of him and this ubrunni girl. When I asked godwin who she was he said she was kwasis girlfriend from america. Later Kwasi told me that he met her when she was in ghana and they got in a bit of relationship and became lovers for the time she was here but she never answers his emails anymore. It made me sad. There is a lot of that sort of dilusion around here and theres not much you can do about it but try and be tactfully honest..Anyway we watched some really random movie called The Gods Must Be Crazy which I think was british or something but was based in africa, it seemed like a sort of cult movie like Life of Brian or something? I was so tired that I fell asleep before it finished. That morning I woke up and walked to the toilet with the boys (they use a public toilet nearby which you pay for) then me and kwasi made breakfast. He is intent on teaching me how to cook and i spilt water everwhere:P He also told me that traditionally you have to do things such as eat, pay for money and shake hands with your right hand because it is believed you wipe your ass with your left! Must remember that. Anyway they went off to work and I caught a tro-tro to an area called Nima where I was meeting with a lady called mercy from volunteer program called iKando to see whether we could organise me working for them for awhile. They were very nice and it seems to be all going ahead despite the late notice from me, I will start next monday working at the refugee camp as a teacher/assistant teacher for 2 weeks. My plans are already changing dramatically but it is all working out. I am trying to not make big promises anymore because it is so hard when travelling and peoples feelings are at stake. People in ghana are very big on sticking to your word so if you cant stick to it 100 percent dont say it. Its a good theory. the people here have such a subtle spirtuality. like yeah there is all the christian stuff which many of them proclaim loudly and proudly but what I have found to be much more endearing and interesting is this really simplistic and beautiful nature of some of the people. Its like there is so need to go into some deep philosphical debate all the time, things are just what they are. When I was saying to Godwin yesterday afternoon how helpful everyone was being and how lucky I was blah etc blah he just replied with. "Its nice to be nice" I loved that! I will always be an analyser but its nice to be indirectly put in my place here, pulled back down to earth and reminded of the imporant things. Yay for ghana. x