After all, its Accra

Here I am, sitting on the floor at the airport, waiting to board. Its become one of the places most familiar to me in fact, as all airports seem to look pretty much the same - strip away the layers of commerce.

Ghana, is still hasn’t hit me that its actually happening. I feel a nervousness, maybe even a fear, different to what I felt going to Israel. Here its more of a safetly thing,- going home and spending time in the bosom of family and friend support structure provided an opportunity for all to fullfill their duties of Warning me about the Unknown Evils that could strike:

At the moment I’m leaving under the certainty that;

I will be forgotten at the airport,

And if not- and I am infact picked up as arranged, I will surely be human-traffiked,

Or raped

And if, in the unlikely event that I do get to my intended location, I will be exploited as a volunteer worker, by an organisation that farms volunteers for their money.

Or, if I do do the intended meaningfull work, I will have nothing to eat, other than meat

And if I do find vegetables, I will probably get ill from eating them, unless I boil them into a liquid emulsion. And maybe even then.

Here I am, arrived in Ghana. Its 1am here,I'm sitting on my bed under my canopy of mosquito net, a little out of breath (i had to jump up and down to hang it).I'm in the volunteer house in Avocado Street. It’s a relatively big house, with many communal spaces, but I’m quite alone.
I might actually belonely. Being back home un-weaned me from being used to lonesome existence and I’ve quite forgotten how it feels. Also because I’m in a country to which I’ve never been before. Also because out of all the people I’ve met (the immigration official at passport control, the police officer outside the airport, and the director of the organisation I’m working for) 2 have tried to get bribes from me. Everyone is very friendly, but its nerve racking as it’s hard to tell what I’m supposed to pay for and what’s a bribe. Also, I did have some expectations of finding more people in this organisation. Right now its seems to just be the director, and...me.
The Director (who also seems to be the volunteer coordinator, and program manager) is truly lovely, and helpful and kind. So that’s something to count my blessings about. Because considering that I was fetched at the airport by someone I didn’t know, and taken to a house in a city I know nothing about, and met no one along the way, things could have been a lot scarier. But Ghana is warm, and the vibes are good ones, and I’m a little disappointed in myself for letting my South African mentality get the better of me and scare me a bit.

I look forward to meeting up with my childhood friend tomorrow. I’m actually really excited for it. And to see Accra by daylight. I’m comfortable, and excited for what is to come.

The humidity drips off the windows, the tap water is undrinkable, I have wireless internet in my room, although you cannot put toilet paper in the toilet. I have a fan on in my room, the door seems to be locked from the outside, there are both burglar bars and mosquite wires on the windows. I have cupboard space for myself, and the shower looks quite nice.

This week is going to go slowly, work is only due to start later on in the week. the other volunteers are arrving this weekend. By then this will be my home, and I can show them around.

Akwaaba