Another unexpectedly wonderful day

The theme for this day is "Things you would have missed out on if you didn't do the crazy thing."

I went to church this morning, after going out last night, and was tired and grumpy and hungry. Church went for over 2 and a half hours (which even by Ghanaian standards is a long service!) and I was really feeling the heat and humidity. I just wanted to go home, eat, and sleep.

Just before leaving, I bumped into a woman named Lesh from Botswana that I had met before. I didn't recognize her though. So awkward. So we had this awkward conversation where it was clear I just wanted to go back to my room, and she looked a little upset that she remembered me but I didn't remember her.

I went to the bathroom. When I finally started for home, she called me from a bus and told me the bus was going near my place and I should ride it with her. I did and we had the best conversation. She is 31 going on 32, the only Mutswana student on campus, and she loves salsa dancing. Our conversation was very real, and I felt immediately close to her. I think she will be a close friend of mine on this trip. I am really glad that she invited me to ride that bus.

As a result of the bus ride with Lesh, which took a long detour all around the campus and more than doubled the time it took me to get home, I did not have time to nap before I was supposed to go and meet a Ghanaian girl named Abigail.

Abigail and I danced together on my second night in Ghana. We really got along. We tried to dance together, I would not be able to follow what she was doing, then she would turn to me and tell me I was a terrible dancer, I would agree, and we would both laugh. I have never gotten a number from a girl at a club and actually called her before, but this was different. It wasn't sexually motivated on either side, we just had fun together.

We have been trying to meet since. But I wasn't sure it was a good idea. All the worst-case scenarios were running through my mind, I didn't know how to get to where she told me to meet her, I was alone, I was tired, and I am still unclear about cultural understandings of romantic relationships. I was literally standing at the edge of my building debating going back inside to sleep.

I did the crazy thing and went.

I asked people along the way for directions of how to get to Nungua, near Teshie, on the other side of the city. People here are so friendly, they always want to help you get where you are going. So I took the TroTros all the way to my destination.

Abigail met me at the bus stop, and we went to her Aunty's store - "Understanding Spot." A Spot in Ghana is like a pub in Canada. There were a bunch of men that hang around there every day, and I met all of them. One spoke French and we chatted in French (well, sort of - he actually didn't know much French...he kept saying couscous....wtf?!?!).

Abigail and I walked to the beach and talked about our families and our futures. She kept telling me I asked too many questions, but how else do you get to know someone?

She is Ghanaian, but was raised in Nigeria with her aunty for 13 years. She is the only child to her mother and father, but they both have kids with other partners. Abi doesn't know them. She wants to be a nurse. She wants to accomplish this before getting married, so that she is independent and does not have to rely on the man. I thought that was really great. She also can't swim.

We went back to her Aunty's spot both because it was starting to rain, and because the Ghanaian football match was starting. They were in the quarter finals in the African Cup of Nations tournament. All of Ghana is stoked about the tournament.

It was such a real moment. I was just sitting in a small bar, in a totally local part of Accra, watching football with a bunch of local regulars.

Ghana scored. Everyone jumped up and screamed. Tunisia scored. The room was silent. It went to overtime. Ghana scored. You could hear the screams and music in the surrounding streets. Abi's aunty took me about 6 blocks away and we danced with a group of Ghanaians, surrounding a group of drummers. A pack of little kids came up and were teaching me Asonto moves, and laughing at how bad I was. They were SO GOOD! It was kind of weird...

Then the game ended and the dance party became a parade, which I was then a part of. We skipped and danced down the street with horns and drums. Taxis were blowing their horns, and more and more people kept joining.

I had to get home though, so I left the parade, and hopped into a tro-tro. I was lucky to get on, as the crowd seemed to have the same idea as me. We were driving down the road, packed with people wearing Ghanaian flags, dancing and singing when - out of nowhere - a parade at least 5 times as large as the one I had been in poured onto the road in front of the tro. It came to a screeching halt. People were pounding on the sides of the vehicle as they danced by. It was actually really scary and intimidating, and I couldn't help but think what it would be like to be in a civil war or civil unrest.

On a brighter note, I realized that if Graham and James were with me, we would have jumped out of the tro at that moment and joined the dance party. No questions asked.

None of this day would have happened if I had given in to the tiredness and the reluctance. It was one of the best days I have had here so far. By myself. Off campus. Scary, but so worth it.

I love doing the crazy thing.