first solo venture and confusion

day 22 (three weeks!)

First Solo Venture: On Friday, I had to go in to Accra to return the phone that I purchased on Wenesday. Carmen had rehearsal (she is playing flute with a Ghanaian pop band). I didn't have a phone to get in touch with anyone else, so I went solo.

I walked to the tro-tro station that is right outside the main gate of campus, as I have done many times before with others. I listened for a mate calling out "Cra, Cra, Cra, Cra, Cra" meaning that tro-tro is headed towards Accra. I got on, paid my fare (20 pesewas for the 10 minute ride) and got off at the right place. I got off at the mall stop and despite being followed by chilren wanting money, it went smoothly. Once I was in the mall, or the wrinkle in time (because it is like a completely different universe in there), I bought a few things at the main store called Game (a bread knife, some colored pencils, cleaning spray, toilet paper, and birthday candles) I proceeded to find the bank. Twenty minutes and five sets of directions later I found it and bought a working phone.

I then left the mall and waited for a tro-tro to take me back to school. During more trafficky times, the tro-tro change their route. Not knowing this, I begin to realize on the tro-tro that it was not taking hte normal route to school. We were suddenly driving on a pot-holed dirt road in the middle of corn fields. Thinking I had made yet another mistake in Ghana I planned on getting off at the next stop and starting over. To my surprise, the next stop was just across the street from campus. Success.

Confusion: Each day, registration becomes more and more complicated. Looks like a have to refigure my schedule yet again. Classes that I am not going to sacrifice: Botany 419 Advanced Taxonomy, Botany 411 Fungi and Lichen, Geography 429 Environmental Ecology, Study of Religion 423 Ecological Ethics, Music 317: Intro to West and Central African Music.

Classes are supposed to start tomorrow. I'll bet on next week...Ghana time.