On Monday we were all so tired, and lots of us were getting sick from the lack of sleep and eating that happened all weekend. I didn't have class, so I slept a lot. I met my friend Samuel for dinner, but got sick while eating, so came back early.
Tuesday I was woken up by Taylor calling me to see if I could take her to the hospital since she was extremely sick. So, we took a cab to the hospital, and then I got to fill out her paperwork the best as I could for her. I waited around to see if they would release her that day, but they wanted to keep her there overnight. While waiting for her, I met a deaf lady, and I got to use my sign language I learned last semester with her. I ended up going back that day and then going to see an orphanage with some other students to see if we wanted to volunteer there.
On Wednesday I went to my spanish class, then to my HIV/AIDS class. For dance class that night, we learned some new steps, and worked on them. Dela took me out to a salsa dancing club since he knows how to salsa dance, but I did not, so we just watched for a while and then left.
Thursday was my singing class, and also twi at night. I hung out with Samuel after twi with his roommates and discussed some differences in cultures, like dating, the color pink (it is more acceptable for men to wear pink than in the US), holding hands, etc. I also ate banku for the first time which is like dough that you dip in a tomato sauce that you swallow whole.
Friday was dance class at 9:30 in the morning, and then we came back and ate lunch at the other hostel's cafe since they have more american food there. I ended up having a chicken burger and fries! We all went to the Medina market after that, which is outside and where you can get anything you want, like clothing, food, dvds, etc. That night we went to see Beauty and the Beast at our drama department, and it was really good.
There was a palm wine festival that night, so I went with Samuel and tried it, but I didn't like it at all. I also tried goat meat, and it was really chewy.
On Saturday, the computer cafe two doors down from my room was playing the “On in my city” song that the CMU football team plays when they are in the stadium, and it was nice to hear a familiar song. I ate lunch with Paula, and then Taylor and I went to visit Samuel and his roommates.
Sunday I could finally attend mass at the Catholic church on campus here, so I went with Samuel since he was the only one I knew that was Catholic. It was really hard to understand the priest due to the sound system and his accent. It was nice to see all of the Africans in their traditional dress and lots of patterns. After that I went with my roommate, Doreen to Dela's place to meet his brother. Somehow I ended up going with Dela to his Aunt's house-he helps his 6 year old cousin, Angel, with school work every Sunday, so while he was with her, I got to visit with his Aunt who loved to talk. To get there, we had to travel in the car down dirt roads with many holes and it was very bumpy. Their home was locked up with a big gate and barbed wire too. It was one of the biggest in the area, and the sitting room that we sat in had a big screen tv with cable, and a very nice computer. The children called me “Aunty Chrissy”, since it's a sign of respect here, and his other cousin, Junior, loved to play with me. The Aunt was surprised to find out that there were poor people in the United States.
Today I learned that Valentine's day is actually a pretty big deal here, which surprised me since it seems so American/Canadian. I also learned today that they do not call roosters “roosters” but cocks, and the females are called hens. They are called chickens when they are food!
No comments:
Post a Comment