Last Few Days In Accra

Today was our last day in Accra and must have been the hottest day so far!! We went to the SYTO center and learn to cook Red Red, part of the grou pmade the rice, part made the chicken and the rest made this spinachy bean thing. We made the chicken. I was quite shocked when I looked into the bowl and didnt just see the cooking chicken bones of the chicken but also the decapitated frying head of it too, beak and everything... Luckily the leader removed it along with some other unsightly bones and we continued to cook. It was fun though, we cooked everything outside, I doubt we would have survived the heat inside. It was very traditional though, we cooked the meat and sauce over a type of stone barbeque whilst another volounteer would fan the flame to keep it going. It was actually pretty hard work after a while. But the end was worth it, everyone seems to like it.
Yesterday we had an African drumming and dancing lesson. It was really good fun. We learnt a dance and a beat called 'Fume Fume' which has a chorus and four different parts. The group did quite well, considering how hot it was! The drumming lesson was good too. The man who took it closed his eyes and therefore claimed to be able to listen to us all one by one, and sussed out which of us were doing it wrong. There was a womans version and a mans version, we all tried both, but the womans part was substantially harder. At the end the teacher told us that we could get a drum personalised and made for us for only 55 cedi which is about 25 pounds. We chose african symbols to go on it, I chose three, one that says 'Love always comes home' another that says 'All will be well' and the last symbol was a lion. I also had 'Afia' my Ghanian name written on it along side 'Ghana 2010.'
We went to the supermarket as well today, and only foreign people seem to be there, everyone else just shops at the market. Its much different from home as well, everything imported cost around 20 cedis, a packet of grapes cost 17 cedis. Also you have to leave yolur bag at the entrance desk and you get given a slip, you can't take any bags in at all.
I still cant beleive how friendly the people here are though. Today we caught a taxi from the supermarket to the bank. The bank was out of order so he asked to take us to another one. James went in the get the money out but the cashpoint was out of order so when we came back to the taxi, the driver actually took James into the bank to ask the manager in Twi if he could sort it out for us. And for all that, and about a half hour journey into the city center he only charged us 15 cedi (under 7 pounds)
In the next two months were going to Yamah, which is really close to Mole National Park, which we are planning to go and visit and spend a few nights there. Its meant to be the best national park/safari in africa. Were staying with a reverand and his family and everyday of the week we will be working in an orphanage, with no electricity and with 25 children ranging from babies to 16 year olds. Both James and I are really looking forward to it, because we'll really be out of our comfort zone, and we think it will be really nice experiancing such a different point of view to life.
Im not sure when Ill be able to write next, but ill try my best!
Love Aliss xoxoxo