Africa, up close and personal

So, yesterday was my first real African adventure. We went to Anesema Waterfall, a couple miles north of Accra in the town of Adukrom. The falls actually weren't that impressive but it was such a nice change of pace from Accra that I think we all really needed.

It would take us 2 hours to get to the falls, so we decided to treat it Amazing Race-style by breaking into 3 groups and seeing who could get to the destination first. each group was required to have a cell phone, a guidebook, and a boy...a perfect travel kit. My group (Kristen, Emily, and Matt) got on a tro-tro* pretty quick and, as we drove off, saw the rest behind us. Off to a good start for us! :) Pretty impressive since travelling with 4 is actually a hindrance to tro-tro riding

We got to the falls and Matt and I climbed up onto this rock ledge behind the water, which was pretty sweet. Little did we know there was a MUCH easier way of climbing up, which everyone else took advantage of, but we hold ourselves as the true explorers, having done it first (as well as tackling the more difficult route).

Later in the day, Derek, Jordan, and I decided to find the source of the falls, which ended up involving blazing our own trail through 5-ft visibility grasses and pricker bushes up the side of a mountain. Unfortunately, Jordan's shoe broke and he ended up having to make the trek barefooted. But we eventually found the source, which was pretty sweet, but what we couldn't find was our way back down. I mean, we knew where we were, but we couldn't find a navigable path. At one point, Derek said to me, "So...we're hot, thirsty, in our bathing suits (and basketball shorts for me), and stuck in the middle of the bush in West Africa." ("in the bush"....Nate, you would've been proud). But what an adventure!

All this to say, we found our way out without too much trouble, though we did have to tackle an obstacle worthy of a youth group team-building retreat, which was to boulder our way across a short rock face to get to clearer ground (in retrospect, we could've probably just jumped down, but this was a little more extreme...Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible style...). And the boys were pretty heroic, I have to say. I think Derek has a shoe imprint on his shoulder still from letting me step on my back and lowering me to the ground.

We also had to cross the river to get to the path that would bring us back to the foot of the falls (well....it was really more like a creek at the point we chose...like, 2.5 ft across and about 8 inches deep...but river sounds so much better), and unfotunately, I had twisted my already-bad ankle while we were hiking so when I put too much weight on it in the water, I basically wiped out (not my most graceful moment) and got soaking wet.

But we made it back safe and sound with the best story of the trip so far and only a few minor injuries to speak of....Jordan's feet are a little raw, Derek's back is pretty scratched (he was our trail-blazer), and I have a bit of a raspberry on my leg from my nice (read: embarrassing) fall in the water. But this is what I came to Africa for....excitement and adventure and sundry humorous stories that will keep me laughing for a long time.

Pictures

Here's a link to some pictures I posted on facebook:

http://calvin.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037832&l=3e26b&id=15301972

So, my semester in Jerusalem is going very well so far. Classes are very interesting, the people here are great, and it's awesome just walking around the old and new cities. I've been making friends with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim shopkeepers in the old city who are all very interesting people to talk to. Although everyone lives in the same city, there is palpable tension. Besides the fact that three rather large, monotheistic religions struggle to lay claim to the same city, the biggest conflict is between Palestinians and Israelis. Every Tuesday and Thursday I travel to Bethlehem, just a few miles from Jerusalem for Arabic class. To get into Bethlehem, you have to go through a checkpoint in order to cross the huge wall being put up all along the border between Israel and West Bank. This wall is being put up by Israeli authorities for "security purposes." Basically, though, it traps many innocent Palestinians in West Bank, because they need a good excuse to cross or they are denied access. The first few mornings of Arabic class, across the street we saw UN workers handing out bags of food to Palestinian refugees. It's a crazy thing to experience. Also, the Gaza Strip is walled off and even more like a prison than West Bank. So, anyway, this is what I have been trying to learn about recently, and it is a very disturbing situation.

the key to a social life in...anywhere but America

I bought a soccer ball at the market about a week ago to give us something to do in the ample free time that we had, and in no time we were being stopped by Ghanaians and international students alike, who invited us to kick around or join their games. The best part of this, though, was that Kristen and I were stopped by this guy named Immanuel, who invited us to join the girls' team for Legon Hall ("the premiere hall"--sounds like we chose the right one!). So today I had my first soccer match since senior year of high school (unless you count intramurals, I guess). It was great, though people seemed to be surprised that I've played soccer before, I think because I'm white, American, and a girl. haha. But I've made a lot of friends with the girls on the team, which is nice. My roommate Claudia says I need to make friends with more Ghanaians and not just these crazy Calvin kids.

Ghana pictures!

My friend Kristen posted some pictures from our trip on her Facebook page. I forgot my camera cord at home, so this is the best I can do for pictures. But at least you can get a sense of what it's like here....

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037731&l=ccddc&id=15301980

T.I.A.*

Well, We've been in Ghana for a week now, and I'm starting to get settled into my life here in Africa...starting to find my way around campus, making new friends, and learning the cultural quirks, though I continue to feel incompetent and embarrassed in any new situation.

I wanted to share just a couple of the new adventures I've had in my first week:

Laundry--Today I did laundry for the first time since being here. All laundry is handwashed and air-dried. Most international students pay a washer woman to do their laundry, but where's the fun in that!! I don't think I did a great job at it, but the water was dirty when I was done so that's a good sign that I was at least mildly affective. Embarrassing pictures of uscrouched in the shower stall with buckets of soapy water, wringing out piles of wet clothes, are soon to come.

COLD SHOWERS--Because we're in the rainy season, it's pretty cool here. I'm really glad I brought my jacket, but the temperature makes the fact that our only bathing option is an icy cold shower mildly depressing. We've adopted the military-style shower...Rinse, turn the faucet off, soap up, faucet on, quick rinse off.

Church--Last Sunday I went to my first Ghanaian church service. It was AWESOME! The walls of the sanctuary were open to the outside, and it was kind of cool because it was raining out. But through the open walls, we could hear hymn singing coming from neighboring churches on all sides. It made me feel like I could go anywhere in the country and still be surrounded by the voices of believers in song. It was my favorite moment of the trip so far.

That's all I have for now. Classes start tomorrow! I will try to post pictures soon, because Jon is starting to show me up in that department.

**T.I.A.--"This is Africa." Referenced in the movie Blood Diamond, this common phrase refers to the unpredictable, unconventional, and--at times, for foreigners--potentially confusing or frustrating nature of this wonderful continent.

Jewish Appreciation

So, classes started on Monday. They should be pretty exciting. I'm in Physical Settings of the Bible, Arabic (taught by a Palestinian ), Introduction to the Modern Middle East (taught by a jaded Israeli), From the Jewish Jesus to Christianity (taught by a Jewish professor), and Rabbinical Thought and Literature (taught by a Rabbi). It's going to be great getting to know more about the Jewish roots of Christianity. I met a Jewish shopkeeper who feels called to build bridges between Jews and Christians (and Muslims as well). I've been back to his shop once to ask him questions about his beliefs and will probably make that a habit, which will be amazing. I will leave you with some Jewish insight...

Rabbi Moeshe to our Christian class:

"As a Jew I would like to thank you Christians for the idea of dividing the Bible into numbered chapters and verses. Christians came up with the idea in the Middle Ages. So...I can thank you for verse numbers, and you can thank us for the Old Testament."