Final Days

We said goodbye to Kumasi this morning and took the first-class bus to Accra. The first-class bus, since you asked, includes A/C, and on-board washroom (not working today), and video screens featuring the best of Nigerian cinema. The teen romantic drama was worth a few laughs: boy meets girl, boy's best friend gets girl pregnant, boy pays for girl's abortion, boy sees girl hugging best friend after he apologized for his actions, boy runs off in anger and gets hit by a car. Credits roll. This was followed by a murder mystery whose plot I couldn't follow, despite the high volume at which it was played. It involved a lot of women screaming and crying, and men in their underwear hitting each other. I was glad I had my earplugs. Chris was not so lucky.

Paying three times too much for a taxi from the bus station to the hotel has left us all in a foul mood. We recieved the classic obruni treatment: three cabs next to each other that each refused to negociate, claiming it was "traffic time," a bald-faced lie and we knew it. It seems silly to get worked up about an extra dollar, but the principle that you pay more based on the color of your skin annoys me.

So, on my last full day in Ghana, and feeling about ready to leave, I've been reflecting on what I will miss from here and what I miss at home:

Will miss (a very brief list):
-pepe sauce
-fresh African pinapple (none of this Hawaiian crap)
-people randomly saying "Akwaba/Hello" on the street
-groups of small children yelling "Obruni!" and waving
-diversity of flora
-monkeys
-"brother" and "sister" as a standard way of greeting someone
-red-red and fried plantains
-Fan Ice

Will not miss:
-Nescafe
-canned milk
-paying obruni prices
-everyone else yelling "Obruni!" at me
-two-foot deep sewers
-humidity
-mosquitos, botflies, tsetse flies, termites, ants
-foam mattresses
-Ghanian pop music, plus repeated playings of "African Queen," "Mr. Lonely," and old Backstreet Boys songs.

When we get home, I plan on having a large salad with a glass of wine, and washing my clothes using the washing machine and dryer. In the morning, I will have brewed coffee and cereal with REAL milk while reading the newpaper. I will then go to the gym, where I plan to not be drenched in sweat after two minutes. I will then take a shower standing up, without having to turn on the water heater 30 minutes ahead of time. I will not apply bug repellent prior to leaving the house.

Not to imply that being in Ghana hasn't been a positive experience. I've learned a great deal about tropical medicine and about delivering care with limited resources. Almost everyone here has been very welcoming. The food, despite its reputation, has been delicious. And although I've gained appreciation for much of the excesses of American society, I'm a little homesick for those excesses right now.