Meeting Someone for the First Time

Children: "Obruni, obruni! (Foreigner, foreigner) What is your name?"
Me: "Emily."
Children: "Emiry."
Me: "Yes." (Well, it's close enough).

Me: "Hi, how are you?"
Women: "Fine. Come, sit. You are so beautiful. Is this your real hair?"

Man: "I am going to marry you. It's always been my dream to marry a white woman. I asked my mother and she said it was okay. Do you sleep alone? I knew the minute I saw you that I loved you."
Me: "Your friend said the same exact thing to me yesterday."
Man: "Don't listen to him. Give me your phone number."

*I should mention that not all men do this. Mostly just people I run into on the street, not my friends. It does happen a lot, though*

In other news, I'm grossly ill. I've gone down two belt sizes in the last week, which most American girls might be thrilled about, but the process has not been pleasant.

Also, I'm tutoring a girl in the village in English. It's even more difficult than teaching the primary school children because she's 15 and basically fluent. It's hard to know what to teach her because mostly we just have to do some polishing. (For instance, try explaining the difference between 'hardly' and 'barely.' It isn't easy.) She told me her dream was to become a scientist and live in America. This is the kind of person I really want to help out. I think that if I could figure out a way to get her a scholarship to study at an American university somehow, I could really change her life. I just have to keep working with her.

Oh my gosh, as I'm typing this, the goats are baaaahing. They bah all day and all night without stopping. It's actually hilarious, because some just sound so ridiculous. I'm laughing right now.

Also, there are megaphones in central locations around and people broadcast the radio, which is either music, news, or soccer games.

I really like it here in Eguafo. I went to Cape Coast with some other volunteers last weekend and while it was nice to take a break, I was super relieved to come back to Eguafo. I just feel really comfortable here.

Hmm well, I bought some fabric and am getting a dress made at the tailor. So that will be a nice souvenir.

Oh yeah, there was a huge rainstorm last night. Everything was flooded. School was closed this morning because the footbridge broke and everything was just too wet. The front of a brick building got destroyed, too. The goats are sick. They're not used to the rain.

That's all for now.

Yoo, yen ko!
Emily