Post-Orientation

I apologize because I didn't bring my camera to our End of Orientation Dinner, but I think it's worth a little description. We found out about it because Auntie Sharon at the EAP office posted a note on the notice board (we are expected to know what goes on the notice board within a day of it being posted by checking it or talking to each other). For the boys, it meant walking back over to the girls dorm where the experience started three weeks ago. I dressed up and arrived early and people slowly came in both from the Spring program and the students who had spent last semester with us as well. We met Auntie Irene there (our program director and the most powerful woman in Ghana. She is a prominent historian and serves on a number of government panels with the president. The mention of her name pretty much anywhere is like an all-access pass). She greeted us all, gave a short speech in her style about how brave we are to be here but how much she loves the country and how much we have to learn. Then they served an elaborate dinner. I had had a late lunch at 4 (it was then 6:30), and still I ate a full plate. The food was amazing- a variety of Ghanaian dishes included a million kinds of rice, yams, chicken, sauces, stews, etc ending with a fruit plate and ice cream. We also drank soda (I never drink soda at home, but somehow have been conned into supporting Coca-Cola at a few events so far). After gorging ourselves on food we sat talking at the tables and were given a few introductory speeches from some of the professors who had given us lectures during orientation. Not long after that we sang happy birthday to Jessica and then, more full than I've been in a long time, we were ushered onto the dance floor to show off what we had learned in those four dance classes we'd had. I don't know that I have adequately described in this blog how much I dislike dancing at home. I have rhythm from drumming, but I have no desire to move when I hear music on the radio in the US. Most people believe that I am just afraid of being judged, which is partly true but I also just don't enjoy dancing. There's something about it that just doesn't appeal to me. The thought of it is enough to make me cringe. But something about getting pushed into a circle of friends who look equally ridiculous and being told to free-form dance for a little while has changed that a little bit. There's something about the music here that makes it a little fun to move to even after a huge meal. Don't try any funny business when I get home though. So there we were on a little patio with Christmas lights for decorations, surrounded by friends of necessity who I have really come to love, tummies more full than ever before, dancing to the drums of West Africa under the full moon. It was like a scene from a movie.
We left from there to go to to Desperados, the bar inside of Commonwealth Hall, the most frat-like of the dorms who consider themselves to be in charge of campus because the hall is located at the top of the hill next to a sign that says "Commonwealth Hall- Vandal City". It was an interesting place by night. We pretty much bee-lined for the bar that was closing soon after our arrival, so we grabbed some beers, sang to Jessica again,a nd then I began the walk home while a couple of non-exhausted adventurers went out to a bar and, when finding it closed, went to La Beach in Accra (shady!). Everyone eventually found their beds that night and fell asleep.