I'm getting OLD

All of the sudden I am 19! Wooohooo! We went to a bar called the Purple Roof on Friday evening to celebrate my birthday and we had a lot of fun!  We had planned on going on a overnight-trip to a hostel with a private beach, but I ended up staying at home together with Katie who was nice enough to keep me company and the new volunteer who arrived last night, Cat. The fact that it was my birthday didn’t really matter to me, it was more annoying to have to waste a whole weekend on being ill. I’m gonna be here for the next 3 months though, so I guess I’ll have plenty of time.

I’ll talk a bit more about the school and the work I’m going to do there later today, but for now watch this video. You should especially pay attention to the lyrics.

This is a pretty popular song here in Ghana. I mean, its okay, I guess some people do want a strong African man. But if you’d reverse the roles, make it a song about a strong white man, because white men are better and if it was released it in Europe, wouldn’t there be a massive uproar? It would be banned and the creators would be accused of racism and whatnot. That’s a double standard right there. 

Ghana: The volunteer house and stabbing crabs!

I had my first day at school today! It was an experience on its own, but I thought I’d split stuff up in chapters, and talk about the school and work there another time.

Sooo, the house! I am staying in Accra, which is the capital of Ghana, in the area called Teshie-Nungua more specifically near the Borabora hotel. I haven’t even taken any pictures of the street or the area, because I’ve been so focused on settling in and getting used to the heat and the food. 

 

So the house is quite large and the yard is surrounded by a wall, like most houses in the area. There is a livingroomarea with a tv and chairs and sofas. Then there are four bedrooms for the volunteers, two for the girls and two for the boys. The girls have their own bathroom, which is… messy. I’m not 100% sure if we are supposed to clean it ourselves, but we’ll see after a while :P 

Right now there are only 6 girl volunteers; one Irish girl who sleeps in the bunk above me, three British girls (two of them are friends) and one Spanish girl. Plus me! Also living in the house is the CEO of the Dream Africa Care Foundation, Jamal. 

The cook is called Yvonne and she makes breakfast and dinner for us. She’s also in charge of the kitchen area. We’ve got a big fridge where they keep the food, and where we can store our own food. I’ve only got some juice and a bottle of coke in there so far. 

Yesterday Jamal bought live crabs at the market and Yvonne was going to prepare them. She had to stab them with a knife to kill them. It was fascinating and the best thing was that she was so calm about it! We were squealing and jumping out of the way, because the crabs were really putting up a fight. 

There are also two house dogs; Bobby and Peace. Bobby is very affectionate and once you got his attention he doesn’t go away. He doesn’t have a tail though, but his little waggling stomp is pretty adorable. Peace does like to be close to people, but she doesn’t like to be touched and actually starts to whimper if you try. She got hit by a car and doesn’t use one off her legs. They both have fleas though.

Sooo, I guess that’s the house! :)

I'm here!

(No way you guys are getting a sweaty webcam picture right now!)

I’ve arrived!

It was very comforting to have another volunteer arrive at the same time as me so that we could be awestruck in the back of the car together! There are a couple of people here, some will leave soon, some will stay for another 10 months but people will be arriving too, so that’s fun. I’m gonna take some pictures later today, but as for right now I’m just trying to get used to the clammy heat.

Some thoughts so far:

• I actually like long flights! Sure it was my first, but it was fun to just sit there, watch movies, eat M&M’s (I shared with the kids sitting next to me, because they kept staring. They couldn’t stop smiling afterwards though) and get drinks served to me under my blanket. I even liked the food!
• Customs was scary and took a loooooooong time. We stood there in line for like an hour, and I was honestly nervous about having to answer questions. It went pretty smooth though, they wanted fingerprints a picture and BAM I was in Africa.
• Yes, it IS like on tv! We had a half hour drive from the airport yesterday, driving through both poorer parts and the touristy parts and it somehow felt unreal. Like a documentary. I’m going to get used to it, but it was just so different from anything I’ve ever experienced.
• The breakfasts are going to be HEAVY. And I normally either eat one sandwich or don’t eat at all. This morning we had fried egg sandwiched between two slices of very sweet bread and it was good, but such a heavy meal! I didn’t finish it, but I’ll probably get used to it after a while.

Later on today we’re gonna get an orientation, which is good because I need cash and just a general sense or where I am in the world, because all I’ve seen properly so far is the volunteer house!

For everybody wondering; my skype name is just mariekebrock and I’m all for skypedates! We can just set a time and date on facebook! I’m only two hours behind Norway and the Netherlands, so like right now it’s 10 o’clock in the morning here and 12 o’clock over there. 

The Year of Perpetual Bad Luck

Stuff tends to happen to me. But not stuff I WANT to happen to me. I’ve never had surgery (except for when they took my tonsils out) but I’ve been to the doctors or in the hospital A MILLION TIMES. This one time my big toenail was ripped off by a slamming door. No joke.

I’ve always had my normal share of bad luck. But this year, 2012, has been exceptional. A year of non-stop problems. Therefore I have baptized this year ''The Year of Perpetual Bad Luck.''

Enjoy.

• Got a ride from classmate with her pretty new car. Slammed the door shut with the seatbelt in between. A few scratches, but you know, it’s a new car, it needs to be fixed. Cost my parents a few thousands.
• Got a virus on my computer and camera, while trying to send pictures of scratches on car to insurance company. I, of course, manage to pass on the virus to roommate. 
• Bought a new fancy smartphone in April. 30 days later I lost it at a outside-concert-party, where it was crushed by, like, a 100 drunkenly dancing people. Byebye smartphone.
• Got a stupid ticket because I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt. The problem: I WAS wearing my seatbelt. He didn’t even check the 6 drunken people in the back of the van. I was one of those lucky exemplary cases. Norway got a tiny bit richer because of me.
• Didn’t get my driver’s licence because I was in the wrong place, at the wrong time and surprise, surprise the examiner was the same police dude who gave me my ticket. Evidently his initials are S.O.S. Just my luck.
• Had two written exams in my absolutely best subjects. Like my top-grade subjects. Misunderstood both of them, ended up with the worst grades I’ve ever had. Yes, my fault, but WHY THIS YEAR?
• Rasped off a part of my thumbnail while rasping lemons for a pie.
• Bought a new but sturdy and chunky phone, so that it would survive everyday use and wouldn’t be interesting for thieves. Had it in the pocket of my jeans, took it out, screen white with a black ‘’ink stain’’. The people at the store said I must have dropped it. I DID NOT DROP IT.
• Visa for Ghana. Difficulties because I’m Dutch but live in Norway. Figured that one out 4 months in advance. Called to the right embassy 2 months in advance. Send the info one month in advance. Called to check up on them 1 week before date of departure, they tell me something is wrong. I end up having to fly to Copenhagen to try and fix it. Nothing of this was my fault, but you know, it just happened to happen to me.
• I think I lost my Ipod somewhere between Copenhagen and home. Don’t tell my parents; I got for my birthday last year.

 I’ve had fun, I ALWAYS have fun, but you know, there’s a limit of how much can go wrong and I’ve crossed that limit a while ago. I hope it picks up from here dudes, I really do :)

Relief

All that fuss for one little sticker with a signature! 

Confessions from Copenhagen and stuff

Hey guys! Remember me? Marieke, 18, kinda chubby, slightly crazy, laughs too loudly? Yeah? Well, it’s your lucky day, because I’m back!

You see, on Monday I’m going on an adventure. An adventure to Ghana! My first time being outside of Europe, I am going there to find myself and hopefully God.... Ehm, no, sorry, no spiritual mumbo-jumbo nonsense from me. I’m going because it seems fun and exciting and new and scary and because I need some of that. I’m going because I CAN, because I’m spoiled and privileged and I want  to see and experience something different. I’m going because I want to prove to myself that I have guts and girl-balls. I’m going because I want new exciting foreign friends, and I want to breathe in the air in a new place, and try disgusting foods (They eat CAT) and get a wicked sunburn, and be a weird white person in a sea of black. I’m going because I’m sososo excited and I have enjoyed everything so far; the awful injections, the gigantic malaria pills, the emailing back-and-forth and the booking of the plane tickets. I’m even enjoying myself right now, right in the middle of,  of course, what else than, the trouble with the visa application.

Trouble with the visa application you say? That is so unusual and totally not-Marieke-like. You see, I am currently in a hotel room in Copenhagen (The one in Denmark) because there were some misunderstandings and mistakes and then some tears, and because I’m leaving on Monday  the only thing to do was to go to the embassy myself and fix it. So that’s what I’m gonna do tomorrow and then hopefully catch a plane back to Norway in the evening. I don’t even have a ticket back. I’m STRANDED in Denmark, walking around like a chicken without its head trying to maybe catch my plane to Ghana on Monday and actually be able to enter the country. Needless to say; I love my life. I guess I gotta learn to roll with the punches.

So that’s it, the ‘’I’m back post.’’ On Saturday you can expect the thrilling tale entitled ‘’2012; the year of Marieke’s perpetual bad luck.’’ Tune in, because you don’t wanna miss that. It’s all breaking stuff and messing stuff up and tears and feeling sorry for myself. It’s FUN.

Btw, I got lost trying to take the train to the hotel and ended up having to take a cab. YES, so far so… confused.