Shopping is Stressful...

Yesterday several of us braved the outdoor market in central Accra known as Makola... and it was pretty intense. Although it is only a 15 minute tro tro ride away, the walk from Tema station to where the market actually starts is crowded with hundreds of people selling stuff (a market surrounding a market...). When we finally found our way to what looked like the actual market we took a good 15 minute detour around the edge that forced us to walk in the fish section. Because it gets so hot here all the fish are salted and dried so they look very creepy (and I hate to be rude but they also look pretty nasty). There were also a lot of dried snails the size of my hand, and one of the girls I was with swears she saw bats, which are considered a delicacy here.

Our reason for going to the market was to buy fabric, and when we finally made it to the fabric section we were a bit overwhelmed. Since all the stalls are so close together and everyone is selling the same thing the vendors can be a bit... pushy. Several women grabbed us and forced us into their stall and if you say that you like a certain fabric or reach out to unfold it they will take it down and start cutting it for you. Bargaining is also something I find very difficult and thus I try to avoid it whenever I can. But it is part of the culture so I have to learn to be more stubborn. We have to bargain for a lot of stuff here, especially taxi rides because the drivers will usually try to charge us double. I always feel bad paying anything less than 2 cedi though, because I take the subway in New York shorter distances for 2 dollars.

But bargaining woes aside, I did manage to get 2 really nice fabrics (I bought 6 yards with another girl so that we could get a better price). There are two women here that sew, all you have to do is give them a picture or an idea of what you want and it will usually only cost 5 cedi. So far I have had two skirts made, and including fabric and labor they only cost about 12 cedi! So see dad I will save you lots of money!

Today was my first day at my community service location. I am going to be working as an aide at a school for students with autism. We had a tour and got to meet some of the students and I think it will be a lot of fun. The school is called New Horizons and they train the students in basket weaving and fabric printing so that they can sell their products and make a profit. We walked into the store where they have all the cloth and art projects and they were absolutely amazing! And all the students and teachers were extremely nice, they had several American teachers (one guy was from Seattle) and they said they were used to having NYU kids come and really participate in helping the students.

I always feel as if I write too much... so I will try and stop here. Tonight we are having a social mixer with students from Ashesi University and the University of Ghana, Legon. I'm excited for the free snacks ad music. Then I think people are heading to another beach for the weekend, which sounds like a lot of fun! Hopefully one of these weekends I will be able to go to Togo or Cote d'Ivoire!