Stormy beaches and electric bars

So, the first few days of my African adventure have already come and gone! There have been a few moments of stress (most notably when I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find long-term accommodations), but overall the transition has been pretty smooth.

I'm staying at the international student hostel at the University of Ghana (slightly outside of Accra proper). I'm aware that I'm in somewhat of a bubble, but it is easy enough to get into town (via the ubiquitous "tro-tros" - those are a whole post unto themselves). I've been doing my best to see as much as possible. Accra is a vibrant and friendly city, but it is impossible to avoid the rampant poverty. Although I'm regularly confronted with it, I'm reflexively (perhaps necessarily?) distancing myself emotionally. I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I think it would be massively overwhelming to digest the human suffering in any other way (again, this is probably a post unto itself). I'm also stunned by the amount of Asian influence on the city's development. A lot of the major contracts are handed to Japanese and Korean developers, and I've heard a lot of Ghanians call at me with "Nee-How!" or some other Asian language.

Today, I took an out-of-town excursion with fellow CEPIL/CLA intern Annette and a Ghanian CEPIL employee named Sule. We went to a small oceanfront town named Fete. As soon as we got there, it started raining (HARD). We weathered the storm, and (once the rain subsided) had a very relaxing day on the beach. Due to my rock-esque swimming technique, I mostly sat and read science fiction (yeah, I'm a huge dork - gorgeous beach, and my nose is in a book). The rain must have also short-circuited something, because when we went to have lunch at the oceanside bar we were treated with an electric surprise. Direct contact with the bar produced a small jolt (of course, when I was told this, I immediately touched the bar). Even hovering your hand a few centimeters above the bar produced a tingling sensation.

I (and I suspect others) have difficulty coming to terms with the word "ocean". To me, it's similar to the word "space". I have an intellectual appreciation for the term, but also a perceptual gap that prohibits me from obtaining a true visceral understanding. To my senses, the ocean is a.) salty, b.) something that I fly over from time to time, and c.) the 2 km or so of water that extends past a beach. The concept is too vast for me to fully wrap my mind around it (or perhaps my experiences are just too limited).

(Paragraphs 2 and 4 are also probably related in some way.)