mate my balance!!!
11/10/2006
Well what can I say…I have been pretty busy here just living life. It has been good to have Lela here. We are very different from each other. Many people ask if we are twins or sisters… even when we both had our hair locked the same thing occurred. Strange…at any rate life has been good for the most part…I realized that I didn’t really update on the young boy who was ill here at the house…he is and has been doing a whole lot better! He is laughing, lovin, livin, learnin, and growin. Wonderfully refreshing to see and experience. My teacher got ill with malaria and typhoid….he had to go to the hospital and get a shot and take a powerful combination of about 7-10 pills…..we had a performance yesterday for a lady who is releasing a book. Her name is Carola Lentz and she is a German woman who wrote a book entitled “Ethnicity and the Making of History in Northern Ghana” The performance was in East Cantonments at a place called the Goethe – Institut next to NAFTI (national film and television institute) There were ambassadors from different countries and even the vice – president of Ghana was there. We danced Bawa, Bamaya, and Kpalongo. I did not do Bawa…it is a very complex dance and if you don’t do it correctly you look like you are doing a bad version of the M.C. Hammer and Kid and Play together or something weird like that..at any rate I did not want to embarrass myself or the group so I just refrained from doing that piece. Before we danced we stayed at the front gate of the property and ushered the people in with dancing, singing, playing the xylophone, and gonji….it was so weird because I had the opportunity to have an inside look at how the mechanics within a group (in africa) are while being a part of it…usually I’m just watching performers (like when I was here last summer) and trying to figure out how they feel, what they are thinking, and what they do before and after a performance. I’m always trying to figure out that far away look in their eyes. Well last night I was a part of it all and had a wonderful experience. Adom was bouncing around playing his game boy, dancing, and making things with paper. At any rate as the people came in we would dance with them as they walked to their seat. Some would dance with us…these were very few. Others I could tell felt very uncomfortable and this did not stop us…..ok maybe it stopped me, lela, and a couple of the other female dancers as we laughed till our backs hurt at the way some people tried to walk as fast as they could to their seats…… we had fun….. I could tell that some were not really accustomed to being in an environment where dance is not something that you just sit back and watch…..watch in a safe way where you are not connected to the dancers and not expected to do anything other than just watch- the whole separation of audience and performer … which keeps it safe for both the watchers and movers. I must admit that even I was thrown back when I walked into the environment before the show started and I saw the space that we would be performing in…I have been here roughly 2 months and this was my first time performing in an setting like what I am accustomed to in the U.S. (formal stage and audience areas) and a little tinge of fear passed through me but why? Something about the dance not just being the dance but it being “a show” …
When we ushered the vice – president of Ghana in I must admit I almost cried and this reaction was totally unexpected but I felt honored to be able to usher him in. The dancing went well and afterwards we pulled people out of the crowd to dance with us…and when we finished my teacher Sulley announced to everyone that Lela and I were from the U.S. I was amazed that Sulley who IS STILL recovering from malaria and typhoid was dancing and in HIGH spirits and I thought to myself wow I am really seeing what it is to be on the inside of a group and experience and know what is going on within the group….initially Sulley said that he would not dance with us but before I knew it he was in costume and had more energy than ANY1 else…he said the dance would help him. Next week we will travel to the north to a place called WA and take part in a festival called the NAFAC. I am trying to see if I will be able to see some dances in the villages there for my research…surprisingly money goes here…and I have not been living extravagantly. Adom has begun speaking a little twi and he seems to be enjoying it.
For the most part I have been very calm here and nice to every1 but as we all know every1 has limits and a tro tro mate pushed passed my limits the other day and I, as calm as I am, got into it with a tro tro mate. He was really tryin to cheat me for my money. Here’s how it went down. Me, Lela, and Adom got on the tro tro and lela gave the mate some money (5,000) then some kind of way she got her money back from him and gave it to me and said that he took it all from my 20,000… it cost 3,000 per person and I didn’t want Adom to sit in my lap so I paid for his seat…. So the mate gives me less change than I should have gotten while he still charged me for all 3 of us…. Then I looked at him and then looked at the money and said this is my change? Around this time we stop and 1 woman wants to get on so he is tryin to make me put adom in my lap and I said no because I paid for his seat …then he takes another 5,000 out of my hand which I am thinking so he can make proper change and then he gives me 1,000 after taking 5,000 – even if I didn’t pay for adom when we first got on WHICH I DID!!! His seat would not cost 4,000 cedis…I know because I take my son to school everyday that the fare is 3,000 for where I am going. So I look at him like ??????? So he took the 1,000 bill and gave me 2 coins that were 500 each……ok so now I am officially pissed and I am saying no no no this is the wrong change…..the women behind me are telling me no don’t worry about it you are winning just leave it…..and I am like NO THIS IS NOT RIGHT the man who cut my hair the first time was sitting right behind me looking kind of confused and there was this other man sitting next to me who ended up translating to the mate…so I am calculating everything out loud to myself, lela, the man next to me and the mate…by this time adom is just quiet and playing with his papertoy while listening……THE WHOLE TRO TRO WAS LISTENING and for some reason I didn’t even care I was just so upset….all in all he owed me 3,000 cedis … what angered me the most was how he tried to play the whole thing because lets just face it 3,000 cedis is like 35 to 40 cents but he just blatantly kept my change then tried to charge me again for the same seat and then wanted to charge another lady for the seat that I paid for twice before he gave me my money back…..so anyway the man sitting next to me kept telling me to calm down and he explained to the mate and eventually he gave me my change…. When there are arguments or disagreements here it is very normal for other people to try and calm the situation down, at any rate when I got off that tro tro I politely said thank you to the mate and walked away….then later that day I saw him again and even a couple of days later I saw him again…both times he was passing on the tro tro, both times we just looked at each other and smiled even laughed …but I don’t think I want to ride on that tro tro again.
The other day Mandie (the cat) caught a mouse and killed it and ate it….she is such a trip…always catching lizards or crickets or something….she has so much personality. When I first got here I wasn’t too excited about her because she would always come in my room and sharpen her claws on my suitcases. But one morning as soon as I opened the door she shot in the room and when I finally caught her and put her out I thought the whole thing was over with and I started walking to the washroom and then she basically hit my leg with both arms…like saying “why did you put me out” I stopped and said “MANDIE” then she jumped backed a ran off…..everytime I get here with food I always give her a bone. I don’t think I mentioned before but adom and I have pets…two birds, I forget what kind but they are small and beautiful…..i paid 30,000 cedis for the cage the birds and some food…… about $3. Adom named them fighter and lil player I think….but anyway I say that to say that Mandie is always tryin to come in my room to get the birds…when I leave and while I am locking the door she is standing on the top of the chair next to me and reaching out trying to hit my hand and stop me from locking the door. If I am in the room she will come to the room and reach her hand under the door. There are 4 dogs here also and the mother dog will follow me whenever she sees me in town. Usually she tries to sneak and follow but today as I was going to get adom she was right behind me….i had to make her stop when I got to the main street so she wouldn’t get hit by a car…the animals here have definitely rekindled my love for animals that I had when I was a young girl. For some reason after I had Adom I began to hate animals (as pets at least) in some weird way I think I felt like I need to protect Adom against them ….but now I think I am over it…if I could, I would take Mandie back with me…she is a gem
Time is beginning to pass quickly…I am beginning to hear Christmas songs and I have even seen Christmas trees at Max Mart in Osu…I have begun working with my dancers at Adom’s school on their Christmas dance…I hope they will be able to do it since I will be in the north for about 2 weeks
i am still trying to see the bigger picture of why I am here…because I know there is one….a part of me doesn’t want to rush it though…that’s when you make mistakes…I actually have a couple of long terms business ideas that I am passionate about but the major problem is money and HONEY I AM DREAMIN BIG ;-) so we shall see! I mean really I’m here right?
Talk later
Laughin, lovin, livin, learnin
angel
Well what can I say…I have been pretty busy here just living life. It has been good to have Lela here. We are very different from each other. Many people ask if we are twins or sisters… even when we both had our hair locked the same thing occurred. Strange…at any rate life has been good for the most part…I realized that I didn’t really update on the young boy who was ill here at the house…he is and has been doing a whole lot better! He is laughing, lovin, livin, learnin, and growin. Wonderfully refreshing to see and experience. My teacher got ill with malaria and typhoid….he had to go to the hospital and get a shot and take a powerful combination of about 7-10 pills…..we had a performance yesterday for a lady who is releasing a book. Her name is Carola Lentz and she is a German woman who wrote a book entitled “Ethnicity and the Making of History in Northern Ghana” The performance was in East Cantonments at a place called the Goethe – Institut next to NAFTI (national film and television institute) There were ambassadors from different countries and even the vice – president of Ghana was there. We danced Bawa, Bamaya, and Kpalongo. I did not do Bawa…it is a very complex dance and if you don’t do it correctly you look like you are doing a bad version of the M.C. Hammer and Kid and Play together or something weird like that..at any rate I did not want to embarrass myself or the group so I just refrained from doing that piece. Before we danced we stayed at the front gate of the property and ushered the people in with dancing, singing, playing the xylophone, and gonji….it was so weird because I had the opportunity to have an inside look at how the mechanics within a group (in africa) are while being a part of it…usually I’m just watching performers (like when I was here last summer) and trying to figure out how they feel, what they are thinking, and what they do before and after a performance. I’m always trying to figure out that far away look in their eyes. Well last night I was a part of it all and had a wonderful experience. Adom was bouncing around playing his game boy, dancing, and making things with paper. At any rate as the people came in we would dance with them as they walked to their seat. Some would dance with us…these were very few. Others I could tell felt very uncomfortable and this did not stop us…..ok maybe it stopped me, lela, and a couple of the other female dancers as we laughed till our backs hurt at the way some people tried to walk as fast as they could to their seats…… we had fun….. I could tell that some were not really accustomed to being in an environment where dance is not something that you just sit back and watch…..watch in a safe way where you are not connected to the dancers and not expected to do anything other than just watch- the whole separation of audience and performer … which keeps it safe for both the watchers and movers. I must admit that even I was thrown back when I walked into the environment before the show started and I saw the space that we would be performing in…I have been here roughly 2 months and this was my first time performing in an setting like what I am accustomed to in the U.S. (formal stage and audience areas) and a little tinge of fear passed through me but why? Something about the dance not just being the dance but it being “a show” …
When we ushered the vice – president of Ghana in I must admit I almost cried and this reaction was totally unexpected but I felt honored to be able to usher him in. The dancing went well and afterwards we pulled people out of the crowd to dance with us…and when we finished my teacher Sulley announced to everyone that Lela and I were from the U.S. I was amazed that Sulley who IS STILL recovering from malaria and typhoid was dancing and in HIGH spirits and I thought to myself wow I am really seeing what it is to be on the inside of a group and experience and know what is going on within the group….initially Sulley said that he would not dance with us but before I knew it he was in costume and had more energy than ANY1 else…he said the dance would help him. Next week we will travel to the north to a place called WA and take part in a festival called the NAFAC. I am trying to see if I will be able to see some dances in the villages there for my research…surprisingly money goes here…and I have not been living extravagantly. Adom has begun speaking a little twi and he seems to be enjoying it.
For the most part I have been very calm here and nice to every1 but as we all know every1 has limits and a tro tro mate pushed passed my limits the other day and I, as calm as I am, got into it with a tro tro mate. He was really tryin to cheat me for my money. Here’s how it went down. Me, Lela, and Adom got on the tro tro and lela gave the mate some money (5,000) then some kind of way she got her money back from him and gave it to me and said that he took it all from my 20,000… it cost 3,000 per person and I didn’t want Adom to sit in my lap so I paid for his seat…. So the mate gives me less change than I should have gotten while he still charged me for all 3 of us…. Then I looked at him and then looked at the money and said this is my change? Around this time we stop and 1 woman wants to get on so he is tryin to make me put adom in my lap and I said no because I paid for his seat …then he takes another 5,000 out of my hand which I am thinking so he can make proper change and then he gives me 1,000 after taking 5,000 – even if I didn’t pay for adom when we first got on WHICH I DID!!! His seat would not cost 4,000 cedis…I know because I take my son to school everyday that the fare is 3,000 for where I am going. So I look at him like ??????? So he took the 1,000 bill and gave me 2 coins that were 500 each……ok so now I am officially pissed and I am saying no no no this is the wrong change…..the women behind me are telling me no don’t worry about it you are winning just leave it…..and I am like NO THIS IS NOT RIGHT the man who cut my hair the first time was sitting right behind me looking kind of confused and there was this other man sitting next to me who ended up translating to the mate…so I am calculating everything out loud to myself, lela, the man next to me and the mate…by this time adom is just quiet and playing with his papertoy while listening……THE WHOLE TRO TRO WAS LISTENING and for some reason I didn’t even care I was just so upset….all in all he owed me 3,000 cedis … what angered me the most was how he tried to play the whole thing because lets just face it 3,000 cedis is like 35 to 40 cents but he just blatantly kept my change then tried to charge me again for the same seat and then wanted to charge another lady for the seat that I paid for twice before he gave me my money back…..so anyway the man sitting next to me kept telling me to calm down and he explained to the mate and eventually he gave me my change…. When there are arguments or disagreements here it is very normal for other people to try and calm the situation down, at any rate when I got off that tro tro I politely said thank you to the mate and walked away….then later that day I saw him again and even a couple of days later I saw him again…both times he was passing on the tro tro, both times we just looked at each other and smiled even laughed …but I don’t think I want to ride on that tro tro again.
The other day Mandie (the cat) caught a mouse and killed it and ate it….she is such a trip…always catching lizards or crickets or something….she has so much personality. When I first got here I wasn’t too excited about her because she would always come in my room and sharpen her claws on my suitcases. But one morning as soon as I opened the door she shot in the room and when I finally caught her and put her out I thought the whole thing was over with and I started walking to the washroom and then she basically hit my leg with both arms…like saying “why did you put me out” I stopped and said “MANDIE” then she jumped backed a ran off…..everytime I get here with food I always give her a bone. I don’t think I mentioned before but adom and I have pets…two birds, I forget what kind but they are small and beautiful…..i paid 30,000 cedis for the cage the birds and some food…… about $3. Adom named them fighter and lil player I think….but anyway I say that to say that Mandie is always tryin to come in my room to get the birds…when I leave and while I am locking the door she is standing on the top of the chair next to me and reaching out trying to hit my hand and stop me from locking the door. If I am in the room she will come to the room and reach her hand under the door. There are 4 dogs here also and the mother dog will follow me whenever she sees me in town. Usually she tries to sneak and follow but today as I was going to get adom she was right behind me….i had to make her stop when I got to the main street so she wouldn’t get hit by a car…the animals here have definitely rekindled my love for animals that I had when I was a young girl. For some reason after I had Adom I began to hate animals (as pets at least) in some weird way I think I felt like I need to protect Adom against them ….but now I think I am over it…if I could, I would take Mandie back with me…she is a gem
Time is beginning to pass quickly…I am beginning to hear Christmas songs and I have even seen Christmas trees at Max Mart in Osu…I have begun working with my dancers at Adom’s school on their Christmas dance…I hope they will be able to do it since I will be in the north for about 2 weeks
i am still trying to see the bigger picture of why I am here…because I know there is one….a part of me doesn’t want to rush it though…that’s when you make mistakes…I actually have a couple of long terms business ideas that I am passionate about but the major problem is money and HONEY I AM DREAMIN BIG ;-) so we shall see! I mean really I’m here right?
Talk later
Laughin, lovin, livin, learnin
angel
posted by shani-in-ghana at 5:27 PM
1 Comments:
What a delight you are!! I just love hearing that you got mad for some reason. Action. Life as a verb. And you have been embracing verb with this whole journey Girl! The big picture will fall into place at whatever time is the right time. Living in the actual picture is what you are doing, totally present and engaged. I came in this morning to find all of my dancers had hung their costumes neatly after tech and it just made my day. And now your words have added laughter. This is a fine Monday morning!
All my love Angel and plenty of hugs.
-currie
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