Easter Weekend

I can't tell you how much time I spent worshipping the lord. I went to church on Thursday and it was a three hour mass and just when I thought we were done he made us go through an hour of prayer which I spent napping on the seat in front of me pretending to pray. I was really tired and it was really intense because people were speaking in tongues and praying aloud everywhere and it was just really intense. I also went to a gospel concert where I worshipped the lord some more with song and dance. Again, there was speaking in tongues but I think with things like that you just have to take it for what it is.

I think my homestay family caught on to my attempts of avoiding gaining a ridiculous amount of weight. They feed me so much that I 'm never hungry for the next meal. They give me a dish of rice that's supposed to feed four people and tell me to eat all. I can't! But they've noticed that I haven't gained weight and I've actually lost a l ot of weight but they say that when I go home to my mother she has to know that where I came from I was given plenty of food. Which may or may not mean that I can no longer trick them and eventually will have to succomb to gaining weight. A lot of students have actually packed on a few pounds because the food is so different but that hasn't affected me at all. I finally gave up on porridge, yams and goat. I can't eat goat because they' re so adorable and no I'm not becoming a vegetarian but I would just never eat goat and you see them on the road everywhere. In the village other students put in to kill a goat but I couldn't do it. There was no way. I would probably end up crying hysterically. There was already a case in the village where I caused a bit of a raucous.

They treat dogs here really badly and it makes me really sad and I don't even understand why they have dogs if they're so cruel to them. They beat the dogs and kick them and I have a really big issue with that. Anywho, in the chief's compound, me being the person I am I ended up befriending the dog which was bad because then it got this conception that white people were nice. So the dog would harrass everyone and the other students didn't want to be bothered by the dog. So they'd kick it away which, unfortunately, was the only way to get it to leave you alone. My breaking point with the dog was when one of the boys took a stick and started whacking the dog. I was so furious that I stepped in a took the dog in my arms which I shouldn't have done because that confused the dog even more. What I really wanted to do was ta ke the stick f rom the kid and beat him with it.

I don't think I can ever eat a pig ever again. I don't know what's worse. Hearing it scream or hearing it stop. I call that fateful day the silence of the pigs.

People here are much more productive because t hings aren't processed like they are back home so you know you're eating food that is good for you. They cook EVERYTHING from scratch and the young girls are such hard workers in the families. Believe me, I tried carrying water a few times to my compound and it is no easy task. Water is so precious you don't even realize. When we wash our clothes we use the soapy water to flush the toilet. And toilets have been a really interesting experience, let me tell you.

I hope I'm not repeating anything! Transportation is a little stressful but it's so cheap to get anywhere and it's nice to be able to get to the beach so easily. I know what happens in the beach so we don't have to mention that but it 's so hot and the tide is so strong that you just hope it gets washed away. But yes people do... uh... defecate on the beach. We've seen it happen.

I've learned to not be so surprised by much. First coming here I really missed the commercialness of america and having clean reliable stores but now I really love being able to buy whatever you want in the market. I'm going to have a ton of dresses made from batik and my homestay brother is going to take me to where his aunt works so I can make some more batiks. It's amazing and beautiful and so much fun. It's also nice to be independent and go out. Some people worry but most people are really nice. Don't g et me wrong, I'm still shrewd and smart enough to tell people I know that they're trying to cheat me. They say those that are nice are god fearing and Christianity here is SO prevalent it's insane.

People also like to listen to a lot of christian country :ie: today I heard Jesus take the wheel by Carrie Underwood. Everywhere I go there's always music and when people dance I dance. It's amazing and they LOVE when you know how to dance the traditional dances and speak in twi. It's a good way to make friends.

Anywho, until next time!
Marissa.