Traffic Time

I realize it's been a long time since I wrote a post, and partly that's because I haven't gone anywhere exciting lately. This weekend we went out to a really nice beach outside of Accra about 25 km, but other than that I've been hanging out around campus for the most part. And since that is getting to be pretty normal for me, it's hard to know what to talk about. Luckily, I realize it's not normal for anyone at home, so maybe I can talk about some of the stuff that's just rather ordinary and you'll find it interesting!

I thought I might talk about the traffic a bit, seeing as yesterday I experienced quite a bit of it, so it seems particularly relevant. The traffic in Accra is probably the worst traffic I've ever seen. It gets so bad that a trip from Kumasi, for example, several hundred kms away, can take about 3 hours to get to Accra, and then another 2 in Accra to get across town about 20 km. Yesterday, it took me three hours to get back to campus from volunteering in Teshie, a suburb. THREE HOURS. I was a little late getting started back, and evidently I just normally miss the traffic. Not yesterday, friends. My first tro-tro, from Teshie to 37 Station (middle-ish in Accra) took an abnormally long time, because for some reason, the driver turned off the main road to go way out of the way to seemingly avoid traffic. Unfortunately, when he meandered back to the main road, we were stopped at an intersection for a solid 15 minutes before the police officer directing traffic allowed us through. Then we were in bumper to bumper back to 37 Station.
From 37 Station, I walked out to the road to catch a tro-tro back to Legon. When I got to the bus stop, though, there were already about 50 people milling around waiting on tro-tros themselves. The interesting thing about this, is that when there are that many people at a stop, the tro tro mates don't bother calling out their destination. I'm not sure why this is, but they're very secretive about it. Maybe so they don't get bombarded with people. As an American who's not really sure what she's doing anyway, I have no idea which tro-tro I need to get in. So after waiting there for probably 30-45 minutes, not catching tro-tros effectively, I hear someone quietly say the next one is for Madina Market. Madina is a town just past Legon, so when you hear Madina, you can usually bet that one is safe. I shoved my way on the tro-tro, getting elbowed in the chest, shoved from behind, but I got a seat! I was very proud of myself. We drive on (as much as you can in stand-still traffic), and as I'm starting to relax, the mate asks for my money. I tell him I'm going to Legon and he looks at me and says "We not pass there." Confused, I asked "You're not going to Legon? But you're going to Madina." "Different way. Not pass Legon." Are. You. Serious. I got on the wrong tro-tro? REALLY? Luckily, there was another girl in the same situation (a Ghanaian, mind you. It's not just because I'm white..), and so she asked them to drop us off before they turned off the main road.
Back on the road, at another bus stop, I stand and wait for another 20 minutes or so as I watch the sun going down, reminding myself that I indeed left Teshie around 3... and that the sun sets around 6... A few tro-tros went by without me successfully getting on, but then a bus pulled up. A kind man told me that it would indeed go past Legon and the fare would be 20 pesawas. I shoved my way onto the bus (standing room only, of course) and grabbed onto the bar with all the strength I had. About 15 minutes later, after being a breast-rest for the woman standing next to me (she laid her boobs on my arm that whole trip), I climbed off the bus and walked the 25 minute walk back to the hostel. Ridiculous.
One somewhat entertaining thing about traffic in Accra are the hawkers in the streets. Every time there is traffic or a stoplight, lots of people take to the streets, weaving in and out of vehicles, trying to sell everything under the sun. We often play the "Who spots the most ridiculous thing being sold" Game. There are the normal things, "pure water" (500 ml bags of purified water that you bite the corner off to drink), plantain chips, mints, gum, and Chilly Yogurt (bottles of what I think is a yogurt drink, though I have yet to try it...). But then there are other things... like super glue. Puzzles. Ghanaian flags. Grapes. Dress shirts with ties. Huge over-the-mantle paintings of horses running at dusk. Enormous wall clocks. Who needs a mall? Just get stuck in traffic for a couple hours, and you're set.