So almost two weeks ago, I was doing my thang roughing it out flitting around Ghana when from Tamale back to Kpassa (a grueling, wretched 10+ hours journey in vehicles that run on prayers and desperation) I came around a stretch of newly TARRED ROAD in the sleepy town of Bimbilla. You could not imagine my surprise. Granted, tarred roads shouldn’t be a big deal but you must realize these few kilometers of tar, which starts and ends within the little town, is the ONLY bit of tar on this major road that runs through almost 1/3 of the country unpaved . A third of the country! A few kilometers in the middle of dusty Bimbilla! Amazing! If Kpassa is paved before I leave, I am taking credit for it. Development works!
But did I ever mention how utterly dangerous the roads are here? The number one cause of death for PCVs is car accidents. In fact just yesterday I witnessed a little boy, maybe 8 years of age, mowed over by a speedy motorbike in town (he is fine), which makes me think of the implications of a paved Kpassa. The rule of the road is move out of the way, or die. Already, they have grated the dirt road so it’s level now and the motos are going nuts all over it. There are a lot of motos. And a lot of naked little children, some what we would call toddlers, crossing the road haphazardly running errands with things on their heads. Which leads me to...
You know you are a PCV in Africa when:
#14: you have developed a sixth sense for fast-moving objects.
Be it moto, bicycle, or cow.
Today, I held a baby bunny. All in a day’s work. Actually, we were visiting someone who was rearing rabbits. I am sponsoring rabbit-rearing with a student in town. If we are successful, I hope we can turn this into a larger-scale project. Also, finally started a Environment Club last week! There’s a ton of stuff we can do but we are limited due to lack of funds and problems in scheduling. Who knew?
And so, what is real? You have no idea how it eats me up inside.
Born This Way – Lady Gaga
