Riding the trotro

Today, Saturday, I did some completely new and enjoyable things. The first was driving by myself all the way to Dzorwulu/Pig Farm to the SIM office where my friend Sherri lives. For those living in the Chicago area that is about as far as driving from Mundelein to Northbrook. Not excessively far but I did it by myself. Yeah! In true confession form, I was a bit nervous and sang "Blessed Assurance" out loud pretty much the whole way there. Wimpy but there it is. God keeps reminding me that he is with me and on the way home I was able to thank him that no matter what might happen he is with me.

Then Sherri and I took trotros all over parts of Accra I had not been to. I think we went on about 7 different ones. Trotros are the equivalent of buses but they look like the old hippie vans. One guy drives and the other (called "mate") hangs out the side to call out where the trotro is headed and to collect money, etc. We had to ask a few times where exactly the trotro we wanted was located but everyone was really helpful and we got around just fine. It also helps that Sherri, who has lived here 2 years, knows her way quite well and also speaks Twi well. The first stop we went to was the Kaneshie market. The best way to describe it is a complete zoo but fun nonetheless. If I had gone there in my first few weeks in the country I would have been completely overwhelmed but today I enjoyed it. There is food of all kinds laying out for sale, beauty salons, clothing and cloth to buy, housewares, jewelry, etc., etc. We bought a few little things but mainly walked around. At one point a woman tugged on my bag from behind - I think to see how securely I was holding it- and then kind of grabbed my waist and acted like she was dancing. I just held my purse tight - like I would if I was in downtown Chicago- and pushed her away. We walked up to this overpass that is for pedestrians to buy some "Ghana" socks for Sherri and we were just about finished with the purchase when I noticed that one of the guys selling the socks was folding everything up in his tarp. The lady next to him was doing the same. Strange. I said to Sherri "something is going on" and asked the guy what was the matter. He said "the police are coming". You never saw so many sellers pick up their merchandise and scatter so quickly. The police did come and made a show at chasing people but nothing really seemed to happen. Obviously they aren't supposed to be selling stuff up there but as long as they have a "lookout" for the police, they don't seem to worry about it too much. After wandering through the market for awhile we hopped on another trotro and went to an area where Sherri has some friends who run a chicken and rice stand. Chicken and fried rice is a staple meal here and these guys made it wonderfully. Nana, Misty, Abu and Daddy Nice were the nicknames of the guys doing the cooking. They really are thrilled when Sherri stops by and gave us the royal treatment including a plate of chicken and rice at no charge. it was sweet! After visiting there for awhile, we took 3 more trotros to a different part of Dzorwulu and said hello to some more of Sherri's friends. And finally took one last trotro back to the SIM office. The travel costs for the day (7 trotros and quite a bit of distance around town) was approximately $1.50. Incredible. So much cheaper than a taxi would have been and much less of a headache than trying to drive. Taking trotros is the main way that most Ghanaians get from place to place b/c it is so cheap. But it does take along time as there are many stops and a person may have to change trotros several times before reaching their destination. Of course, we received many stares and I heard the word "obroni" too many times to count but it is relatively unusual to see a white person taking a trotro so these reactions are understandable. I was very thankful that Sherri called and invited me to go "ride the trotro" with her. It was a new experience and has introduced me to a different aspect of life in Ghana. And driving back and forth was a good experience also. God is good and I am grateful for the "little" victories that he has given me lately that balance out the times when I feel grossly uncomfortable and tired of being a stranger here. Tomorrow I plan to drive Mariah and Jules to church. I am grateful to the Lord for surrounding me with many friends here and for the support that we can give to each other. It is a real blessing.