Bruni back Home

I am now back in Canada and Cowtown (Calgary). It has been quite the adventurous 7 months. I was able to complete my project and take in 9 out of the 10 regions in Ghana. Met some wonderful people along the way too. All this with two or three bouts of malaria. Oh yes, I am all better, so no worries. So, here is a summary of the rest of my adventures along with my first impressions of coming home.

A Ghanaian Christmas

It was interesting spending Christmas in a country where you see very little in terms of Christmas decorations, Santa Clause, or nativity scenes. However, crowded markets made up for the lack of packed shopping malls.

Sam the engineer at the office invited Lia and myself to spend Christmas with his family in Kpandu, in the Volta Region. Well, at least December 22-24 because it is supposedly much “cooler” to be in Accra on Christmas Day.

Lia and I had spoken through text about what to get his family. She first suggested a goat. Yes, an odd suggestion but it is Ghana. “Umm”, I say “but I am not sure if Sam’s family raises goats”. Lia responds “no silly, to eat. Everyone is doing it and they are only about $30”. We decide to look in to buying a goat when we arrived in Kpandu.

On December 22, I go to Sam’s house in Konongo with my bag. I noticed that someone has tied a goat to Sam’s car. I did not think much of it at the time. As I am waiting to leave, Sam and his friends first loaded the bags into the trunk, then a bushel of plantain, and then…the goat?! Sam must have stolen our idea! So, off we go to pick up Lia and Sam’s sister in Koforidua with a baying goat in the trunk of the car.

We arrived in Kpandu and we meet Sam’s mother and father who are very welcoming. We unload the goat and find he has eaten a lot of the plantain. No wonder it became quiet after a while. Sam’s mother had arranged for us to stay at a friend’s place which was very nice and comfortable.

On December 23, Sam’s mother decides she wants to go to the nearby port town of Kpandu-Torkor to buy a few things. Sam, Lia, and I accompany her there. The town has a large market and a ferry that takes people across the Volta River. Because of the lack of asphalt, the place reminds me of a makeshift concert venue in a farmer’s field. Also, there is a market with a barb wire fence around it. Reminded me of a concentration camp. After a tour of the waterfront we discover that one of the fishermen have caught a huge fish that is about 3 feet long. He plans to sell it to an Accra restaurant for about $100.

As we were walking back to the car, we see in the distance a man pulling a cow by its tail towards a waiting taxi which is a station wagon. Sam tells us that they are trying to put the cow in the taxi (?!) and it is being very stubborn. I would be too. As we approach the scene, the men have now tied the feet of the live cow and are hauling it towards the taxi. With the seats down they somehow get the animal in the back. I guess hauling livestock is another use of a taxi.

Sam’s girlfriend, mother, and sister had been working hard to prepare us dinner. We ended up having banku with, (you guessed it) goat and snail (which we had picked up along the road to Kpandu). It was an odd combination of flavours to the say the least. Goat has a very unique taste that is difficult to describe, where snail has an earthy flavour. Overall, it was surprisingly quite nice.

It was hard to find Christmassy moments but one was when Lia and I gave Sam’s family the gifts we purchased for them. Gifts including soap, a photo album, key chains, and Christmas ornaments. Lia and Sam’s mom took a nice moment to hang the ornaments on a small fake Christmas tree. In return, Lia and I were both given traditional Kente cloth.

The following day we went to a pottery factory where we bought some items. Then it was off to Accra. We dropped Lia off and then went to visit Sam’s friends.

Christmas Day was spent on the beach with Sam, his girlfriend, friend, and her two nieces. Seeing that the nieces were bored I showed them how to build sand castles. Ghanaians kept on coming up to us and asking what I was doing. After we left, the Ghanaians decided the castles would make good goal posts for soccer. The rest of the time was spent at Sam’s friends place eating and watching TV. A very different type of Christmas I must say.

Baobeng-Fiena Monkey Sanctuary

For New Years, Lia and I decided to head to see monkeys. We travelled with her friend Andrea who travelled from Morocco to visit her. The sanctuary is known as an eco-tourism site and situated between the two villages of Baobeng-Fiena. The villagers consider the monkeys sacred and in turn do not kill them. They are considered so sacred that they bury the animals when they die in a monkey cemetery which we saw. The locals provide tours and a portion of the money you pay goes towards the villages.

We saw two types of monkeys. The mona monkeys are very friendly and come down from the tree tops to eat at the garbage dump. They come up really close and you get some great pictures including one with a baby. The Colobus monkey spends most of the time in the upper canopy of the trees. We saw them jump incredible distances from one tree to another.

The guest house we stayed at was quaint and friendly. They even had solar panels to provide some electricity. Unfortunately, we did not have the energy to stay up till midnight to celebrate the New Year. Instead we celebrated at 11 where we were sure that some country was also celebrating. Maybe Egypt?

Hippos in Bui National Park

The following day we set off to see hippos. We reached our destination in the most packed tro tros I have ever been on. We needed to reach a certain village and there was only one tro tro a day to get there. The tro had 22 seats and in the end there were 40 people inside. That was not including the people on the roof. As we approached a police checkpoint, the people on the roof would jump off. They would then jump on again after running past the checkpoint. I have never felt so crammed. It was also the worst road I have every travelled on in Ghana. Talk about happy to get off when we reached our destination.

The village was the most isolated I have been to in Ghana. There was no electricity, no shops, and no where to buy food. Fortunately, the local ranger found someone to make some food for us.

We arrived too late to go see the hippos. So, we hung out with some other visitors and a park ranger took us to a drinking spot about a 30 minute walk away (the next day we found a drinking spot in the village itself, thanks for nothing Mr. Ranger). After we got back to the other village we went to a local dance. The kids were surprised to see us brunis dancing with them.

The following day the ranger took us to the river where we would get canoes to see the hippos. It was a 1 hour walk and through 2 other villages. Upon reaching the river, the three of us were given each our own canoe and two paddlers. So, all we had to do was sit and take in the scenery.

We went up river and eventually we saw a group of hippos on the shore. This was a big moment because usually you only see these animals in the water with their ears and eyes just above the surface. Sadly, they all moved into the river after noticing us. We had to keep our distance though because hippos are probably the most dangerous animal in Ghana; very territorial. After spending some time there and seeing a bunch of eyes and ears sticking out of the water, we head back down stream. I guess the paddlers usually are fisherman if they are not taking tourists around. They hoped more tourists would come but I told them it is a difficult place to get to with the crappy road and one tro tro a day.

We heard later from the villagers and in the newspapers that the government is thinking of damming the river to produce electricity. Some of the villages will have to be moved as a result and the people compensated. The Chinese government is designing the dam and are paying for 2/3 of the project. The future of the hippos was not mentioned.

Handing in the Plan

Finally, after collecting data and writing page after page, I finished a final draft of the Development Plan. It ended up being 200 pages long. It was just in time because the Ashanti Regional Government was demanding we hand it in to them or else we would have to go all the way to Accra to do so. Victor and I travelled to Kumasi on January 18, 2007 and gave the Plan to his Regional boss. Only 13 of the 22 districts in the Region handed their plan in on time. It was a relief to see it finished as I was very tired of working on it.

The last 1.5 months I spent doing a number of things. It included writing a set of implementation tools for the Plan, a presentation on planning in Canada, and a proposal for undertaking a tourism development plan.

Lake Bosumtwi

I had been to Lake Bosumtwi before but only for a few minutes. So, my friend Kate from Canada and I decided go there. When we arrived a man calling himself a chief was asking for donations to plant trees around the lake. We were considering giving him something. Fortunately, we had the Bradt Guide which said:

“Still, you can safely ignore any ‘caretaker’ who demands a donation before allowing you to walk to the lakeshore, as well the persistent old fellow who evidently makes a living from persuading gullible tourists that the chief of Abono has nothing better to do with himself than wander around telling gullible tourists that he’s the chief of Abono”.

We safely ignored him. Thank goodness for the Bradt Guide. As we left the “chief’s” friend yelled out, “that guide is old!”

It was a really eerie place. To the left of the dock we saw the local villages washing their clothes, fishing, and their children playing in the water. To the right were a number of beach resorts for which middle class Ghanaians and tourists frequented for a dip in the lake. Talk about two different worlds. After walking to the right, we were getting tired of the harassment. To our luck, we happened upon a real canoe (real as in fibreglass) for which a resort was renting. We took the canoe out in the middle of the lake and went for a dip. It was also easy to take pictures without someone getting too upset.

Ghanaian Church

Some of you have been asking if I had gone to church in Ghana. Well, I did go twice to two different Ghanaian churches. I was first invited by my friend Bassi to his church which was called “Spoken Word”. It was in this little wooden building with wooden benches. I think Bassi’s family of five kids made up half the church. The preacher was away so Bassi used a bible study to do a sermon in both Twi and English. The service lasted 2 hours (which seems to be the minimum in Ghana). Overall, things seemed pretty normal other than when everyone prays out load, about the same subject, but in each their own words. Sounds kind of like speaking in tongues or something.

The second church I went to was with Joe and Sam. They were invited by the pastor’s daughter to attend the New Life Pentecost church. It had a bigger congregation and a bigger church then the last I went to. As people sang and played instruments some of the members would go up and dance which was neat. The odd part was when the congregation was asked to match donations that others had brought forward. Also, it was hard to follow since most of it was in Twi.

I should mention that my Sunday evenings in Konongo were punctuated by the wail and noise from the people using the local school as a church. They would go on and on with their drums and chatting until 3 am! The first time I heard it, which was my first night in Konongo, I thought they were some kind of cult worshippers chatting in preparation of sacrificing the bruni (me) to their god.

Bruni Church

While staying in Kumasi, Kate would invite me to “bruni church”. It was started by a group of foreigners who decided that Ghanaian churches were not for them. Church would be held at this South African family’s beautiful home. Attendance included people from Canada, South Africa, Holland, and the US. There would be singing and we usually watched a Christian video and discussed it later. It was really nice and we would go for lunch to Sir Max afterwards. The restaurant served up a half chicken dinner for a big $3. Sooo, yummy.

One day after church we went swimming at one of the member’s homes. He was working for a cocoa company and they set him up in this old colonial house. It was so beautiful with palm trees, old architecture, large grounds, and a pool. It did not feel like you were in Ghana.

Kyiriyawa Waterfalls

The District Assembly had identified a handful of potential tourist sites in the District. Kyiriyawa Waterfalls was one of them. After finishing the Development Plan, I proposed that I write a physical plan for developing the site. Everyone was happy with the proposal, however when the $200 price tag came up for the drawing of maps by a drafter and the need for an ink cartridge, it was poo pooed by the Finance Officer. “There is no money” he would say in his deep voice.

So, after taking the disappointment, I decided I should at least visit the falls. Joe and Sam knew where they were and we went there together. It was a short walk through a town and then along a trail. A creek ran through a meadow (that is what it looked like) and then it dropped off a cliff at one point. We walked down to the cliff and decided to take photos and get a shower under the falling water. It was really fantastic. Also, it was nice to go somewhere not mentioned in the Bradt Guide.

Shai Hills and the Baboons

Kate and I decided to meet up with her friend Corrine in Korforidua one weekend. Corrine’s boss allowed her and two Ghanaians friends to drive us to Shai Hills to see baboons. The Shai hills are located near Accra and in an area that could be considered savannah. Before reaching the place, we thought we would stop by a disused tourist site. The site was at the base of a large rocky hill where women who reached puberty would be expected to climb as part of their puberty rights ritual. Not much really to see though.

At the Shai Hills we went with a guide to visit the baboons. One group of them was really friendly and lived near the entrance gates. We got a few pictures of the animals taking food from Corrine’s hand. We then went on to drive through the park to more baboons. These ones kept more of a distance from us. Finally, there was the bat cave where in the past, local chiefs had hid from their enemies including the British.

On the way back we passed through a beautiful little town on a hill that looked extremely European. It had narrow streets and a large church with a tower. Unfortunately, our Ghanaian friends decided not to keep track of the fuel gage and we ran out of gas. So, one of them took a taxi and returned with more fuel. It was funny just because we had the money to fill the tank so our Ghanaian guides had no need to see if they could reach their destination on only the fuel they had.

Bobiri Forest and Butterfly Sanctuary

Bobiri Forest was only about 30 minutes from Konongo and I had heard a lot of good things about it. However, that weekend my Bruni friends were not interested in going or had already been there before. So, I invited one of my Ghanaian friends, Selina, for the trip. We took a trot tro to a town and from there walked to the sanctuary.

At the park is a large diversity of trees and butterflies. We were given a 3 kilometre tour by a guide (and his cousins) through the jungle. The trees were just huge and the guide let us know what the lumber from each of the trees was used for. There were so many butterflies it was amazing. You had to be careful in the forest because you might get a silk line of a caterpillar in your face.

After the hike we sat at the guesthouse were we could buy some lunch and enjoy playing board games. Selina kicked my butt at Ghanaian checkers 4-1. Also I played a game called Owarhe which is a box that folds open and has six pots on each side. The idea was to capture the seeds from the pots of the opposing player. An excellent game. I think my stay at the sanctuary was the most pleasant (i.e. no annoying people bugging you about being a bruni) experience I had in Ghana.

Mpraeso

I finished work on February 28 and decided to travel some more around Ghana. I first met up with Lia in Mpraeso and then later that evening with Toon and his friend Mikkal from Denmark. Lia decided that for $6 we should stay at a hotel with the following sign posted on the entrance by the Ghana Tourist Board:

NOTICE OF CLOSURE

The pubic is hereby informed that this facility has been closed down for failing to meet the requirements provided under L.I. 1205. Patrons who use this facility do so at their own risk.

We asked the manager and he said, “oh, don’t mind the sign”. The place was the worst I stayed in. The floors were dirty, the bed not especially comfortable, and the bathroom was not the best. It was for just one night and we survived.

The next day we went up to a hill for what could have been an impressive view. Unfortunately, the dry season (called the Hamattan by Ghanaians) is characterised by a wind from the northeast which brings dust from the Sahara desert and reduces visibility to less than 1 kilometre. After that Lia had to go back to Korforidua for a going away party and her next trip to South Africa.

Across the Afram Plains

Toon, Mikkal and I decided to make the trip across the Afram Plains. These are plains that run along the west side of Lake Volta. It is a pretty flat and isolated area but interesting nonetheless. We started from Mpraeso and had to cross Lake Volta twice. At the first crossing we decided instead of the ferry, we would hitch a ride on a small boat with a number of Ghanaians. On the other side we waited for a tro tro to take us to Donkorkrom.

Before leaving we decided to grab some food and eat it at a drinking spot. The music was super loud and Toon asked for them to play the music “softer”. Well, instead of turning it down they played Celion Dion.

The tro tro took us to Donkorkrom where we stayed in a hotel. We woke up and had some breakfast which was first announced by the blast of music from a huge set of speakers. After asking them to turn down the blaring, we asked what the speakers were for. I guess some hairdressers were having a party in the afternoon. Must have been some party.

From Donkorkrom we took a shared taxi to the next ferry. We thought it was a smart idea rather than taking a tro tro because there would be more room. Well, the taxi ended up having nine people in it! Three in front and six in the back. This included the driver, six adults, a kid, and a baby. Poor Mikkal; the guy is like 6’4”. I was sitting in the front and the other guy was practically sitting on my lap. Fortunately, the trip was short and the road was paved.

We reached the ferry and waited for it the leave. Bizarrely, a man decided to get into a fist fight with a women. Another man came to the rescue a slapped the guy in the head a few times. The crowd then broke them up. This was the first time that I saw anything this violent before in Ghana. Finally, the ship left and we made it safely to the other side in Kpandu (where I was for Christmas). This was the first trip I had ever made in Ghana with all guys as there are so many women volunteers and interns.

Mountain Paradise Lodge

From Kpandu, we headed for Mountain Paradise Lodge which is situated in the hilly Volta region. From the main road we had to hike up a gravel road to the lodge. The place was beautiful as it was situated on top of a hill overlooking a treed valley. Unfortunately, we had to sleep in tents provided by the lodge because all the rooms were taken up.

The next day our destination was the second highest mountain (rocky hill) in Ghana. We walked through a village, the jungle, and then another village to reach the base. At the top was a cross erected by some German missionaries (the Volta region was originally colonised by the Germans). After some time looking out over the hazy view, we went back down to the village. We rested there under a tree with some of the locals. An older fellow gave us some wise advice while another played his flute.

We made our way back to the lodge and had a nap on some cots. After we went for another hike through the river valley. This was really strenuous as we often had to use rope hand rails and even repel down cliff once. We saw a few potentially nice waterfalls (being the dry season, there was not much water) and lots of jungle vegetation. After the hike we were disgustingly sweaty. Toon thought maybe he was sick because he was sweating so much. In the evening we got a room and played some poker to pass the time.

Independence Day

March 6, 2007 marked the 50^th Anniversary of Ghana’s impendence from Britain. The government was pouring out money for decorating government buildings, advertising, upgrade ceremonial roads, building parade grounds, and distributing t-shirts and other souvenirs. Toon, Mikkal, and I decided we should go where the hart of the action was and travel to the capital, Accra, from Paradise Lodge.

We fortunately found some lodging when we arrived at the Salvation Army Hostel. The evening of March 5 we went to watch the President’s Show which was featuring a number of live acts. The advertisements stated that the show started at 6:30pm. Well, after arriving at 9pm, they still had not finished setting up. I guess it is normal considering people work on African time here. We waited and in the end only saw one act. It was still good because I recognised the music from what was always being played in the drinking spots. We decided to leave around 10pm in order to get back to the hostel not too late.

The main event for Independence Day was happening at Independence Square on March 6^th. We were told to arrive ultra early. So, after pulling ourselves out of bed we reached the square at 6am. By that time most of the seats were taken in the stands. Fortunately, we were able to grab some at the ground level for not a bad view. Within minutes, all the seats were taken and people were standing within any space they could find. Talk about no crowd control.

The event started at 8:30am with presidents, ambassadors, diplomats, dignitaries, and chiefs arriving. The chiefs were carried in under colourful umbrellas and waded through the cheering crowd. Then the different arms of the military and police arrived and formed rows across the square. Finally, the performing school children arrived.

The action included inspection of the guard by the President, marches by the military, flyovers by jets and helicopters, dancing school children, and speeches. It reminded me of old documentaries showing similar events put on in communist countries.

An incident also included the passing out of three military men. With the exception of the odd march, they were to stand at attention for six hours in the blazing sun. Fortunately, paramedics were on hand to cart them away. We decided by 12 pm and six hours of sweating, we had enough and headed back to the hostel. On the way we saw many people in the street with colourful Ghana@50 t-shirts and flags. Considering we were running out of clean underwear, we left for home the following day.

Kakum National Park

After Accra, I stayed in Konongo for a week to relax. Then, Tarek (Kate’s roommate) and I went to Cape Coast, which he had never been to. We stayed a night and the next day we went for a short trip up to Kakum National Park. This park is as close as you can get to an actually rainforest in Ghana. It also is known for its forest elephants and monkeys. However, the big tourist highlight is the canopy walk which consists of a 350 metre long, 40 metre high (13 stories) wood and rope walkway suspended between seven trees. The canopy walk was designed by Canadian engineers and paid for with USAID funds.

Upon arrival I was surprised to see the quality of the tourist buildings. Most tourist sites in Ghana are composed of rickety old shakes or boring old concrete buildings. Here there was a museum, a gift shop, a restaurant, and washrooms all with high quality architecture. You might as well have been in Banff or Jasper.

In the end, we decided to just do the canopy walk. It looked like something from the Ewoke village in Star Wars. It was a good thrill walking between trees and provided amazing views of the surrounding jungle. The one disappointment I had was that I thought it was a little too high up as were in fact above the canopy. I thought it would have been so cool to be walking through the middle stores of the trees and seeing what life you could find. Otherwise, it was a great time.

After spending sometime in Cape Coast and Elmina, Tarek headed home and I headed for the west.

Green Turtle Lodge

I decided to go by myself to the Western Region. This was the 9^th region in Ghana I had visited. At this point I had only been twice to the ocean to swim. And both times in Accra which is not especially nice. Many of my friends said a great beach resort was the Green Turtle Lodge.

The Green Turtle Lodge is a resort started by an English couple. They wanted to make it an eco-tourism development. Features included solar panels on each of the huts, compositing toilets, buildings made out of local materials, architecture that fits into the landscape, a percentage of all revenue going to the local villages, and the hiring of local villagers to work at the resort. There were opportunities for tours around the area by the local guides. My favourite part was the showers which had rock walls and no roof except for an overhanging palm tree.

The beach was just beautiful with hardly anyone around. Once in a while you would see the odd villager or a fishing boat. The waves were really strong though and you would sometimes get wiped out by one while you were swimming. Most of the people at the resort were brunis doing internships and volunteers. I met a few nice Germans during my stay. You never needed a wallet as when ever you were thirsty or hungry the servers would just add it to your tab. While the food was excellent, I ended up with a case of the runs after eating a cheese and tuna melt. Not so fun but I recovered.

Takoradi

On the way back to Konongo, I passed through Takoradi. The physical planner at my office noted that this was one of the only places in Ghana that followed zoning bylaws. The town had the most interesting road network. The outer roads formed a triangle. Inside the triangle were road radiating out from a large traffic circle in the centre. The circle itself was the cities market. And most of the buildings were three stories tall. In a country where random is the norm, this place really stood for its organisation.

Kumasi Going Away Party

After returning to Konongo, I went to Kumasi for one finally bash with Kate, Tarek, Toon, Mikkal, and our American friend (I always forget his name). Kate, her friend, and I went to Sir Max for the half chicken dinner. After, it was off to Cheers (yes cheers, but no Norm) for a few drinks, pool, and foosball with Toon and the gang. It was a nice way to end my time in Kumasi.

Konongo Going Away Party

The District Assembly put on a nice party on the night before I was leaving for Accra. It was at the Blue Moon Hotel. Many of the members of the administration showed up for the event. Victor organised some appetizers which were great. The DCE (mayor) said a speech thanking me and requesting that I keep in touch. I made a speech (more like rambling) in return. Finally, to my surprise, they gave me a big present which included a traditional poncho made by the Gonja tribe and a pair of (gaudy) sandals that a chief might wear. In return I gave everyone some maple leaf pins.

But of course I was given another cultural curve ball before I left. Food was brought out for everyone in Styrofoam containers. I was thinking we would all sit down and eat and enjoy the night. Instead, everyone got up and left with their container of food. In the end I ate alone with the exception of two of the administration members who stayed behind. Guess food is not the most important part of such an event. Afterwards, I headed to Sam the engineer’s place for a final farewell.

Back Home

The District Assembly was kind of enough to drive me back to Accra where I stayed in a hotel for the night. I tried to take in as much Ghana food as possible before I left including roasted plantain and Castle Milk Stout beer. The following day I was my flight home.

Here are some initial observations as I have been getting re-accustomed to life back in Canada:

• It is so quite on the streets here. At first I thought there was something wrong with my ears since all I was hearing was the sound of traffic. There are no taxis honking their horn, no tro tros yelling out their destination (Kumasi! Kumasi! Kumasi!), no hip life music blaring from the drinking spots, no one yelling out the price of goods, no one saying "obruni!", no hawkers.
• It is really, really nice to have a hot shower. You feel so clean and warm afterwards. And I don’t even need to go to the well to fetch water.
• Man is it cold and wearing anything more than a t-shirt feels odd. Will someone turn up the heat? What do you mean you want to save on your gas bill? 20 degrees in the house feels like an icebox!
• Where did everyone go? The streets seem almost deserted. I guess with 20 million people living in an area 2/3 the size of Alberta, of course Ghana will feel crowded.
• Holy luxury batman. Carpet, hardwood floors, oven, microwave, laundry machine, dishwasher, garage, vehicle, TV, computer, internet (INTERNET!), running water, electricity, etc. I will never have to leave my house again!
• My skin is drying up! Even in Toronto, which is quite humid, my skin felt like it was being stretched to no end. Get out the moisturiser.
• The fridge is full of FOOD! It is practically a mini-market in my house. What will I have? Hmm, maybe some chicken, bread, cheese, fruit, ahh, some beer. Yes, beer will be fine.
• Things look really grey here. The sky is grey, the streets are grey, the houses look grey, the clothes are grey, the people look grey. Where are the brightly painted buildings, people in colourful traditional clothes, vibrant green vegetation, and a red soil?
• What do you mean $40 for a taxi to the Toronto airport??!? In Accra it only cost me $4 to get there.
• I have energy and I am exercising again. When it was so hot in Ghana, you just wanted to find a cool place to relax.
• Canadians are passively friendly. They will hold the door open for you, when you leave they say, "have a nice day", they patiently wait while you get your things together to leave the plane, and they will strike up a pleasant conversation. However, Canadians generally avoid intruding on your space and privacy. Ghanaians on the other hand are aggressively friendly. If you look slightly lost, not only will they direct you to a place but insist on taking you there. If you are browsing a store they instantly think you must be looking for something particular and need help. They request your friendship and phone number within one minute of introducing yourself. I guess there are different ways of being friendly.
• What is this really weird accent I am hearing? It sounds kind of a hickish drawl. Oh, that just us Canadians talking.
• Why do the cities seem to have just been inserted in the middle of no where? Kind of feels like we live in remote outpost in the northern part of the world.
• No more sleeping under a mosquito net (i.e. no more malaria!)