Day 20: Sour--Asenemaso

Kumasi is crazy. We had to go into town to take out our program fees and we experienced the craziness in the city. The market was absolutely nuts with tons of people moving in and out. A very disappointing experience happened to us, $200 of our money is missing. The community gave us $200 for the first week so that we wouldn't have to worry about food and drinks. This amount of money should feed all of us for more than a week. Adu gave the cooks this money on the first day and they asked for more money the next day. The quality of the food hasn't matched the amount of money the community gave us. Adu and Charles (the other Ghanaian leader who I'll be living with) are accusing the cooks of being responsible for the lost money. We obviously can't make any judgements or assumptions until the truth comes out, but it's still very upsetting. The community gave so much so that we could be pampered and now that effort is gone. The principal and though behind it will always remain sincere, but ti's just very sad that the effort is missing. In order to cover these extra, unforeseeable costs, we might have to take money from the library.

This whole situation puts me in a sour and distrusting mood. I feel like we are simple means to an end. Even in Asenemaso, all the street vendors automatically double their price simply because I'm white. And many times, they refuse to bargain. Even though I'm positive they grew up being taught that Whites have more money (that's completely false), it still bothers me. In reality, I'm a poor college student who currently has no source of income and can only afford to go to college because I'm blessed with scholarship money. Does that sound like a rich American to you? Obviously, I'm rich by Ghanaian standards.

I think I am just bitter about the locals taking advantage of our new presence in a country. But I now their ways aren't personal, it's just how life is here. It just gets old, from bargaining and arguing with an old woman on the street to blatant stares and callings from the men. I am still enjoying Ghana and Asenemaso very much, it's just taking some adjustment.

Alex and I had a conversation about how he believes in God but he's having a hard time believing He's a personal god. I enjoy intellectual and spiritual conversations such as those. Even though I feel spiritually mature, those conversations remind me how much I have to grow.