Answers for Cathy's Class

Here are a few more questions from Mrs. Dalimonte's 3rd grade class in Jacksonville, NC:

Q: Reagan wants to know if you had to teach the kids volleyball or did they already know how to play?
--Reagan, I actually have only played volleyball here with the teenagers and adults. I don't think that the children here know how to play volleyball (although I could be wrong). Most of the children play "football" (or soccer, in American terms), because it's a fairly easy and accessible sport to play. "Football" is huge here! Did you know that South Africa is hosting the World Cup in 2010? The World Cup is like the Olympics of "football"/soccer.

Q: Michael wanted to let you know that the class actually saw a faint whirling rainbow when they went to PE Wednesday.
--Michael, NO WAY man! That is crazy awesome! What did you say when you saw it? That is seriously such a rare and special occurrence. You were so lucky to see it. Did anyone take a picture by chance?

Q: Satchel - Is the computer cafe usually crowded when you are there?
--Satchel, first of all, I love your name! But to answer your question, it depends on what time of day it is here. The cafe is usually most crowded around noon hour/lunchtime and around dinnertime. I try to stay away when it's extremely crowded
(it gets so hot in here with no A/C!).

Q: Jalen & Michael - How far is Mary and Sarah's school from you and what is the name of the school?
--Jalen & Michael, Mary & Sarah's school is pretty far away from here. It takes about one hour by tro-tro (this could be longer, depending on traffic and the time of day) to get to the village where they live (in Awhoshie). Once in the village, it's about a 15-20 minute walk, or another 5-minute tro-tro ride. It costs about 40-50 cents (each way) to get to their village from the University. The 5-minute tro-tro to their school is about 10 cents. I hope to visit them at school soon! When I do, I will bring Project Polaroid with me to share with their classmates, and I will post of picture of the girls in their school uniforms for you.

Q: Orianna - What other kind of animals do they have there besides monkeys? We are going to compare ourselves to the animals in Ghana and we have a list, but wondered what you might have seen.
--Animals that I have seen in Ghana: goats, rats, bats, chickens, cows, bulls, LOTS of lizards, and grass-cutters. When we go to Mole National Park (which is about 8-10 hours north of here) in a few weeks, we will hopefully see more of the "safari animals"--like BIG elephants, and maybe zebras, hippos, and giraffes. What is your favorite animal, Orianna? Fun tidbits--last summer in Thailand, I got to ride an elephant! When I was 5 years old, I got kissed (licked) by a giraffe at the zoo! Ewww...

Q: Kayla - You mentioned that Mary and Sarah have to wear uniforms - what do they look like? We have to wear uniforms at our school this year.
--Good question, Kayla. Well, I haven't seen the girls' uniforms in person yet, but Miss Jane told me that they are a checked, orange material, with a white collar. On Fridays, they wear a more relaxed uniform that is an orange jersey material. I will try to post pictures of the girls in their uniforms soon!

Q: Nautica - How often do you eat fufu?
--I only eat fufu a couple times per month. It's not one of my favorite dishes, at all, and it tastes like thick Play-Doh. I eat it when Ghanaians prepare it for us at special events.

Q: Rita - Do they have swimming pools or a place you can go swimming?
--Rita, I have only seen one swimming pool so far. It is on campus, but it's still in the process of being built. A few of my friends have been swimming at the beaches here, or in hotel pools, but I haven't made it there yet. I will let you know if I find any other pools!

Q: Emily - Do they have any clothing stores?
--Emily, they do have clothing stores. There are definitely not as many here, though, as there are in the US. There is a mall a few miles away from campus that has a couple of stores, and there are often small shops on the sides of the road, selling jewelry, clothes, shoes, etc. I think that most people that live here buy their clothes from markets, or make them/have them made. I definitely miss J. Crew and Gap!

Q: All - Is there any fast food restaurants like McDonald's; Burger King?
--There are a few fast food restaurants, but there is no McDonald's nor Burger King in Ghana. Our favorite restaurant is called "Papaye". They serve hamburgers ($2.50), chicken, french fries ($2.00), and the BEST orange juice that you've ever had in your entire life ($1/glass). Across the street from campus, there is a restaurant called the "Pizza Inn", but we quickly got sick of eating greasy gas-station pizza after a few weeks. I miss Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle the most! Our favorite restaurant here is Indian Heritage Restaurant. I never knew how amazing and satisfying Indian food was...until I came to Africa (a little ironic, I know).

Q: Mrs. Dalimonte - I am a big collector of Coca-Cola - do you see that sold there and if so, does it look (and taste)any different than what we are used to in the US?
--Mrs. Dalimonte, I don't drink Coca-Cola, so I'm probably not the best person to ask about its taste here, but I do know that it is served here in both cans and glass bottles. If you buy a glass bottle of coke (about 70 cents or so), you have to finish the Coke and give the glass bottle back to the vendor. The vendors return the glass bottles to the bottling company, receiving a small discount/compensation on their next orders. The Coca-Cola cans here are swirled with Arabic, Thai, or Chinese...crazy mix, I know. Although it's more uncommon than classic Coke, you can sometimes find Diet Coke, or Coca-Cola light.

Q: Michael - What season is it there? Do they have the seasons like we do in NC?
--Michael, When I arrived, it was the "wet season" here, which goes until about October-November. So, right now we are transitioning from the "wet season" into the "dry season". This means that each day is getting warmer and warmer (probably 80s-90s everyday with lots of sunshine). As the dry season approaches, there will be less moisture in the air, and the air will become drier. As it becomes drier here, it also becomes warmer and dustier. The dusty sands blow from the north, where the Sahara desert is. Africa does not experience winter (no snow or sleet), nor fall (no leaves changing colors), like NC does. I miss the cool breezes and jumping in the leaves. It will definitely be a huge adjustment for my body going straight from this weather to NC weather around Christmastime, with no season like Fall to slowly adjust.