The roads here are like a lot of other parts of the Ghanaian (say guh-NAY-ans) culture...not planned for efficiency or long term use. So, many of the roads are unpaved, and become roller coaster rides when they haven't been graded and leveled recently (each rainy season tends to change the landscape of the road). It's kind of like going off-roading on the way to church. I wonder if when the rains come it'll be like going mud-bogging (If you're not from Idaho, that's where you drive your truck through crazy amounts of mud for fun). By the way, do not look up "Dirt roads" in Wikipedia if you're going to be driving on them tomorrow. It's not a cheerful article. Don't look for images of off-roading on Google either.
But, I'm told often that these roads have been very good lately, since this is an election year (that logic cracks me up).
Even the paved roads are tricky, because then you have to dodge the pot holes. And the other cars that are dodging their pot holes. It would be kind of funny and enjoyable if we were all safely buckled in... The drivers here have to be much more focused than American drivers, since people around you are doing crazy things (like swerving around buses and water tractors), and traffic laws are more like guidelines. And no one has car insurance...
Moving here and riding in the car reminds me of when we moved from Houston to Idaho Falls. Houston driving is VERY aggressive and dangerous, and Idaho is very laid back and calm. So when we changed cities and were expecting road rage and pushing the speed limit and found people that would let us in and even drive under the speed limit (!) we had kind of a hard time adjusting. Here, it's like the two cities have been thrown into the same spot. It's funny to contrast the slow, sedate, almost lethargic pace of life here with the breakneck speed of the taxis on the freeway to Accra.
While the Americans plan more sophisticated ways to get from point A to Point B, we're still trying to maintain backwoods, meandering kinds of roads. And zoning is not done here either, so you'll have a major road through outdoor markets and all the roads have speed bumps peppering them (which makes no sense to the American in me, who wants to get there!) Even the main roads you never go more than 30 miles an hour (only the freeway is the exception)
But, even with all these concerns, I drove myself to the market last week! I know, it's not far, or over unpaved roads, but I was pretty excited at my accomplishment.I still feel awfully nervous going by myself...and I'll probably get cheated a few times since the bargaining is usually done in Twi or Ga (and I don't really know what anything should cost!), but my goal is to be able to do my own shopping by the end of the month.I'll let you know how it goes...
Shameless parenting brag: Dante and Iris are starting to speak with the local accent. It's hilarious.Even I have had to imitate it though, since none of the children in the school can understand what I say.
