Jessica verliert den Kampf gegen den Taxifahrer

Oops, I think I kind of neglected my little blog since the last post is already one month ago (considering that I indeed wrote a note one month ago but didn’t manage to post it until today...but that makes you the lucky reader of two posts at the same time...if that is not something!!).

So, what exactly made me sitting down just now, writing another post when there were so many other occasions, indeed so much more interesting and beautiful incidents, I could have written about? To be honest, it is my ego. My ego which had to give in due to the fact that I lost a fight (yes, it is true, after losing against the kiddies in almost all kinds of sports, now it is a taxidriver who deserves a spot on my list). It all started very nicely. I had a beautiful day at work...

...here we can do a short excurse to my research which is getting along quite well, slowly but well. I finally managed to formally interview some children. While the first view interviews went not that great (which I mainly blame on myself and my inexperience), the second batch was much more cooperative and talkative making it easier and nicer to get some good information. As with everything, learning by doing is the best thing to do...and I am quite confident that things will go more smooth with every time I talk to another child...

...but back to my ego which needs to express itself. I finished my day having dinner with two friends. Afterwards we all shared a cab, dropped one friend in Osu and continued our way home with two girls left. You need to know that in Ghana you tell a taxidriver where you wanna go, followed by a discussion about the price which is then agreed on. We told the taxidriver our destination, agreed on a price and started the ride. However, towards the end of the ride the driver started complaining that we would go much further than we originally agreed on, which is, and here you have to believe me, not true. So, arrived at our house, we paid, but unfortunately didn’t have the exact amount, thus being in need of change. The driver however refused to give out the exact change. So, making this long story a short one...it ended with me getting back in the car starting an unsuccessful sit-in, a few offences on both sides, an angry me getting back out of the car, now sitting in front of the computer trying to not be very very mad anymore.

However this incident doesn’t deserve to spoil all the other things I have experienced during the last days. I have met more and more beautiful and nice people who I enjoy spending my time with. I love the fact that wherever I am I can be more than assured that there will always be plenty of people willing to help me and show me my way. I love to go to my current workplace every single working- (we don’t wanna overact) day, learning from the people who work there but even more from the children themselves who amaze me every day again. I love to walk through Accra observing people (as much as this is possible given the fact that I am probably observed much more) in their daily routine, especially my new heroes, which are the trotro maids and who I just love to watch in their working routine.

As you can see, my ego is mostly back to normal...leaving me with nothing else to do than joining my bed and hopefully dreaming of something else than cockroaches as it was the case last night :)

PS: A big thank you to my two favourite shouters for keeping up the conversation!!