The Unromance
I think that if I were looking at this blog as an outsider, someone who may or may not know me, I would not have my romantic notions of Africa dispelled in any way. The goal of this little segment of writing in the blog was to dispel some stereotypes about Africa. I may or may not have succeeded in doing this, but I have continued, I think, to perpetuate a kind of romantic mystique that surrounds "Africa" (whatever the hell that means, other than a series of arbitrary borders crisscrossing yet another continent still reeling from the effects of a long and brutal colonial occupation. Is this the only defining feature of Africa? I've read some that would say yes).
And while life here is cool, and wonderful, and mostly new, well it's probably also a lot more average in many ways than I'm making it out to be. I do work in an office, I work at a computer. My days are as filled with computer chess as they are with work (I have a relatively reasonable timetable for project completion). But still, the basics always apply. My days involve work, forming and maintaining meaningful relationships, eating, partying, reading. A thousand tiny and novel ways of entertaining myself in the hours of waiting that are Ghana. I think they have developed waiting into an art form here. Time is . . . relative.
My days may be hot and dusty but I find them endlessly fascinating, or something to just pull on through. Much like my days at home, only in a different setting, with a different language and a little more imperative on staying healthy, staying safe, staying cool.
Is it romantic to travel? Of course. Am I indulging certain romantic tendencies when describing this place? For sure, they're what makes good stories, after all. And in all reality, these events I write about really are the most tangible, if perhaps not the most frequent, events that occur. They're what gives me insight into this place, and hopefully a little more into myself. But still, they are not an accurate account of my daily life, and I just need to make that clear. The question is: is life a series of mundane moments punctuated by exciting moments? I tend to think not. Like any good adventure, with life you just have to learn to be patient between key moments.