CEPEHRG

The name of my NGO is the Centre for Popular Education on Human Rights, Ghana, and so far I am really enjoying working with them. I have to take a taxi and then two tro tros to get to work, so it takes a while in transit even though geographically the location is close enough to where I live. I catch a taxi outside my house that takes me to a junction, from there I get on a tro that drives along the beach by the ocean, and from there I get another tro that takes me to an area called Teshi. My NGO is hard to find (it's in an unmarked, gated house) and yesterday I got lost and my boss had to come find me, but hopefully since that happened I will be able to get there with relative ease.
So far my duties have included a lot of editing and proofreading, along with writing emails and taking notes on the activities of the organization. I love the guys I work with, they are smart and kind and have a good sense of humour. Yesterday Chris and I got to move into our separate rooms which was fantastic, and so far living in the house is going smoothly.
Although, yesterday Chris and I were talking about how it's our dream house and what that actually means.

This house:
- is at least a tro ride and a taxi ride away from anything
- as of yesterday had almost no gas to cook with and almost no water
- is not near a place to buy phone credit
- is unfinished
- has no door to the bathroom so when you go you have to just hope no one walks in
- has some ants (but not many!)
- is in such a dusty part of town we can't really open the windows and everything is covered in a fine layer of red
- the shower has the water pressure of a slow pee.
- has no beds, just mattresses on the floor

BUT overall the living conditions are spectacularly posh compared to the other places we have stayed and to the majority of Ghana. I think our standards have shifted so low that this place seems like an oasis in the desert simply because it is clean and has a working fridge and nice love seats.
We are so happy buying groceries and being able to stock a fridge for the first time all year and I even bought a sassy tiger print mug to celebrate our last move.

Yesterday we had a bit of a scare where our watchmen (who we didn't know was our watchmen, just thought was a creepy rando) was knocking at the window and acting really strange, saying things that made no sense. I was outside and Chris was poking his head out the window and it was pitch black so neither of us could tell what was going on. We were getting freaked out by his behaviour and eventually I got inside and locked the door and both of us were like What Is Going On?? We were so terrified because (a) if it was our watchman, why was he acting so strange? and (b) if it wasn't our watchmen, who the F was it?? So we hid in my room under the fan with the lights on until we heard banging at the door, when Chris picked up one of my high heeled shoes with a spiky heel and approached the door cautiously. Turn out it was Serge and he was all, why are you guys acting so spooked? The dude was in fact our watchman, and no conclusion as to the bizarre behaviour other than perhaps a result of a solid language/cultural barrier.
Anyyyyyways. Glad that got cleared up because I honestly about had a heart attack.

Chris and I have come to the conclusion that we truly look forward to the time when we go home and generally have an idea about what is going on at any given time. We laugh about it now.

Will keep updating on NGO activities and experiences that change from terror to hilarity.