A day with Frances

Monday, May9th, 2011
We got up early and walked over to the nearest Eco bank to use the ATM. We were able to get money out without a hassle and then we made our way to the Grande Marque which is a large market. We were spotted by a man named Frances who spoke English because he was originally from Ghana. He now lives in Togo and he turned out to be a very nice guy. He took over for us for the remainder of the day. He brought us upstairs in the market where they sell beads and fabric, but the problem occurred when we found out that Togo is slower than Ghana. Frances looked at us with a straight face and explained that Togo was not as quick as Ghana and people wake up much later and open the shops around ten. It is true that the markets in Ghana open at around five, but for someone to say that Ghana is quick paced made us all laugh. We did not get to see much of the market since things were closed, but we discovered quickly that it is a lot like Ghana except with no English or Twi speakers and more umbrellas. It rains a lot more in Togo than in Accra so the umbrellas are necessary. It rained every day we were in Togo and Benin.
We then went next door to a beautiful Catholic Church that we were permitted to enter. After we finished with the area Frances asked if we wanted to see where statues are made. We agreed and we were off on a brisk walk or should I say jog. He told us it would not be far and led the way. He walked extremely quickly it was difficult for us to keep up. When we arrived at the place we thought would be exciting we learned it was actually an art market. Although it was a little different from the art market in Accra because we were able to watch them make the paintings. It was really interesting to see them use wax for the outline and then fill in the background with many beautiful colors. We also saw them using an iron that was hollow with hot coals placed inside. Additionally, there were men making shoes out of animal skin. I was happy we took the walk, but I was unable to buy anything because of the language barrier. By this time I had learned several words, but not enough to get by. I learned Ce Va (how are you) and the response Oui (sounds like we which means yes).
Our next adventure would be to Independence Square. Frances said we could walk, but we were yet to take motor taxis and we all wanted to try them out. Although I do not think that the process is very safe, we all arrived in one piece. It is easier to avoid bumps, but the drivers seem to pay no attention to one another so they often stop short and swerve to get out of the way of other vehicles. Luckily there are very few cars on the roads because most people ride motor bikes. It is incredible how entire families of four or five all sit on one bike and drive around.
We were soon at Independence Square and Frances taught us a lot about the former presidents. There have only even been five and the previous one was in power for over forty years. All of the individuals the proceeded him where killed in a coup. Now it is the son of the previous president in power and once again the elections are rigged and he has been in power for more years than the law allots. After the ad hawk tour we found the most adorable fan ice man. Not only was he cute he also cut the corners of our fan ice so we would not have to bite them. I got a fan joy this time, which does not exist in Ghana. It is fruit juice frozen as apposed to the typical ice cream. The other girls got Fan Lait, which is also nonexistent in Ghana. We even got a picture with him, which I will upload when I get to America. The cart in the picture is the same as all of the other fan ice carts and there is a horn like the ones you see on a child’s bicycle that they are constantly honking. When children hear it it is exciting just like the ice cream man would be for a child in America.
We then got in a taxi and made our way to a fetish market. I had no idea what a fetish was or what we were getting into. When we arrived we were hassled to pay way too much, but we bargained the price down and entered. It was literally tables with dead animal heads all over. There were monkeys, dogs, lions, a buffalo, lizards, birds, and pretty much everything you can think of. They use the different animals and potions to heal sicknesses. Then we were taken into a back room with a mound of dirt in it that looked like it had a face. A man explained to us the different types of fetishes which were all small objects. The large mound of dirt was apparently the large fetish that dictates to the fetish father, which is human. There was one to make a man do anything you say, one to protect you on travels, one to protect the family, one to give you a better memory, and one for your own protection that you wear around your neck. It is all white magic and they blessed each of us as we entered. I was scared at first, but he promised it was all white magic and nothing bad could come out of it. We then were taken to another room with the fetish we were going to purchase so the big fetish could tell us how much we should pay. Mine started at 40,000 CFA, which I paid nothing near. Although he told me that was the discount price because the fetish liked me and did not want me to pay a lot. He was able to tell all of that by rolling Calvary shells on the ground four times. Two of us bought fetishes and then Frances took over once again.
He said it would be a long walk, but that was an understatement. We sped walked for over two hours; it had to be over six miles. I would not have been annoyed due to the fact that I enjoy walking if we were not practically running. We could not talk the entire time because we were pretty much in a line trying to keep up with the person in front of us. We could not spend time to talk about what we were walking past and people were gawking at us trying to figure out why white people were running down the road. After hours had past we made it back to the market. He brought us through a local market, which he was really excited to show us; in reality it was very similar to the ones in Ghana. We did see a man using an odd machine to make the base of a soup and he showed us interesting soaps used for dishes and bathing. At the end of our journey he asked if we wanted to sit and get something to drink. We complied, which meant another long journey too a small pub. We sat outside and I think I may have said five words the entire time because I was so annoyed. I then got up to use a bathroom that was one of the worst I have seen yet. There was a small door about one foot in length that covered only my face when I squatted to use the bathroom. The floor was made of cement and there was a small ledge to stand on while you peed on the slanted floor with a hole on the other end. The best thing about the door was there was a slit in it right at the level of my eyes so I could see out into the bar. Also the door did not actually close it just swung back and forth and it was to far away for me to hold. The entire experience was unique and I was glad I would not have to use it again. When I returned Frances was telling us about special peanuts that grow on trees that are for the white man. He also got us pure water which is exactly the same as pure water in Ghana. The food is also similar with the exception that they eat cheese and fufu is a different consistency. From here we found out why he stayed with us all day.
The poor man was illiterate and wanted our help reading and writing e-mails in English. It was so sad because at first we did not understand. We though he wanted us to teach him how to send a reply e-mail so we wrote instructions down on a piece of paper. He told us there was a computer at the pub we were at (clearly the reason he choice this place) that we could use. However, the internet was down. So he explained to us that he needs us to do it for him because he can’t read what the people are saying. We then felt guilty so we agreed to go with him to an internet café. We passed the first presidents house on the way and now no one lives there it is just homeless people selling items in it. He told us the café would be about six hundred meters away; however, this was a total lie. We walked for about forty minutes and when we got there we found out that we could not use the internet. So we took off one last time for about thirty minutes and we found a café we could use. Anna took charge and helped him type his e-mails while Hannah and I just waited around. This time the bathroom was amazing, there was toilet paper and soap so we were both in much higher spirits than earlier. When Anna finished we finally made our way back to our hotel.
We ate one last time at the hotel restaurant and this time we got the best waiter ever. He was adorable and kept telling jokes about how he made the food all by himself. And he also said he would cook our favorite meals and invited us all to dinner on our own personal dates. He told Hannah we will learn how to make chocolate mouse and bring it too her for dessert. He left and returned two seconds later with the mouse so we all laughed about how quick of a learner he was. He also pretended like he was doing something wrong, he would look around with his eyes and agree to do something for us. Although what he was agreeing too really was not against the rules. For instance we asked for extra bread and he looked around and said it was free before he returned with another plate full. He also took a spoon full of Hannah’s food and fed it to her. It was hysterical because she thought he was going to take a bite because he was looking around like he wanted to make sure no one was watching, but really he just fed her. I ate a salad for dinner with real lettuce it was phenomenal and I had flan for dessert. After dinner we once again went off to bed.