My first time….
Liever in het Nederlands lezen? Dat kan hier.
It was pretty painful. Especially in the beginning. When I learned to let go it wasn’t all that bad. It brought a feeling of relief knowing that this wouldn’t be the last time. I heard many stories about people’s first time, but how can you really prepare for such a things. Let me start from the beginning:
Late at night we arrived and I was looking much forward to it. The smells, colors and impressions were all unknown to me. Nina, our host in Ghana guided us to the room which we would share with the three of us. It was warm, the beds were outdated and shower was simply a bucket with cold water.
While wondering through the city we quickly lost our way. A boy from the shanti town offered his help. He guided us straight into the town ship. It was similar to the images I’d seen on television, but this was real. Everything there was nasty and crowded. There were so many people on such a tiny plot of land. The sounds and smells were intrusive. Did I just see a man taking a dump in a ditch?
Our short walk felt like hours. Perplexed and overwhelmed I asked whether we could drink a cup of tea in the garden of the English embassy. The porcelain cups and the napkins were in stark contrast with our previous endeavor. Still with the panic in my eyes, I pondered about how we could contribute. We came to the conclusion that from that moment forth we’d only stimulate the local economy.
We’d dine at place where no foreigners could be found. We spend our days on the street in bars and restaurants with plastic chairs and gigantic menu’s, but nothing available. The most common phrase from any waiter would be: “No have, no have.” This consequently led to a diet of fried rice and chicken for three straight weeks. As a strict vegetarian in those days this meant three weeks of fried rice.
Everything was so different than I was used to. For example: buses only departed when they were completely full. This could literally take a few hours. Inhabitant would constantly glare at us, pass their fingers over our pale white skin and shout “White one, White one.” Also my former boyfriend was reacting poorly to the strong malaria tablets he was taking.
That being said I wouldn’t have wanted to miss all this. My first experience away from Europe and into an impoverished country was taunting. Nevertheless this trip has helped me to put my other travels in perspective. The uplifting idea came to mind ‘It could always be worse.’ A few days before our trip to India, to film an impact entrepreneur for 24 hours (more on this later), I got a bit scared. India was supposed to be so different…
In short:
Is India dirty & crowded? Most definitely
I’m I having diarrhea? Most definitely
Is it hot and sticky here? Most definitely
Do people here drive like mad men? Most definitely
Are timetables a very loose concept here? Most Definitely
However due to my first trip to Ghana I have laid the foundation to manage my expectations. I’m enjoying India so intensively. The food, busy streets, the clothing and especially the people.
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