I've arrived!

I've arrived! I am now officially a Peace Corps Volunteer, and I've officially moved into my village, painted and cleaned my house, and unpacked my things. I have a home in Ghana! I live witha really sweet family in a small yam-farming village, where we eat yams morning, noon, and night. I've had boiled yams, mashed yams, roasted yams, yams fried in olive oil, and yams fried in palm oil. I am now a master of yam consumption. I'd say my favorite is yam fried in olive oil. It's pretty much like a french fry, but roasted yams comes in a close second. Mashed yam (fufuo) too, if it's served with the right stew. I don't have my stove set up yet, so many people in the community have been sharing their yams with me in abundance with the intention of fattening me up. It's a point of pride for them, that their volunteer should grow fat during her stay in their village. Ghanaians don't really understand why Americans prize lean figures as the pinnacle of beauty. Here, more robust figures are considered ideal, and commonly heard compliments include, "Wow, you have grown fat!" and, "Fat lady!." Some women even take mild steroids to beef themselves up. That, however, is more common with the wealthier women living in more southern towns.
So, now that I'm in Ofosu, I've started settling in and getting to know people. I went to two HIV/AIDS programs in neighboring villages performed by a club the previous volunteer started. I also started learning Konkomba-- the most widely-spoken language in Ofosu. Though, I'll still be using Twi at market or during travel. Tai is more universal. Konkomba is proving to be a hard language to learn. There are six different dialects of it spoen within Ofosu and that always seems to throw me for a loop. They're similar, but not similar enough for my untrained ear.
Also! In case you were wondering, my birthday was amazinf. My ye mfie aduonu miensa! I am 23 years. Birthdays in Ghana aren't a very big deal, or any deal at all, generally speaking. However, my homestay family knew that wasn't the case in the U.S., and they surprised me with a dress made from Ghanaian tie and dye, batik fabric, a necklace, earrings, and these fancy Ghanaian shoes that are part of the chief's paraphenelia. When I was all dressed up, they procedded to tel me how beautiful I looked over and over again. It was pretty nice! My American friends and I spent the day watching American movies on my friend's lap top and eating candy from our care packages. They even had a small "cake" made for me-- sweet bread, which they covered in nutella, crumbled oreos, and M & Ms. I shared the sweets with my homestay family and some of the neighborhood children. The kids loved them, but I think most of the adults could have down without. Sweet, sugary foods aren't as popular here in Ghana. The heat and all the sweating really maked you crave saltier foods. Anyway, it was the perfect way to ring in my new year in Ghana.
December 7th also happened to be election day here in Ghana. Everything went peacefully for the most part, but no party received a majority, so there will be a run-off election December 28th between the two leading parties. We're hoping for continued peace, and it looks like the odds are in our favor! I'll keep you posted.
Alright, I'm still working on the pictures. Cross your fingers for speedy, virus-free internet!

Love,
Cynthia