Also, we are completely relaxed here. Our schedule is our own and we can go to a beach or a pool anytime we want! I mean, when else are we going to be members of a 4 or 5 star hotel and visit it on a regular basis? (Um, never.)
And we are starting to get to know some people here. It is all about connections and networking. If we try to start a friendship on our own, people are non-responsive, but if we meet someone through someone else, then they are very kind, helpful and super nice. So it is just a different way here. We actually know a lot of people on the island and b/c it is so "small town" here, several people know who we are, that we are Americans, where we are working, and so on. Another difference is that people do not go out to bars or restaurants. What they do is buy drinks at a store, take them to a spot and sit and hang out, talk, and such. So to try and hang out with someone is hard b/c they do not make plans or have a schedule, they just do whatever comes up at the moment. (they call it leve-leve)
And, there is no violence here. STP is totally safe and harmless. People may jeer at us, blow kisses, heckle and such, but we are totally safe. No one would hurt us here, and they will not hurt each other, either. That is very comforting! It gets dark here really early and we regularly take a 15-20 minute walk to either Cafe e Compania or Miramar Hotel to check our email. We walk in the dark with our laptop and are totally safe. You could not do that is parts of the US, you know? And even if people are jeering at us, if we stop to talk to them or ask directions, they are very helpful and nice, so its just an act, or more likely they are bored.
In the mornings, we walk to the church where I am picked up with the other ADRA employees and driven to the ADRA compound. The morning walk is one of my favorite parts of the day. Its not too hot yet, people are out and about going to work, school, or just enjoying the day before it gets too hot, and the air is not dusty yet. The way we walk is through the park, where we say hello to the old men who have just finished their morning soccer game (one guy is our neighbor), past the casa de cinema (which does not show movies...), down the Presidential Palace road, which is shaded, has a very decent sidewalk, and has guards that we say Bom Dia! to, then past the Cathedral where people are always washing something in the mossy fountain, we cross Agua Grande, which is a river that flows through the center of town - there are always people hanging out by it, then down Kwarme Nkruma Avenida to the church. This last part is the most crowed with taxis and motorcycles and tiny kids trying to cross the road to get to school. The kids are so cute! They are all in uniforms and they hold hands all the time! It is so cute how affectionate the children are here with each other. You will see 7 or 8 year old boys walking down the street hold hands - but it is totally fine b/c men do it with each other here at times too! People show friendship in a different way and it is so sweet! The church is very close to the market and it is on a busy road that heads out of town and goes to several communities just outside the city proper. So while I stand there and wait for the ADRA van to come, I am passed by so many vehicles - taxi buses that should hold 9 people, squeezed with 14 or 15 instead, and lots of baskets filled with all kinds of food to sell that day - motorcycles with families on them, regular taxis filled with people going to the market to set up shop for the day, fabric, fruit, veggies, and all sorts of other things are in baskets and buckets, crates and bowls. Then, there are tons of people walking on the side walks. Some are carrying things to sell, some have book bags, others have babies tied to their backs...its a dizzying time and I love it!
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