Exiting the airport here is trial by fire, not because of the geography or the culture. We've been here before and knew what to expect. The surprising part is how many people come up to you, take your bags and then demand money or tipping for their "service".... you know, the "service" you didn't request or desire in any way. Suffice to say, we have learned quickly.
Our first few days have been filled with the typical expat tasks: open bank account, obtain new cell phones, explore local mall/shops, and purchase some groceries. Everything moved pretty smoothly and even grocery shopping was a pleasant surprise.
Some of the takeaways from our first Shoprite experience:
- HOORAY'S
- full array of vegetables
- multiple kinds of peanut butter
- and incredibly, almond milk... who would have guessed that Accra would have almond milk?!
- WOMP WOMP'S
- couldn't find quinoa at the store
- bananas are quite small and bright green (still unsure if this is normal or they had just come off the truck and not yet ripened)
- JURY STILL OUT
- avocadoes... they carry them but the bin was empty so we're still not sure how Dan's guac will fair with the local produce
- Vino - mostly Chilean, South African and some Australian wine. We haven't found any American wine so the exploration of new varietals continues.
All in all, our first full day was pretty good. We topped off the evening by meeting some wonderful new friends (if you read my second post regarding our move to Accra, I mentioned a friend that I had met on the Internations website). Meeting them was really quite fun, kind of like reuniting with an old friend even though we had never physically met. We had a great evening together and are so looking forward to many more gatherings over the next couple years.
Tuesday and Wednesday consisted of a lot of apartment hunting but we have not yet made a final decision. Hoping to make a choice soon, so I'll hold out on you until my next post!
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