August 1

                Today was a 13 hour bus ride, so there is not too much action to report. It is amazing how exhausting doing nothing can be! But even the dullest of days has observations. Today was yet another reminder of the concept of “Africa Time.”  The bus was supposed to leave at 6am and we were not on the road until almost 7am. We lost another two hours stick in gridlock traffic coming through Kumasi, and so we arrived in Accra almost three hours late. My observation: Africa Time is an exercise in flexibility. The bus alone is at the mercy of mechanical issues poor roads and traffic conditions that we don’t even consider in North America. Insisting on punctuality here would drive a person crazy, so the only way to coup is to relax your standards about time limits and accept that many things are beyond your control. Plans change, go with it. Not to say that Ghanaians don’t get irritated by delays just like everyone else. I’ve seen plenty of stressed out Africans on this trip, especially where cues are concerned. But it is still an attitude to be appreciated.