Sounds Like Ghana

I've never been in a place that I've been so auditorily curious about. It seems like everywhere I go there's something interesting to listen to. I don't know if I would have noticed this without my insistence to travel with my iPod. Although, I do listen to it, I find myself preferring the sounds of Ghana while I walk.

I'm reminded of one of my late night walks home after work. I was on my cell with a friend from Canada, trying to multitask - talk and walk down the dark, pothole ridden dirt road that leads me to my house. There is a section of the road that was sided with tall grass and when I came to it, a symphony of croaks came from what seemed like 2 dozen invisible toads in the grass, so loud that I couldn't continue the conversation except to say, "Can you hear that??? Those are toads from Africa!" My friend was excited to hear it, 8711kms away. Wow.

Mornings have a similar symphonic effect on creatures in this country. I'm afraid I've gotten used to it now, but when I first arrived I couldn't believe how each morning consistently brought two things - the cock-a-doodle-doing of roosters and the crying of babies. Together and loud, as if one group was trying to out-call the other. But really, I think there is one way causality - the babes cry BECAUSE of the roosters, not despite of them. The reason is because I think the internal tickers in roosters here have a wild chemical imbalance - they start being annoying WAY too early. Not at dawn, more like a few minutes after dusk and all night through. So, if I was a baby here, I'd cry too. 

My third experience with Ghanaian auditory fireworks happened a few nights ago. It was about 8pm and I was reading in bed. Hearing people of any sort is rare where I live because I live in the middle of no where. My postal address is "Turn left off a dirt road onto a smaller, muddier dirt road with potholes the size of teenage angst. Walk 20 minutes past the fruit stand until you're in the middle of no where (there's a sign). I'm in the house on the left... well, I'm in THE house." So you can imagine my surprise when, while reading, all of a sudden a thunderous cheer, made up of what seemed to be hundreds of people, exploded into the air. For 3 seconds it sounded like a Rolling Stones concert was going on about a kilometer away. Like that, far but not far for hundreds of people screaming. Anyway, I got up out of bed and stupidly looked out the window. It was completely dark by this time and I saw nothing but the dirt road. I couldn't understand what had happened and I actually started doubting what I actually heard... Maybe a quiet car going by playing music? Maybe a swarm of weird people-yelling sounding insects? Until. It. Happened. Again. I read about schizophrenia and I always wonder if I'll get it, and 
if I do, if I'll know I'm getting it since many people with early onset have auditory 
dilusions but often don't recognize them as so. 
So I start thinking how I can get my hands on some Clozapine double 
quick to start battling my new-found mental illness until I have an idea - check the tv. I turn it on, and what do I find? 
GHANA vs. BENIN football match being aired live from Accra! I couldn't believe it. The city actually ERUPTED with cheering every time GHANA scored - 4 times that evening. It was beautiful - an entire city cheering for their team individually in front of their sets yet together in their alacrity. I'm glad I experienced it. I can't wait to go see a real game. I'll probably have inner-ear damage and won't be able to walk straight ever again, but it'll be worth it. 

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!