The cold drink

As we drove through the dark streets, past spots of light at small road-side stands, Renae explained that she had been in Ghana nearly eight years, coming originally on an assignment with the Peace Corps. She launched Global Mamas/Women in Progress, a non-governmental organization (NGO), approximately about six years ago, and she has the stories to prove it.

Our first stop was to a jerk chicken restaurant in the Osu neighborhood of Accra to pick up three other volunteers. Haley is from Eugene and had only just arrived as well, choosing to fly directly rather than break up her trip as we had. Laura, from England, has been in Ghana two months, and Callum, a photographer from Scotland, on his fifth trip to the country.

We found our cold drink, and then some, at Duncan’s, an outdoor bar with blaring music and well-received glasses of bubra, or draft beer, and a delicious gin and lime concoction. The proprietor, a somewhat disheveled and more than somewhat drunk Ghanaian, greeted us very warmly, teaching us the unique handshake-cum-mutual finger snap that is the custom here.