Dec 20

What a great day!! I feel like I achieved something. Mooched around with Caesar in the morning and then got chatting to the quite wonderful Mr Ratty. We had a long chat about what I was doing here and got into the ways in which HIV is transmitted. He told me that there is a township close by called Jamestown where it is prolific and offered to take me there if I get time. Its running out fast :(

Ratty tells me people don't use condoms here because it spoils the sex. I tell him that's not the case but I  can see he's not convinced. We talk and laugh some more and I tell him he only has to have sex with one girl and he could get sick but if he uses condoms, he can have sex with as many as he likes. I suspect I'm going straight to hell for advocating promiscuity but I can see he liked the idea. He's still not convinced about it spoiling the experience so I ask if he'd like to ring my lover in England who will confirm it doesn't. I then pull a condom from my bag which has the words 'never go in without a skin' emblazoned across it and he laughs and says when he finds a girl he will use it!!!! Then he smiles and says he will think of me before realising what that means and laughs so more. So now I have sent the beautiful Mr Ratty off to explore the joys of safe sex and he says he will tell his friends if he doesn't mind the condoms.

 Dec 21st

Slowly, slowly, by the time I leave I should be able to start work! One step forward, 90 odd steps back. Yesterday the mysterious Franklin appeared and drove me to the Korle Bu to meet the doctor in charge of the HIV/AIDS unit. It soon became clear, he had no idea who Franklin was and was less than impressed with his recent conduct. Dr Kenu was also shocked to discover I had paid $700 dollars to volunteer with them. Not sure where my money went but none of it went to the hospital. Dr Kenu suggested I send him my dissertation proposal and come back today.

I was then taken to meet my new host family. After just four days at the Phoenix, I felt so at home that it's hard to leave and to relinquish some of my freedom. Bit of a shock- a very small house with one room to sit in, two bedrooms and a bathroom. Nowhere to cook. AARGH...missing the Phoenix food already. I did my washing and had just finished when Gilda called and invited me to lunch so I jumped in a taxi bound for Osu. Gilda lives in a beautiful flat opposite the Irish Pub! And, yes...it is green. We settle for coffee instead of over priced European food and go down the street to a local bar to eat before going back to hers to hang out. I manage not to cry when she says I should have gone to stay with her in her beautiful 3 bedroom flat, having just been moved to a host family.

It gets dark early here and the traffic is extreme so I left late afternoon and headed back to my new family. They own a liquor store (result!) but I'm on my best behaviour here so settle for a fanta and spend the evening chatting and trying to work out how many people I'm to share a room with. EEK. Relieved that I have a room to myself but more than a little guilty that everyone else has been shunted around to accommodate me.