Being 'Different'

Before coming I was already a bit afraid of what it`s gonna be like to be absolutely different. I mean I imagined just sitting on the plane and then getting off and being just about the only white person around. It happened like this, too, but it didn`t bother me as much as I thought it would. Then here in the school all the kids wanted to touch me, look at my skin and everything like that. I could hardly go out of my room without getting caught by a lot of children who were all clinging onto me. It was a bit strange at first, but by now I think I got used to it. I also became Aunty Monika – that`s how the children call the teachers here: they either Aunty or Sir. So I`m starting to like my new name, too. :) It seems the children like me a lot, which makes me feel good, but I also have a feeling that this mostly not because of being me, but more because of just being white. I was told, that here everybody, already the children think that white people are good people. The children already get excited when they see a white person on the TV, and probably also that`s why they are so excited about me, too. Anyway, it`s all just about the same, when I go out on the streets, too. People are looking at me, the kids are waving to me and everybody is calling me 'obruni' (I think that`s how it`s written), which is the Ghanaian word for a white person. On one of my first days I even had a guy who was taking pictures of me. But I guess I`m getting used to this too, and I guess the point is also, that when I start feeling not so different, then they won`t see me so different either. Anyways, I have already seen a few white people since I`m here, just not around where I`m staying. Near the airport there`s a big shopping mall, where tourist usually go, and today we also went to a funeral (I will write about that more later) where I saw two white girls. I was so happy about them, I was thinking that now at least there`s three of us! :)