Adaptations

After one month, I've discovered that some of my tastes have dramatically changed. Here's a Top-5 list of things I never liked before but now do. Those of you who know me well will understand this as evidence of the lengths to which the human spirit will go to adapt to new circumstances:

(5) Chocolate and Chocolate Cookies

So ubiquitous. So non-mysterious. So cheap. The bang for the buck, calorically-speaking, is much appreciated.

(4) Shpants

Okay, technically, I suppose they're more like capri pants, but whatever. Long enough to be modest, short enough to clear the dirt, fitted enough to avoid snaggable objects. Brilliant. My new favorite item of clothing.

(3) Sidewalks

At home in College Terrace, they gave me claustrophobia; here they make me want to weep with joy. See CLA's latest post, but by any objective measure, Ghanaians are in the running for worst drivers in the world. The further away I can be as a pedestrian, the better.

(2) Soda

Mmmm. So refreshing, so cold. Often easier to find than water. And to top it off, you can feel self-righteous while downing your favorite fizzy product, since distributors recycle glass bottles. In the face of unbelievable amounts of litter--both on the ground and clogging the open sewers--there's a reason to feel good about this newfound vice.

(1) Television

Most of you know that I've been in a long-term, stable, monogamous relationship with the New York Times. But I admit it; I'm having an affair. Without easy internet access to papers and the blogosphere, I've come to treasure the occasional half-hour of CNN in Ghana TV's lineup. Yes, me, who has chanted "CNN is not the news" at rallies. Sigh. I'm not proud.

But in my defense, I believe that one can learn from GTV, even with its unpredictable and violent volume swings. For one thing, Ghana has nailed the song-and-dance Public Service Announcement. Currently, there's one about why we should all celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence. Think karaoke bouncing ball, an upbeat west african melody, a macarena-style dance....Another one addresses the upcoming currency change (knocking off 4 zeros in June), reassuring people that they won't suddenly be destitute. Hear it once, and "there is no change in value; the value is the same" will be in your head for weeks. Now that's effective advertising. I think there could be an amazing showdown between GTV's PSA department and the Bay Area's Mattress Discounters. (I apologize for putting it in your head, but now you know what I'm talking about...) Finally, I have to commend the "Presidential Science Education Initiative," by which snippets of physics, chemistry, and biology lectures are broadcast on GTV. This is nothing like Bill Nye or even Mr. Wizard. This is straight-up balancing equations, converting units, answering questions about the digestive tract...during the hours when the rest of the world is tuning into soap operas.

Still, even if they have their charms (I mean, hello, solving physics problems on national TV?!?), I'm pretty sure none of these fads of mine will last...after all, the human spirit is also ultimately stubborn.