Language Barriers

Sorry, its been a few weeks since my last post, the internet wasn't working for a while. No worries though, all is well. I have exciting news for anyone who has not heard yet... My brother came home from his mission in Japan this week and my other brother got his mission call to Asencion, Paraguay North this week too!!
David, who was in Japan sounded like a 1st generation Japanese American kid- his laugh and accent were pretty thick, it was awesome. It seems like this last week was a party everyday. Thursday I called home, Friday was our group member Amy's birthday and today found out I have official IRB approval... Just in time for us to go on our midsemester retreat to Cape Coast.
Last night, we had the biggest storm since I've been here in Ghana- it poured for 5 hours at least, and it is still drizzling today. It makes me miss home where we have rains like that for days during the hurricane season. I made a little taste of home for the birthday party- salsa! It tasted pretty normal too. The funny part was that as I was preparing it Grace and Christiana were watching it and were so confused as to what I was doing- I didn't use oil and I added fruit to the cooked vegetables. I got them to try a bit, but they hardly touched it. I think it was too foreign for them. Don't worry it wasn't the spice that was the problem, I think it had to do with the temperature (we chilled it) and the fruit mixed in. Well we gobbled it all up with some homemade chips and crackers.
So I had a few unexpected things happen that were not expected. So I have been joking all along about the number of marriage proposals I receive daily, and I think for the most part the boys and men that ask are only joking and do not take offense when I laugh and walk away. Well, I had a strange visitor over the past few days who found out where I live and has come to the house at least 3 times that I know about. I suppose I met him in town once and talked to him shortly and left. The first time he came I was sitting inside the courtyard and he spoke with Grace and Christiana asking if he could see me and I was there and had no idea who he was. he kept trying to take my hand and I would take it back again and then I told him I was busy and he offered to help and then I told him he should leave (no worries, I was trying to be polite) he kept mumbling about chemistry between us and how he prayed that I would say yes and I said oh don't do that ( I was almost prepared to teach him a gospel principle about agency). then I said here I will show you the door and led him back to the gate and asked him to leave, then he tried to hug me and I was about to pull out my self defense moves, but luckily he got the picture that I wanted him to leave, whew! I came back around the corner and of course Grace and Christiana were trying hard not to laugh, and then the other students came out of their rooms to laugh also. Apparently they were listening to the entire conversation and were thinking about coming to rescue me, of course no one actually did. I thought that would be the end of it, but oh no... later that evening I was on my way to an appointment and he came trotting up the path and I was very cold and he said something about me not having a phone so he would buy me one. I said no, please go away, I am not interested. Grace was with me also and she told him in Twi that if he did not stop bothering me she would call the police. Apparently he did not get the picture then either because he came back yesterday all dressed up. I saw him and told him to go away adn I dashed up the stairs into Grace and Christiana's house and hid out there until he was gone. Apparently the subtle hints don't work on Ghanaian men either. I thought I was direct, but maybe men hear what they want to hear.