Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Yevu In UK (Summertime!)

A few weeks ago I became Yevu in UK, rather than Yevu in Ghana, as I set out on my way back home to take in some Olympic spirit. The last couple of months in Ghana had been a little torrid. Another tense situation regarding accommodation (brought on by a blog no less!) and swiftly diminishing funds had taken their toll somewhat.

After a nice evening with Olgasm and Joshua, who kindly delivered put me up on my last night and delivered me to the airport, I was on my way through immigration and to my (fortunately upgraded) flight home on Virgin Atlantic. (Incidentally, it was the nicest flight I have had. Champagne and leather seats!)

I reached London, and enjoyed being filmed by Chinese media coming out of departures. Olympic fever had started and I, for a split second, could pretend I was an olympian! (A chinese one!) I had one day home, trying to reacclimatise, before the other half of my distance relationship turned up for a few weeks. (I won't go into the difficulties of being with someone in a different continent, but it was great to finally see her again!)

This was to be my first British summer in 3 years and I was really looking forward to it. If the weather happened to be rainy and cold, I was ready and prepared to have a long awaited rest bite from the sun! There was a little rain, but the sun did come out to greet us on a number of occasions on my first few days back.

I don't know if its me getting old, but I did notice one thing in the sun which was a little disturbing. I was walking around in Farnham, and I couldn't help notice that young girls seem to be wearing hardly any clothes! Girls of no more the 13 walking around in the shortest of shorts and little tops. Of course I was not looking too closely, but it is hard not to notice. I can't believe their parents allow them to go out like this. Anyway, enough of my old man talk!

The next thing I noticed (this time about myself!) is that I seemed to have lost the ability to small talk! I found it increasingly difficult to be interested in little conversations with friends and family, and also found it difficult to actually believe they were interested in what I had to say. I think (hope) I am getting back in to the swing of being able to communicate her again, but for a while I just couldn't get into a conversation. At the wedding of my dear friends Luke and Natalie, I spent half the time (probably more than half the time) clueless as to how to enter the conversation! It was quite embarrassing actually, siting and listening and hoping to find a way in, but nothing came out. Not wit, no jokes, not even something sensible! Have I really become one of those boring guys that sits in the corner with no beneficial input!

I have a theory on this, which I have discussed with a couple of friends in Ghana. Most conversations in Ghana seem to be either gossip related, complaining, or both. The longer you live there (annoyingly) the more you complain about things. If you personally don't have anything to complain about, you can be sure that the other person you are talking about will do. It may be a personal problem, a problem of somebody else, a problem with somebody else, the sun, the rain, the food, money, girls, boys, etc etc etc. There is always something to gossip or complain about. This ends up as a cauldron of negativity and any other types of conversation are quickly eradicated! I am pretty sure this is why I have had a little problem fitting back in to conversational Britain!

Another (disastrous) incident that has occurred since being back was a small, but destructive, prang in my car. I happened to go into the back of someone else's car. whilst her car seemedly only had a few scratches, mine was a little crumpled to say the least. This meant the end to my little Corsa, that has served me and others well over recent years. It has been a wedding car, a removal van, airport taxi and still drove around very well. But without it I was stuck at home (with my on holiday Girlfriend) and unable to get to London or travel around. Thankfully, my mother offered her car for us to get around in. (Although I am still a little guilty for taking her mode of transport!) But, no car definitely inhibits me and future trips back to UK, or even staying in the UK a little longer!

But, I was able to watch a large part of the London Olympics. It was great to be here through such a marvelous event! I was hoping to cover it for one of the Ghanaian networks, but unfortunately after agreeing it was a good idea, I didn't hear from them again! Regardless though it was a brilliant performance by the athletes and the country as a whole to make the London Olympics a very special affair! I wish that I was 10 years younger so that I could have been inspired to take up a sport seriously! I was able to get down to Trafalgar Square to watch the mens marathon. It was great to see so many people from so many nationalities out cheering everyone along. In fact those that were furthest behind got the loudest cheer. At the end when one athlete, from Lesotho, strolled past, obviously completely exhausted, he got loud cheers of encouragement in the final stages of the marathon! Was really wonderful to see all the different nationalities getting together, taking pictures together and getting along brilliantly! Multi Cultural Britain at its best!

Anyway, now I have to make some big decisions. Yevu in Ghana, or Yevu in UK? I have had a lot of input from friends and family in the UK and Ghana, but it is certainly a difficult decision to make. It isn't so easy to get a job in the UK, and I still have some unfinished business in Ghana. So, do I start a new adventure, or continue with the old one?

(open to suggestions, ideas and JOB OFFERS!)

@yevucee