So this morning at too early o’clock I’m driving in my car on the way to work when this mosquito plants himself on my window like he’s checking me out. I managed to give him a good wack, he dies and all this fresh blood seeps out and onto my window. My blood. The bastard managed to get me on my arm, my upper thigh (thorough my jeans) and as I speak I realise he got me on my back (through my blouse). Already I’m still suffering the affects of the last attack in which I dragged myself to work although my body ached from head to toe and my insides felt like they were about to be ripped out.

The first time I got malaria in this country was about 6 months after I got to Ghana. I was working at MTN then and we had gone away for an away day outside of Accra for a workshop. We got back to Accra in the evening where I sat at this food/bar place called Tasty Jerk in Osu with my cousins for a few drinks, so basically I was outside in one capacity or another for 12 hours. On the Saturday I felt a bit down, but put it down to the alcohol the night before. Sunday is a lazy day anyway so it was normal for me to spend most of the day in bed. Monday I got up to go to the shower and got to the door and realized ‘houston we have a problem here’. I went down, just managed to drag myself back to bed (thank the lord for an ensuite bathroom else I would not have made it). It didn’t actually occur to me that I had malaria until 2 days later when I managed to get myself to the hospital. After waiting in the queue for almost an hour in what is supposed to be a private clinic, I see the doctor. She asks a few questions, then tells me it’s malaria, take a three day course of anti-malaria and stay off work for 3 days to rest, she passes me my prescription and my note and sends me on my way. I was expecting a blood test at least but hey she was the doctor and used to such symptoms (although I have come to realize since that you go to a hospital in Ghana for any ailment and the first thing they put it down to is malaria, blocked nose: take a malaria test, heartburn?: it might be malaria, headache: let’s see if it’s malaria).

I took my course, 3 days later I was fine. Ever since then, getting malaria has been like getting the flu, it comes I go to the hospital, get my drugs, get a couple of days off work and I’m back. On the plus side I was a bit chunky at the time and the three days of running stomach and loss of appetite did make me loose a few pounds (every cloud…lol).

But it’s a sickness I could really do without, and these pesky creatures malaria aside are just a nuisance. Not only do the cause excessive scratching but to add salt to the wound they then come buzzing in your ear as if to taunt you. I hate them, really hate them, which is why I took special pleasure this morning in killing that one this morning, see what drawing my blood achieved, nothing, you are not alive to even enjoy it, let it be a lesson to your friends biyach!!!

So on to taxi drivers, not just taxi drivers but tro-tro drivers too. Why they don’t have sense I do not know, is it a prequisite for being a commercial driver, that you should have little sense as humanly possible. II passed my test in 1997 but never bought a car in London as I just didn’t need to. Here in Ghana it was my first priority even before I found a place of my own (thank God for my family). I have had 3 minor accidents since I’ve been in Ghana, luckily it has only caused a few bumps and scratches to my car. All were caused by commercial drivers and all in traffic. Why because when there is a little bit of traffic, they have to find a way of getting round it and damn you the car driver who happens to be in their way. Even if there is a small space between you and the car in front, they have to squeeze into it, because waiting that 30 seconds will really cause them a major delay *rolling my eyes*. Where they are in a hurry to go to I don’t know, because when the road is free too, there car is not able to move past 20 MPH (I don’t know how these cars pass their MOT but somehow they manage to prove that the car is roadworthy). Unfortunately the money that could be used on better road infrastructure and transportation is being squandared by some fat cat who has built his big house for himself and his family, the change he uses to take his 20 year old girlfriend on holidays to Dubai and America for shopping.

I in the meantime am having to dodge the tro-tro and taxi drivers so as to avoid putting another dent in my car, which means basically leaving the house crazy o’clock to avoid traffic (they are at the height of stupidity during rush hour traffic), with just the mosquitoes for company. I think the traffic situation wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for these idiot drivers, but hey they are the only means of public transport so what can we do….

London Transport…..all is forgiven!!!