Day 1 of filming Ya wa odze oye went well considering the circumstances (the name is Fante and roughly translates to "something good"). We started off an hour late, of course. All the streetlights were out, which is why the host of the show was an hour late. Too bad I've only seen 3 lights in Cape Coast and no one follows the rules of the road anyway. The Anaafo community boasts a market and fishery where they make their own fishing nets because fishing is their livelihood. Filming in the market was very difficult because of the noise and the tiny corridors between stalls. Edwin, the host, is definitely full of ideas, but making them come to life on camera is not easy. As I maneuvered backwards through tiny corridors trying to hold a camera steady and not crash into someone's stall as I walked I could only imagine what the footage was going to look like. Surprisingly it doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. I guess that's why a good camera is worth the price. I haven't been able to edit much because the whole show is in the Fante language, which bears no resemblance whatsoever to any language I know. The work is tiring and stressful, but it's cool to see the different lifestyles of people who just live across town. Edwin mentioned filming 2 communities a week after this episode, but I don't know if I can handle that in this heat. I honestly can't imagine living the way Africans do. Even in my slightly westernized house I'm having trouble. Cold bucket showers have gotten old fast, as has the finicky electricity and gutted cars that pass for taxis. It is amazing and frustrating to me that there is no trash or sanitation systems in place in what is supposed to be one of the most modern cities in West Africa. Everyone just throws their trash on the ground or into the gutters, and I've seen everyone from babies to adults using the restroom wherever they are standing at that moment. Even just with the addition of a trash and sanitation system the entire city could change. Of course, implementing either of those things would not be easy, but in my opinion they would be completely worth the effort.