A ping pong table and a Ghanian wedding

Hello...

I'm sitting in the internet cafe today in Kumasi...determined to post a photo!!! So far I've been here for over an hour with no luck. So...I figured I better write something in my blog while I am sitting here!

This past week flew by despite the fact that we've been without electricity since October 31st. We're on day #11. And, actually, it hasn't been too inconvenient. Besides charging our phones and ipods, and cooling off in front of the fan at night...the biggest change has been to our bedtime. It gets dark here around 6:30. So...after dinner and a shower, there's not a whole lot to do when it's so dark. I guess I'm catching up on all the sleep that I lack in the U.S.

The big news of the week was that I purchased a ping pong table for the boys. They used to have one, but it spoiled. "Spoiled" is the term used here whenever anything breaks or goes bad. It is a very commonly-used term. So...about a week ago I asked Akwasi where I could purchase a ping pong table. We started asking around, and found a used one that was available for sale. It's not in the best shape. It's totally homemade and kinda falling apart, but the boys LOVE it! It is nice to have something to do at the house besides playing cards or playing soccer. The boys have started charging money for their friends to play, which is a great idea, I think. It costs about three cents per game.

The other big event was that Katy, Maaike, and I attended our first Ghanian wedding yesterday. Our seamstress, Felicia, invited us to her sister's wedding. She showed us the invitation, and it said it was an "Engagement Blessing." We just thought it was like an engagement party or something. So we said we'd go. No problem. So yesterday morning, we all dressed up in the dresses that Felicia sewed for us and headed to the church. It started at 10. We showed up at 10. There were only about five other people there. We were handed a progaram. It said, "Marriage Blessing," and it looked like a wedding program to me. The program also said, "Starts PROMPTLY at 10." It started at 11:00.

It was a wedding. Yay! My first African wedding!!! On my list of "to-do" here is to attend a wedding and a funeral. It was a great wedding. There was lots of dancing in the aisle of the church. Think congo-line style. Yes, we all danced.

It was a fairly traditional Christian wedding. I'm not sure if they had a separate ceremony, as this was called the "Marriage Blessing," but it was fairly typical, including songs, readings, a sermon, exchanging of vows and rings. There was no kiss, though. Ghana seems to be a fairly conservative country, as far as public displays of affection go. At one point the groom put his arm around his new bride and the whole church went crazy. Hootin' and hollerin'. The best part, by far, was the singing and dancing. Most people here carry handkerchiefs with them to wipe the sweat from their brow during the day. The handkerchiefs also double as flags to wave during songs. So the hankies were a-flyin'! The bride wore a beautiful dress - made of peach and green floral fabric. Her groom wore a "man dress" made out of the same fabric. There weren't attendants, and the bride and groom sat up at the front of the church for most of the cermony.

We were at the church from 10:00 to 1:30. We skipped out on the reception, as we had told David, our cook, that we would be home for lunch. Not to worry, though, Felicia dished us some rice and meat into styrofoam containers so we could take them home. Wedding take-out? No way! It was a fun experience. A surprise wedding. I enjoyed it.

What else is going on? Oh - I talked with staff members at Nelsen Middle School this week. They are doing some fundraising to purchase wheelchairs for people with disabilities in Ghana. Their project is going along with the story of "Emmanuel's Gift." I will pass more information along as I get it. I've offered to be involved in any way I can from here...so it will be fun to learn more about it. One of my students from last year, Brittany I., is involved in the project, as well. I received a really nice email from her last week. I look foward to being a part of this.

Well, my picture posting project has not been successful. I have tried to post on my blog, on photobucket, and on flickr. Finally, my camera battery died, so I didn't even get one photo up. I'm sorry! I will try harder next time. It's so frustrating!!!

Hey - if you're reading my blog, send me an email or post a comment. I am curious to see who is reading it. =)

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