The Chief has died (?)

When you're in Ejura for several days in a row, there's not much else to do besides head to a neighboring town to hit up the internet. =)

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Today is day #3 of the Christmas celebration here in Ghana, but I can't quite determine exactly HOW the people celebrate. Kwabena told me that on Christmas Day (yesterday) everyone goes to the bars and drinks. Today, then, they all stay home and eat. But, I haven't seen evidence of either. Most of the shops are still open and everyone is out and about. Go figure.

Our own celebration at the house was fairly low-key. Yesterday I lounged around until lunchtime. I read a book and relaxed in my room. There were several neighborhood boys over to utilize the ping pong table, but other than that, it was fairly quiet.

Kwabena (16) prepared a nice lunch. He's been cooking since Oppong (David) is in Kyekyebon. He's done a really nice job, although the spaghetti was a tad overspiced the other night and all three of us (including Kwabena) had to drink several bags of water to put out the internal fires raging inside our mouths. We all got a good laugh!

Mahadev brought us Christmas chocolate when he came home for lunch. He's been working at Dada's shop in town all during break. Dada was nowhere to be found (apparently he was at the internet. He's always at the internet). We had juice and cookies with our lunch.

Kwabena also made a nice dinner of rice and we drank cokes. His friend Manjit stopped over just as we were finishing dinner and he and Kwabena were whispering about something. I asked them what they were talking about and quietly, he whispered that the chief of Ejura had just died. Hmmm...that's no good, but I saw him at the yam festival and he was no spring chicken. So, I was reasonable to me that he could have passed away.

The boys went on to tell us that when the chief dies, another man must die as well, and his head is buried with the chief so that the man can worship the chief in the afterlife. They tell us that we should not walk around alone at night. Once the man (or woman) is killed and beheaded, there will be a public announcement.

Remember that we are eating on the porch in the pitch black of night, lit only by a tiny candle in the center of the table.

So, yes. We got freaked out.

So much so that earlier in the day Maaike took our cell phones up to the school to recharge and was just about to leave to go get them. But then the boys told the scary story and we bargained with them to go get our phones. We agreed to do the dishes instead. Which, in itself, was a good trade, as doing dishes includes swiping cockroaches out of the sink and using only a bar of soap and cold water to clean the forty dishes that Kwabena used in preparing the meal. But, it was quite the sacrifice if it meant we didn't have to lose our heads! (Nevermind that Kwabena and Manjit might lose their heads...we figured if the story was true, they wouldn't have agreed to go).

Anyway, I don't know if it's true or not. We asked Mahadev when he got home from the shop. He laughed and said he's heard that the chief has died three times in the past three months.

Nonetheless, we now sleep with our doors closed and locked. We were sleeping with them open to get a nice breeze, as our fans no longer work.

The price I'll pay to keep my head.

A few little updates for you:

Tree Farmer: he's nowhere to be found. After we ditched him in the rainstorm on the walk to town, he showed up the next day at school again. I was teaching and he kept asking me to go somewhere with him. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but I think he wanted to take me shopping at the market. I said no. I think he obviously got the hint, but honestly, I kinda miss the guy. Maybe not the guy so much, but the gifts and the attention were kinda fun. Anyhow, the boys make sure to continue teasing me about him. They call me "T.F." short for Tree Farmer.

The Hooligans: The boys that tormented us when we first arrived have chilled into some pretty cool kids. "Cappy" is actually named Wahabu (sp?) and he loves to come over and play games with us. I only call him "Cappy" when he's being bad. He tells me, "I don't like that." "MO-Naughty" is still off living with his father, I believe. He comes into town every month or so for a visit. He has a little brother named Baske, who is just as naughty, though. And "Hoodie" is still around, chasing his donkeys around. Today he was over at the house in just his hooded t-shirt and his undies. He was getting ready to fight a girl who was twice his size. Luckily, it didn't come to blows. His real nickname, we found out is "Area" because he's the toughest boy in the area.

The House Construction: slowly, slowly it is progressing. There are now giant piles of sand everywhere that have to be hand-shoveled into the areas between the foundation walls so the floors can be poured. The place still looks like a war zone and it's hard to find a clear path for exit or entry anywhere. The workers are inconsistent and don't really like Dada so much.

The weather: it's cooling down a bit. A bit. Meaning we still sweat like pigs but it's not constant. The cool showers actually take my breath away occasionally. But, we can sleep through the night, and I even occasionally use my blanket. Though now that I have to sleep with my door closed...

Katy and the boys will be coming home tomorrow. We are all excited for their return. I can't wait to hear how the Kyekyebon experience was. I talked to Katy once, only because she had hiked out to a field to get cell reception in order to call. There was no water (even for drinking) - they had to fetch all of it from a far-off river and boil it - and no electricity. The road to get there induced vomit and she slept on a mattress in a room where there was also a mouse. The toilet was a hole in a board in a barn. And we thought Ejura was rural!!! I am not-so-secretly glad I didn't go. I admire her, though, and look forward to hearing the stories.

I'll be traveling again starting this weekend. I'm going to make a quick trip to Koforidua to attend a wedding with Aminu, the bead-man, before we all head to Cape Coast for New Year's. I think it's a Muslim wedding, so I am excited to witness that. I even bought a shiny new pair of flip flops to wear with my African dress. =)

I'm relieved that Christmas is over. It was a little sad...but I made it. Thanks to all who called, wrote, emailed, and sent text messages. It helped a lot to hear from home. I heard there was some snow. I was deeply jealous. I am glad to have observed a major holiday in another country and it was interesting to see how much we "blow it up" in America. I can appreciate the simplicity of how things work in Ghana, but I also missed the "American Way." Next year.

Hope you are all recovering nicely. Enjoy some leftovers for me and I'll think of you this evening when I eat my yams.

---

---