Obama To The Rescue

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Food here is dry bread and coffee for breakfast, spaghetti and tomato sauce for lunch, and rice with tomato and sometimes salt fish for dinner. And bananas for snack. I don't really eat tomato, salt fish or bananas, and I don't drink coffee. Rice it is then! There's a shop that sells water and Obama biscuits, which I found a few days ago, so I will stock up on them for now.

On Saturday I went with Christian to his parents cocoa farm. He said it was a 10 minute walk away so I just put on a pair of flip flops and headed out with him. It was nearly 2 hours each way. Thanks again Chris! Obviously the language barrier isn't ideal, but he doesn't help things! When he fist picked me up from the airport, he said that the place I was staying in had running water and air con. But its rainwater that they catch in buckets and he just opens the windows! He said it to me again the other day about running water, so I think he thinks that's what you call it. I've never showered with a bucket before, but its actually pretty easy and enjoyable. I may make a few adjustments to my shower when I get back to Canada.

Things are very very basic here, dirt roads, houses falling to bits, animals running around everywhere, but the people are brilliant and really friendly. There's apparently 2000 people in and around the village, and 1500 of them are kids. Everywhere I go, the kids shout out "Obruni", which apparently means 'Foreigner" or "white man". Its meant in an affectionate way, so its pretty funny when they shout it. I must hear it 50 times a day easily.

Anyway, as we were walking back from Christians family farm, we walked past a house with loads of people outside it. He said that someone had died this morning and that it was his friends father. Then he started laughing his head off, and said "Your second fatality in Ghana!". Chris got jokes! He then went on to tell me about his family, I'd already met his wife, son, daughter, and parents. He told me he had 1 sister and 2 brothers, then he said "I have another brother, but he is now dead!" and started laughing again. I wasn't sure what to say, then he said, "he died 3 days ago, we have funeral soon". I wasn't sure if he was serious or not, as I was here 3 days ago and he hadn't mentioned anything to me about it. I think he was probably just joking about, maybe doing a Borat impression.

Today I went to Christians brothers funeral.

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