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Published: September 8th 2006
Today was my 3rd day here in Ghana, i'm staying with a wonderful host family who have 4 young children all under the age of 7 (Femmy-baby, Shaday-3, Ademolah-5 and Shola-7). Also staying with me is another traveler from Germany, Conny. In the house is My Osofomami (reverends wife) and to show us around is Pheobe 24, she knows 3 of the local languages here and knows her way around very well and makes sure that I eat everything and brings me my breakfast, lunch and dinner, always a hot meal. So far I have eaten banku- a soup eaten with the hands and a dough on the side to dip it in. I ate fufu tonight wich is almost the same thing but I like it alittle better. I've also eaten Red red, which is really just a bean mixture served with grilled plaintains, thebeans are good but I don't care much for the plaintains. The oranges here are the juciest oranges I've ever eaten and the rhine is very green and yellow, they are also the size of softballs, sooo good. I also really enjoy their bread here which is just very soft and fresh. I've been eating eggs for breakfast, served either with tea and creme, yes tea - but pheobe makes it really good and i think i'll be able tomake it the same way when I get home. i also drank a WHOLE cup of coffee yesterday with breakfast that Pheobe made sure to prepare for me so that it wasn't bitter. It still tasted like coffee, but it wasn't so bad. I don't think I'll be drinking much more of it, I still don't like it. I still want to try Milo which is basically their version of a chocolate drink that they drink with breakfast. Conny's had it in New Zealand and says its delicious.
Ghana is full of very kind and hospitable people all curious about where I come from and what I do there. The children call me Obroni (o-broony) which means white man if they don't know my name. Its not meant in a bad way just to get my attention. I've already taught the kids in my courtyard how to play hacky sack, they're very good and helping me get better. I've taught the kids hand games, and hopscotch, and other songs that I haven't sung since I was in primary school.
i'm still trying to get used to taking a "shower" from a bucket, and using the toilet without a seat or being able to flush it. Instead of flushing it I have to fetch the water from the well and dump itin the toilet to help everything go down. I've been learning the language here Ewe (e-way) my host familys nephew Kelvin (17) sat with me yesterday and taught me alot, I let him listen to Primus and he liked the bass. He also likes to draw and he saw me outside yesterday with my sketchbook and helped me with it. He's very nice and very interested about the States. My ipod is very low on battery because the kids want to listen to it ALL the time, and I don't have the right travel adaptor, so I'll probably have to buy on on tuesday or something like that. I'm also learning bits of twi (ch-rwi). Maydasi means thank you, where in Ewe Thank you is harder to say because they want you to say Akpe which is pronounced (Ah-KP-eh) the K and the P are supposed to be said at the same time, Mattah (my osofomami) said my pronounciation is good, but the KP sound is all in your throat and I'm still working on feeling confident with it.
I start teaching in the nursery on Monday, which is only a short walk from where i am staying. I haven't really done much the past couple days, Everyone tells me to "Just relax, you are tired, we will get it for you" They always ask me "are u okay?". when I first arrived around 8pm here on the 5th, they told me "this is your home, you need water you get it from the fridge, you want to watch the teley, you go turn it on and watch it." By the way I've been drinking water from little square bags that you have to bite the corner off to suck it out. i've spilled it a couple times, but its not that difficult.
Tommorrow we are going to the beach and Pheobe said we might stop at the Accra Zoo. I've visited the Orphanage here which is very good for the children here because it is also a school. The children in my community want to play games all the time, and snap pictures with my camera. They are just interested but sometimes they can be a bit too much, especially shola, but she's teaching me alot too.
I feel like I have so much to write about it here, i want to put up some of my pictures, but I don't see a USB port at this cafe which is 5,000 cedis for 1 hour of internet which is about .60 american, very cheap.
Its very nice to have conny around, she arrived only 3 days before I did and will be leaving the day after I do. Conny is studying Journalism and is working inthe media house and they are teaching her more twi, and i'm learning more Ewe at the house. She's going to be traveling for a year to South Africa after this on safari, then to Narobi, Australia, Galapagos Islands, and a cross country trip from reno - NYC, after that she goes to New Zealand then back home to Germany. Everyone here speaks english, but its very nice to have roomate to talk to. and a place to stay when I decide to go visit Europe.
I will be trying to post every couple days maybe everyday once i start teaching in the nursery because the cafe isn't too far away. I don't have much time left and I want to check a couple emails.
Its wintertime here so, it drizzles sometimes, but its humid so it feels very good. I didnt' get much sleep until last night. I'm starting to get used to being a Ghanian. :-)
I miss everyone and I'm awaiting your messages so please leave them So i can here from you. :-)
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Catherine Tuck
non-member comment
I Miss U!
Well Miss Thing, I am so excited for you, this will forever change your life. I just WANTED TO SEND MY LOVE TO U! Enjoy every moment you have there. Love Catherine