Blogs from Ghana, Africa - page 10

Friday was sleep-in day. After our adventures in Volta region yesterday, it was nice to relax a bit again. Frank and I purchased tickets to Kumasi for tomorrow and set out to run errands. Drives that would normally take 15 minutes at home take an hour or more. Nothing can be done quickly. The goal for the day was to finalize the land purchase. We had to get money, then go to the real estate office and sign paperwork. (He signed. I was just along for the ride.) It was pretty exciting though. On the way home, we were in the neighborhood where Frank lived while in junior high school, Dansoman. He showed me the house where he lived and the bakery his mother set up for his grandmother. It was called Check Check Bakery. His ... read more

Frank woke me up early and said the mechanic was here. I said, “I’ll hold down the fort,” and rolled back over to go to sleep. Once I got up, Frank and I went to get cash. On the way, we saw a woman dressed differently from the others. He said she is a refugee from Mali. There are several living here in our part of town. They have been here for a while but still have no permanent anything. From my understanding, refugees are allowed to live here, but no one is really helping them with anything. The mechanics came to the house and fixed the car. It cost about 15 bucks. It turns out the wheel on the spare tire was not the right size, so it was rubbing on the breaks. Even though ... read more

After another great night’s sleep, we woke up a little earlier so we could hit the road. We had big plans for the day. First, breakfast. Rosemary, Frank, Alex, and I walked to a shop down the street for rice. While we were waiting for our food, some other guys walked up and started chatting in a local language. Alex sidled up along me and told me they were talking about me. “If I had her, I’d never work a day in my life. I bet she’s a billionaire!” This is a fairly common perception held about obrunis- everyone from America is loaded. While we were eating, Frank told me what the men were saying as well. He said he could barely hold his tongue, he was so mad while they were talking. All that stuff ... read more

I woke up around 630, I think. I was cold, sort of. The overhead fan was blowing like crazy, and I liked the breeze, but I wanted a barrier between me and the air. (I’m just sleeping on a mattress- no top sheet or blankets.) I covered myself with a towel and laid back down I listened. To Africa. I love that sound. Birds chirped and leaves blew outside as people shuffled around in their flip-flops (slippers). The fan clicked overhead. Chickens clucked, and a dog whined. I smiled and fell back to sleep. A few hours later, it was time to get up for real. Rosemary made Frank and I porridge- roasted cassava, ground up and cooked in water. It was fine, but not my favorite, mostly because it was really hot. Alex and Rita ... read more

I had planned to write some big, fancy, exciting blog to kick-off our trip to Ghana. Instead, this is all you get. Apparently having a full-time job and leaving on Christmas ensured not everything on my list got completed. But, it's time! Frank and I are sitting in the airport about to board the flight to Seattle, then across the pond!... read more