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Published: August 4th 2006
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Hello, friends! I have not been keeping in touch lately so I do not even know where to begin catching up! Sorry for the lack of communication (I'm working on returning emails now), but I suppose it's a good thing that I am not glued to the internet when I am in
Africa, right?! Nevertheless, I want to let my family know that I alive and well, and so I thought I'd post some pictures and a blog. My sister was in town and I just returned back from Mole National Park last weekend (pictures of elephants are coming soon😊, so there is much catching up to do! You'll have to forgive me if my writing is incoherent---Shakira is being blasted through this internet cafe and everyone in this computer lab is singing along..it's hard to concentrate when I just want to swing to the music;-)
I hope life is swell back home! I hear it has been hot there...which is odd because it is quite chilly now in Accra....I bring a sweater everywhere I go and everyone here acts like it is winter with coats--ha! It has been cloudy for several days now, and apparently they say
Washing
Kelly washing clothes Ghanaian style this the coldest it gets here. Besides enjoying the cooler weather, I had a great time with my sister Kelly and her friend Silvestre who were in town for approximately a week before heading back to Israel. They had a long flight here (24 hours) so we relaxed a little bit at home before heading to the main part of the city…Accra is loud and
busy and therefore, it can be exhausting for first time visitors who are taking in so many new sites and sounds. (I personally have never slept so well in my life as I do here!) After everyone was rested up,
we did some tourist things (such as going to Boti Falls) and we walked
around the city a bit….to be honest though, my favorite part was simply hanging with them and introducing them to my neighbors and to my workplace. The first night Kelly laughed at me because I have learned to speak a lot slower here and I annunciate every word so people can understand me...so, when she spoke, I was nearly overwhelmed by how fast she was speaking! Also, everyone looked at my sister and I as though they were seeing double…I think
Cookin' it up
This is our kitchen...I was cooking Jollof on the gas stove...Jollof is a local Ghanaian dish consistenting of rice, onions, peppers, spice (i use waay less spice than Ghanaians do---they love their spice!), tuna, and tomato paste..and of course lots of oil (the Ghanaian way:):) We just got a fridge a couple of weeks ago and it was sooo exciting to get that for fruit, water, etc!! people thought I was cloning myself—haha😊 There were several funny moments…for instance, Kelly had introduced herself to my neighbor's brother (who we had not yet met) and hung with him for several hours…Later that day, I introduced myself, only to see a look of confusion on his face. Our conversation seemed awkward, only to realize later that he thought we were the same person! You can imagine the look on his face when Kelly walked out😊
There are two situations that I will forever remember with Kelly and Silvestre….
1) Going to Church...I had my first church experience in Ghana, and I have to admit that it'll be my last due to all the attention. Ghanaian hospitality is so amazing and wonderful, and yet, it is nearly impossible to simply fit in or go unnoticed. Kelly, Silvestre, and I went to a huge church at 6:30 AM (and if you know me, you know I was still half asleep at that time) and it was filled with hundreds of people. The mass was nice---with beautiful singing and lots of energy and clapping (which I love😊...after communion, I was whispering to my sister (shame on me😊 only to hear
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The role of religion is huge here...the southern part of Ghana is largely Christian with some Muslims, and the northern part has many Muslims. It is not unusual to see many preachers in a day's time...they are everywhere--on the trotros, the streets, etc. Many people carry Bibles and almost every container (store) has some mention of God or Jesus! So, I see titles such as "The Blood of Jesus Hair Salon" or "God's Grace Tires" all of the time!! the priest saying something in the background like, "There are foreigners in our midst." Then I heard, "Where are the white people?"...and hundreds of eyes turned to stare at us...we waved and smiled (by now i am used to this attention) And then he asked us to stand...the next thing I know an altar server is escorting us to the front of the altar and a microphone is in front of us and they are asking us questions and to introduce ourselves. They could not understand some of our accents so they laughed and then they clapped and cheered for us. We definitely could have done without all of this attention, but after speaking with some of my friends who have been called to the altar and have been asked to sing a hymn, preach, or tell their story of "coming to Jesus", we could only laugh in gratitude that we did not have to do this!
2) After we went to Boti Falls (pictures will be coming soon), it took forever to get home due to traffic and an accident. I asked the driver to drop us near the trotro station by my house and despite confirming with
Sunset
I love viewing the sunsets from where I'm staying! the driver, we somehow ended up at the wrong trotro stop. We ended up walking quite a ways home and by the time we neared home, it was nearly midnight and we were tired and hungry...soo, we stopped at one of the few restaurants by my house. We had a good time watching several hip hop dancers at the restaurant and during the meal my neighbor called me on my cell to see if we were okay. Since the music was so loud, I went out beside the outdoor patio to talk on the phone....I was still in sight of Kelly and Silvestre and by no means, since it was late, was I wandering far. Anyways, as I was on the phone, I became surrounded by men and one of them said something very vulgar to me...when I got off the phone, he kept asking me "how much?" Finally it hit me....this man thought I was a prostitute!!!! hahaha After my jaw had hit the ground and I had recovered it, I said, "I am not a prostitute!" He replied, "Oh, you're not? Well, how can I get to know you then?" So, I quickly stepped away to my sister
Market
This is one tiny view of the huge market where I get my food:) Needless to say I don't buy meat here--because it is all live animals to be killed at home:) Soo, I haven't come home with a live chicken or goat just yet...haha...it's quite a site to see people carrying plastic bags with holes punched through for the chickens' heads...people swing them just as though they were carrying a purse or something:) My neighbors joke me by saying that that for my going- away-party I must kill a chicken...umm, I think not:) (what can I say--I'm like many Americans who eat meat only when we can no longer tell its an animal:) and Silvestre...who throughout the rest of the meal, were also summoned by the others around them. (By the way, we were all very modestly dressed!) We all made a pact that we would eat as quickly as possible and not make any eye contact with anyone else. Since then, I have discovered it is a very popular prostitute hang-out place. It was a very odd situation and we can only laugh about it now...now, if I had been prepared, I could have handed out some HIV/AIDS prevention brochures from the clinic I'm working at and extended our social work services to the local community..haha😊
Well, enough blabbering😊 Overall, things are great---I absolutely love the Ghanaian friends and the patients I have met and I know it's going to be so hard to say goodbye in just two-and-a-half weeks! (although i will be excited to see all of you!) I will post some pics soon from Boti and Mole (we have some wild stories from there as well) But for now, I wish you all well and thanks again for all the notes!
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Rose
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Hi Katie, it's SO wonderful to hear from you. I love reading about your adventures, especially the prostitute one! Gee, a church story and a prostitute story in one blog - good work. BTW, Jollof sounds wonderful. Hugs, Rose