Sunday, June 21, 2009 - Ghana Adventure Day 16
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed December 30)
This morning, Lydia went swimming, but Akos wouldn't - her poor head was hurting too much. She refused to go to the market with us, too - just wanted to play on my iPhone. But, we were going, so she didn't have a choice in the matter. The market was a crazy place. The vendors were so pushy, but one in the back, a friend of Uncle P's, was nice. He stood back and let us browse in peace, and answered price questions when asked. We bought nearly everything on our list from him, as thanks for giving us the time and space to make our own decisions. His prices were very fair, as well. He was grateful and gave me a lovely black and white necklace as a thank-you gift.
During the market adventure, I learned that an elephant with its trunk pointed upward represents good luck. We found out that the meaning of a popular Adinkra symbol (which is on a batik stamper I bought, as well as on bracelets for the girls) means "except God." We found some kente bookmarks, a talking drum, a mancala game, a "good luck" elephant for Don, and some traditional jewelry and dresses for each of the three girls.
After that, we went to the much more modern Koala Market for some snacks for the room. I hoped to buy some paper and crayons or a board game for the girls, but was astounded to see that a 64-box of Crayola crayons is about $35, and board games are about $80-100!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Beds and braids
Saturday, June 20, 2009 - Ghana Adventure Day 15
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed December 30)
This morning, our main priority was a visit to Auntie E's house - Auntie E is the very sweet foster mother who had taken care of Akos. Sadly, the recent rainstorm that was going on during our drive to Cape Coast resulted in such flooding in her area that her home was filled with sewage-filled floodwater. The mattress, which was on the floor, was soaked and unusable. So, we went in search of a bedframe and mattress for her. ( I had also brought a mosquito net I had purchased before the trip.) As with most things here, the beds are bought along the roadside. With Uncle P's help, as always, we found a foam mattress at a roadside stand that was just right. Right nearby was a furniture shop. The talented craftsman who makes the furniture was very nice, and was hard at work polishing his latest piece. His work is just beautiful - astounding what he can do without benefit of any power tools at all! His workshop was a dingy place, and I had a hard time imagining how he creates such quality furniture in a place like this. Such hard work, and he asks very little for it. Solid wood full-size headboard, footboard, frame sides, and support slats for 95 cedis - that's less than $70! Not a fair price for him at all, I thought, so we added some extra.
Lydia fell in love with an emaciated kitten at the mattress stand, but Akos didn't want much to do with it. Lydia wished we could bring it home with us or at least to the hotel, but we had to accept that we couldn't help it. Obviously, it wouldn't pass customs, and as much as we adore animals, in a place like this where the people don't have enough to eat, trying to feed a pet would be a true hardship. Uncle P asssured Lydia that someone must be helping the kitten at least a little, or he wouldn't be hanging around there, and that the best for him was to leave him there.
Our visit with Auntie E went well. She was moved to tears by the new bed, mattress and netting. We helped get everything set up for her, and felt so thankful that we had been able to help her in this way. We visited with the other foster children in her care - two of whom are Constance and Jonathan, whose adoptive mom we'll meet Sunday. We took photos for the Padillas, for which they were very grateful. I think they are adopting a couple of wonderful children! There is one little boy at Auntie P's who is convinced that Uncle P is going to be his daddy - he sobs whenever Uncle P has to leave - just heartbreaking. None of the kids wanted to see him go - they love him, and he clearly loves them, too.
After we returned to the hotel, it was time for Akos to get her new braids. The price was unimaginably low - it took 6 hours, with very tiny braids, and we were only charged 11 cedis! It looks very nice, but Akos was uncomfortable during the braiding session. She was quiet and hardly said a word, but crying later because the braids hurt so much. I had no idea it was a painful thing at all - I felt so bad for her. We gave her some ibuprofen, which helped a little, but the salon staff had told us that it would be much better in a few days.
By the time the braiding was over, we were all far too exhausted for dinner, and just went straight to bed. Whew - what a long day!
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed December 30)
This morning, our main priority was a visit to Auntie E's house - Auntie E is the very sweet foster mother who had taken care of Akos. Sadly, the recent rainstorm that was going on during our drive to Cape Coast resulted in such flooding in her area that her home was filled with sewage-filled floodwater. The mattress, which was on the floor, was soaked and unusable. So, we went in search of a bedframe and mattress for her. ( I had also brought a mosquito net I had purchased before the trip.) As with most things here, the beds are bought along the roadside. With Uncle P's help, as always, we found a foam mattress at a roadside stand that was just right. Right nearby was a furniture shop. The talented craftsman who makes the furniture was very nice, and was hard at work polishing his latest piece. His work is just beautiful - astounding what he can do without benefit of any power tools at all! His workshop was a dingy place, and I had a hard time imagining how he creates such quality furniture in a place like this. Such hard work, and he asks very little for it. Solid wood full-size headboard, footboard, frame sides, and support slats for 95 cedis - that's less than $70! Not a fair price for him at all, I thought, so we added some extra.
Lydia fell in love with an emaciated kitten at the mattress stand, but Akos didn't want much to do with it. Lydia wished we could bring it home with us or at least to the hotel, but we had to accept that we couldn't help it. Obviously, it wouldn't pass customs, and as much as we adore animals, in a place like this where the people don't have enough to eat, trying to feed a pet would be a true hardship. Uncle P asssured Lydia that someone must be helping the kitten at least a little, or he wouldn't be hanging around there, and that the best for him was to leave him there.
Our visit with Auntie E went well. She was moved to tears by the new bed, mattress and netting. We helped get everything set up for her, and felt so thankful that we had been able to help her in this way. We visited with the other foster children in her care - two of whom are Constance and Jonathan, whose adoptive mom we'll meet Sunday. We took photos for the Padillas, for which they were very grateful. I think they are adopting a couple of wonderful children! There is one little boy at Auntie P's who is convinced that Uncle P is going to be his daddy - he sobs whenever Uncle P has to leave - just heartbreaking. None of the kids wanted to see him go - they love him, and he clearly loves them, too.
After we returned to the hotel, it was time for Akos to get her new braids. The price was unimaginably low - it took 6 hours, with very tiny braids, and we were only charged 11 cedis! It looks very nice, but Akos was uncomfortable during the braiding session. She was quiet and hardly said a word, but crying later because the braids hurt so much. I had no idea it was a painful thing at all - I felt so bad for her. We gave her some ibuprofen, which helped a little, but the salon staff had told us that it would be much better in a few days.
By the time the braiding was over, we were all far too exhausted for dinner, and just went straight to bed. Whew - what a long day!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Visit to Korle-Bu Hospital
Friday, June 19, 2009 - Ghana Adventure Day 14
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed December 30)
This morning, we had our trip to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. I was so happy to finally meet Eunice! (Dr. Eunice Adei, a senior resident who has been working with me on what supplies are needed.) She is very pretty, with lots of thin, tiny braids. Akos liked her hair, and wants her braids just the same way. Dr. Adei and all the staff were SO grateful for everything we brought. They took photos, and so did we. We went through all the supplies, then she took us on a tour of the Children’s Block. It is a dismal place, but they are certainly doing all they can. Very few of the rooms have air conditioning. The beds are old, with peeling paint on the metal, and rust. There are stains all over the walls, ceilings, and of course, the floors. We saw a girl probably about 4 years old with a soft tissue tumor pushing her cheek out so far, the tumor was almost as large as her head. The hallways were crowded with moms feeding their babies, since there was no room by the babies’ beds. The nurses wear very crisp, brightly white, old-fashioned uniforms. The head nurse of each unit is the matron. Eunice introduced me to the matron of each unit as we went by. She showed me the rigged-up blindfolds to protect eyes from bili-lights (we brought some eye covers designed for that purpose). She showed me a baby getting oxygen through a feeding tube because they had no nasal cannulas (we brought nasal cannulas), and a baby probably less than 1 ½ pounds-2 pounds with a regular newborn diaper that practically swallowed him up (we brought Wee Pee diapers from Children’s Medical Ventures, designed for micro-preemies). The outpatient area consisted of a large crowd of people and a couple of desks (small), each with two doctors trying to examine their patients in the chairs. Paperwork covered the desks completely. The emergency room is SOO small and dingy – very little ventilation, and very hot. They will sometimes have 30-40 patients in that room, no bigger than 8x12. The most memorable was the NICU – all the preemies! Most were in incubators, but they had a special KMC (Kangaroo Mother Care) unit, in which the moms are to keep the baby wrapped on their chests, skin-to-skin. We got to take some photos of a little girl, certainly less than 2 pounds. The mom even held her out and gave her to Lydia to hold! Wow! We then went next door to another KMC room, where mother with teeny tiny twin boys was getting them re-wrapped onto her chest. The mother in the next bed (so close, you could barely walk between them) watched with a very neutral expression. She had a little baby girl on the bed. The nurse said, “This one had twin girls, but one passed, so she is left with one.” She said it in a voice that didn’t sound solemn or sad – actually almost cheerful…very unsettling. But, I guess that is so common here that it’s not a big deal. At home, such a mom would be in a private room and would have a rose or other symbol on her door to let everyone know to be extra gentle and respectful with her.
After the hospital trip, we went to get Akos’ visa pictures and to pick up her medical report. We also got some more cedis for me. The exchange is 1.4 cedis for a dollar – but if you pay in dollars, they give you the same change as if it were a 1:1 exchange. So, if you spend dollars, you will spend LOTS more for the same product. Finally, the big wild-goose chase – my Canon camera (the nice one) is out of batteries, and I can’t get my battery charger to work! How horrible to think of not being able to get decent pictures the whole rest of the trip – the back-up camera, the little purple Polaroid, takes terrible pictures - almost always out of focus. So, Uncle P took us all over, mainly in the Osu area, to look for a battery charger, and we had no luck with it at all. Great news, though – I got back to the room and found an e-mail from Rebekah Padilla, saying she is coming to Ghana on Sunday! She’s adopting Constance and Jonathan, who are staying as the same foster home where Akos stayed. Rebekah was happy to bring me a charger, so I found a photo shop near her home in Torrance, CA, paid over the phone, and Rebekah picked it up later in the day! Yay! She is going to be staying at our hotel, so I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun together.
I had lobster with garlic butter sauce tonight – even cheaper than prawns! Only 18 cedis, which is $12.85. Yummy!!! The girls both had chicken and rice – SO good – they ate really well. We had ice cream, too, which was surprisingly expensive (we didn't think to check the price until afterward) – 6 cedis just for plain ice cream. Strange!
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed December 30)
This morning, we had our trip to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. I was so happy to finally meet Eunice! (Dr. Eunice Adei, a senior resident who has been working with me on what supplies are needed.) She is very pretty, with lots of thin, tiny braids. Akos liked her hair, and wants her braids just the same way. Dr. Adei and all the staff were SO grateful for everything we brought. They took photos, and so did we. We went through all the supplies, then she took us on a tour of the Children’s Block. It is a dismal place, but they are certainly doing all they can. Very few of the rooms have air conditioning. The beds are old, with peeling paint on the metal, and rust. There are stains all over the walls, ceilings, and of course, the floors. We saw a girl probably about 4 years old with a soft tissue tumor pushing her cheek out so far, the tumor was almost as large as her head. The hallways were crowded with moms feeding their babies, since there was no room by the babies’ beds. The nurses wear very crisp, brightly white, old-fashioned uniforms. The head nurse of each unit is the matron. Eunice introduced me to the matron of each unit as we went by. She showed me the rigged-up blindfolds to protect eyes from bili-lights (we brought some eye covers designed for that purpose). She showed me a baby getting oxygen through a feeding tube because they had no nasal cannulas (we brought nasal cannulas), and a baby probably less than 1 ½ pounds-2 pounds with a regular newborn diaper that practically swallowed him up (we brought Wee Pee diapers from Children’s Medical Ventures, designed for micro-preemies). The outpatient area consisted of a large crowd of people and a couple of desks (small), each with two doctors trying to examine their patients in the chairs. Paperwork covered the desks completely. The emergency room is SOO small and dingy – very little ventilation, and very hot. They will sometimes have 30-40 patients in that room, no bigger than 8x12. The most memorable was the NICU – all the preemies! Most were in incubators, but they had a special KMC (Kangaroo Mother Care) unit, in which the moms are to keep the baby wrapped on their chests, skin-to-skin. We got to take some photos of a little girl, certainly less than 2 pounds. The mom even held her out and gave her to Lydia to hold! Wow! We then went next door to another KMC room, where mother with teeny tiny twin boys was getting them re-wrapped onto her chest. The mother in the next bed (so close, you could barely walk between them) watched with a very neutral expression. She had a little baby girl on the bed. The nurse said, “This one had twin girls, but one passed, so she is left with one.” She said it in a voice that didn’t sound solemn or sad – actually almost cheerful…very unsettling. But, I guess that is so common here that it’s not a big deal. At home, such a mom would be in a private room and would have a rose or other symbol on her door to let everyone know to be extra gentle and respectful with her.
After the hospital trip, we went to get Akos’ visa pictures and to pick up her medical report. We also got some more cedis for me. The exchange is 1.4 cedis for a dollar – but if you pay in dollars, they give you the same change as if it were a 1:1 exchange. So, if you spend dollars, you will spend LOTS more for the same product. Finally, the big wild-goose chase – my Canon camera (the nice one) is out of batteries, and I can’t get my battery charger to work! How horrible to think of not being able to get decent pictures the whole rest of the trip – the back-up camera, the little purple Polaroid, takes terrible pictures - almost always out of focus. So, Uncle P took us all over, mainly in the Osu area, to look for a battery charger, and we had no luck with it at all. Great news, though – I got back to the room and found an e-mail from Rebekah Padilla, saying she is coming to Ghana on Sunday! She’s adopting Constance and Jonathan, who are staying as the same foster home where Akos stayed. Rebekah was happy to bring me a charger, so I found a photo shop near her home in Torrance, CA, paid over the phone, and Rebekah picked it up later in the day! Yay! She is going to be staying at our hotel, so I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun together.
I had lobster with garlic butter sauce tonight – even cheaper than prawns! Only 18 cedis, which is $12.85. Yummy!!! The girls both had chicken and rice – SO good – they ate really well. We had ice cream, too, which was surprisingly expensive (we didn't think to check the price until afterward) – 6 cedis just for plain ice cream. Strange!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Mystery in the bathroom
Thursday, June 18 - Ghana Adventure Day 13
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed December 30)
Uncle P came this morning to take us to Accra. We had a long breakfast with him, then hit the road. It looked much nicer this time, without the heavy rain. It was a very pretty day. We arrived at our hotel, the Regency, around 2 pm. Oh, my gosh – it’s so much nicer than Crystal Rose! It is a lovely set of brick buildings, with 2 HUGE courtyards – one just plants and patio/courtyard area, one with the beautiful, sparkling pool. It has a restaurant AND a separate bar and grill, a salon, and a beautiful reception desk area. Everyone is so attentive – feels as attentive and more friendly than a Hilton, etc. The staff rushes to open doors for us, and brought us glasses of fresh juice as we checked in. Wow! We’re in Room 1 – the kids like that – I think it’s kind of neat, too! We have a big picture window that looks out right into the beautiful courtyard. Our room has a huge bathroom, with a large storage chest, a shower with bathtub, attractive tile walls, and a fixture we weren’t sure what the heck it was – a urinal or a bidet, or what? Turns out it’s a bidet. Never seen one of those before – the girls and I watched videos online of how to use one. Funny! And just how did we watch those videos, you ask? Woo-hoo!!! We have fast, consistent, strong-signal internet right in our room!!! I’m am unbelievably excited about it! It’s the first time in Ghana that I can do my online things without dragging the kids somewhere to sit with me.
We went down to the restaurant and had a nice dinner. Akos had fried rice and chicken – the first thing she’d eaten all day. A couple of hours earlier, she started compaining that she was hungry, but of course she was – she had refused to eat at breakfast! I told her all the snacks we had in the room, and she refused all of them. So I told her that she wasn’t really hungry – if she was, she would eat. So, she waited until dinner. She initially refused anything but plain rice, but the waitress talked her into some chicken. It was GREAT chicken – I actually may order some next time. I had grilled prawns in garlic butter (which also had some other spicy stuff in it) – YUM! They had a nice white wine, which I hadn’t had since being here – the hotel in Elmina had wine that was not too good at all. This one was smooth and pleasant. Lydia had an egg and cheese sandwich – they use hard-boiled, sliced eggs here instead of the “pancake eggs” they had in Elmina. We did have to move tables when the waitress brought over a bowl of peanuts – we quickly had her take it away, but the other tables near us had them, too.
At dinner, there was one song playing over and over the entire time. Thankfully, it was a really fun song. It got Lydia in a dancing mood – she started dancing in a really fun and funny way. Akos was just cracking up and grinning from ear to ear (for the first time today), and she finally started dancing, too! They had a great, silly time, and so did I. The silliness continued into the night – well past bedtime. Oh, well. We watched an old video of Lydia as a toddler, and her 4th birthday party. After that, Akos kept saying to Lydia, “Lydia, how old are you?” No matter what Lydia answered, Akos laughed and said, “No! You are four!” It was funny at first, but Lydia got tired of it after a while. I thought it was great that Akos was speaking in an audible voice, and that she was feeling carefree enough to crack jokes! Probably our best night yet…
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed December 30)
Uncle P came this morning to take us to Accra. We had a long breakfast with him, then hit the road. It looked much nicer this time, without the heavy rain. It was a very pretty day. We arrived at our hotel, the Regency, around 2 pm. Oh, my gosh – it’s so much nicer than Crystal Rose! It is a lovely set of brick buildings, with 2 HUGE courtyards – one just plants and patio/courtyard area, one with the beautiful, sparkling pool. It has a restaurant AND a separate bar and grill, a salon, and a beautiful reception desk area. Everyone is so attentive – feels as attentive and more friendly than a Hilton, etc. The staff rushes to open doors for us, and brought us glasses of fresh juice as we checked in. Wow! We’re in Room 1 – the kids like that – I think it’s kind of neat, too! We have a big picture window that looks out right into the beautiful courtyard. Our room has a huge bathroom, with a large storage chest, a shower with bathtub, attractive tile walls, and a fixture we weren’t sure what the heck it was – a urinal or a bidet, or what? Turns out it’s a bidet. Never seen one of those before – the girls and I watched videos online of how to use one. Funny! And just how did we watch those videos, you ask? Woo-hoo!!! We have fast, consistent, strong-signal internet right in our room!!! I’m am unbelievably excited about it! It’s the first time in Ghana that I can do my online things without dragging the kids somewhere to sit with me.
We went down to the restaurant and had a nice dinner. Akos had fried rice and chicken – the first thing she’d eaten all day. A couple of hours earlier, she started compaining that she was hungry, but of course she was – she had refused to eat at breakfast! I told her all the snacks we had in the room, and she refused all of them. So I told her that she wasn’t really hungry – if she was, she would eat. So, she waited until dinner. She initially refused anything but plain rice, but the waitress talked her into some chicken. It was GREAT chicken – I actually may order some next time. I had grilled prawns in garlic butter (which also had some other spicy stuff in it) – YUM! They had a nice white wine, which I hadn’t had since being here – the hotel in Elmina had wine that was not too good at all. This one was smooth and pleasant. Lydia had an egg and cheese sandwich – they use hard-boiled, sliced eggs here instead of the “pancake eggs” they had in Elmina. We did have to move tables when the waitress brought over a bowl of peanuts – we quickly had her take it away, but the other tables near us had them, too.
At dinner, there was one song playing over and over the entire time. Thankfully, it was a really fun song. It got Lydia in a dancing mood – she started dancing in a really fun and funny way. Akos was just cracking up and grinning from ear to ear (for the first time today), and she finally started dancing, too! They had a great, silly time, and so did I. The silliness continued into the night – well past bedtime. Oh, well. We watched an old video of Lydia as a toddler, and her 4th birthday party. After that, Akos kept saying to Lydia, “Lydia, how old are you?” No matter what Lydia answered, Akos laughed and said, “No! You are four!” It was funny at first, but Lydia got tired of it after a while. I thought it was great that Akos was speaking in an audible voice, and that she was feeling carefree enough to crack jokes! Probably our best night yet…
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
A very special birthday
Wednesday, June 17 - Ghana Adventure Day 12
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.(back-dated post completed September 10)
Today is Lydia’s 9th birthday! Yay!
We got up around 8:00, and waited for a while, but Nana and Jaida didn’t come by. We hoped we’d see them at breakfast, but no luck. We went ahead and ate – Lydia was so happy – there were plenty of chocolate-filled croissants. They have just a little morsel of chocolate inside, but it’s just enough. At first, no Milo, but again, they brought some out later. Akos loves the omelets, as well as the rice porridge. She also loves sugar – she keeps asking for 3 sugar cubes in her Milo – I told her that was too much, so she pointed at the brown sugar cubes – then tried for the granulated sugar, then the loose brown sugar…I finally gave her a second cube but NO more! I wish she would speak instead of just pointing at what she wants. I know she can speak, because she “slips up” and speaks out loud very clearly sometimes. Hopefully, she’ll start speaking more soon. I have a lot to ask her – especially, we need to decide her permanent name so we have it right for her new birth certificate.
We went to the office for an hour and a half or so for me to work online, and guess what? Nana had left a message with all her contact information at the desk for us! So, maybe we’ll visit Queen Nana after all! ☺ We also got an e-mail from Daddy for Lydia with a link to a birthday video he and Elena made for her. But, we couldn’t get the link to work, so Daddy planned to upload it a different way.
After our time at the office, we came to the room and relaxed a bit – the girls enjoyed playing with Legos on the patio, while I worked on my cross-stitch. After that, we went to the pool. We all danced waltzes in the water, which was a lot of fun. We got very silly, and sang loudly – the staff members were looking and snickering at us..hee hee! ☺ We talked about names for in America, and Akos decided Akosiana is how she wants her long name, but still called Akos. We offered to keep a Ghanian middle name, or an American name. She wanted to hear American names, so we started listing some off – Grace, Ann, Miriam, Sarah, and many more…all of them definite no’s. Then Lydia told her she had her great-grandmother’s middle name – we told her Grandma’s name is Gloria, and she lit up. She loved the name, and wants it to be her middle name! She has her heart set on it, and seems like nothing else will do. I have always thought Gloria is beautiful name, it’s what Akos wants, and I also feel that it does pay some tribute to her for all the help she has been to us, and for her strong support of Akos’ adoption.
Poor Lydia went to put more sunblock (the stick that has always been very mild) on her face, and sadly found that it felt like it was burning around her eyes (not in them, thankfully.) She was very upset about that, but did a bit of drama and pulled the towel over her head in a huff. We took photos, thinking that someday she will look back on it and laugh. We can use the photos in a scrapbook to show how her birthday improved later in the day…)
We had wonderful news from Uncle P – our I-600 was approved, and we have our visa interview scheduled for Monday morning (assuming he can get the medical by then, which he thinks he can.) It could have taken 30 days or so, but only took 8! He will pick up the visa packet from them tomorrow. It’s possible, then, that we would be granted our visa, pick it up on Tuesday, and be free to go home. But, I think we’ll only leave a week early, so we can get the family and community history information and pictures to bring home for Akos, - also so that we can do some more sightseeing and cultural education.
Then, we went back to the office and were finally able to download Don's "Happy Birthday" video for Lydia. It was absolutely hysterical and wonderful! He and Elena sang Happy Birthday, blew blow-out things (what do you call those???), popped party poppers and sprayed silly string at the camera, and even faked toots with a whoopee cushion! Then, they dressed the dogs and Kente in party hats. PJ had one hat, and didn’t mind much. Kente quickly got the hat off his head and around his neck, then proceeded to run through the house as if demons were chasing him. Lucy had a hat on each ear, and didn’t seem to notice – too busy chewing on her treat. Gosh, we loved that!
Our dear friend Enyonam talked with us a while, and watched the video. She is so sweet. She’s also from Volta region, has a husband who lives in Accra and visits on weekends, and has a two-year old son who stays with her cousin here during the day. She wanted to know where we were staying in Accra, and offered to see if she could get us a good rate at Coconut Grove Regency hotel in Accra, which she said has very good internet, consistent water, a pool, a salon (Akos wants braids…) Turned out she was able to get it for us for the same rate as Crystal Rose (with trickle vs. no water, no internet in the room, most lights not working, etc….) So, it’s a no-brainer – we’re going to to stay at the Regency! Ooh-la-la! ☺
Next, we walked down to dinner. A waiter met us right at the walkway, and said the birthday lady and her family would be in a special place tonight. Oh my goodness, they went to such lengths to make this a special night for Lydia! They put us in a private thatched hut by the ocean, with a white linen tablecloth, a candle (they tried so hard to keep it lit, but the wind was strong), and pink, white and mint green bows on every post. Fresh flowers on the table, surrounded by ribbons, too. Everything was just beautiful! Lydia was glowing – just a perfect end to the evening. After we ordered, the girls played a bit in the sand by our table. Then, they brought a special treat – a small bowl of popcorn for an appetizer! That was so much fun for them! Lydia had yummy macaroni and cheese, and Akos at first refused everything, though she claimed to be so hungry. But, our waiter (wonderful Michael) spoke to her (in Ewe, I think) and finally got her to agree to boiled yams with Black Star chicken. I wasn’t sure what to have, and Michael asked if I had tried the seafood goulash. He described it – with lobster, prawns, and grouper, carrots and red and green peppers in a cream sauce. Sounded OK, but I pictured a whole fish with lots bones. He said no head, and no bones, either. OK, I was sold. He came back in a few minutes and said they were out of prawns and lobster, so they would make it with just grouper. Well, I have to say that it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. So delicate and perfectly balanced. An absolute delight!
Then, we went back to the office and were finally able to download Don's "Happy Birthday" video for Lydia. It was absolutely hysterical and wonderful! He and Elena sang Happy Birthday, blew blow-out things (what do you call those???), popped party poppers and sprayed silly string at the camera, and even faked toots with a whoopee cushion! Then, they dressed the dogs and Kente in party hats. PJ had one hat, and didn’t mind much. Kente quickly got the hat off his head and around his neck, then proceeded to run through the house as if demons were chasing him. Lucy had a hat on each ear, and didn’t seem to notice – too busy chewing on her treat. Gosh, we loved that!
Our dear friend Enyonam talked with us a while, and watched the video. She is so sweet. She’s also from Volta region, has a husband who lives in Accra and visits on weekends, and has a two-year old son who stays with her cousin here during the day. She wanted to know where we were staying in Accra, and offered to see if she could get us a good rate at Coconut Grove Regency hotel in Accra, which she said has very good internet, consistent water, a pool, a salon (Akos wants braids…) Turned out she was able to get it for us for the same rate as Crystal Rose (with trickle vs. no water, no internet in the room, most lights not working, etc….) So, it’s a no-brainer – we’re going to to stay at the Regency! Ooh-la-la! ☺
Next, we walked down to dinner. A waiter met us right at the walkway, and said the birthday lady and her family would be in a special place tonight. Oh my goodness, they went to such lengths to make this a special night for Lydia! They put us in a private thatched hut by the ocean, with a white linen tablecloth, a candle (they tried so hard to keep it lit, but the wind was strong), and pink, white and mint green bows on every post. Fresh flowers on the table, surrounded by ribbons, too. Everything was just beautiful! Lydia was glowing – just a perfect end to the evening. After we ordered, the girls played a bit in the sand by our table. Then, they brought a special treat – a small bowl of popcorn for an appetizer! That was so much fun for them! Lydia had yummy macaroni and cheese, and Akos at first refused everything, though she claimed to be so hungry. But, our waiter (wonderful Michael) spoke to her (in Ewe, I think) and finally got her to agree to boiled yams with Black Star chicken. I wasn’t sure what to have, and Michael asked if I had tried the seafood goulash. He described it – with lobster, prawns, and grouper, carrots and red and green peppers in a cream sauce. Sounded OK, but I pictured a whole fish with lots bones. He said no head, and no bones, either. OK, I was sold. He came back in a few minutes and said they were out of prawns and lobster, so they would make it with just grouper. Well, I have to say that it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. So delicate and perfectly balanced. An absolute delight!
Back soon with more,
Jeanie
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Queen Mother and Brain Teaser
Tuesday, June 16 - Ghana Adventure Day 11
We slept until about 9:00 today – we are always so tuckered out here. We went to breakfast, and were disappointed that there were no croissants, none of the yummy little cocoa-filled croissants (a FAVORITE), and God forbid…no Milo! Milo is a popular hot drink – like hot chocolate, but with some malt in it. Yummy! I like to put a bit of Milo powder in my coffee. (Which by the way, is inevitably single-serving instant Nescafé.) Milo is the highlight of the girls’ breakfast. Akos feels the need to put sugar cubes in it, too. Oh well, we’ll cut down on sugar back home. AT the end of breakfast, though, our lovely omelet chef brought out a can of Milo! Hooray!!!
I went to the office with the girls, where they happily watched movies on their respective electronic devices. Akos LOVES to watch AFV’s Animal Extravaganza – over, and over, and over, and over… I finally started catching up on my blog. I did at least a month’s worth of posts this morning (had typed the text beforehand in Word, and selected and compressed the photos, which made it much easier.)
After that, Lydia was ready to go to the pool, but Akos refused to go. By 2 pm, I finally drew the line and said we needed to give Lydia a chance to do what she wants to do also. She threw a tantrum then refused to speak the rest of the afternoon. Fortunately for Lydia, Jaida came by the pool. She is such a darling little firecracker! She is staying with her Nana (grandmother) for a whole year in Kumasi! (She is from Atlanta.) Nana asked me a favor – asked if I would watch Jaida in the pool so she could play with Lydia. Nana has 23 sorority women here on a service project to build a well and bring books and other supplies to schoolchildren. She is very stressed with managing all that and trying to entertain
Jaida, too. We were MORE than happy to oblige. The two girls frolicked in the pool until after 5:00. Nana came and talked with us for a while – she is from Chattanooga – and has been back and forth to Ghana for decades (one of children was born here.) She returned for good a year ago. I asked her if her ancestry was Ghanaian – she answered, “Well, that’s a long story, but here, I’m a queen mother. I have 2000 people to look after. That’s what I do now.” Holy Cow! I’m dying to know how a woman from Chattanooga becomes a queen mother of Kumasi! I got my picture taken with her, and we had a group photo, too. She would like to keep in contact with us, and wants to see how Akos is doing as she adjusts to American life. She kindly offered to help us in any way – for ourselves, Akos’ birth family, or anything, saying, “I can go anywhere in this country.” What a wonderful, warm woman. And she called me “my sister.” I was quite honored, to say the least! Can’t wait to hear her stories – I’m sure she has plenty!
After the pool, we went back to the room to change for dinner. Once we got to the room, Akos warmed up to us again, played a little with Lydia, dressed in a lovely lilac-colored dress, and was happy to go to dinner. She had rice and sausage (hot dogs) and ate both of the “sausages” with no prodding! Yay! She ate some of the rice, but the serving was huge, so I can’t blame her – I could never have finished all that, either. Lydia had egg and cheese sandwiches – two of them to a serving, and ate every bite. I had Brain Teaser, which is Fanti Kenkey (sort of firm doughy stuff, said to be sweet, but it tasted tart to me – almost citrusy), with grilled snapper with Ghanaian salsa and pepper sauce. I again asked for NO head on the fish. It was really yummy! The kenkey wasn’t my thing, but I ate about half of it anyway. The salsa was spicy but good. I tried a taste of the pepper sauce (which I had requested mild) – it tasted good – kind of sweet and mild, like Gourmet Café’s salsa fresca back home. That lasted about 12 seconds…then the fiery spices hit me full on! OMG – I had to down some water quick, and took some of Lydia’s French fries to try to ease the burn as well. Holy Cow – that was hot, hot, hot! After the girls ate so well, I decided to treat them to dessert - ice cream and "pancakes" (crêpes) - Yum!
Went to check my e-mail at the conference center – slightly closer than the main office. The girls were tired – Lydia was about to go to sleep on the floor. So, we came home around 9 pm, and are ready for sleep.
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed July 19)
We slept until about 9:00 today – we are always so tuckered out here. We went to breakfast, and were disappointed that there were no croissants, none of the yummy little cocoa-filled croissants (a FAVORITE), and God forbid…no Milo! Milo is a popular hot drink – like hot chocolate, but with some malt in it. Yummy! I like to put a bit of Milo powder in my coffee. (Which by the way, is inevitably single-serving instant Nescafé.) Milo is the highlight of the girls’ breakfast. Akos feels the need to put sugar cubes in it, too. Oh well, we’ll cut down on sugar back home. AT the end of breakfast, though, our lovely omelet chef brought out a can of Milo! Hooray!!!
I went to the office with the girls, where they happily watched movies on their respective electronic devices. Akos LOVES to watch AFV’s Animal Extravaganza – over, and over, and over, and over… I finally started catching up on my blog. I did at least a month’s worth of posts this morning (had typed the text beforehand in Word, and selected and compressed the photos, which made it much easier.)
After that, Lydia was ready to go to the pool, but Akos refused to go. By 2 pm, I finally drew the line and said we needed to give Lydia a chance to do what she wants to do also. She threw a tantrum then refused to speak the rest of the afternoon. Fortunately for Lydia, Jaida came by the pool. She is such a darling little firecracker! She is staying with her Nana (grandmother) for a whole year in Kumasi! (She is from Atlanta.) Nana asked me a favor – asked if I would watch Jaida in the pool so she could play with Lydia. Nana has 23 sorority women here on a service project to build a well and bring books and other supplies to schoolchildren. She is very stressed with managing all that and trying to entertain
Jaida, too. We were MORE than happy to oblige. The two girls frolicked in the pool until after 5:00. Nana came and talked with us for a while – she is from Chattanooga – and has been back and forth to Ghana for decades (one of children was born here.) She returned for good a year ago. I asked her if her ancestry was Ghanaian – she answered, “Well, that’s a long story, but here, I’m a queen mother. I have 2000 people to look after. That’s what I do now.” Holy Cow! I’m dying to know how a woman from Chattanooga becomes a queen mother of Kumasi! I got my picture taken with her, and we had a group photo, too. She would like to keep in contact with us, and wants to see how Akos is doing as she adjusts to American life. She kindly offered to help us in any way – for ourselves, Akos’ birth family, or anything, saying, “I can go anywhere in this country.” What a wonderful, warm woman. And she called me “my sister.” I was quite honored, to say the least! Can’t wait to hear her stories – I’m sure she has plenty!After the pool, we went back to the room to change for dinner. Once we got to the room, Akos warmed up to us again, played a little with Lydia, dressed in a lovely lilac-colored dress, and was happy to go to dinner. She had rice and sausage (hot dogs) and ate both of the “sausages” with no prodding! Yay! She ate some of the rice, but the serving was huge, so I can’t blame her – I could never have finished all that, either. Lydia had egg and cheese sandwiches – two of them to a serving, and ate every bite. I had Brain Teaser, which is Fanti Kenkey (sort of firm doughy stuff, said to be sweet, but it tasted tart to me – almost citrusy), with grilled snapper with Ghanaian salsa and pepper sauce. I again asked for NO head on the fish. It was really yummy! The kenkey wasn’t my thing, but I ate about half of it anyway. The salsa was spicy but good. I tried a taste of the pepper sauce (which I had requested mild) – it tasted good – kind of sweet and mild, like Gourmet Café’s salsa fresca back home. That lasted about 12 seconds…then the fiery spices hit me full on! OMG – I had to down some water quick, and took some of Lydia’s French fries to try to ease the burn as well. Holy Cow – that was hot, hot, hot! After the girls ate so well, I decided to treat them to dessert - ice cream and "pancakes" (crêpes) - Yum!
Went to check my e-mail at the conference center – slightly closer than the main office. The girls were tired – Lydia was about to go to sleep on the floor. So, we came home around 9 pm, and are ready for sleep.
Goodnight!
Jeanie
Monday, June 15, 2009
Chicken poop and a preteen patriot
Monday, June 15 - Ghana Adventure Day 10
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed July 19)
We had a nice breakfast today, then went to the main office to buy some internet minutes. Enyonam had mentioned organizing something for Lydia’s birthday, and Patience must be in on it, because she made it a point to check with me as to which day the birthday was…I wonder what they are up to? There is actually some signal in the office, so I spent quite a while working on an e-mail to almost everyone on my contact list to update them on our adventure so far. No time to post pictures, though, since there was only so much time in the office the girls could tolerate.
I reluctantly agreed to go out in the heat of the day, since nobody got sunburned yesterday. We even dared to head out around noon, and stayed out until after 4:00. We started at the pool, and though Akos didn’t want to get in at first, she eventually went over and took her shorts off, got her floatie vest on, and joined me on the steps of the pool. Soon, she was in the pool with me. After a while, we went to the beach again, looking for more crabs, then they played on the swingset. I got some good cross-stitching time in. Then, back to the pool, and surprise! Akos got into the water with Lydia, without me!!! The two of them looked so sweet together, and they had lots of fun throwing and chasing Lydia’s new diving balls.
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed July 19)
We had a nice breakfast today, then went to the main office to buy some internet minutes. Enyonam had mentioned organizing something for Lydia’s birthday, and Patience must be in on it, because she made it a point to check with me as to which day the birthday was…I wonder what they are up to? There is actually some signal in the office, so I spent quite a while working on an e-mail to almost everyone on my contact list to update them on our adventure so far. No time to post pictures, though, since there was only so much time in the office the girls could tolerate.I reluctantly agreed to go out in the heat of the day, since nobody got sunburned yesterday. We even dared to head out around noon, and stayed out until after 4:00. We started at the pool, and though Akos didn’t want to get in at first, she eventually went over and took her shorts off, got her floatie vest on, and joined me on the steps of the pool. Soon, she was in the pool with me. After a while, we went to the beach again, looking for more crabs, then they played on the swingset. I got some good cross-stitching time in. Then, back to the pool, and surprise! Akos got into the water with Lydia, without me!!! The two of them looked so sweet together, and they had lots of fun throwing and chasing Lydia’s new diving balls.
The girls wanted to eat in the room, so we had freeze-dried Jamaican chicken and rice. Fairly good. Then, Akos did Lydia’s hair in about 6 or 7 little ponytails – she was quite proud of herself! Uncle P tells us that the hairstyle's name, when translated from Twi to English, means "chicken poop." Lovely. LOL
After that, we went out for dessert – we met a little 8-year-old African-American social butterfly named Jaida. She came right up to us, smiled, and said proudly and clearly, “Hi! I’m Jaida. I’m from the United States of AMERICA!” She just cracked me up. Immediately, she poked her nose into what I was was doing on the computer and was dictating what I should tell Don on Skype! LOL I kept trying to get internet signal – we are supposedly at a good spot for internet when we’re at the restaurant – but no luck. After many tries, and many different tables and huts, one of the managers offered for me to come to his office after dessert and use the internet there. His office was downright chilly – I loved it! We finally got a great signal, such that we were able to Skype with Daddy! So, Akos got so see Don in motion – not just a photo – for the first time. They both enjoyed it, as did Lydia and I. Don brought Kente to the computer to say hi. Apparently, he is still enjoying torturing the other cats. Naughty Kente! ☺
Well, that’s all for now – goodnight!
Jeanie
After that, we went out for dessert – we met a little 8-year-old African-American social butterfly named Jaida. She came right up to us, smiled, and said proudly and clearly, “Hi! I’m Jaida. I’m from the United States of AMERICA!” She just cracked me up. Immediately, she poked her nose into what I was was doing on the computer and was dictating what I should tell Don on Skype! LOL I kept trying to get internet signal – we are supposedly at a good spot for internet when we’re at the restaurant – but no luck. After many tries, and many different tables and huts, one of the managers offered for me to come to his office after dessert and use the internet there. His office was downright chilly – I loved it! We finally got a great signal, such that we were able to Skype with Daddy! So, Akos got so see Don in motion – not just a photo – for the first time. They both enjoyed it, as did Lydia and I. Don brought Kente to the computer to say hi. Apparently, he is still enjoying torturing the other cats. Naughty Kente! ☺
Well, that’s all for now – goodnight!
Jeanie
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Dirty laundry and crabs
Sunday, June 14 - Ghana Adventure Day 9
I was so exhausted after yesterday! (Plus I stayed up until about 2 am cross-stitching…) The girls did a great job playing quietly. I spent a while teaching them to cross-stitch. Akos enjoys it, but doesn’t quite have the hang of it yet. I'm not sure how to explain the concept of “diagonal” to her.
Next, we sorted out our dirty laundry. Some I am going to splurge on and have the hotel take care of. Mainly, I did that with the things that would take a long time to dry. The rest I washed in the sink – I used shampoo instead of my laundry soap sheets this time – it worked much better. We have a large shower, so we threw the soapy clothes in the shower, the girls stripped down and rinsed the clothes for me, then took a shower. I have clothes strung all over the place in here!
Akos didn’t want to go to the pool or do anything this afternoon. I held her for a while, but she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong or what she wanted. She wore a swimsuit, but wouldn’t get in. She just watched a video on my iPhone. Then I asked if she wanted to go to the beach and catch crabs. She nodded. So, off we went, and from then on, everything was great. We caught a couple of little crabs, and the girls would scream whenever the crabs moved. It was so funny.
Later, we went back to the pool, and the girls were the only ones there. Akos was throwing diving balls into the pool for Lydia, then I noticed she had gotten in, down to the second step. Now, she says she will swim tomorrow with her vest and with me. ☺
Interestingly, when we were at the beach, Akos said you never go to the beach on Tuesdays. A cultural thing, I’m sure – I asked if the waves were too rough on Tuesdays, and she nodded.
We had dinner as usual – I had red-red again – yummy! Lydia and Akos both tried the fried plantains – Akos liked them, and Lydia loved them! We had a big problem, though – Akos seems to only want to eat rice, no meat or other protein. She asked for chicken instead of sausage (hot dog) tonight, then wouldn’t even try one bite. I told her that she needed to eat some of her chicken, and she shook her head vigorously. I got firmer with her, and eventually separated out just about a tablespoon worth of chicken and said that she could eat more rice after she ate just that little bit. We had some emotional struggling that was way out of proportion, but I finally helped her calm down, and we had a good night. She's just had so much change to deal with all of a sudden - I have to expect some ups and downs, and hope that the downs will become easier and less frequent in time.
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post, completed on July 19)
I was so exhausted after yesterday! (Plus I stayed up until about 2 am cross-stitching…) The girls did a great job playing quietly. I spent a while teaching them to cross-stitch. Akos enjoys it, but doesn’t quite have the hang of it yet. I'm not sure how to explain the concept of “diagonal” to her.
Next, we sorted out our dirty laundry. Some I am going to splurge on and have the hotel take care of. Mainly, I did that with the things that would take a long time to dry. The rest I washed in the sink – I used shampoo instead of my laundry soap sheets this time – it worked much better. We have a large shower, so we threw the soapy clothes in the shower, the girls stripped down and rinsed the clothes for me, then took a shower. I have clothes strung all over the place in here!
Akos didn’t want to go to the pool or do anything this afternoon. I held her for a while, but she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong or what she wanted. She wore a swimsuit, but wouldn’t get in. She just watched a video on my iPhone. Then I asked if she wanted to go to the beach and catch crabs. She nodded. So, off we went, and from then on, everything was great. We caught a couple of little crabs, and the girls would scream whenever the crabs moved. It was so funny.
Later, we went back to the pool, and the girls were the only ones there. Akos was throwing diving balls into the pool for Lydia, then I noticed she had gotten in, down to the second step. Now, she says she will swim tomorrow with her vest and with me. ☺
Interestingly, when we were at the beach, Akos said you never go to the beach on Tuesdays. A cultural thing, I’m sure – I asked if the waves were too rough on Tuesdays, and she nodded.
We had dinner as usual – I had red-red again – yummy! Lydia and Akos both tried the fried plantains – Akos liked them, and Lydia loved them! We had a big problem, though – Akos seems to only want to eat rice, no meat or other protein. She asked for chicken instead of sausage (hot dog) tonight, then wouldn’t even try one bite. I told her that she needed to eat some of her chicken, and she shook her head vigorously. I got firmer with her, and eventually separated out just about a tablespoon worth of chicken and said that she could eat more rice after she ate just that little bit. We had some emotional struggling that was way out of proportion, but I finally helped her calm down, and we had a good night. She's just had so much change to deal with all of a sudden - I have to expect some ups and downs, and hope that the downs will become easier and less frequent in time.
Till tomorrow...
Jeanie
Saturday, June 13, 2009
High above the rainforest then low into horrible dungeons
Saturday, June 13 - Ghana Adventure Day 8
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post, completed July 19)
This morning, we enjoyed breakfast with Uncle P – it was a buffet, and turns out it was included with the hotel room. Yum! They didn’t have any local foods on it, though.
Next, we left for Kakum National Park. It started raining as we were driving. We passed numerous people, mostly women, walking along the roads with huge (up to about 4 feet diameter) aluminum platters piled high with fruit or other goods. Some were even carrying loads of wood, or huge (50-lb or so) sacks of food. We passed SO many God-named shops, again.
We arrived at Kakum while it was raining heavily. We browsed in the gift shop, where they had interesting African instruments and bracelets, and also some of the tote bags I had read about, made from trash! They take labels from discarded juice or water packets, and sew them together into bags. A neat idea, as it cleans up the area, gives Ghanaians some pay (to pick up the labels), and makes a great conversation piece for visitors. When the rain let up, we headed onto the trail following the tour guide. We weren’t following her for long, as I had to stop to rest at every set of benches along the way. The hike was on rock-covered steps mostly – sort of like cobblestones, but protruding and very irregular. Tough to walk on! And the steps were exhausting. I think Uncle P said we had to climb 300 feet or so. He thinks the Canopy Walkway is about 40 meters high at the highest point. Wow! We finally reached the Canopy Walkway entrance. It was amazing just to look at – narrow wooden planks (no more than a foot wide) supported by some metal rods, and rope walls along the way. It bounced and shook with every step. There were 7 walkways total, the 3rd being the longest. One of the walkways was attached to a mahogany tree – Uncle P showed me the powdery red beneath the bark. He says they will use that to strengthen the blood – apparently has a lot of folic acid in it. Wow, he is a fountain of amazing information! It started raining heavily again while we were up there. So, we were in the rain, in the rain forest. Very appropo. We didn’t see many animals – just a hard-working colony of black ants forming a high-speed two-lane highway, as well as a couple of large centipedes (or millipedes – I’m not sure.) When we finished the walkway, the hike back down was much easier. On the way down, we met some other obrunis who offered us a piece of their fresh cocoa pod. You take a seed covered in white slimy stuff, suck the white stuff off, and spit out the seed. It tasted nothing like chocolate – actually very yummy and fruity – much like strawberries or something! To make the cocoa as we know it, the seeds have to dry and be pounded into powder. Very interesting – I’d love to see the process. We took a picture of the girl’s cocoa pod (and she took one of my girls holding it), then bought our own cocoa pod. We also bought a bottle of fresh honey, “straight from the bush,” as our coordinator said. They were also selling palm wine. I figured I’d better try it – the first sip tasted pretty good, but each sip afterward tasted nastier, so I only had a few sips before I decided to give up and throw it out next chance I got. (Later, after more sightseeing, when the palm wine had been sitting in the hot car, the smell was a horrible, nauseating stench!) Oh well, I had to try. I had read about it, and it’s often called “libations” and used in religious ceremonies.
As we drove back toward Elmina, we passed a trader holding up the coveted grasscutter. It was huge – much larger than I thought. Probably two feet long! Uncle P has talked about grasscutter, and how delicious it is – so prized, it is often for the chiefs. He gets a dreamy look in his eye when talking about them. (Of course, he also talks about how delicious roasted maggots from palm trees are…ewwww!) Anyway, seeing his mouth water over it as we passed, I decided to buy him a grasscutter as a gift. We didn’t buy that one, but he said we’ll pass some on our way back to Accra next week. He was so happy and excited about it! So, I get a picture to remember, and he gets a lovely dinner – I guess the equivalent of filet mignon(?). They are about 20 cedis apiece – not bad, actually, for so much meat. Well worth the price to me to see him so happy. He’s an amazing, and extremely nice man. We feel so safe with him looking after us.
Next stop was Elmina castle. Probably the most powerfully moving historical site I have ever been to, and could ever imagine. You can still smell the stench of human waste in the dungeon rooms that held hundreds of slaves packed in so tightly they couldn’t move to get to the “toilet” containers. Everyone on the tour was holding their noses. Our guide also put us in the actual cells the slaves were held in when they tried to escape, and shut the door on us. Those few moments gave us time to think and experience – and imagine the horror. The slaves who tried to escape were put into that cell (with a skull and crossbones over the door) until they were dead. The female slaves were sometimes called upon to be raped by the governor in his bedroom upstairs. They would put several in the central area he would look down and pick one, then she would clean up at the cistern (having had no washing since arrival), and be taken up the stairs to the governor’s bedroom to be raped. If she resisted, she would be chained with both feet to cannonballs in the central area, in the hot sun, with no food and water. At the top of the castle were two cells that were for “special guests” – a king of Ghana was held in one for four years before being shipped elsewhere, and another held the queen mother of Kumasi, who when all the men had left, fought the British by herself. She was imprisoned for it, and Uncle P says that for this, she has become an icon to women. I don’t think one can leave Elmina Castle (St. George’s Castle) unchanged. I felt the need to hold hands with my girls and pray, so we did. After the tour, we visited the castle bookshop – I found several African children’s books, a Ghanaian cookbook (Yay!), a small Ewe handbook, and more. They also had a craft shop, where I bought a pair of elephant bookends.
Finally out of cedis and hungry, we headed back to the hotel. I was absolutely drenched with sweat! Oh well, I’m getting used to it. We found that our dear housekeeper, Aba, had again adorned our beds with beautiful, fresh flowers! We’re being treated like royalty! I was exhausted, so I had to lie down until dinner. The girls played quietly. We had dinner under one of the huts nearest to the beach. There was a fairly strong wind, and huge waves. So beautiful! I had Gari Foto – cassava grains fried in tomato sauce (spicy!), served with black-eyes peas. The cassava grains were kind of the consistency of cornmeal – dry! But, when eaten with some beans, actually pretty good. I’m sure looking forward to having red-red again, though. I had flambed pineapple for dessert. While we waited for the food, the girls played in the sand, built a sand-nest, and ran around laughing. I just love it! People were smiling at them.
The girls are now playing with Kosi’s doll that I made for her. She has been showing us the proper method of baby-backing. She is an adorable little mommy! She put the baby on Lydia’s back, too – and now Lydia is giving Kosi a piggy-back ride.
I talked with Akos a bit today about hair in the US – and that a lot of girls have long hair. I made sure to tell her that she is beautiful just the way she is, with her hair short or long, brown, black, or purple, etc. I asked whether she wanted her hair to stay short like it is – she said no. I asked her if she wanted to try braids – she grinned and nodded. So, Uncle P says we can have her hair checked in Accra to see if her hair is long enough to attach braids to. His wife has braids – he says it is much more economical.
While we were at dinner, Akos grabbed my phone and said,” Give my Daddy’s number.” She misses Daddy, she says. She is very eager to talk to Elena, too. I called Lya today – turns out it’s her birthday! She got to say hi to Kosi, too.
Oh, almost forgot another interesting thing – as we arrived back at the hotel, Uncle P discussed his schedule – he’s leaving tomorrow am, and will pick us up on Thursday. The reason he needs to leave tomorrow is that one of his friends is “knocking” tomorrow morning. That is a tradition in which the man brings a bottle of schnapps to the girl’s home, tells the parents he has seen a beautiful girl in their house and that he would like to marry her. They give him a list of things to do and buy for the wedding. If they accept the bottle, they will not drink it, but will save it. If he misbehaves before the wedding, they will send it back to him. I remember reading about this before – I couldn't catch everything Uncle P was saying, and will have to read more about it. I love these traditions! ☺
I can’t wait to come back here, and to bring Don. He actually surprised me and said he wants to go – strange, since he didn’t want to go on this trip…but I guess when it’s more for learning than for the technical processes of adoption, etc., it’s more appealing. He is interested in photography opportunities, as am I. I really want to capture some of the essence of the people here – the way they can be so friendly, and happy, when they have so little and struggle so much. The way they work so hard, carrying heavy loads on their heads in the hot sun, with a baby on the back through it all. I want to take photos of the things that are strange to us, like all the god-type shop names, etc. I also want to capture the looks in the eyes of the children – especially the poor in the slums and villages. I also want to come back with things for the hospitals and orphanages, as well as try to get AZT for Adam’s orphanage in the Volta region.
Speaking of Volta region reminded me – some of what Uncle P has done is to guide people who are trying to trace their family histories – he talked about one man who had undergone DNA testing and found that he was descended from people of the Volta region. He said that he took the man to Volta region, and when he saw that everyone looked like him, he just cried.
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post, completed July 19)
This morning, we enjoyed breakfast with Uncle P – it was a buffet, and turns out it was included with the hotel room. Yum! They didn’t have any local foods on it, though.
Next, we left for Kakum National Park. It started raining as we were driving. We passed numerous people, mostly women, walking along the roads with huge (up to about 4 feet diameter) aluminum platters piled high with fruit or other goods. Some were even carrying loads of wood, or huge (50-lb or so) sacks of food. We passed SO many God-named shops, again.
We arrived at Kakum while it was raining heavily. We browsed in the gift shop, where they had interesting African instruments and bracelets, and also some of the tote bags I had read about, made from trash! They take labels from discarded juice or water packets, and sew them together into bags. A neat idea, as it cleans up the area, gives Ghanaians some pay (to pick up the labels), and makes a great conversation piece for visitors. When the rain let up, we headed onto the trail following the tour guide. We weren’t following her for long, as I had to stop to rest at every set of benches along the way. The hike was on rock-covered steps mostly – sort of like cobblestones, but protruding and very irregular. Tough to walk on! And the steps were exhausting. I think Uncle P said we had to climb 300 feet or so. He thinks the Canopy Walkway is about 40 meters high at the highest point. Wow! We finally reached the Canopy Walkway entrance. It was amazing just to look at – narrow wooden planks (no more than a foot wide) supported by some metal rods, and rope walls along the way. It bounced and shook with every step. There were 7 walkways total, the 3rd being the longest. One of the walkways was attached to a mahogany tree – Uncle P showed me the powdery red beneath the bark. He says they will use that to strengthen the blood – apparently has a lot of folic acid in it. Wow, he is a fountain of amazing information! It started raining heavily again while we were up there. So, we were in the rain, in the rain forest. Very appropo. We didn’t see many animals – just a hard-working colony of black ants forming a high-speed two-lane highway, as well as a couple of large centipedes (or millipedes – I’m not sure.) When we finished the walkway, the hike back down was much easier. On the way down, we met some other obrunis who offered us a piece of their fresh cocoa pod. You take a seed covered in white slimy stuff, suck the white stuff off, and spit out the seed. It tasted nothing like chocolate – actually very yummy and fruity – much like strawberries or something! To make the cocoa as we know it, the seeds have to dry and be pounded into powder. Very interesting – I’d love to see the process. We took a picture of the girl’s cocoa pod (and she took one of my girls holding it), then bought our own cocoa pod. We also bought a bottle of fresh honey, “straight from the bush,” as our coordinator said. They were also selling palm wine. I figured I’d better try it – the first sip tasted pretty good, but each sip afterward tasted nastier, so I only had a few sips before I decided to give up and throw it out next chance I got. (Later, after more sightseeing, when the palm wine had been sitting in the hot car, the smell was a horrible, nauseating stench!) Oh well, I had to try. I had read about it, and it’s often called “libations” and used in religious ceremonies.
As we drove back toward Elmina, we passed a trader holding up the coveted grasscutter. It was huge – much larger than I thought. Probably two feet long! Uncle P has talked about grasscutter, and how delicious it is – so prized, it is often for the chiefs. He gets a dreamy look in his eye when talking about them. (Of course, he also talks about how delicious roasted maggots from palm trees are…ewwww!) Anyway, seeing his mouth water over it as we passed, I decided to buy him a grasscutter as a gift. We didn’t buy that one, but he said we’ll pass some on our way back to Accra next week. He was so happy and excited about it! So, I get a picture to remember, and he gets a lovely dinner – I guess the equivalent of filet mignon(?). They are about 20 cedis apiece – not bad, actually, for so much meat. Well worth the price to me to see him so happy. He’s an amazing, and extremely nice man. We feel so safe with him looking after us.
Next stop was Elmina castle. Probably the most powerfully moving historical site I have ever been to, and could ever imagine. You can still smell the stench of human waste in the dungeon rooms that held hundreds of slaves packed in so tightly they couldn’t move to get to the “toilet” containers. Everyone on the tour was holding their noses. Our guide also put us in the actual cells the slaves were held in when they tried to escape, and shut the door on us. Those few moments gave us time to think and experience – and imagine the horror. The slaves who tried to escape were put into that cell (with a skull and crossbones over the door) until they were dead. The female slaves were sometimes called upon to be raped by the governor in his bedroom upstairs. They would put several in the central area he would look down and pick one, then she would clean up at the cistern (having had no washing since arrival), and be taken up the stairs to the governor’s bedroom to be raped. If she resisted, she would be chained with both feet to cannonballs in the central area, in the hot sun, with no food and water. At the top of the castle were two cells that were for “special guests” – a king of Ghana was held in one for four years before being shipped elsewhere, and another held the queen mother of Kumasi, who when all the men had left, fought the British by herself. She was imprisoned for it, and Uncle P says that for this, she has become an icon to women. I don’t think one can leave Elmina Castle (St. George’s Castle) unchanged. I felt the need to hold hands with my girls and pray, so we did. After the tour, we visited the castle bookshop – I found several African children’s books, a Ghanaian cookbook (Yay!), a small Ewe handbook, and more. They also had a craft shop, where I bought a pair of elephant bookends.
Finally out of cedis and hungry, we headed back to the hotel. I was absolutely drenched with sweat! Oh well, I’m getting used to it. We found that our dear housekeeper, Aba, had again adorned our beds with beautiful, fresh flowers! We’re being treated like royalty! I was exhausted, so I had to lie down until dinner. The girls played quietly. We had dinner under one of the huts nearest to the beach. There was a fairly strong wind, and huge waves. So beautiful! I had Gari Foto – cassava grains fried in tomato sauce (spicy!), served with black-eyes peas. The cassava grains were kind of the consistency of cornmeal – dry! But, when eaten with some beans, actually pretty good. I’m sure looking forward to having red-red again, though. I had flambed pineapple for dessert. While we waited for the food, the girls played in the sand, built a sand-nest, and ran around laughing. I just love it! People were smiling at them.
The girls are now playing with Kosi’s doll that I made for her. She has been showing us the proper method of baby-backing. She is an adorable little mommy! She put the baby on Lydia’s back, too – and now Lydia is giving Kosi a piggy-back ride.
I talked with Akos a bit today about hair in the US – and that a lot of girls have long hair. I made sure to tell her that she is beautiful just the way she is, with her hair short or long, brown, black, or purple, etc. I asked whether she wanted her hair to stay short like it is – she said no. I asked her if she wanted to try braids – she grinned and nodded. So, Uncle P says we can have her hair checked in Accra to see if her hair is long enough to attach braids to. His wife has braids – he says it is much more economical.
While we were at dinner, Akos grabbed my phone and said,” Give my Daddy’s number.” She misses Daddy, she says. She is very eager to talk to Elena, too. I called Lya today – turns out it’s her birthday! She got to say hi to Kosi, too.
Oh, almost forgot another interesting thing – as we arrived back at the hotel, Uncle P discussed his schedule – he’s leaving tomorrow am, and will pick us up on Thursday. The reason he needs to leave tomorrow is that one of his friends is “knocking” tomorrow morning. That is a tradition in which the man brings a bottle of schnapps to the girl’s home, tells the parents he has seen a beautiful girl in their house and that he would like to marry her. They give him a list of things to do and buy for the wedding. If they accept the bottle, they will not drink it, but will save it. If he misbehaves before the wedding, they will send it back to him. I remember reading about this before – I couldn't catch everything Uncle P was saying, and will have to read more about it. I love these traditions! ☺
I can’t wait to come back here, and to bring Don. He actually surprised me and said he wants to go – strange, since he didn’t want to go on this trip…but I guess when it’s more for learning than for the technical processes of adoption, etc., it’s more appealing. He is interested in photography opportunities, as am I. I really want to capture some of the essence of the people here – the way they can be so friendly, and happy, when they have so little and struggle so much. The way they work so hard, carrying heavy loads on their heads in the hot sun, with a baby on the back through it all. I want to take photos of the things that are strange to us, like all the god-type shop names, etc. I also want to capture the looks in the eyes of the children – especially the poor in the slums and villages. I also want to come back with things for the hospitals and orphanages, as well as try to get AZT for Adam’s orphanage in the Volta region.
Speaking of Volta region reminded me – some of what Uncle P has done is to guide people who are trying to trace their family histories – he talked about one man who had undergone DNA testing and found that he was descended from people of the Volta region. He said that he took the man to Volta region, and when he saw that everyone looked like him, he just cried.
He also talked of a woman who was cursed by someone in a village for shoplifting something – the man didn’t want money, he wanted justice. Uncle P had tried to pay him for the item, which the woman denied taking. But instead of taking it, he cursed her – he said she would poo-poo all over herself in a public place. Sure enough, she did, on that very trip. It was a quiet ride home in the bus! Uncle P said that a couple of years later, she came back, alone. She told him that she had a problem with stealing (kleptomania, I presume), and had lost her husband and all her friends because of it. But, after the village man cursed her in that way, she never did it again. She came back to thank him for saving her life, and brought him $200 as a thank-you gift. Amazing!
A long post for a long day...
Jeanie
Friday, June 12, 2009
First aid, first thing in the morning
Friday, June 12 - Ghana Adventure Day 7
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed July 19)
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed July 19)
Akos woke up back to her usual self . What a relief. I did make sure to tell her many times last night, that it’s OK if she needs to cry, OK if she misses her birth family, OK to feel unsure about her new life with us, and that we would not be angry with her, but always love her. I think that helped. I wonder if the attention we gave to the baby last night made Akos feel insecure about our love for her?
We planned to go to Kakum National Park this morning. We were in a rush, so decided to make oatmeal in the room for breakfast. While I made the oatmeal, the girls played outside. Then, Lydia rushed in to tell me a man was bleeding out there. I went out to check – it was one of the hotel employees – the plumber. He had tried to remove a toilet, which cracked and sliced both his middle fingers nearly to the bone. On the right side, he cut a vessel, so had a lot of bleeding from that one. The staff were pretty frantic, trying to wash it and put old rags on it. I told them I was a doctor and asked if they needed help. They certainly did, and they were VERY grateful. The man’s name was Eric. HE was in SO much pain. I had to remove some pieces of ceramic form his wound, wash both with our sterile water and some antiseptic, and bandage them with pressure dressings. All of this while he tried not to pass out from the pain. He needed stitches, so I went with them to the clinic (Ghana Health Clinic in Elmina) to make sure they had sterile supplies to use, and would give him a tetanus shot and antibiotic. They were worried he might be dizzy from losing a lot of blood, but Enyonam, the very nice lady who came with us, said she saw it, and it was only about half a pint. He was afraid of the needle when they came with his shot, so I think he was more faint from pain and the sight of blood than anything. It took about 4 hours of waiting before he was done. They gave him IV fluids, gave the tetanus shot, and prescribed antibiotics. I sat with him the whole time. He thanked me many times, and said “God bless you more and more and more and more and more…” The hotel staff was so appreciative, too. I didn’t really feel I had done all that much, but I’m glad it meant so much to them. The front office manager even called personally to talk to me and thank me, and the housekeeper made our rooms all beautiful with fresh flowers arranged all over the bed –looked kind of romantic – just beautiful. And yes, Uncle P got flowers, too – very “manly” pink and purple flowers, and I did not hesitate to give him trouble about it!
The clinic was so crowded – the nurse said they had about 250 patients to see. There was old equipment, probably 50 years old or more, dirty supplies, mold and mildew everywhere, torn-up flooring, dirt, no lights (not even in the room they used for suturing), and dingy curtains covering the doorways. Just dismal. But, the doctor, though hurried, was very professional and did his job well. People in the US complain so much about our health care – well, they should see what it could be like – they should see it here. We were lucky – they had almost run out of local anesthetic for Eric, but found some.
After the clinic run, the girls and I went to the pool. Akos has never been swimming before. She clung to me for dear life, but eventually put her feet on the bottom (of the kiddie pool). She didn’t want to hold Lydia’s hand, just mine. We had a flotation vest on her, but she didn’t understand what it was. Then the weirdness started – several men wanted their pictures taken with me – I guess just the novelty of an old obruni in the pool? But then, one named Johnny, said he wanted to sing with me, then came over into the kiddie pool with us and started flirting with me!!! He even asked for my phone number! Even telling him I was married and showing my ring didn’t ward him off. He kept following us around, but was nice about it, not threatening in any way. I still didn’t like it, but I didn’t feel unsafe. He befriended Lydia quickly, and started having races across the pool with her. We went to the beach and saw some huge crabs scurrying on the rocks. Very cool! Then, some guys were playing “football” (soccer) and one of them came and spoke with me, then asked for my number, too! Unbelievable. Than, the last was another young man who swooshed over to me, said he had been admiring me from afar, and that he wanted to marry me! Jeez – are they not blind?? I think I might have lost some weight here, but not that much!
Finally, we found some peace and quiet at the western end of the beach, with a single lounge chair and a playset. Akos had also never been to the beach, nor had she been on a swing. She wouldn’t scoot her hiny back far enough and slipped forward off the swing several times (into soft sand, though, so she was fine). Lydia and Akos had an absolutely wonderful time together today.
After that, we came to the room and found the beautiful flower decorations. Some of the fresh flowers were even placed in rolls of toilet paper as if they were vases. Sounds strange, but it was elegant and beautiful! Also, we found that the room was amost frigid. Yay! They got the air conditioner fixed for me!
Around 6:30, we went to dinner. Akos had Jollof rice, Lydia had chicken and French fries, and I had Banku with Okro Stew. Banku is a pasty substance made of corn, I think. The stew had okra, and a LOT of peppery spice. It also had three kinds of meat in it – crab, beef (if it really was beef…) and (watay?), which is the hairy hump from the back of a cow’s neck (the cows have sort of camel-type humps here, but near the neck). I actually tried everything, ate almost all the crab, and quite a bit of the veggie parts of the stew and the banku. I don’t think the “crab” was actually crab, though, because I can’t explain the bones in it. (Aren't crabs invertebrates???) I’m not sure I want to know what it really was, but it did taste good. We treated ourselves to chocolate and vanilla gateau for dessert. I left a nice tip for the waiter, and he didn’t understand it was for him. He actually came all the way to our room to bring me my change!
Uncle P got home after we got back from dinner. Lydia asked sternly, “Where have you been???” We talked for a while, and the girls played with him. Lydia is playing “football” now, and was practicing hitting the ball to him with her head! We took some video of it, and also took some video of Akos so she could watch herself on the screen (which she thoroughly enjoyed). Now, as I type this, the girls are having issues over who sleeps where – Akos wants to sleep with me, I want the girls to sleep together (so I can get some rest tonight), and Lydia is feeling it’s unfair she can’t be by me. Oh well, they’re sisters through and through.
We planned to go to Kakum National Park this morning. We were in a rush, so decided to make oatmeal in the room for breakfast. While I made the oatmeal, the girls played outside. Then, Lydia rushed in to tell me a man was bleeding out there. I went out to check – it was one of the hotel employees – the plumber. He had tried to remove a toilet, which cracked and sliced both his middle fingers nearly to the bone. On the right side, he cut a vessel, so had a lot of bleeding from that one. The staff were pretty frantic, trying to wash it and put old rags on it. I told them I was a doctor and asked if they needed help. They certainly did, and they were VERY grateful. The man’s name was Eric. HE was in SO much pain. I had to remove some pieces of ceramic form his wound, wash both with our sterile water and some antiseptic, and bandage them with pressure dressings. All of this while he tried not to pass out from the pain. He needed stitches, so I went with them to the clinic (Ghana Health Clinic in Elmina) to make sure they had sterile supplies to use, and would give him a tetanus shot and antibiotic. They were worried he might be dizzy from losing a lot of blood, but Enyonam, the very nice lady who came with us, said she saw it, and it was only about half a pint. He was afraid of the needle when they came with his shot, so I think he was more faint from pain and the sight of blood than anything. It took about 4 hours of waiting before he was done. They gave him IV fluids, gave the tetanus shot, and prescribed antibiotics. I sat with him the whole time. He thanked me many times, and said “God bless you more and more and more and more and more…” The hotel staff was so appreciative, too. I didn’t really feel I had done all that much, but I’m glad it meant so much to them. The front office manager even called personally to talk to me and thank me, and the housekeeper made our rooms all beautiful with fresh flowers arranged all over the bed –looked kind of romantic – just beautiful. And yes, Uncle P got flowers, too – very “manly” pink and purple flowers, and I did not hesitate to give him trouble about it!
The clinic was so crowded – the nurse said they had about 250 patients to see. There was old equipment, probably 50 years old or more, dirty supplies, mold and mildew everywhere, torn-up flooring, dirt, no lights (not even in the room they used for suturing), and dingy curtains covering the doorways. Just dismal. But, the doctor, though hurried, was very professional and did his job well. People in the US complain so much about our health care – well, they should see what it could be like – they should see it here. We were lucky – they had almost run out of local anesthetic for Eric, but found some.
After the clinic run, the girls and I went to the pool. Akos has never been swimming before. She clung to me for dear life, but eventually put her feet on the bottom (of the kiddie pool). She didn’t want to hold Lydia’s hand, just mine. We had a flotation vest on her, but she didn’t understand what it was. Then the weirdness started – several men wanted their pictures taken with me – I guess just the novelty of an old obruni in the pool? But then, one named Johnny, said he wanted to sing with me, then came over into the kiddie pool with us and started flirting with me!!! He even asked for my phone number! Even telling him I was married and showing my ring didn’t ward him off. He kept following us around, but was nice about it, not threatening in any way. I still didn’t like it, but I didn’t feel unsafe. He befriended Lydia quickly, and started having races across the pool with her. We went to the beach and saw some huge crabs scurrying on the rocks. Very cool! Then, some guys were playing “football” (soccer) and one of them came and spoke with me, then asked for my number, too! Unbelievable. Than, the last was another young man who swooshed over to me, said he had been admiring me from afar, and that he wanted to marry me! Jeez – are they not blind?? I think I might have lost some weight here, but not that much!
Finally, we found some peace and quiet at the western end of the beach, with a single lounge chair and a playset. Akos had also never been to the beach, nor had she been on a swing. She wouldn’t scoot her hiny back far enough and slipped forward off the swing several times (into soft sand, though, so she was fine). Lydia and Akos had an absolutely wonderful time together today.
After that, we came to the room and found the beautiful flower decorations. Some of the fresh flowers were even placed in rolls of toilet paper as if they were vases. Sounds strange, but it was elegant and beautiful! Also, we found that the room was amost frigid. Yay! They got the air conditioner fixed for me!
Around 6:30, we went to dinner. Akos had Jollof rice, Lydia had chicken and French fries, and I had Banku with Okro Stew. Banku is a pasty substance made of corn, I think. The stew had okra, and a LOT of peppery spice. It also had three kinds of meat in it – crab, beef (if it really was beef…) and (watay?), which is the hairy hump from the back of a cow’s neck (the cows have sort of camel-type humps here, but near the neck). I actually tried everything, ate almost all the crab, and quite a bit of the veggie parts of the stew and the banku. I don’t think the “crab” was actually crab, though, because I can’t explain the bones in it. (Aren't crabs invertebrates???) I’m not sure I want to know what it really was, but it did taste good. We treated ourselves to chocolate and vanilla gateau for dessert. I left a nice tip for the waiter, and he didn’t understand it was for him. He actually came all the way to our room to bring me my change!
Uncle P got home after we got back from dinner. Lydia asked sternly, “Where have you been???” We talked for a while, and the girls played with him. Lydia is playing “football” now, and was practicing hitting the ball to him with her head! We took some video of it, and also took some video of Akos so she could watch herself on the screen (which she thoroughly enjoyed). Now, as I type this, the girls are having issues over who sleeps where – Akos wants to sleep with me, I want the girls to sleep together (so I can get some rest tonight), and Lydia is feeling it’s unfair she can’t be by me. Oh well, they’re sisters through and through.
Till next time...
Jeanie
Thursday, June 11, 2009
On the way to Cape Coast
Thursday, June 11 - Ghana Adventure Day 6
More of today's photos in slideshow section 2: click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed July 19)
We left Accra at about 10:00 to go to Cape Coast. We will stay for at least a few days, probably more, at Coconut Grove Beach Resort. We reserved a family room, as our coordinator (hereafter referred to as "Uncle P." because he likes it when the children call him that) will be staying, too. This lets us each have our own room, with adjoining bathroom. We had an adventuresome trip – the rainy season decided to hit all at once today. Uncle P was dodging other cars left and right. The roads got pretty bad, especially as we got into the more rural areas. I was amused to see so very many businesses named after God in some way - my favorites of the day were "Blessed Hairdo" and "Anointed Hands Benz Repair." Also, there were signs along the road that said, for example, “Overspeeding Kills – Over 32 persons died here.” Pretty doggone powerful!
Also on the way, with at least an hour of driving left, one windshield wiper went limp – apparently entirely unconscious. Of course, it was the driver’s side wiper..uh oh! Uncle P drove on, anyway, and the driving didn’t actually get much scarier – I just tried not to think about how little he could see as the other cars came rushing toward us…
We arrived safely at Coconut Grove in the late afternoon. Uncle P went to town to get his wiper fixed while we settled in. Unfortunately, his car leaked badly (my feet felt like they had been dragging in a river), and it dripped quite a lot into the trunk. It soaked everything in all of our suitcases except one. So, the girls and I had to put all our clothes and other belongings out to dry. What a mess! The only thing that really bothered me was Akos’ bible from her birth mother – I hated that it got wet – but at least the ink didn’t run, as it had on some of my own papers. Fortunately, the crucial adoption documents were spared, as I had them in plastic sleeves. Our room is beautiful – lots of space, especially vertical space. The ceilings are probably 18 feet tall – no kidding! Huge! We have a fridge and TV, armoire and two twin beds put together as one. The AC isn’t cooling much at all, though.
When Uncle P returned, he surprised us by bringing his lovely wife, (of course, we'll call her Auntie M) and their gorgeous 6-month old daughter. Auntie M had been in the area to get baby's birth certificate, but couldn’t return home due to the rain. So, she stayed with us. We got plenty of baby-cuddling and playing time. I took them out to dinner – I tried red-red for the first time (black-eyed bean stew), with fried plantains (YUM!!!) I loved both, and would definitely order it again. Akos got very quiet at dinner, and wouldn’t talk to anyone afterward. I tried to find out what was wrong, but she wouldn’t say. Finally, when I asked if she would like me to hold her while she slept, she nodded. I saw tears streaming from her eyes, though she made not a sound. So, we went to bed early, and I held her all night long. That plus the heat for the dysfunctional AC, and the humidity from the rain (everything felt damp, even things that hadn’t gotten any water on them – like my cross-stitching) didn’t set me up for a good night’s sleep…
(back-dated post completed July 19)
We left Accra at about 10:00 to go to Cape Coast. We will stay for at least a few days, probably more, at Coconut Grove Beach Resort. We reserved a family room, as our coordinator (hereafter referred to as "Uncle P." because he likes it when the children call him that) will be staying, too. This lets us each have our own room, with adjoining bathroom. We had an adventuresome trip – the rainy season decided to hit all at once today. Uncle P was dodging other cars left and right. The roads got pretty bad, especially as we got into the more rural areas. I was amused to see so very many businesses named after God in some way - my favorites of the day were "Blessed Hairdo" and "Anointed Hands Benz Repair." Also, there were signs along the road that said, for example, “Overspeeding Kills – Over 32 persons died here.” Pretty doggone powerful!Also on the way, with at least an hour of driving left, one windshield wiper went limp – apparently entirely unconscious. Of course, it was the driver’s side wiper..uh oh! Uncle P drove on, anyway, and the driving didn’t actually get much scarier – I just tried not to think about how little he could see as the other cars came rushing toward us…
We arrived safely at Coconut Grove in the late afternoon. Uncle P went to town to get his wiper fixed while we settled in. Unfortunately, his car leaked badly (my feet felt like they had been dragging in a river), and it dripped quite a lot into the trunk. It soaked everything in all of our suitcases except one. So, the girls and I had to put all our clothes and other belongings out to dry. What a mess! The only thing that really bothered me was Akos’ bible from her birth mother – I hated that it got wet – but at least the ink didn’t run, as it had on some of my own papers. Fortunately, the crucial adoption documents were spared, as I had them in plastic sleeves. Our room is beautiful – lots of space, especially vertical space. The ceilings are probably 18 feet tall – no kidding! Huge! We have a fridge and TV, armoire and two twin beds put together as one. The AC isn’t cooling much at all, though.
When Uncle P returned, he surprised us by bringing his lovely wife, (of course, we'll call her Auntie M) and their gorgeous 6-month old daughter. Auntie M had been in the area to get baby's birth certificate, but couldn’t return home due to the rain. So, she stayed with us. We got plenty of baby-cuddling and playing time. I took them out to dinner – I tried red-red for the first time (black-eyed bean stew), with fried plantains (YUM!!!) I loved both, and would definitely order it again. Akos got very quiet at dinner, and wouldn’t talk to anyone afterward. I tried to find out what was wrong, but she wouldn’t say. Finally, when I asked if she would like me to hold her while she slept, she nodded. I saw tears streaming from her eyes, though she made not a sound. So, we went to bed early, and I held her all night long. That plus the heat for the dysfunctional AC, and the humidity from the rain (everything felt damp, even things that hadn’t gotten any water on them – like my cross-stitching) didn’t set me up for a good night’s sleep…
See you tomorrow...
Jeanie
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Waist beads, doctors, poop in a jar, and the mall
Wednesday, June 10 - Ghana Adventure Day 5
Today's photos in slideshow section 1 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed July 19)
We were finally able to have a shower this morning – felt so good! I imagine it was probably Akos’ first real shower. When she undressed, I saw a triple string of beads around her – between her waist and hips. I asked if it was jewelry, and she nodded, but I thought it might have more meaning, and decided to ask someone later.
Our coordinator picked us up at 9 am for Akos’ medical exam. On the way, I asked him about the beads – it turns out that it does have important cultural significance. The babies are all put in beads when they are born, and as they grow too tight, they are lengthened or replaced. The boys only wear them for a year or two, but the girls wear them all their lives. It helps the family to know whether or not the child is growing, since most don’t have any other way to tell. It is called an ashinoh (phoenetically spelled, since it has a backwards-C character I can't figure out how to make with my keyboard). Babies also wear bracelet-type beads in a single strand, but with larger beads, around each leg, just below the knee. We were told it helps to shape the leg (the top of the calf), and it keeps the baby from being lazy – if they crawl, the beads hurt them, so they walk sooner. Interesting!
Akos had to get a passport-type picture taken beforehand – in a tiny shack in the slum-like market area there. Thank goodness we have our coordinator with us to handle all these transactions and know where to go! There was wonderfully cool air conditioning in the clinic – I loved it! Akos got weighed and measured on a fascinating scale that talks, weighs, and also has a bar of LED lights that go up to the child’s height so you can read it against the scale on the edge! VERY strange and space-age looking – not what I’d expect here! Akos was only 22 kg, and 125 cm. Very small for her age – I’ll have to plot it out on a growth chart for her. After the nurses’ desk, we ended up waiting in the hall for a long time, only to have the nurse come out and look shocked – “Oh, no, you are supposed to be in that room!” So we entered the doctor’s waiting room. Didn’t take long for Akos to be called – the doctor said, “I’ve been calling you and calling you.” I felt guilty and tried to explain the mistake. He was nice, though. He said Akos’ brown instead of black hair is due to malnutrition. Her eyesight was great, and other than her size, he found nothing else wrong with her. I asked about malaria prophylaxis – he said that if she is going to be living with us, she needs treatment, not prophylaxis! She’ll take Coartem BID for 3 days. He also presumptively gave a one-dose deworming medication.
Next, to the MedLab to get a stool sample. Akos tried to go and thought she hadn't, but she had actually tooted out a tiny piece of poop – just big enough for the sample! Yay! A lot of families have had to wait at that step for hours, waiting for the child to “produce.”
Next, we went to the Accra mall – I wanted to find a dark metal pot for Esther to put with the solar cooker I’d like to get for her. Couldn’t find one, unfortunately. But, we did find some books and toys for the girls, as well as a couple of books for me. One is called “The Pride of Ewe Kente.” It looks really interesting. Apparently the Ewe and the Ashanti each want to take credit for inventing kente – and that their patterns are entirely different.
In the mall parking lot, we met our coordinator's friend Adam, who runs an orphange in the Volta region for HIV+ kids. He wanted to know if I had any way to get medicine for them – AZT would help so much to decrease maternal-fetal transmission. I’ll have to see what I can do.
After the mall trip, we came home and played. We had bought a ball, which we inflated, and then the girls started kicking it around. Akos is lightning-fast and agile – I think we definitely need to put her on a soccer team – she would love it and gain so much confidence at having something she is so good at.
Went to dinner, then packed our things to leave for Cape Coast in the morning.
(back-dated post completed July 19)
We were finally able to have a shower this morning – felt so good! I imagine it was probably Akos’ first real shower. When she undressed, I saw a triple string of beads around her – between her waist and hips. I asked if it was jewelry, and she nodded, but I thought it might have more meaning, and decided to ask someone later.
Our coordinator picked us up at 9 am for Akos’ medical exam. On the way, I asked him about the beads – it turns out that it does have important cultural significance. The babies are all put in beads when they are born, and as they grow too tight, they are lengthened or replaced. The boys only wear them for a year or two, but the girls wear them all their lives. It helps the family to know whether or not the child is growing, since most don’t have any other way to tell. It is called an ashinoh (phoenetically spelled, since it has a backwards-C character I can't figure out how to make with my keyboard). Babies also wear bracelet-type beads in a single strand, but with larger beads, around each leg, just below the knee. We were told it helps to shape the leg (the top of the calf), and it keeps the baby from being lazy – if they crawl, the beads hurt them, so they walk sooner. Interesting!
Akos had to get a passport-type picture taken beforehand – in a tiny shack in the slum-like market area there. Thank goodness we have our coordinator with us to handle all these transactions and know where to go! There was wonderfully cool air conditioning in the clinic – I loved it! Akos got weighed and measured on a fascinating scale that talks, weighs, and also has a bar of LED lights that go up to the child’s height so you can read it against the scale on the edge! VERY strange and space-age looking – not what I’d expect here! Akos was only 22 kg, and 125 cm. Very small for her age – I’ll have to plot it out on a growth chart for her. After the nurses’ desk, we ended up waiting in the hall for a long time, only to have the nurse come out and look shocked – “Oh, no, you are supposed to be in that room!” So we entered the doctor’s waiting room. Didn’t take long for Akos to be called – the doctor said, “I’ve been calling you and calling you.” I felt guilty and tried to explain the mistake. He was nice, though. He said Akos’ brown instead of black hair is due to malnutrition. Her eyesight was great, and other than her size, he found nothing else wrong with her. I asked about malaria prophylaxis – he said that if she is going to be living with us, she needs treatment, not prophylaxis! She’ll take Coartem BID for 3 days. He also presumptively gave a one-dose deworming medication.
Next, to the MedLab to get a stool sample. Akos tried to go and thought she hadn't, but she had actually tooted out a tiny piece of poop – just big enough for the sample! Yay! A lot of families have had to wait at that step for hours, waiting for the child to “produce.”
Next, we went to the Accra mall – I wanted to find a dark metal pot for Esther to put with the solar cooker I’d like to get for her. Couldn’t find one, unfortunately. But, we did find some books and toys for the girls, as well as a couple of books for me. One is called “The Pride of Ewe Kente.” It looks really interesting. Apparently the Ewe and the Ashanti each want to take credit for inventing kente – and that their patterns are entirely different.
In the mall parking lot, we met our coordinator's friend Adam, who runs an orphange in the Volta region for HIV+ kids. He wanted to know if I had any way to get medicine for them – AZT would help so much to decrease maternal-fetal transmission. I’ll have to see what I can do.
After the mall trip, we came home and played. We had bought a ball, which we inflated, and then the girls started kicking it around. Akos is lightning-fast and agile – I think we definitely need to put her on a soccer team – she would love it and gain so much confidence at having something she is so good at.
Went to dinner, then packed our things to leave for Cape Coast in the morning.
More later.... :)
Jeanie
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
An introduction to the streets of Accra
Tuesday, June 9 - Ghana Adventure Day 4
We were going to shower when we got back, but no water right now. I’m so glad for the Yahoo groups, so that I knew to expect this. So, it doesn’t bother me a bit. Who cares if I shower – as soon as I set foot outside, I’m drenched with sweat anyway.
Our coordinator was here a little early - we gave him the gifts we had brought f
As of today I have a Ghana phone to use – it was purchased by some of the other Hopscotch parents and left here for others to use. We bought a card with phone minutes on the street, right from our car! It worked fine, and costs only about 20-30 pesuas per minute (about 14-20 cents.) Yay! Easier to call home now – much better than my $2.49 a minute. I still like texting, though, since it’s only 50 cents. Sure wish I could get internet access...
I had another oops when we came back to the hotel – I realized the embassy security staff didn’t give back my keys to the safe – and those are the only keys to it the hotel has!!! But, our coordinator rescued us again and went to fetch the keys. Many thanks to him!
The girls played more Nintendo and iPod games, and listened to some music. Akos taught Lydia how to spin a coin. We couldn’t figure out to recharge the Nintendo, though – but finally found one adapter that would work, with a converter. Most of my adapters are too big – they press on a switch right next to the outlet holes that turns the outlet itself right off! Poor design of outlet, adapter, or both!
We made Easy Mac with the kettle – a bit mushy, but not too bad. Akos and Lydia loved it. For dinner, we ate downstairs – Lydia has spaghetti with no sauce. Akos had Jollof rice and chicken stew; I had Jollof rice with only vegetable stew. We wanted to have dessert, but Joseph smiled sheepishly and told us they don’t have any desserts. They have about 10 on the menu, but nothing actually here. Oh, well – I had read to expect that, too…no worries. That’s why we brought plenty of snacks. ☺
After dinner, we washed some clothes in the sink – we have water now – and then watched "America's Funniest Home Videos: Animal Extravaganza" on the laptop. The girls were lying on the bed on their tummies, and I was sitting next to Akos. She rested her head so sweetly on my leg. It was the first time she really sought out affection from me. She’s starting to warm up to us really well. She is more carefree and natural with Lydia than with me – Lydia can get her to laugh, to run, and sometimes to speak. Akos always wants to hold hands with Lydia, and they hug each other a LOT. It’s adorable, and I love it!
Tomorrow, we plan to get her medical done. Percy might be going to Central Region – maybe he could ask Edward to drive us to Golden Tulip – the girls really want to swim!
Well, I’m getting tired – I want to cross-stitch but can barely see…the light is so dim. Lydia’s bedside lamp works, but mine doesn’t. Oh, well… ☺
More of today's photos in slideshow section 1 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed June 25th)
The girls woke up around 6 am and started playing Nintendo! Crazy kids! Akos is smiling more, but not talking much. I was worried she didn’t understand anything – but she has spoken a few barely audible sentences. She can also write her number and do addition – Lydia was working a math workbook with her! We got up around 9, and the girls got all dressed up for another day at the embassy. Aren't they sweet?
Then, we went for a short walk. We brought Dum-Dums and Tootsie Rolls in case we saw kids, but no kids around. We had many taxis approach us, but we just shook our heads – we wanted to walk.
I got some cute photos of the girls holding hands while they walked, and by a tree near the hotel with sunglasses on. I don’t think Akos has had those before – she likes them! Unfortunately, those photos are on a different camera, for which I don't have the transfer cable. I'll add some later.
We were going to shower when we got back, but no water right now. I’m so glad for the Yahoo groups, so that I knew to expect this. So, it doesn’t bother me a bit. Who cares if I shower – as soon as I set foot outside, I’m drenched with sweat anyway.
Our coordinator was here a little early - we gave him the gifts we had brought f
or his children, and he said we had made his day! We went to the embassy for our appointment then realized that when we went to the internet café to scan the I-600, the employee scanned it, but never gave either of us the original!!! Uh-oh…but our coordinator came to the rescue! He dashed off to get it, and I just smiled and let the others waiting for appointments go into the interview room first. Finally, he returned…success! We got the paperwork filed just fine. We were told 30 days maximum. No problem – we planned on about that. As we left, I ran into Karen Larson, who I’d met the day before, and she said that the last few (like Awo’s) from the Yahoo group had been finished and approved in a week! She’s hoping for that. I sent Don a text message about it – I’m not sure we should just rush home in a week – Akos may need a bit more time to adjust. Plus, I had planned to take them sightseeing. I want her to experience more of Ghana before leaving her homeland. He thinks we shouldn’t leave too soon, either. But, we’re thinking that if we’re done early, maybe we’ll try to come back about a week early – Don said that would be great – we could see the 4th of July fireworks, maybe even at Lost Valley.
After the embassy visit, we went to buy some soda and bottled water for the room. We bought it from a very nice market lady named Lydia! I took a picture, with her permission (she was actually very happy about being in the picture!) of two Lydia together at her shop.
We saw amazing things for sale on the streets. Most of the shops here seem to specialize in something - this one sells plastic baskets.
Refrigerators are even for sale on the streets of Accra. You can find all kinds of things here - one shop specialized in used irons, another in used tires, another with a huge pile of rusty auto parts, and several furniture shops.
If the sign didn't say it, people surely would urinate here. They do everywhere else. (They probably do here, too, despite the sign...)
Percy took a shortcut through a dump site, where lots of kids were playing – it’s the only space they have if they’re in the poorer class. They don’t have bathrooms – a little boy was pooping on the ground right in front of everyone. (I had the strange realization afterward that he was literally taking a dump in the dump…it would be a funny pun if it weren’t so terribly sad.) Anyway, I asked about Esther’s – Akos had something that looked like a toilet, but was just a hole into a septic tank – no running water. No wonder she doesn’t know to flush. She also doesn’t understand washing her hands. Where she lived before Esther’s, Akos wouldn’t really have had any type of bathroom to use at all.
As of today I have a Ghana phone to use – it was purchased by some of the other Hopscotch parents and left here for others to use. We bought a card with phone minutes on the street, right from our car! It worked fine, and costs only about 20-30 pesuas per minute (about 14-20 cents.) Yay! Easier to call home now – much better than my $2.49 a minute. I still like texting, though, since it’s only 50 cents. Sure wish I could get internet access...
I had another oops when we came back to the hotel – I realized the embassy security staff didn’t give back my keys to the safe – and those are the only keys to it the hotel has!!! But, our coordinator rescued us again and went to fetch the keys. Many thanks to him!
The girls played more Nintendo and iPod games, and listened to some music. Akos taught Lydia how to spin a coin. We couldn’t figure out to recharge the Nintendo, though – but finally found one adapter that would work, with a converter. Most of my adapters are too big – they press on a switch right next to the outlet holes that turns the outlet itself right off! Poor design of outlet, adapter, or both!
We made Easy Mac with the kettle – a bit mushy, but not too bad. Akos and Lydia loved it. For dinner, we ate downstairs – Lydia has spaghetti with no sauce. Akos had Jollof rice and chicken stew; I had Jollof rice with only vegetable stew. We wanted to have dessert, but Joseph smiled sheepishly and told us they don’t have any desserts. They have about 10 on the menu, but nothing actually here. Oh, well – I had read to expect that, too…no worries. That’s why we brought plenty of snacks. ☺
After dinner, we washed some clothes in the sink – we have water now – and then watched "America's Funniest Home Videos: Animal Extravaganza" on the laptop. The girls were lying on the bed on their tummies, and I was sitting next to Akos. She rested her head so sweetly on my leg. It was the first time she really sought out affection from me. She’s starting to warm up to us really well. She is more carefree and natural with Lydia than with me – Lydia can get her to laugh, to run, and sometimes to speak. Akos always wants to hold hands with Lydia, and they hug each other a LOT. It’s adorable, and I love it!
Akos loves the doll I made her. She takes "good" care of it - she brushed its curly hair completely straight, and also gave it a bath in the sink, with soap and everything! Oh well, she's never had such things before and doesn't know how to care for it properly. Someday, I can make her a new one - but for now, I'll let her love on it any way she wants to! :) Well, sweet little Kosi fell asleep snuggling the doll I made her while AFV was nearing the end. They played hard today.
Tomorrow, we plan to get her medical done. Percy might be going to Central Region – maybe he could ask Edward to drive us to Golden Tulip – the girls really want to swim!
Well, I’m getting tired – I want to cross-stitch but can barely see…the light is so dim. Lydia’s bedside lamp works, but mine doesn’t. Oh, well… ☺
More tomorrow...hugs to all!
Jeanie
Monday, June 8, 2009
We finally met our daughter today!
Monday, June 8 - Ghana Adventure Day 3
We woke up excited – this is the day we meet Akos! We got ready pretty much on time, even though I had set but forgot to turn on my alarm. I woke up just when I was supposed to anyway. Thank you, God! We had a nice breakfast – Emmanuel was our waiter. I’ve heard nice things about him on the adoptingfromghana Yahoo group, and on one of the members’ blogs. I had a cheese omelet, which was great. Lydia had eggs and ordered bacon – but it turned out to be what they called ham – I think it more like grilled Spam…she didn’t like it too much, but ate at least half. I thought it actually wasn’t bad at all. At least very lean. She had scrambled eggs that looked awful, and she didn’t like them at all. We both had hot tea, and she tried it with milk and sugar – she loves tea now! She got me to try it with milk and sugar, too – and I kind of liked it, surprisingly, even though I can’t stand sugar in iced tea.
Akos sat in the back with Lydia, and we went to the embassy. Met Anita Gillespie, director AAI there – she’s filing her I-600, too for her own adoption. But, we hadn’t filled out and signed our I-600 yet. I thought Don couldn’t sign since he wasn’t here, and the POA was what we needed from him. Turns out he does have to sign. Thankfully, they are willing to take my original without his signature, plus a scanned copy with his signature. So, next stop was an internet café. After over 2 hours, we had success. We stopped so we could get plantain chips on the way home – kind of like potato chips, with more flavor.
More of today's photos in slideshow section 1 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed June 25th)
We woke up excited – this is the day we meet Akos! We got ready pretty much on time, even though I had set but forgot to turn on my alarm. I woke up just when I was supposed to anyway. Thank you, God! We had a nice breakfast – Emmanuel was our waiter. I’ve heard nice things about him on the adoptingfromghana Yahoo group, and on one of the members’ blogs. I had a cheese omelet, which was great. Lydia had eggs and ordered bacon – but it turned out to be what they called ham – I think it more like grilled Spam…she didn’t like it too much, but ate at least half. I thought it actually wasn’t bad at all. At least very lean. She had scrambled eggs that looked awful, and she didn’t like them at all. We both had hot tea, and she tried it with milk and sugar – she loves tea now! She got me to try it with milk and sugar, too – and I kind of liked it, surprisingly, even though I can’t stand sugar in iced tea.
We went back to our room to wait for our coordinator – we took a nap while we waited. That felt good. He didn’t arrive until noon - oh, well…time is “relaxed” here. I assured him that we trust him to be here eventually, and we aren’t going to get too worried about time. We had a nice talk on the way to get Akos. She was actually born in Accra, though her mother was originally from a village in the Volta region. At about 1 1/2 years old, Akos went to the village to live with her maternal grandmother while mom stayed in Accra. Akos went to work on the farm every day with her grandmother and helped carry and pick things. When her grandmother died, Akos returned to Accra to live with her mother and grandmother’s friend. Also there was her younger sister, Celestina (now 6 years old).
Akos got into school late – she’s in level 2 now, but should be in level 4. They start with nursery, KG, then level 1-6 in primary, 7-9 in junior high (secondary), then 4 years or so in high school. Used to be total of 17 years before you could finish and go to university, but it’s shorter now. Our coordinator went to university for African studies, and has done research for Americans wanting to know certain things. He also used to work as a tour guide, covering all of Ghana. He’s going to be sure to take us to one of the castles at Cape Coast, Kakum and the Canopy Walkway. Anyway, we went through Laboni, La and more – saw the coast of the Alantic along the way on our right.
Then finally, we arrived at Esther’s. Esther is a beautiful woman, with bi-colored spiral braids and a gorgeous smile. She was very quiet, and seemed a bit timid, though. I almost didn’t recognize Akos – she is so tiny and thin! She had on white shirt and brown pants. She didn’t speak a word but smiled a bit at us. She seems painfully shy, but sweet and lovely. All she does is nod, and will hardly look at us. But, I've read that for a child to look an adult in the eye is considered disrespectful here. I am so happy to finally be able to hug her and tell her how much we love her, and that she'll never be without a family again!
Akos sat in the back with Lydia, and we went to the embassy. Met Anita Gillespie, director AAI there – she’s filing her I-600, too for her own adoption. But, we hadn’t filled out and signed our I-600 yet. I thought Don couldn’t sign since he wasn’t here, and the POA was what we needed from him. Turns out he does have to sign. Thankfully, they are willing to take my original without his signature, plus a scanned copy with his signature. So, next stop was an internet café. After over 2 hours, we had success. We stopped so we could get plantain chips on the way home – kind of like potato chips, with more flavor.
We got back to the hotel, and forgot to bring in Akos’ suitcase. Oh, well. We gave her a new dress we brought, and she smiled big. Then, we had some time to relax a get to know one another. At dinner, Joseph – another waiter I “knew” from online was there. I had Jollof rice – yum! Lots of great veggies in it, and fantastic flavor. I didn’t much care for the chicken that came with it, but that’s OK. Lydia has spaghetti - which had tomato sauce and lots of green onions and green peppers. She had to be coerced to eat. Akos had “fried chicken” which actually looked more stewed, with tomato and veggies on it. Also with plain rice. She ate very well.
We had Fantas in glass bottles – which Lydia
apparently hadn’t seen before, and I tried my first Star beer - pretty refreshing on a hot day! Here is the first photo I took of Akos, and a photo of the famous Star Beer.We settled in and snuggled close, but the girls stayed up way longer than I did playing – though Akos doesn’t talk much, she sure seems to love playing Nintendo with Lydia! You'll notice that even at their first photo together, at dinner - less than 8 hours after meeting Akos, Lydia was already teaching her to play video games! (Oh, well - it gives them something to enjoy together while we're stuck in hotel rooms, but we'll get back to the usual limits on such things when we get home. I much prefer to see them reading books!) They did Zoo Vet and Carnival Games. I finally had to allow myself to fall asleep without them...
See you next time...
Jeanie
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Our Arrival in Ghana
Sunday, June 7 - Ghana Adventure Day 2
At the baggage claim, we met a nice gentleman, an airport employee, who offered to help us with our bags. We found all 6 suitcases – not a single one missing! Yay! The gentleman brought us all the way to the outside, helping to ward off other men trying to “help” us on the way. When we got outside, we couldn't yet see our coordinator. After looking around for a while, I told the young man he could go so he wouldn’t miss getting to help others and earn more tips I gave him $20 for his help. He seemed happy. Then, we had some trouble. Several men came up to us, trying to get money from us. Two in particular stayed. All they did was tell us to sit down, and to hand Lydia Akos’ doll. Then they just hovered. They weren’t in uniform, and there was a sign warning against accepting any help from those without uniforms, but we weren’t really given a choice. One of two hovering men got very pushy, held his hand out and said firmly, “Tip now, tip!” I hesitated, as they hadn’t been the ones to help us. But I decided to give each a $5 bill, hoping it would satisfy them enough to make them leave me alone. I handed the first one the bill, then when I tried to tip the second one, the first grabbed onto it. I said “No, this one is for him. I already tipped you.” He said, “No. You give me twenty!” I said that I couldn’t do that – I had already tipped the man who carried our bags, and I needed to have money for our hotel, etc. He was not happy, and wouldn’t give it back to the other man. Then our coordinator found us, thank God. He could see we were having trouble and said “Don’t worry, I will settle it with them.” He gave them each another 20, I think, and later told me some of it was for keeping us safe (though they were actually the ones intimidating us and frightening us.) Also, though, he thought those men had actually helped us with the bags, which they hadn’t.
Our room is large, with one King size bed. The key is the largest, heaviest key I have ever held! I'm not sure why, but there is a rubber ring around the circular part at the bottom. Very strange. The air conditioning isn’t very cold, but it did work better during the nighttime. The water is only a trickle, which we were prepared for. The lighting was very dim, largely because most of the lamps didn't work, nor did many of the electrical outlets. It is strange, but the hotel's own lamps didn't even have proper plugs for the outlets - I had to use my travel adapter to get light in the room! The problems that upset me, though, were that I couldn’t get the internet to work – it looks as if it’s connected, but Safari and e-mail think I’m not connected. I was distraught at losing my chance to communicate freely with friends and family. Also, I couldn’t get my sterilizing pen to work, and we were hot and thirsty. I started boiling water in the kettle, and we made freeze-dried chicken and noodles. It was actually VERY yummy. I had started drinking hot water – yuck! Then, I went to put the leftover food in the fridge, and saw it was stocked with soda, lots of beer, and the motherlode – bottled, ice-cold water. That turned my whole outlook around, and I knew all would be okay.
I finally figured out how to call Don on the cell – but it is $2.49 a minute! We got to say goodnight to him and to Elena. I also realized I had forgotten to get our vaccination waiver notarized – but realized we had already done one in February, and it was a duplicate anyway. So, Don found it, called our agency and e-mailed it to her. She forwarded it to our coordinator and to the Embassy. Later, I also figured out why my sterilizing pen hadn't worked - in my frustration and exhaustion, I didn't see there was a little arrow that needed to line up where the circular battery cover attached. All works wonderfully now. Whew! What a night – Lydia and I were so exhausted – we got out our travel sheets – very comfortable – and crashed.
More of today's photos in slideshow section 1 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed on June 25th)
We arrived in Ghana at about 8:40 pm, again right on time. Of course, there was a huge Akwaaba painted on the building! We went through customs (a couple of different checkpoints for some reason). The first lady examined our visas, the second wanted to know what was in the bags. She seemed concerned about the medical supplies – I was glad I had typed a letter of explanation with my “M.D.” signature, as well as a full packing list. That satisfied her. I noticed a sign saying that Ghana welcomes all visitors who come in good will, but that sexually deviant or inappropriate behavior is not tolerated. It said that “If you intend on engaging in such behaviors, for our good as well as for your own, we suggest you go elsewhere.” Funny, but serious, too – showed that they really do value proper manners, etc., and they are not afraid to say it. I like that.
At the baggage claim, we met a nice gentleman, an airport employee, who offered to help us with our bags. We found all 6 suitcases – not a single one missing! Yay! The gentleman brought us all the way to the outside, helping to ward off other men trying to “help” us on the way. When we got outside, we couldn't yet see our coordinator. After looking around for a while, I told the young man he could go so he wouldn’t miss getting to help others and earn more tips I gave him $20 for his help. He seemed happy. Then, we had some trouble. Several men came up to us, trying to get money from us. Two in particular stayed. All they did was tell us to sit down, and to hand Lydia Akos’ doll. Then they just hovered. They weren’t in uniform, and there was a sign warning against accepting any help from those without uniforms, but we weren’t really given a choice. One of two hovering men got very pushy, held his hand out and said firmly, “Tip now, tip!” I hesitated, as they hadn’t been the ones to help us. But I decided to give each a $5 bill, hoping it would satisfy them enough to make them leave me alone. I handed the first one the bill, then when I tried to tip the second one, the first grabbed onto it. I said “No, this one is for him. I already tipped you.” He said, “No. You give me twenty!” I said that I couldn’t do that – I had already tipped the man who carried our bags, and I needed to have money for our hotel, etc. He was not happy, and wouldn’t give it back to the other man. Then our coordinator found us, thank God. He could see we were having trouble and said “Don’t worry, I will settle it with them.” He gave them each another 20, I think, and later told me some of it was for keeping us safe (though they were actually the ones intimidating us and frightening us.) Also, though, he thought those men had actually helped us with the bags, which they hadn’t.
Our room is large, with one King size bed. The key is the largest, heaviest key I have ever held! I'm not sure why, but there is a rubber ring around the circular part at the bottom. Very strange. The air conditioning isn’t very cold, but it did work better during the nighttime. The water is only a trickle, which we were prepared for. The lighting was very dim, largely because most of the lamps didn't work, nor did many of the electrical outlets. It is strange, but the hotel's own lamps didn't even have proper plugs for the outlets - I had to use my travel adapter to get light in the room! The problems that upset me, though, were that I couldn’t get the internet to work – it looks as if it’s connected, but Safari and e-mail think I’m not connected. I was distraught at losing my chance to communicate freely with friends and family. Also, I couldn’t get my sterilizing pen to work, and we were hot and thirsty. I started boiling water in the kettle, and we made freeze-dried chicken and noodles. It was actually VERY yummy. I had started drinking hot water – yuck! Then, I went to put the leftover food in the fridge, and saw it was stocked with soda, lots of beer, and the motherlode – bottled, ice-cold water. That turned my whole outlook around, and I knew all would be okay. Back with more soon...
Jeanie
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Today's the Big Day!
Saturday, June 6 - Ghana Adventure Day 1
Photos in slideshow section 1 - click HERE to view.
(back-dated post completed on June 24th)
I was up late on Thursday night and Friday night packing – trying to be sure I didn’t forget anything. We had just found out we were traveling today 4 days ago! We packed an entire suitcase full of food – freeze-dried meals, fruit snacks, Chex chocolate cereal bars, macaroni and cheese, teriyaki noodles, and more. We packed plenty of clothes – more than we had planned to bring. But, we weren’t sure what size Akos would be, so we brought extra. The Pack-It folders by Eagle Creek that we bought are wonderful! They made it so easy to pack and to reorganize the suitcases to distribute weight. We had 2 ½ suitcases full of medical supplies for the Korle-Bu children’s hospital.
While busy packing, I had looked at my flight itinerary and mentally put 2:00 pm as the time we needed to leave home. But by Friday afternoon, I had it in my mind that 2:00 was our flight departure! So, we got up early this morning and left the house at 10:00 am for our flight – on the way, I looked at my schedule and realized our flight didn’t leave until 6:05 pm! Well, at least we had plenty of time! Don and Elena already had big plans for the day – picking strawberries, making a pie, mowing the lawn and playing outside. (Tomorrow, they are going to the zoo.) So, we all went to Red Lobster near the airport and had a nice lunch together (I had delicious wood-fire grilled tilapia – yummy!) then they dropped us off at the terminal. We had maximum luggage – our humanitarian/missionary fare allowed us three instead of the usual two checked bags each (50 lbs apiece) – so we had 6 huge 47-pound suitcases, plus a large-as-allowed rolling carry-on, my purse/laptop bag, and Lydia’s backpack. Whew!
Our flight left right on time at 6:05 – it was only a 45-minute flight to Chicago, on American Airlines. Lydia was very excited to be on a plane again! We had only a little while in Chicago, and my plantar fasciitis was hurting me badly – it turned the international terminal was very far away, and after walking as far as I could, I finally requested a wheelchair. I just couldn't do it. Chicago was pretty crazy – TSA staff was cranky as all get-out! I couldn’t believe how crowded it was there.
The next leg of our trip was the transatlantic one. We boarded the BIGGEST plane I've ever seen - a 747! I had no idea these were so big, and even have an upstairs level with more seating! Each row in the main level (coach class) has 10 seats across...wow! We left at about 10:50 pm, as scheduled. The flight attendant was kind enough to inquire to all our nearby passengers about nuts – no danger (my daughter is highly allergic and has reacted just by being near an open container of nuts! I hardly slept at all. Lydia slept more than I did, but neither got much rest. About 2/3 of the way through the trip, I realized that our TV monitors has an option to watch a moving map showing our location at
different zoom levels, and also showed our altitude, time until reaching destination, outside temperature, etc. We were flying at 36,000 feet, and the temperature was about -60 degrees F! It was fun to watch as we approached and flew over Ireland, then crossed over to England – finally arrived in London! Still right on time.
We didn’t get to eat much on the plane – nearly everything had a nut warning. Fortunately, we had just a few extra minutes after security and all in London (though we started with 2 ½ hours to spare!), so we had lunch from Pret a Manger and brought what we couldn’t finish with us on the plane. They have fascinating sandwiches – prosciutto, Scottish salmon, and more. Lydia chose grapes, an apple, and mango-lime fruit salad. It was good! At our assigned gate, we got onto a tram instead of a plane – the tram took us over to a plane where we had to actually climb a staircase to get in. That was unusual and pretty fun. We noticed that the plane's engines were Rolls-Royce! Fancy-dancy!
We watched the moving map again – crossed the English channel and flew over France, then Spain, the Mediterranean, and then into Africa (first, over Algiers). Our favorite part was when the map showed we were over the Sahara Desert! We had a nice view of the desert, and Lydia was so excited by it! I did get a couple of pictures, but they don’t do it justice.
As we flew, Saturday melted into Sunday…
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