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
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