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…
Thursday, June 18, 2009
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
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