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!

After dinner, things got even more amazing – the staff – probably 10 or so paraded out of the kitchen building singing Happy Birthday – they sang a second verse with the same tune, but saying, “May God bless you now” instead of Happy Birthday to You. Really nice. They brought a huge cake – a full sheet, I believe – decorated with Lydia’s name and “Happy Birthday.” It had pink, white and chocolate icing, and a green star of candied cherries. The cake tasted like it had a bit of cinnamon in it. Oh, wow – what an amazing night!

Back soon with more,

Jeanie

Queen Mother and Brain Teaser

Tuesday, June 16 - Ghana Adventure Day 11

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

Dirty laundry and crabs

Sunday, June 14 - Ghana Adventure Day 9

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

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.

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

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…

See you tomorrow...

Jeanie

We finally met our daughter today!

Monday, June 8 - Ghana Adventure Day 3

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

Mother's Day Weekend

(Yet another belated post...still catching up...)

May 8-10

We got back from our trip to South Carolina on the Friday before Mother's Day. My wish for Mother's Day was to camp in the new RV with my family, so here we are on our first night, enjoying hot dogs roasted over the fire.

Kente and the dogs accompanied us for the camping trip - PJ gave Kente a tongue-bath (you can see the circle of slobbery marks on him!), then the three of them snuggled up for a nap.

Lost Valley has a great little restaurant called the Creekside Cafe. Sheila, the owner, makes pancakes as big as plates!

Kente like to sit on the back of the dinette bench to watch for the door to open. He also like to watch movies - he gets very interested if there's a lot of action on the screen!

May 12

The playsilks we bought the girls for Christmas were a big hit. Today, they used the silks to create numerous different fashions - and gave us a fashion show. I love having these open-ended toys - they are so good for stimulating the imagination!

And finally, just some more cute critters-snuggling-together pictures!

See you soon...

Jeanie

Poll of the Week

Well, it's been longer than a week, but the bushmeat poll is over. For those of you who care, here are the results (actually, here they are regardless...LOL!)

The question: Have you ever eaten bushmeat?

The answers (3 total votes):

Yes, and would again 33%

Yes, and never again 0%

No, but might someday 33%

Never in a million years 0%

What is bushmeat??? 33%

SO...we need a new poll of the week. I've been learning about RV's for the first time this week. Never traveled in one, but after driving around the eastern US with my girls for a month in a minivan, I am thinking that riding in a portable living room sounds pretty darn nice. Would save lots on food and lodging - and maybe give us a chance to make the trek to more of the lesser-known educational jewels out there. It would also let my hubby bring the whole family when he has to travel to film for the TV show he produces - hmmmm...

Seems that there are a lot of pros and cons to each of the classes of RV. The one we're trying out this weekend is a 29-foot Class C. I'm curious as to what people's favorite types of RV's and why. The poll, of course, won't tell the "why" part, so if you respond to the poll, I would love it if you'd leave a comment on this post to tell me about your RV preferences.

This week's question:

Which is your favorite class of RV?

Hope to hear from you! :)

Jeanie

My first lesson in Ghanaian cooking

The take-home message here is: be sure to prepare your cassava properly!!!

I had been trying to figure out how to cook some Ghanaian foods, and had no clue what cassava was.  So, I Googled it, and was led to a Wikipedia article on cassava.  Started out with a lovely botanical picture, then a photo of peeled cassava roots in a bowl.  Fair enough.  Then came trouble - I started reading...here's what I found, directly from Wikipedia:

"

Processing and toxicity

Cassava root peeled

The leaves cannot be consumed raw because they contain free and bound cyanogenic glucosides. These are converted to cyanide in the presence oflinamarase, a naturally occurring enzyme in cassava. The roots, however, are eaten raw everywhere in Africa. Cassava varieties are often categorized as either "sweet" or "bitter", signifying the absence or presence of toxic levels of cyanogenic glucosides. The so-called "sweet" (actually "not bitter") cultivars can produce as little as 20 milligrams of cyanide (CN) per kilogram of fresh roots, whereas "bitter" ones may produce more than 50 times as much (1 g/kg). Cassavas grown during drought are especially high in these toxins.^[8] [9] One dose of pure cassava cyanogenic glucoside (40 mg) is sufficient to kill a cow.

Societies which traditionally eat cassava generally understand that soaking and/or cooking is necessary to avoid getting sick.^{[citation needed]} However, problems do occur—konzo (also called mantakassa) is a paralytic neurological disease associated with several weeks of almost exclusive consumption of insufficiently processed bitter cassava. Dr Jasson Ospina, an Australian plant chemist, has developed a simple method to reduce the cyanide content of cassava flour.^[10] The method involves mixing the flour with water into a thick paste and then letting it stand in the shade for five hours in a thin layer spread over a basket, allowing an enzyme in the flour to break down the cyanide compound. The cyanide compound produces hydrogen cyanide gas, which escapes into the atmosphere, reducing the amount of poison by up to five-sixths and making the flour safe for consumption the same evening. This method is currently being promoted in rural African communities that are dependent on cassava.^[11]

For some smaller-rooted "sweet" varieties, cooking is sufficient to eliminate all toxicity. The larger-rooted "bitter" varieties used for production of flour or starch must be processed to remove the cyanogenic glucosides. The large roots are peeled and then ground into flour, which is then soaked in water, squeezed dry several times, and toasted. The starch grains that float to the surface during the soaking process are also used in cooking.^[12] The flour is used throughout the Caribbean. The traditional method used in West Africa is to peel the roots and put them into water for 3 days to ferment. The roots then are dried or cooked. In Nigeria and several other west African countries, including Ghana, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso, they are usually grated and lightly fried in palm oil to preserve them. The result is a foodstuff called 'Gari'. Fermentation is also used in other places such as Indonesia (see Tapai). The fermentation process also reduces the level of antinutrients, making the cassava a more nutritious food.^[13]

The reliance on cassava as a food source and the resulting exposure to the goitrogenic effects of thiocyanate has been responsible for the endemic goitres seen in the Akoko area of southwestern Nigeria.^[14]

"

(I do recommend reading the rest of the Wikipedia article - there's a lot of fascinating stuff about cassava!)

So, difficult as it is to fathom, one of Ghana's most important staple foods can poison you with CYANIDE if not prepared properly!  Luckily, the article also states that people in cassava-dependent societies generally understand the need to prepare it so as not to cause problems - but still, a good thing to know ahead of time.  I think I will NOT be making cassava as my first Ghanaian recipe - yams, anyone???