Oh this has been a very informative, exciting, and making me think out of the box week. I finally got here on Monday. John’s son meet me in Bolatanga and made arrangements to have a taxi take us home with all my luggage.
We went to John’s house instead of my new place. Olivia was feeling bad and she said that we might have to clean when we get there. I caught up with Michael and the whole family what they had been doing since I had left. Michael was so excited to see me. Made me feel good (remember he is the 3-4 yr. old that is John’s grandson but he and I hit it off right away).
The next morning I was up early with Michael and Olivia and I carried the backpacks plus one of the gucci bags to my new place. About a 15-20 min walk. The house is on the main road through town and next door to my own 7-11, well the Ghanaian 7-11 anyway. Pictures of the house are below.
My room is off the “living room” the family even has a TV. I have had to put my water container there because I only have a bed in my room at this time. It also needs a new mattress so I am to purchase tomorrow. We have few things that have to be done to meet Peace Corps requirements. I have to have a “screen” door (best way to describe to my American friends) on my door from the living room because of flies and mosquitos. I have to have a table and two chairs and I need shelves or something for my clothes, toiletries in my bathroom, plus I would like somewhere to put my food things since I will not be eating with the family. I just can’t do all the carbs.
I have cleaned my room windows, walls, bathroom etc. I have a few things to purchase like rugs in the bedroom and bathroom. I need to find another light for my bed you know my reading habits, now I am using a flashlight or the light on my kindle. Once I get my new mattress I will make my bed up right and put on Tammy’s pillow cover might even buy another pillow.
Money is a hassle here. Since everything put in banking acct. you have to get it out in paper form until we get our debit cards. These should have been given to us way before training was over but…… The lines are something you can not even imagine. Before the bank opened the other day the line was from the front door back and forth about 6 times, plus all the way to the street. I wish I had had enough sense to take a picture. I will get you one though. And the barging in while you are at the window was unbelievable. There is no privacy to count your money or put it away without everyone being able to see. Makes me very nervous. So I ordered a debit card could take 1 – 3 months to get and the line for the atm well lets not even go there. Needless to say no banking on Market Days. No bank, no grocery store for fresh stuff even eggs, no taxis or lorries, no nothing in my village. So Bolga trips are a necessary evil at least once a week if I have a fridge but I don’t yet because I have to get 300 cedis out of the stupid bank. AT least I have a friend that is willing to help me get the fridge and mattress to my little town but I did not have enough nerve to ask him how we were going to do it. Sometimes I worry less when I don’t know as much. Ha!!!!
I have walked my little village basically just walking through farms Generally I have my own parade of children following me since school is out here like the US. They have been wonderful about filling my buckets and carrying them for me. I have tried to greet everyone I see however, once we get past the greeting the children have to tell me what is being said and I try to say in Fra Fra the right response. Usually the kids just end up laughing as well as most adults. Guess I will eventually get another step further when I start my tutoring.
The children here seem to take care of themselves unless an adult see something wrong. I can’t stand the hitting so I have to have them stop it in my present. They don’t just hit they slug the person that has done them wrong. Anyway, I quit playing games with them this afternoon because they would not stop slugging each other for no reason that I could see.
The other person living in the house besides the family is the purchasing agent for a French company. She was nice enough to invite me over to the craft center to see what they are trying to finish. They are on a dead line and as I have told you Ghanaians don’t get that. The French designer sent over the instructions of what she wants then they have to figure out what they expect and then do the work. The baskets I saw this evening were so nice. I am going to try and get me one. They also have a sewing center where some of the baskets have a liner or a liner with a cover for the top. They were really nice.
Pictures will follow since I went with a walk with the children and we ended up at the craft center. I am sending a picture of a young barber doing a child’s head. They use a comb with a two sided straight razor to cut the hair. I asked if they cut the skin but he said he was very good. He was a friend of the volunteer I am replacing so he was excited to meet me.
The nights and early morning are so cool it is wonderful. I have walked, each morning or done some kind of movement. I plan on starting my cd’s on yoga tomorrow morning before I leave for Bolga might get my brain straight before I go get in the bartering me.
The pictures are the before since I am still working on the house. Hopefully my new modem will work good for me.
My room where my clothes will go when I have a shelve or something:
My place for two years will show you again when I have it in better shape. The walls are mud bricks covered with stucco so not much can be put on the walls and nothing can be screwed or nailed into the walls. Maybe some paint would help but how would I get the paint on the walls? Wouldn’t a roller fall apart. Oh well I will find out. Enjoy
Here is the barber:
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