Storytime!

Every day is an adventure in Ghana. Here is a small sampling of the funny stories and crazy things we have done or witnessed.

-Every tro-tro ride is different and inevitably something exciting happes. My favorite so far was on an hour-long tro-tro ride in the Volta region. About 10 minutes into the trip, we rolled to a stop on the side of the road. The mate (someone who rides along colelcting money, telling the driver when to stop, and shouting out the window to try to fill the bus) got out, took the front passenger seat completely out, pulled up the floor, and stuck his head into the opening. He came up, spit something out, returned the seat, and we continued. About 7 minutes later, he did the whole thing again. It turns out there was something wrong with the fuel pipe and the mate had to periodically syphon the dirt out -with his mouth- until the fuel ran smoothly again. The poor guy0 He did not look especially excited to be sucking on a pipe filled with gasoline and dirt every few minutes.

-One of the toughest adjustments for me has been the food. Much of what they eat (including most meat and all sauces) is very spicy. When I buy a new food, therefore, I always first ask if it is spicy. So we had seen what looked like a peanut-butter fudge ball being sold on the street. We were curious, so we asked what it was made of. She responded, "groundnut (that's peanuts to us), corn, and sugar". So we bought one, without asking if it was spicy (it's made of peanut butter, how hot could it be- right Dad??). If I could make one taste-combination illegal, it would be peanut butter and spicy. I took one bite which, classically, stuck to the top of my mouth. It simultaneously made me gag and my eyes water, and I couldn't knock the taste no matter how much bread and water I washed down. The locals got a good laugh out of that one. Needless to say, there is Nothing that I buy now without asking if it is spicy first!

-On our way to the Babies Home one morning, we passed a police officer on the side of the street. He yelled "Abruni!" and told us to come see him. So we walked over and he asked all of the normal questions: our names, where we were going, how long we are in Ghana, where we are from. He said he wanted to have a white friend and told me to give him my address. THen he asked if I was married. I said 'yes' (Always recommended in Ghana, ladies). He immediately said "oh, oh nevermind" and without another word, shooed us on our way. This is just one form of the same conversation that I have at least 2 or 3 times a day. Sometimes the conversation is as short as "Abruni! Hello! What is your name? I love you. You will marry me?" It's flattering, I suppose, but it sure does get old after a while. My response is usually to tell them what number husband they will be- "well, you are the 23rd person to ask me, so after I go through my first 22 husbands, I will marry you". Yesterday Froukje and I counted 42 calls of "Abruni" in the hour we were in town. We are certainly celebrities around here.

-I mentioned in an earlier post that Ghana is primarily Christian. To add to that, Ghanians are certainly not afraid of announcing their faith.

These are just two of hundreds of shop signs we pass each day. Tro-tros, taxis, bikes, and shirts also uniquely proclaim the driver or wearer's faith. It is certainly a very interesting form of witnessing.

-Last weekend we travelled to the Volta region- a gorgeous and rarely-touristed area. We stayed in a monkey sanctuary and got to feed bananas to the sacred Mona monkeys.

Then we hiked to the Amedzofe waterfalles. The hike was only about 45 minutes, but the terrain was, well, straight down. Some eco-tourism volunteers installed a rope railing a few years ago, which I basically clung to with both hands and slipped down the hill. Then we had to clamor back up. But it was well worth it.

-And lastly, I am doing my best to fit into the African way, so when little Gloria wouldn't stop crying, I just strapped her to my back (which immediately calmed her down) and continued to work. She was so content, she took a nap until feeding time.

I haven't mastered carrying things on my head yet, but I am working on it. Soon I will be able to carry all my shopping and a baby and still have my hands free..