Turkeys & Chickens in our yard

These are our chickens, they are all white, and we recently added a black rooster and 2 hens. There should be about 8 total?? They are messy and loud. Then we have the turkeys that patrol the village. There are actually 3 total, another black one.... at the time the pic was taken.... these two were summoning the third one. They are quite hidious looking, and extremely irritating to listen to when they are gobbling or whatever noise it is that they supposedly make. They just stroll about, I think they belong to someone around here.

AB on burnt house rubble

Here is AB on the rubble of the burnt house in the village. Seth is up top with her to make sure she didn't fall :) She liked it, but quickly got down when the ground beneath her would crumble. haha. The close up of her was her trying to eat the cord on my camera!!! It is probably my favorite pic of her cause she is sooo naughty with her face!!!

AB in house!!!

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1
The pics are not in order on here.... but first she was in my chair. (pic1).... then she followed me to the door (pic 2).... and was a bit hesitant to come in.... the last pic is of her standing in the doorway, while I was in the hallway. She eventually came in... but was kind of scared. She is quite cute. In the pic on the chair you can see her dog collar!! hehe. Iti s pink and purple, with rhinestones!! Also, the wood paneling beneath the window is because she was peeling the paint off the wall and eating it!!! Now.... she is eating the dang wood!!

New pic of AB (aka Annabelle)

This is naughty AB in the gutter in front of the house.... she rolls around in it. In this particular pic I am leaving her outside and going in the house.... right after this pic she started crying and came running up to the gate. haha. She has a very naughty face here. Too dang cute. She looks like she is saying.... "heyyy what u doing??" I will take more pics tomorrow.... the other one's I took are not too clear, she doesn't pose well.

Surgery Week

Well, the last week has been super busy!!! The German doctors came to do surgeries all week at the hospital!! We started on the 16th with patient check-ins for monday surgery. Everyday the patients having surgery would be there, the patients coming in for check-in for surgery the following day, and the regular/new patients coming for consultation with the "white doctors". haha. When the white doctors come.... many people want to come get checked out. It's funny.

We did about 20-30 surgeries per day, starting at 6am and ending usually after 10pm at night!!! We eat when we have a bit of down time, but mostly it was just busy busy. The main surgeries being performed were cataract, growth removals, and glaucoma operations. Several patients stayed all week as they were having both eyes done!!! The flat surgery price is 150.00 GH cedis. Which is about $104.oo USD. Some people that can be 3 or 4 months salary!!! People here are severly underpaid, it is really sad actually. Many of the patients were older too, so perhaps their children paid for it, but we had some young patients too. The youngest was 8yrs. old, a girl with cataract.

All week I was in charge of consent forms for surgery. The patients would come register and get "lashed".... their eye lashes cut off... then to me to sign a consent form. I created my own little desk, and it worked out pretty well. I did that all morning and into the afternoon, then after all the patients had checked in, I would float around helping where I was needed. Most of us were technically done by about 5 or 6pm, but we stayed as "moral support" for the staff in the eye theatre, as they couldn't leave until the surgeries were complete.

I observed some of the surgeries, it was very intersting.... though eyeballs sticking out from beneath a sheet is not too attractive. I used to watch spays and neuters at the animal hospital... and never had a problem, but watching those eyes being operated on made me kind of queezy. haha. :)

The patients are hilarious. Especially the older one's. They are very talkative, and often don't listen to the doctor - especially the men. There was this one old man.... I don't remember his name.... we just call him Papa.... and he would get out of his bed all the time and go outside when he should be resting!! When he saw Mrs.Esaw (Maa) or myself coming, he would start running inside and jump in his bed!!! It was so funny. I made lots of "friends".... well kind of. By the end of the week, everyone knew my name. Whether they knew me as Stephanie or as Akosua Gyamfua.... when I walked down the hall, many people would be calling me and greeting me. The patients and families are very very grateful for everything we were doing. We often were bought "minerals" which are bottled drinks... fanta, coke, sprite, etc. We would have fruit, bread, eggs, etc. brought to the house, or to Mrs. Esaw's office in appreciation.

The hospital looks nothing like back home. Just think very very simple, with many open spaces. I will try and take pics this week. It is very different.

The surgeries are finished, and we are back to the normal everyday consultations.... the doctors return in November for another week of fun!!!!

Christy & Constance

This is Constance on the left, and Christy on the right. Constance was the housemaid when I first came to the house... but now Christy works for us. I like Christy better, she is very friendly and always smiling. She is very accomodating and always wanting to make sure I am happy and okay. She is married and has 2 kids - Kwasi and Kobe. She lives across the street from our house in the founder's house. She works M-F and on Sundays. From about 7-4pm.

Lake Bosomtwe

This is our day trip with the entire village last week.... about 60 kids in total were there!!! Lake Bosomtwe is the biggest natural lake in West Africa!!! It was a bit cloudy that day, so there is some fog over the mountainous areas... it is very beautiful though.

The man in the water is transporting bunches of plantains across the lake to another village via his raft. He had flipper-like paddels attached to his hands that he used to move the raft. Very cool.

The kids swam and swam all day. I personally did not go in the water as it was too cold. I also am not a big fan of walking in water where I can't see the bottom.... there might be dead fish, seaweed or other gross stuff down there. No thanks. I had fun watching the kids play though.

picking up a package at the P.O.

wow..... a big deal to say the least.... well, for me it was.

Recently I received an note stating I had a package to pick up at the Kumasi post office. Since the p.o. is only open during the week, I had to go on my own as Maa is at work all day. So... I set off to Kumasi by myself. I can manage getting from my house to Effiduase via taxi without any problem. I then get dropped at the lorry station in Effiduase where I have to pick a Kumasi trotro. The trotro's will not move until every seat is full.... so sometimes you have to wait awhile. The journey to Kumasi is about 45 minutes or so if the traffic isn't bad. I stayed in the trotro until the final stop, where I would board a taxi to drop me at the post office. Here... the frustrations began. I tried to flag down 2 different taxi's... I told them where I wanted to go and they just drove off?? Maybe they didn't understand me?? Who knows. Finally, I get a taxi. I ask the price... he said 7.00 cedi's.... I told him I wouldn't pay that, but I had to jump in as traffic started moving. We went back and forth on the price until I told him I wouldn't pay more than 3.00 cedi's. He finally agreed. We were driving awhile, and ended up in a completely different town!! The guy's English was not good, and he lied about knowing where the Post Office was. I was ticked. He finally stopped and asked directions, and I eventually got there... though I refused to pay any more money for his stupidity.

I arrive at the post office, and there are many street vendors in front of the place, bums on the sidewalks, ehhh. Lots of people. I go into the p.o. and am directed to the opposite end to a different building to claim packages. Okay.... I go. I have to show the note, and my identification. I then proceed to go through a series of check points. The postal worker, the customs guy, the postal worker again, then back to customs, the cashier, then the customs.... it was kind of ridiculous actually. I got my package and had to empty the contents, they were checked in and prices given to all the items. How these prices are figured exactly.... is still a mystery to me, but appartently they use some type of system of how much things cost, based on the country of origin??? Anyways.... once the price is figured for the box, a tax is configured based on the price. They have a tax for everything. A GH tax, a post office tax, a development tax, and health something tax, etc. They use 30% of the total value of a package to configure the tax. Then a fee is charged to get the package out of the post office and the shipment/handling/transporation of it since it arrived in the country. Geez!!! I made the guy go item by item and explain to me the prices, the taxes, etc. He was probably annoyed but I didn't care. I didn't want to be swindled!! So.... after my mom sent the package from US, and paid nearly 60 USD to send it.... I paid money on my end to get it!!! haha. It didn't end up being that much, about 15.00 cedi's which is about $10??? I finally left the package section of the post office and wanted to mail all my post cards. I went back to the other side of the p.o. and stood in line. I was apparently in the wrong line, so I was directed elsewhere, I stood there.... and was told to go back to where I was standing originally. Grrr. This happens alot. Not just here at the p.o., but everywhere. I finally get in the correct line or so I think, and people just keep cutting me in line!!! Because I am foreign, I can't really insult them, or act rude... so I just stand there, getting even more annoyed!! I finally left, I was mad and no one was listening to me.

The ride home was another story.... I got a taxi outside the p.o. It was to take me to the lorry station, so I could pick a Effiduase trotro back home. Due to the traffic, the taxi guy said he would have to drop me off across the street, once I got down I would cross into the park and go left... that is where the Effiduase trotros are. Okay... so I go. I get inside and go left... and it is not there... the people tell me to go across the way... I go.... not there... they say go up there... I go... not there... they say go up the hill ... I go... not there... finally... I stop and tell someone they have to take me to the place. I don't want any pointing of fingers or saying... over there... over here... no. Just take me there. I get the the Effiduase area and the only seat left is the one up front. I am sitting next to a very old man who doesn't speak any English. haha. Everyone in the trotro was amused that I was an Oburoni in the trotro. They were trying to talk to me in English, and making fun of themselves for not speaking properly... or being able to understand. It was kind of funny. I eventually got home.... but, NEVER AGAIN will I go to Kumasi by myself. It is too scary and too many people. Besides, they always try and make foreigners pay a higher amount because they think we have money.... not fair, but understandable why they do so.

My bank and the Policeman that guards it!!!

This is Miriam, a German volunteer at the village. Stanbic is my bank, and this is how the police dress in GH.Check out my man's gun!!! haha. Is that really necessary??? I mean really.

What I miss most about home.....What I love about Ghana....

Well.... Everything I guess.

If I had to be very specific.... I would say....

1) Kojo.... and my family... esp. my mom
2) my cat - Grandpa
3) my own car!!!!
4) the conveinances of home.... washer/dryer, fast food, stable internet!!!
5) the food.... I would love to eat tacos, thanksgiving dinner, and pickles especially!!!


What I love about Ghana.....

1) the people.... soooo soooo sweet and friendly, always smiling and very resilient despite any poverty or hardships they are facing

2) all the animals!!! :)
3) different landscape and scenery - some parts are very beautiful here (will post some pics soon)

4) learning a different language and culture, very interesting
5) all the fresh tropical fruit!!! mangos, pineapple, papaya, coconuts,etc. EVERYDAY!!! FRESH
6) the bottled coke is pretty amazing here too!!!
4)

Obama in Ghana

This sign is up near Kumasi.... many of them are around..... some with just Obama.... some with the President of Ghana on one side, and Obama on the other. Haha. It is pretty funny. Note the merge of the GH/US flags on the top!!!

Akwaaba = Welcome in Twi :)

They sell lots of Obama gear around...posters, t-shirts, pins, necklaces, pendents, flags, etc. When he came to Ghana in July it was a pretty big deal!!!! Obama-fever you could say.

Lunch/Dinner Meals....

We eat technically 2x a day in this house......... why...... I have no idea. But we do. So.... around 230-300pm we eat a lunch/dinner. This meal is always VERY heavy. I am not a fan of heavy foods persay, so for me it is sometimes a problem. I just eat a smaller amount. The variety of foods here are many, and because they are mostly Cameroonian dishes, I cannot give the names because I don't know them. But... I will try and describe them.

1) Spagetti
-well, not really how we eat spagetti, but similiar. They make a tomato sauce and add corned beef, and some spices, it seems more soupy than chunky and a bit oily.

2) Salad
-the salad will have carrots, onions, beans, cucumbers, green peppers, tuna (again... with the fish all the time!) and the dressing is a combination of mayo/ketchup. Yeah... it sounds gross, but it is tolerable, providing it has been chilled and there isn't too much of either in it. I am dying for some Ranch dressing right about now!!!! So... if anyone cares to send me some, I would be all too happy!!!

3) Agooshi
-this is a seed that has been blended and mixed with green vegetables. It is probably one of my more favorite foods, and it is eaten with either boiled yam or plantain.

4) Soups/Stews
- I swear everything they eat here is either a soup/stew or some variation of it, and is eaten with some starch... whether it be banku, fufu, rice, kenkey, plantain, yam, potato, etc.

-the soups are often tomato based, with onions, maggi cubes, spices, ginger, garlic, etc. They all have oil, and all have hot pepper in them. The same ingredients are used but they all taste a bit different.

-the meat can be chicken, beef, fish, bushmeat (which I don't eat), or some type of canned fish, etc.

It has been hardly adjusting. I don't eat this type of food everyday, so eating is not really exciting as much as it is a necessity. I am dying for a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed asparagus and green beans! Ahhh. And some real nice bread!!! Haaa.

I am going to talk with the housemaid and see about what other foods she knows how to make. She used to cook for the founder of this village who is a white man from Germany, and she also cooks for the "white doctors" when they come to the hospital to do surgeries. In the meantime, I like eating grilled cheese sandwiches a lot!!!

Breakfast meals...

Everyday breakfast is served between 8-830am. It can be any number of things....

Tea/Milo is a staple at breakfast.... always have tea. It can be eaten with....
1) bread
-this can be tea/milo (which is like hot cocoa) and toasted bread /with jam/bread w/sardines(yuck!)

2) Eggs
-hard boiled, or scrambled, or in an omlette with lots of veggies/sardines. Why they use sardines so much I don't know... but I don't eat them.

3) oats
-this is like PLAIN oatmeal back home.... we add brown sugar to it... it's okay.

4) Maize pudding stuff
-I don't know the name. I think it is a Cameroonian dish. It literally looks like pudding.... and you add sugar to it. It tastes okay.

5) pancakes
-well, they call them pancakes, but they look more like crepes but way bigger and not very sweet. You just eat them plain. This is not a big favorite of mine. The smell of them kind of turns me off.

I like to drink juice everyday too. So I buy apple/orange/grape juice at the store.... and have a glass of that everyday. Then, take my tea. I sometimes eat an apple or some pineapple too. I am not a big breakfast eater, even back home.... so I usually don't eat very much.

Sunrise/Sunset, Temps, and heat

Some of you have asked as to what it is like here, weather wise.... well.... it is currently the "rainy season" which means it is supposedly cooler and rains frequently, this should last until I believe September or so?? Well, that is what I was told. When it rains.... it is not just sprinkles, it is literally a downpour of water for a few hours. When that happens, it is a big muggy at first but then very nice and cool afterwards. The last few nights is has rained, and I have even woken up because I was a bit chilly!!! Big surprise huh? The sun sets I think around 6-630pm everyday and the roosters start cock-a-doodle-dooing or whatever they do at around 4am!!!! Yes.... 4am. The sun actually comes up around 530am or so. It is really pretty, both the sunrise and sunset. I have tried taking pics of it, and the beauty just cannot be captured. The pics turn out too dark and far away. I will keep trying. The daytimes are either cloudy and comfortable temps, or hot and miserable. There doesn't seem to be any in between. Today started off cloudy and nice.... and turned hot. Go figure. When the sun is out, it is hot. No matter what your doing. The temperature I think should be anywhere from 75-85 degrees all the time. It is always displayed in celcius here, but that is what it feels like.

What I did on my b-day....

Well... for starters it seems like birthdays are not as big of a deal here as back home.... so it was kind of low key. I awoke to calls from people both here and back home wishing me happy birthday... :) I found a sign slid under my door from Celestine (Mrs. Esaw's cousin who lives in the house) that read: Happy Happy Birthday Stephany Stephanie, from Celestine. haha. Very cute. I had it hanging on my bedroom door for almost a week straight! I woke up a bit late, because I could.... and cleaned Annabelle's pen as I usually do. I started my washing .... and Mr/Mrs. Esaw were already busy cooking in the kitchen. They were cutting up a fresh chicken. That morning Daa had killed one of our chickens, plucked it and chopped it up by the time I got up. I told him I didn't ever want to see the whole process.... so he finished before I got up!! We ate a big lunch in the afternoon and then relaxed for awhile before going to the drinking spot in town. We had many cokes that night!! We also went to another drinking spot that played better music where we danced a bit. They were actually playing US hiphop remixes. It was hilarious. I had a nice time... so different than what I am used to. I had wished I was back home eating at Red Lobster.... those awesome bisquits and a Lobsterista. Nice.........

Mr.& Mrs. Esaw

This is Mr and Mrs. Esaw at my b-day gig at the drinking spot in Effiduase. They are Cameroonians... and have been living in Ghana since December 2006 I believe. Mrs. Esaw is the "doctor" at the Westphalian Eye Hospital, she is actual an Nurse of Opthamology or something I think. For the purposes of this hospital... she is the "docktah". They pronounce it just like that too!!! Mr. Esaw will be leaving soon to go back to Cameroon, and she will go home for vacation when I go back to U.S. at the end of December!!! Their daughter Delis, who is about 20 yrs. old will be coming to visit us soon for her holiday break from school. They are really nice people. I have started calling them Maa and Daa.... because that is what everyone else does. I was the only one using such formalities!! haha. So... occasionally I still say Mr. and Mrs... but mostly just Maa and Daa now. :)

Follow up ?'s on Seth

Here are some questions posed by Monica.... here are the answers.... and a little bit more info.

1) Seth his American name or his Ghana name?

Seth is his Christian name. His full name is Seth Amoako. He was born on Sunday, like me, so the male version is called Akwasi. So... he can also be called Akwasi. He says his mom calls him Nana Amoako. He was named after his father, who is also called Seth. His younger brother is also named Seth?? haha.

2) Does he get confused between the two types of English because they can sound quite different?

Yeah... he says he gets confused sometimes. Most of the time, if you speak slowly and maybe ask in a different way he will understand you. I think he probably has trouble with my accent too. But... even I can't understand some of what the Esaw's say.... the pronounciation is funny. So... I often ask them to spell the word, so I know what they are talking about. Then... I pronounce it how we do in English. It is funny anyways.

3) How far away is his village?

Kumawu is a bit far I guess. You cannot walk from there to Oyoko. I think it is maybe 20 minutes or so in a taxi??? Not sure the actual distance. You pass through a few other villages on the way to Kumawu. I think maybe 4??? Kumawu is in a mountainous area, so it's a bit far. It's even dramatically cooler there... very nice for me!!!

4) Does he walk to come and practice with you?

No way. He can't walk to our place..... his mom puts him in a taxi by himself!!! He says it cost him about 80 peswas. Which is about 55 cents in U.S. dollars!!! haha. He usually brings a basket full of goodies from his parent's farm. I was surprised the first time he came to the house by himself!!! Here... it's not a big deal, I was kind of scared for him.

5) Does he like Annabelle?

Yes of course!! Who doesn't?? haha. He is very nice to her. He cleans up after her when I am gone during the day, and he often goes to fetch her food twice a day. He also makes sure the other kids are not mean to her!!! :)

my brother - Seth

This is Seth. He is 10 years old and comes from a neighboring village called Kumawu (Koo-may-woo). He comes to our house on weekends and on school holidays to improve his English. In his home, neither of his parents speak English, so they wanted him to go to a house where they do.... in our house we speak America and British English!! :):) He is getting better, by the end of the holiday vacation he should be much improved. The downside is that once he leaves the house and goes to play with the kids outside in the village.... they only speak Twi. Though they all speak English very well, they prefer speaking in Twi. So that is kind of a problem sometimes. I asked Seth the other day if he wanted to be my brother, or my child.... and he said.... "I'm your little boy." haha. He is so cute. That is what I always tell him, "Seth, my little boy, how are you..." The interesting thing is that he calls me "Maa." He doesn't call me Stephanie, or even Akosua.... just Maa. That is the culture here.... a female older than yourself, or who could even be your mother, you call Maa out of respect. So... yea... it is fun having him around. I miss him when he is gone from the house!!! I recently asked him if he knew what I meant when I said... "your so cute".... he shook his head. I then said a similiar thing in Twi... and he smiled soooo big!! I told him... wo ho afe paa (woo-hoon-augh-fay-pa). It means your beautiful in Twi, but it can be used for male or female. Now... I say he is cute and he knows the meaning. He is a very good kid, extremely helpful, and always excited to see you when you come home. p.s. This pic was taken the night of my birthday. We were getting ready to go out and go to a "drinking spot" for cokes. :)