I thought I would show you who fills my life here, some places that I go to and some things that I've seen and done. Here goes...
These colourful close pins hang on the clothes line that is set up at our house. When you walk around Tamale there is always clothes hanging somewhere or draped over a fence or slightly hanging off a roof, anything that will spread the clothes out so it can dry. While in Ghana I have the incredible luxury of having a cleaning lady. Her name is Augustina. She is a young women that Elizabeth met through the church that she attends here in Ghana. She comes in once a week to do our laundry and clean the house. I absolutely love and feel so grateful when I come home Saturday afternoons after a market run or outing with friends to a clean house and clothes drying on the line. How wonderful!!!
This is my favourite restaurant in Tamale. Its called Swad. Owned by an Indian couple. Mohamed and Unice and the nicest of all the wait staff I have met and they work very hard since they are two of the three waiters that I have seen there no matter what time of day and which day of the week. The food is delicious and as you can see it is quite pretty. P.S. They do not have a branch in Bolga
This is me trying to discreetly take a picture of the inside of one of the smallest and most rundown cabs I've been in. I could not tell you what brand of car it is but its tiny and they still manage to fit six people in them. So, here the taxis sort of have roots that they do all day, kind of like bus roots in Canada, so when you stop a cab you mention where you are going and he will tell you if he is going there or not. Some will take you even if he is going elsewhere but when that happens you may pay more. Most people do the shared taxi which means he piles in as many people that will fit into his car and brings you on your way. This will cost you anywhere from 50 to 90 pesewas so 25 to 45 cents. Anyway, so on this particular day the taxi driver asked me where I was going. I said Chogu road. Great! I hop in. In a few minutes a women flags him down and they, in the Dagbani, arrange for her destination. When we got on Chogu road he asked me how much further. I then told him my neighbourhood - Yapalsi. He promptly said "I'm not going there" opened the door for me and put his hand out for payment. Yikes! Maybe I should have been more specific.
Even under the sun it is always pleasant to walk around because you get to hear and see things that fly buy when you are in a taxi swerving through traffic and honking at cyclists and goats. On one of these walks, I happened to look over and saw this amazing assortment of sewing machines. They are everywhere here. Most are the really "old fashion" kind that mean you spin everything with your hand instead of an electric pedal. There are seamstresses who line the roads and bits and strips of cut up fabric surrounding their workspaces. All of the amazingly colourful traditional clothing that both the men and women wear here are made by these women. I can't help but think of my grandmother when I see these beautiful machines and I can't wait to show her these pictures and give her the six yards or beautiful pink lace fabric I got her.
Walking around also means surprises surprises! On my way out from one of the radio stations I work with this gentlemen was entertaining the school children who were coming home from school. Actually, entertaining may be a little off since many of them seemed to be afraid of his puppet. The man had a radio hanging around his neck and it was playing...ozunto of course and the little puppet was bopping his bum up and down to the beat. He was quite good. In an earlier post I mentioned that what I had seen from Ghanian "culture" seemed homogenous and I had not seen or heard a lot of interesting things and although it does not come in the form that I am used to it is all over the place. I just had to take a breath open my eyes and realize it.
Sometimes a taxi ride will offer pretty spectacular sites as well. Like this - a man on a horse riding down busy busy Chogu road. Horses here are pretty rare and in fact are usually only owned by the chiefs. This man is not the chief but maybe his brother or someone who works for him or even his son maybe. I'm not quite sure but generally if a chief is out and about he looks fancier then that. There are traditional smocks and horse tail whip type things and hats and and and...
Ah this lovely gentlemen!!!! He was standing in the corner of the room carefully watching over me as I got a massage at one of (maybe there is just one but maybe not) Tamale's spas. The massage was...uhm...not the most relaxing experience of my life and the small bruises on my arms after attested to that BUT I have to admit it was nice to feel a human touch. Being out here can be a little lonely in the hugging and touching and affection area.
These are the lovely ladies who came to the spa with me. We were celebrating Leanne's (on the right) birthday. In the middle is Tarini, who has gone home now saddly. And finally on the left is Gillian. I have met some pretty amazing women on this adventure. I say women because there is about one guy for every oh lets say 50 women. No, I don't know, but a lot less men then women. Or, maybe I just haven't met any of them. Regardless, the women are awesome.
Here is another one of Leanne. (and just to make a liar out of me she is sitting between two men BUT they live in Accra so they don't really count) Some friends made her a chocolate cake for her birthday. It was truly the most delicious piece of cake I have ever eaten in my entire life. The texture that we are accustomed to at home doesn't really exist in cakes here in Ghana so it was such a wonderful treat to eat a moist ultra chocolaty piece of cake. Plus we were celebrating such a special person too. Leanne has quickly become a very dear friend of mine and I feel lucky to have met her.
More people I have grown to love here very much. Bhavna (left), Barbara (middle) and Claudia (right). Missing from this photo is Auntie Jane. These are a few of the women who get together for lunch every Sunday. These Sunday lunches have truly become sacred to me and I wait for them every week. The group is diverse and fluctuates from week to week but the four mentioned above, plus me now, are pretty much the regulars since I have been attending.
A little about these ladies. Bhavna is in her 20's. She is Indian but grew up here. Her parent's own a shop here and she works there for now. She went to University in India. She has traveled to quite a few places and is now feeling the itch again to go off on another adventure. Barbara is sort of embarking on an adventure of her own. She is originally from the US and moved here five years ago. She married a Ghanian some years back and after spending years in the States came here when they retired. She is a retired school teacher and on her arrival here was asked to be the headmistress of a school. So, like so many of the retired teachers I know - Mom I'm looking at you!!! - she said yes and just keeps on working. She, in fact, reminds me very much of my mom and I can't express how comforting it is to be around an energy that is so familiar. Claudia is here as the lead for the HUGE new project. She is set to be here 2 years. She has a lot of experience in this type of work and has been all over. Then there is Auntie Jane. She is originally from England but has been in Ghana for over 50 years now. She owns a school and her husband is hmmm a barrister?! I'm not quite sure, but he is an influential person and has been for many years. She tells us stories about how he was in jail when one of her sons was born. He was jailed because the political party at the time thought he was a threat. Best Auntie Jane quote ever "The first thing you do when there is a coup is go get fuel. No wait, first you take the political stickers off your car, then you go get fuel" Nice!!!
Thanks to Barbara I was able to get my hair cut and WOW did it ever need it. Plus I was so tired of having it stick to my neck all the time. And this "salon" day also meant cake and ice cream and nice long smart and fun conversation.
This is Waheed. He is one of the older boys who lives around my house. He was the first to use my name instead of saliminga (white person) . I wanted to dance for joy that day. The kids are slowly starting to use my name and since Waheed's english is more advanced he encourages the others. He is also very helpful to get them to not follow me to my gate all the time.
This is Fahima (front) and Rahama (back) Oh the sweet sweet girls!!! Fahima has recently started going to school which makes me so unbelievably happy. I was walking to the main road a few months ago and met her mom walking back home. I asked how she was and she mentioned that she had just dropped Fahima off at school. This time I really did jump up and down and do a little dance and cheer. Zenar, her mom, thought I was pretty funny!
Fadil (left) you may remember from an earlier post. He is still around and is still just as cute as before. Its crazy how much he has grown since we first arrived. In the middle is Binsu. She is a ball of energy. She always wants to hold my hand. Because of her I started playing "head and shoulders, knees and toes" with them. She loves to dance and play and run around. On the right is her little brother Hafees. He is by far the brightest ray of sunshine I have ever met in my life. I can sit with him for 10 minutes and just giggle and laugh cause he will just giggle and laugh back. No words are exchanged because I don't speak Dagbani and he doesn't speak english but man oh man he just makes my days so so bright. And he is a fast one. When he decides to come and see me his little arms are to his side and he jets by and is hugging my legs in a flash.
This is Raouda. She's a little little one. On this day she was strolling around the neighbourhood with nothing but her little waist beads on. I was wearing my sunglasses and wanted her to come and see me but I think they scared her a little so off she went in a very decided step.
And the smallest one of all is Vialong. She is my compound neighbour Shamima's brand new little baby. Only a month and a half old. She is so adorable. And apparently I have magic arms since whenever I hold her she falls fast asleep.
With all of these adorable faces around how will I ever leave them. I often wonder if they will remember me when I have gone. Will they think of that saliminga that lived in their neighbourhood when they were kids? Will they remember that we sang songs together and that I stroked their little cheeks and foreheads and tickled their little bellies. Will they remember that they stroked my arms and hugged me and touched my hair?
Speaking of compound neighbours, this is Francis. Here he is cracking open a coconut for Elizabeth with his machete. He is wearing a headlamp because we didn't have any electricity that evening. I have spent many an evening sitting with him and discussing Ghana and the world, all of its problems and cultural diversity. Its great and it is surely another thing I will greatly miss.
I mentioned incredible women earlier and here is the work of one of those women. Her name is Nafisa and she is the leader behind Beads Of Hope. She organizes a group of women who make the most beautiful bead jewelry and this enables them to have their own income and in some cases pay for school. She does amazing work and I am happy to promote her. She has a facebook page. Please feel free to check her out. And for those of you who live in Canada she has an etsy page and will deliver to you.
follow her here : https://www.facebook.com/beadsofhopeghana
And last one for today - this is me standing in the pouring rain. Why am I doing this? Because I had a feeling it would be the last rain of the rainy season before it disappeared for several months. I was right! Plus I've always wanted to do this and the rains here are so powerful that it was just what I had to do.
So there it is a little glimpse into everyday life and the people who fill it. Thank you universe its a magnificent ride!!!
Wow! An entire month since I have written. Many things have happened in the last month but today I will concentrate on a pretty cool outing I was able to do while here in Ghana.
I TOUCHED A CROCODILE!!!
(this is me examining and really taking the time to feel his skin. I wanted to feel him breathing but he was so still)
(I am clearly really enjoying this)
That's right, a living, breathing crocodile. This is, believe it or not, a very popular tourist attraction in the small town of Paga near the Burkina Faso border. In fact, it seems everybody I know has been there and has the almost identical photos of themselves holding up the crocodile tail, then sitting (without ever putting your full weight down of course) on it.
(notice his friend in the background - I kept wanting to touch him more but the guard quickly told me to absolutely not touch his legs. I was feeling adventurous but not that much.)
When I posted the picture above on my Facebook page the reaction was incredible. In fact, I think its the photo that has gotten the most comments and likes in the history of my Facebook life. Obviously, I am very aware of the apparent uniqueness of this experience but since every person I know here has done it the impact of it has slightly lessened. Don't get me wrong the animal was incredible. Its stillness was discomforting since you felt like at any moment he could jump and snap you up in his jaws. Luckily, we had bought 4 chickens for them, there were two who came out of the pond, to eat.
(Elizabeth is not so sure)
(Still not so sure)
My surprisingly relaxed approaching of the animal most probably happened because this fantastic and mysterious creature had been photographed by so many of my friends that this experience seemed to be the regular thing, the norm, the "well of course I sat on the crocodile doesn't everybody?".
(Eating a live chicken so it does not eat us haha - but seriously he is eating a live chicken)
Isn't it incredible how life so far from what you lived only a few months ago has become the regular thing, the norm, the "well of course there was a cow walking against traffic in down town Tamale", "well of course there is a shop called God's signature, no erasers enterprise", "well of course there is a motorcycle driving on the sidewalk going in the opposite direction of traffic", "well of course the item that I ordered int he menu is not available", "well of course I can buy water, tomato paste, ice cream, instant coffee, powdered milk, clothing detergent or whisky in a sachet", "well of course I can buy phone cards, passport holders, knives or a snack without leaving my car while being stopped at a stop light". All of these things are part of my everyday life now.
(My friend Christine who came with us)
(Christine's husband Peter who came with us)
I will admit that there is always something new that surprises me or a new combination of the seemingly normal things that will make me smile and remember that I'm on this incredible adventure and I am forever amazed by the ability to adapt. During a radio interview I was asked what has made an impression the most and my answer, at the time, was EVERYTHING. The things that are just like home I notice because they are part of my previous "normal" and the things that are different from home because, well, they are different from home. I am constantly telling myself "oh i need to remember this" and hopefully a lot of them I will but even as I sit here I am trying to recall all of them and its hard.
What I can say is that on many many occasion during leisurely walks around Tamale I have felt proud of myself, perfectly content, in awe of the beauty of this place, the sounds of this place, the rhythm of this place, the colours of this place - and the crocodiles of course :)
