Back in Ghana

Well here I am, back at my living room table in West Africa! My house is quiet, as our staff girls watch a movie in their room, Emily sleeps, and Holly is not here anymore… Just me, the gecko on the wall (which I lost… that’s never a good sign. I like knowing where he is), and some sweet music. My travel back was LONG, starting at 3:45 Monday morning from LA and ending at 9:00 last night when I was back at City of Refuge! I had a 3 hour layover in Chicago and a 7.5 hour layover in Germany (where I was wearing flip flops and capris… Not my best planning) so there was a lot of down time.

I struggled to get myself out of bed Monday morning after spending such a wonderful weekend down in Southern California with the Villalpando family. I guess the bigger struggle was actually getting to sleep the night before… I wasn’t willing to sleep knowing that all my “goodbyes” were said and I really had to do this leaving thing the next morning. All the way from LA through Germany, I was pretty much an emotional basket case… I spent a lot of time crying frustrated and lonely tears in the Frankfurt airport, but eventually I had to get things together and go find myself some food. Now that I am back here, I am happy to be where I am… But leaving was hard.

Things I’m not at all surprised that I heard on my first (few) day(s) back in Ghana:

“Auntie Emily! No, Auntie Holly. No, AUNTIE KATHY!” (Eventually they get my name right…)

“You come back! They said you would come yesterday but you not come so I think you’re not coming.” (I got back after they were all asleep)

“You come and Auntie Emily come, but Auntie Holly, she will not come.” (Don’t remind me…)

Me: Gabriel, you look like you got smaller when I was gone!
G: They gave me a small shirt…
Actually, you’re right! The fact that your 7 year old self isn’t wearing a large shirt would be exactly why you look smaller! When they rescued Gabriel, he was wearing just an oversized t-shirt… And he has had a hard time giving up that habit.

“Don’t ever shave your legs again. When you shave your legs, it will look like you have salt on them.” (No, I have no idea what this is supposed to mean!)

“Auntie Kathy, your hair is nice!” (It’s still is so funny to me how much they love long hair, especially when it’s down)

“Auntie Kathy, I found your hair!” (They think it’s hilarious when my hair falls out and they find it somewhere, usually on their shirts)

“Your hair was down to here, and now it’s only to here!” (They are seriously so observant... They even notice my haircuts!)

“Who is this thing from?” (This necklace is from my mom… Again, they notice everything!)

“You are handsome!” (I’ll take it.)

“You have things all over your face!” (That would be called acne… Thanks Miracle!)

“Is Malvin your husband?” (Yes. I am married to a two-year old.)

“When Auntie Autumn comes, she will bring us gifts!” (It’s the little things…)

“Auntie Kathy, at 5 o’clock you will come play football!” (I went.. But they were playing a real game and I get scared. So I sat and talked with Abigail instead!)

Me: I just got back last night and I slept all morning so I am a little bit out of it!
Teacher: Well, Akwaaba! (welcome)
Me: Oh, madase (thank you).
Whole staff: “AY!!! You speak like us!”
Yes… Fluently. A whole 5 words or so in their language! Which could be 1 of 3 languages, and the things are I know are in a couple different languages. My vocabulary is up to…

·         Ba/brah- come

·         Ochina- tomorrow (like “see you tomorrow!”)

·         Akwaaba- welcome

·         Madase- thank you

·         Pa- much

·         Me pacho- I beg you/please

·         Etesein- hello

Note that all of these are probably spelled wrong… Except akwaaba. I know that one!

Things I’m not at all surprised that I experienced on my first day back in Ghana:

-3 year old pulls down his pants to poop behind the children’s home, only to end up getting poop all over his pants. I enter this situation as he is walking around the back of the house with no pants (or underwear… apparently not important today) and wiping the poop off of his shorts and onto the house. Awesome. Thankfully, I avoid getting poop on me as I drag him back to the house to get cleaned up.

-Baby Joel attaching himself to my left foot, therefore leading me to walk up and down the school halls with a third leg

-Sweet tears from Robin Beebe J

-Sleeping from 11:00-2:00, waking up and not being able to fall back asleep until almost 5:00, and then sleeping like a rock until Stacy came and woke me up at 11:30.

-A case of my missing sheets… I have found one set, but who knows where the other one is! That’s my fault for forgetting to bring them off the drying line before I left!

-Discovering how many things I meant to bring back with me but somehow didn’t

17 January 2012

Today I woke up at noon. Yesterday I woke up (well, was woken up) at 11:30. Adjusting to the time is appearing to be much more difficult this time that it was the first time I got here. Last time, I was up at 7:30 the first day ready to go… This time, not so much. I haven’t been to school yet, as today I have been fighting off a headache all day as well. I am loving spending some quality time with my CORM kids, as I actually have the energy to hang out with them after school! Long talks with Abigail, words of missing Holly with Mary, exchanged laughs with the little boys on the football field, homework “help” with Miracle (who can do it all himself, but wants the attention of someone helping him or checking his answers), cuddle time and new hairdos from Florence, and times of teasing Gabriel…

Me: Oh look, it’s Amenyo!
Gabriel: No, I’m Gabriel!
Me: Oh, hi Benard!
G: No, Gabriel!
Me: Sorry Gaga! I was wrong!
G: Auntie Kathy, it’s me!
Me: Yes, it’s Malvin!
G: It’s Gabriel!
Me: Ok, bye bye Edwin!
G: Bye Auntie Kathy…. No, bye Auntie Holly!

Eventually he caves in and plays along J

The seasons are changing here, and sunsets are different… Still full of color, but hazy and hidden behind a cloud of dust that hides the mountains from our view. Winds from the Sahara are rolling through, putting plenty of dust in the air, on our furniture, and on our skin! It’s also HOT, not cooling down as much as it did in the “fall” once the sun goes down, and pounding on our backs when the sun is out. Rainy season is officially over, which is too bad, considering watching it rain is probably my favorite thing to do here…

I am loving being here… Now I need to figure out how to get into a routine that leaves me loving being in the classroom as well!!

PS- Mom, those Jones soda candies that you wanted to know if they were good? They’re not… just so you know! J