Work Work Work

I am definitely not as good at keeping this up since Mom left, but that's partly because there hasn't been nearly as much excitement lately!

I've been busy getting ready to pilot the changes for the school program, and this week we began. It went reasonably well, and I can tell that we will learn TONS from the pilot, and adjust from there. The biggest challenge has been implementing a practical portion to the program. They do this in Tanzania, and we have adapted it from how they do things there.

Basically we have a pretend road, and children act as cars and/or pedestrians, to simulate the road environment. We are able to show them why certain behaviors are dangerous, and what doing the right thing looks like. It seems to be going well, but as with anything there are some kinks to work out, no biggie. Also notice in the pictures how the group size is way lower, so much calmer!





Other than working, Ama and I have been up to pretty much the same old (sorry, I know, boring!). We went to the pool on Saturday as usual, and Ama had fun trying to consume all the ketchup the Shangri-la had to offer (what is it with kids and ketchup?)We have also been to the hotel down the road a couple times where Ama can have ice cream, and perhaps more importantly I can have a beer! We always have the place to ourselves, so it's pretty great.




Last week we went to Lucy's, or as she calls herself, Grandma's house. Her home was absolutely beautiful. She has her two grandchildren living with her from the US, and the little girl had ton's of fun with Ama. I will be phoning her soon to schedule round 2! It's nice to see a friendly face, outside the environment of service or buying/selling.

On Sunday night I was laying in bed looking at my calendar and thinking "hey, I'm almost half way done, I can do this, no problem!" Just then, out came a cockroach from hiding to squash my confidence, and I will admit there were some tears and some "I want to go homes." I spoke with Jane on skype who attempted to coach me in what to do, but I was too wimpy. I told her I just hoped it would die and leave me alone. Then next morning, to my suprise, there it was dead on the floor by my suitcase! I willed it to death! Pretty amazing, and creepy. I quickly called Adam the security guard, who removed it from my bedroom. There have been no signs of his or her family members, so I think (or hope) we are in the clear. Yuck.

On Monday I was quite tired, and my day involved a lot of waiting and a lot of sitting in traffic inhaling mass amounts of pollution. When I got home I decided I needed an un-Ghana experience, and carted Ama to the Accra Mall. There we enjoyed some very tasty chinese food. There was also a giant play place in the middle of the food court where they charge 3GHC for half hour of play. Ama enjoyed herself thouroughly.

Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera, but we will be back so I will take pictures of this pretty amazing play place. While Ama was having a blast, I started talking with the owner. Turns out she is from Edmonton, and Terwillegar at that! We were basically neighbours growing up, small world! She gave me her number, so I will likely phone her. We will definitely be back.

Good news! Ama has been using the potty at daycare now for 3 days! She's had a couple of accidents each day, but still, progress! Still not much progress at home except on the weekends. Poor thing is so tired after school!

I have a pretty terrible cold, and Ama seems to be getting it, so tomorrow I think we will take a rest day. I'm also thinking that a trip out of Accra is in order in a couple of weeks, if only to save my lungs from the exhaust in the air! I'll keep you posted on when/where we decide to go, but a beach weekend is likely.

Here are a couple pictures I took of very small children walking alone on the road, in an unsafe way.

Fufu anyone?

From Lorrie:

Yesterday Karen had the day off (life here is slow) so our big adventure of the day was twofold – check out a nearby nursery school and go the really big mall.

The nursery school (Twinkle Tots International School) was delightful. Ama was keen to run in and start immediately. It was well outfitted with toys, sand, climbing things and had well equipped classrooms which were air conditioned no less. They welcomed us on a tour and then Ama played with the outdoor toys while Karen checked the cost. The cost was pretty steep – a $700 joining fee was the big deterrent as well as the fact that the hours were pretty rigid. With the traffic here that could be a problem. The traffic is insane – there are different rules here than we are used to and the horn is an integral part of driving, Back to the school – Karen will keep this as a back up plan in case the nanny her colleague Kingsley has lined up is unsuitable. But best case scenario is that the nanny will care for Ama here at the guesthouse while Karen works.

Part two was a trip to the Accra mall. It could be in any city really – pretty upscale and was anchored by a Walmart like store on one end and the grocery/general goods Shoprite on the other. It boasted a good food court and several movie theatres. It's quite the contrast to most of Accra, and it feels a bit weird to be inside. We bought new pillows, a wading pool for Ama and a few other small things. New pillows that only I will sweat on – luxury. The ones provided - cases are clean, just don’t look inside!

On our return trip the cab driver thought it was important that we see where our embassy was so we did a drive by (it is quite close to here) and it looks basic, sits on large grounds, flag flown proudly. The US emabassy is also close – looks like a big jail – max security and formidable facade. Cannot take pictures of embassies – I didn’t know that.

Today Ama and I were invited on a school presentation for Amend. Ama was swarmed by the kids who all wanted to touch her – wonder if perhaps they want to see if her white skin feels the same. I was shocked to see the teachers teach with a cane in hand and use it to wack those who misbehave. There is a lot of clapping in a particular pattern. The kids were pretty interested but the class was huge – I am guessing 200 kids squashed into that room – 6-12 yrs approx. They do split off by grade for most of their classes as far as I can tell. The school was in disrepair, no glass in the windows, dirt playground, no play equipment and the desks looked like those from early 1900s. Nevertheless the kids seemed keen and welcomed a diversion from their regular class work.



After school we took a cab to a vegetarian restaurant near the guesthouse and had quite the lunch. A plate of rice with veggies – delicious. A bowl of palm soup (I think) with foo foo. It stunk and was the vilest tasting substance I have ever had in my mouth. We laughed and laughed and vowed never to eat foo foo again. (Although we are pretty sure it was the actual soup part that was so gross)






The afternoon brought Karen’s colleagues Jeffrey and Tom for a meeting to discuss the project and Karen’s role and we spent a very pleasant time on the deck with them. Now they are at a soccer game – Ghana vs Ivory Coast (at a local bar; not live ) Apparently they are big rivals so I am sure it is wild.

From Karen:

Ghana definitely lost the soccer game, and it rained to much to go to the original "local" destination, but it was still fun!

We went to the Makola Market, which is a huge and crowded outdoor market that sells everything under the sun. We put Ama in the backpack and once again were grateful to have it! We were quite the spectacle though, and most people laughed and laughed as we walked by. Many people were eager to talk to Ama and touch her, and she did remarkably well with all the attention. If someone went to touch her hand and she didn’t want them to, she just smacked them-good job Ama!

I found the priced at the market to be very reasonable, and I don’t think anyone even tried to overcharge us. People did however try to make us buy way more than we could possibly need, or additional items that we did not want!

Besides the crowds there was nothing totally offensive at the market, except for the guy that tried to sell me a dead rat like animal hanging by a string. No thanks my friend...

It’s seems to be difficult to take pictures in the market, so we couldn’t capture the true insanity of it, but we did manage to get a few.