Wednesday, May 2

We swam in this lovely pool at the McKees' compound today. The water temperature was about 85+ degrees F. Many non-Ghanaian residents live in compounds like this one, where the houses are WAY above the local standards, have air conditioning (which most locals will never feel in their lifetimes - not in a car, or taxi, or bus, or restaurant, or anyone's home that they ever visit), and hired help around the clock. At this compound of about 12 homes, there are people hired who tend the gates (two uniformed attendants at each of 2 gates, 24/7) who release the latch and manually open the gates each time a car enters or exits. There are gardeners who tend each yard daily, there is a full-time pool keeper, and most homes have live-in help for their domestic needs. Katalin hires a young lady from Church for $1 per hour to help with cleaning, ironing, etc. 3 half-days a week, and the girl is thrilled to be earning so much. After all, she works most days selling KEKEY (a food from a basket on her head) and only earns $1 for 6 hours work doing that! The housing arrangements are an important part of the "package" offered to people to come work in Ghana. Also transportation vehicles, children's schooling, and additional food budgets are offered. The ex-pats all shop in specialty food shops run by Lebanese entrepreneurs who make a fortune off visitors who can't stand the local foods and need to find items they're familiar with! Of course, the Lebanese businessmen all own fancy homes on the river beach and send their kids to the exclusive schools, too!


Here I am spooning some FUFU into my mouth at a local eatery. The waiter thought I was a bit strange asking for my picture to be taken, and also for taking a close-up photo of the dish. But, as it turns out, many visitors don't even sample the dish while they're here, because it sounds and looks kind of gross. In fact, my friends who have lived here 3 years, and most of their ex-pat friends here, have never even tried FUFU! I wanted to make sure I did, and even paid ¢20,000, which was probably a tourist rip-off, but I felt it was well worth it, for the experience! And here it is 11 hours later, and I didn't get sick!


I decided to eat the local dish "FUFU" today, which cost me $2. It consisted of a bowl of soup with a chicken leg, broth, and a lump of FUFU, which is a dough-like mass of cassava and plantain mixture. It was served with a large bowl of water with a spoon in it, and a small bowl with a cloth on it (also a pitcher of water which I was afraid to drink). I had to ask the cashier exactly what the water and cloth were for. It turns out I was supposed to use the water to wash my hands at the table, then dry them on the cloth. Evidently, the locals eat this with their hands, avoiding the use of the spoon. Now that explains why, when I first sat down, I noticed a tray/bowl in the center of the table with a salt shaker, malt vinegar, and a bottle of dishwashing liquid - that was about the oddest thing I had ever seen on a restaurant table before! Of course, they only served me a spoon because I am "obroni" - white; all the local people eat with their fingers and no utensils. They work the dough, rubbing and kneading it, to make it soft and palatable, before each bite.

These roadside stands serve a great purpose for tourists and locals, as well. Since many homes do not even have kitchens or ANY cooking facilities, the locals need to buy their foods in a ready-to-eat state. Vendors line up at traffic stops and walk between cars, trying to sell everything from plantain chips to gum to popcorn to fresh yam strips, many from baskets on top of their heads! (My favorites are the plantain chips, fried with salt - they're delicious! And they must be healthy, right? After all, they ARE fruit!)



This shop is in "the pit" which is a recessed area with scores of handicraft stalls. Paintings, carvings, weavings - they're all here in great abundance!





Chris is holding about ¢100,000 (cedis), which is about $10 U.S. - it looks and feels like Monopoly money and it's easy to spend quickly as it seems like it is play money!



This carver is packing a small nativity scene that I purchased. Just behind his hands is the symbol for Gye Nyame (accept God) which is the most popular Ghanaian symbol from the Ashanti culture. However, someone once misspelled the English translation and now, everywhere you look, "except God" is printed on tee-shirts, carvings, buses, and everything!


These wood carvers toil away in the heat, making fantastic images from simple blocks of wood. The little village of Aburi is well-known for its quality word work.




The tools they use are basic, but the results are very laudable. The floors are lined with wood chips and buyers come from all over!





It was hard to choose among the MANY quality carvings - there are many talented craftspeople here.

Lincoln Community School is an International Baccalaureate school that my friends' children attend. There are over 50 nationalities represented here, among 500 students, grades K-12. The facilities are air conditioned and quite nice, including a giant pool and several sports complexes. Most parents receive a "package deal" when they agree to accept an assignment in Ghana for several years, which includes enrollment at this school for their children. Ambassadors, dignitaries, and large company representatives all send their children here - to the tune of over $20,000 US tuition each per year! Their sports teams play teams from other countries in Africa (4th grade plays against Togo this Friday!). Their Model United Nations club at the high school has attended conventions in Germany, Holland, Russia and South Africa over the last 4 years.