Winter...Winter???Um...not really.I just talked to home last night and they were talking about being snowed in. I saw other pictures people sent me of their cars covered in snow. Such a concept...snowed in? cold? It is hard to fathom when it is 100 degrees everyday and very dry.But in keeping with the Holiday Spirit I too had a "light dusting" on my car. Dusting...as in real dust. From December to early February Ghana, especially northern Ghana, experience the Harmattan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmattan . There are more positives to Harmattan than negatives. I like the dry weather. Yes, it is still hot during the day, but it is a dry hot. I don't sweat so much, it sort of just evaporates. (Yes, I drink plenty of liquids!) Clothes drying out on the line take very little time. If you need bread crumbs just keep some bread out for a few minutes and VOILA! you have crunchy bread, easy to grind to crumbs :). The nights are cool. The other night I slept with no fan. WOOOOOO!!! A miracle :) But, on the downside, there is dust everywhere!!! AHHH! Every day you can swipe your finger across something and see it. You can feel it under your feet. And, it makes me sneeze too, though, I am taking allergy meds and that controls it.
It was about an hours drive from Tamale.
We had water for a few days last week. It was wonderful. We also had a family stay with us for about 5 days...and then when they left...so did the water :( We are again living from jerry can to jerry can.
It sounds really terrible and it is but I think God has really covered over my mouth and mind of complaining with contentment and it just has become something to deal with. Or...maybe you have been praying for me! Yes, that is probably what it is! THANKS!!! Pray they open the water pipe to let the water flow. Can you believe Christmas is next week??? Ei!!!
Water- or lack of it
I came back to Accra last week Monday and heard about the water shortage going on in Tamale even before I got back up here. Apparently, the main city pipe flowing water into Tamale broke and to fix it they had to shut off the majority of the other pipes. I really have no idea, I just repeat what they tell me :) Of course, it was to be fixed up last week. And then in traditional Ghanaian fashion, "tomorrow". (They always say tomorrow and believe me they don't mean it.) Yesterday, as I was talking to someone they said, "oh, surely before Christmas". WHAT!? That is still weeks away!From that Monday I returned to Tamale we prayed our poly tank (2,000 Liters) would hold out and it would be like the loaves and fish that never ran out. Well, we made it to Friday morning. Pretty good considering we had guests every day that week. We had some yellow jerry cans the landlord left us from the first day in the house when we didn't have water and took advantage of that. Then what?Thankfully Pastor Andrew came to our rescue! He took me to refill them and they have to be 50+pounds when full. Every morning and evening I see women walking with them or big bowls to go and fetch water. Men tie them down on motorbikes. Unfortunately, this doesn't last forever but thankfully P. Andrew would refill them for us and bring them over. I kind of felt a bit helpless! 
Then P. Andrew called and said he just got a number for someone who has a water tank. So we have to pay and they will come and pump water into our tank. I thought that sounds wonderful! The cost was reasonable too.
A little issue came up in the midst of this. The tank of water was too much for my little tank. (I think I need to buy another tank because I hear there are always water shortages in February and March too.) They would not charge me half price. They would not take the other half of the tank to P. Andrew's Mom's house which was just down the road. We felt that was so unfair. These guys would go and sell the water to someone else...water we paid for. So, we started calling the neighbors around telling them to come and get free water and boy did they run bringing any containers!
I was so glad to give my water to these women. Many of them I have sat with to learn language. I don't know how far they have had to go to get water. I was so glad I could share. I hope one day I can share with them about the Living Water.(Don't ask me how they carried some of those huge barrels full of water. Ei!!)Just imagine living with one barrel of water? or 3 jerry cans? You really think twice about washing your hair:)It's another one of those times where I praise God for his abundance in my life. Yeah, so I was short water and we still aren't getting any thru the pipes. At least I have the money to get water (THANKS supporters!). At least I don't have to walk and walk and walk to get water. At least I have friends who help me to get water. I, again, have all I need. God be praised!Let's pray the pipes would be fixed and Tamale will have water again and pray for other ways I can love my neighbors.
Drivin' Around
The driving distance between Accra and Tamale is 618.22 km or 384 miles. 
I flew down to Accra in November to help and be a part of SIM Ghana's 60th anniversary of working in Ghana. The flight takes about an hour. So fast, so wonderful. The drive on the other hand...though a measly, 384 miles...it does not go so fast. BUT I have to say Ghana has much improved in the roads since I came in 2005. Instead of long patches of bad, potholed, dusty roads they are now short and fewer patches. This time driving back I was with a colleague so I had someone to talk with and I didn't have to drive the whole 10 hours. Yes, it takes about 10 hours. Sooooo, since I did not have to drive the whole time I was able to take some pics as we went along. Enjoy!
And then we got back to Tamale! Safety is not something we take for granted on these roads. Sometimes the police like to stop us or they have radar guns or they just want a little "sumthin'-sumthin'". We pray before we start the journey and we praise God for however far we made it that day. We even have others praying the day before we travel. It is not something to take lightly when you hear of all the road accidents and people who have died. I know one gal from the church who lost her uncle, aunt and two cousins in an accident.Thanks for praying for me! Thankfully I don't have any travel plans in the future but even in Tamale I still would like prayer as I drive my car or sit in yellow-yellows or taxis.
We Are In!
The house is finished. The house is finished. It is worth doing a little jig. I don't know what we would have done if my team leader had come back and wanted his house back. Yikes. But we don't have to think about that now.It started in September. And now is finished in November. YAY!!
Are you OOOOOh-ing and AAAAAh-ing? Don'cha just love the heart gate? It's definitely Ghanaian.
The living room and dining room.
It's a huge room! I have no idea how to decorate this. Come and help me!The next is a bedroom...there are 5! Come on over and visit!
This is mine.
This is one of our spare rooms.
And this was me moving in!Here is the kitchen.
I don't understand the zebra cabinets. I don't like them but I am thankful to have a kitchen. Though, at this point none of these cabinets have shelves...(sigh) don't ask. The landlord said the carpenter will come back.Of course, some things have not worked right. The first night we woke up we did not have any water. The plumber came out and then said it would come...it never did. Thankfully, someone brought us water in yellow, plastic containers. Then the next day we went out and locked the gate but when we came back the lock was open and the gate wide open. We don't know if someone tried breaking in or the lock was just weak. The house doors were still locked...they are made of metal and bullet proof. I asked the landlord if I need to be concerned about bullets (which I don't) and he laughed.
Nothin's getting thru this baby!The landlord's brother told us our lock was too small and we needed to get a different one. So we did.The next issue was water in the hallway towards Damary's side of the house. We followed it to a bathroom sink. Also, the kitchen sink was leaking.And then the next day we didn't have any lights or fan in the living room, dining room and kitchen. Thankfully, we did have power for the refrigerator! I had to leave that morning to come down to Accra to help with some things and I felt bad for Damary who has had to deal with this electrical issue. She told me most has been figured out. (sigh)All these things kind of wear you down, but we still like the house. We still are not discouraged! We are thankful. Look how many people don't have a home. Think of how many people don't have any where to sleep. I won't complain. I will just deal with the issues and move forward.Thanks for your prayers for helping me find a house and that we were able to move in before my leader came back. Thanks for praying for our safety as we are new in the area...and Tamale for that matter.God is good!! All the time!!
Runny Tummy
I got a little sick last week. Sick as in runny tummy. That is what they call diarrhea here. And, I have to say, I like saying runny tummy much more than the D word. When I lived in Accra, I would have runny tummy...I don't want to say often, but enough that it wasn't a big deal when it did come around. In Accra, I would eat street food a lot-which is one of the reasons I got runny tummy. I learned to love street food! It is super cheap and, they are all over the place and convenient. You can buy different things. You can buy jollof rice, fried rice or plain rice with meat like goat, beef, fish (though not considered meat) or chicken. You can buy kenkey, banku, or fufu with a tomato stew or sauce or a soup with meat. You can buy fried or roasted plantains or yams. You can buy black eyes peas which go yummy-yummy with the plantains. The sad problem is...wait...are most problems sad?, or do I just say problem and you figure out that it is sad because most problems are sad? But a problem could be choosing between two good things and there would be no sad in that. Right? ANYWHOOO-- the problems is, many of these vendors do their cooking right in their little kiosk and they don't have running water. That, of course, could cause a lot of issues. There are no FDA regulations on chop bars/street food eateries so you just take the risk and sometimes (sigh) it is so worth it.
But in Tamale, I haven't been eating street food. I haven't even gone to one chop bar in months. How did I get sick? Many other reasons came to mind. During my uncomfortableness I went over where I went, how many times I washed my hands, if I ate meat-even meat I bought and cooked in my house, who knows how long it was sitting outside before I bought it. And that may make you ask the question : Your meat is outside? Yep. The butchers buy big chunks of a cow and go to their kiosk and sell it. Sometimes their place is just a table with a sun roof thingy on it. Other times they are screened in areas about 5 feet by 10 feet. They usually have big straw fans so they can blow away any flies that come round. So, meat by itself could be the culprit. I did buy some pork a couple weeks ago that let me know after I ate it, that it was bad, but not serious, not like last week's sickness. Last week's sickness lasted for days. As in, I even had a dream about it. Not cool.If we do get a stomach sort of bug usually we wait a couple days hoping it will just pass, like mine did with the pork. But this one hung on. So, finally I called up my nurse, explained my symptoms and she told me what to go and take. I had a friend go to the pharmacy and buy it. One lovely thing here is we don't need doctor's prescriptions. We just go to the pharmacy and tell them what we want and then buy it. SOOOOO WONDERFUL!!! The nurse did ask me if I ate out and I could honestly say, "No". Maybe it was the apple I bought that I did not wash (I was just so hungry I needed something). Maybe I drank bad water. Maybe I sweat all the water out of me and was dehydrated really, really bad, ok, that doesn't really make sense. Maybe the food my friend cooked for me wasn't good-but none of them got sick. Maybe...maybe...I just get lucky like this :)So I took the medicine and within 12 hours I was feeling back to my normal self. Before that, I refused to have a pity party. There was a day where I just couldn't go out because I had some cramping but other days, though I felt uncomfortable, I went out. I just made sure to visit places that had a toilet around, or time it as best as I could, to get back home. Silly things, but very important things to think about!!UPDATE ON THE HOUSE:We got the keys yesterday. We started filling my car with boxes and taking a load over and then in the evening we had a friend with a pickup and he took some big things like the refrigerator. The water is not officially hooked up yet by the city but we have a tank full. We will wait a few more days for that to get hooked up and in the mean time continue to take things over. Our projected sleep-over-there date is Saturday. We also want to dust and mop it and do a serious prayer walk thru every room and to every corner of the outside walls. Maybe next week I will send some finished and move in pics.
Adventures in Armpits
So, my adventure today:Because I look different here, because many people don't see folks like me 'round these here parts I get stared at a lot. I would love to say I am used to it. After 11 years you think one would be, but I am not. I don't mind it most of the time, especially when cute little kids are bug eyed. But today...today this friend of a friend stood in front of me as I was sitting in a chair. She must have been a bit younger than me. She was standing over me and I had to look up to see her. I did not want to seem rude so I smiled and tried to look up at her, though the sun was in my eyes. First, she spoke to me rapidly in Dagbani. I just kept saying, "I don't understand. I don't understand." Second, she asked me to take her to America and I said I do not live there but she said I should take her and instead of being all culturally appropriate and indirect I became Miss-All-American and boldly said, "No". Direct and indirect in this culture are a whole other blog. And third, she kept staring, like really staring, like checking me out-not in that way but, still in a way I was not comfortable with. I know I have bad skin. I know I have some hairs that should be plucked. I know I may have goop in the corner of my eye. I know my gray hairs are showing. I know my neck is tan but the rest of me is not and she kindly pointed that out to me. As I was pulling my hairs away from my face and lifted my arms she took my elbow and lifted my arm to look at my armpit. Please, don't ask. I don't know why. I felt like an animal about to be auctioned. Really, girl??? Really??? You want to see I haven't shaved my legs in awhile too??? I was so shocked as I let her drop my arm and I know for a few seconds I was just in a stare. Like, do you not see that I am a person just like you?Growing up in a community where 99% of the city looked the same I never thought about how someone different would feel. I remember I would randomly feel bad for the Amish students in our Junior high class but not enough to befriend them. What did they feel like when we stared at them or rolled our eyes at how they smelled? I don't know who I thought I was because I was a farm girl too and I know there had to be at least one day, if not many, that I wasn't smelling like roses.I had a nice upbringing but I wasn't always kind. I was outwardly nice to people and I like people but I didn't always have a heart for them. I wonder what parents do to help form this in their children? Eventually, the child has to make that decision for themselves and hopefully has good experiences along the way to form them to want to be that way. It wasn't until I really started studying the Bible that this happened to me. As I look back, much of my life was as a pharisee, a hypocrite and all that rolled up into a nice saran wrap ball. There is power in the Bible. Power to transform. I can't tell you how but it changed me. Still so far from perfect, but man, so much different than I used to be. I had nothing to do with it. Over and over I had to give things to the One who wrote the Bible, the One who breathed it and I still have to and yet, that giving up has brought me life. Serious, incredible, joy-thru-the-madness, life.I was telling Pastor Andrew and Jemima about "my adventure" and we were all laughing until we were crying. I am so glad I can laugh about it. I am so glad I can smile when I think about this girl. I hope I get to meet her again...if I do, maybe, I will look under her armpit.
It's not always easy, but in the end it's worth it.
I think you could call this a rant. But let me just say, I do love Ghana. I do love Tamale. I love my life. I am so thankful to God He is in me and working in me and it just so happens He chose Ghana to do all this. How lovely.But there are times when all is not perfect.Some days I am really giving it all I can. I am listening to the words people are saying. I am trying to pick out words I know. I am watching people's lips as they speak. I am walking in 90 degree weather talking (mostly listening) to people and some try and tell me it is too hot for me to stay in the sun (duh, I know). Many days I come home feeling good. But then the next day comes and I am like, "what did I learn yesterday???" and it is gone! UGH.Speaking of walking in the heat. Oh. Wow. Yeah, Africa is hot, I know. But Tamale is a bit hotter than where I was before. I looked on the weather and it said-- 91 degrees but feels like 108 or 93 degrees but feels like 107 degrees. Yeah, that is impressive.Also, with it being so hot there really is no way to look nice. I am wearing the coolest (not as in stylish), most modest clothes I have and I feel so frumpy. So sweaty. No wonder some missionaries dress the way they do. It's because it is so stinkin' hot! They don't care about what they look like, they are just trying to stay as cool as possible. (Sorry to all who I made fun of when I was younger!) Imagine your beet red face from walking and you have B.O. and your little whispy hairs around your face are matted to your cheeks and then you stub your toe on a rock...so not helpful to a joyful attitude...but then...a beautiful thing happens: a sweet breeze rides right up through that ugly skirt. You really don't care how ugly it is at the moment. You are just happy the wind got through it or... you are just happy there was a breeze at all. And speaking of breezes... My hair is tied back everyday and riding in public transportation you want all the air and breeze you can. But for curly hair people we can't really pull off the beach wave stye, well I can't anyways. It is more like...poof! and then ratty. I really don't know how much more attractive I can get. Oh wait, I can. Let me tell you about my amazing tan lines. I have a great red neck, as in my neck is red or gradually turning brown, farmer's tan on my arms, thee whitest legs (because they never see light), and the start of some sweet flipflop lines on my once-perfect-feet, which are looking like they are in need of a serious pedicure. I am just sooooo classy. I can barely contain my sarcasm.
When I wake up in the morning all the call to prayers are going on but they are not at the same time. Men on megaphones praying in Arabic. Why can't they just do it at the same time? Apparently there are exact times when to do it but I guess people's watches differ...if they are wearing a watch, that is. What should last a bit goes on and on because another one started later and then another one later than that and the megaphones are everywhere. I bet I hear at least 6 different prayers to Allah, which I don't understand because I don't know Arabic.Something happens to my allergies when the barometric pressure changes. I usually know when it is going to rain because my eyes start itching and I start sneezing. It is weird. I am like an old lady who can tell the weather by how her bones feel ...except mine is with itchy eyes. So, if I don't have my allergy eye drops with me I itch them (even though I hear my dad's voice in my head telling me to stop) and I end up with puffy slits that I can barely see out of. I'm like Rocky fighting Apollo Creed and he tells Coach to, "cut me, cut me" because his eyes are so puffy. Again, can I get any more attractive?And then there are days when I miss home. Where my family lives is so beautiful. Ok... it is really, really cold too, but, it is so beautiful. And my family is beautiful, my whole family, even 2nd, 3rd and 4th cousins (yes we still know each other) and even my brothers. HA HA HA ( I love them, really I do!). I think being away from family is the hardest thing about living overseas. I miss my family. Just today I was making chicken tacos (SHOUT OUT TO COUSIN DENNIS FOR SENDING ME A PACKAGE WITH TACO SEASONING PACKETS!!) and I got teary eyed. My family loves tacos. I cannot tell you how many times I ate them while I was home. It is a very family-ish meal. We always seem to have it when people are around and everyone enjoys it. (sigh) Then the other day riding in a yellow-yellow I was coming home and wondering what I was going to cook and eat. I thought about Culvers. My most favorite restaurant. And I thought about a delicious cheeseburger and amazing ice cream and again, I got teary eyed. Not just because I missed all the incredible-ness of it but also because it is convenient. You can just pull up, tell 'em what you want and VOILA! You get it. How nice. How brilliantly simple. (sigh)I just sighed again.I am thankful Jesus makes this all worth it. Read John 14 and be encouraged.
This Past Week- More Language.
I am sorry but I am sure there will be a lot of posts about language learning since that is about all that I do.This week I had some funny and some annoying comments. On the funny column we have:
- I learned how to say, "let me help you". I said it to a woman who sells porridge. Now everyday she wants me to sell it for her.
- The name of my blog is Dis Be Ghana because Ghanaian English doesn't use the "TH" sound. Instead of this and that they would pronounce it "dis and dat". So, having someone try and explain to me they, which they would pronounce dey. is also a word which has a different meaning. So trying to find out which was English and which was Dagbani for me was confusing but funny and took a longer time than I want to admit.
- There is a sound we don't have in English (well, a few actually) and sometimes when I really want to try and say it as perfect as they do, I nearly choke, like actually...choke with coughing to follow.
Now in the annoying column, and now I can say they are kind of funny but at the time they were not:
These kids are always around laughing at me. These gals help me out...and they laugh too.
So, week 3 has come to a close. Our language helper's grandfather died so she couldn't meet with us. I just went out practicing and tried learning new sayings along the way. It is a very slow process but I am still not discouraged! Thanks for praying.UPDATE ON HOUSE:I talked to Fadel yesterday and he said the last last day will be November 7th, meaning everything should be finished by then or at least we can move in and they can do small, detailed things. This week the plumbing will be completed and they will put up a water tank. They have the paint for the outside and inside of the house. We were able to put our suggestions in for the inside colors but who knows what he ended up getting! Ghanaians love bright, loud colors so I think the outside of the house will be a mint green or something. I don't care just finish for-the-love-of-doughnuts!!
This photo is of the kitchen with the pantry. This photo is my room with a built in wardrobe! Woooooooo!
Fire Festival
It would just be more simple to give you the link that tells you what the Fire Festival is all about and why they celebrate it. The story I heard is a bit different than what is on this site but who really knows anyways...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugum_ChuguI went with Brother Andrew, Jemima, and a friend. Andrew's brothers were very involved. His older brother is the chief's warrior. So before the Chief can come out his brother will come and shoot off a gun (no bullets). His other two brothers were painted up and danced to the beat of drums for hours! It was raining that night so I was told there were hardly any people there. I thought there were quite a lot. When the rain did die down the chief's warrior came out and signaled and then the chief came out. He threw water out on people and it is said that if the water touches you, you will have special favor...like things you want will come to pass. Then, we all went with burning grass torches to a tree. At the tree, we all threw in our torches so that it would light one big fire. When that fire was lit, we walked to another part of town where they were celebrating and joined in with their tree torching ceremony. I met some chiefs and was very honored to be a part of this festival. I was thankful I had my friends with me explaining the whys and whats of the nights. I even got to get jiggy-with-it with Brother Simon.
Part of me thought it was like our house on 4th of July...except not as safe. I know my brother-in-law could not imagine more unsafe than my brothers and Dad! But there were Roman candles going off and these huge explosions. I got knocked back a step at one point. Guys had aerosol cans they were lighting and the torches people would run around with. Boys had big machetes they would scrape on the pavement to make sparks and girls would scream and run around. It was crazy, and yet I felt protected with these people. I know Jo-Jo (my extreme pyro brother) would have really joined in. I kept thinking someone is going to get a finger blown off, but, nope, none, that I saw, anyways. Andrew's family took me home around 12.30pm and I was a bit chilled (just a bit! hard to be chilled in this weather.) because of the rain and wind.Amazing Experience! Come and join me next year!
Language is Work
When I first came to Ghana in 2005, after a 10 day orientation, I was sent to a language school to learn Twi. Twi is widely spoken in the southern parts of Ghana. I learned some of it. I came back to the city and started working in the office. That took away my zeal for becoming fluent and, to be honest, I wasn't disciplined to keep with it. So, now forward 11 years and I get to learn another language, Dagbani. There is no language school. It needs to be self directed and there will be no other "work" at this point than to build relationships and learn Dagbani.Damary and I have found someone to meet and teach us for an hour or so in the mornings and then in the afternoons we walk around and practice what we have learned. We try to learn things that people will ask like, where are you from?, are you married?, Where is your house?, and all the greetings. Wait, stop a second...I should have wrote greetings before all the other questions because greetings here are soooooo very very important. How is your family? How did you sleep last night? How is home? How is your health? How was your journey? How is work? How is it? AHHHHH!!! While Damary and I were going a bit crazy trying to learn even more greetings as the days go by, and getting frustrated we tried to remember in each of our cultures how many ways there are to say "hello, how are you?". And we also have lots of ways, just think about it. We do.It gets to be a bit frustrating "just" learning language. I say "just" because it sometimes doesn't seem like work. I think of a missionary and think I should be teaching at a school, or building churches or telling people about Jesus, or helping the poor--whatever the thinking is, it is usually not walking around talking like a baby. With a new language to learn it you have to use it. And you may only be able to say short sentences that make people laugh when you say it. It is quite humbling!Sometimes I forget to be faithful in persevering in this because it doesn't seem like traditional "work". But it is work. Work even on day 2 was like-- I CAN'T GET THESE SOUNDS!! If I want to learn, it is self directed and it is up to me to go out and practice. People work 8 hours a day, an honest days work, so I think...8 hours of language???? I know the benefits will be great but right now I am sounding like a 4 year old child and it is hard to see the finish line.I know God has given me all I need to do this. He has made me adequate in every circumstance. It is my drive and discipline that needs to kick in. I met some great ladies this week. Of course, I cannot understand them but I can sit next to them and observe. Listen to people talking, or working or selling. Listen to the rhythm of the language and the ups and downs as they pronounce words.I have been in bed every night before 9pm. My brain is so tired. BUT I am not discouraged. I am not cranky. And I am not without hope. ......... it is only week one after all!!! AHHH!!!I just know this is my work for now. And it needs to be done. I am the one who can make it great and laugh or suffer, complain, and quit. In my quiet times with God He has really been strengthening me in His Word and He upholds me. It is a daily battle to give in to what I want but it is a miracle to see Him putting in His wants in me (Psalm 37.4). His delight is mine! Wooo Hooooo!Last word, and then I'm done. The other day after I was out practicing and couldn't say the words right and even felt too shy to keep asking people to listen to me and I was a bit down. I got into a yellow-yellow to get to town and go home. When I got off I saw a meat kebab seller. Why not? and so I bought 2 and the man said in Dagbani, "What is your name?" and I understood immediately what he said and was able to respond back with my new Dagbani name which means God is great. (Woon zoo ee ah) And the most gi-normous smile came on his face and mine! I understood that! He understood that! WOW, God. is. really. great!!!
Friends
I am loving Tamale not only because of Tamale but the people I have been able to hang out with thus far. I have been wanting to use the word THUS. How fun. Probably not grammatically correct...alas, I digress. I wanted to use the word alas too. Ok, finished, for real.Yes, I am loving Tamale. I miss my Accra peeps but I really don't miss anything else. I am very thankful about that. I need you to meet some of my friends.
Damary is my new roommate. She is a new missionary coming from Northeast India. She has never been to Africa before but in some ways her culture is a bit similar to Ghanaian culture. She is the cutest little thing! Don't tell her I said that. It is nice to have her around to find things in the city. It is nice to eat her food. It is nice to go shopping with her because she can really bargain! Ei! I love it. She will also learn Dagbani and work with youth here in Tamale.My other fave friends are Pastor Andrew and his wife Jemima and their little baby Bernice. Yes, Bernice is my friend! I don't care if she can't say my name yet, she will...very soon.
My Tamale team leader has traveled to his home country for a few months and another team member of mine in Tamale has traveled outside Ghana as well, leaving me and Damary a bit stuck when we have questions. BUT with Pastor Andrew and Jemima around I have questions no longer! When I was looking to buy some meat he told me where to go. When my tire got punctured...and then the other got punctured the next morning he had his brother and friend come out and help. When I feel the need for some fufu I go to their house. When we feel like hanging out with some fizzy drinks we all go. When I have a cultural question I ask it to them. When I need directions to a church I call, and even in his SS class he answered me. He wasn't teaching though :) I am so very thankful for how they have supported me. They have been so hospitable. (But, really, find me a Ghanaian who isn't.) They have prayed with me. They have laughed with me. Ohhhh, I wish I could record Pastor Andrew's laugh. It is a great one. Jemima told me the other night she likes it when I come because I make things light. I think they just like laughing at me! This is the Body of Christ working together.Pastor Andrew and Jemima have a church that he leads. He also works with a youth hostel and oversees all the High School students who have come to board while going to school. In the evenings he does tutoring, Bible studies, and prayer. They also have people coming in and out of their house for counseling or for food or maybe just to hear Andrew laugh :)UPDATE ON THE HOUSE: We went to see it the other day. Fadel is the landlord and was there. He took us through and all the rooms have doors. All the floors have tiles. The kitchen has tiles and the bathrooms have tiles. They have cut out a door in the kitchen and I will be able to have a storeroom/pantry sort of area. I was so excited I wanted to scream. But, they would think that's weird, so I suppressed it and waited until I got inside the car. Damary, Pastor Andrew and myself have all put our dates out there when we think we can move in. I am the most optimistic and think October 19th. P. Andrew thinks October 25th and Damary thinks October 28th. The winner gets to keep their money in their pockets while the others will pay for some drinks. (and just for a FYI- when I say drinks, I mean NON-alcoholic. I know some of you raised your lil' eyebrows.)Thanks for praying!
Tamale (ta MA lee--like tom and lee...sort of)
As I try to find my way around the city I find myself really liking it. There is a part of the city called "town". That means it is the busiest and center of Tamale. There are traffic lights there and sellers of all kinds of things. The market is there with tons of vendors and shops. Many times they are selling the same things. It has been more convenient for me (and cheaper) to take public transportation- like the little "yellow-yellow" or a taxi and then I don't have to try and find a parking spot or figure out how to weave in and out of all the motorbikes and vehicles.If you want info on Tamale I found a couple sites-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamale,_Ghanahttp://buzzghana.com/tamale-ghana/Or you can just let my photos do some talking for ya.
Bright, busy, colorful, friendly- you are all welcome to come and stay with me and see it for yourself!
Coming along Slowly but Surely
One of the first things I learned here in Ghana was that things take time. Relationships, finding your way, work, cooking, and whatever else I can't think of right now. For example, well, let me back up, and cheer because-- I found a house!!! YAY!! But it was not like I could look in the paper and see the rentals listing. It wasn't even that I knew people who knew people who knew people who could find a house. It was me and the few people I do know asking around. I got into a "yellow-yellow", which is a 3 wheel motorbike with a backseat pretty much and they can drive you around for a cheap price. One time I got into one the driver looked like a little boy! I said, "Hey, how old are you?" He looked at his buddy sharing the seat with him and smiled and said, "17". I said, "You lie, you are only 12". They laughed, and actually I did too. Another driver, I told him I just moved here and was looking for a place and he said his father has a house for rent. So, that is kind of how it goes. I did find one through a taxi driver named Gefaru. He has been a big help. He found several houses for me to look at. But this house that I have chosen was a friend of his brother who is the landlord for his mom who has traveled. So, you could say it was a taxi driver's brother's friend's mom's house that I found. Love it.The house is not finished. It has ceilings and walls and electrical holes. It has a wall around it and a nice high roof to keep hot sun/air from beating down which will help keep my house a bit cooler. The thing I really liked about it is the area. There are family homes around and kids all over the place. It is near to the main road which makes it convenient. Since my first years will be spent learning Dagbani it is necessary that there are people who I can learn from and practice with. Also, safety issues the more people around the better. The landlord and I have gone back and forth with a monthly rental price, Gefaru being the middle man, which has been very helpful. Then we talked about when the house will be finished and made some verbal agreements. This all took about 2 weeks. Kind of long, isn't it? But like I said, things take time. So, as of now, the house is being worked on. I went last week and saw them putting up doors and fixing things on the outside. I am very excited and trying to kindly add in my input for tiles and colors...we will see if the landlord catches my subtleties.
So, now that I know I have a house in the future, I have been thinking of other things. Next on the checklist is a language helper. A woman to meet with me Monday thru Friday for 1-2 hours a day. It has not been easy to find this. One gal I thought would help me, she just took a job as a teacher. So, I have put out the word (now that I am getting to know people) and praying to get one soon so I can start learning.Another thing that takes time is shopping and cooking. I have no box mixes, packaged frozen dinners, or fast food around. So, I go to the market and find veggies, meat, rice etc and bring it home and start preparing. And wow, is it tiring! I made a bunch of meals up and put them in the freezer so I don't have to do this often. I thought about moms and how amazing they are to be cooking everyday for their families...and yes, I did call my mom and thanked her! Some days, though, I just make a quickie peanut butter banana sandwich and eat some fruit.So, small-small (we would say little by little) things are coming along. Thanks for praying! Keep praying!
Very, Very Thankful!
These past couple weeks have been great. When someone calls me and asks so what have I been doing it is pretty much, "just checking the city out, driving around, hanging out with the few people I do know, looking for a house". I am surprised the lies of what-good-are-you have not shown themselves. But, I really shouldn't be surprised. These couple weeks God has gone over and above. Let me say that again people- OVER AND ABOVE!! I have had so many prayer requests answered, tiny detailed ones to big you-gotta-step-into-this-for-me ones. I have had great quiet times. I have been protected from whatevers. I have my needs taken care of. I have had peace in the midst of uncertainty. I had to call my friend in Accra the other night because I just couldn't keep the excitement to myself with all these answers. I had to tell someone! I am more than thankful. Is there a word that is "more than thankful"?At church yesterday I was so thankful people move and dance when they praise because I just couldn't keep it all in. I was in full rejoice mode. I hope even when things are not going so well I would stay in rejoice mode.One experience I had at church yesterday was meeting a little boy. Maybe he is around 10 years old and I can see he has mental disabilities. He sat right next to me. He stared directly at me. There was no embarrassment or shyness. I get stared at quite a bit but this boy was about a foot away from my face! and I am supposed to be paying attention during the SS lesson :) Well, one of the ladies yelled at him so he stopped. But then I looked over at him and he had his hands over his eyes peeking thru his fingers staring at me. Is that not cute???! I had to suppress my chuckle.One question that was asked in SS class was, "should we do ablution in church?" That is not a question I have ever thought about before, never had to think about it. Ablution is a cleansing ritual done for religious reasons. Like, washing hands, feet, face etc...One strong religion here does it very often. I was impressed with the young SS teacher's response. He said we need to make sure our hearts are clean more than our outside parts of our bodies.Truth, baby. Check your heart. Love it!
No House Yet. Moving Soon.
No house yet in Tamale but I am not short of options. I am thankful for that. One house I looked at was 5 bedrooms but not quite complete. The landlord kept saying, "oh, we will do that. or we will get that done". I have learned being here that that is not always the case. Another 5 bedroom house was HUGE. I mean, it just seemed like wasted space in some places. It was nice though, but so big! One place was 3 bedrooms but it was laid out very strangely. It had the bathroom way in the back and you had to pass thru a bedroom to get to it. Also, the ceilings were very low and in the hot weather that house would be a cooker!I have been back in Accra and buying things and Julie helped me pack up my house. A family in Tamale is going to travel for a few months so I will stay in their home when I move up until I can find a place. The plan is to leave the 23rd. To be honest, I am not sure what I am exactly looking for in a house. I have been told certain things would be good. For example: good water supply (Tamale can get very dry and wells in certain parts of the city dry up), security, an area with lots of local speakers around, and my own personal want- a nice kitchen. Some have one or two things. Some have none. I don't know. Sometimes, I try to find that one house that really doesn't exist but it really exists in my head. Maybe that is why i don't really like shopping. I get this idea into my head of what I want and that idea is a bit too much and you can't find it and in the end you get so frustrated and quit. i can't quit on this otherwise i will be homeless. Not a very good option :)Yesterday I visited 4 people. It was wonderful to see people and have nonfacebook conversations. I am always amazed at the lives some people live. Some people really struggle from day to day. Some have no idea how to move forward in life or they don't really have options available. It is hard here, and it is hard here for me to listen and not be able to do anything.Remind me to tell you about Rashid. This post is getting too long.
Never Ending Suitcases
You think I would love suitcases by now. You think I would be an expert packer. You think I would relish prioritizing what goes and what stays. NO. None. I have no love for a suitcase. I mean, I love we have such things called suitcases and that they are roll-able, and sturdy, and light. But, there is no love in packing. No love in organizing to get the most in. No love in wondering if it is overweight...again. But I do love traveling. This past year I have flown and drove to many places. I was never in any place very long. I was visiting with churches and speaking. I was updating people on the work in Ghana. I went to weddings. I went to restaurants. I went to National Parks. I do love seeing new places or reconnecting with new/old people. I love that friends and family open their homes up to me to stay. I love that someone will even sometimes carry my suitcase for me!Alas, the bittersweetness of it all.I have arrived back in Ghana but have not finished with suitcases. I will be moving 10 hours north of Accra to a city called Tamale (not pronounced like Mexican food Tamale, but emphasis on the TAH and then ma lee. Try thinking of two men named Tom-and-Lee). It is a big city (500,000), compared to where I was the past year in Wisconsin, but not as big as Accra. Tamale is in an arid, dry area. Many people are farmers. It is 90% M*slim. It is very spread out. The church I was working with in Accra has branches here in Tamale. The Dagbon people speak Dagbani, which I will start to learn when I move.So, as I write this, I am in Tamale but only for a few days. I thought I would try to find a house that I could rent. I will travel back to Accra and make a final move to Tamale in mid or late August. I need to pack up my house. I need to decide what I can sell or what I can take with me. Furniture, dishes, appliances???? I need to think about a moving truck. I need to repack all the suitcases I have to take them north. Lots to do! Another transition! More suitcases! Ohhhh the joys!!
My Wet Night
It is rainy season here in Accra. And every-so-years the rain gives Accra a beating. We got one of those last Wednesday. It already rained the previous Sunday and Monday night quite a bit so things were saturated. And so it began...this is my story--My car’s back lights were not working so I took trotro to church. It takes two trotros (which are vans that pick up and drop people on routes for really cheap city transportation—always an adventure on one). When I got to church at 5:30 it started raining. I was going to meet with my kids but of course no one showed. Bible study is also on Wednesday nights and after we closed at 8:00pm it was still raining. I am not talking about a drizzle here people. I am talking DOWNPOUR. The church has a zinc roof so when the rain hits it is so loud you can’t even hear the person next to you. And so those of us who came for Bible study were stuck and we really couldn’t even talk to each other! But by 9:30 we saw an escape. The rain slowed for a bit so I and this man Theo made a run for the bus stop. The rain started up again. I could see it running heavily down the roads but didn’t consider there would be flooding. There were no trotros coming to take me to lapaz. Theo was flagging down taxis but either they were full or they didn’t want to go to where he asked. Finally, a trotro came but to be honest, I didn’t think these guys were normal trotro drivers. They seemed like this was a fun game or something. They broke their side window but didn't think anything of it and they took a different road, but anyways…we got to lapaz. Theo went in a different direction than me and so we said goodbyes and there I was. In lapaz, thankfully, with a few other people. Power was off in this area of town so it was dark and the water on the road (a dual carriage way) was up to my ankles. Now lapaz is usually a bustling place. You actually have to wait in line for a car or step over a woman selling her goods to get where you want because they even sell on the sidewalks. But at this time, there was nothin’. Lights are out. No sellers. No cars. No people. It was really weird. The rain was to a drizzle at that point so I was thankful for that.It was late and I was standing with a few people and if a lone taxi/trotro came by people would rush up to it, but it usually only had room for one and I knew I would never get a seat or I would have to wait forever (insert dramatic sigh and hand gesture). So I started walking. And walking. And walking. I would pass people randomly. We don’t advise people to be out so late so I was walking fast and it was still drizzling and lightning. On the other side of the highway traffic was backed up until I couldn’t see. The cars were not moving. Earlier in the week when it rained I was at that spot and the water was up to mid-tire on my car so with all this new rain I cannot imagine how high the water is and how many cars have stalled.I would stop at each coming bus stop, just in case there would be some sort of transportation…nothin’. So I kept walkin’.I was getting closer to my place. I noticed people. Many people. I live near a really big church so I thought maybe they had a program that closed late…as I got closer I saw why all those people were walking. People thought, like I did, that it would be faster to walk than sit in their cars or there was no way a car will come so they better just walk. I heard later that when taxis/trotros saw that area they told the people to get out they are not going any further. The rain at the traffic light was mid calf on me. The dual carriageway was backed up with honking cars. Cars were jammed. A motorbike would not have been able to pass it was so tight. Now, on a normal dual carriageway cars are going in opposite directions with 2 lanes on each side. Well, on this night, no one wanted to go on the one side because it was absolutely flooded. So, cars decided (funny how I blame it on the car and not the drivers) to cross over the median and make a new lane going against the 2 lanes coming at them. Don’t ask me. I don’t know how someone thought that would work and here if someone does something like this everyone follows. I just stopped and stared. It was already past 11pm and I could tell there was noooo way this would be taken care of quickly. There is a small gutter I cross over when I walk to my house and it was like a rushing rapids, probably 10-15 feet of water. That gutter water was on my road. I heard a man comment to his friend, “someone is going to die here” because the water was so high. I was walking in between cars, since they were not moving. I saw some obrunis in a van, I assumed they were Mormons because of their white shirts and black ties, and those boys did not look very happy! I should have asked them how long they were stuck there but I just compassionately smiled and kept walking because the water was running so fast and my pant legs that I rolled up were already soaked.I made it home around 11:30pm! I must have walked almost 5 miles. I don’t know how long people were sitting in traffic. I heard some crazy stories that it took people 4 hours to get home or getting home at 1am or they had to walk long distances because there was no transportation.It is not just because of the heavy rains that the flooding occurred. Many people build homes or put shops up in places near waterways or in the path of water. They are told to leave but either they ignore the warning or they pay a bribe to someone to allow them to stay. Also, people just throw their trash in the gutters. That clogs drainage and water cannot flow out so it ends up on roads and blocking water…which causes flooding. Everyone is always telling everyone not to dump their rubbish in the gutters but people do it anyways. People throw out trash from the vehicle windows. It really makes the city filthy. So, imagine all this flood water…what is in it…and how it ends up everywhere…even the ocean. (shaking my head…sigh)I have heard some sad stories that all people’s belongings have been destroyed because of flooding, cars were pulled by the rushing waters into gutters and flipped over, and fires started because water was going into outlets and also some people drowned. The next morning I went out and saw rubbish everywhere. Chunks of pavement have disappeared. People were cleaning their shops out and throwing things away. I kept hearing people using the word all. As in, all their stock was destroyed, all their things washed away. All their money was gone.Earlier that same evening there was a huge explosion which killed over 70 people because they came for shelter from the rain at a gas station. A night of tragedies. Very sad for Ghana. Please be praying for help for the people affected. Pray for Ghana’s government that they would work towards putting things in place that this would not happen again. 
This is 100 feet away from my house. You can see the chunk of pavement that disappeared. The white van is a trotro and the blue one is a taxi. The slant going down is the gutter which was almost overflowing.
This is the dual carrageway I walked on trying to get a car and ended up just walking.
a nice ending to 2014 and nice beginning to 2015
I left accra on dec. 27 th for my journey up north. i had not been in northern ghana since march. the past few months have been really busy. but accra is always busy. so it should all be normal. and with christmas there is added programs and such that add more busy to the platter. all i am trying to say is i really needed/wanted to get out of accra and i was looking forward to this trip. one of my associates, brian and i headed out of accra by 5.30am. brian is from northern ireland and looooves his country. so on our long trip i got to hear all about it. for a small country, brian had a lot to say about it :) i am not complaining because i would rather have a passenger who is talking than one who is quiet. it makes the drive faster...even if i am not always paying attention to what is being said.being december, things are very dry. dry and dusty. the land changes from big, loud accra to countryside, bush and villages. the green becomes less and less and the brown more and more. around this time a tree grows with red leaves that look like berries. they could be berries for all i know. i love the color in the midst of brown, dry grass.
i know this picture doesn't show it but the reason it is so dusty is because of the harmattan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmattan. if you don't dust your house or your car you end up sneezing. this year is really thick. it is like a fog and our domestic airlines were even shut down for a few days because of it.the traffic on the roads was quiet so we made good time. about half way up we passed a tourist site called a monkey sanctuary and we decided to go. we met the tour guide who led us into a forest, saw some monkeys, fed some monkeys bananas and listened to his spiel ...though i have to say i think i was taking more photos than actually listening. 
we continued on our way and made it to tamale safe and with no hassels from police. (police hassels is a whole other blog) we stayed at andrew's house with his new, lovely bride jemima. if you meet andrew, you will never forget him. he is so funny and laughs all the time. and you know how much i laugh, imagine the pair we are! andrew and jemima are so hospitable, big hearted and love Jesus. 
the next day was sunday so we went to the church pastor andrew (did i mention he is a pastor? he is) leads and then came home for lunch and then helped them put together some food and drinks for a village we were going to visit. now, in this village there are no christians. andrew, another pastor, and an SIM missionary 
have been going to the village for the past year to do a football club and talk about God. they asked the chief if they could explain why christians celebrate christmas. he agreed. as one of the pastors was sharing about Jesus andrew asked me if i would like to share something. "oh, no, that is ok, thank you for asking" was my response. about 5 minutes later andrew comes back, "ok, you will share something when pastor finishes." he of course laughs. AHHHH what am i going to talk about??!i cannot remember what i said. just a word to encourage them. as i was sharing i was thinking, "this is such a privilege to share in this community!" (i was also thinking, "i hope this is making sense.") 
afterwards, we shared the rice and drinks with those who came. i pray they would know the love Jesus has for them.the next day we went into tamale to explore. i think it is the 4th biggest city in ghana. another associate flew up from accra so we picked him at the airport and continued hanging out. we went out for dinner with a missionary family and then back to andrew's place for more laugh-time. 
the next morning we headed up to yagaba. now, yagaba was the final destination but there were a lot of stops i wanted to make on the way. we stopped in chiana (where for those of you who know a.ruby, that was her home for 20 years) and saw pat who is one of our SIM missionaries still going strong. then we came to a village called chuchiliga. i think that has to be one of the coolest names in ghana. we picked up the national youth president over good news bible churches and headed to sandema. we met up with some other pastors and had a great time. i have known a few of them for many years and i don't get to see them or their families often. they are such great people and we had some great times of talking and laughing and they learned a bit from brian about northern ireland too :) james, the youth president wanted to come to yagaba and see the youth camp that was going on. and the youth camp was my reason for going also.when we arrived in yagaba the camp was already in day 3. pastor peter was preaching. let me back up, when i say youth camp, those of you in the western world are thinking camp--like, tents, cabins, lots of activites etc, etc. but that is not how it is here. it is more like staying in a school building and having a lot of times for prayer and listening to speakers. when pastor finished speaking they had a time of praise and did some dancing. thankfully brian and matt are always up to try new things and they joined in on the dancing. 
yagaba is a small village. mud homes, very few lights, and one main dirt road. we stayed with pastor joseph and his family in their compound. pastor joseph has invited me to come for the youth camp many times and every year there was some reason why i couldn't make it. but this year, i made it! another pastor named francis stayed with us at pastor joseph's home too.
as we were settling in i asked francis where the toilet (latrine, outhouse whatever you want to call it) was. he said, "ei! sistah sherri, he doesn't have a toilet here." i know my eyebrows jumped into my hairline "ei!! so...you mean...we go...um...ok. no problem". let me just say a few things. one, there are no tall trees in yagaba, small bushes no higher than my knees. and two, the moon was bright and white people...we somehow glow in the dark. three, snakes.that evening the youth met together and matt shared something about his life and following the Lord and brian also shared his testimony. the next morning the youth met for the last time before heading back to their various homes and i gave a message about faith. pastor francis translated. 
i grabbed a volunteer for one illustration. i hope i didn't freak him out. 
afterwards we had a time of praise. and these people, i tell you, they know how to sing and dance! 
for our coming and taking part in the youth camp they gave me a gift. let's all say "awwww" together...or maybe we should say, "YUM!" 
(notice how i am wearing a sweatshirt? the mornings and evenings are a bit chilly with the harmattan).the afternoon we spent driving to other villages to see the work that is going on. one village was way out there. i mean, way out there. as i was driving on this small, narrow dirt "road" i thought about the verse where it says "...and to judea, and samaria, and to the remotest part of the earth." this was remote! i was very humbled by hearts of people who serve God in difficult areas. some face persecution, some face hunger, some face sickness. this village has to travel very far to get clean water. sometimes they just use the water that the animals use. people go blind and are sick. the chief asked us to pray for them that they would get a borehole or help somehow to fight against these sicknesses. right before we left, pastor joseph asked me to pray for this young woman who was pregnant. she was in a small room just laying there. i was told she had diarrea and could keep nothing in. she looked so tired and worn. i prayed for her. i walked away with a heavy heart.that evening was 31st night. at the small yagaba church we had a time to worship and time to thank God for how he has seen us thru 2014. i gave a short message that evening. i shared a bit from brian's testimony about how he used to be an alcoholic and how God saved him-spiritually and physically. i pray they were encouraged and i pray they grow in God's Word. it was God's Word that changed my life and i love sharing it! that evening pastor joseph got a phone call from a man in the village we visited. the man said the woman who had diarrea got up and went to fetch water after we left. she feels much better! i was soooo thrilled!!! God is so gracious to hear our prayers!!!the next day we had to say our goodbyes to this lovely family who cooked for us and made sure we had all our needs taken care of. 
it was a drive of 95 kilometers on dirt roads to get to walewale where i dropped the boys into a trotro (ok, not literally into a trotro) so they could get to tamale and catch a bus down to accra. they had a great time seeing the north. it is opposite of accra life so i am glad they got to experience it.more dirt roads were in my future as i headed from walewale to gushiegu.
a village i have never been to before. where we have a church and missionaries serving. 
i had such a nice time with them. and their little girl!!!!! ahhh!!! so cute. 
and yes, that is all her own hair!they took me around gushiegu and we met up with a fulani group of people. they gave us fresh milk from their cows. 
they took me to the market, and to a friend's home. fela helps with a football team and they asked me to share a word of encouragement with them before they started. i am getting used to this, so this time i was ready! after i spoke they played football and pui and i stayed on the sidelines where her baby is the center of attention to the women and girls passing by to get water.
fela and pui let me rest. instead of helping them with whatever they would just say "oh, go and rest". i didn't realize how much i needed it. yes, i get a day off in accra every week, but to have consecutive days off...wow, it was really nice. i felt refreshed and unwearied (i think i just made up a new word). in accra if i have a sec, it is like, i almost feel guilty for taking a break. like i have to be busy all the time and plan, and visit, and teach blah, blah, blah. in gushiegu i didn't feel busy because there was nothing for me to do! it was wonderful!!! i really thank God for those few days of rest and fellowship.from gushiegu i traveled with some pastors to our annual pastors conference which
was held in tamale. there were a lot of church leaders and pastors from the good news bible churches all over ghana. this year's speaker was rev. enoch thomson, who had been a lecturer at maranatha university college for many years. he. was. amazing. he was. i don't know what else to say i was so encouraged and fed. i got to talk with pat and penny, my other SIM teammates. penny and i also had a small excursion to find a new seamstress in tamale!! i hope she is good. i should have a couple new dresses soon...i digress...back to the conference. in my opinion it was one of the best ones. 
in the photo is my friend felicia.and then, the next morning...with 3 people i made the way back to accra. again, no police hassels, we made good time, we had great conversation. it was a nice way to end the trip.so THANKFUL for safety in the many, many kilometers i drove. so THANKFUL for the people i got to connect with. so THANKFUL for the new people i got to meet. so THANKFUL God uses me. so THANKFUL for the church i partner with. so THANKFUL for the life God has planned for me-- "to give me a future and a hope" so THANKFUL for your prayers.Happy New Year!
doesn't matter what my title is, i still do stupid things
all i have to say i do stupid things.i am a missionary, which doesn't make me perfect. but that title makes me feel like i am not supposed to do anything wrong. it is a hard standard to live up to. and i think because that standard is hard, when i fail, i don't want to tell anyone, because "i am a missionary, and we are perfect". but no one has told me that. it is a weight i have put on myself. a stupid outlook on how i saw missionaries and since i can't think of a time one has failed like i did, therefore, i am the only one. which is such a lie of the devil i know that, but it still kicks a good hit.i am just angry. angry that i fell. angry that i can't go back and change things. angry that i expect myself to be perfect. angry that i was weak. i guess that all leads to angry that i am human! grrrr...
africana
if you are friends with me on facebook you have probably seen the video i posted of playing the shakey-shaker thing with a drumming group. but if not, let me tell you alllll about it. got your tea/coffee ready? pretend we are sitting for a chat...and you don't get to say anything. man, i love those kinds of conversations....HA HA!i have known faisal since 2006. we had a gal sort of serving with SIM but not really named chelsea. anyways, chelsea is the life of the party. she loves to dance, loves to talk, loves to laugh. if she is around, you want to be next to her because she is so cool and vivacious. i secretly hoped her coolness would rub off on me. well, she found this dancing/drumming group, called africana, practicing and since it wasn't far from where she stayed she would often go. they open up their rehearsals for outsiders and if you want to join you pay a small fee and try. i say try...i went once, or twice, i can't remember...but i do remember the way i felt the next day. p90x has nothing on the soreness i felt after dancing with them. every inch of my body was in pain. and i am talking don't make me laugh, or touch me, or make me move suddenly sort of pain. apparently, chelsea was so good they even asked her to be a part of africana! many of the people who are part of africana are artists and have shops where tourists go. as i am often with short termers who buy the touristy things, chelsea and i went and we met up with some of the africana group. now, chelsea has gone but i am still here and still take people to the touristy shops and meet up with africana peeps, faisal being one of them. faisal makes jambe drums. he and some other people always tempt you with these drums to join in and play. my friend margaret stepped in and played and then i did too. so then faisal was like, "you should come and i will give you lessons". uh, whatever. then another associate i had knew how to play a little bit so she asked if i would take her to get lessons and me, being the lovely person that i am, took her and tried my hand at the drumming again. i find i really like it, though, don't think that rhythm flows thru me like it should to be really good.so since 2009-2010 i have been getting lessons every so often. i should really be amazing by now but it is more fun talking and hanging out with africana people than drumming...and i always get yelled at for not practicing:) thankfully, i have associates who want lessons and they get me from being too busy and we all go. side note--- associates think i am so amazing when we drum,,, when really i can only play a few rhythms...but they don't need to know that!sooooo, faisal's cousin had a fancy-fancy wedding and invited me and 2 associates, ashley and grace. we were only there for the reception and africana was asked to play. so, here we are sitting at the nice white covered tables waiting for the bride to come (we are white people so we came on time unlike everyone else on ghana time) and africana is setting up. faisal comes up to me and says, "you want to join us?""excuse me??i can't drum!""we need someone on the maraca. you can do it.""are.you.serious??""yeah, feel freeeeeee! come and join us.""uh, YEAH!!!!!""ok, go and get your costume."so the girls helped me take off my shoes and dress and put a wrap on and tied my headscarf around my head. i was so nervous. but they were excited and that made me excited.so i came down the stairs and they gave me the maraca and i sat next to the drummers. they started. inside i was FREAKING OUT!! often times with faisal i get off beat and lose it so i was concentrating so hard on not "losing it". people walking around or entering were looking at me and smiling. ashley took lots of videos and as i watched them when i got home i noticed i looked so serious in them and it's because inside i was focusing on keeping the beat and trying to look cool!!! oh, the stress of it all. i wanted to smile, and i should have but i thought i would've looked like an idiot with a huge grin on my face. i was seriously in heaven shakin' it up with this group. it was theeeee coolest thing ever.ok, yes, let me admit, i did get off beat. faisal at one point came drumming over to me and was like, "1, 2, 3..." and i would make it look like, "of course this is what i am doing".so, was it because it was africana? was it because i was part of a group, i was "in"? was it because a friend asked me to? i don't know what made the experience so cool. maybe because we see this traditional drumming and dancing to be very african, and i live in africa and i love africa!can i just say again what an incredible experience that was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is in my TOP 5 list of great ghanaian experiences. thinking of TOP 5, i should really write those 5 down...i guess that is for another post.