Hope

In a country where names like "Patience" and "Blessing" are common, I shouldn't be surprised to find Hope everywhere. A couple of weeks ago when we brought our puppy home, we asked our security guard, a 60+ year old man who seems very wise, what we should name the dog - without hesitation, he said "Hope". It somehow felt much deeper than a suggested name for a dog.

Tonight, Ghana played Egypt in the final for the Africa Cup of Nations. Going into the tournament a couple of weeks ago, Ghana's chances weren't looking so great. At least 5 of their top players were out with injuries. On the day of the first round game, I asked my driver how he thought the team would do. I was expecting some sort of smart remark about the injuries, but instead he said simply "they will do their best". As Ghana kept advancing, Ghanaian pride became more and more obvious - cars with flags, people wearing Black Star shirts, everyone talking about "the game". I, of course, was not going to miss this. I dropped the kids off at a Pirate Birthday party that was strategically timed for the duration of the game and I headed to the Guinness outdoor screen and stage that had been setup for the Africa Cup. I'm sure there were other Obrunis (white people) there, but I didn't see any. I just enjoyed being in the middle of true Ghanaian spirit. Everything I observed reinforced the feeling of hope....people being interviewed prior to the game said things like "no matter the consequence, Ghana is the winner". "Ghana will do its best, who wins does not matter." Easy enough to say before the game, but what about afterwards, when Ghana lost 1-0, Egypt making the only score of the game in the last five minutes? People were still proud. The announcer on the radio kept trying to make Ghana out to be the sad loser, making comments about "poor Ghana" and how "devastated" Ghana must be. But when fans were interviewed, they remained upbeat and the most typically Ghanaian comment I heard was "Hope is not lost.....we lost to a very good team and we played well. There is hope."
Yes, there is hope. And, yes, Ghana IS the winner.......

Puppy Love

 think the heat is getting to my brain. I have never been a "dog person" yet somehow I found myself thinking that getting a dog here would be a good idea. My rationale was roughly this: I have all tile floors - making doggy "accidents" less of a big deal, I have a housekeeper & yard keeper around during the day to help out, I have a large, fully gated yard, dog trainers and vets are well trained and relatively inexpensive here and the kids seem like they're at an age where they can actually take responsibility for a pup. Somehow that logic went from getting a puppy to deciding we needed a Goldendoodle (golden retriever/poodle mix) since they don't shed and are low-allergen, to falling in love with #6 female - a pup from a breeder in Canada, having the pup shipped to NYC, where I'll be in March, me bringing the pup back to Ghana and us living happily ever after with our new little family member. Of course, we would have first read up on dog behavior, have a dog trainer picked out and have everything all ready for our new arrival. Next thing I know, we're walking down the street in the main commercial center of Accra and see a guy standing on the corner selling a pup that looks a lot like a Goldendoodle. We've NEVER seen a dog like that here. Turns out it is a poodle/Chihuahua mix. Much begging, pleading, planning and cajoling ensued. By the time we had finished dinner, we were scouring the streets, looking for the puppy seller. That night, we came home with Zig Zag, a little boy pup who is waiting to be joined in March by #6 female, his sister from Canada. He is very sweet and is already a part of the family. We’re working on getting a dog trainer, I’m trying to read the last couple chapters of the dog behavior book and I’m remembering what it was like getting up every couple of hours at night with a baby. Peeing seems to be a sport for him - I've nicknamed him the "little big piddler" and I'm just grateful I have tile floors…..

Female #6 - arriving in March

Zig Zag - 11 weeks

RAIN!!!

I know all of you back in the Northwest are lamenting the rain, rain, rain. Too much of anything is, well, too much. We've been having too much sun. Tonight, the skies opened up and we were deluged with sweet rain! Powerful lightning burst through the sky and the earth rumbled with thunder and it went on for a couple of hours. We were delighted! I think the pictures below speak for themselves.......

Riding into the New Year

Aaaah, after spending an amazing week at Axim Beach on Ghana's West Coast (near the Cote d'Ivoire border), we are getting back into the school/work routine.  The kids had a full month off due to a mis-guided swine flu scare and we (ok, I) decided that is WAY too much unstructured time.  I had a much needed break over the holidays and am starting the year rejuvenated and ready for the many project deadlines coming up in the next several months. 

The kids started horseback riding lessons a few weeks ago.  I take them to the nearby military base where I pay about $5.50 each for them to have a 1 hour lesson.  At that price, we're going twice a week!  A colleague from the US just returned from a visit to the States with new paddock boots &; riding pants for the kids - items not found in Ghana.  As I was sitting at the base, watching the kids ride, the sun set, women & kids waiting in line for water and the base camel walking around, I realized that we have officially moved from the "survival" phase (e.g. where do I get toilet paper, how do I drive here, what line do I stand in at the bank) into the "there's more to life than work/school/sleep/procuring supplies" phase.  We finally have a few signs that we are settling in - horseback riding, a new tent (currently pitched in the living room) for beach camping , dinner at a friends' house, a few key Twi phrases and my driving has progressed from "Vashon Island Casual" to "Accra Combat" - using the horn instead of the breaks.  We are practically native (ha!).

There's No Place Like the Mall (!) for the Holidays

 Of course, the moment I hit "post" on the blog about life being blissfully boring, life became anything but. It has been a tumultuous week or so with work and the holiday break has shown up at exactly the right time.

Somehow, it just doesn't feel like the holidays. Being a Northwest girl through and through, I associate the holidays with cold, wet weather, pine trees, fleece and curling up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa. It's about 95 degrees here, dipping down all the way to about 80 at night, the only pine trees are made out of some strange paper-like material and curling up by the air conditioning with a glass of cold water just isn't the same. 

Last weekend, I found myself heading to the mall 3 times with the kids. Given that I generally can't stand malls, I was intrigued as to why I kept feeling drawn there. Then, I realized, that despite my best efforts as an adult to stay away from malls and "holiday stress", I did spend much of my suburban childhood at the mall and being so far away from home, I found the mall oddly comforting. The mall, with its traffic, decorations, Christmas carols blaring (although I must say that carols with an African twist are quite a bit more interesting) and the overall energy of people bustling about was the one place that felt like Christmas.

Thankfully, we will not be spending Christmas at the mall. We're leaving this weekend to an eco-resort along the coast about 5 hours west of Accra. To make our bungalow feel more like Christmas and entice Santa to come all the way to Ghana, I'll be taking our 1 string of lights, the kids' batik stockings, some very out of their element polar bear candles (found at the mall) and lots of sunscreen.

There is no place like home for the holidays, but I think we'll be just fine all the same. Blessings and love to all of you this season.

Blissfully Boring

Ok, so life isn't exactly boring, but I am seeing signs that we're settling in. I've realized I haven't felt compelled to blog much, mostly because life is starting to just feel like....life. Fewer and fewer interactions feel strange, hilarious, bizarre or just off beat. Driving past a huge truck with a bunch of men laying around in flour-sack hammocks while the truck is going about 100 kilometers down the highway no longer feels like it's from another planet. It just makes me smile and be glad I've got a seatbelt and air conditioning.

Other signs of settling are popping up as well. Basil. My garden has its first crop of basil and various types of lettuce. I've started harvesting a few leaves at a time and spent much of the weekend cooking - pizza sauce with basil, chevre, basil & tomato salad and other yummy things. A few months ago, cooking was way too overwhelming. Whatever was set in front of me is pretty much what I'd eat because going through the hassle of figuring out anything myself took more energy than I had. I had forgotten how much I love to spend a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen. Although, I have decided that there's not enough air conditioning in the world that can make a kitchen cool when it's 100 degrees outside.

Life is moving into a nice rhythm for all of us. The kids are doing well in school (although due to swine flu that wasn't even at their school the school closed early and they are out for 1 month!!), they have friends and have started having a couple of play dates. Work is feeling manageable and I'm finally able to set some boundaries around it and take some time off. We're all staying pretty healthy, I have a beautiful place to swim in the mornings, we love hanging out at the beach on the weekends and life feels like it's taking on a nice cadence. Blissfully (almost) boring. Whew.

Wii Journeys....a Lesson in Entrepreneurship (and sanity for Mom)

Although it's very nice having a housekeeper to clean up & do laundry, I've also been concerned that I did not bring the kids to Ghana to become a little prince & princess. It's hard enough at home to get them to clean up after themselves and help around the house - worse here when they know that when they head off for school in the morning, the magic wand of tidiness will have been waved and all will be in order when they return home. Another big theme around here: the kids really want a Wii - something they know I won't buy for them. This morning, during a fit of arguing, complaining and generally being indignant when asked to do basic things - I thought up a plan that I HOPE will kill several birds with one stone (I don't really want to kill any birds, but I would like the kids to stop bickering about whose mess is whose and relentlessly begging me for a Wii).


We sat down and had a little talk about entrepreneurship - how to please your customer, how to proactively find ways to generate revenue and the importance of getting along well with your business partner. We even got into how to conduct business in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Voila! "Wii Journeys...where WE work together to earn our Wii" was born. The kids have a house tidying services business where they do everything from dishes to taking out the garbage to making breakfast (and cleaning up afterwards). Luckily, I fall right smack dab into the middle of their target audience - tired moms who need a little peace, cooperative children & completion of light household tasks and who are willing to pay for a service done well. So far, I've had pancakes (old favorite with a new twist - accidentally overloaded with too much vegetable oil and deliberately augmented with chocolate), the dishes done, a load of laundry put in the machine, garbage taken out and the shoes lined up neatly. Currently, my favorite household services firm is in the other room, cooperatively designing logos and invoices.

At least for the moment, I am one very happy customer!