Our first weekend

Maadwo! (Good evening!)

Sara and I had a fun weekend, and have seen a bit more of life and culture in Takoradi. On Friday night we stayed in, and the family made us fufu. We watched as Hilda cut up the cassava into slice and placed them in a pot on the floor. Although they have a stove, the family does most of their cooking on the floor in the kitchen or backyard, on what I can best describe as a small charcoal barbeque with a pot on top for the soup or meat or whatever is being cooked. One of the kids, Nub, had a long club which he pounded the sliced cassava with. More cassava is added until it is the texture of dough. We sometimes see women doing this outside their homes. I think it may be sweetened as well, but I am unsure. A large ball of the cassava is served in a bowl beside a chicken drumstick and immersed in spicy tomato soup. You are given a second bowl of water to wash your right hand with, because you eat the fufu with your right hand (but never your left!). To eat it, you take the cassava in your hand and make a cup with it to scoop the soup into your mouth. When you’re done, you eat the chicken. It is very filling, and the combination of the sweet cassava and the spicy soup is delicious! We got very messy though and felt a little childish, though fun. Ghanaians, of course, are much more graceful when they eat it, and don’t look nearly as childish or messy as Sara and I. 

Alice, Nub, Hilda and Hilda Jr. making Fufu!

Sara with the finished product

On Saturday Sara and I were able to sleep in, which was really nice since we’ve been getting up at 6:30 every morning for work. After lunch, Hilda and her friend Peter took us to the beach to swim. We stopped for Chinese food on the way- Ghanaians love their fast Chinese food! The ocean was both fun and frustrating. Sara and I felt the pressures of being a minority increasingly as the day went on. Although we’ve become accustomed to being called “ubruni” (the white person) by children as we walk by, and being stared or waved at, we have been used to it being in a friendly manner, curiosity from children, and have rarely faced difficulty. Our colleagues, people at church, family, and friends of the family have welcomed us with open arms and astounding generosity. Strangers on the street often ask us how we are, offer to help us find our way, shake our hands, and introduce themselves. We discovered at the beach that women generally stay on land fully dressed, while the men strip down to their shorts and swim. Sara and I fearlessly joined the other people in the water, and found the men to be very aggressive. After we escaped from the swarming, we found a more private beach to swim at. I loved the ocean! The waves are quite large, and you only have to go in a few feet for the full effect, especially during high tide. We bobbed around in the waves, trying not to get the salt water in our eyes and throat (it burns!). Afterwards, Hilda and Peter showed us around the harbour.

The Gulf of Guinea

Loving the water!

On Sunday we got up bright and early for church, which starts at 7:30. Georgina made us traditional African dresses to wear to the service. We enjoyed the dresses, and were amused that she made them from matching fabrics. Our family attends a Catholic service, which had lively music and djembe drum music, rather than organ. There were many children, some of which sat in the row in front of us. We arrived a few minutes late, and one of the children in the pew ahead of us noticed, and a line of whispering went down the aisle as one by one, the children turned around to see us, quite hilariously. We find this behaviour from children everywhere, they have seen seldom few “ubrunis,” and are quite curious about us. Their whispers are almost always paired with waves and smiles. One little boy this weekend reached out to grab my hand and stared intently at my skin. The church service was lively, and the program was very similar to that of my own Anglican church at home, so I was able to respond appropriately wit the rest of the congregation. I recognized one hymn, though it was sang in Twi, and the Lord’s Prayer was partly English, partly Twi. My favourite part was offering and communion, because many danced up the front of the church and danced back to their seats. Communion is done with the same round bread chips, white wine, and the minister dips it for you in the wine, and puts it right in your mouth! After church Sara and I went with the family to a birthday party of two cousins, twin girls, Joyce and Joycelynn. Joyce and Joycelynn are identical, with matching hair- cornrows on the side, and afro on top- and matching outfits too. They have quite the clothing style, and I enjoy them a lot. There were many kids at the party, and we all danced. As the twin's Mom said, "If you don't dance, you don't eat!" After the party, George took us to Vienna City, which is the bar on the beach we went to last Sunday as well. We met up with the usual croud of friends and taught them drinking games from home, such as King’s Cup and Never Have I Ever. It was a very fun evening!

These boys had serious moves

Our dresses for church

Sara and I have been keeping an eye out for funny religious business names. Christ in You Chemicals has officially been beaten by Blood of Jesus Barbering Salon. See the irony? Other notables, God is Able Enterprise, Good Sheppard  Building Supplies, and Divine Right Hair Salon.

I’ve been spending more time with Chichi, the cat. She walks a bit better on her hind legs now, though they don’t bend properly and are always quite of splayed out to the sides, and her body twists up. She’s the skinniest cat I’ve ever met, I’m quite sure she’s starving, and Emmanuel says she refuses to eat. She likes to be carried around and rubbed behind her ears and under her neck, and has a good strong purr, so I try to give her lots of TLC.

Chichi, my new best friend. 

My favourite thing about Ghana so far? THE FRUIT! Mangoes, bananas, pineapple, oh my! Some women sell bananas on the trays they carry on their head. They are small, but sweeter, richer, and thicker in texture. It’s like a whole different fruit, and I love them! Mangoes though are really the best. Much bigger than at home, they are also juicier and richer tasting. They are our new favourite snack. You can buy all these things on stands on the road, as well as coconuts, tangerines, etc. I can’t wait to try my first coconut! The craziest thing is the cucumbers! They are GIGANTIC- a diameter of five inches! The middle, where the seeds meet and you generally see a little triangle, is opened up, so there’s a hole in the middle of the cucumber big enough to fit a hot dog in. They cut the cucumber for salads in big chunks that are all white- no green or seeds, because they are that big. Amazing!

Today Kwesi took us for ice cream, because the electricity is still out at work, so work is limited. Juliette offered to take us to a live music thing this week as well. I really adore the people we work with. I’m now at home relaxing before dinner. Tonight’s menu: Fufu! I can hear Emmanuel pounding the cassava outside my bedroom window!

Keep Smiling! :)


P.S. Pictures of baby goats soon. <3