Then and Now

We head home in two weeks, so I thought it would be fun to look back at some pictures of Elliot from when we first arrived here and some more recent pics. Enjoy!

Then (3/1): Still willing to let Dad help him drink from a water sachet.

Now (9/10): I can do it myself -- and eat a fried bread ball at the same time.


Then (3/5): Baby face!

Now (9/12): All boy! I wonder what he'll think when we go home and water doesn't come in bags anymore...

Packing, cleaning and sorting have begun in earnest. Actually, I've been pleasantly surprised to find that packing to go back is WAY easier than packing to come over here. At the moment, it looks like we will have just three checked bags to deal with on our way home, and I don't even think we'll have to weigh them. My bathroom scale has not seen so much use as it did in the days (and hours) leading up to our departure in February, and all four of our checked bags were within ounces of the 50-pound weight limit. Those bags, in addition to Elliot's frame backpack a couple carry-ons and the giant monster that is his car seat, should be a cakewalk between the three (well, 2.5) of us!

An open letter to the taxi drivers of Kumasi

Dear Kumasi taxi drivers:

Perhaps you have seen me walking in the vicinity of Bekwai Roundabout or standing on the sidewalk across from the new speedbumps on the road past Ridge School in the morning. I am the obruni woman with the short, curly hair and the little blond boy in tow. You may have also seen me walking along the Bantama Road with my little boy on my back, headed for the zoo or into town. Please let me assure you that, yes, I saw that your taxi was empty and available and no, I do not need a ride. Not even if you honk your horn . . . repeatedly . . . and not even if you pull up next to me, stop and demand to know where I am going, and not even when you look at me like I just fell of the moon when I tell you I am "just" out for a walk. I appreciate your understanding.

Sincerely,

Veronica

Here are some pictures from our trip to Anomabo Beach Resort. It could have been sunnier, but all in all, we had a really great time. If only Dusty's research were focused on fishing instead of timber (sigh)...

Two thumbs up from our toughest critic.

What are YOU looking at?

Breakfast by the beach.

Treasure... in the form of a piece of coconut bark.

The pure delight of grabbing fistfuls of sand and throwing them over the bank.

A walk on the beach.

Catching up

Yes, we are still here. I have gotten behind in my posting. Honestly, there's not much new going on here these days. Dusty is still working up a storm (and still convinced he isn't doing enough). Elliot is getting funnier and more independent every day. He did take a little spill off the counter, the other day, though, so now he remembers to "sit down, so you don't fall down" (well, most of the time). And we're all recovering from, of all things, a nasty cold.

We've started packing and organizing for the big trip home, and Elliot has been talking up a storm about all the people he's going to see after we take the airplane.

Next weekend, we're going to the beach. I am SO excited. We'll be spending two nights at the Anomabo Beach Resort near Cape Coast. It will also give me a chance to go shopping at my favorite store in Ghana, Global Mamas in Cape Coast. It's part of a project started by a former Peace Corps volunteer to help local women improve their handicrafts for export and improve their livelihoods at the same time. Their stuff is even sold in museum stores in the U.S. I have an extensive shopping list made already, and I'm sure I will find more treasures once we are there. They have a Web site and a small selection of products available for sale in the U.S. Check them out at http://www.globalmamas.com/.

A matter of perspective

You're probably wondering what you're looking at... and why. Well, to you or me, this is a photo of a weird little open shelf in our kitchen that we've never used because anything we put there would inevitably wander off and end up amongst Elliot's toys or something. Now that I look at it, it's also a great example of how bad the lighting in this kitchen is. But I digress.

Yesterday, I was standing at the stove making lunch when, all of a sudden, Elliot appeared next to me on the counter. It seems to him, the funky shelf wasn't a shelf at all, it was - you guessed it - a ladder. Now that boy can be on the counter in a flash, and we are both at a loss as to how to block his access (or at least minimize it to times when we're all in the kitchen). I wonder what genius product Babies-r-Us would have to help us. Sigh....



Elliot had an extended birthday, since one of his packages arrived on Thursday of last week. Here are some pictures of him opening his presents from Grandma (Mana) Shirley (Shudee):

Elliot's birthday wrap-up

We (well, I especially) have been wanting to go to the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary since we arrived here in February, so since we weren't going to have any kind of party for Elliot's birthday, we decided that would be the perfect day to go. We packed up the night before, so we could strike off first thing Saturday morning since we were just planning to go for the day. (This is the part where I kick myself for not pushing harder to make this an overnight trip. Why, oh why do I so easily second-guess myself? Anyway...) As we were getting in the car, Kofi asked if he could go along. No problem. So he jumped in the backseat with Elliot and we struck off, thinking that, with any luck, we'd be up there in time to hike around, have some lunch and get back into the car so Elliot could take a nice, long nap on the way home.

It didn't quite turn out that way...

First, there was the stretch of divided highway where we ended up driving like we were in England because on our side of the road, one lane was occupied by several parked rigs and the other was taken up with (you guessed it) oncoming traffic headed in the opposite direction. There were also cars headed in the "right" direction on the side of the road we were using, but somehow it all worked out. Once we got through there, it was smooth sailing on nice newly paved road... for awhile, until we reached the end of the newly paved road, at which point we were driving on soon to be newly paved road, which is not nearly as nice to drive on, as you might imagine. Unfortunately, the stretch of soon to be paved road lasted much longer than the stretch of paved road. When we finally made it to Techiman, we had already been in the car 3.5 hours and we had covered just 125 km, or just under 80 miles. And we still had about 50 km to go.

Fortunately, the rest of the drive was pretty smooth. Well, except for the last 12 km or so, but we knew that road was rough. And the monkey sanctuary was super cool!! I only wished we could have spent more time there, but by then we were pretty exhausted and thinking about getting home before dark! (We absolutely in no uncertain terms avoid driving at night at all costs here) But we were able to go on the guided walk, and we saw LOTS of monkeys.

You can read a good explanation of how the sanctuary came to be here: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=44060

We also were able to take an alternate route home. When we got back to Kumasi, it was time for pizza and presents, including the much talked about purple chair. Was it everything he'd hoped for and more? I think this picture says it all...

I know, I know, in future years, it will take more than a purple plastic chair to satisfy my kid on his birthday. I also know that if we were home, with more stuff available to us, we probably would have gotten him more (bigger! better!) things. But I ask myself, would he have loved those things as much as he loves his purple chair? Probably not. I think there are two lessons here. First, being a parent, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish between what your kid wants and what you want to give them. I hope to keep in perspective what Elliot (and any future sibling that may come into our lives down the road) actually wants and balance that with what we want for him. Second, it's the simple stuff they always love best!

Here are some more pictures from the big day. As you can see, he was one happy camper:

Adventures in toddlerhood

Here goes nothing! Elliot turns two tomorrow. To celebrate, we are taking our little monkey to the monkey sanctuary... and leaving him to live among his kind (just kidding!)


He's changed so much since we've been here. I still catch my breath when he's heading at top speed across the dining room to the one step down that leads into the kitchen, but he doesn't miss a beat and breezes right over it like it wasn't even there. And he was so proud of himself the other day when he managed to walk down all five steps from the front door to the porch while carrying his container of sidewalk chalk in both hands. It was quite a feat.

For his birthday, he is getting a kid-sized, purple plastic chair, and he is so excited about it. He saw it at a kiosk when we went to pay last month's rent, and it's all he's been able to talk about since. If only their tastes could stay so simple...

Some recent photos, showing a few of his favorite things right now:

The official spoon cleaner hard at work after making a batch of hummus (summus)

The highlight of each day, when he and Daddy split a "treat", ice cream in a bag from the convenience store up the street.

Sidewalk chalk, for drawing faces, shapes, snowflakes, animals and his all-time favorite, tro-tros.

The pied piper

Saturday is our day to get out of town, whether to go hiking or just to take a drive. A couple Saturdays ago, we visited the forest reserve where Dusty is conducting his research. As often happens, it wasn't long before we attracted a crowd. Not surprisingly, we are particularly popular with the under-4-foot set. Elliot loves to get down and explore when we go to new places, and everywhere he goes, the other children go too. He doesn't have a magical hornpipe, just very blond hair.

Am I being followed?

First self-portrait (just kidding! But that's what it looks like to me)

Look, we're the same size!

Don't ever step on a snake

I know what you're thinking: good advice, right? It also happens to be the title of Elliot's favorite song, a catchy tune out of Australia that can be found on one of the Putamayo CDs he got for Christmas last year. Fortunately, it is not a piece of advice I am giving you based on personal experience!! It's a great song... and we should know, having listened to it play over and over (and over and over) on the computer for the better part of the last week or so. As those of you who have ever shared your lives with a toddler know, they enjoy repetition almost as they enjoy using the word "no", which is to say a lot.

So loyal readers, do remember:
Don’t ever step on a snake.
The surprise may be more than he can take.
You’d feel the same way too,
If someone stepped on you
While you’re lying in the sunshine half awake.


I was looking at the calendar today, and for those of you who are keeping track at home, we will be back on American soil in just under 10 weeks. It’s amazing how time gets away from you, isn’t it? Even when it seems like we have so much more of it than we need some days. I don’t think that is a problem I’ll have when we’re back in the States!

I apologize for the lag between postings. I’m sure you are sick of looking at our cabbage (I know I am!) Here are some photos of what we’ve been up to these last couple weeks.

Elliot made a friend at the butterfly sanctuary after our hike there.

On Sunday afternoons, we head for the pool, and after we swim we always get (ka)bobs, even though they're a little (s)picy.

Playing in the rain.

Our first rainbow in Ghana.

Cool and cabbagey

I never thought I would say this here, but I am actually chilly right now. It's about 1 p.m., and the temperature is hovering around 23*C (73ish F). It's been cloudy all day, and it's raining right now. It feels fabulous! I just went and put a pair of socks on, and I even put a blanket over Elliot, though I'm sure he'll kick it off in his sleep.

Kofi went to his village this weekend, and returned with four state fair-worthy heads of cabbage for us. It turns out his village is known for its cabbage. So I have been online researching creative (and reasonably toddler-friendly) uses for the vegetable. Last night, we had a great cabbage and chickpea stew, and tonight I will be putting it in stir fry. I'm still looking for more ideas, though. As you can see, we have plenty of cabbage to work with.

It's a small world after all...

The Internet is really an amazing thing, and I am grateful every day that we have (reasonably) reliable (reasonably) affordable access while we are here, so we can stay in touch with people back home, keep up on current events (or not, depending on how we feel) or just escape once in awhile and cruise the information superhighway, forgetting that I am in this strange place so very far from home.

This week, I was roaming around a parenting discussion board where people were posting about their experiences parenting in cultures other than the one with which they were most familiar. Imagine my surprise when I came across a posting from an American woman living in Mali -- with her anthropologist husband and toddler son. And the similarities don't end there. He too is completing his dissertation fieldwork in political ecology on a Fullbright fellowship.

Sometimes we feel like such oddballs here - we're not fresh out of college backpacker/volunteers, nor are we missionaries or here for business, so it often seems like the expats in town (and the locals for that matter) don't really know what to make of us. It's nice to find someone who can relate.

Tuesday was Republic Day in Ghana, a public holiday, and many people celebrated by heading to the beach, though few people could tell us exactly why they were celebrating, so I turned to trusty Google, where I learned that it was the day Ghana officially became a republic. This is different from Independence Day, celebrated in March, which is when the country first gained independence from the British. There, that's your history lesson for today.

We've been doing some celebrating too. Last month, Dusty took another step on the road to 40 (oh, he's going to hate this when he reads it, lol) and we celebrated his 34th birthday as any good American family would - by serving pizza and cake (made from a mix I bought in Accra b/c that seemed easier than trying to track down the actual ingredients... plus I'm just not much of a baker). Here are some photos of the birthday feast.

Elliot did the honors of opening Dusty's card from his parents.

Pizza and papaya (pawpaw) - divine!

Dusty enjoying his birthday cake.

Elliot wearing cake and ice cream. He's ready to see Grandma and Grandpa's new shop when we get home!

You've Got Mail

Remember when you were a kid and it was fun to get mail? Now an envelope with your name on it probably contains a credit card bill or a reminder to visit the dentist. Here, we get to relive a little of that childhood thrill of visiting the mailbox (since we don't get any bills and our dentist reminders are being forwarded to my parents). This weekend, we got the king of all mail pieces, a summons to the customs desk to retrieve a package. Of course, we retrieved the slip on Saturday, so we had to wait until Monday to pick up the goodies. It was worth the wait, though.


A BIG thank you to our friends in Lansing who put together this fabulous collection of books and treats! No more reading and rereading the copy of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom we brought from home to the point where we can recite it in our sleep... now we're eating Oreos and drinking Hawaiian Punch while we read and reread our new copy of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus to the point where we can recite it in our sleep. The doggy bookmarks were a big hit, too , and our fridge is looking much more stylish with a Michelle McManus, State Senator magnetic clip on the door.

Pounding Fufu

While we enjoy (or at least have come to appreciate) many of the local dishes here, our cooking style would best be described as modified-Western; we try to use as many local ingredients as we can, but in ways that are more familiar to us (and that will be pleasing to the discerning palate of an almost-two-year-old obruni). Plus, many of the local staples are a LOT of work.

We watched this firsthand last Sunday, when our housekeeper, Mary, and her sister, Linda, came over to prepare and eat an authentic Ghanaian meal of fufu and light soup. They arrived shortly after 10 a.m. and immediately got to work. And while Dusty and I were encouraged to watch the preparations, any attempts on our part to help were soundly rejected. So instead, we watched (and ate). When we finally sat down to eat, around 3 p.m., everyone was famished. The food was delicious -- though there is nothing light about light soup, which is made with large amounts of palm oil! Elliot was the only one who didn't take part in the feast, after declaring it too "-picy" for his taste. Luckily, there were some ripe pawpaws on the tree in the backyard, so he didn't have to go hungry.

Mary and Linda prepare the cocoyams. First they are boiled, then mashed, then pounded into a doughy blob. This is then served in a large bowl with soup.


Our stew meat - with apologies to my vegetarian readers, about as fresh as you can get.

Almost time to eat! Kofi pounds the fufu while Mary turns it. This is a delicate operation. If you get out of rhythm, the pounder can cause serious damage to the turner's hand. Ouch!

Elliot's contribution to dinner, a ripe pawpaw from our tree.

Road trip! (or never trust a quiet child)

We drove to Accra this weekend to visit friends and do some shopping. On our way out of Kumasi, we were stopped at a traffic light when a hawker excitedly started tapping on our window and gesturing toward the backseat, where Elliot had been quietly absorbed in a project. The project, it turned out, had been to draw little hash marks all up and down both of his shorts-clad legs. As you can imagine, he was quite proud of his "tattoos" (just like Daddy's, except bigger and more conspicuously placed).

Now that we've been here awhile, Dusty is a lot less intimidated by the traffic, and the driving style seems less "every man for himself" and more "give a little, take a little" to us. It still gets ugly, though, especially when you have to drive through construction. No brightly colored signs warning you of lane closures 3 km, 2 km, 1 km ahead or precisely spaced rows of orange barrels designating which portion of the road is available for drivers and which is being worked on. Even when traffic is reduced to one lane, construction workers have to resort to putting large limbs or nail-covered boards in the other lane to discourage enterprising drivers from seeing it as a shortcut around all the poor schmucks who are waiting in the long line to get through the open lane.

Sometimes, though, they don't even bother marking off where you should and shouldn't drive, leaving it up to the drivers to negotiate a path for themselves. This is what we encountered as we approached Accra, where they are in the midst of a massive roadbuilding project to install a section of elevated four-lane highway. The existing "road" around the construction site is best described as the kind of terrain one would seek out if one were a "Jeep person" (you know who you are...) and generally not what one expects to try to navigate in a small European station wagon. Observe this scene, shot from the passenger seat, in which we encountered a backhoe trying to make its way across the road while vehicles in both directions tried to get through. Not for the faint of heart! (P.S. This is my first time experimenting with Blogger's video upload feature. I hope it works!)