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!
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.
First self-portrait (just kidding! But that's what it looks like to me)
Look, we're the same size!
