Our Ghana Adventure

Then and Now

2008-09-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-01T04:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-05T06:01:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-30T01:54:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-24T06:12:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-07-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-24T06:40:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

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)

2008-06-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

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!)

Morning walks

2008-06-03T03:59:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite routines here has been to go for a walk around the neighborhood after breakfast. It's a great way to get out of the house and for Elliot to burn off some of his seemingly boundless supply of energy. We thought you might enjoy coming along with us to see the sights in our neighborhood.

We're just outside the gate and Elliot already has a rock in his shoe. Luckily, Mom is there to shake it out. This scene will be repeated at least three or four more times before we get back.

The rainy season has made the gulleys in the road even deeper than usual. It doesn't seem to keep people from using it as a "shortcut" though. At certain times of the day, this road is almost bumper-to-bumper!

Dusty and Elliot on the (relatively) nice section of the road.

Elliot's favorite spot on the walk - a large metal grate over an open gutter. When the tro-tros, taxis and other vehicles pass through here, it makes a huge clattering noise. Some days, we never make it past this point. I think he could stand alongside the road here and watch vehicles go by for hours.

More deep gulleys. It's especially interesting to watch two vehicles try to negotiate this stretch of road at the same time.

Finally, to the pavement - and it's off to the races! Elliot knows cars drive on the road and people stay on the sidewalk, and he (mostly) adheres to this rule.

Elliot's new friend, Paul. He's only four months old, but they get along great - as long as Mom only holds the baby when I'm also holding him. Yes, Elliot is pointing at Paul's "pee-pee". Luckily, he hasn't showered me with it yet, so we get along great too.

Elliot has a seat on the sidewalk. I'm pretty sure this is his way of reminding us who is in charge of setting the pace on our walks.

Back to the top of the hill and our very busy roundabout. Elliot begrudgingly allows himself to be carried through this stretch because of all the cars. And because it means we're almost to his second-favorite part of the walk.

Elliot's second-favorite stop, the Shell Shop, where his "ladies" always have treats for him. It has also become Mom's favorite stop, ever since I discovered their inventory of ice cold Coke Light (Diet Coke).

Next stop, the bread ladies, where we get fresh bread in the morning. Elliot is carrying our goodies from the Shell Shop, including a bag of frozen chocolate milk (the one in his mouth) that one of the Shell employees gave him. He doesn't even care that it's not open. And he's not sharing with anyone.

A blue (Blue! Blue! Blue!) tro-tro heads up the street. It's great that they come in so many colors. Who needs flash cards when you have tro-tros?

Almost home! The last leg of the walk takes us through a used car lot, where there are many more opportunities to point out colors. If I had used a wide-angle lens, you would see that our compound wall is on their left.

Thanks for coming along with us on our morning walk. The whole excursion can take upwards of an hour, between Elliot's slow walking and fascination with all things colorful. I hope you enjoyed it!

Rainy Season

2008-05-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Now that June is almost upon us, the rainy season seems to be kicking into high gear, bringing with it cooler temperatures and more overcast days (in addition to actual rain). Cooler is, of course, a relative term. It still gets up into the low- to mid-80s, and down into the low 70s at night. Perfect weather for obrunis, though it leaves something to be desired for most Ghanaians. I have even seen babies and children bundled in sweatshirts and jackets.

A storm came through first thing Monday morning, and the cloud cover stayed all day. The temperature never got above 28 (82ish) on our Celsius-reading thermometer. Mary, who does our cleaning, was surprised I was still running the ceiling fans in the house that day. Wasn't I chilled, she asked me? I assured her I was not.

Out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Abusua ... in the rain. (We're under a tent.)

Elliot enjoying the puddles on the porch after a recent storm.

Water, water from the tap, oh when will you be coming back?

2008-05-25T03:54:00.000-07:00

After spending three long nights with no running water last week, we finally decided it was time to invest in a serious back-up water supply. We had a small barrel in our kitchen, but it was only enough to get us through a day, and we knew there was strong potential for having to go longer than that. Plus, water from the tap is a lot more convenient than water from a bucket. So we went to the Polytank store and came home with this guy. It's the Rambo 070 model, which means it holds 700 liters (about 185 gallons) of water. Now when we turn on the tap and nothing comes out, instead of a sense of dread, we're filled with a little excitement. Kind of sick, I know.

Our water has only gone out for about an hour since we had it installed, so we haven't been able to give it a good test yet, but I'm ok with that. Like carting around an umbrella and not having it rain, it was worth the investment even if it's just an insurance policy. We feel fortunate to have running water in a country where less than 60 percent of residents have access to potable water at all. Even here in Kumasi, some areas have been experiencing serious shortages and many homes' taps have been dry for weeks. So I guess in the grand scheme of things, a day here and there is not much.

Over the weekend, we went back to the zoo so Elliot could show Dusty the baboons. Here are some more photos from our excursion:

The now-famous baboons were looking for handouts. Yes, despite numerous warning signs threatening fines and other punishments, the animals get plenty of treats from passers-by.

Elliot enjoyed watching the camel eat.

Almost as much fun as watching the baboons was repeatedly crossing this rickety bridge until one of us big people (a.k.a. "kill-joys") decided we needed to move on.

The Kumasi Zoo

2008-05-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

Elliot and I paid a visit to the Kumasi Zoo this week. For the low, low price of one Ghana cedi (about a dollar), we were able to spend the better part of the morning exploring the zoo, checking out the animals... and getting checked out by the other visitors. All in a day's work for a little obruni ba (white boy) and his mom. The boys in the picture below followed us through the entire zoo.

Elliot is still talking about all the "aminals" he saw, especially the "badoons" and turtles. Even though I found the place rather depressing, I think we'll be going back. There are only so many (somewhat) park-like areas here where one can go and walk around away from traffic. Plus it's within walking distance of the house, which is a big bonus for days when Dusty goes to his field site and we need to get out of the house.

Elliot in front of the chimps' cage.

My monkey checks out the monkey exhibit.

Chair. Bug. Daddy. Gone.

2008-05-16T06:05:00.001-07:00

Last week, Elliot had his first encounter with a cockroach, and it left quite an impression. Unfortunately, this is not to say that last week was the first time we had run across cockroaches in the house, just the first time Elliot had noticed one. It was under one of the chairs in the living room, and it started to scurry away as he approached. Fortunately, Dusty was there to kill it and dispose of the body. Now, whenever Elliot looks at the chair, the following exchange occurs.

Elliot, excitedly: Chair, chair, chair!

Mom or Dad: Yes, there was a bug under the chair.

Elliot, solemnly: Bug.

Elliot again, brightly: Daddy!

Mom or Dad: Yes, Daddy got rid of the bug.

Elliot, matter-of-factly: Gone.

Mom or Dad: Now the bug is gone.

(Repeat as necessary or until some suitable distraction comes along)

A quiet house... again

2008-05-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

I think we are all in a bit of a funk here, dealing with the post-company letdown, though it's also nice getting back into our regular groove of things. And it's a lot easier to get around when there aren't six of us crammed into our little car. Slowly, though, life is returning to normal at our little home away from home.

Dusty is back to work on his research. He went to the community yesterday and walked some more of the farms. Today he is home writing up his notes and getting some emails off to his advisors at MSU. Then it's back to the farms tomorrow. He also is hoping to visit the regional forestry office and meet with the forester in charge of the reserve where his community is located. Now that he is back in research mode, his head is positively swimming with questions, ideas, follow-up questions, theories, hypotheses, variables, controls... everything but the kitchen sink. Now if only I could get him to focus on the kitchen sink - or more specifically, the pile of dishes therein - once in awhile, we'd be in business. Just kidding, honey.

Elliot seems to have bounced back the best. I guess when you're only 21 months old, the world is constantly throwing curveballs at you anyway, so maybe you just come to expect change. Plus, he's VERY busy learning new words and finding new ways to push our buttons. Less than three months from his second birthday, he's already preparing us for that rite of passage that is the "teriffic" (or is it terrible, or tiring, or totally out of control?) twos. Whatever it is, hold onto your hats because it's going to be a wild ride.

Home again

2008-05-06T07:03:00.001-07:00

We are back in Kumasi after almost a week on the coast. Our company has departed us, and we are returning to our normal (albeit quiet) routine here, as well as recovering from our travels. Elliot took a record 3-hour nap this afternoon, and I'm pretty sure Dusty slipped in there to join him for awhile. I have been wrestling with everyone's photos, getting them organized and ready to put up online as well as wrestling with our Internet to actually get them online. It's been pretty cooperative, though, so I won't complain. :)

I will be posting some albums on Shutterfly with pictures from our time with everyone here, since it's easier to put up bunches of photos there. The first one is up, and you can visit it at ladukemyers.shutterfly.com. The password is elliot (case-sensitive, I think). I should have the second one up in the next day or so.

It was great having everyone here. Elliot is still talking about how Grandma and his uncles went on the ai-pane. Looking at the calendar, it won't be long until we're on the ai-pane heading home too (though it still feels like it's a long ways off at times!)

Picture pages

2008-04-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

We have been putting the gang through their paces, trying to cram in as much as we can in the (too) short time they will be here. Here are some pictures from our recent activities:

Hiking at the Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary

Ben and Mom look for birds at the Owabi Reservoir

Dusty and Elliot take a break after our hike

Matt at the Ashanti Shrine in Besease

Dusty tries his hand at weaving the kente

Everyone wearing their kente in traditional fashion

Playing on the playground at the Abusua Restaurant

They're here!

2008-04-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

So between getting ready for our company to arrive and dealing with periodic internet outages, it has been awhile since my last update. Our household has (at least temporarily) doubled in size with the arrival of my mom and my two brothers. We picked them up from the airport Saturday night and whisked them north to Kumasi on Sunday. On Monday, we all headed into Kejetia Market, the largest market in West Africa, to do some shopping and just soak up the atmosphere. The guys were a big hit, as you can see. ;) We bought cloth for everyone and took it to our favorite seamstress so she could whip them up some shirts. Then we came home and made a reasonably authentic rendition of groundnut stew for dinner before sending our weary travelers off to bed.

On Tuesday, we struck off for Lake Bosumtwi, though we never made it there after getting to experience one of the less-appealling aspects of life here. Because the lake is such a tourist destination, some of the more "enterprising" residents of the area have taken it upon themselves to come up with various scams and schemes to milk off money from the "obrunis" who come to see the lake, including a "toll booth" on the main road to the lake that basically consists of a bunch of guys with a rope across the road, which only goes up when a car full of white people approaches it, and the "toll" is arbitrarily set based on any number of factors, including their mood that day, the angle of the sun, etc. While none of us would have any problem paying an entrance fee to the lake if we thought the money was going to help the community or fund projects, just lining some jerky guy's pockets was not on our agenda. When we asked for a receipt for our toll, the "gentlemen" got so belligerent and it turned into such an ordeal that we decided it wasn't worth the hassle after all and headed back to Kumasi for a late lunch and a drive through the university campus instead. Too bad. It's experiences like that one that can really put a black mark on this country's otherwise promising future as a tourist destination.

Today we awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. After promising everyone night after night, don't worry, it will storm and cool things off, I think they were beginning to think we were full of it. But it finally rained, and the whole day was cool! This was something not even we had experienced yet. The fun thing about having company is now we have an excuse to play tourist. Today, we drove out to Adanwomanse, one of the five original kente villages, where they have several tours set up for visitors. We took the kente tour and even got to try our hands at weaving. I think we all had a much greater appreciation for the craft afterwards.

I promise photos of the kente village and Ashanti shrine we visited today, along with photos from tomorrow's trip to Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary at a later date, but for some reason, I can't seem to get them to post right now. Thanks for reading!

Play dates

2008-04-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

In addition to attending the weekly expat playgroup in town, we now host our own impromptu play dates, albeit with fewer amenities (no pool, swingset or snacks) and no moms. Basically, any children who happen to be playing in the vicinity of the compound get invited in to play for 45 mins or so while Dusty hangs out outside and I make dinner. Word travels quickly, and we have had upwards of 10 kids, ranging in age from not yet walking to 8 or 9 years old over here running around, chasing Elliot's soccer ball (and each other) or just following the little obruni around to see what crazy things he will do next. It is the best means we have found yet to earn ourselves a quiet evening. Though tonight it may have worked a little too well...

As you can see, Elliot didn't even make it through dinner!

April

2008-03-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already April. It doesn't seem possible that we've been here over a month already. It still feels like we're getting settled (and in many ways, we still are). I wish I could say it's all been smooth sailing, but life here is tough, even for a family of "obrunis" (white people) living in a nice house with a steady income and a fair amount of help.

Dusty has made lots of promising contacts for his research, including the vice chancellor of the university here. He's an MSU alum and friend of Dusty's Twi tutor back in the States. When Dusty told him he was an MSU graduate student, he was eager to do anything he could to help out a fellow Spartan! He's also met with several NGO and government contacts in the forestry industry. We're fortunate to be in Kumasi, which is literally at the heart of Ghana's timber industry. He's shifting his focus slightly from the timber itself to the ways in which farmers are helping to rehabilitate land that has been degraded by excess logging, and he has identified a couple potential field sites that are reasonably close (less than an hour's drive) to the house. I imagine his success thus far has a lot to do with his capable research assistant...

Elliot is eating his weight in papaya (baw-baw) and banana (baladle) and attracting attention wherever he goes. He still loves doggies, and one of his favorite things to do when we're stuck inside is to look at pictures of his buddies Merlyn and Hemingway back home. Friends of ours keep trying to convince us to take on one of their puppies while we're here, but we're not there yet. On Thursday, we got hooked up with a weekly expat playgroup. Between the backyard pool (even though he never actually made it in), the swingset and the slide, he was in heaven. Naturally, he could not have cared less about playing with the other kids (or giving mom the chance to visit with the other moms), but it was still great to get out and watch him having such a good time. We'll be back this week for sure!

We're all getting excited for the arrival of my mom and brothers in a couple weeks. It will be great to have company - and we're looking forward to taking them around and showing them the sights. It's hard to believe they'll be here so soon!

It rained on and off all afternoon today, culminating in a big storm that hit just before dinner and cooled everything off. Ahhh, so refreshing after some of the hot days we've had!

Stormy skies

2008-03-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

As March comes to a close and folks back home are wondering when they'll have shoveled their last shovelfuls of snow, here in Ghana, we are eagerly awaiting the end of the hot stretch and the start of the rains. Unlike the northern part of the country, where it's either the dry season or the rainy season without much in between, here in Kumasi, there is a little more of a transition period. So it storms one night and then we go without rain for a few days before it storms again. The storms we've experienced so far have been wild! So far, we have not been caught out in one yet, though we came close the other day. We set out to run some errands and Elliot fell asleep in his car seat, so we decided to drive around and do some exploring. We got a ways off the main road in a neighborhood south of town when we looked back towards the city to see heavy, black clouds closing in. We took off for home and made it back with minutes to spare before the skies opened up on us. I think we were all happier to be watching the storm from the front porch than through the car windows!! Here are some pictures. As you'll see, the camera makes it almost look more like a blizzard than a rainstorm!

Go Green! Go White!

2008-03-20T02:40:00.000-07:00

The Kumasi Chapter of the Spartan Fan Club is ready for today's NCAA tournament game against Temple. Go State!

My Nemesis

2008-03-19T04:03:00.000-07:00

When Dusty told me our new house had a washing machine, naturally I was excited. After all, most laundry here is done by hand and having a washing machine is somewhat of a luxury. It was something I had been counting on, though, especially since Elliot would be in cloth diapers while we were here. However, like most things here, it wasn't quite what I expected.

The instructions, shown here, are clearly written... in Dutch.. and appear to explain how to wash a basic load of laundry, but do not really provide enough information for me to figure out much of anything else about the machine. The controls consist of three knobs, one with letters that appear to indicate various points in the wash cycle, one with numbers (0-4) which I have no explanation for, and a temperature guage for the machine's onboard hot water heater - its one redeeming quality.

As you can see, the washer consists of two separate chambers. Washing and rinsing are done on the left, spinning on the right. After loading the clothes into the washing/rinsing chamber, it is important to remember to latch the cover to the drum, lest your laundry end up in a soggy, soiled heap at the bottom of the machine, under the drum. Should you forget (as I often do), the drum is removable, allowing the clothes to be rescued and the whole process started again.

Once the wash cycle is complete, the laundry must be transferred to the other chamber to be spun out. The spinner is a delicate creature that requires you to precisely place your laundry in the chamber so the weight is evenly balanced and will remain so throughout the spinning process. Failure to do this will result in the spinner shuddering ominously while rocking back and forth on its axis but extracting no water. It also doesn't hold as much as the washer itself, requiring you to do either very small loads of laundry or dividing the load and spinning it out in stages.

Just the thought of doing a load of laundry is enough to put me in a foul mood. I'm not sure if its the washer itself, or if the washer has simply become the symbol for all the frustrating aspects of life here, but either way, the result is the same. When it's laundry day, look out!

The quest for parmesan cheese

2008-03-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

It’s been said to me that you can find just about anything you want here, provided you have 1) the tenacity to keep looking for it and 2) the means to pay for it. This is not entirely true, but you would be surprised what you can find here. Since we arrived almost a month ago, I have been searching for a canister of parmesan cheese. With tomatoes in abundance (and therefore quite cheap), spaghetti is an easy, inexpensive meal that both adults and toddlers find agreeable. But it was missing something. Where was that familiar green canister? Or for you foodies, that block of fresh parmesan to grate over our pasta?

And so began my quest. I searched in grocery stores, pharmacies, even gas stations. Wherever they stocked imported food, I was there, scouring the rows of baked beans, canned mackerel and tomato paste, hoping against hope that this day would be my lucky day. Alas, it was not to be… until last Monday, when I paid a visit to Opoku Trading, the expats’ main source for all varieties of imported foods, diapers, hair products and other grocery items.

The dairy case is one of the first things you pass upon entering the store. The case itself is roughly the size of a typical American refrigerator, and the dairy items share space with chilled juices and minerals (soda). You can usually find a small selection of European cheeses alongside some rather poor-quality cheddar from the Middle East, huge blocks of mozzarella (which can be yours for the low, low price of $55), some cartons of heavy whipping cream, butter and individually wrapped slices of processed cheese spread (think generic Kraft Singles, then double the price).

On this day, I glanced in the cheese case and stopped in my tracks. What were those white canisters on the top shelf? Could it be? Was my quest finally over? Indeed, despite the fact that the packaging was entirely in Italian, it was clear this was parmesan cheese. Today was my lucky day. I finished my shopping and headed to the checkout, flush with excitement over my new find. Fortunately, I was also flush with cash.

While a store like Opoku has fixed prices (meaning they are the same for everyone and require no haggling on the part of the shopper), they are not always prominently posted. So it was not until I was back in the car examining my receipt that I realized I had paid a whopping $10 for my precious can of cheese. I think our next canister of parmesan cheese will come from the States with my mom and brothers next month.

Hack Job

2008-03-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

A single-vehicle accident was reported Wednesday afternoon at about 3 p.m. in the courtyard of the LaDuke-Myers residence in Kumasi, Ghana. Minor injuries were reported. The driver and sole victim was treated at the scene and cited for traveling too fast for conditions.

So, I have been meaning to get at Elliot's hair for awhile now. It's gotten so long, and I can tell it makes him more uncomfortable in the oppressive heat here. But how? How, exactly, was I supposed to get my very busy little man to sit still for such an event? And how could I bring myself to cut his sweet baby blonde locks? I decided to solve the first problem by cutting his hair while he napped. The second problem? Well, mom just has to suck it up sometimes, I guess. I don't think the cut came out too badly, considering the circumstances, but perhaps he felt differently.

This afternoon, we visited the shop owned by the sister of the woman whose house we are renting to pay the rent and see her store. While we visited, Elliot was off to chase chickens and charm old ladies. It's a good thing he wasn't trying to charm girls his age, because the two we ran into were absolutely terrified by the sight of him! Good thing, because we weren't ready to let him start dating yet anyway.

We're online!!!

2008-03-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

It's 8:30 p.m. GMT on Saturday and I am sitting on our laptop in our living room typing this message. I'm so happy I could cry!! We're finally online. Something has (so far) worked the way it is supposed to. Oh happy, happy day!

A productive week - even by American standards

2008-03-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time in the not so distant past, I considered myself a reasonably productive person. I could get up at 6:30 in the morning, have breakfast, get ready and get Elliot to daycare and me to the office by (or reasonably close to) 8:30, put in a full day of work (including crossing many things off my ever-changing to do list), pick Elliot back up and be home by 5:45, have dinner by 6:30, start bath by 7:30, have Elliot asleep by 8 (in time to catch the Daily Show and Colbert reruns on Comedy Central) and enjoy a couple hours of quiet time in the evening before Dusty and I retired around 10. Here, of course, I don’t have an office to go to, which is good because the traffic in the morning in front of our house is so horrendous, I’m sure it would take me forever just to get myself to work, never mind having to drop Elliot off somewhere besides. And my to do list, while still ever-changing, mostly just expands rather than shrinking.

This week, though, was pretty good, even by American standards. It started Monday with a phone call to Michael at Internet Ghana, who works in their Accra office. Internet Ghana is the Internet provider we’ve been trying to go through to get Internet at the house, but the modems have been “finished” since November, so we’ve been out of luck to this point. But Michael has good news for us. They got a shipment of 100 modems on Friday, but they are going fast. They had already sold 30 Friday and expected them to be gone by the end of the day Monday. Michael is doubtful any will make it to Kumasi. We had to act fast. Michael could set one aside for us, but only if we paid for it in advance, which sounds simple enough, except this is not like home and you can’t (nor would you want to) just give your credit card number over the phone and be in business. So sending money required that someone (Elliot and I in this case – Dusty was out car shopping) take a taxi into town cash in hand to send the money through the bank to Accra where Michael could pick it up and pay for our modems. Despite some hiccups (nothing happens here without hiccups), we were able to send the money and get not one, but two modems – one for us and one for our friends, Lloyd and Jan, who have also been waiting to get one. Lloyd and Jan picked the modems up Friday morning and will be heading back to Kumasi over the weekend, so God willing, by Monday we will be online.

But wait, there’s more! In addition to (almost) having Internet access set up at our house, we are also now (almost) the proud owners of a vehicle. This, too, did not occur without its hassles, but car shopping is never without hassles, they’re just different here. After scouring Kumasi for a suitable vehicle in our price range, Dusty was starting to think he would have to make the 6 hour bus trip to Accra to find a car. We weren’t asking for much – reasonably low miles, everything working that was supposed to work, minimal dings and nicks to the body and a good working air conditioner. Then, out of the blue, one of the dealers he had visited arrived at our house Tuesday with a car he thought might fit the bill. It was a bit over what Dusty had planned to spend, but it was also a newer car than we had been looking at, which theoretically should mean it would have fewer potential mechanical problems. I persuaded Dusty to test drive it and he was sold. After settling on a price, the deal was struck. The next step was to get it registered, insured and all that. This would require both Dusty and Steven, the car’s previous owner to visit the registration office and file paperwork. They made plans to do this Wednesday at 10 a.m. Except Steven didn’t show. Dusty called, and he promised he was coming but had just been detained at his office. So Dusty waited some more. Steven still didn’t arrive and (in one of the more frustrating aspects of the culture here) still kept promising he was coming. Dusty finally gave him an ultimatum that if he wanted to sell the car, he needed to come. It turns out Steven really wasn’t able to get away from work to do the paperwork that day but better to say “I am coming” than to be up front and just make plans for another day. Grrr!! Fortunately, he brought the car over that evening so we could drive it until they were able to go file the paperwork to finalize the sale, which now would have to wait until Friday because Thursday was a national holiday. As I write this, it is about 11:30 on Friday morning, and they have made plans to meet at noon. We shall see… I will keep you posted.

The best-laid plans... traveling with a toddler

2008-03-01T01:39:00.000-08:00

While our overall travel experience was reasonably smooth, as I mentioned in my earlier post, it wasn’t without its hiccups. First came the “short-staffed” security crew in Detroit. Then in my haste to get everything through the conveyor belt in a (reasonably) timely manner, I forgot to take out my carefully packed zipper bags of liquids, so our bag got pulled for a search. Yippie. Fortunately, this man was nice and even (mostly) repacked my bag for me before dashing off to tend to other nefarious passengers with baby ibuprofen and bottles of juice in their luggage.

Boarding the plane with large convertible carseat in tow, we had many helpers, including a great couple of flight attendants. I managed to get the seat installed and Elliot into it without much incident. Then the engines kicked on and we started to taxi down the runway. Elliot was not impressed. Or maybe he was a little too impressed. At any rate, he screamed the entire time, from the point when the engines fired up to the point when I took him out of his seat when we reached cruising altitude. Ugh. Then, shortly before they came around with beverages, one of the flight attendants stopped by to see how he was doing. “How old is he?” she asked. “Eighteen months,” I responded. “Oh,” she said. “Well then he doesn’t need to stay in his seat. Do you want me to take that and stow it so you have more room?” she asked. (Hmm, let me think…) “Yes, yes please!”

The rest of the flight was much better. He slept in my lap, ate cheese crackers and tried to get the little boy across the aisle from us to make faces back at him. Even the landing went smoothly. Sure, he was nervous, but it was a lot easier to take on mom’s lap than strapped in his seat.

We arrived in Amsterdam with four hours until our next flight. Great, because they have a play area where Elliot could burn off some steam, plus a nap room and lots of places to grab a quick bite to eat. Except Elliot didn’t want to play in the play area… Fortunately, they also have LOTS of moving walkways. So we spent much of our layover riding up and down the moving walkways watching the activity at the airport.

We did manage to grab a quick bite to eat in between laps and, naturally, he went to sleep about 45 minutes before we were to board our next flight. Oh well. Luckily, we were able to pass through security (yes, you have to take your carryon bags through security a second time in Amsterdam) with him peacefully sleeping in the sling. He woke up as we were waiting in line to board, though, and did not sleep again until we got to our destination for the night. Good thing mom packed lots of goodies.

We're here!

2008-03-01T01:37:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the delayed update. We have been here just over a week now, and we still do not have the modem we need to get Internet at the house. They have been “finished” as they say here since November, and they are still waiting for more. Maybe next week, maybe mid-March… We shall see. Things move at a little different pace here, and I am still getting used to that.

First, the trip over… After a more-hectic-than-planned day of running around Lansing getting final details around, my parents whisked us to the airport in Detroit to catch our 7 p.m. overnight flight to Amsterdam. With Elliot in his sling and his carseat strapped to my wheelie carry-on, we were off! First stop, security and a very unfriendly, unhelpful TSA employee who responded to my request for a little help with undoing my bags to get through the line with a brusque “we’re pretty short staffed right now” and a lecture about how I should have prearranged with my airline to have someone there to help me, etc., etc. Thanks for nothing. Glad to see my tax dollars at work.

Fortunately, the rest of our interactions more than made up for that one. The flight crews on both planes were fantastic, and the security staff in Amsterdam were falling over themselves to help us. Then, when we arrived in Accra, we were whisked to the head of the customs line because, as the military gentlemen explained, I had a child with me and therefore should not wait in the queue (imagine that). So, as they often do, things improved greatly once we left Detroit.

We were met at the airport by Dusty (of course) and a couple from Texas (no, not George and Laura, though they were in town), Lloyd and Jan, who are missionaries working in Kumasi. We loaded all (200+ lbs) of luggage into the back of their Land Cruiser and drove to another missionary couple’s house outside Accra, where we would be staying for the night before heading back to Kumasi in the morning.

So here we are. There’s so much more to tell, and I will try to sprinkle in more information about our first week as time goes on, but I wanted to get this back up and going before too long. Hope all is well back home.

Home, sweet home - Part II

2008-02-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

So, it's funny how things work out sometimes. We have a new house. Yeah, that's right. Elliot and I haven't even arrived yet and we're already moving! Dusty met an expat from the Netherlands at the Internet cafe he frequents, and it turns out the guy and his wife have a house in Kumasi (he's married to a Ghanaian woman) that they use when they come down on holiday and he's looking for someone to stay in it. "Just come and see it!" Ed says. So Dusty did. And now you can too! Welcome to our "new" new home away from home.

veranda

living room

dining room

kitchen

courtyard

grassy area of courtyard

view of front gate

So there you have it. We will be moving in once Elliot and I arrive and staying with Ed's wife for a few days until she heads back to Europe. That way we can go over things and make sure we are taking care of the house the way they want it, etc. As for the other house, well Dusty is going to work on that, but since this house comes with everything, if it came right down to it, we won't be paying any extra to stay here over what it would have cost us to furnish the original place. I can't wait to see it in person!

Little Pink Houses

2008-01-31T17:16:00.001-08:00

At last, we have a house! Dusty made it safely to Kumasi on Tuesday, and immediately set out to see this place Wednesday morning.

Our friend, Owusu, has been tirelessly scouring the greater Kumasi metro area for houses we could rent for our stay, and he couldn’t wait for Dusty to see this one.

Dusty was sold on it as well, and we now have a place to call home for the next several months. It may not be little, but it is most definitely pink!

Meanwhile, back at the Lansing homestead…

...HEAVY SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST FRIDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A HEAVY SNOW WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST FRIDAY. THIS IS AN UPGRADE OF THE WINTER STORM WATCH.
SNOW WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. THE SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES AND WILL ACCUMULATE 8 TO 12 INCHES BY FRIDAY NIGHT. VISIBILITIES WILL FREQUENTLY BE BELOW A MILE WHICH WILL MAKE FOR HAZARDOUS TRAVEL.

I especially like the part where it says this is an “upgrade” of the winter storm watch. Just further proves my theory that upgrade does not necessarily equal improvement.

Elliot’s new favorite word is shovel. Think we’ll get to try that out this weekend??

Welcome!

2008-01-13T17:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our Ghana adventure! Follow along while we travel to Kumasi for several months in 2008 for Dusty to complete his dissertation fieldwork. Dusty (Ph.D. candidate in the Anthropology Department at Michigan State University) departs in two weeks, and Elliot (our toddler son) and I (Veronica, on a leave of absence from my position with the Michigan Senate) will follow a few weeks later in February.

We're nervous about what we're in for, sad to be leaving our family and friends for such a long time and definitely excited about the adventure we're about to experience! We hope you will join us on our journey, so please check back often for updates and drop us a line.