Finally! Prospects for Housing & a Vehicle

After much searching, inspecting, and advice to be patient about finding the "right" place, we are hopeful that our own housing may materialize in about a month. We've been negotiating with the owner of the house we plan to rent and are to meet with him again tomorrow re: signing of a contract and the purchasing of the materials needed to complete the construction. It is newly built, three bedrooms (visitors welcome!) awaiting painting, the installation of tiles, plumbing and electrical fixtures, etc. It's fairly standard procedure here for Ghanaian contractors or owners to offer a house for rent before it is actually completed. Then they typically request two years rent in advance in order to cover the expenses of the "final touches." We had seen places asking for anywhere from about $150 to $600 per month (with no particular correlation to quality) and were able to get this one for $130.
The purchase of a 2 x 4 Nissan pick-up is also underway but this may take 2-3 months to accomplish. The vehicles on hand now are South African made and it is recommended that we get one that is Japan assembled. Unfortunately, these are "on order" so we'll have to continue to rely on the convenient and inexpensive taxi system for a bit longer.
Although I'm not that anxious to drive a stick-shift midst the bicycles and livestock in Tamale, I would like to get into the house before it's time for my return to the States in November. Not that I don't trust Jim with all those decisions about curtains, furniture, etc....

Taxi Adventure & A Passing Proposal

At my trusted spot for catching the "set rate" taxi ride home from town, I climbed into a typical broken-down vehicle with three other ladies. The driver was probably all of 15 but looked 12 and been suspiciously examining unknown parts under the roof before getting behind the wheel. Two older men proceeded to push us onto the road whereby the young driver unsuccessfully tried to put the car into gear. Accompanied by rumbling sounds from the motor, we jolted & bumped a few feet at a time before consistently rolling to a stop. After about three more failed attempts, my three Ghanaian companions insisted on our getting out and entering a different vehicle. Taxi #2 looked in no better shape, its doors cut up but still hanging on their hinges and we all piled in. After turning off the dirt road & onto the main paved thoroughfare, we had gone barely a kilometer or two when our current driver suddenly stopped and we were forcefully rammed from the rear. Scrambling to get out of the back seat through the one door we managed to open, we joined the crowd which had quickly formed around the two cars. Our vehicle had to be pushed away while the other one drove around the broken glass and eventually left the scene. Thankfully, no one seemed to be seriously hurt, just a bit shaken up and the three Ghanaian women in full voice, - shouts to our driver, shouts to the driver who hit us, and shouts from all the bystanders made for a most interesting experience. Of course there were no officials in sight and after a few minutes, still another taxi came to pick us up, - this one with a windshield so badly cracked that one could just about see through it. The third, however, was the charm and we gratefully made it to our respective destinations in one piece.
Nonetheless, one incident earlier in the day made me smile. An elderly man in distinguished Muslim dress asked me if I would consider becoming one of his wives. Ah, what little it takes to make a person feel good....

Weekend Doings

Am managing to schedule a couple of things I frequently do in the States - like meeting a friend for lunch. Rosemary, a Medical Mission sister and I enjoyed a nice visit at a restaurant called SWAD. Then, on Saturday evening, Jim and I were invited to the home of Bill and Patricia Turner. Both are "retired" physicians teaching at the medical school nearby and running a clinic there. Bill was born in Ghana to a Ghanaian mother and a British father and after being schooled here, he left to study medicine in the UK at age 22 (Wales) where he met his future wife, Patricia. They then practiced in Great Britain for about 25 years and raised two children. Now, they're spending a good part of the year living and working in Tamale. We had a delightful evening with a wonderful dinner of fish and a stew made of yams, carrots, and cabbage followed by the rare treat of dessert - a banana custard.
Sunday afternoon, Jim and I routed through a few more of our cartons which are still housed in a storage container on the grounds of one of the seminaries. So, yea! I have an extended wardrobe and found a few luxury items like mosquito repellent spray and various toiletries. In the evening, we treated the Archbishop (who turned 74 on Sept. 8th while he was traveling in the States), his driver, Nevius and wife, Esther, and Regina, the Archbishop's niece, to a belated birthday celebration at the Jungle Bar. All in all, quite a social weekend!

Flooding

Saturday morning, Jim went with the Archbishop to inspect the damage in the Northern Region affected by recent flooding. The areas they visited had lost some homes and fields of crops but conditions were not as bad as those reported further north and in the northeast where over 19,000 homes collapsed (most built of mud brick) and 90,000 people were left homeless. In the most hard-hit areas, 70 % of the farmlands were submerged and over 10,000 livetock were lost. Many roads were washed away with some districts virtually cut off from the rest of the region. When bridges and roads are destroyed, a trip usually taking 30 minutes could now be six hours.
The floods have brought back the black flies whose bite causes river blindness and people also have to deal with the reptiles whose habitats have been covered with water and which now seek refuge for survival.
After a serious draught, many Ghanaians are indeed thankful for the torrential rains but a deep commitment is necessary to help the unfortunate ones who have been made to sacrifice a great deal for the potential benefit of the rest of the country.

Celebrations of Birth and Death

Mary, one of the young women who works as a seamstress at COLWOD, recently gave birth to a beautiful girl. For the previous two or three weeks, everyone was amazed when she appeared each day at the shop looking VERY pregnant but evidently not yet ready to deliver. Sr. Jacky and I drove over to Mary's compound for the "naming of the baby" celebration and we all took turns having pictures taken with the newly arrived "Fatima." Mary is Christian and married a Muslim (A Muslim man is allowed to marry a non-Muslim but not so for a Muslim woman to marry outside her faith.) so they awaited the Imam to come and offer prayers for the baby and family.
In contrast, Jim was able to witness the funeral celebration (actually the burial) of one of the most important chiefs in this area, - the "Keeper of the Land." This chief had been in power for forty years. A fellow worker at the hospital took Jim on the back of his motorbike to the cemetery where they joined the throngs of people and listened to the gun salutes. A directive also went out that the stores in town should close out of respect. Any left open would be subject to looting with officials conveniently looking the other way. The chief was a Muslim and therefore buried quickly. The third day after his death, special prayers are said and for the next few days continuous drumming and dancing are performed. The seventh and fortieth days are also especially designated.
Christian and "traditional" funerals have a very different ritual and sometimes the families of the departed take quite a long time preparing for the celebration. It is not uncommon for a person to be kept "in the frig" as the Ghanaians say, and buried a month or two after death. Obituary notices often accompanied by a photo are frequently posted listing family members and chief mourners and announcing the place, date and time of burial services and final funeral rites.

The Bank, the Library, and Sparkles

Just when I was thinking I might not accomplish much the other day, I experienced the opposite, - keeping in mind that little things mean a lot.
Jim and I shared a ride into town and as he went off to the hospital, I first photo-copied some papers for my class, then found an internet cafe for an hour. From there, I proceeded to one of our banks in Tamale. The SG/SSB is hands-down a favorite over Barclays. At the SG/SSB, there were people waiting all over the place as usual, some in lines and some in seated groups, and as I was trying to figure out the system, a bank official miraculously noticed (recognized?) me among the crowd and waved me over to his window. From there, he directed me to two other administrators and after a reasonably short amount of time, I exited with a bank draft for Jim to send to the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, a receipt indicating I had just deposited 50 new Ghana cedis, and two brand new ATM cards for use only in Ghana.
My next goal was finding the library which was conveniently in the same general area. It's basically a one-room building containing several shelves of books (most quite old) with eight tables seating about eight persons each, - all of which were filled to capacity. A new library site is under construction across the way and it really looks promising. I paid 10,000 old cedis to register each of us ($1. per person) and just have to return with two ID photos and the application cards "guaranteed" by the hospital where Jim works.
My last stop before heading back "home" was Sparkles Restaurant. Had a plate of chips (French Fies) and a Star beer and felt like I had a good start for the rest of the day.

Being A Teacher Again

Am enjoying being a teacher again even though I meet my class only two hours a week, - from two to three on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are group of twelve African young men who are in the novitiate of the Christian Brothers here in Tamale. They hail from Kenya, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Liberia and Cameroon, all of which have English as an official language except for Cameroon which has French. However, although the schooling in their respective countries was in the official tongue, all spoke the colloquial language of their regions at home, and depending on the level of education completed, their English proficiency varies. The student from Cameroon, for example, is quite proficient both in French and English whereas another student from the Gambia didn't begin his formal education until the age of seventeen. In addition to grammar and basic usage of the language in conversation and writing, pronunciation is an important area of concentration. The Kenyans, especially, have great difficulty with the "r" and the "l" sounds, often substituting one for the other. There are no teaching materials to speak of so I just ad-lib. The young men are very appreciative and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn from them as well.

Daily Do's ad Don'ts

One does have to remind people nicely but persistently to get things done but we've certainly learned not to expect things to happen quickly, much less immediately. Trying to negotiate the completion of a house is but one example.
Always use the right hand for eating, shaking in a greeting, motioning, and giving things to someone. The left is associated with unclean activities.
When beginning to eat, "just eat" without trying to smell the food first which is often a reflex action for us in the West. Here, it is impolite and especially rude to wrinkle your nose at a distasteful smell.
Do try to practice the local language, even if your pronunciation is poor and often unrecognizable to the native speaker. Jim has absolutely no problem with this. Whereas I sometimes hesitate to try and make sure of a correct phrase, he plunges right in and experiments with how ever many expressions he can remember. Some people are convulsed with laughter but at the same time always give him a lot of credit for trying.
Finally, affection is not generally shown in public. So, any thoughts I had of Jim and I walking hand in hand under a Ghanaian sunset are "on hold."

Cross-Cultural Orientation

Jim and I recently finished an excellent one-week orientation course at the Tamale institute of Cross-Cultural Studies (TICCS). This organization was founded by Dr. Jon Kirby, who is a respected anthropologist and a Catholic priest of the Society of the Divine Word. We were twelve participants in all - represented by Norway, Japan, the Congo, Kenya, India, South Africa, the Netherlands, Canada and the U.S. We ate and slept on the grounds of this unique facility and began friendships that will hopefully be nourished well into the future.
In addition to interesting lectures on topics concerning politics, tribal chiefs, economics, health, kinship, religious beliefs and language, we visited a Diviner, a local chief, various tradesmen, and a clinic run by a remarkable Ghanaian physician, Dr. David Abdulai, who ministers to the poor free of any charge. One night we ate fu-fu on the compound of a local village and were warmly welcomed by both elders and children alike. On our last evening, we watched a performance of the Choggu Dance Troupe & had a lot of fun with audience participation. Jim even filmed me "in motion" thoroughly enjoying learning the "moves" of the African steps. This was followed by a fantastic Ghanaian buffet in the garden with a variety of over thirty specially prepared dishes.
The course was extremely beneficial and demonstrated how many Ghanaians who welcome modern development still have one foot firmly entrenched in the traditions of the past.

Getting Things Done - "small, small

Ghanaians have a favorite expression which pretty much corresponds to our "little by little" and that's "small, small," or in Dagbani "biela, biela." English is the official language in this former British colony which, however, is surrounded on all sides by the French speaking nations of Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Togo. And because Tamale is a city, one is likely to hear a sampling of different regional tongues along with the predominant Dagbani. When the Ghanaians talk among themselves, it's usually in the Dagbani language rather than the official tongue. Am looking forward to teaching English to a group of young men studying to be Chrristian Brothers. They come from all parts of Africa and the level of their English varies with respect to pronunciation, general usage, vocabulary and writing.
We haven't gotten into our own house yet (although we're working on a good lead!) but we did obtain our driver's licenses and applied for Ghanaian health insurance as well as a P.O. Box (the latter two still in progress). Everyone is amazed at how quickly we managed to get our driver's licenses as it can supposedly take as long as a year and even sometimes necessitates the long trip to Accra. Three things helped - 1) an introductory letter from the hospital, 2) our US licenses which seemed to offer proof that we could drive, & 3) the fact that Jim managed to produce his ond Ghanaian license inssued back in 1976, - a great souvenir which they unfortunately confiscated when we picked up our newly laminated ones about four weeks later. The Motor Vehicle Agency was an experience in itself - deserving a detailed description at a later date. And so, we're getting things done, small, small.