Yea for SKYPE!!!

Being able to download the SKYPE program on our computer has been great! By connecting to another SKYPE user via the internet, not only can we chat (for free!) but with cameras attached, the two parties are able to see each other live as well. With speakers on and the computer screen in full view, it's almost like being in the same room with someone who is actually so far away. Yea!!!

Deluges of August

The heavy August rains are determined to make their presence felt as torrential downpours frequently pummel the landscape. During the day, when the warm sun manages to shine through for a few hours, roads dry quickly only to be drenched again a short time later. The resulting spurts of cool air are most welcome, and as long as the mosquitoes are held at bay outside our nets, sleeping at night can be quite comfortable especially with the ceiling fan overhead. Electrical power is much more consistent this year too ( as compared to last), except of course for our particular wiring dilemma in the house. The underlying mystery of fuses occasionally blowing and appliances spoiling is yet to be sufficiently solved. Non-functioning transformers for some of Jim's medical equipment in the hospital continue to be a huge problem as well.

Surprise Visit From My Kenyan Friend

My Kenyan friend, Rosemary, who is a Medical Mission Sister now working on assignment in the town of Techiman in Ghana (about a three-hour drive from Tamale), brightened my day with a surprise visit. We first met last year during a course at the Tamale Institute of Cross-Cultural Studies, struck up a great friendship, and have since kept in touch. Sadly, Rosemary has just returned from a home leave to Kenya when a few short days after arriving, her beloved and only sister, Monica, died during childbirth. As happens with far too many African women, complications which might be readily treated in a hospital are not addressed when giving birth in a rural village setting. Monica leaves behind seven children who have already suffered with the burning of their home during recent violence there.
Opportunities abound every day for me to count my own personal blessings.

The Little Things

Since our two house guests have returned to the U.S., our daily routines are pretty much back in place. Jim continues to be a welcome presence at the hospital (the weekly medical conference has grown in attendance) and I plug along with household tasks in between conducting a class at the Christian Brothers compound or manning the front table at COLWOD. A new project I enjoy is preparing calico to be made into colorful wall hangings. After making a particular sketch (animals, trees, etc.) on a large poster-sized paper, I then place a section of calico on top of it and am able to trace an outline on the cloth of the drawn pattern underneath. One of the COLWOD ladies then applies her talented skills with wax and dyes, transforming it into a colorful piece.
Do I miss Manhattan and the suburbs of New Jersey? Yes. But, I can also appreciate the pace of life here and will miss "the little things" when I am back in the U.S. Like the generosity of spirit the other rainy morning when we were waiting for a "shared taxi" to travel to church. A cab going by (in the opposite direction, no less) stopped, its three passengers got out, offered to wait for another one to come along, and insisted we take theirs instead. And the spontaneous greetings of the Ghanaians while one is walking or when entering a building - A maraaba! (Welcome!), Dasiba (Good morning), A gbihira? (Did you sleep well?) Maybe I'll give this greeting thing a try the next time I stroll down Kearny Avenue or ride the subway in the city.

Safari at Mole

Our weekend at Mole National Park was really successful in that we were able to observe a variety of wildlife in their natural habitat. Chance combines with the expertise of the ranger leading a safari, especially in the rainy season when the animals are not forced to visit the large watering holes close to the lodge. Luck was with us, however, both on walking safaris and on the one we took by vehicle through the reserve.
Have to admit that after two hours of traipsing through the tall grass and intermittent swampy areas in my high "Weltie" boots, with the sweat exiting from every pore in my body under the hot African sun, I barely had the energy to look towards our guide's outstreched arm pointing at creatures hiding a few yards away in the bush. Nevertheless, we were well rewarded by seeing baboons, monkeys, warthogs, various species of deer, huge elephants and a herd of water buffalo. Exciting!
Katie and I experienced too much of a close encounter as we took the last few bites of our breakfast sitting at an outdoor table. The baboons and monkeys near the lodge are notoriously agressive in grabbing whatever food they see. Before we knew it, an extremely agile monkey leaped on top of our table and midst dishes flying under a shower of spilt tea, he skillfully swiped his target- a small container of sugar cubes.
Jim and Conor, on the other hand, were placed in a much more precarious situation during their second safari walk (Katie & I were sitting this one out- choosing instead to have the monkey join us for breakfast). With a few large elephants just a short distance from where they were standing, two young girls started to walk towards one elephant who had already decided to approach their group. This was not very prudent to say the least as the ranger quickly had to run and call after the hopeful photographers to hastily retreat.
All in all, a great get-away from Tamale- about a three-hour trip partially on a paved road and the remainder on a typically bumpy dirt road, navigating the ruts.