Departure for Christmas in the U.S.

One doesn't see many outward trappings of the approaching Christmas holidays in Tamale such as twinkling lights on homes and streets or decorative trees filled with colorful ornaments. However, I am sure the choirs in all the various churches will be joyfully leading everyone in song both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Friends here are carefully planning a special celebration dinner which is to be held on the grounds of the African Dream Hotel, Melcom's general store in town is offering a display of artificial trees and Wooden's Coffee Shop has placed what looks like a large evergreen in front of their terrace.

I did a little gift shopping at COLWOD  and at the cultural crafts market. Grace tailored a bright green Ghanaian dress with matching hair ribbon for Scarlett while I chose an African cloth wall hanging for Beth.

Stopped by the small food stand across the road from our house to see Madame (busy making the traditional "banku") to wish her and her family a Merry Christmas and happy holiday.

And now we wait and hope for the Harmattan dust to subside so that we can avoid a twelve-hour bus ride and travel instead via African World Airlines to connect with our Delta flight in Accra.

Joyeux Noël! 🎄

Sunday Mass & Lunch

Since Jim did not need to make rounds yesterday morning, we went to Mass at Holy Cross instead of at Blessed Sacrament Chapel on the hospital grounds. As usual, the large church was fully packed.

Our weekly lunch outing was held at the African Dream Hotel, owned by Analise and Ziblim - a very relaxing way to spend a peaceful Sunday afternoon.

Harmattan Has Arrived

The annual dry, dusty Harmattan desert wind has been blowing over northern Ghana from the Sahara in full force. Visibility is so poor that several flights have been canceled. We hope the situation improves for our scheduled departure next week.

The dust, however, did not stop Barbara and me from enjoying a pizza and beer at Chuck's restaurant the other night. Somehow, amid the towering trees and outdoor lights, the setting provided a perfect little oasis under the cloudy, murky sky.

Veronica heading out in the morning dust.

Tamale Thanksgiving

Thursday, 26 November 2015 was a regular work day in Tamale without the succulent smell of turkey roasting in the oven, Macy's spectacular parade on TV and friends & family gathering for Thanksgiving dinner. Two days later, however, we took part in a special post-holiday feast hosted by Barbara and Sam. Annalise and Ziblim supplied us with their farm raised turkey, Barb prepared a delicious  green bean casserole, rice with mixed veggies, brown gravy, home-baked bread and apple pie, while I contributed mashed potatoes and a bowl of fresh pineapple, pau pau and banana. Great time had by all!

German Visitors at TTH

For the past two weeks, a medical team from Germany has been visiting Tamale Teaching Hospital performing various surgical procedures. Jim has been working along with them, rarely getting home before 9 or 10 PM. Last Sunday evening, we invited the group to dinner at Szamnandzo's across the main Bolga Rd. We can usually order ahead with the owner, Agnes, so that we don't have to wait an hour or so for our meal. Tonight it took a bit longer to get there with the back dirt roads left in bad shape after the finish of the rainy season. Afterward, everyone came back to our house for banana cake and chocolate ice cream. Our night watchman, Abdulai, captured the Germans' interest as he faithfully sat guard on the veranda with his bow and arrow.

Shopping in the Market

Generally, I do the marketing in town on my own, but occasionally when I foresee the need for an extra pair of arms to carry a variety of purchased items, Veronica accompanies me. Like her fellow countrywomen, however, she uses her head to shoulder the load. The skill of balancing such a heavy container on top of one's head continues to amaze me. A bag that I can barely lift is gingerly hoisted atop of Veronica's head, arms free at her side. More often than not, a baby is usually wrapped securely on a woman's back as well.

Induction Ceremony

My friend, Barb, and her husband, Sam, invited me to attend the investiture & induction for the new Vice-Chancellor at the University for Development Studies. Sam's brother was the out-going Vice-Chancellor. Professional speeches were accompanied by traditional drums and tribal dancing, followed with refreshments at the Getfund Hotel on campus.

The local area's chief and his entourage of elders were sitting directly in front of us during the ceremony. For two hours, non-stop, a young man of about seventeen years of age had the full-time job of respectfully fanning his revered chief. Ten consecutive swipes of the fan with a three-second rest in between.

The University for Development Studies (UDS) was established in 1992 to blend the academic world with that of the community. It has steadily grown over the years and now operates four satellite campuses spread out in the three Northern Regions of Ghana.

Saturday Morning Pancakes

Jim's headlight comes in handy for cooking and/or washing dishes in the dark.

Chargeable Illumination Box

Jim is the pancake expert of the house - much better than yours truly. Saturday morning usually finds him busy flipping on three burners. I get clean-up duty which is fine although a slight challenge when power is out for the day since that affects the flow of water too. At the very least, we are well fed.

Back in the Swing of Life in Tamale

Veronica

Wedding Celebration

Re-acquaintance with Veronica, whose little one, Blessing, now attends pre-school; attending the wedding of a young doctor from the hospital; traditional Sunday lunch with friends, this time at Luxury Restaurant; re-organizing my clothes and the kitchen; re-acclimating to frequent "lights out;" a generous population of bugs and consistent hot weather. All in all, life is good.

Interesting Arrival

Instead of expecting to see my husband waiting to greet me at Tamale airport, I had already heard that he would be at the hospital working. It seems a well-known Ghanaian VIP who I choose not to name at this point (to protect his privacy) was flown up here via a military transport plane which was now sitting on the tarmac. The VIP had requested to be examined by Jim. Quite an interesting event for Tamale Teaching Hospital.

Village of Bogu

The community of Bogu is comprised of a couple of small villages, located approximately 30 Km northwest of Tamale. The people are mainly farmers. My friend Barbara's husband, Sam, happens to be Chief and visiting him there in his chieftan role made for a most interesting day. Sam is a Dagomba who studied and worked as a teacher in the U.S. for several years before returning to the Northern Region to re-work his father's land. While he is busy farming and overseeing the inhabitants of Bogu, Barbara is an impressive director of a local private primary school. Both have my admiration for straddling two very different cultures between Ghana and the U.S. All told, I admit that I enjoyed the drum roll announcing our arrival into the village and the offering of the traditional koala nut as the Chief sat with the elders.

"Search And he Shall Find"

Having forgotten to pack a bathing suit for this trip to Ghana, I wondered where I could possibly find one in Tamale - a rare commodity here, to be sure. Nonetheless, between the Central Market in Ouagadougou and a street-side heap of recycled clothes sitting on the road in town, my search was rewarded - a shocking neon pink number found at the French locale and a black & white choice just waiting to be plucked from the top of the pile in Tamale. Best bargains in the world!

Aeroclub at Ouaga

The Aeroclub at Ouaga's international airport, home to aviation enthusiasts, was a definite priority in our visit to Burkina Faso. Jim was determined to get "checked off" to fly the Cessna 172 aircraft there and first needed a few practice runs accompanied by a certified pilot. The Harmattan dust, however, was so dense that visibility was a no-go for a couple of days. Thus began our extended stay in Ouaga. Jim's instructor, Rashid, a dashing corporate pilot for a local mining company, not only enabled Jim to achieve his goal with the Cessna, but was a most hospitable host in taking us around the city. 

Dining in Ouaga

Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou - or simply "Ouaga" as it is affectionately called, is the capital city of Burkina Faso, the French-speaking country located directly north of Ghana. It is landlocked, hot, dusty and one of the poorest countries in the world, but oh!  the French colonial influence is definitely there - most apparent in "la bonne cuisine." Sprinkled among the everyday food stands similar to those in Ghana, one can easily balance the inconveniences of the Harmattan wind, the stifling 106 degree temperatures and the frequent loss of electrical power by dining in little jewels of restaurants unlike any found in Tamale. Three at the top of my list are le St. Matthieu with its touch of elegance and gourmet menu, le Verdoyant with its inviting family atmosphere and noted pizza ovens, and l'Eau Vive with its delicious crêpes and peaceful atmosphere. Even at Les Lauriers, our Guest House, and other nearby spots, I threw caution to the wind as I devoured salads, spring rolls, French baguettes, yam croquettes and pistachio ice cream.

Mangoes Galore

Both in the market and from our own trees, we have plenty of mangoes. Come visit and enjoy!

Mohammed is very adept at climbing and retrieving.

Photos from School for the Deaf in Savelugu

School For The Deaf in Savelugu

Since Easter Monday was a holiday, classes were not in session at the School For The Deaf in Savelugu, but all 400 students (ages 5-18) who board there seemed glad for the diversion of our visit.
An hour's ride from Tamale in a fully packed tro-tro brought us to the sprawling compound of the school where we toured the classrooms, dormitories and large dining hall.
I especially enjoyed interacting with a group of teenage girls who definitely inspired me to re-explore my limited knowledge of sign language. They were eager to communicate, ask questions and share their thoughts.
One sobering fact we learned on our visit concerned the ineffective use of most of the hearing aids which had been donated and distributed to the students a couple of years ago. No one was wearing aids. Without a full-time person to oversee adjustments and repairs, the widespread fitting of aids here does not seem practical. For those particular students, however, who can be identified as having the potential to benefit from amplification, a well supervised program could be productive and rewarding.

Family Visit

Veronica and Blessing

The Visit

The other day, Veronica said that she would like for me to meet her family. I had understood Jim to say that she lived nearby with her mother, a short walk from our place. However, the "family visit" involved a good deal more. First, we walked to the house in which she stays during the week in order to be close to work. There, I met Mary, who Veronica calls her mother, but who may or may not be related. Another woman, Jacqueline, the person who Jim had believed to be Veronica's mother, lived in another house nearby, but who is in fact an auntie. Veronica proceeded to change from sweat pants to a pretty dress and then told me we first had to take a taxi into town where we would then get into another taxi to take us out to her family home. After quite a long ride - almost out to the airport - and directly across from the Army's Bahwah Barracks, we exited the taxi in front of her father's compound. Veronica's father, Jacob, is a retired policeman who lives with his two wives on a compound he built several years ago. With great pride, he gave me a tour of the premises. There, I also met Veronica's birth mother, Abalise, along with Jacob's senior wife, Larama, who Veronica refers to as her step-mother. Jacob informed me that he sired eight children with his senior wife (two of whom are deceased) and six with his second wife. Husband and wives happily posed together for a family photo.

Back to Life in Tamale

Getting re-organized always takes a bit of time, but everything went pretty smoothly considering that our now former housekeeper, Mona, decided to return to school full time. Veronica, a young 22 year-old mother spends a few hours each morning to help with cleaning and the laundry. She  arrives with two year-old Blessing who is happy to explore each room, sometimes even picking up a scrub brush to imitate her mother washing the floor. Makes me very aware of "baby-proofing" the house, especially when I've seen the many small objects that Jim has had to remove from children's throats.

Sunday lunch with friends continues in full swing. Always fun to figure out which items (for some reason often misspelled) listed on the extensive menu may actually be available. Recent winner was "Died Chicken Curry."

Finally, there seems to be a somewhat complicated system of figuring out when the next scheduled 12-hour power outage will occur - 6 AM to 6 PM or the reverse 6 PM to 6 AM. Complicated because it is random more often than not. Since this can also affect our water pump....

And in the market - plenty of favorites: mangoes, avocados, eggplant, etc.!

Close Connection

After an unexpected shortened stay in Ghana this past December, I once again boarded Delta's direct flight to Accra 20 March. Unfortunately, the spring snowfall in NYC caused us to remain on the tarmac for over three hours which resulted in giving me only minutes to dash from the international terminal in Accra over to the domestic one in order to catch the last African World flight of the day up to Tamale.

Miracles do happen and I was on my way north!