Division of Labor

A little peek into Jim's office on the fifth floor of Tamale Teaching Hospital can't begin to reflect the amount of work he accomplishes each day. In addition to the actual practice of medicine with surgery in the theater and examinations in the clinic, numerous requests and tasks find their way to his desk - procuring supplies, overseeing instrument repairs, mentoring students, etc.

A look into the kitchen at our home in Tamale provides a small glimpse into a portion of my day. A morning trip to the market can result in an assortment of fruits, vegetables, eggs, bread, etc. which then awaits a bit of preparation before even being placed into the refrigerator for subsequent cooking. Produce needs to be washed clean - eggs included. More water to be boiled for drinking. Creative recipes to conjure up from whatever ingredients are available.

Return to Tamale from Tokyo

After a truly memorable stay in Japan, a beautiful country with gracious people, high technology, wonderful food, etc., Jim and I arrived back in Tamale following almost 23 hours in the air with four different flights - Tokyo to Hong Kong - Addis Ababa - Accra - Tamale - ready for a nice, refreshing shower. No such luck! With a few steps into the house, we were met with several blown fuses and NO WATER. Welcome home! The next couple of days involved water delivery, electrician, plumber and PATIENCE.

Offsetting the household inconveniences was a delicious Sunday lunch prepared by our Philippine friends, Catherine and Ely.

Travel Ahead

Barely here in Tamale two weeks, I'm ready to embark on our latest adventure with a visit to Japan! Shopping in the market with Veronica and lunch or dinner with friends at Oasis or Chuck's will be put on hold for a while.

Ready for the heat while venturing to the market.

Enjoying Hawaiian pizza at Chuck's.

Greeting our landlord, Alhaji, and his brother in front of our house.

Dinner at Oasis with Stone, Yaa, Christina and Briana.

Taxi Competition

Just as the U.S. deals with the likes of Uber and Lyft, taxis in Tamale now have stiff competition with locals hailing the new model tricycle called Mahama Camboo or yellow yellow (they come in other colors too). Open on the sides, it will be interesting to see how these vehicles do in the rainy season. The driver sits in the middle front which allows a passenger on both his right and left. The back seat technically holds three, but on the ride I took yesterday, there were three women plus three children in the back, then a teenage boy carrying a load of pipes, the driver and another man in the front. A little less expensive than a taxi, though not by much, the Mahamas weave their way in & out of traffic along with all the other cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses and bikes.

Carrying nine.

Return to Tamale

A few months away found me a bit rusty getting back to working in our Tamale kitchen. Deciding to sauté a nice batch of onions Jim had purchased, I noticed that the contents of the frying pan seemed to be bubbling. Soon to discover I was frying my onions in dishwashing detergent instead of cooking oil.

The house is still standing strong aside from a new leak, broken cabinet doors and holes in the screens.

Distributing new outfits to Basma and Muslim then lunch with dear friends make up for a lot - even the 105 degree heat.

Honest Mistake

Home Sweet Home

Speaks For Itself

Muslim & Basma in New Outfits

Lunch With Jane and Barbara