more from our temporary quarters

Jim recently put up a new mosquito net for our bed & its configuration is a lot roomier than the one we had before. Drifting off to sleep is often very pleasant, accompanied by the soft sounds of insects, the Muslim evening call to prayer heard in the distance, and the occasional conversation or laughter of others on the compound. No morning alarm needed either with the cock-crow of the rooster, chirping of birds & the greetings among the goats. This is the setting in which I feel most comfortable. Here inside the Archbishop's compound, in addition to his house, there is a small dwelling for his driver, Nevius, his wife, Esther, & their three children, and another for a couple of his extended family members which is where two of his nieces live. Regina, is his excellent cook & housekeeper & Millicent works nearby at the Youth Center. Then there is a pretty, little chapel attaached to a nice building (just steps across from the main house) with three guest rooms & this is where we have been staying. Our section consists of a large, comfortable sitting room, an alcove for our bed & our own shower/toilet facilities. We even have a small refrigerator. There is a TV too; it gets only one local channel & we rarely turn it on. There is also an A/C but we've never used it. The ceiling fams are fine, at least for now in the rainy season, - except of course when the power is off. Then nothing works anyway (unless one happens to have a generator).
Unfortunately, this type of setting does not seem available for just the two of us as far as more permanent housing is concerned. Some of the religious orders have very nice compounds too. But unless one has their own extended family compound, most homes are by themselves. Some are surrounded by a wall while many others are not. And scattered about too, are clusters of small dwellings which form little villages.
Thus far, we've been using only what we carried with us as the contents of the container are still stored on grounds near the hospital & we have no place to unpack all those cartons yet. Jim will gradually move the medical equipment but the necessary security measures & allotted physical space at the hospital are still to be worked out.
Purchasing a 4x4 Nissan pick-up is also on our agenda as we wade through the logistics of establishing local bank accounts & arrange for the transfer of funds. For now, our main means of transportation is either a hospital vehicle sent to pick up Jim for work (& in which I also hitch a ride to town) or the ever-present taxis that most people use & which we can easily pick up from the house by walking just over 1 Km to a "round-about" intersection. We're told that 80% of the vehicles in Ghana are taxis. Occasionally, we climb into a fairly nice one, but most have seen better days. It's amazing how they're kept running considering the condition they're in. Our friend, Matt Marshall, would do well here with all his taxi driving experience in NYC. Am sure he'd have no porblem weaving among the multitude of bicycles, motorbikes, goats and cows.
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