· I smell awful at the end of the day and believe that the only way someone could stand me is if they reeked too! It’s my choice not to wear deodorant in a tropical environment but I feel like if everyone else’s b.o. is out there, mine might as well be too! Haha! …that being said, I can hardly stand myself.
· I have never believed in hand sanitizer or why I would want to kill 99.99% of germs but leave them sitting on my hands. I want to believe in it so bad now…
· After about six-thirty in the evening I refuse to use the latrine. So I take note of how much I drink, etc. so I’m sure I can hold it until morning. Today it was just before dusk and I figured the lizards, spiders and roaches hadn’t taken over yet so I ventured in with my t-roll and flashlight. Sure enough, six little friends were crawling on the walls and two were in the “toilet.” You know when you finally make it to the restroom, how you just can’t hold it? I couldn’t, so even in such a “terrible situation” I managed! Go Team!! Haha…progress.
· I sleep with ear plugs. At first they were to block out the loud neighbor (who would come yelling outside my door in the morning) and traffic from the highway that is about twenty yards from the back of my house. But I have found them quite useful when it comes to the mosquitoes. I think hearing them whine in my ear is worse than them actually biting me. Slept great last night.
· I almost feel guilty that I get to be here in warm weather, enjoying the sun when many of my friends and family (not all, but many) are miserable in the cold weather. Of course, they could come too!
· Tonight I prepared light soup on my own and it turned out okay. I attempted making banku and nearly ruined it. My helper friend, Christy took over and saved the day.
· I am excited to make American/Mexican food for the people here for Christmas. Brought stuff to bake too in a Dutch oven!
· My son, Kwesi, is a fan again. People ask him, “Kwesi nane de?” meaning, “Where is Kwesi’s mother?” And he points to me or runs to me and gives me a hug. I’m a sucker for the kid! J
· This morning I felt something tiny crawling on my neck as I woke up. I slapped my neck and rubbed and tried to go back to sleep. When I did finally get up I had spider webs all over my head and neck.
· Each morning at around 8am I hear two lizards fighting on my tin roof. (If you’ve never seen two lizards fight for territory its pretty cool. They mostly use their tails.)
· Funniest thing I saw today- a guy on a motorcycle with a box 3 inches deep tied on the back with a goat tied down in the back. Straightest hair I’ve ever seen on a goat!
· I have started tutoring Kwesi and he is learning the colors red and blue. I am so proud of him! He can pronounce each of the letters of the alphabet as well! He’s only two years old.
· The door to my house stays open all day. People are less hesitant to enter than they were last year. I don’t even know how many people have been in my 216 sq ft house since Monday and normally I would be a little leery or on edge, but I’ve enjoyed it and hope that people feel free to come and visit and the children will come and learn! Fun stuff!
· I love the random mix of music here! One song playing will be an African one with a great beat, the next one is Celine Dion (pretty popular here), next one African, then Cece Winans, African, etc. Out of the blue a couple of days ago I heard Nicole C. Mullen playing, "...come unto me all who are weary and I will give you rest..." and today was awesome- I barely heard the song but thought I recognized it. I strained to catch the words and realized it was Levi Smith..., "I'm inclined to shy away but she moves me, without words and without moving...Could it be that these arms were meant to hold her? Could it be that her head was tailored-made for my shoulder? And were these fingers designed to be intertwined, how am I supposed to know? Oh, I'd like to think so."
· I'm staring at a spider on the wall by my bed that is four inches across from leg to leg and wondering if I should just sleep with an epi-pen nearby or go ahead and move my bed. I think its waiting for me. Or maybe that's just the way God designed them to look. (Makes me a little more leery about the previous spider mentioning!)
· Out of all my books and computers and games etc. the things that this kids find most interesting are the two flat Stanleys my friend sent with me! It's so funny! Maybe I'll have them do something similar except maybe they'll be called "Flat Kofi" and I'll take pics with them in the States.
· I forgot how frustrating it was to have people try to teach me the language on the spot. As of yesterday I've employed a young man to teach me the local version of Ɛvɛgbɛ. The Ewe that I studied on my own is the "formal" version, not spoken in these parts. Hopefully that will relieve some of the stress and frustration for the local people as well as myself.
· more to come...
· Pretty sure on the way to town there is a distillery somewhere just off of the road. I smell it so strongly every time I walk by. I talked to a man about alcohol today and he mentioned how in this particular village “even the women are liking alcohol ‘paapaa paapaa’ (very, very much).” I’ve learned over the last few days that what I thought was a quiet peaceful village holds the record for altercations, fights and deaths most likely due to the excessive alcohol. The man today also mentioned that the “African alcohol is almost pure but the American alcohol is just small.”
· There are three small spiders that have been on my wall all day today. They haven’t moved. I’m not sure if I’d rather them be crawling around to just sitting there. Waiting.
· When I wash my clothes by hand I use some tide liquid detergent (mostly for the smell) and dial soap. I have also been using dial soap to scrub my dishes. I forgot to pick up dish soap on Monday which was the last market day. Today (Saturday) is the next market day so I will pick it up then.
· The house I am staying in belongs to the landlord and he is letting me rent it for just a couple of months. The calendar on the wall is from 1993. In 1993 my birthday was on a Saturday. I was 9 that year.
· My favorite thing that the landlord left is a picture of a black Jesus. I don’t like that He looks like a pansy but I’ll let it slide for now. I think Luke 2:52 might possibly tell us otherwise, and if not, I still refuse to believe that He was some fragile, passive being. No one could do what He did and be in such a state. Okay, I'm off my soapbox, haha!
· I need some Desitin. For my mouth. Growing up, I saw people who had sores in the corners of their mouth, like it was raw. It never happened to me that I remember until two years ago. I went to the dentist and a hygienist there said I should put Desitin on it. That it was a fungus that grew in the moisture and the Desitin would dry it up. I put it on the corners of my mouth before bed and in the morning I was back to normal. Wonder if I can find Desitin in the market? One never knows what one can find.
· I was walking through town today with my neighbor’s son and we were taking a shortcut. Ahead of us I saw a woman in a full-length black dress halfway squatting as she urinated. Now, I have noticed with men it’s no big deal that they are relieving themselves and men, women, and children are passing by. At first I felt like I should go out of my way to grant privacy but after three and a half years, five trips and 20+ weeks here, I’ve just gotten used to it. I’ve seen women relieve themselves too and I do give them privacy and take a different route. But today I was following homeboy and he just walked right on by her, no big deal. Another cultural thing I’ll just have to get used to I guess.
· Speaking of urinating. The back of my house seems to be a place guys gravitate to, boys especially.
· I don’t refrigerate my eggs. Or any food.
· 500mL of water costs five pesewas, the equivalent of less than 4 American pennies. I buy mine in bulk and get it for three cents per piece. Of course that is the water that comes in a sachet, or bag.
· I had my first Evegbe lesson today and was already able to use so much from it! I have a good teacher, so good maybe in one month I can understand, answer and even ask basic questions.
· I cook one meal a day and pretty much use onion in garlic in every meal. No matter how much I wash the smell remains on my hands and I love it! Mmmm… :)
· I totally electrocuted myself just now plugging in my phone to charge. I have never been shocked before except by an electric fence. AY CHIHUAHUAS!!! Mmm! It came through my ring finger (which does have a ring on it) and went all the way up to my collar bone. When I realized I couldn't remove my hand I yelled and then it stopped. Whoo, no more close calls for me. I'll switch off the power before I unplug something and switch it on AFTER the next thing is already plugged in. Safety FIRST!! Goodness, I have a greater respect for electricians and electricity!
· My family would never believe that I could shower with less than a gallon and a half of water! And when I don't have to wash my hair, less than a gallon. :)
· Used my Dutch oven today and forgot one minor detail and burned my cornbread. Precious cornbread! I was so looking forward to having it with beans and sharing it with the locals. :( Everyone was disappointed. We all have been saying, “Nes time” (as in, “Next time!” haha)
· How old are our kids at home when they learn their colors? I have been working with children as old as ten years old who don’t know their colors in English OR in their own language! At ten years old they can’t pick out a red crayon but they can probably carry their own weight on their head with no hands and the girls can cook an entire meal on their own. Gives one a sense of priorities, huh?
· Room temperature coffee is my favorite beverage at my house. Brought lemonade for the kiddos but haven’t made it yet. I’m thinking that will be good for Christmas.
· Speaking of Christmas, I have absolutely enjoyed not seeing a single picture, statue, figurine, cartoon, ornament etc. of Santa! Just not a fan of the guy.
· I do miss my family.
· And friends.
· Got to try some wild blueberries yesterday!!! E vivi nuka! It is sweet!
· When people come into my house they most enjoy seeing the picture of my parents. They also like to read some cards of encouragement I taped on my wall and my solitary Christmas card on my door. J I like sharing my “American life” with them.
· Don’t know about weight but I’ve already lost as far as measurements. People might be surprised to know that I don’t care to lose a whole lot of weight. Wouldn’t mind being more fit (insofar as cardiovascular and muscular endurance) but I don’t care to lose weight just for the sake of losing.
· Couldn’t figure out what smelled in my room. Hunted and found two fish heads in with my salted fish. They were from smoked fish that I cooked last week and had molded. I didn’t know that they had been placed back in the bowl. Mmmm, hungry anyone?
· The best place to take a nap during the day is on the cement floor in my room/house. Coolest place one will find.
· The 24 hours after shaving are the worst! As much as my legs sweat, I might as well just rub salt all over them.
· I love teaching! And learning! This happens to be a great place for both!
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