Happy Independence Day!!

March 6 2008 makrs 51 years of Independence in Ghana. Ghana is 51 while the San Francisco Giants have been in San Francisco for 50 years. Looking at it that way makes 51 years seem a lot shorter. Either way, people here are very excited and as election talk is heating up in the US and in Ghana, things seem to be going well (could have been better in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island).

Last week I had my first visitor in Bormase. Lauren came to see my site before going back to America. She has been working at an eye clinic in Tema for over two months but had not been to see any small rural villages such as the one in which I live.

Once again, it was great to see my new world through a fresh set of eyes. As a guest, Lauren was free to take hundreds of pictures, play with children, ask and answer questions and absorb as much as possible. Having her at my site made me realize how much I've been protecting my daily life and my daily routine. I have avoided taking too many photos because I don't want to go around with flashy technology while I'm explaining that I can't give anyone money. Seeing Lauren's photos made me realize the degree to which I've already adapted to my surroundings. Many amazing sites surround me on a daily basis but now that I see them every day, I might not even think to take a picture before I leave. I'm very excited to see the finished product from Lauren's visit.

While she was in Bormase, we walked to the JSS in Sekesua for a 12:45pm meeting. It turned out that they school was conducting mock exams and neglected to tell me so we walked from noon to two in some incredible heat. Though we didn't sit down with the students, I was able to show Lauren the school and explain what I'm trying to do there. That afternoon, Lauren took photos while I went to soccer practice. I've been playing with the local team and I love it!! I'm made myself a striker so I don't push it too hard on my knee and I can walk around when I'm winded but I absolutely love playing. We start at 3pm and as more players trickle in, we go from shooting on goal to small sided games to a full sided game. The field has at least 4 5'x5' rocks in the grass and is sloped to such a degree that by sheer physics, two thirds of the game is played on one side of the field. Players range in age from under ten to late twenties. Until seeing Lauren's pictures I didn't realize how much I stick out. I'm at least a head taller than every player on the field and about a million shades whiter!! After Lauren left, I played in my first match. I'll tell you that lining up at midfield across from 15 strong African farmers is very intimidating. Our team played the Sekesua team and though each team had jerseys, some played with cleats while others wore no shoes. It started to rain at half time so I had to gracefully duck out of the competition but I managed to score our only goal and quiet Sekesua's hecklers. There were over 100 spectators and since the game, I've gotten such warm greetings around town. Very fun!!

Back to Lauren's visit. On Saturday morning, she and I went to my neighbor Patrick's house. Patrick is a farmer/bead maker and was kind enough to show us the whole process of bead making. He showed us the rock on which he lays panes of glass and old bottles. He showed us the heavy metal pole that he uses to grind the glass. He showed us the kiln in which he makes the beads (a chicken laid eggs inside the kiln while Patrick was out of town so his bead making has to take a back seat during the 21 day incubation period). After the tour, Lauren and I sat down with Patrick and his 6 year old daugher Lizzy to make bracelets. This is another activity that I have managed to omit from my weekly schedule for fear that I'll set an expectation that I'll come by every week. I've been too protective of my schedule for fear that I'll over commit myself and end up disappointing people. Now that I've sat down with Patick, I'm sure I'll work with him more often.

I showed Lauren my Moringa trees, the hourly egg collecting process, our communal meal routine and of course I got to show her exactly how much time is left over for reading.

This visit was a great learning experience for everyone involved. Lauren talked to many people about her work at the eye clinic and stressed the importance of getting your eyes checked (the new National Health Insurance Scheme provides free check ups for 10 Ghana Cedis per person per year). I learned a lot about my own routines and about my apprehensions at site. Lauren got to see what I consider the real Ghana. Tema is incredibly impoverished and clearly needs help but roughly 80% of Ghanaians survive to some degree via agricultural work and a visit to Ghana wouldn't be complete without seeing a rural village.

Love to all,

"O ba ma," means "come in time," in Krobo.