How does one prepare for nothing?

I've spent a full month living it up. I've eaten well. I've seen loved ones. I've stayed clean! I've even gotten to engage several people in deep, meaningful conversations. The last 4 days of this month weren't quite as nice since I was recovering from what may or may not have been malaria (nurse said yes, blood test said no) but the time alone allowed me a chance to get back in my Ghana mindset.

Having lived in Ghana for roughly nine months, I feel as though I've got a pretty good hang on what it's like to live in the bush of Bormase. However, in that time I've never learned how to go BACK to the bush of Bormase after time spent with first world comforts. At first I was nervous that I would go back and not be 100% healthy so I stayed an extra day for safety sake. Next, I wondered if I would anybody would be as excited about new project ideas as I am. Would people resent the fact that I was gone for so long? Would I have a diverse ecosystem enclosed in my locked bedroom? So many things that I'd put out of my head for the past month were rushing back to me.

Three hours in the tro from Accra to Bormase did not bother me. My legs were crammed into the seat in front of me but apparently I haven't lost the ability to ignore mild physical discomfort for hours on end. Upon arrival at home in Bormase, I was greeted with a hug from Dorothy and leaping muddy paw prints from Kua. My room smells like mildew but any bugs either fled immediately or were eaten during the first visit from Fogg (the cat). An exciting note is that my Moringa field is flourishing. Some trees are as tall as I am. I can't help but smile every time I visit the field that was overgrown with weeds not 4 months ago.

A dinner of fried plantains and beans (red red)offered a nice welcome back to Ghanaian cuisine and smile filled greetings from many make me feel at home.

I didn't quite remember the number of empty hours that are possible in the busy. Yesterday was my first full day in Bormase. Still recovering from travels and illness, I cleaned a bit but mostly read. American snacks and a new book from my Aunt Jan Jan helped me get back into a nice reading routine. Tomorrow, I will meet with some bead makers and discuss how to move forward with sales and what to do with profits.

It's nice to be back but it's odd to have forgotten what it's like to have no elecricity, no running water and no stores. I'll be used to it again in no time but I'm truly amazed at how quickly I got used to the first world in so many ways.

Love to all
Ira