Immaculate Misconception

The night I got back to Bormase after posting my last blog entry, I biked uphill from the junction lugging all my my food etc. and arrived just in time for dinner. Exhausted, I was looking forward to eating, bathing and going to sleep. At dinner, Dorothy decided (for the second straight night) to speak to me in only Krobo and ignore anything that I said in English. If I asked a question, she would turn to other members at the table, say something in Krobo and enjoy a good laugh. After two weeks away from site, already anxious about my loss of language skills, I didn't react well. I raised my voice (maybe the first time since I've been there?) and told her how I didn't appreciate her doing what she was doing. She told me that she's explained certain things to me in Krobo several times and I still don't remember them. I kept the conversation civil and told her that I'm trying but that I'm not able to converse in only Krobo. She agreed to speak in English moving forward but I was still very upset. I went to bed worried that my presence wasn't appreciated and that my relationship with my host family was on the way towards being spoiled.

Just a quick look at the confusion that is the Krobo language.

gbe - dog
Ma gbe mo - I will beat you
O nge gbe ye lo? - Are you scared?
E gbe nya - It's finished

Please notice that gbe is used in four different ways. It's pronounced the same each time. Gbe is definitely not the only word in the language that has various meanings. I'm no savant when it comes to language but I am definitely trying and improving. We'll see how it progresses.

In the morning, I went early to Patrick's house to help make some new beads. We sat and worked all day while mixing in small Krobo lessons and discussing possible projects for the future. I joked and laughed with Patrick's children and several visitors as they came by the house. The general feeling was so far from the feeling at my own house and it was a great relief. I ended the day with a nice, exhausting football practice. Stephen approached me in the evening and asked about what had transpired the previous evening and I explained that I was tired and really didn't appreciate the approach that Dorothy took. Stephen suggested that we meet with Emmanuel and have him tell his wife to act differently. Stephen has been talking about how Dorothy's constant yelling is exhausting and hurts the general feeling of the house. I told him that I'm sure it's in response to the constant financial stress she's under and the fact that she's in charge of keeping a house running while 7 children are in the house. For now I'll bite the bullet and spend more time away from the house. I know that it will be better for me and I imagine that Dorothy will get some extra rest with one less person in the house.

On Saturday morning, I returned to Patrick's for some more bead work. I helped fill some molds with glass powder, talked with Patrick about other plans for the upcoming year and relaxed. While returning from an errand to my house, I stopped by the borehole and hung out with some of the younger children of the area. Despite the weather, it's really beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Children are home from school and everyone is going around town with big smiles and happy greetings. I played with the kids for a while (pictures coming, the internet here is too slow) and returned to Patrick's for what turned out to be an afternoon of playing board games. We played a Ghanaian game that is somewhat similar to Sorry. The relaxed nature and constant joking made me feel more at home than I've felt since moving to Bormase. I seldom feel out of place but until this past week, I haven't felt like a real member of the community. It's a wonderful feeling!!

As I walked back into the compound surrounding my house, I saw two young children playing on the veranda with their mother. This is far from an uncommon site as children are coming by the house all day but as I got closer, I saw that Atta and Lahweh were back with their mother Hannah. When I was first assigned to stay in Bormase, one of the most exciting prospects of the post was the opportunity to live with these twins while they grew from 18 months to three and a half years old. Unfortunately, they moved away just after Chrismas last year. Now, they're back for Christmas and my abundant joy was met with sheer terror from both twins. For the next several hours, every time I was in view, both children would scream and run away crying. When Atta or Lahweh walked into the courtyard, they'd check my door and then sprint to where they were going. At dinner, thy crying began as I walked up to the table and lasted until I had finished eating. Just before leaving the table, I put out my hand and each of the twins stopped crying and slapped a hand in mine for a good handshake.

The next morning, both twins cried and ran the first time they saw me. Within a few hours, we were chatting away in garbled Krobo and having a good time (more pictures to come). Yesterday afternoon, a large wedding ceremony was held at the local primary school. A football match was also scheduled so I arrived at the site around 3pm for the match. A few days prior, I helped prepare the field by holding a new piece of bamboo atop the goal posts. The previous crossbar had spoiled and we had to trim a new piece of bamboo and nail it on as the new crossbar. Other players cut sticks from nearby trees and staked the net into the ground by bashing them with large flat rocks. Compared to the pre-game ritual in high school where metal stakes and velcro straps attached a pristine net to a perfectly sized goal frame, this was far less precise but much more fun.

The opposing team arrived for the 3pm match at 5pm, just as the local team was dividing into two sides based on preference of Ghanaian club football clubs (Accra Hearts of Oak vs. Ashanti Kotoko). Donated St. Ignatius uniforms were finally going to be put to use but just prior to kickoff, the opposing team showed up in white jerseys and we were forced to abandon our town game and sport blue replica Manchester United jerseys.

With the wedding celebration coming to a close, the match got underway with a huge fan base and no shortage of inebriated fans (plus one referee and several players). The scrappy game ended in a 1-1 draw. A poorly cleared ball by the Bormase keeper allowed an open net put back early in the match but our side persevered and knotted the score at 1-1 as the sun was about to set. A few of my shots narrowly missed the mark but at the end of the match, I received hearty handshakes from both teams.

I'm now buying some last minute provisions as I won't have another opportunity before my American visitors arrive.

With nowhere to go but up following the conversation with Dorothy, things managed to go up and up and up throughout the week.

Love and Happy Holidays to all.

Ira

PS: Somehow, Kua is actually NOT pregnant.