Ghana, Day 48 (Yesterday) - Our Heroes

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana, counting the days until you get here!

So, one thing you should know is that you are very lucky.  Not only do Mommy and Grammy and Grampy and Aunt Connie and Sharon and I and lots of other people love you, but as you get older you will realize that there are lots of things about the way that we live that you take for granted.  When the lights go out at home, it's a big deal!  Everyone is surprised.  And Mommy and I keep water in the basement, just in case there is a big emergency, but you almost never have to wonder whether if you turn on the tub faucet, there will be water.

Here in Ghana, water can be a bit more tricky.  I have a big bucket for water that I keep in the bathroom if the water stops flowing for a little while, and I need to get clean or cook some dinner.  But sometimes the water goes out for longer - so far, only once! And I hope it won't happen while you're here.  But it worried me a lot that the one time it happened was right before you are coming.  And after a few days of no water, Dr. Bill and Ms. Theresa and I were starting to run out of water in our buckets!

[Adults, if you really want to read more about the problem, check out this article: Accra Pipes Go Dry]

Part of what made us worried was that we couldn't get anyone to tell us why we didn't have any water!  Or when it would be back.  Some people said that there was construction and a big pipe got broken.  Some people said it was because there was a shortage.  We have big storage tanks for water on top of the building we live in so we can collect water when it is flowing, and we were worried that one of them might be broken.  We didn't know, and no one could tell us.  And the people in charge of us, at the US Embassy, could only tell us that we could move into hotel rooms (though we would have to pay for it).

But, finally, through Dr. Margaret, who Dr. Bill knows, we were able to find someone who said they could arrange a water tanker to come and fill up our tank! [Adults: given that they showed up in a University tanker makes us suspect that the "fee" we paid may have been a bribe.]

They came in a big tanker truck!

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And they just hooked up a hose and filled up our big tanks, so we have lots of water for right now.

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While they were filling up, another man came by with a yellow jug.  He helped them deal with their hose, and in return they let him fill up his jug.  For a lot of people around here, when the city water goes out, they don't have tanks, and don't have anyone who can get the water truck to come.  They sometimes have to go very far with their jugs to find any water. So we're pretty lucky.

And we got the water man, Mr. Sowah's, number just in case we need him to come again, so we don't have to work just to find out where to get the water from.

Ghana, Day 46 - !!!

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.

I taught today, but it was hard to concentrate on that, because in less than a week you'll be here with me in Ghana!

I can't wait!

What kind of food should I have for you?  What's the first thing you'd like to do?

Ghana, Day 44 - Return of the Frog

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.

Want to hear a funny story?  Ms. Theresa and Dr. Bill have a frog in their house.

In their toilet!

We don't know how it got there.  Some men came and chased it away.  But then there was another one.  So they chased that one away, too.  Then today there was a third frog (it's kind of stopped being funny to Ms. Theresa).  I don't have a picture because as soon as anyone turns on the light, woop, it swims down the drain.

We hope they can find where the frogs are getting in so they don't have to move!

Dear Mommy, there are no frogs in our toilet.

Ghana, Day 43 - Parade?

Hi Ruth!
I'm still in Ghana, but this morning I woke up to a parade outside my window!

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They were singing and drumming and setting off fireworks! I don't know what it was for!
I miss you and Mommy.

Ghana, Day 42 (Yesterday) - Movie Premiere

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.

Yesterday, Dr. Bill, Ms. Theresa, Ms. Anna-Marie, Dr. Carl, Dr. Ben and I went to see a movie.  I would normally work instead of going out to movies, but this one was special.  It was made by someone who used to be a Fulbright scholar, like me, but who taught about making movies instead of about Philosophy.  The movie was called The Destiny of Lesser Animals (the name comes from a Ghanaian proverb that says, "the destiny of a leopard is different from the destiny of lesser animals," which means that people need to not worry if the life they live isn't the same as other people's, I think).  It was about a police officer who is trying to come to America, but then has to solve a crime (it would be pretty scary for you, I think - there is a lot of fighting) and then in the end realizes that he would rather stay in Ghana and help a little girl he met who didn't have a family.  And they talk a bit about how lots of people were very hopeful for Ghana right after it became its own country, but now lots of people want to leave, and other people think it's important to stay.

Because it was the premiere of the movie in Ghana, there was a big party, with drumming outside the movie theater!  There was also a dancer, but she was moving around so much I couldn't get a picture of her!

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Once we got inside, the man who made the movie (the director, the guy who told the cameras where to go and gave the actors advice on how to act), the producer (the man who found money so they could make the movie - movies are expensive!), and the man who wrote the story and played the main character all came to introduce the movie.  I didn't get a very good picture of them.  They talked about how they hoped that more people outside Ghana would like movies from Ghana and go to see them.

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They also stayed to answer questions about the movie at the end, but it was very crowded (more than it looks in my picture!) and we were very hungry.

On the way out, they were having a big party with lots of the actors in the movie.

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We stopped by, but it was very loud, and we were very hungry, so we went to dinner.  I'd rather go to a party with you, anyway.

Ghana, Day 39 - A VERY IMPORTANT DAY!

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.  Today, I mostly taught all day.  I also made some phone calls (they said I should call back Thursday... oh well).

That's a little boring.  But, today is a very important day anyway.

NO!  Not because it's movie night!

(Though that's important too.)

Today is Tuesday.  Next Tuesday I teach again.  But next next Tuesday?

You and Mommy will be here!

Ghana, Day 38 - Big Lizard in My Front Yard

Hi Ruth!

LIZARD!

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Ghana, Day 37 - Red Red

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.

Today was a Sunday, so lots of things were quieter.  I was in in the morning and read the news and some stuff for work, while waiting for it to be morning there so that Mommy could tell me how things were going with the basement.

Then I went to the pool to do some exercise, and dropped off the deposit so that Grammy and Grampy will have a place to stay when they get here - yay!  I am very excited to see everyone, and pretty soon now!

Then I came home to cook for a bit.  Dr. Bill and Ms. Theresa and I had talked about having a dinner here, because it's sad to always cook for one (for me) and they always cook too much for just the two of them.  So we invited some of the other people we live near over.  I made red-red and plaintains.  Red-red is a sort of stew with beans and tomatoes (which I know you like) and hot peppers (which I know you don't!).  I'll try making it for you some time.  It's called "red-red" because it's made with palm oil (which is bright red!) and red hot peppers.  So, if I make it for you, it will just be "red!"  But, wait - it has tomatoes which are red too... why isn't it called "red-red-red?"

When I was finished cooking, Mommy needed to talk to me about the basement, and you were going off to Abell Space with Grammy. So, I ended up talking to Mommy instead of going across the hall for dinner, but everyone said they liked the food, which was nice.

And now I'm back in the flat.  It's a bit late, but I wanted to write a blog post for you.  I miss you.  Give Mommy and Grammy big hugs for me.  I hope the basement is all done by now!

Ghana, Day 37 - Mail is Awesome!

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Ghana, Day 36 - Blackout

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.  Today, I mostly worked.  I read a lot of one of my books about soldiers, and I worked on my paper about Liberia.  I know - not very exciting!

I hear that you're a little bit sick.  I'm sorry to hear it, but I'm glad you have Mommy and Grammy to take such good care of you.  I miss you a lot.  But another thing I did today was get travel medical insurance for you, so if you get sick while you're here, we're all set.  But I hope you won't get sick!

Oh, and we also had another blackout today. This one was a little more annoying than the last one, because it happened right as it was getting dark.  But I borrowed a flashlight from Dr. Bill and Ms. Theresa (I thought I brought one with me, but I guess I forgot) and read for a while.  And once I went and stood outside for a little bit and looked at the sky. There was a little light from the city of Accra down the hill, and I could see the clouds in it, and it reminded me of being outside where I grew up, in the country, not in the city like you're growing up.

And now it's late here, and I'm just missing you.  I'm saving up most of the interesting things to do and see for when you're here!

I know Mommy is very tired from working hard to keep everything OK at home, and I know Grammy is, too. Please be a good listener for them, and give them big hugs from me.

Ghana, Day 35 - Mail Call!

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.  I hope the people working in the basement are almost done! I saw a picture of you going with Mommy to get them donuts.  Yum!

Today I had a pretty good morning because I went to the Embassy and there was mail!  From you!  And also from Grammy!  And Aunt Cori!  Grammy and Aunt Cori wrote me some nice notes, and now I have a bunch of pictures and artwork from you.  I need to figure out where to put up the jellyfish!  And the replacement credit cards that Mommy mailed me also came, which is good.

Then, I mostly worked when I got back.  I did some reading, and then I ran a discussion group with some of the other people in the department [we read part of Arendt's On Violence].  And then I came home and made some more peanut soup - this time with chicken in it.  And worked some more, and tried calling the people fixing the basement to make sure everything gets done.

And now I'm just missing you.  But I have your art to look at when I'm sad.

Ghana, Day 34 - Bread

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.  I hear there are lots of people working in the basement - finally - to fix it up.  I'm sorry I'm not there to help.  I miss you and Mommy.  But I'm glad Mommy is there to oversee things and play with you, and Grammy is there to help oversee things and take you to do fun stuff.

Today, they turned the electricity off!  I guess they announced that they would do it on TV, since they turned the electricity off to the whole city the university is in - but I don't have a TV, so I didn't know.  

As a good thing, my phone was charged, so I could at least call Mommy and find out what was going on with the basement, even if there were problems, it's good to know.  So I did reading for work all day.  And, because my stove just runs on gas and matches, I made bread.

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It's not the same making bread without you here to eat some of the dough.

Ghana, Day 33 - Bottled Water is For Tourists

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.  Whew.

The past couple of days haven't been too exciting.  That's really the main thing about being here - there are lots of things that are different, but even more things that are the same.  My classes are run mostly the same way, and my students mostly want to talk about the same things in class [most popular here right now seems to be gay marriage].  So, yesterday I taught.  Today I was supposed to teach, but one of my students emailed to say that he had gotten sick from something he ate - and this is my class with only two students!  So we just canceled it, but I talked to my other student, Mr. Martin, about his final paper.  And then, since my tummy was bothering me a bit, I came home and read and worked.

Ms. Anna-Marie and Ms. Theresa stopped by after I got home - they had gone out to the Madina Market, and bought some fresh ginger, which they knew I had been looking for.  That was nice of them!  Also, the Madina Market is closer and a bit less hectic than the big big Makola Market I went to, and so might be a nicer place to take you and Mommy when you're here.

Then, I boiled a lot of water.  Back home, you're lucky - you can drink water right from the faucet and it's nice and clean [mostly].  But a lot of places in the world, the water that you get in the sink isn't very safe- it can have germs in it that make you sick.  So since I got here I have been buying clean water in bottles.  But I would rather spend money on presents for you and Mommy and Grammy and Grampy and having fun when you're here.  So I boiled a big pot of water, which kills the germs that can make you sick, and filled up my own bottles with it.  I felt very resourceful!

And now I am just waiting to see if my new modem is fast enough to talk on the computer from the flat, and to wish Grammy a happy birthday.  And missing you and Mommy, a lot.  It's nice to have nice friends like Ms. Anna-Marie and Ms. Theresa here, but it's no substitute for having you and Mommy here.

Ghana, Day 31 - Cookies!

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana. Today, I mostly worked (again!). I'm reading a book about soldiers so that I can make a better class for when I go to teach some soldiers about how they should related to people who aren't soldiers. That will be during the time that you're here with Grammy and Grampy - but the school for soldiers is near the beach! So I'll meet you there afterwards. But I took a break to go down to the mall to get a faster modem for the flat, and they had flour at the store! I've been looking for a while - some times getting things you need here is a little like a puzzle.

And I've been collecting the pieces for cookies!

COOKIES TO SHARE

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1. Arrive at your flat to find a brand-new gas cooker, but not gas.

2. Point out to the university that they are supposed to provide you gas.

3. They will tell you there is a fuel shortage.  This is true.  But it is also code for "you are on your own for gas."

4. Note that the other Fulbright's dept. got him gas.  Sigh.  Ask the driver you know to fill your fuel tank when he finds gas.

5. Have gas.  But no matches. And no fuel hose to connect the gas to the cooker.

6. Borrow matches from the other Fulbrighters... who have gas, but a broken cooker.  Find out that the registry has your hose, for some reason.

7. Let the gas cooker sit for a bit, because you have an electric hot plate on loan, and gas is a little scary.

8. Look everywhere for flour.  Everyone carries bread, but no one has flour.  Hunh.

9. Hook up the cooker.  It works, even though it makes an intimidating "foomp" when you light it.

10. Find flour!  But no chocolate chips.  Buy a chocolate bar to break up.  Resolve to make cookies.  Get some baking powder to split with your colleague, because it comes in a large tin.

11. Cream 1/2c butter and 3/4c sugar together.

12. Combine 1 1/8c flour, 1/2t baking soda and  1/2t salt.  Be glad you bought both soda and powder, because you really thought cookies took baking powder.  What takes baking powder, then?  Maybe biscuits.  Or corn bread.

13. Light oven by poking a match into a tiny hole that hisses with gas.  Carefully.... "foomp."

14. So... no temp gauge.  Only "lots of fire" and "not so much fire after all."  Wing it.

15. Beat one egg into butter and sugar.  Add dry ingredients.

16. Break up one chocolate bar.  Eat two squares, stir the rest in.

17. Make into small balls and place on cookie sheet.

18. Put in oven.

19. Come in to check on cookies.  They're not done yet.  Realize that you remember the cooker guide advising you not to run the hose behind the cooker, which you did.

20. Resolve to fix it later.  In the meanwhile, since the hose is getting a little hot, try to loop it so it's a bit further away from the back of the cooker than it is.

21. Accidentally disconnect hose from cooker, spraying pressurized propane around wildly.  [Say words not repeatable in a blog for your daughter.]

22. Quickly turn gas tank regulator knob to "off" position.

23. Gas does not turn off!

24. In desperation, twiddle knob furiously.

25. Discover that the manual for the regulator completely reverses the "on" and "off" positions (not labeled on the regulator itself).  Safe!

26. Hope that not too much gas has been previously leaking into your kitchen, since at least all the oven burner knobs were off.

27. Hey, cookies are pretty much done!

28. Let cool.

29. Bring a couple over to the nice people who live across the hall.

30. Hand one more to the prof who lives down the other hall, who you don't see much, but who stops by when you're talking through your window to the woman from across the hall, who came by to thank you.

31. Check again for no gas smell in the kitchen.

32. Breathe a sigh of relief.

33. Go back to reading about soldiers.

Ghana, Day 31 - Thinking about...

Ghana Day 30 (but about last weekend) - More From Makola

Hi Ruth!
I just wanted to show you some photos that Ms. Theresa took last weekend when we were at Makola Market (mostly of me buying goat meat!), and just gave me:

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Ghana, Day 30 - Work Weekend

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.  But!  It is now well more than halfway to when you and Mommy come!  Which makes me very happy.

This weekend, I've mostly been working.  Yesterday, I woke up a bit late because people were singing in the field near my house, very loud, and it kept me up during the night.  There are actually people singing there almost every night, but usually it's quiet enough that I can fall asleep. Not Friday night!

Anyway, after I got up and worked for a while - I finished reading a book called The Moral Imagination, which is about how to try to make peace when people are fighting, especially by doing creative things like art with them - I decided to finally hook up the gas stove.

I had been a bit worried, because I've never had a stove like this before!  It has a big gas tank, and you have to light it with a match.  But I finally figured out how to make it work, and it didn't explode, and I don't smell any gas in the kitchen, so I think I did it right.  To celebrate, I cooked some pasta with tomatoes and garlic, yum.

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Then I worked some more, and then I went out to dinner with Dr. Bill and Ms. Theresa, from next door. Dr. Carl and Ms. Anne-Marie ended up joining us, and their friend Dr. Bill, who teaches in the History department. We went to the Nigerian restaurant that I think is the best one near here. They were all going out to see a play, but I was more excited to go to the office and talk to you!
Today, I mostly worked again. I tried to go swimming this morning, to get some exercise, but I forgot that this is Ghana and almost everything is closed on Sundays. The place was all locked up when I got there! But, along the way, I saw a huge church that was temporarily set up in the field near the flat (the same one with the singing).

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So I just came home and made some oatmeal. I talked to Ms. Theresa a bit about the work she's doing at the Osu Children's library - I may go with her sometimes to help people learn how to read. And then I read, and wrote. And I cleaned the flat, which will probably make mommy surprised - I even swept and mopped! Then I ate some goat soup, and now I'm writing to you, and as soon as I'm done I'm going to the office so I can talk to you on the computer again!

Ghana, Day 28 - PBJ

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.

Today was another day that's not that interesting to write about.  I had to go back to Burma Camp this morning, because I made a silly mistake on Monday - I brought my letter to the wrong office!  But the people in the right office today were very nice about it, and promised that they would call me next week to discuss my research, after they had looked at the letter asking them for permission.

But, I took the tro-tro all the way there and back by myself, and didn't even get lost!  Which I thought was pretty impressive.  Unlike the buses here, like the number 3 that we sometimes take, the tro-tros aren't usually labeled.  But the simple thing I learned is that if you just ask people where to find the one you need, most everyone will be very helpful.  Sometimes you just have to wait a little while until you find one that's going where you need to go - but so far, not as long as we wait for the bus at home!

The rest of the day, I did some reading and writing.  And then, because I miss you and Mommy, I didn't eat Ghanaian food for dinner, like more of my goat soup.  I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Ghana, Day 27 - Rain, Rain Go Away

Hi Ruth! I'm still in Ghana. I hear you've been having a lot of rain, and I wish there was something I could do about it. But I know Mommy and Grammy have been working super-hard to keep the house safe for you. So, please, be extra nice to them and give them extra hugs. I didn't really do much today, except read and be by the computer in case Mommy needed me (but it was reading I need to do, so that's OK). But the one thing I did make sure to do this morning before it was time to call Mommy was drop off the deposit for our trip to see... monkeys! I wish you were here already.

Ghana, Day 26 - Mail!

Hi Ruth! I'm still in Ghana. Whew. The past few days haven't been very interesting to talk about. I've been teaching, and there's been a professor from South Africa visiting the department here, so I've been in a lot of meetings with him. But there are two very important things: FIRST VERY IMPORTANT THING: I am very very proud of you for how brave you were with your shot. And this is the last shot you'll have to get for a long time. And I hear you got BBQ afterwards. I'm jealous. SECOND VERY VERY IMPORTANT EXTRA IMPORTANT THING: I finally got your mail!

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Ghana, Day 24 - Burma Camp

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana. Today, a lot of my day was taken up by going to Burma Camp. Burma Camp is the main place for soldiers in Ghana - it is both where all the leaders of the soldiers work, and where a lot of soldiers live [Adults: imagine the Pentagon dropped in the middle of Fort Hood]. I needed to go there because I need to ask them permission to do research with soldiers in Ghana. They need to make sure that I'm not going to ask anything that might be a secret, or get the soldiers in trouble!

Mr. Richmond, the graduate student who works with me, showed me how to get there. First, we got a tro-tro from in front of the University:

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We took that tro-tro to "37" station. I don't know why it's called that, really. "37" is a big hospital that used to be only for soldiers, but now pretty much anyone can go there. From "37" we took another tro-tro to Burma Camp. Burma Camp is named that because, in World War II the soldiers from Ghana did a lot of fighting in a country called Burma (now they call it Myanmar).

This is inside Burma Camp:

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But now, instead of fighting, the soldiers from Ghana mostly do peacekeeping - that's what I'm here to ask them about, because I think that soldiers who mostly do peacekeeping might be better soldiers, and nicer to the people around them. Peacekeeping is when you send soldiers to try to stop people from fighting.

The soldiers in Ghana are very proud of how much peacekeeping they do. This is me in front of a memorial to soldiers from Ghana who died trying to stop fighting:

From September 5, 2011

Anyway, what I did there wasn't very exciting on its own - I just dropped off some letters that I needed to, that ask permission to do my research (I've already done some, in part to get someone to vouch for me when I brought the letters!).

Oh, and I saw this sign that Mommy might be interested in:

From September 5, 2011

(There was another one about how you should be nice to people with HIV rather than shun them, but I saw it from the tro-tro window and couldn't get a photo)

Then I came back to the office and did some work, and then home and ate some goat soup and missed you and Mommy. Dr. Bill found a place nearby where we can get ice cream, and Ms. Theresa found a place where they'll make skirts and dresses, though...

Ghana, Day 23 - Soup

Hi Ruth!

Today, I mostly tried to read stuff that I needed to read and write stuff that I needed to write - I'm still writing about what I learned when I was in Liberia (I didn't just go there to get you and Mommy necklaces!) (But that was a good part!), but I think I am finally making it something good to say.

Then, I ate the soup that I made last night:

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HOW TO MAKE LONELY GOAT SOUP

1. Go down to the big market. Feel torn because, if you're having fun, you feel bad because people back home aren't. But if you're not having fun and doing interesting things, it makes them not having fun even more pointless.

2. Get suckered into buying some peanut butter while your traveling companion is looking at fabric. You won't need it for this recipe, and you paid too much, but hey, it's pretty good peanut butter, actually.

3. Wend your way through the market, hoping you'll be able to do this again without help, to the meat section. It's full of just long tables heaped with meat, and men with machetes who will chop it up for you. Mommy would love it! [Most of the meat still looks like animals, though - on the one hand, probably good for Ruth to understand... but on the other, maybe a little bit upsetting. We can go to other parts of the market when she's here, like the fabric shops.]

4. Get a pound... nah, two pounds of goat. The goat guys are the only ones who seem to work in pounds, rather than kilos. Wonder why. If they like you, they'll give you extra tripe and hoof, to make your stew tasty.

5. Figure, eh, even if you have to walk around more, it's not as if that goat was on ice in the market. Resolve to cook thoroughly!

6. Also get some veggies to put in it.

7. When you get home, heat palm oil in a big pot.

8. Chop up an onion, and add it to the pot along with some garlic, salt, and ginger. Toss in... uh, three?... of the little hot peppers you got at the market. They're small, but you have no idea how their size relates to their heat (and you're not about to bite into one!). Saute them until softened.

9. Toss in as many hunks of goat as will fit in one layer. Cook until at least a little bit browned, about 5 minutes per side.

10. Chop up that whole big pile of tomatoes you got and throw them in.

11. Uhh... these garden eggs are going bad too. Into the pot!

12. Fill with water to cover.

13. Simmer one hour or so.

14. Get really hungry. Ruin your appetite with rice. Oh well, soup is always better the second day anyway.

15. Put soup in fridge. Wait up to see if Ruth wants to talk to you. Fall asleep waiting. Go to bed.

16. Get up, work. Decide the soup is watery enough to go better with fufu or banku than rice. Go get some banku mix.

17. Make the banku as best as you can. It's shapeable! But kind of tastes like caulk.

18. Put banku in bowl, accompanied by a hunk of goat meat. Pour soup over.

19. Wish Mommy was here to share a beer with. Look at the clock. Is it time to talk to Ruth on the computer yet?

20. Not yet.

21. Wait.

[So, this time I think I didn't brown long enough and cooked at slightly too high a temperature, so the goat was a bit tough. I'll keep refining so this is tastier when folks get here.]

[Connie: goat tastes more like beef than chicken. But it's pretty gamy - it has its own distinct flavor, especially when stewed rather than broiled, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. If you'd like to try it in the US, your best bet is to find a Jamaican restaurant. Or, Newark has a big Liberian diaspora, so you can probably get it there. Many halal markets will also carry it, but then you've got to cook it yourself.]

Ghana, Day 22 - Makola

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.

This morning, I went with Dr. Bill and Ms. Theresa down to Makola Market, in Accra. Mr. Prince (that's his name, I promise!), who works for the Communications Dept., was going to show them around, and they asked if I wanted to come along.

We took a tro-tro from the university - we were going to go to "Accra," which is Tema Station, near the market, but every tro-tro going there was full! So we took one to "Circle" instead. This is Kwame Nkrumah circle (Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana, right after it became its own country instead of part Britain):

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When we got to Circle, I was pretty hungry, and there was a lady selling eggs with hot sauce on them - it was pretty good! From Circle, we were finally able to find a tro-tro with room going to Tema Station.

From Tema, we walked over to Makola Market:

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Makola Market isn't really just one place. It spills out everywhere into all the streets and alleys around the "market" itself!

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You can find almost anything in Makola Market. Ms. Theresa wanted to look for fabric,so Mr. Prince showed us where there were a bunch of fabric sellers. They had lots of colorful cloth with designs made with wax on cloth, called batik. Ms. Theresa wanted one to use as a tablecloth. When you get here, we can go - Ms. Theresa is going to tell me if she finds a person who can make dresses!

I wanted to get some food, so then we went to the food part of the market. They had lots of things that looked delicious - I got peanut butter, hot peppers, tomatoes, chicken, and goat. I'm trying to learn how to make delicious things when you get here.

Then we found a woman selling things that they call "black berries" here, but aren't anything like the blackberries we have back home. They're soft, with big pits, and taste like chocolate! I still haven't figured out what they are.

We went to Osu, and I hoped we were going to see the children's library, but Dr. Bill was feeling a little sick, so we just had lunch and went home. We ate lunch next door to a restaurant called Monsoon that is supposed to be very good, and that I want to take Mommy to some night when Grammy and Grampy are here.

Then I came home, and worked. Dr. Carl and Ms. Anne-Marie came by to say hello with Chai, their big dog. And I made goat soup. But I'll have to eat it tomorrow - it took so long to make that I ended up eating some rice. It's OK - soup is always better the second day.

And now I'm writing to you, and missing you and Mommy. Please give Mommy, Grammy, and Grampy big hugs for me.

Ghana, Day 21 - It's Too Far to Walk to the Shangri-La

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana.

Today wasn't very interesting, but I wanted to make sure I wrote a post for you anyway.

This morning I went to yoga class with Miss Anne-Marie, then I went to teach a make-up class for Moral Philosophy. Normally we meet on Wednesday, but this Wednesday was Eid which is a big holiday for Muslims, and so the university was closed.

Muslims fast for a whole month, called Ramadan - they don't eat anything during the day, only at night. Not eating helps them focus on thinking about how to be better people - I know that's probably a bit confusing, but sometimes doing something unusual on purpose can help! Anyway, another neat thing is that Ramadan doesn't come at the same time every year. That's because our calendar (which is called the Gregorian calendar, after Pope Gregory, who wrote it down in the way we have it now). Our calendar, with September, October, etc. is based on where the sun is in the sky. But the Muslim calendar (and the Jewish calendar, too) are both based on the changes in the moon. So they move around relative to each other.

Anyway, we had a nice discussion about what makes things right and wrong. Mr. Kimathi, one of my students in this class, is very talkative - sometimes even I don't get a chance to talk! He is a lawyer. My other student, Father Martin, is much quieter (but they are both very smart). He is a priest.

Then I walked down to Accra Mall. I needed to get something fixed on my computer so I could send emails to you and Mommy from my flat. And, since I've been away for so long, that even though I like the food here a lot (lots of it is nice and spicy!), I sometimes miss the kind of food we have in the US. Last night I really really wanted... rice with ketchup! I don't know why, it's silly. But I bought some ketchup, too. And don't worry - when you're here we can try all sorts of Ghanaian food, but I will make sure we have some pasta and yogurt and peanut butter too.

I was hoping that the walk would be short enough that we could go there without needing to drive when you're here, since it's not too far from the place with the nice kids pool. But I think it's too far.

And then I came back to the flat. And I'm missing you. I'm glad you finally got my card with the dancers! There is more mail coming to you, and I hope it gets there soon.

Ghana, Day 20 - Red Letter Day!

Hi Ruth!

I'm still in Ghana, but you know what today is?

September 1st!

Know why that's important?

Because it means I'm in the last month before I get to see you and Mommy!

Sorry there weren't posts for Days 18 and 19. On Tuesday I got to talk to you over Google+ and I was so excited that I didn't even think about the blog until I got home that night very late (and then I'd left my computer in my office, since it's not always safe to carry around expensive things like computers late at night). And then last night for some reason my internet wasn't working.

Last night, I met my new neighbors, Mr. Bill and Miss Theresa. Mr. Bill is the other person who's here on a Fulbright - he's here to work with journalists (people who write the news for newspapers, the radio, and TV) learn how to do their work better. Miss Theresa is going to be volunteering at the Osu Children's Library that I told you about before! So maybe I will go help her some days, and then you and I can go when you get here. We talked for a little while - I told them about some of the places to get things they needed on campus, and they told me that they were missing their grandchildren back home, and so I should take you by to meet them when you got here! That was very nice of them. And they lent me some matches, which was also nice.

This morning, I went to check out the pool. The pool here is actually pretty nice:

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They don't have a pool for small and medium-sized people here at the university, unfortunately - though there's one at the Shangri-La Hotel which isn't too far. But it'll be a nice pool for Mommy to do laps - maybe she can go in the morning while you and I run around or read stories.

Then, I mostly worked (and sent some mail for you and a birthday card for Grammy that I hope gets there in time). One of the people I know put me in touch with a man who just retired from being a soldier here, and he is going to talk to me about what it was like to be a soldier in Ghana - soon, I hope! And I did some work to set up a Philosophy Club here, too - I hope people have fun with it.

But, more importantly: CHICKENS AT THE POOL!

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