meanwhile....elsewhere on the planet....the rains have stopped

Mpaha, Ghana, November 15, 2005

anshumaa..(how is your house?)..
awooo.(how is where you slept?)..
awooo...(how did you sleep?) ..
awoooo...(how is your husband?)...
awooo.... (how are your children?)...

awooo

This is my standard greeting exchange every morning when I leave my house to everyone I pass within a 25m radius. I have just visited my site for some few small days (as they say here) for a test drive of sorts.... to make sure everything is ready for me before I make the long haul with all 80 lbs of my stuff. Mpaha passes with flying colors. the last volunteer was loved by everyone in town, so by default everyone seems to love me too, even her dog. In the morning, I get up at 5:30 with the sun, goats and chickens to go running down the very dusty (only) road in town. I say my morning greetings to every farmer iI pass, as Skitzy, my dog, runs with me, ahead of me, and off into the bush to hunt birds and snakes. The reason for all the dust is because dry season is officially here. the rains have stopped and the dusty winds from the Sahara are blowing through. all the dust in the air makes for some really beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Also, at night the moon is surrounded by a glowing haze. On Saturday night when there was nearly a full moon, I was told there was a wedding in town, and I was invited to dance. I am of course thrilled! I grab my camera with ideas of drummers, costumes, traditional dances in the moonlight...... as we approached the dance, the thumping of a techno beat told me i was in for a surprise. there in the middle of the bush in between two mud houses were 2 stacks of huge speakers and a bumpin' tape player and sound board being run on several car batteries. What a sight! Dirty children running around, teenagers with hip-hop moves and women dancing with sleeping babies on their backs.

The next day I went back to the house of the groom to do more meet and greet. I entered the room where the bride was waiting. she was just lying on the bed wrapping in a blanket and look like she was going to vomit. she looked like she was 16, and when I asked she didn't know how old she was. The women with me, Rukaiya, my guinea worm volunteer connection in the community told me that they were letting her rest before she starts her work as wife, and laughed knowingly at all the work ahead of her until she is able to produce some children to share the load.

more stories later
jenell