Ghana- 1999- Seeing in the Dark

There is nothing unusual about the electricity going off in Africa; however, something special happened one night when it went off. Sometimes it takes the lights going off for me to notice important things about those I love.

Life stops for no one, it just slows down once in awhile so that I gain a proper perspective. The sad thing is I often struggle with the slowing down and want to rush on ahead. When I rush I miss the opportunity to discover priceless truths about those around me.

The electricity had been off most of the day and it hadn’t come on when it was time to go to sleep. The humidity made it so easy to feel uncomfortable. I kept tossing and turning, attempting to find a better position. When I rolled from my back to my side, my back peeled itself away from the sheets and then my side re-attached itself firmly to the bedding.

I could hear everything so clearly: the night sounds, the next door neighbors. I listened to my husband’s rhythmic breathing. He was still awake.

Listening to his breathing, my mind wandered back to a short feature film I had seen earlier that day. “Jacob's Harvest” was a simple film about a family struggling to come to terms with various problems and trials. There were two brothers featured and one always appeared to be getting the short end of the stick because he was the more responsible one. He seemed to be missing out on life because of his strong sense of duty and obligation.

At one point in the film the old farmer asked his adult son "It's not easy always being the responsible one, is it?"

Lying there in the darkness thinking about what that man had said, tears slipped down my cheeks. The farmer’s words made me think of my husband. He has always been the responsible one; never running away from what he needed to do. He had many opportunities to do easier jobs. He had chances to escape hardships, but he always chose to stick with what needed to be done. I cried for the many times that he plodded through life not getting proper recognition or praise when he actually deserved it.

Rolling over, I touched his arm lightly and he responded immediately, turning towards me.

"What?"

"I saw something today that moved me."

"What was that?"

In the retelling of that particular part of the film, I told him of how it reminded me of him. I said, "I know it isn't always easy for you to be the responsible one. I just want you to know that I appreciate you and I’m proud of you. I love you for everything you have done and continue to do. You could easily give up on everything and walk away, but you don’t. Thank you."

Not saying a word, he reached over and touched my face. I couldn't see his eyes in the dark, but I could feel him looking at me. After what seemed like an eternity, he said, in his usual practical way, "Thank you so much for understanding."

No more needed to be said, except to say goodnight. More words would have cluttered the moment.

I realized I had never really seen him as I saw him right then. My heart burst at the seams with pride for him. That picture of him has stuck with me. He is absolutely the best man I have ever known. He has taught me so much just by his life and the way he lives it.

The electricity went off long enough for me to slow down and really see this man who lay next to me night after night.

Ghana- What I miss

Okay, no more doom and gloom- life in Ghana was not all near death experiences and dead bodies. If the experiences were put on a scale, the good days far outweighed the bad days.

Each country is made up of people. Places are fine and things are great but ultimately it is the people who make up a place. They give the place meaning and life. Remove all the people and what is the value of the beautiful sunset or sunrise? What meaning does the historic building have anymore if you can't share it with someone? Ghana has some of the most beautiful people you will ever meet anywhere.

Of course you have your odd ducks, but what country doesn't? On the whole- the Ghanaian people are known for their hospitality- After all, where did the famous "Akwaaba" come from? A word symbolizing welcome in all the senses of the word.....welcome to my country...welcome to my city...welcome to my home.

Another trait found across the board in Ghana is their generosity. If they are eating a meal and you walk up- the instant response to your presence is, "You are invited." It doesn't matter if there is only a small portion of food on their plate or a large one..."You are invited." And it is not an empty invitation because on most occasions the invitation is accepted and the food is shared.

The most captivating aspect of a Ghanaian is their joy. Laughter rings out readily across a courtyard. Even in their disagreements, a smile will play on the edge of someone's lips and before you know it the entire group is laughing. The fight forgotten and a joke made cushioning the problems yet to be shared.

In the many years I lived in Ghana, I saw so many places. I experienced a great many things. When I left Ghana, I did not miss the beautiful beaches, the historic landmarks, the quaint shopping spots. The only thing I miss is the people.

1998-Ghana- Dead man talking

"Mom, there is a dead man in front of our gate."

Katrina was not quite ten when she woke me up to tell me about the dead man in front of our gate. She mentioned it casually, as if she was mentioning there were flowers growing outside our window. It took me a moment to focus.

So it wasn't a nightmare...it really happened!

The naked man lay crumpled on the pathway in front of our house. I ran back in the house to get a blanket to cover him.

"No, no you must not put the blanket on him. This is a police case."

The police didn't come for more than 6 hours. No one was allowed to touch the body. The body cried out to all who were willing to listen, "Why did you allow this to happen?"

So it wasn't a bad dream...it really happened!

It all started the day before. We arrived back from town to find the neighborhood in an uproar. A thief broke into one of the houses but they left some of the goods behind a wall. The idea must have been to come back at dark to retrieve the loot. An impromptu neighborhood committee agreed to lay in wait for the thieves. At around 6 pm the two unsuspecting fellows crept over the wall only to be ambushed. One of the men managed to escape; his friend was not so lucky.

How does one recreate the scene? I was alerted to what was going on by shrieks and blood curdling, gleeful chanting. I ran to the gate to see what was going on outside and discovered throngs of people. There was an odd feeling in the air. I knew something wasn't right and I questioned those nearest me as to what was going on.

"We are going to beat the thief!"

That night the crowd was the judge, the jury and the executioner all rolled up in one. Daniel tried to go out and stop them but they were so 'high' on a thirst for blood that they wouldn't listen to reason. One minute Daniel was there in the midst of the people and the next minute the mob swallowed him up. Pushing through a wall of people, I found him slumped over on the ground. Someone hit him. I'm sure they didn't mean to it was just the frenzy of the moment. Dragging him back towards the gate, I thought we would never make it. We made it.

We were advised to go in our house.

"You do not understand, this is Ghana. This is our way!"

Maybe if we had a gun, or a water hose, or something to disrupt the crowd things would have turned out differently. We had nothing. We begged. We pleaded. Our voices were drowned out by the chanting and the cheering. Mob mentality took over and reason was pushed into the dark corners of the night.

This is not a dream...it really happened.

The sun rose, the birds chirped, my children skipped out the front gate stumbling over the dead man. His skull sunken in from the many rocks hurled at him. His body screamed at me, "Couldn't you have tried harder?" I had no words.

I stood vigil with my blanket in hand. The police arrived. They questioned people but no one knew what happened. The loud chanters and the screamers from the night before were silent. They had no words.

It really happened!

The body was tossed into a land rover. The police drove down the bumpy road with the body bouncing around in the back. I watched the vehicle fade away in the distance.

I will never let it happen again!

Surviving 2008 Snow Storm in Seattle!!

Snow Storms, Shoveling and Snow Bears...

What a change from life in Africa...Snow storms swept across the Western United States leaving everyone housebound. We had to learn how to shovel snow. We also enjoyed learning how to make a snow man...well...let's just say it turned out to be a Snow Bear!

2008 is almost at an end. This year whipped by with a collage of activities. I want to say next year will be slower and there will be less things to do-- but then I say that every year-- in fact, someone pointed out to me I say that every month..."next month will not be as busy" and then next month comes along and it is equally, if not more, busy.

Well- a Happy New Year to One and All- hopefully in the new year I will be more consistent in updating this blog!

A is for Apple, B is for Ball, C is for Cat, D is for Doll..Ghana 1998- part 2

G is for Generator

In 1997 and through 1998, Ghana experienced a terrible energy crisis. There was always times without electricity but during this particular period the electricity was more off than on. Sweltering heat with no fans makes for a very unpleasant sleep.

Three months after we arrived in Ghana, we installed a generator- not a very big one- just enough to run a fan or two should the electricity go off. The gentleman who installed the generator and the electrical connections appeared to be a bit on the tipsy side. This should have been a strong indication to us to send him home immediately, but he assured us he knew what he was doing. This decision on our part almost cost us our son, Sean's life.

Sean loved any animal- whether it be a dog, cat, or chicken. He decided he wanted to raise chickens and promptly started a mini farm of his own. Early one morning, twelve year old Sean woke up to check on his chickens. They had hidden in the generator hutch.

The generator was OFF since there was electricity on this particular day. Sean leaned forward to grab his chicks and almost lost his balance so he grabbed the handle of the generator. All of us slept on oblivious to his danger as 240 volts of electricity surged through his body. His pet dogs came running to his rescue only to be thrown back yelping.

The dog's yelps and further insistent barking alerted the gardener who ran to check on what the problem was. He saw Sean's plight and attempted to use a wooden broom handle to pry Sean from the live generator. He only managed to break the broom handle. He reached for a larger wooden board and this time struck Sean hard enough to loosen his grip from the machine. Sean flew away from the machine and fell into an unconscious mound. By this time the gardener managed to alert us from our sound sleep and we rushed out to find Sean laying at the foot of the kitchen stairs with blood coming from his mouth (I think he injured himself when he flew onto the concrete ground).

I thought Sean had fallen down the stairs. Rushing down to pick his lifeless body up, I pulled him to my chest and began praying over him. He jerked in my arms and sputtered and then his mouth opened saying, "Jesus will help me...Jesus will help me..." His voice was high and agitated and his eyes were unfocused. I tried to calm him but could tell he was in shock. Pulling him closer to my chest, I looked up at Joe, the Gardener and asked, "What happened?"

"He was electric shocked, Madam."

"What??"

After quieting Sean down, the horror story unfolded. Sean's salvation was that only one of his hands held onto the generator. The electricity went in through his small finger and exited via his palm. There were two distinct holes burnt into his hand. I've been told that if both his hands had held onto the generator the electricity would have gone through his body and he would have died.

It is interesting to note Sean is a physicist who is working at the National Renewable Energy Labs. He is fascinated with different ways to produce energy and electricity. I often wonder if his 'shocking' encounter helped start him on the path towards his career. :)

A is for Apple, B is for Ball, C is for Cat, D is for Doll..Ghana 1997/ 1998- part 1

F is for FuFu...

Fufu is a staple food in West Africa. Most of the time it is made by boiling the yam or cassava root and the plantain and then pounding them using a mortar and a pestle. Often one person sits down moving the starchy substance around while someone else stands and pounds. As they do this vigorously, the fufu then forms into a glutinous ball.


This ball of Fufu is placed into some liquid that has been prepared. It is put in 'light soup' or in 'ground nut soup' or in Okra stew or fish soup-- how we love eating our fufu. To eat fufu- you must pinch off a small amount and make sure it is soaked with the 'soup'- 'gravy' - in Ghana you are NOT to chew the fufu but rather swallow it. It was quite an experience the first time I ate Fufu- when I was told I was not to CHEW the food--- I couldn't imagine HOW I would eat it-- for aren't we trained from young to chew food??? Well, with Fufu, that is part of the pleasure of eating it.

A Painter gone crazy- Ghana-1997

Ghana embraced me with open arms. "Akwaaba," she called out to me. "Welcome! Your life will never be the same again." There was a time when India had danced for me and wooed me with her spices and her colors. Now Ghana strutted in front of me, not wasting time to woo me but simply expecting me to follow.

Ghana pranced in front of me with her wonderful colors. The bright colors and sounds jump started my senses. I began to wonder which painter went crazy with his greens. Light greens and dark greens splashed wildly wherever I looked. How could I help but to be captivated?

I stepped out of the airport into a swarm of bodies. Sean, Katrina and Cassandra were in tow as we made our way through the human shields to get to the vehicles waiting for us. We were only able to see our new home the next morning. I had grown up with little geckos on the wall, but I was not used to fairly sized lizards prancing merrily along pathways and through patios. The children found these new friends intriguing. It was not long before I hardly noticed them as they zipped past my legs.

The bright colors and sounds of Ghana were not the only thing which would capture me. Each new day would offer new challenges...new adventures...new lessons.