Today wasn't as I expected, but most days are that way. Any of you who are really fanatical about lists, getting things done on time, or meeting deadlines, don't plan on spending a lot of time in Ghana. The best laid plans seem to go asunder most days. Not that you don't get anything accomplished, but this is not the goal oriented society as in the US.
Laurene, Cindy and I went to Adum (pronounced a-doom) or the downtown area as Irene is having a birthday this week. Laurene needed to get her a present and fabric was the item. I LOVE to go fabric shopping, especially here. I could fill my suitcases with yards of beautiful fabric to bring home! Colors, designs, textures, it is a virtual haven for fabric freak like me. Then another trip to Opoku for supplies…this is a daily event here.
We caught a cab to Adum and got out in the heart of Kumasi. Saturday, market and shopping day, cars, loud African music, people everywhere and poor Cindy has to herd Laurene and me around in this confusion, making sure we don't fall in the open sewers or get hit by a car. She takes us to fabric stores, I look, touch, feel, and dream of how beautiful these pieces would be made up in a long skirt, or maybe some nice table linens for a very festive table, tote bags, shirts, and I wonder if I can get by with wearing a lab jacket to work in some beautiful bright colored Ghanaian fabric? Okay, no more dreaming, this is serious business. We find a piece of fabric that screams IRENE all over it, so we purchase. I drool, they drag me out. Up the hill to the post office. Not your usual post office as all the boxes are outside, under cover but outside for 24/7 access. Cindy gets the mail for Laurene, and Laurene turns me loose to go 1/2 block to the book store man. Now, first of all, Edward NEVER turns me loose. That spells trouble. I have 1/2 block of total freedom. The book seller man has a great place on the street with a ton of books (literally). Lots of medical books, law books, old Time magazines, old National Geographics. Next to fabric, book stores are my favorite! Cindy and Laurene show up with the Book Store Man himself in tow. We are introduced and he hugs me like we have been friends for 40 years and I haven't seen him in 25! Anyway, this is funny because last night we were talking about him. He has this 'shop' and then his home, which was described as being very nice, very large and full of books. I saw pictures…rooms full of boxes of books! He invites me over to see his house before I go back to the US and that will happen!
Next off to Opoku again. My favorite spice lady vendor has spices for the spaghetti tonite (how did I get stuck cooking 2 nights this week????) so I am pleased. Laurene is in Opoku standing by her tote basket which is on the floor. The place is packed. She reads off the list, Cindy and I run and get stuff, bring it back, dump it into the basket and before you know it, the shopping is done, complete with Chinese toilet paper, which is 3 ply I might add for extra strength I guess. I call Edward who has ended up getting his car fixed all day. He says he will be right there….hummmm, I have heard that before just a few hours ago. While in the check out line there are two abrone girls and I start a converstaion, as usual. They are from Germany and here for a year working in an orphanage out of town. We check out and go outside to wait for Edward. There is a plasic table with chairs we can sit at, so we set our stuff down and get comfy.
Darn, forgot the chocolate. Back into Opoku runs Cindy. Now let me explain something here. If you look up Ghana exports, you will see that cocoa is one of their major exports…and gold. I have yet to see any gold shops or fine jewlry shops in Kumasi (maybe Accra has them all) and chocolate????? We went to three places today and couldn't find a bit! Okay, maybe not a good year for production.
As we waited for Edward, the girls turned me loose again and I walked up the block to the Opoku Wholesale shop. I go in. This is the Sam's Club of Ghana…100 pounds of rice..you got it, 6 pack of Corona (that IS bulk by the way) you got it, Boxes of drinking water, you got it and I think I even remeber a 12 pack of Coke. It was great. I only wish I could get pictures of these places, or you could experience them first hand. It is truly wonderful!!! Really.
Back to the girls. I am sitting with them watching the women with their wares on their heads. Fish, water, fabric, anything you want to buy, it is on their heads. I see a lady walk by with ribs on a tray on her head. My thoughts immediately turn to….KANSAS CITY BBQ!!! Baked Beans, Potato Salad and a nice cold Boulevard. It is hot enough, and my mind drifts. I find myself smiling, thinking of great times with friends, eating ribs, baked beans, potato salad, sigh…no I am not homesick but food sick. Laurene jars me back to reality. "hey Mary, there are those rats you were talking about on your land last week" and she points to the lady and the 'ribs' on the tray. WHAT????? I look closer. Darn she is right, those are road kill grass cutter, flat, hard, and looking like a slab of ribs.
Moral to this day, well, I love Ghana. I love being here, I love being hot, I love cold showers, I love the people. Thus, ribs, baked beans, potato salad and nice cold beer. Things I love and am thankful for each day that God has given me to be here. Each day I learn something, experience something and make a new friend.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
A visit to the Asantehente
Wow! What a great day today was. First of all I could sleep in a little bit. Second, today was court day at the Royale Palace so Edward and I left the house at 10AM to see the events. Let me say to start that, most of the pictures that are included are NOT mine. Pictures are not allowed in the Palace and I will not take pictures of in or around government buildings. That just seems like an international incident in the making. There may be included a couple of pictures of the outside the palace, of the Adrinka symbols decorating the fencing that are mine.
Some history of this Court, as I understand it. The Asantehene, or Ashanti King is not the president of Ghana but the king of the region and people where I am located. He has a beautiful palace in Kumasi and presides over and settle disputes for the people. I am quite sure he does a lot of other things also, but this one of his duties as king. Now, whether these settlements are legally binding per Ghana law, I don't know. He holds court two times a week, unless he cancels as in the case of this past Monday. Many of these disputes have to do with the deceased and their families. For instance, Edward told me he overheard one woman say their loved one had not been buried for 7 years because of a family dispute over land. Another woman was in some sort of problem with a 10 year old child who had not been buried. I did ask about where these people (the deceased) are and Edward assured me they are in a mortuary somewhere, hopefully on ice. But, imagine not being able to have the finality of burying or cremating your loved one because someone in the family (and this could be extended family) has some objection to a land claim or what ever.
We arrive about 10:30AM after the usual traffic in Kumasi. It is here I will tell the story of what I saw on the road to the palace. For those of you faint of heart or love animals, DO NOT READ! As we were driving through one section of town, I saw a man off to the left with the normal 'stuff' on his head, and then things over both his shoulders. Over his left shoulder, it looked like a dog. Indeed, it was a dog and as we passed him, I saw it was a dead dog. I asked Edward about this, thinking of Lewis and feeling sad for a few moments. This dog the man was carrying was dinner for him. Fortunately, breakfast had been a few hours earlier.
We arrive at the Palace and it is buzzing with activity. There are many cars in the car park and even more people milling around in the car park dressed in funeral clothes. Edward explains to me that there must be many disputes over the property or problems with the deceased, and this is traditional dress. We walk into the large open court yard in the palace grounds where we meet up with the nice gentleman we spoke with on Monday. He helps us get our own plastic chairs (for 50 pesowas each) and they are placed for us near an overhang. All around the yard are living areas for people built into the walls. The whole time we are there, there are women going in and out of some of them selling water, restocking, and back out. Edward had called the Queen Mother from Kyekyewere to meet us. She came in and we offered her a chair. This is a social event also and she was off to the meet and great with her friend at her side. She is a popular woman and knows many people in the crowd. Inside the court yard a mode of 'working the crowd', meeting people, chatting a few moments, seeing and being seen, then moving to the next person was going on. I even knew about 5 people there either from Kyekyewere or people I had met on my travels around town!
The Queen Mother had moved on to a more 'exclusive' area where we were not allowed. Probably an area for those who are close to the King. The Elder went along with her so Edward and I contented ourselves to relax in the chairs and watch the people. He has the advantage over me though as he can eavesdrop on the conversations and I can only people watch. But, I love the people watching. The variety of fabrics used, designs in the fabrics, how the men wrap themselves in the cloths, the women and their clothing, the shoes…it is absolutely fascinating to me to watch and see all that is going on. There must be maybe 3 yards of fabric that I would guess to be 60 inches wide that is wrapped around the men. Now, what you might ask is underneath? Let me tell you, I saw basketball shorts, hiking shorts, cargo shorts, regular shorts but my favorite was the middle aged man with the regular shorts low on his hips and the NIKE underwear band showing! The men then take the cloth, center it on their body about the back, take about 1/2 up the width on each arm and do this wrap thing that no matter how I studied the technique, I cannot explain, nor could I do. But, the outcome is most attractive. The black cloth may have gold designs in it, a lacy edge, Adinkra symbols woven in, so many possibilities. A fabric freak like me goes nuts in such a situation. There were a few men in shirts and ties and I recall seeing a suit or two but Western clothing was rare.
Through-out the crowd there were vendors selling wares. This is not obnoxious vendors selling 'stuff', but nice mannered women and men with water on their heads (in plastic bags about 500ml each) or gum, or ice cream, papers, hankies to wipe sweat (which is pouring off me), Mentos, and of course the calendar with the Asantehente's pictures all around the months. Didn't check if it was this years or on to 2011.
The crowd was calm respectful and by in large quiet spoken. There was the occasional greeting of two or three men who apparently hadn't seen each other in a while. Cell phones were quiet, there was an air of calm, of course it is a little difficult to get worked up in the heat or at least I think so. A couple of Chiefs came by our seats. You can tell a Chief or Nana at a formal occasion as many have their entourage and umbrella boy carrying a large umbrella over the Nana's head.
Some people behind us and to the right moved their chairs away. This spot was right by the entrance door, under the eves so if it rained we would be dry and the major bonus, out of the sun. Edward moved us there and it turned out to be a great spot. If I needed to see anything, I could just stand on my chair to look over the heads, as when the Asantehente came in. I sent Edward out to the car to get my overheated, two day old peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was past noon and I was hungry. Travel tips: 1. always carry toilet paper and/or wet wipes and 2. always carry a PBJ or crackers or cheese or something to eat that will stick to your ribs.
As I was enjoying my lunch in the shade, in walks a man with a sheep. Sheep here don't have all the wool sheep at home do, thus my confusion on goats and sheep. About 5 minutes later another man comes in with a sheep, then another with 2 sheep. Then the guy with the case of booze. Edward explained this may be to pay off debts later. The sheep and alcohol go back into the area on the other side of the court yard. There seems to be a lot of commotion in the back, and a most of the people leave that area. All is quiet again and the crowed evens out. Then, the big moment.
The Asanatehete enters the court yard. This happens without any announcement so I am caught by surprise. I scramble up to stand in my chair and a nice gentleman comes over to me to tell me to watch for the umbrella. There are men in the procession carrying a stool, and the sword and some other gold relics. Then comes the King under a huge green umbrella and behind him the 5 guns we saw at the Palace on Saturday. There are a couple of army or police, but not many, walking along side. The King is seated under a roofed in area on a platform with petitioners in front of him. Proceedings begin, and from here out I don't understand all that is going on. I must confess though I did pick up the use of a couple of my Twi words and felt quite proud. One side presented their story, the other side their story. Each side may have 30 to 40 people with them to help tell the story. Multiply that by the numbers of cases that might be present or wanting to be heard. The King said something and there is a man who says 'yum' after every sentence the King says. I guess to tell us to listen up. This went on for about 45 minutes. I made faces at the baby in front of me, watched people, and tried to understand some of the words. Edward sensed my loss of interest and suggested we leave. I came away with the thought of, if one thinks the wheels of the US Court and Government move slow, come to Ghana and you will see a real court back up.
Outside the gates, there were vendors and people milling about. The car park was somewhat empty and no one had blocked us in. There was no organized parking there, so it could have been a possibility that we would have been blocked in by 1 or 2 or 3 or more cars.
So off we went, after seeing the King! What a beautiful day it was!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Looking for Mozzarella
Deciding on topics to blog about is always difficult for me, not being a writer. Today I decided that it is not important that I write on a serious topic, something earth shattering, or depressing, or way of life that, by our standards, needs to be fixed. A more routine day here in Ghana is just as important as there are lessons to be learned,.
At the end of each day I make a list of things I would like to get done the next day. Sometimes those goals are met, sometimes not, but it is a map of the day's plans. Today's goals were to go to the University, to visit the pharmacy schools and nursing schools. If possible to speak with the Deans of both colleges about lecturing on a guest lecture basis thinking that some extra CD's ($$$) never hurt. Having some affiliation with one or the other college would also be good as a source for students for the clinic. Nest, to Barclay's Bank to set up an account, Opoku Trading (my favorite and only grocery store in Kumasi), then home.
I started out for the University this morning. It is along way to there from here and actually one needs a camera to take film of the traffic, and how the drive goes. For you all in St. Louis,Highway 40 in the rain or snow during rush hour is a walk in the park, believe me. I arrived about 40 minutes later and found the pharmacy school. Nice buildings, students around, all dressed up and wearing white coats, very professional and impressive for an outsider. After asking directions about 15 times, I found the Dean's office. Thank goodness it was air conditioned because it felt wonderful. The Dean was at a meeting somewhere about a PharmD program. I made arrangements to call and make an appointment for later. Another twenty questions later, I found the nursing school. A v ery nice lady gave me insructions as to where to get an application, fill it out, fifteen copies made of that plus my resume, and whe would give it to the Dean who was ill that day. So, back to the Administration which was about 2 miles away to see Charles on the 4th floor who has the applications. Now, the humor here, Charles has a nice office. Not like a Western office, but a nice office. No file cabinets though. He files (and most everyone I have seen in Ghana) in the horizontal method. As I was waiting for Charles to find an application, I studied the horizontal method. There were groups of papers, composition books and like items ( I assume) bound together with string. Then those bundles stacked on top of each other. Truly, I could not even begin to make heads or tails of the filing system.
Back to the nursing school, with my filled out application, resume, business card and Irene was kind enough to offer water and a chair in another air conditioned office….YES!!!!!! I explained that I have no way to make copies (darn Office Max is closed…right…WHAT Office Max???) and would she be able to guide me to a place that could make the copies. Of course, no problem, for X number of CD's SHE will do it. That beats running around campus and a city of a million looking for the same thing, so I left papers with her, got both her number and the Dean's number and will call next week, hopefully for an appointment.
Whew…all that was 2 to 2 and a half hours. Lunch time…my nice fresh grown banana and some cookies on the run, along with the water. Now back to Adum (downtown) to Barclay's. April 2009 I was there finding out about a bank account. Got sick, did nothing, but before I left this time I did have Emmanuel sign the papers and got the documents from the US I would need copied and brought along. The bank was packed and fortunately I go to the corporate banking. I found the corporate section, got past the guard and found my way to where I remember speaking to the man in 2009. Of course the man from 2009 is not there anymore but I was directed to a very nice man who took the time to help me recreate the application steps. Yea….but….NOW I will have to get my status papers from Accra (that means the government office) on an NGO. The government experience will be many blog posts!
Fortunately Opoku Trading, right across the street from the Bank. My MOST FAVORITE PLACE. They have foods from all over the world. Tomorrow night I cook dinner and Cindy's choice was home made pizza. When I was at Opoku Trading yesterday I forgot the Mozzarella… s0 that is my main reason for being here today. Please, do not think of this store having a whole section of cheeses…the whole store is about the size of the cheese section! Off to the back near the registers…there are two rows of freezers and four upright commercial refrigerators. I find the refrigerator with some cheese and at this point begin to pray they have mozzarella. Edem, Enthemaler, yellow chedder, white chedder, then Wa Laa…a HUGE and I mean HUGE package of Mozzarella! Yes, Ask and ye shall receive…in a huge quanity! But not to fear, I reach way in the back behind the large packages of Mozzarella, and there are some smaller ones, just right for the Pizza.
And where does this leave us? Starting with a list of things to do, the back up contingent plans just in case there are problems, and looking for Mozzarella for dinner. Get your list together, be persistent, patient and kind….and the mozzarella is in the back!
At the end of each day I make a list of things I would like to get done the next day. Sometimes those goals are met, sometimes not, but it is a map of the day's plans. Today's goals were to go to the University, to visit the pharmacy schools and nursing schools. If possible to speak with the Deans of both colleges about lecturing on a guest lecture basis thinking that some extra CD's ($$$) never hurt. Having some affiliation with one or the other college would also be good as a source for students for the clinic. Nest, to Barclay's Bank to set up an account, Opoku Trading (my favorite and only grocery store in Kumasi), then home.
I started out for the University this morning. It is along way to there from here and actually one needs a camera to take film of the traffic, and how the drive goes. For you all in St. Louis,Highway 40 in the rain or snow during rush hour is a walk in the park, believe me. I arrived about 40 minutes later and found the pharmacy school. Nice buildings, students around, all dressed up and wearing white coats, very professional and impressive for an outsider. After asking directions about 15 times, I found the Dean's office. Thank goodness it was air conditioned because it felt wonderful. The Dean was at a meeting somewhere about a PharmD program. I made arrangements to call and make an appointment for later. Another twenty questions later, I found the nursing school. A v ery nice lady gave me insructions as to where to get an application, fill it out, fifteen copies made of that plus my resume, and whe would give it to the Dean who was ill that day. So, back to the Administration which was about 2 miles away to see Charles on the 4th floor who has the applications. Now, the humor here, Charles has a nice office. Not like a Western office, but a nice office. No file cabinets though. He files (and most everyone I have seen in Ghana) in the horizontal method. As I was waiting for Charles to find an application, I studied the horizontal method. There were groups of papers, composition books and like items ( I assume) bound together with string. Then those bundles stacked on top of each other. Truly, I could not even begin to make heads or tails of the filing system.
Back to the nursing school, with my filled out application, resume, business card and Irene was kind enough to offer water and a chair in another air conditioned office….YES!!!!!! I explained that I have no way to make copies (darn Office Max is closed…right…WHAT Office Max???) and would she be able to guide me to a place that could make the copies. Of course, no problem, for X number of CD's SHE will do it. That beats running around campus and a city of a million looking for the same thing, so I left papers with her, got both her number and the Dean's number and will call next week, hopefully for an appointment.
Whew…all that was 2 to 2 and a half hours. Lunch time…my nice fresh grown banana and some cookies on the run, along with the water. Now back to Adum (downtown) to Barclay's. April 2009 I was there finding out about a bank account. Got sick, did nothing, but before I left this time I did have Emmanuel sign the papers and got the documents from the US I would need copied and brought along. The bank was packed and fortunately I go to the corporate banking. I found the corporate section, got past the guard and found my way to where I remember speaking to the man in 2009. Of course the man from 2009 is not there anymore but I was directed to a very nice man who took the time to help me recreate the application steps. Yea….but….NOW I will have to get my status papers from Accra (that means the government office) on an NGO. The government experience will be many blog posts!
Fortunately Opoku Trading, right across the street from the Bank. My MOST FAVORITE PLACE. They have foods from all over the world. Tomorrow night I cook dinner and Cindy's choice was home made pizza. When I was at Opoku Trading yesterday I forgot the Mozzarella… s0 that is my main reason for being here today. Please, do not think of this store having a whole section of cheeses…the whole store is about the size of the cheese section! Off to the back near the registers…there are two rows of freezers and four upright commercial refrigerators. I find the refrigerator with some cheese and at this point begin to pray they have mozzarella. Edem, Enthemaler, yellow chedder, white chedder, then Wa Laa…a HUGE and I mean HUGE package of Mozzarella! Yes, Ask and ye shall receive…in a huge quanity! But not to fear, I reach way in the back behind the large packages of Mozzarella, and there are some smaller ones, just right for the Pizza.
And where does this leave us? Starting with a list of things to do, the back up contingent plans just in case there are problems, and looking for Mozzarella for dinner. Get your list together, be persistent, patient and kind….and the mozzarella is in the back!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Water.....pure and simple
I awoke a few days ago at 4:30AM Ghana time to the sounds of the woman in the apartment downstairs doing her dishes, the ever present rooster crowing, dogs barking, and there was a new sound of distant thunder. It was still dark outside but as I looked out the window I could see lightening in the distance. I lay in bed wondering if it was worth it going back to sleep. The temperature began to drop in my room. I got up, closed the windows, got back into bed and snuggled under my sheet a little more, and watched Cindy and Laurene close the kitchen windows. The rain began to fall, softly at first then increasing in intensity. Somewhere in time I fell back to sleep only to wake with a drip drip drip on the floor in my room…yes the ceiling leaks.
This morning started with water and as the day progressed I thought more and more about water. We all know of the water crisis in many countries around the globe, we know not to drink the water in Third World Countries, we know that hundreds of thousands of people die every year because of water borne illness. I came close to being one of those statistics. But, today I looked at water in a different way. DEALING with unclean water on a daily basis from morning to night. Think about it. What do you have to DO in the US to make the water clean for use? Think about the water you use every day, what you might use it for, where you might use it, how do fetch it, where does it come from, where does it go, how much do you waste? Let me take you on my daily journey with water from Kumas and Kyekyewere, Ghana.
Look at the chemical properties of water. "Two hydrogen's and one oxygen bound together by covalent bonds. Water may exist as a liquid, a solid or a gas. Water covers 70.9% of the surface of the earth and is vital for all known forms of life. On earth, water is found mostly in oceans and other large water bodies, with 1.6% of water below ground in aquafers and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation. Oceans hold 97% of surface water, glaciers and polar ice caps 2.4%, and other land surface water such as rivers, lakes and ponds 0.6%. A very small amount of the earth's water is contained within biological bodies and manufactured products. Water on earth moves continually through a cycle of evaporation or transpiration (evapotranspiration), precipitation, and runoff, usually reaching the sea. Over land, evaporation and transpiration contribute to the precipitation over land." That information was from Wikipedia, I don't remember all that from Pharmacy School or Chemistry but I think you get the gist, we are here by the Grace of God and water.
Remember the morning started snuggled under my sheet listening to the rain fall outside then the gentle dripping from the ceiling onto the floor inside. When in Kumasi, I am most fortunate to stay with two Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They live in a three bedroom 2 bathroom apartment, with a washing machine. Pretty nice digs for Ghana. (This you need to know because my daily dealings with water are no where near my friends in the Village of Kyekyewere where the Health Clinic is being built.) I crawled out of bed, through the ceiling drips on the floor. There is a toilet with running water. It works funny and is in a separate room from the sink and the shower, but it is a 'regular' toilet. The toilet room is one place I don't have to worry much about water but am grateful for it being there. I go next door to wash my hands with soap and water from the tap. I go back to my room, get my toothbrush, toothpaste and a bottle of water. I wet my toothbrush with the water from the bottled water, put some toothpaste on the brush, brush, then rinse my mouth out with water from the bottle. Next, I rinse my toothbrush with water from the bottle. No using the tap here…why, because I have no clue where the tap water comes from other than it comes from a large tank outside the apartment building. Once the water goes down the drain, I don't know where the water goes after toilet, sink, or shower. Needless to say MSD (for those of you not from St. Louis that is Missouri Water/Sewer District) doesn't have a branch here.
Next into the kitchen to make coffee. I grab a cup, and a bottle of water from the fridge. Fill the cup with the bottled fridge water. This water has been boiled the day before and purified overnight, then the water bottles filled during the day. I set the microwave (hey, we do have some comforts) for about 2 minutes, get my boiling water out, add my two teaspoons of instant coffee and sit down to chat with Laurene and Cindy. Then off to the shower. Now the shower isn't too bad, just that I can't shave because that is how I almost died last year. Bummer! Last year we had to take bucket baths because the water was not working out of the tap in the house. I turn on the tap for the shower. Remember it is a chilly morning for Ghana. There is one temperature and it isn't hot. Nothing like starting your morning off with some real gusto. After the shower back to the microwave to warm up my coffee to take the chill off.
After dressing I prepare for my morning in the village for an initial meeting with Nana and the Elders. I make sure to have about a liter of water with me that is drinkable for the morning. By now it is getting hot and I begin drinking a lot of water. On the way to the village there is a 'creek'. After the rain this morning, the creek is now approaching river stage. The road is not paved, the dirt has a red tinge to it, and the land is getting washed out around the creek. Edward had to put the car in 4WD to get through the mud. This creek is important in the lives of the villagers in the area. It is used as a bathing facility,a place to wash clothes, a gathering place for the women to chat as they do some of their daily work, and probably a source of water for cooking and drinking.
The content of this day is not important for this discussion so let us fast forward to later in the afternoon. Cindy fixes dinner and I help. Usually at home, I clean and wash dishes as I cook, but Cindy will rinse the dishes, then saves them until dinner is cooking to wash. All this time a huge pot of water is on the stove heating to a boil. Once that water is boiling, some is used for washing and rinsing the preparation dishes, the rest will be used for washing the dinner dishes and pans. We have dinner and tonite it is my turn to wash dishes. I scrape and rinse all the dishes, putting the garbage in the pail and stacking the dishes to be washed. To the stove for some of the boiling water, and enough tap or cool water to comfortably put my hands in, and some dish soap. Dishes are done as normal but the rinse water. Again, boiling water from the stove and some cool from the tap although this time I leave the rinse water a little hotter and let the dishes soak to get rid of the bacteria. A rinse and dry then finish up.
To bed, well the same tooth brush routine at in the morning.
And your water? Did you have to brush your teeth and use a bottle of water for rinsing? Were you able to have a hot shower in the morning? Were you able to rinse your dishes in hot water if you washed them by hand, or maybe use a dish washer? How much did you waste today, letting it run while you brushed your teeth, or make a trip to the fridge while cooking? What about your laundry? Did you gather it in a basket on your head, walk two or more miles to the overflowing creek to wash by hand?
This entry may be a little long, maybe even a little too much detail for you. But getting clean water is a long and detailed process in Ghana. I am blessed to be staying in a wonderful home where the water details are small. I think of the Village of Kyekyewere and what the residents do there for clean water. The residents don't have a tap to turn on in their homes for water. It is carried from the well or the creek. That water is not boiled before use, it is not clean (I have a sample if you want to see sometime), it is used for cooking, washing, laundry, drinking, what ever you use water for. You or the children must carry it from the creek or well, on your head. I guess having the water bottle in the bathroom to clean my toothbrush isn't that much of an inconvenience, and I can live without a hot shower for a while. Every time I use water, get thirsty, see water, see laundry being done, dishes being done, ANYTHING that has to do with water, makes me think about where the water comes from, reminds me not to waste, and makes me grateful for clean water.
Did you ever once today think of where your CLEAN water comes from? All you have to do is to turn on the tap. I don't think of it either much when in the US. But in Ghana….it is a different story. Every single time I use water, yes, every single time I use water here, I think of where it comes from, is it clean, where does it go afterward, will I have water where I am traveling to, will I have a toilet with water where I am going to. Water….think about it.
This morning started with water and as the day progressed I thought more and more about water. We all know of the water crisis in many countries around the globe, we know not to drink the water in Third World Countries, we know that hundreds of thousands of people die every year because of water borne illness. I came close to being one of those statistics. But, today I looked at water in a different way. DEALING with unclean water on a daily basis from morning to night. Think about it. What do you have to DO in the US to make the water clean for use? Think about the water you use every day, what you might use it for, where you might use it, how do fetch it, where does it come from, where does it go, how much do you waste? Let me take you on my daily journey with water from Kumas and Kyekyewere, Ghana.
Look at the chemical properties of water. "Two hydrogen's and one oxygen bound together by covalent bonds. Water may exist as a liquid, a solid or a gas. Water covers 70.9% of the surface of the earth and is vital for all known forms of life. On earth, water is found mostly in oceans and other large water bodies, with 1.6% of water below ground in aquafers and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation. Oceans hold 97% of surface water, glaciers and polar ice caps 2.4%, and other land surface water such as rivers, lakes and ponds 0.6%. A very small amount of the earth's water is contained within biological bodies and manufactured products. Water on earth moves continually through a cycle of evaporation or transpiration (evapotranspiration), precipitation, and runoff, usually reaching the sea. Over land, evaporation and transpiration contribute to the precipitation over land." That information was from Wikipedia, I don't remember all that from Pharmacy School or Chemistry but I think you get the gist, we are here by the Grace of God and water.
Remember the morning started snuggled under my sheet listening to the rain fall outside then the gentle dripping from the ceiling onto the floor inside. When in Kumasi, I am most fortunate to stay with two Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They live in a three bedroom 2 bathroom apartment, with a washing machine. Pretty nice digs for Ghana. (This you need to know because my daily dealings with water are no where near my friends in the Village of Kyekyewere where the Health Clinic is being built.) I crawled out of bed, through the ceiling drips on the floor. There is a toilet with running water. It works funny and is in a separate room from the sink and the shower, but it is a 'regular' toilet. The toilet room is one place I don't have to worry much about water but am grateful for it being there. I go next door to wash my hands with soap and water from the tap. I go back to my room, get my toothbrush, toothpaste and a bottle of water. I wet my toothbrush with the water from the bottled water, put some toothpaste on the brush, brush, then rinse my mouth out with water from the bottle. Next, I rinse my toothbrush with water from the bottle. No using the tap here…why, because I have no clue where the tap water comes from other than it comes from a large tank outside the apartment building. Once the water goes down the drain, I don't know where the water goes after toilet, sink, or shower. Needless to say MSD (for those of you not from St. Louis that is Missouri Water/Sewer District) doesn't have a branch here.
Next into the kitchen to make coffee. I grab a cup, and a bottle of water from the fridge. Fill the cup with the bottled fridge water. This water has been boiled the day before and purified overnight, then the water bottles filled during the day. I set the microwave (hey, we do have some comforts) for about 2 minutes, get my boiling water out, add my two teaspoons of instant coffee and sit down to chat with Laurene and Cindy. Then off to the shower. Now the shower isn't too bad, just that I can't shave because that is how I almost died last year. Bummer! Last year we had to take bucket baths because the water was not working out of the tap in the house. I turn on the tap for the shower. Remember it is a chilly morning for Ghana. There is one temperature and it isn't hot. Nothing like starting your morning off with some real gusto. After the shower back to the microwave to warm up my coffee to take the chill off.
After dressing I prepare for my morning in the village for an initial meeting with Nana and the Elders. I make sure to have about a liter of water with me that is drinkable for the morning. By now it is getting hot and I begin drinking a lot of water. On the way to the village there is a 'creek'. After the rain this morning, the creek is now approaching river stage. The road is not paved, the dirt has a red tinge to it, and the land is getting washed out around the creek. Edward had to put the car in 4WD to get through the mud. This creek is important in the lives of the villagers in the area. It is used as a bathing facility,a place to wash clothes, a gathering place for the women to chat as they do some of their daily work, and probably a source of water for cooking and drinking.
The content of this day is not important for this discussion so let us fast forward to later in the afternoon. Cindy fixes dinner and I help. Usually at home, I clean and wash dishes as I cook, but Cindy will rinse the dishes, then saves them until dinner is cooking to wash. All this time a huge pot of water is on the stove heating to a boil. Once that water is boiling, some is used for washing and rinsing the preparation dishes, the rest will be used for washing the dinner dishes and pans. We have dinner and tonite it is my turn to wash dishes. I scrape and rinse all the dishes, putting the garbage in the pail and stacking the dishes to be washed. To the stove for some of the boiling water, and enough tap or cool water to comfortably put my hands in, and some dish soap. Dishes are done as normal but the rinse water. Again, boiling water from the stove and some cool from the tap although this time I leave the rinse water a little hotter and let the dishes soak to get rid of the bacteria. A rinse and dry then finish up.
To bed, well the same tooth brush routine at in the morning.
And your water? Did you have to brush your teeth and use a bottle of water for rinsing? Were you able to have a hot shower in the morning? Were you able to rinse your dishes in hot water if you washed them by hand, or maybe use a dish washer? How much did you waste today, letting it run while you brushed your teeth, or make a trip to the fridge while cooking? What about your laundry? Did you gather it in a basket on your head, walk two or more miles to the overflowing creek to wash by hand?
This entry may be a little long, maybe even a little too much detail for you. But getting clean water is a long and detailed process in Ghana. I am blessed to be staying in a wonderful home where the water details are small. I think of the Village of Kyekyewere and what the residents do there for clean water. The residents don't have a tap to turn on in their homes for water. It is carried from the well or the creek. That water is not boiled before use, it is not clean (I have a sample if you want to see sometime), it is used for cooking, washing, laundry, drinking, what ever you use water for. You or the children must carry it from the creek or well, on your head. I guess having the water bottle in the bathroom to clean my toothbrush isn't that much of an inconvenience, and I can live without a hot shower for a while. Every time I use water, get thirsty, see water, see laundry being done, dishes being done, ANYTHING that has to do with water, makes me think about where the water comes from, reminds me not to waste, and makes me grateful for clean water.
Did you ever once today think of where your CLEAN water comes from? All you have to do is to turn on the tap. I don't think of it either much when in the US. But in Ghana….it is a different story. Every single time I use water, yes, every single time I use water here, I think of where it comes from, is it clean, where does it go afterward, will I have water where I am traveling to, will I have a toilet with water where I am going to. Water….think about it.
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