Observations

Following the last few days worth of outings comes the random collection of pictures that may or may not have anything to do with one another!  We have been doing some research on some vehicles that are being made here in Accra.  There are several things we have learned about as we have driven around town, observed the people going about their days, and as we make our first forays into town.

 The lizards are kind-of fun to watch.  They dart around, do push-ups for no apparent reason, and are sometimes pretty.

 Toolboxes are not like what we are used to.  Toolbags seem to be a popular item.  Or maybe that's a part-bag.  I'm not exactly sure.

 Sometimes being a boy means having a less than desirable washroom.  (If you ask for a bathroom, you may be directed to a bath-house.  This is totally not a bathroom!)  And said washroom has no facilities with which to wash anything!

 A workshop may be outside of the actual building.  The very lucky ones have their shop on the northern side of the building to afford a level of shade.

 This is Steven.  He is our interpreter/protector/hero.  "Employee" does not describe all that he does for us.

 There are some really cool farming implements made for 5-row fields.  Made in China looks just a bit less impressive than John Deere, I must say.

 For two days in a row, we took advantage of those selling mango and pineapple along the roads.  They are called Hawkers.  They are actually pretty amazing.  They work extremely hard to bring any number of wares from fruit, nuts, bread, and other foodstuffs, to windshield wipers, phone charger accessories, to "as seen on TV" items!  We have wondered how much we could actually buy without ever leaving a vehicle.   The weight they can balance on their heads is staggering.  It seems they start this process early in youth.  One thing for sure, the fruit vendors are a welcome sight when you are hot and hungry!

 Did I say toolbags?  When those just don't do, it is just way easier to dump the bag and search through the pile.  Actually, I think this is again an example of a parts-pile.

Pat took a moment to pose with one of the workers and Steven.

The last couple of days, I have been able to go out with Pat and Adam to observe some building and even more of the city/community.  We have gotten up early and had our favorite Cab driver, Festus, pick us up at 7:00.  (It seems that most places in the world use the 24 hour clock, not am/pm.  One of the many U.S. independent irritations.)  Festus has been teaching us about all the favorite foods of his.  I'm not sure about Banku (a fermented mash of cassava used as a tool for eating a stew), but this day, his fried fish and roasted yams looked and smelled pretty delicious!  (We had just eaten our mango and pineapple for lunch.  I guess he needed more than just fruit - and he said he didn't eat pineapple!)

 The Africa Cup of Nations Football Tournament is going on right now, and Ghanaians are nothing if they are not fans of their team, the Black Stars.  As they were playing a game, we suddenly heard the eruptions of cheering and horns honking in celebration as they scored a goal against Mali for their 1-0 win!  Fans were somewhat disappointed in the low score, but since they won, they were appeased.  Every television that was powered up had a group of people huddled around it!  Most activity seemed to somewhat pause for those couple of hours!

 I have noticed a difference in traffic patterns.  There is no 2-second rule.  Somehow all the drivers drive up close to each other, within a foot or less at times, and move in a mass similar to the huge flocks of blackbirds that flow like waves.  Unlike birds, we do a lot of stopping and honking.  There is a language of honks that are primarily spoken by the taxi drivers.  Festus told us that learning how to drive is more about experience than being taught!

 This vehicle was one we will be looking at more.  They all thought I was a novelty and several of the men took my picture.  I don't suppose they see a white woman at this shop much.

 We did a little bit of shopping to discover where we could get tools.  I look miserable, but it wasn't that bad!  I was actually in the middle of raising my hands to do a "Vanna White."  What was important was that we did find several places who had some consumable materials that we would need.  The prices are not cheap, but many times, they aren't overly excessive.

Thanks to the cleaning out of the basement, my dad was able to donate the parts of a ping-pong!  The dining room table actually serves as a pretty good table, with the extra difficulty of not having corners.  Pat still brings fun with him wherever he goes!  

We have been here less than a week, and it seems to be going pretty well.  We seem to be adjusting to the heat pretty well, though today was tough as we taxied all day with very heavy traffic (meaning lots of stopping) that kept our breezes to a minimum.  It didn't help that we had 3 of us in the back of a car.  If I could do that one over, I would have stayed home!  It is interesting for me to see what is going on with the vehicles, and to get out and see the city.  We are sleeping very well, which surprises me since we don't have a/c in our room.  We do have a fan, and after a cool shower, we seem to be just fine!  We are really loving the food.  At our guest house, there is a super-woman named Earnestina who keeps us well fed.  We have had a variety of recipes that incorporate rice and beans, but also some Akple and Ocra Stew that was interesting as our first Ghanaian dish.  Akple is a corn mash ball that is impossible to describe.  I watched Earnestina prepare it and I can see why women are strong.  She whipped up corn flour into some water until it made a heavy pasty mass, and then whipped it up some more.  It was somewhat bland, to be honest, but not bad. The ocra stew was interesting; stringy and spicy, but again, not bad!  She made my morning today when she whipped up some toast with a fried egg in the middle!   There is so much that I don't photograph.  I just can't all the time.  Plus, I am trying not to be the tourist.  Rest assured we are doing well, enjoying much of being here, and learning a lot about the culture and potential projects.  

Keep praying for wisdom and direction!