Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Our first weekend in Takoradi

Maadwo! (Good evening!)
Sara and I had a fun weekend, and have seen a bit more of life and culture in Takoradi. On Friday night we stayed in, and the family made us fufu. We watched as our host sister Hilda cut up the cassava into slices and placed them in a pot on the floor. Although they have a stove, the family does most of their cooking on the floor in the kitchen or backyard, on what I can best describe as a small charcoal barbeque with a pot on top for the soup or meat or whatever is being cooked. One of the kids, Nub, had a long club which he pounded the sliced cassava with. More cassava is added until it is the texture of dough. We sometimes see women doing this outside their homes. A large ball of the cassava is served in a bowl beside a chicken drumstick and immersed in spicy tomato soup. You are given a second bowl of water to wash your right hand with, because you eat the fufu with your right hand (but never your left!). To eat it, you take the cassava in your hand and make a cup with it to scoop the soup into your mouth. When you’re done, you eat the chicken. It is very filling, and the combination of the sweet cassava and the spicy soup is delicious! We got very messy and felt a little childish, though fun. Ghanaians, of course, are much more graceful when they eat it, and don’t look nearly as silly as Sara and I. 

Alice, Nub, Hilda and Hilda Jr. making Fufu!

Sara with the finished product
On Saturday Sara and I were able to sleep in, which was really nice since we’ve been getting up at 6:30 every morning for work. After lunch, Hilda and her friend Peter took us to the beach to swim. The ocean was both fun and frustrating. Sara and I felt the pressures of being a minority increasingly as the day went on. Although we’ve become accustomed to being called “ubruni” (the white person) by children as we walk by, and being stared or waved at, it has always been in a friendly manner, curiosity from children, and have rarely faced difficulty. Our colleagues, people at church, family, friends of the family, and strangers we meet on the street, have welcomed us with open arms and astounding generosity. Strangers on the street often ask us how we are, offer to help us find our way, shake our hands, and introduce themselves. We discovered at the beach that women generally stay on land fully dressed, while the men strip down to their shorts and swim. Sara and I fearlessly joined the men in the water, and found the men to be very aggressive. Once we found a less busy beach to swim at, we enjoyed ourselves immensely. It was my first tie swimming in the ocean, and I loved it! The waves are quite large, and you only have to go in a few feet for the full effect, especially during high tide. We bobbed around in the waves, trying not to get the salt water in our eyes and throat (it burns!). Afterwards, Hilda and Peter showed us around the harbour.

The Gulf of Guinea

Loving the water!
On Sunday we got up bright and early for church, which starts at 7:30. Georgina, a friend of our host mom, made us traditional African dresses to wear to the service. We enjoyed the dresses, and were amused that she made them from matching fabrics. Our family attends a Catholic service, which had lively music and djembe drum music, rather than organ. There were many children, some of which sat in the row in front of us. We arrived a few minutes late, and one of the children in the pew ahead of us noticed, and a line of whispering went down the aisle as one by one, the children turned around to see us, quite hilariously. The church service was lively, and the program was very similar to that of my church at home. My favourite part was offering and communion, because many danced up to the front of the church and danced back to their seats. After church Sara and I went with the family to a birthday party of two cousins, twin girls, Joyce and Joycelynn. There were many kids at the party, and we all danced. As the twin's Mom said, "If you don't dance, you don't eat!" 

Our dresses for church
Sara and I have been keeping an eye out for religious business names. Some notables are Christ in You Chemicals, God is Able Enterprise, Good Sheppard Building Supplies, and Divine Right Hair Salon. Our favourite so far is Blood of Jesus Barbering Salon. See the irony? 

THE FRUIT! Mangoes, bananas, pineapple, oh my! They're totally different than at home, and I love them! Sweeter, richer, juicier! Mangoes especially are our new favourite snack. You can buy all these things on stands on the road, as well as coconuts, tangerines, etc. I can’t wait to try my first coconut!

We've been enjoying our placement at FoN, and either Sara and I will be updating on our week's adventures at the office soon!

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