Today is the first day that the internet has been working and it is still super slow (sadly still no pics can be posted). I have been in the cafe for an hour now and have only checked two emails and logged onto this site!!!! One of the kids, Peace, is with my mom and me. A former volunteer set up email addresses for the kids and we are helping her check her email. Watching and helping her type an email is adorable!
Well, I must have a stomach made of steel. I spent three months here and had very few problems with the food (no matter where I bought it from), water, etc. My Mom on the other hand, made it four days and then was out of commission for about 2 days! She gave us a little scare on Saturday with being very tired and other ailments, but she is back to herself today! Good thing, because I think Sister Bernice was about to force us to go to the hospital (don't worry, she was overreacting a bit)...my mom and I were both in agreement, a stay in a Ghanaian hospital was not something either of us wanted to experience!
Today we celebrated one of the kids' birthdays. Noble turned 13, so we had a cake made at the local bakery with his name on it and had a little party this afternoon. We even managed to find a few balloons to decorate the house. Noble was definitely a little embarrassed with all the attention and singing, but he loved it. I got a big hug from him tonight when I left the house thanking me. These kids don't normally get their birthdays celebrated. The kids have started something new since I was last here. When they thank us for something, not only do they do the usual hug and thank you, but they also say 'May God bless you richly.' We have been receiving this wish all week for such small things really. We brought them used cloths from Goodwill and for that they want God to bless us richly. It is a beautiful thing really. Humbling.
Besides hanging out with the kids, I have gotten to introduce my Mom to several friends and show her around Ho a bit. I think Ho is quite a shock to her. Even though she has seen my pictures and videos, she still kept thinking we were going to 'the bush.' Now that we have walked on the streets and taken a few taxis she says New York is the only city she has ever seen that is busier than Ho (she is exaggerating a bit here). It is quite a metropolis! We have visited Auntie (the lady I stayed with last time) several times. She invited us to dinner last night....Mom needed to rest more though, so I went and it was great to taste her wonderful cooking again. We also went out to dinner with the volunteer coordinators from DiVOG (Robert, Richard, and DJ) on Friday night and got to catch up. They keep encouraging my mom to go out dancing! I am discouraging this! =) We also went to visit one of my fellow teachers at his new house and got to meet his wife and new baby. I went to church on Sunday with Keldi one of the few Ghanaian girls around my age that reached out to be my friend (I attended church with her several times before). I definitely lost my endurance though for Ghanaian church....after 3 1/2 hours of singing, dancing, and preaching in the heat, I had to leave church. Keldi stayed for another 45 minutes after me and it was still going on when she left!!!! My mom and I picked out Ghanaian fabric and are having outfits made for us and can hopefully wear these to church next week. We also let the kids pick out their own fabrics and are getting church outfits made for them!
We are being treated wonderfully at the orphanage and eating way too much food! They are always worried we are hungry! We lucked out with an indoor toilet and running water! However. we are getting to enjoy bucket baths! It is a little rough in the morning when I have to poor that cold water down my back. The weather has been very pleasant....cooler than the time I was here before (God IS blessing me richly!!!). It is the end of Ghana's rainy season, so the rain is helping to keep things cool. Though it has gotten very hot a few days (hot enough that Mom had to buy a sweat rag), but the evenings are a nice relief.
Now for the highlight of the post, a Word From Carol:
I do not write as well as my daughter, so please bear with me. I am so very pleased and blessed to be here with her making all of these memories.
I have had a very good time and yes have been under the weather just a little bit the last few days, but please know that all is well now. I had a long talk with God and told him that I could not be sick anymore. So far.....so good.
I have been taking a lot of pictures to document my experiences. Just wait till I get back.
For my Ashley friends.....wait till you see the competition.
When was the last time you saw children spend an entire day outside playing, these kids amaze me with their imaginations. No video games, computers or television non stop, an interesting concept, don't you think!!!!
Miss you all!!!! Carol
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