African way...

I thought I'd post a couple of the different things that happen in Africa.

1. Everything starts when people get there. We were - and the Ghanaian team - ready to go at various times, but people got there whenever. (maybe that's not that different...)
2. Someone can really mean to be somewhere at a certain time, but stuff happens. A car breaks down, there's an accident, a friend stops them and wants to talk, etc.
3. Internet is a luxury
4. You can buy pretty much anything out your car window. Water in a bag, pop, sunglasses, nuts, gum, you name it. It's their version of drive thru window.
5. When you're a guest, they treat you amazingly well. I have hardly been able to carry my own backpack or suitcase. They get you a drink before you can even ask. They speak with such honour when introducing you.
6. Car maintenance is done on the side of the road when your car has totally broken down. If it cannot be fixed, you just leave it there.
7. Funerals are a big deal. They take TIME! Friday they have an all night wake - with the body in the room. Saturday is an all day service, complete with brass bands, choirs, 4 or 5 preachers, family speaking, etc. Then there is a graveside service with great loud mourning. Sunday is a 'memorial' where the church service is dedicated to that person. Afterwards, there is a 'bbq style' gathering at the home of the family.
8. Cell service is relatively cheap (and VERY cheap by CDN standards). You can buy a chip for your phone for $2 and a $5 card that lasts about 1 hour talking to overseas. Within Ghana it lasts a LOT longer than that.

Hope all is well back home. We need and appreciate your prayers. Thanks!

Feel Like Chicken Tonight?

Pastor Charles is doing a good job taking care of us here in Ghana. Two of the greatest risks for dysentery and such are water and food...kind of necessities for life. The water is actually pretty clean to the eye. But there are tiny little nasty creepy crawlies in it waiting to attack my intestines (now that's a visual picture). So, needless to say it is bottled water only. Actually, I've drank some pop - 4 or 5 - which I pretty much never do ordinarily.

Food - Breakfast is usually tea, jam and WHITE bread, which I never eat at home. Sometimes we have a fried egg with bread.

There are some interesting foods here - fufu, bangku, shito (yes that's right), red-red, Ghanaian sauce, ground nut (peanut) soup, etc. Most of them would make us quite ill apparently. However, I have eaten ground nut soup and this trip we have eaten red-red and shito... (dangerous ground I'm treading here).

Red red is actually fried plantaine. Shito is dried shrimp and herring ground up and combined with a type of gravy (garlic, ginger, onion,) and ground hot dried peppers. It sounds gross, but it is actually quite tasty and hot on rice.

So, overall, I've just been eating lots of chicken and fried rice and veggies for which I am very thankful.

We are eating well and enjoying ourselves. I may go on a chicken fast when I get home though...