Banku!

Ok, so maybe I am not Ghanaian, but I’m starting to learn the tricks to cooking Ghanaian food.   Wondering what I eat here in Ghana?  In the mornings I usually have some bread.  If it is the weekend I get to have an omelet, which is by far one of my favorite parts of the week.  For lunch we usually have rice with ground peppers.  For dinner we usually have fufu (cassava boiled and then pounded into a sticky raw dough like consistency), banku (cassava dough and maize mixed with water and boiled until it again makes a sticky raw dough like consistency), or akple (maize and water boiled until it becomes thick).  Each of those is usually served with some kind of stew.  My favorite is groundnut stew, but you don’t get that often because groundnuts can be expensive.  Most of the time the stew is made of either okra and greens or okra and garden egg (like egg plant) and has peppers, onion, garlic, dried fish and sometimes tomatoes.  Last night I helped make the banku.  It is not as easy as it looks!  Cooking with the kids was really fun and reminded me how much I miss cooking at home.  Before I left life had gotten to be very busy and I found that I didn’t cook much from scratch, now living here reminds me that cooking from scratch makes the food taste so much better, is relaxing, and is a way of showing love to your family.   To cook Banku you have to start with cassava dough, add in some maize add water until it is thin like crepe batter then boil it stirring continuously until it get thick and forms a ball.  Your banku then becomes your utensil.  You pinch off a bit of it and scoop up your food with it.  Delicious! 

What in the World is She Doing?

Are you asking yourself...what is this girl doing in Ghana?  I haven't posted much about projects or exciting news yet.  Secretly, it's because I'm still trying to figure out what is going on around me.  Your first week is usually spent just trying to figure out the mechanics of a new place that works differently than yours.  People will forget to tell you the simple things they take for granted.  Thankfully, I knew for instance not to throw my toilet tissue in the toilet, but in the collection box next to it (the sewer systems here don't handle the toilet tissue - it gets burned).  It's the every day things that most people who are in the routine of living here know to do automatically that aren't usually explained.  So, much of the first week is messing things up, getting caught, and being taught to do it the right way.  The second week...well I'm not really sure yet, but it seems like it will be about reconnecting with old friends, making a few new ones, and getting over not being able to have pizza and wings for dinner.  In all seriousness week 2 is about paying attention to the smaller details about the operations of your work place.  Trying to see how things work, who does what, and reintroduce yourself to everyone who may have forgotten your name.  Don't be afraid to tell people your name over and over because most of the time they will fall back on calling you Yevu or The White (not that that bothers me- there's really no disrespect meant by it) if need be, but you'll want to make that special connection with them, so don't be discouraged and just keep trying.

Budget your water

This is important!  I'll talk about the embarassing funny things that probably most others won't.  This lesson is on bucket bathing.  Let's be real...many people in our world don't have running water. This being the case, if you are going to live in a developing country you better practice conserving what little water there is.  Always bathe on a rainy day because water is more plentiful.  Be realistic about your bathing...if the family you are living with is struggling for water to drink - really think hard about whether or not you NEED to bathe that day for your health.  Remember, bathing is about health and hygiene more than it is about vanity.  Also, be smart about your water.  Find ways to conserve your water so you don't end up with a soapy head of hair and an empty bucket.  Here's my advice try not to pour all your water out of your bucket just wetting yourself down.  If you're like me, you'll dip your head in the bucket to get your hair wet instead of using 2 precious small buckets of water to wet it.  Wash your cleanest parts first so that when you dip your loofa or cloth back in the water you aren't dirtying all your water up.  by the time you have gotten wet and washed your cleanest parts some of your dirtiest will have gotten a bit of extra water and soap too naturally.  Last, never waste water!  If you have some water left in your bucket think of other ways you can use it.  If I have left over bath water I tend to use it to clean my shoes.  It may take some planning and coordination at first, especially if you are used to a shower with running water, but soon you'll be in a routine and use less and less water each time.  Just for fun, try a bucket shower at home to conserve on water!

The many conveniences

During your day have you considered the many conveniences you have?  Is it possible that when you go to the sink to wash your hands it is so natural that you forget how wonderful it is to have running water?  I know I had.  When something like an appointment would take longer than I would have liked at home I would get annoyed.  One of the first things you learn living in an orphanage is that everything takes time and work.  Without running water in you home you must take your soap, go collected the water wash your hands, rinse out the bucket and put your soap back.  Without running water you must first collect water, light the charcoal, fan the charcoal, and put the water in a pot for boil before bathing from a bucket.  Cooking is an all day process...while the kids are at school a cook is making rice and stew during the whole morning.  By the time we get home from school we start cooking the cassava for dinner again.  Almost all day a fire is going to cook one of the three meals of the day.  There is no such thing as Rachel Ray's Thirty Minute Meals here.  Sometimes, the thing I miss most about home are the simple amenities that we usually take for granted - plentiful running water the most!

Wondering What My Days are Like?

Are you wondering what a day is like at an orphanage in Ghana?  Well, it is quite nice.  On the weekdays you start off with some tea and of course cleaning yourself and getting ready for school.  The walk to school is my favorite part of the day.  All of the kids in their uniforms line up and walk to school.  We go to school from 8 until about 3 and during the day we feed all of the children at school lunch.  It is usually rice and peppers.  After school we go home and change into clothes we can play in.  we play games, soccer, dance, sing, and play music.  Sometimes we need to wash uniforms for the kids to go to school in the next day.  Then we cook and eat dinner, play some more and go to bed.  The day is not much different than your day is it?  But!  We are lucky enough to do it in sunny Ghana!!!

Travel from the Airport

I've made my journey to Ghana!!  Are you going to be living somewhere that is a ways from your landing location at an airport?  Me too!  It's a long drive from Accra to the Volta Region where I will be staying.  My only advice to you is to plan ahead, ask someone from the area for a suggestion of a good and reliable driver and hire them prior to arriving.  It was important for me to trust the person who was driving.  I did this, and was very glad I had!  During my trip from the airport there were car troubles, a VERY serious accident, blinding thunderstorms, and extremely rough roads.  Without a skilled driver I may have been more fearful.  In Africa where the roads can be very challenging you could encounter drivers who drive faster and more closely to others than you might be used to, a honking system that they seem to know well but you may be unaccustomed to, animals in the road, weather conditions that make it hard to see, roads washed away or in poor condition, and accidents.  If you have a trustworthy driver you will be more likely to feel safe during your trip and feel assured you will get to your destination.  Despite many of these being the case on my journey from the capital Accra to my final destination and about 9 hours of riding, I made it to my destination safely with someone I was able to trust to keep me safe.  That...is priceless!  Or in my case it cost me 150 Ghana Cedis (equivalent to about $80USD).