It's crazy to think that exactly ONE YEAR ago, we were getting off a plane, feeling excited, nervous, and ready for an adventure. We've learned and grown SO much in the past 365 days. It's certainly not been easy, but we wouldn't trade it for the world. We’re so grateful to all of you for your help, support and encouragement, and most importantly to the Lord for leading us on this journey! We’d like to share with you a few things we’ve learned/observed about Ghana during our time here.
1. Ghanaian women are incredibly talented. They balance large baskets of fruit, water, eggs etc on their heads while carrying babies on their backs and maneuvering gracefully through crowded areas! I don’t know how they do it.
2. DO NOT watch the road if you’re a passenger. Let the tro-tro/motorbike driver do his job-otherwise, you will have a panic attack! (I continue to be amazed at the minimal amount of accidents here...I suppose it’s organized chaos!)
3. Embrace the Ghanaian culture as much as you can! Any sloppy word of Ewe brings a huge smile to a Ghanaian’s face! They love to see us riding tro-tro’s and motorbikes, learning their handshake, and walking to the market each day. They say “now you are a true Ghanaian!”
4. ANYTHING will fit on a motorbike! Be it a propane tank, large basket of food, or a few goats tied up and ready for slaughter, it’s nothing out of the ordinary!
5. Even after living in Akatsi for ONE YEAR, we are still a novelty! Ghanaian children will never tire of chasing after us and yelling YAVU (white man) halfway down the street. The 500th time is just as exciting as the first!
6. We’ve realized that VERY few foreigners have ever lived in Akatsi. In a sense, we are representing all foreigners to the Ghanaians in this area. They probably think all American men are very tall and have beards, and all American women are petite and wear chacos. There could be worse things.
7. Being the only foreigners living in Akatsi, we’ve gotten quite desperate to talk to other Westerners. If, by chance, we see another Yavu traveling through Akatsi, we will follow them, chase them down, and yell after them, all just for a few minutes of conversation. It’s gotten pretty bad...
8. DO NOT drink water before leaving for a long trip! The only “restrooms” along the way are in the open grass on the side of the road…
(also, do not walk in the grass on the side of the road…)
9. If a Ghanaian says they’ll come over to your house that afternoon, they may mean that afternoon, any afternoon that week, or never. They have a VERY laid back concept of time! Which can be a wonderful thing-just slightly frustrating at times.
10. Chickens (although obnoxiously loud in the early morning hours) keep away nasty things like rats and roaches! I have a new-found love for chickens!!!
11. Ghanaian children know how to work! There are days when the girls will be doing their wash, cleaning the house, and making food for the better part of the day-and they are HAPPY to do it! American children could take a few notes.
12. In Ghana, both power and water are extremely unreliable. Our power goes out for several hours (sometimes allll night) 3-4 times a week! It’s been one of the biggest struggles for me (no power=no ceiling fan=SO HOT!). Those of us who have consistent water and power easily forget just just how good we have it.
13. Waiting 4-6 hours for basic medical care is the norm. I will never ever complain about sitting in a waiting room for 30 minutes again! Also, I will NEVER take for granted the beautiful, comfortable, clean clinics/hospitals/Dr’s offices we have. We are so fortunate.
14. Malaria and malnutrition are the biggest killers in Ghana. Many people can’t afford insurance, which pays for EVERYTHING and costs the equivalent of $4.00 a year. Those of us who have jobs that include insurance, and transportation to get to the nearest clinic should be very grateful.
15. Our food options are as follows: carrots (sometimes), potatoes (sometimes), onions, tomatoes, peppers, rice, bread, pasta, eggs and various fruits. We go into shock when we travel to the grocery store in Accra, and could spend hours roaming the aisles….
16. Washing clothes by hand was a big adjustment. It's actually not too difficult, just very time consuming! I'm so thankful that the girls love doing their own wash! :)
17. Traveling anywhere means being crammed into a public tro-tro with 10-15 other people. It’s a very sweaty, bumpy, long long ride.
18. I will NEVER forget the first time the girls saw a toilet and a sink! They were ecstatic! I think they giggled for half an hour afterwards. It’s amazing the things we think of as necessities. (Granted, they are MUCH easier to live with than without. I’m VERY VERY thankful for our toilet and sink. Squat holes just aren’t fun-especially at night.)
19. We’ve gotten used to seeing a lot of bugs all the time. Crawling on our skin, in our clothes, and most disturbingly, in our FOOD! I can not even tell you how many hours Landon has spent sorting through beans to remove the ones that obviously have bugs inside them. Prepackaged rice, flour, sugar, bread-whatever food product you buy will most likely have bugs in it. Extra protein I guess? I MISS THE FDA!!!!!
20. We've learned so much from being immersed in the culture here. Ghanaians are a beautiful, joyful, energetic people group who have graciously welcomed us into their lives. We've seen their celebrations and dances, worn their colorful clothes and eaten more fufu and ak ple than we can keep track of. The best word to describe them as a whole is happy! They are constantly smiling, laughing and dancing (there's actually a dance party going on in the living room at this very moment!) and will gladly give you anything you need at a moment's notice. We've enjoyed observing the culture, but have come to realize that we are Westerners through and through! We've learned so much about a new culture, but also about the many things we love and take for granted in our own culture! There's nothing like spending a year away from home to make you realize what you have.
We are so thankful that the Lord has provided us with the opportunity of living here with the girls. We dread the day we say goodbye to the girls, but we are excited to live in America again and see what God has for us next. We have been able to spend a lot of time readjusting our priorities and future plans, realizing first, that any plans we make are tentative and subject to radical change….neither of us had ever “planned” to live in Africa! When we do return, if we do live in the States, we desire to live as simply as possible. Many of the things that we counted as necessities really don’t warrant the word. We'd like to live simply and be good stewards of what we're given. Our time, money, skills, possessions etc are not really ours anyway!
Thanks for reading and remember to be thankful
today for all you've been given!
Much love to you all!
Kate and Landon
