Nine months, two homes
New Year’s Eve
More banking madness! Tracy and Stephanie were assured during a morning meeting at Standard Chartered Bank that Calvin’s account would be unfrozen as early as Wednesday next week, possibly later. That’s cutting it very close to the time students arrive for their January-term class.
While they were at the bank meeting, I unpacked some of the stuff that had been stored. Catherine and I were archeologists (opportunity to teach the concept of metaphor to a fourth grader) as we dug through the stuff.
It took an astounding hour and a half to empty two boxes. Why? We ran across several bulbs that needed testing. Catherine evaluated half before she accidentally touched one, burned her hand, and dropped it. Smash! We spent 20 minutes picking up all the pieces with wet napkins. I tried not to think about the mercury released into the environment as the CFL imploded.
We also found an old-school calculator with a roll of paper. (Catherine thought it was a typewriter!) At first, it didn’t appear functional. But, she spent 30 minutes learning how it worked (by trial and error with very little help from me). She tried a few math problems on it, including 84x70. She asked me to confirm the calculator’s answer on my phone, to which I responded “Which fourth grader in this house is learning 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication?” To her credit, she willingly did the problem by hand and correctly found the answer to be 5,880. Rinse, lather, repeat for another fifteen minutes! The large roll of paper is nearly spent after a day of calculating.
This afternoon, I took the kids to the University of Ghana swimming pool while Tracy worked on a paper. Funny, there were pool tables at the pool. After swimming for a while, Mark played billiards for about an hour. Turns out, the loser of each game must pay 1 cedi to the house. Mark found a “friend” who won 6 games to Mark’s 1, so he had to pay up.
Catherine and I spent our time in the swimming pool. Initially, Catherine wasn’t thrilled about the requirement for long-haired people to wear a swim cap. But a very kind Political Science student (Bennis) helped. When Catherine was swimming freestyle, a clinical psychology student (Sedem) noticed and challenged a race. Catherine won handily, as Sedem has only recently learned to swim. I guess the half-season spent as a GRCC Gator paid off. No photos of the pool or the pool, but we all had a good time.
Tracy is now at a three-hour New Year’s Eve service at Legon Interdenominational Church while I’m at the flat with the kids.
Goodbye 2015. Hello 2016. Happy New Year, everyone!
—Matt
Bugs
The “cotton” tree in front of our flat (so-called because its seeds fly on cotton-like parachutes) is home to thousands of bugs like the ones below. The adults are brown and black. The babies are smaller and red.
None are harmful. But, that doesn’t stop Mark and Catherine from FREAKING out about them. A few days ago, I wondered aloud what percentage of our day is spent spraying, sweeping, or otherwise disposing of these critters. Probably less than 1%, but way more than seems necessary.
Mark went to the onsite pharmacy yesterday to get a can of Raid, which has helped immensely. Funny name: Joepharma.
—Matt
Harmattan
Since our arrival, a haze has enveloped Accra. We’re told it is not smog. Rather, it is the Harmattan haze caused by a trade wind from the Sahara bringing small particles of dust (< 10 microns) southward into our air. Layers of dust are deposited on Accra, covering everything. Because of the dust particles, the sun is never direct, and there are few distinct shadows.
At 6:30 this morning, I went for a run in the Harmattan haze. And the heat: the temperature was pushing 80 F. I came back after 40 minutes thoroughly drenched. While recovering, I drank a full bottle of my Sawyer filtered water. I drank two more throughout the day in a mostly-successful attempt to stay hydrated.
This evening, Mark and I obtained Vodaphone SIM cards for our phones. We’re slowly getting things in place.
—Matt
Settling In?
How does one settle into a new home? Aparently, one item at a time. Early this morning, porters at the residence hall brought a LOT of stuff out of storage. It took about an hour of hard work to get everything onto the porch. It will take several days to sort it, one item at a time.
During this process, we talked to the porters about the condition of some items in the flat. In particular, the valence fringe was hanging off throughout due the combined effects of gravity and rot. We decided to simply rip it off while we wait for replacements. Catherine was plenty happy to assist.
Even a run to the grocery store can be an adventure. Mark walked to the Night Market for some fruit. Along the way, had a conversation about DC superheroes (he was wearing a Superman shirt) and was asked by a Liberian refugee for money. We took our first trip to the Accra Mall and encountered significant traffic. Tracy and Stephanie obtained SIM cards for their cell phones. Catherine and I bought more groceries.
In additon to the literal speed bumps we encountered with the car, we hit some figurative bumps today, too. The Calvin bank account has been declared dormant, so Tracy and Stephanie have quite a bit of unplanned work ahead. The car's right front tire and muffler need replacement. The finish is in very bad shape, too. It needs a paint job.
If that weren't enough, the international Kindle that we gifted Mark doesn’t appear to work … internationally. At least, it can't connect to a cell network here, so it can’t download books. He’s really bummed. But, that means we just need to make a run (many runs?) to a used bookshop that Tracy heard about today.
That said, we’re all still healthy, and if you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything. Also, we found a nearby school that has an opening for Catherine. We’ll visit next week Tuesday.
On a final note, it has been fun learning how kids of similar age can have similar interests, despite a cultural gap. Catherine and Mamme Serwaa made a fort this afternoon.
—Matt
Internet Access
The keys didn’t arrive, so Richard busted the locks on the cabinets using Stephanie’s tool. We now have access to a bunch of kitchen supplies, including more knives than could ever use. (A previous director bought a large set of knives unaware that the flat was already sufficiently supplied!)
Osu (pronounced oh-SUE) was our destination today. While there, we had lunch at Papaye, obtained a cellular modem for internet access at SurfLine, and bought groceries at Shoprite. We now have food and an internet connection, which is why several back-dated entries are appearing simultaneously.
Back home, drawing and Lego were the main attraction.
We unpacked the microwave, so we had a microwave dinner (of course).
—Matt
Finding Friends
Well, that didn’t take long! By the time Tracy, Catherine, and I walked to our flat from the Guest Centre, Mark had chatted to several of the porters and the onsite seamstress at Commonwealth residence hall. He learned about the history of the university and other things. Later, we sent him on a mission to buy some liquid refreshment. He found Dr. Richard (a medical student) who led him to a small shop. He came back with a large bottle of water and a Fanta. (Orange, of course.)
The family living in the flat above us has four kids, and one of their girls (Mamme Serwaa) is 9 years old. Catherine brought Lego upstairs and spent much of the afternoon playing. Mamme Serwaa insisted several times that Catherine’s hair was once black. Below, a photo of new friends playing on the balcony.
—Matt
Move-In Day
We woke to find interesting Christmas decorations at the University of Ghana Guest Centre.
Richard ensured that our flat was ready to be occupied. So, after breakfast we hired a taxi (for 20 cedis) to take our luggage from the Guest Centre to our flat. We spent the rest of the day unpacking and moving in. Which only means the piles have moved from one home to the other!
At the moment, our biggest challenge is silverware and plates. The kitchen cabinets are locked, and the key is (supposedly) in Grand Rapids but may arrive tomorrow with Stephanie. Failing key delivery, we'll need to bust the locks. (Fortunately, they’re tiny luggage locks. A good wire cutter should be able to pop them off.)
The Night Market was the source of our dinner. We bought juicy mangoes, papaya, pineapple, and peanuts for 10 cedis (about $2.63). Tasty!
Here are some photos of the day.
—Matt
Travel Day
On this Boxing Day, we traveled over Canada and the UK to Amsterdam. Thereafter, over the Mediterranean and the Sahara to Accra. Our flight was one hour late into Accra due to a delay out of Amsterdam.
In the Accra airport, a singer-keyboardist serenaded arriving passengers in a Ghanian smooth-jazz style by mixing Christmas carols, Bob Marley songs, and improvised lyrics about travel and missing bags. (The Marley classic Three Little Birds went from “Don’t worry about a thing. ’Cause every little thing’s gonna be alright” to “Don’t worry about your bags. ’Cause you’ve got a little time, and they will come.”) The music inspired three dancing Santas who gave out candy and prizes to kids! (Catherine said “these are the first Santas that are non-scary.”)
Both Mark and Catherine were tremendously helpful as we waited (quite a long time) for our luggage. Mark was the spotter. On his signal, I pulled our pieces off the belt. (Mark pulled a few, too.) Catherine brought them to Tracy. We passed customs quickly.
Richard, Tracy's contact at the Institute of African Studies, greeted us beyond customs in the warm, hazy, humid evening air, and we packed our stuff (very tightly, all laps occupied) into his Kia. A short 15-minute drive brought us to the Guest Centre at the University of Ghana where we’ll stay tonight. Mark has already fallen asleep as I type.
We left our house at 10 AM on Friday, and we arrived at the Guest Centre at 11:30 PM on Saturday. Accounting for the 5-hour time difference, that's 32.5 hours door-to-door. Everyone is tired and grumpy. But, we’re grateful for safe and nearly-on-time travel.
Looks like tomorrrow will be move-in day at our flat.
—Matt
Departure Day
International travel is an … interesting way to spend Christmas with your family.
We had an easy time moving through luggage and passport checks, as the airport was nearly empty. All of our luggage, save one piece, weighed less than the required 50 lbs. After a little reshuffling, even the offending piece was made to conform.
Thanks to family members who drove us to (my dad and Tracy’s sister) and met us at (my mom) the airport.
In the photo below, we are ready to go through security prior to departure.
Merry Christmas to everyone!
—Matt
Funky Weather
By moving to the tropics (Accra), we’ll skip winter altogether. Ironically, friends and family in Michigan might give winter a miss as well. We’re leaving behind record high temperatures.
By moving to the southern hemisphere (Stellenbosch), we’ll skip summer.
The forecast: funky weather.
—Matt
Departure Eve
We did it! Everything for 9 months in 8 pieces of stowed luggage and 6 carry-ons. According to our scale, none of these pieces is overweight—a sensational accomplishment. A big thanks to Tracy for her excellent packing.
—Matt
Final Heap
Packing continues. At present, we’re gathering clothes. Here is our final heap of stuff. Compare to a couple days ago.
—Matt
Piles
Piles are appearing! Everything that we need for 9 months and 2 seasons must fit in 8 airline-sized pieces of luggage. Not sure if we can make it.
—Matt
Schools
Three days ago we received confirmation that Mark is enrolled at Roman Ridge School. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication Catherine is not.
We’ve emailed several people to try to fix the situation. And, we emailed six additional schools. But, the holidays are upon us, and we don’t expect a reply. We’ll have some work upon arrival in Accra. Wish us luck!
—Matt
