Thursday had more of the same confusions as Wednesday so we’ll just skip over that:) Friday was a holiday, Farmer’s Day, and today was, well, I don’t even know the name of the holiday they just told me not to come to work today so we had a four day weekend. Normally this would fill me with tremendous excitement, but the fact that I’m lonely in the middle of Africa tempered those feelings just a bit. So it was off to Wa to stay with Mel and Robin.
In addition to the great company my highlights pretty much center around food. Robin made brownies AND banana bread on Friday. This is quite an accomplishment when you don’t have a stove but he’s got a little contraption that does a pretty good job. They have a huge pot with rocks and sand in the bottom and an empty tin can in the middle to hold whatever pan you put in. Then just put it on the gas stove and voila! No there’s no temperature dial or any kind of controls but that would make it too easy. And yesterday Mel cooked a true Sunday dinner with roasted chicken, steamed carrots and green beans, gravy, mashed yams (not like our yams, but kind of like potatoes) and, the real kicker…..yorkshire pudding! Now that’s impressive. Thanks guys, you’re great!
Dad made mention that it appears from the pictures of our dinner last week that I might be eating better here than at home. Well, although the weight loss hasn’t been anything to write Jenny about, I am looking forward to cooking at home again and adding a little variety to my diet, not to mention just having dinner be a relatively easy thing to do. The whole food prep situation just got a little more challenging a few weeks ago when the gas for the stove ran out. This was followed by the need to replace some kind of a valve and, well, that has meant that Sandra has been cooking outside over the coal pot. I shouldn’t complain, the girls always set the fire for me and really it’s no different than camping, but I’m looking forward to a burner with a dial. Or a restaurant that is less than a day trip away.
Also a quick note about the weather since I have had many inquiries. When I first got here it was warm, humid and rainy. Now it is the same temperature (high 20s, low 30s) but feels much cooler as the air is soooooo dry and there is usually a bit of a breeze. This “breeze” is called The Harmattan, which is a wind from the Sahara that dries everything out. So far the wind is not nearly as strong as I was expecting and I am quite enjoying this phase. The evenings get down into the low 20s, maybe even into the high ‘teens, and I love it. I have put on a long sleeved shirt a couple of times and even use a sheet or (gasp) a blanket some nights. I can’t say that I am sorry I missed yesterday’s big snow in Calgary and this weather and the lack of stores/commercials/materialism everywhere has left me finding it hard to believe that Christmas is less than 3 weeks away. Hmmmm, if I miss Christmas and New Year’s does that mean I don’t have to make New Year’s Resolutions?????
Gone to Ghana 