Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Some Shops in Kintampo

Butcher Shop

Automotive Parts


Sun Glasses

Misc.

Furniture Store

Salon

Fruit and Veggie Market

TV/Stereo

Shoe Store

Jewelry Store
Casket Shop

Friday, February 1, 2013

Happiness

If you've been reading my blog from the beginning, you'll know that it was, obviously, upsetting to see people die from conditions that would be treatable at home; it was disheartening to realize that the most basic of educational resources were nonexistent -I thought, how could these kids stand a chance?  But, Ghana is by no means a place of hopelessness and despair.  As I got to know people and moved past my culture shock (and/or standard-of-living shock), I realized there was happiness all around.  So here are a few pictures of some smiling kids, as well as our friend, Moses, who worked for the program and made sure he got us wherever we needed to be!


Sunday, January 13, 2013

Seasons


So, I’m going to tell you about the weather.  I’m from New England, so you pretty much had to know it was coming.  I’ve been in Ghana now for both the rainy and dry seasons, and even though they are both hot, they are remarkably quite different. 

When we arrived late summer, it was the rainy season.  The weather that time of year seemed most variable.  If there was a thick cloud cover, it wasn’t really very hot, but when the clouds parted it was unbearable.  And just like home, it could change in an instant.  One constant though was the humidity.  It’s hard to explain just how humid humid can be; but by way of example, our laundry never dried, ever, even if it was out in the sun for several hours.  After a couple of days it’d be as good as it was going to get, so you’d just have to wear dampish clothes.  It didn’t much matter though b/c once the sun poked through, you’d be drenched within minutes.  I sort of began to wonder what the point of washing was and, to be honest, sometimes the answer was that there really wasn’t any point to it at all.  So, yeah, it was uncomfortable.  But then there was all that mighty rain, which was very cool.  It would rain everyday –the kind of rain that wreaks havoc at home with flash flooding, flooded basements –you know, the “100 year storms” we’ve been getting every three or so years now.  Anyway, our house has a metal roof so you can imagine how even more dramatic and impressive the downpours were.  I really loved listening to them at night.

We began to transition into the dry season in November and it’s been in full swing December/January.  It’s dry, sunny, and hot; but, you don’t get sweaty and your clothes dry in under an hour.  I was in Vegas once in August and it pretty much feels like that here.  When you step outside you have a “whoa” moment b/c of the shocking heat.  But it’s so dry that any perspiration is immediately evaporated.  There are also the Harmattan winds, which don’t exactly provide a cool breeze, but they keep the air moving which is nice; the downside is that everything is constantly coated in a layer of dust.  Now, the evenings are another matter altogether –it actually gets down into the 60s at night.  It’s refreshing, but my Ghanaian friends don’t find it very favorable (as they put it).  It’s pretty funny b/c you’ll see people walking around early morning with heavy sweaters and coats -at which point the temperature is already back up to at least 70.  Personally, I find the dry season quite favorable (but I do miss the incredible rains).

I’m told we’ll be moving into the hottest time of year in February/March.  Even hotter??     

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Warning ...this one is graphic.

Passing by a butcher shop - the heads are commonly displayed

Monkey Sanctuary with Very Cool Trees

The monkeys are considered sacred and are buried alongside village fitish priests.
Cute Mona monkey
Mahogany Tree

Parasitic tree -it grows around another.

Base of tree
Do you see the giraffe?
Local village next to sanctuary


Village church

Retirement Party for Local Banker

Beautiful traditional African dress.

Best hat I've seen in Ghana!