Friday, February 3rd, 2006
Greetings from Ghana! I hope this newsletter finds you well. Things are great here. It’s starting to get really hot, but I’ve mostly adjusted to the heat. Everyone just keeps telling me I haven’t seen nothin’ yet. Apparently, March is the “really hot” month. Great news!! Utility poles were delivered to Binaba last week and I should have electricity in my house as soon as next week. My first purchase for the house will be a floor fan in my room and then possibly a small refrigerator.
Before I give an update on me, I have exciting news from back home. My oldest brother, Jason, and his wife, Lisa, gave birth to their second boy on Thursday, January 12, 2006. Max joined us weighing (gulp) 10 lbs. 11 oz. and 22 inches long. Mother, father, big bro Miller, and Max are all doing well and I’m sure very sleepy.
Binaba is just fine! I don’t have much to report on work since I’m still just learning the ropes. I’m really taking some time to study my village, learn how to live (eating, staying healthy, traveling, etc…), learn the language, and most importantly make friends! If you recall, I arrived just before the holidays when all the kids were on break, farmers had just harvested, and everyone was just taking it easy. Now, things are back to normal! I’ve started to think about some ideas for projects I may want to do as well as some hobbies that I’m interested in taking up during my two years here. I’ll leave all of those details for a future newsletter – don’t want to spoil all the fun now!
BWFA hosted a really nice welcoming ceremony for me! We had lots of pito (local beer), local musicians to play, and of course dancing! Most of the BWFA women (75 total) came … they never need an excuse to party!! BWFA gave me a Kusaasi name that is spreading like wildfire in the village. Actually, I have two Kusaasi names. I have one (Ateni) that is based on the day of the week I was born (Monday) and the second (and now very popular) name is Apangat (pronounced ah-pahn-gaht). It means “stronger than others”. Often a women who is marrying a man with a wife (or wives) already will give herself the name Apangat to say that she is stronger than the other wives. Often a man who is marrying a women will give himself the name Apangat to say that he “got the girl” so he’s stronger than the other men. For me, the name is saying I am stronger other volunteers who could have come to BWFA. Like I said, my new name is catching on fast and the people are starting to call me a official "Kusaasi" woman. Of course, all the kids and people who don’t know any of my names still call me Nasara, which means "white man".
I’ve tried to respond to as many of your emails as possible (please keep sending them – I love the updates on you!!). Many of you have similar questions, so I’m going to start answering one FAQ in each newsletter. In advance, forgive me for giving too much detail; just read whatever you’re interested in reading (or have time for).
Q. What is the food like? What do you cook for yourself?
A. Food varies based on what part of the country you are in, what is available, and the economic situation of the region (what people can afford). Generally, a typical Ghanaian meal is carb plus some type of soup or stew. Typically, some kind of meat or fish is served but not always. No matter what you’re eating, it’s always very spicy! They use small red hot peppers (fresh or dried) in almost every dish. Ghanaians do not need much variety in their dishes; they can eat the same thing 3 times a day, 7 days a week. Where I am (in the north), a typical Ghanaian family eats tuo zafi (also pronounced t-zit or TZ), which is a millet or maize-based porridge that is served with soup. The consistency is like grits that have been sitting for a little while after cooking them. I’m not actually a big fan of this dish, but I’m hoping it grows on me since that is what I’m served every time I go to someone’s house for a meal. Below is a list (with brief descriptions) of my favorite Ghanaian dishes.
1. Joloff rice – rice with chicken or meat cooking into it
2. Riceballs and groundnut soup – rice that has been mashed into balls; served with groundnut soup which is made out of groundnuts (similar to Spanish peanuts)
3. Red Red – fried plantains & bean stew (both using palm oil, which makes them red)
4. Kontumere or pepe stew – stew made with some type of spinach-like leaf (called kontumere) or hot peppers (pepe) & tomatoes; both are served with boiled yams or plantains
The second part of this question refers to what I cook for myself. Here is a list of the dishes I cook regularly: oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pancakes or french toast w/ syrup, rice w/ pepe stew, beans, veggie spaghetti, stir-fry, mac & cheese (from America!!), tuna pasta salad w/ Italian dressing, fried okra. I don’t really cook meat for myself, but I do eat eggs and I add canned beef and tuna to a few of these dishes. I’m learning to cook my favorite Ghanaian dishes, but right now the only ones I’d actually serve you are joloff rice and aleafi (similar to kontumere) stew with boiled yam. I also eat a lot of fresh fruit throughout the day. Sometimes it’s so hot, fruit is all I want to eat. Fruit is seasonal of course, but I can get watermelon, mangos, papaya, oranges, bananas, and pineapple. I have to travel outside of Binaba for 90% of the ingredients needed to make most of these dishes. I typically go to Bolga every other week or so to purchase food.
Ghanaians think it’s strange that I don’t drink hot tea or coffee. In fact, they all comment on how much water I drink. I do change it up with crystal light mixes and Gatorade. I struggle to stay hydrated, though, so I drink a lot of water all day long.
Another big highlight for the month was last week when I did a little traveling to visit a few other PCV’s. One particular PCV isn’t far from Bolga. His project is ecotourism and his site is home to 20 or so crocodile ponds. I actually sat on and touched a crocodile (just before he was fed a chicken). It’s a big tourist attraction, so don’t think I did something totally insane! Unfortunately, about 30 minutes later, my hand started to itch and swell. It was fine the next morning, but we concluded that I’m either allergic to crocodile (I mean, how would I ever have known?) or (more likely) something in the pond water from which he came out of. Anyway, I have pictures of me and the croc, of course, but you’ll have to wait until my next posting to see them.
Speaking of pictures, I’ve posted more to my website. Check them out when you get a chance. I miss you all … thanks for sharing this experience with me!!
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