Funny Thoughts

This morning I woke up with a "blog" in mind...it was kind of funny as I lay there thinking of all the funny things I would post...yet NOT getting out of bed to do it.
(John seems to toss and turn all night and keep me awake...then sleeps HARD with out moving from 5:30 - 7:00, but I am at that point awake :O)
So, needless to say, I did not pop out of bed to "blog"
Today the power was off and on and off and on...leaving my shot at the computer random.
ANIMALS
Can you tell the difference between a crying baby and a goat tied up out side your window...in the middle of the night...I can now. They sound very much the same and it was a bit concerning for me to hear the "baby" cry all night.

Lizards, did you know that they are afraid of you, but when the want what you have they will raise their head and bounce it up and down to try to make you squrim...it works.

Also, cockroaches, the BIGGER they are the better....if you only see the BIG ones in the house that means that they are coming "in" for the food but live outside (where you want them to live) if you see the lttle ones inside then they have taken up a home in your kitchen...having babies. (YUCK!)

The free range chickens and goats all gather together for an EARLY meeting EACH DAY and freely talk to each other from about 4:30-6:00 a,m.....then they are quiet!
With the windows open, it is hard to NOT hear them!

Ants...hummm, how long does it take the ants to FIND any crumb you drop or leave on the counter...about 2 seconds, they must call their friends and let them know.."hey she is stirring something on the stove and I am sure she will take the spoon out and put it on the counter any second...COME NOW" so they do, you set the spoon down, pick it up to stir again...only to find that you did not look at the spoon first and you now have about 20 ants in your pan...FUN FUN!

Money
The taxi pulls up, you lean in and ask how much to "Beacon House" and they say 3,000
WHAT!!! oh, the currency has changed but MOST Ghanaians still talk in old currency...it is 3 Ghana Cedis (about 3 US dollars)

The price of a loaf of bread, 1,050 (1 Ghana cedi and 50 pesowis sp)
about $1.50 usd....

When you go to the bank to exchange USD into Cedis...you give the banker your $200dollars and they give you 200 ceids in one cedi bills (like one dollar bills)
OKAY...now I have this wad of money in my wallet that I can not even close...that is okay though because they will give you a little black plastic bag to carry your money in.
I thought this was very odd...until I realized hardly anyone has change for anything...not even a $3 cedi taxi ride...give the man a $5 cedi bill and he looks at you and says "small bill please"
Bad news is when the teller machine gives you all $10 cedi bills...YIKES what will I do with such a big bill. Even the nicer resorts we went to, when we order a soda by the pool and gave a $5 cedi bill...you could see all the staff gathering behind the bar, trying to see between the 6 of them if they could get us change.

Vendors
The sound of air coming out of a tire...sssssssss coming out of a man's mouth toward you is a "call" for you to look his way. (wants you to look at what he is selling)

The sound of small kisses over and over again is also a call from a vendor to have you look his way as you walk or drive by.
*lots of sounds, and kisses day after day, everywhere you go makes you kinda silly in the head...you learn to tune it out...even though you would not mind talking to some of the vendors....just a weird way of getting your attention.

I have already talked about the things you can by while sitting in traffic...I still think selling toilet paper on Front street and 17th would be perfect for me on my way home from drum lessons or school...Today I saw a tiolet seat and some excersize stuff..funny combo!

Sweat
Is it possible to have been here for 7 weeks and not remember a day that I was not sweaty?
Going through two shirts a day...no problem, well, I guess it makes more wash to do, which then makes you sweat even more.

Have not had a hot shower yet...really do not want one, but have figured out a new way to make hot water.
with the bucket shower method, you start with a small plastic bowl that you fill with water from the bucket, dump it over your head, it is COLD and refreshing, but as it runs down it picks up the HEAT from your body, and by the time the water is to your knees, it is HOT...so your feet are ALWAYS in hot water. Cool huh?

I told Dave before he left, on one of our walks, that I know when my body has hit critical mass in the heat dept...my eye lids sweat....yes they do.
I know this because I often close my eyes to let the air hit them while I walk....and it feels cooler. Funny but true.

Cute things the kids say
Fisrt of all most things spoken are at a LOUD very direct tone...not rude, just culture...so it takes a bit to realize that they are just talking to you, not shouting.
"Waaaah-tahh" = water, MANY times a day, Victoria or John will get about 2 inches from my face and say loudly. "Waaaah-tahh" (meaning they want some)

"when do we Take lunch" =what time are we eating

"Ohhhhh Sorry" = oh, sorry...for ANY time ANYONE trips, bumps a head, drops a spoon while cooking, basically any time anything unfortunate happens to anyone...could be me or could be the man at the bank who drops his paper..."ohhhh, sorry"

"you people" = a group of people....like "where are you people going today?"

"I finish all?" = Can I have what is left in the glass or the cup or the bowl. IF you offer them your cup to drink out of...they will ask if they can finish all..meaning..."do you want any more of this mom?"

"ahhh-hemmm" (with a nod of the head) = what we say when we agree like "yes or yeah, or sure, or yep....it just means I hear you and I agree.

"I should go and bath?" = is is time to go take a bath or shower (all they can do here is shower)
"I should go and sleep?" = do you want me to go and take a nap or get in bed for the night...(I like this question, because when i say "yes" they GO and they lay down and close their eyes!

"Plenty" = there is a lot of what ever it is. Like when we drove to the coast and we saw the ocean as we came around the corner, they said, "Oh mum, the water is PLENTY" or when my bowl of rice is a bit bigger than theirs..."mum, your rice is PlENTY" KInda cute.

"ummmm this is good papa" = this is the best of what ever it is...like a mango...the one they had the other day was not so good, the one they had this a.m...."oh mum, this mango is good papa"

"paining" = hurting. If the kids skin their knee, they will say "mum, my knee is Paining me" or my head is paining me or if a braid is to tight, it pains her.

"dressing" = getting the bed ready after a night of sleep...then getting yourself ready. Theses kids are AMAZING...they crack open their eyes, sit up, grap the sheet, perfectly fold it, straighten out the fitted sheet....it is tight and no wrinkles, then place the folded sheet on the pillow, dress their bodies, FOLD the jammies in perfect square and put the little square right below the pillow.
"mum, I have dressed my bed" (heaven forbid you then sit on the edge to put on your shoes....."ohhhhhh mum, you have spoiled it" = I have messed it up.


There are many many more cute things, wait until you meet them....you will soooo ENJOY it, they are delightful!!!

My time in Ghana has been a GIFT! I wanted to walk step by step with out a plan of my own...but be ready for all that GOd had...(it was hard at times....really hot and hard at times..) But He never left me, His strength FILLED me like I have never experienced. I learned A LOT about my self and the state of my heart...His Word has fed me day by day, His people...wow GOd has some amazing warriors in Africa doing His work...so blessed to have met them and been changed by being with them.

I am thankful for all the support and prayers everyone has sent to the Throne room on our families behalf....we FELT IT, we lived in FAVOR and BLESSING...THANK YOU!

SO I will wrap up this very long post...as it is my last one in GHANA (can you believe it) I get on the plane EARLY in the morning with two very excited kiddos.
Love and Blessings to ALL...
See you State Side!