Whoa! Best fall break ever!!! It included everything! tropical beaches, perfect tempered seawater, cold cokes, romantic dinners for two, long mornings in bed, movies on the coach, turqoise swimming pools, palms, bathing suits, sunshine, sun lotion (no red shoulders, yay!), the softest sand ever, and standing on the beach, under the palms, watching the stars? Very romantic…

Besides, nobody can call us cowards, a canopy walk in 30-40 m height? What on the earth was I doing up there??????? It’s a long way from the little girl who 10 years ago ran through. (the girl was me, I’ve appearantly developed some fear of heights since then..) However, I came through, unlike my mom and Anna Afterwards we had lunch at Hans’ Cottage, the crocodile hotel, then we visited Elmina Castle, and we spent a lot of time on the nicest beaches ever!! On a sad note, my camera is broken… And Kristian left :’(

over and out!

Some news from hot Africa, that is only getting hotter! You might know that I have been transferred to IHCC, where I do primarily secretary work. It is fine, at least I have something to do, and both the nurses and the doctor (Doctor Naa Ashiley) are really sweet and including. I do primarily computer work, getting everything digitalized. This is made somewhat difficult by the computer deleting everything I save on it. Our IT-expert (who thinks I’m uncapable of plugging in an internet cable) has promised to look at it, but the pharmacist has set an unknown password on the administrator, and they are never there at the same time. (This be Ghana)

Anna is busy with play practice, she is in Oedipus (at school) and Sleeping Beauty (with International Players), as the Queen in both. I am making her costume for Sleeping Beauty, that will be fun (She thinks she has something to say, she doesn’t!!)

Friday Kristian is arriving, and I have a week off from IHCC. Anna also has that week of, and my mom is taking some days off from work, so we will go out along the coast, to see old castles, crocodiles and treetop walking! I am looking very much forward to it

A quick update from Africa, where the weather changes from sun to rain to grey faster than you can say “weather forecast” (I don’t think they use those here?) We have had quite a lot of rain, but only in the Accra region, and not in the north, around the dam. The dam produces electricity, and because of the lack of water, there is not enough. This means planned blackouts (these are called brownouts) 2-3 days or nights a week. At home this is not a problem, as we have a generator, but for most it is a pain. At waaf neither computers or internet work without electricity, and with nothing to do (still) it is very slow…

Besides work, wtuff has happened, I went sailing with my mother and Anna, with Kevin (my mothers boss), Liz (his wife) and Luke (their 5 year old son). The weather was nice, and the sail club had arranged “Spaghetti Cup”, in which Kevin and his boat “Blokkie” was participating. There were to rounds, the first was sailed by Kevin, Anna and Luke, and they came in last. Actually, they were so late that is was debated starting the next round without them. They made it, however, and the secong round was sailed by Kevin and myself. Now, it should be noted that my sailing experience is pretty much limited to rowboats, canoes, ferries and “Bicuda” (the boat my parents have with some friends, that I have not been on since before we went to Mocambique) I had never, ever sailed a small sailboat like “Blokkie”. But I got to be responsible for the front sail, and did an okay job. We were last again, but not so much behind as in the first heat. Unfortunately the boat broke on the way back (NOT my fault, at least not entirely my fault). Kevin won a prize for being “overall last”, of which he was very proud

The following friday, my swimming was cancelled, as Liz took me to the market. Now, this market is not like the one I know from Ho, which is a market area with booths and canopies. In my view, that is a market. But in Accra, the market is a couple of streets with lots of shops and booths. There are lots of fabric stores (guess what we were there to shop) and I could have bought sooo much… 1½ hour was spent there, until we had enough of people and crowding, and I was particularly annoyed by a male shop assistant, who wouldn’t leave me alone. Next time somone wants to “make me a promise” I am so saying I’m married… It is so annoying, and in Accra there is no excuse of “not being accostumed to seeing white people”. There are plenty. A child shouting “bruni” at you in a village is sort of ok, since the child might not be used to white people (“bruni” is twi for “white person”), but an adult man shouting “bruni” at us in Airport residential area, where there are so many europeans and americans, is not okay.

Saturday was “clean up the world”-day, and the australian high commision had arranged cleaning of city streets and beaches. Anna’s school was to clean up Labadi beach, and families were encouraged to participate. It was a large (sisyfos) work, but it was fun, and nice to do something