News from the Skluz

Note that the title is in honor of my friends south of the US border!

OK, I admit it. I am a terrible blogger. I have gotten lots of comments in the last few weeks about not keeping up with my updates from Ghana. I can offer no explanations except that I don’t really like talking about myself and I consider myself a horrible writer. The thought of all of you reading my misspellings and grammatical errors, quite frankly, freaks me out. I also feel that what I write may be boring. Well, in an effort to find some interesting things to talk about, I decided to answer some of your questions. I will try to answer them as honestly as possible. Here are some questions from friends:

Did you get your supplies yet?
I traveled to Accra last week (April 15-18) to see what was up with my sampling kits that shipped last month. The consignment folks kept telling me that they have not received the items, while the shipper confirmed that they have been in Accra since March 7. So, in an effort to find out exactly what was going on, I traveled the 6 hours from Tarkwa to Accra by bus. Dr. Amankwah, the department head of the mineral engineering department, traveled with me to aid me in my hunt for boxes from the US. Although English is the national language here, it is rarely spoken between Ghanaians and conversations between me and locals can get confusing very quickly. The bus left at dawn, which in Ghana means 4:30 am. I am still quite confused by this because the sun doesn’t come up until about 6 am.
We arrived in Accra and dropped our things at the UMAT guest house in Accra, which is much nicer than the guest house I live in at Tarkwa. However, there is a large wall surrounding the compound with barbed wire and broken glass at the top. There is also a guard (unarmed) at the door. This type of security gives me a very uneasy feeling and I would not like to live there. On the brighter side, the compound had a cook who cooked us great meals that we can’t get in Tarkwa. I ate tons!
That afternoon we took a taxi to ConShip, the customs consignment place at the airport. I was extremely nervous. What could I do if they say that they don’t have my supplies? I had an email that stated my supplies arrived in Accra, but in the end it is just a piece of paper. I arrived with plenty of money to “grease the wheels” of the process, but I was afraid that my things were permanently lost, either by accidental or intentional means.
I found the office, which is one of a dozen trailers near the airport. Each trailer does consignments for the different airline or shipping agencies. So there was a KLM trailer, an AirFrance trailer, etc. I went into the trailer and spoke to the supervisor. I had emailed and phoned her often and was really ready to argue or yell or something. I showed her the email, which she has seen at least a dozen times, and said “Oh, yes, these are at the KLM trailer”. Um, OK, so now what? So we confirmed that my three boxes were at the KLM trailer, which, by the way, is about 10 feet from the ConShip trailer. And, no, I don’t know why they were just sitting there for a month without being able to be found!
The supervisor then explained that I needed to fill out some paperwork in order for the supplies to be released to me. Mind you, I have filled out so many pieces of paper for these people over the last two months that I really didn’t know why I had to fill out the same pieces of paper again. The forms had to go through the customs board for approval. Of course this process is ultimately ConShip’s job, but they haven’t wanted to do it for the last month, so I might as well fill out the forms and submit them to the customs board myself. This process can take three days, but I convinced them that I could pay an “extra fee” aka bribe to get them to approve the forms by tomorrow.
So, after all my worrying and stressing over the last two months, I heard “No problem, you can pick your things up tomorrow afternoon”. Just like that! The fees were crazy expensive and I even got charged a storing fee for having my packages there, but I got my things and now can do some serious work. I am still waiting on a shipment from another company, but now I know that as soon as I hear things are in Accra, I will go there and pick them up myself.

What do you do when there is no water for several days?
This is a very good question, since we currently have not had water for six days and counting. I have two 5- gallon containers to store water, which will last for about three days. Joe Gordon, a lecturer at UMaT, also has a large storage container outside his house, which he allows me to use to fill my containers when I run out. Since water is scarce we all try to conserve as much as possible. I use a pitcher to scoop water out of the containers and pour them over my head to bathe. The water is cold and I never feel very clean after the experience, but with the heat and sweating I need to do something.
I pile my used dishes outside on my balcony. You can’t have food items or dirty dishes around the house because the ants will overtake you. I also use the toilet several times before I fill the tank and flush.
The water shortage does NOT affect my drinking water supply. I buy cases of bottled water from town and use for drinking. You cannot drink the tap water and should not even open your mouth in the shower because you may imbibe enough water to make you sick.

Is it really that hot over there?
Um, yes. It is really that hot. Everyday is well into the 90’s (Fahrenheit) and 85% humidity. It was much more enjoyable in Accra and other places on the coast because it is not as hot. I have AC in my apartment…thank goodness. Very few places have AC including my office.


How often does the electricity go off?
The electricity goes off daily; sometimes for 1 hour, sometimes for the entire day (although the latter is rare). I am normally at work, when the electricity goes off, so the internet connection also cuts out. The university does not have enough generator power to keep the servers online. Most afternoons the electric will go off for at least a couple hours and other times the lights will just flicker, which is enough to disrupt my online chatting with friends. Yesterday was one of those days with no electricity most of the day. The sun sets at about 6 pm, so I just kind of hang out in my house, sweat and read a book by flashlight and candlelight (thanks for the books Holly!)

What is the most difficult thing about living in Ghana?
Wow! That is a difficult question. I find lots of things difficult, but mostly because I am spoiled. The lack of reliable water and electricity is a problem, but there is not much I can do about it. I think a lot of my struggle comes from the people here themselves. The Ghanaian people are very religious, with a high percentage subscribing to the Christian faith. I have been told directly by several people that they do not think non-Christians are good people and they do not trust them. I get asked whether I am a Christian by people within two minutes of meeting them, even at work. They not only ask what faith I am, but how often I read the bible, how often and where I go to church. I am told often that I need to read the bible and go to church or else bad things will befall me. I met a science lecturer outside my office last week and he introduced himself and then said a passage from the bible. He asked if I knew the passage and I said no. He then went on for about 15 minutes about how I need to read the bible and how terrible it was that I did not attend church regularly. He asked several personal questions about my family and lifestyle. He asked me how I think I can be a good person without a strong religious believe system. I met him five minutes ago! I get this A LOT from students and faculty and it makes me extremely uncomfortable.
Another difficult experience that I face daily is simply the color of my skin. I know, I know, I should not complain, but I said I was going to be honest. I have seen a few white people around town, but they are mostly mining men. Sometimes I just want to be left alone to walk down the street or even in my apartment. It simply does not happen.
I walk down the street and get stopped by at least a dozen people (adults and kids) asking to be my “friend”. They want my phone number and address. They ask where I am going, where I am from, if I am married and, of course, if I am a Christian. They will follow me and it makes me uncomfortable. The rest of the people on the street just point and shout “O-Broni” or “hey white” and wave. I pay more than the citizens for everything at the market and for taxi rides. This past weekend I went to tour the Cape Coast Castle. Admission for blacks was one Ghana Cedi, admission for whites was 10 Ghana Cedis. It was the same situation at the Kakum Nature Reserve. I get people coming to my apartment all the time just to say “hi” and “I want to be your friend”. Of course, I don’t know these people and wonder how they know where I live, but I guess word gets around. I am not afraid of these folks or anything like that, it is just annoying. Especially when they knock on my door at 7:30 in the morning on a Saturday J.

Do you cook your own food and what about the food?
Yes. I have a little hot plate at home where I cook simple things like rice and beans. Food here is different, to say the least. With the power outages and simply because of the cost of refrigeration there are not many “fresh” things here, besides the fruit and veggies. You rarely see meat in the stores, only in the open air market. I don’t trust the meat that has been out in the hot sun for several hours or more. You can buy meat at the butcher, but it is difficult to find good quality. Fish is the main staple food, but even this is sometimes not the freshest thing to eat. Mainly, the stores sell canned and dry goods. Canned mackerel in tomato paste is a favorite here, but it sort of freaks me out. Pouring out a can of tomato paste and having a big fish slide into the pan is not my idea of appetizing.
Two weeks ago I had a dish that I truly did not think I could keep down. Joe Gordon invited me to his place for dinner. He wouldn’t tell me what we were having; only saying it was a treat. The treat was goat hoof soup. The hoof joint and the corresponding leg bone is a wonderful meal here. Even though most of the hoof is removed you can still tell what it is you are eating. They don’t remove the skin, so you can see little wisps of hair. I almost lost it. I had to admit to Joe that I couldn’t eat the soup. I didn’t want to disappoint, but there was just no way I could eat the meal.
I dream about food and Wegman’s grocery store. I miss milk (there is only evaporated milk in a can) and cheese very much!
Well, that is all I have time for today. I promise to do better at updating things and will probably have some stories about my upcoming sampling trip tomorrow. I will also tell you more about my trip to Cape Coast.