a day in the life

i don't know what a typical day actually is here in ghana, but i'll describe for you a general idea of what a normal-ish day looks like for me.

6a: my alarm goes off.  i have to blindly find my way around my mosquito net to reach the alarm and turn it off. i usually sleep a few more minutes then get up.  by now the roosters are crowing loudly and neighbors are making a lot of noise, but on a good morning, i've been able to sleep through all of that.

6:30: i open my door and greet my family, who is bustling around the compound.  my aunt is usually making breakfast, my grandmother wandering around, and a little sister is usually sitting on a bench staring at me.  once they see me, they begin preparing my bath water.  my sister fatayiah knocks on my door and solemnly announces "your bath."  i carry my bucket into the bathroom, which is simply a closet-sized room, for bathing.  it has a sloped floor and a hole by the wall.  i take my bucket bath and brush my teeth in there, using filtered water from my nalgene for the tooth-brushing, of course.  

7a: usually by the time i have finished bathing, my family has my breakfast ready.  they always serve it on a plastic tray that has pictures of espresso on it.  i always get a large thermos of hot water and a mug.  i can prepare my choice of milo (hot chocolate, which is wonderful), powdered milk, or tea.  i always choose milo. i need the calcium, right?  then usually i have a piece or two of wonderful, still WARM bread.  sometimes i get scrambled eggs with tomatoes or onion to make an egg sandwich, or sometimes i'll have oats, and sometimes just the bread.

i take my time eating my breakfast and then get my bag ready for the day.  it takes me about five minutes to walk to class.  i try to greet people like i'm supposed to, but usually one sentence in twi is all i can understand.  children stand by the side of the street and shout OBRUNI, and random strangers ask where i am going. 

8a: our first class of the day starts.  usually we start with language, sign language of course.  we have two hours of language.  i'll tell you more about our teachers later, but they're really great.  we are forbidden from speaking during class, so we have to figure out how to sign anything we need to say.

10a: sign wraps up, usually a little bit late, as we all prefer to linger in that class than go to our next one.  we walk down the street a little ways to the chief's palace for our next round of classes.  the chief's palace isn't exactly palatial, but rather a small open courtyard with a gate, a private place for the obrunis to gather in peace.  here, we usually have education classes.  it might be on how to plan a lesson or how to manage classroom behavior.  sometimes it is debriefing homestay experiences.  sometimes i'm not sure what the purpose is.

12: we have an hour break for lunch, so i walk back home.  when my aunt sees me arrive, she starts my lunch.  it is usually something delicious like fish stew over rice or fish stew with boiled cassava or fish stew with a rice ball.  mmm.  if i have time, i like to grab a short nap. 

1p: sessions start up again.  i'm not sure what would be a "normal" session to describe here, i guess more education sector specific stuff, or we might meet up other trainees in a nearby town for larger group sessions.  anyhow, sessions usually end at 5.

5p: either i go and hang out with a couple friends for an hour or so or head home.  my friend sonya's parents own a spot (ghananglish for bar), so we go there for beer or minerals (soda).  i try not to stay too long, because it gets dark around 7 here, and if i'm not home by dark, my family worries.  so i shoot for 6:30.

6:30: i walk back to my home.  my host father is always outside our compound talking, so i greet him.  he tells me i am welcome, every time, i am welcome.  i walk into the compound and greet the rest of the family, my aunt STILL laboring over that coal stove, and my two little sisters who shyly grin.  my grandmother is usually in another room watching tv, japanese soap operas or some cartoon about pinatas.  she doesn't speak english, so i don't understand how they entertain her so.  i either attempt to join my grandmother until the tv bores me out of my mind or try to talk to my aunt.  she usually acts like i am crazy as i watch her cook and try to learn from her.  when dinner is ready, fatayiah brings it to my room.  it is another tray.  one plate on the tray contains two chilled water sachets, and usually there is a bowl with another bowl upside down covering it.  inside is, can you guess?  FISH STEW!  with that rice or boiled cassava OR rice ball!  ok, that's a bit exaggerated; maybe only 2/3 of my meals involve fish in stew form.  occasionally they give me something different, and i am always quick to compliment those dishes.

by the time i have finished dinner, my bath is ready.  fatayiah again knocks on my door.  "your bath." i go take my second warm bath of the day.  

8p: sometimes, after my bath, i hang out with my two (or three?  a new one appeared over the weekend, and when i asked where cute little xena came from, they said she lives here.  hmm.) little host sisters.  fatayiah is 12, i think, and very sweet, my little helper.  fatimah is 5 or 7 and VERY shy, but such a sweetheart.  one night she started singing for me, and it was wonderful.  then little xena is 4 and just precious, so tiny and sweet and barely speaks a word.  they think the crayons and coloring book i brought are the best thing ever.  they also love looking at my photo album of pictures from home, just flipping through it over and over!

9ish: these kids must not have a bedtime, because i think they will stay in my room forever.  so i have to kick them out, tell them how tired i am.  sometimes i go to bed early, 8ish, depending on how bored i am.  you all know my infinite capacity for sleep!  so i head to bed, fumbling around in the dark to tuck my mosquito net in appropriately. sweet dreams!