Chase and Drew

Over the weekend we did a lot of driving around, exploring, over dirt roads, through extreme traffic, dodging cattle (and people), and stopped at several local places - the artisan gallery, local indian restaurant, outdoor dining areas, roadside stands, etc... After we toured the art gallery, we had lunch at a 'beach club' (terms like this are not what they seem).  :)  My sweet boys were in a silly mood so I snapped these shots.  I wanted to burst into tears at one moment because my heart was about to burst with how much I love them.  Here they are, in such a different environment than they have known, and handling it with such  ease.  Chase of course has his reservations and he has been extra clingy and wanting to sleep in our bed, etc... (Lord help me) and Drew can't stand the thought of me being out of his presence BUT other than that - they are adjusting and doing it marvelously.  That's all.  I love them.

Africa at Random

 While I will do my best to update you with structured, intriguing posts - it is likely that many random posts will be thrown in.  At this moment, my life is a little bit random, with the only structure consisting of things scheduled for me.  Otherwise, we continue to get out and explore and wait here for our household items to arrive.  The days have gotten a little long because there are only so many DVDs the kids can watch (no tv yet) and our phone line is bad, therefore internet and communication with the outside world is limited at best.  The boys have been playing lots of soccer in the front yard, swimming, and we get out whenever we can.
Because we do not have our car yet, if I don't have a ride with someone, I just hop in a cab.  They are plentiful and very inexpensive.  Chase and I set out on our first cab adventure Monday on a mission to find the 'famous' batik fabric place in town.  More often than not, the cab drivers say they know where they are going, but in reality, they do not.  This was one of those days, so we truly explored until we found our destination.  No better way to get familiar with the area than that.  :)
These are pics I took of our surroundings that day - a very small glimpse of what you see all around you.  Our mission was successful - I made our first fabric purchases with plans for clothing and other items already in the works.  Ghana is known for their fabrics and many other things - I have just begun my hunt for authentic, cool 'stuff'.

 

This is the midget phone truck that meets me when I need to add 'time' to my phone or internet.   

They carry EVERYTHING on their head

There is A LOT of traffic here - this is just a quick shot of one road in a 'good' traffic time

Goats, cows, chickens, right next to you at any given time

Here she is - famous Esther - the first of many trips I will make here

 

Tro Tro - the name of a bus like cab - there are also everywhere, very cheap, and packed to the max

Home Sweet Home

Week One - Success!  We arrived in Ghana on Monday July 15 around 1pm after 2 flights; Flight one - 1 hr, Flight two - 10 hours!  The kids did great (Dramamine anyone?)  It was surreal boarding the flight from JFK to Accra with a group of folks not exactly like me.  :) I met some very lovely people on the plane that I look forward to connecting with during our time here.

We flew with 19 'pieces' of luggage - that in itself was a pretty incredible sight.  We were met at the airport with several folks from the new office and came straight to our home that had been made up with food items, etc... by our social sponsor.  They are the folks assigned to you to help make your transition easier.   What a help that has been!

We've settled in nicely - this is a busy time for the Embassy Community as it's the move season, so there are many farewell events happening.  That means lots of social gatherings which is always fun for me!  Even without that, the folks here are overwhelmingly nice and have welcomed us in a way I have never experienced.

We found mini golf on Saturday - again, surreal.  I just couldn't stop smiling at how random that is.
After mini golf, we ate at one of the fave local restaurants, CHASE.  My Chase of course loves everything about that!  And we got here just in time for Chase to participate in an Embassy Summer Camp where each day he spent 45 minutes on a different activitity....swimming, tennis and soccer being the faves!  Drew and I would spend time at the playground while we waited. It was a great way to get plugged in and start meeting other kids and parents as well.

To sum this first blog post up, here's a quick story.  Once we landed at JFK, we took a shuttle bus to our final terminal.  Drew wanted to run around and climb the stairs on said moving bus - so I wrestled with him the ENTIRE route and he screamed the ENTIRE route, and all the passengers were feeling a bit sorry for me.  When I got off the bus and was waiting for the rest of my crew, a sweet older gentleman said 'I hope your next stop is home'.  I started to immediately respond with 'oh no' - but quickly caught myself when I realized (maybe for the first time REALLY REALIZED) that indeed, Accra would be our 'home' for the next two years.  I am embracing the challenge of what that looks like. I bet it's sweet.