I got a face-lift!

Friday, August 27

Ok, actually I just got my hair braided, but it feels like I got a face-lift! I hadn’t planned on getting my hair done while I was here, but during our drive from Kpong to Accra today I was thinking about all the different hair styles the women here do and on a whim I decided to just do it. I want to have the full African experience and about 95% of women here get their hair done, so off to the salon I went! Once I was there I figured if I was going to get it braided I might as well do a weave (where they add hair to your own) too. And since I was doing the weave I might as well choose a fun color- go big or go home right? So about an hour and a half later I had practically broken out in a sweat over how painful it was, but I now have red cornrows braided in a semi-circular fashion. Pricilla (one of the girls I work with) sat patiently with me during the whole thing and held my head during the braiding to make it hurt less-seriously wonderful! She also took me to pick up a scarf since I was informed that I have to sleep with the scarf wrapped around my hair-I’m getting the full experience! Oh and the best part: it only cost 8 GHc (around $5)!

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, I met up with Naadu to see a movie on campus that was made by some of the previous students in the drama department (I think). While it was really neat that the film was filmed in Accra and the story took place in and around Accra, the movie itself was, well...it was made by students, but it was fun to see it.

I ended up taking two Ibuprofen for my headache before I went to sleep :)

The theme of my trip is Crying Infants…I need a better theme ☹

Thursday, August 26

We had a long day at the clinic today, but we are close to getting the number of women we need each day to reach close to 90 infants. In between collections I was bouncing between our clinic and the laboratory next door. I was observing a breastmilk and plasma collection (my thesis is analyzing breastmilk and plasma (infant and maternal), so it was important for me to observe the collection process while I’m here. During the blood draw for the infant I ended up retreating back to our clinic. When our infants cry, I know it’s not because they are actually in pain, it’s just because they don’t like having the swab in their mouth or because they’re scared of me. But, watching the little baby scream and knowing that getting the needle in your arm for a blood draw does actually kind of hurt, I felt so horrible even just standing there-like I was contributing to the pain. I don’t know how mothers do it- it has to be horrible the first time you take your baby to get shots or vaccines!

Some random observations:

• I’ve noticed recently that some of the infants that are brought in for our study have their eyebrows penciled in-both boy and girl babies.
• If someone is eating and you are near them, they will often politely invite you to join in by simply stating “you’re invited”. The first time someone said this, I was so confused, I asked: “I’m invited to what?”
• In order to charge some of my electronics while I am here I brought an adaptor, but I also learned that I have to turn on the miniature light switch next to the outlet in order to activate the outlet.
• I have noticed that some of the study babies (mostly girls but some boys) wear beads around their waists. While the infants have to be weighed naked, it is accepted that the beads stay on. These infants will wear the beads from the time of birth until they are (in many cases) adults. It is not only thought to be beautiful, but also that the beads help shape the woman’s hips.

The Market

Wednesday, August 25

After another successful day collecting infant saliva, Ruthfirst, Elizabeth, and I went to the Market. Since it was the big market day here in Kpong, the streets were packed with people selling everything you can think of, what a fun experience! We went with a shopping list for all the ingredients for a Ghanaian meal that Ruthfirst was going to teach me how to make. The three of us walked along stopping occasionally to get tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, cocoyam, plantains, palm oil (poured into a baggie from plastic containers that look like they should be used for a spare gallon of gasoline), and other interesting and colorful ingredients. I can hardly describe everything! There were covered stalls in (mostly) ordered rows that seemed to be splashed with color and bursting with activity. There were many women (and kids) scattered amongst the crowd with bundles or bowls in various sizes balanced on top of their heads. There was an abundance of seasoned and dried fish laid out on tables or even on a flat board carried on top of a girl’s head. There were several butchers ready to cut up the meat that was, in some cases, spread right out on the table. Some of the stalls had big bowls filled with grains, rice or corn meal. In one such stall two little kids were grabbing handfuls of the corn meal (?) and stuffing it in their mouths, or they were before their mother caught them. There were also carts being pulled through the market. The carts would come barreling through as everyone would quickly jump out of the way. After one such cart had gone past, Ruthfirst leaned over and translated the comment that was shouted: “Watch out! Don’t hit the white lady, they don’t have carts in her town!” I laughed pretty hard at that one!

My mom told me that during her boat trip she would occasionally stop, close her eyes and take a deep breath in. She would try to really experience the moment and commit it to her memory. While Ruthfirst and Elizabeth were picking out cocoyam, I stopped in the middle of the market and thought about what a crazy and cool experience this is and how I didn’t want to forget it. I closed my eyes and, while everything continued in motion around me, I took a deep breath in. I heard dozens of voices, the sounds of carts and people shouting, the noise of exchanging goods and bargaining. As I breathed in I could smell onions, a faint smell of peppers and fish. Even if the rest of the market becomes a blurred memory, I hope that I will be able to remember that moment exactly as I imprinted it in my memory.

That evening, Ruthfirst, Naadu, and I started cooking. It was really fun working with food that I’ve mostly never seen before. Ruthfirst was a good teacher and, although I don’t think I would be able to recreate the dish, I learned a lot about Ghanaian cooking. By the time we were finished the kitchen was at least 10 degrees hotter than the rest of the already toasty house and I felt like I needed a shower! We finished up the night by gathering a few of the other girls who live in the house and all eating and watching a movie together.

Blorfonyo (pronounced Blefonyo) - “white lady”

Tuesday, August 24

We didn’t have clinic today, instead I went out with one of the field workers on home visits. We visited seven mothers in the study who are either pregnant or have young infants. Yesterday while working in the lab, I met some medical students from Scotland who are here interning/volunteering. While talking to them, one of them asked if I had heard people calling “blefonyo” at me yet. It’s the Ghanaian word for “white lady” and they said they hear it a lot. Today I was listening for it and I heard it all throughout our home visits. As we were walking from house to house we passed little kids who would call out “blefonyo” and then either smile and wave or run to grab a little friend so they could see the white lady too. I heard a couple of adults call it out too-very fun to recognize what they were saying. I was also able to carry out a rudimentary conversation in the native language with most of the mothers consisting of: “How are you?” “I’m good, and you?” “I’m good, thank you”. At a couple of the visits I was able to hold the little babies, only 2 or 3 months old. Both were such cuties with little baby afros that were so soft! While I was holding one of the infants I suddenly felt something warm and wet spreading across my lap…yep-baby had no diaper! The blefonyo got peed on!

After we returned to the house I had some time to shower (thank goodness!), prepare food and do some laundry. Laundry basically consisted of an hour of me being seriously thankful for the washing machine at home! I hung up everything on a make shift clothes line in my bathroom (my dad would be so proud that I brought along the nylon rope that he put in with my camping gear!). I later noticed a clothes line out back that I may transfer my clothes onto tomorrow, except my underwear-that can stay in my bathroom!

Malarone Dreams

Monday, August 23

Early this morning some of the other field workers who had gone to Accra for the weekend and I headed back to Kpong. One of the girls who is returning had left early last week to head to the hospital in Accra because she had gotten malaria. She had taken the medicine over the weekend and is already back to work. On the way into the clinic this morning, one of the other girls mentioned that she thinks she has malaria also. Since I have been in Kpong, I have learned that Malaria is quite a bit more prevalent in Ghana than I had originally thought. The girls tell me that most people get malaria at least once per year and it is not uncommon to have it multiple times in one year. They said it is similar to when we get a cold, everyone gets them, but they only go to the hospital if it is really bad. The girls said that there are some symptoms common to everyone, but each person has certain symptoms that they recognize as a bout of malaria.

I am taking malaria medication everyday while I’m here as a preventative measure (along with the mosquito net, special mosquito repellant sleeping sheet, clothing treated with repellant, and actual skin repellant-take that mosquitoes!). It made me a bit sleepy for the first couple of days, but besides that the only noticeable side effect has been vivid, interesting dreams every night (assuming these are due to the drug and not just my new surroundings). These dreams not only seem very real while I’m in them, including sights, sounds and even tastes, but I can remember the details when I wake up. For the most part it has been fun to see what I come up with every night, but one night it was a really scary, evil dream that was every bit as vivid as the nice dreams. I ended up awake at 3am, grabbing my bible and reading the first thing I turned to until I could fall back asleep-not pleasant!

Droopy Drawers

Sunday, August 22

I quickly got dressed this morning and headed out to catch a cab to meet up with Ivy before church. As I was walking to where I would find a cab I noticed my shorts were quite loose and were inching down as I walked. Actually, all of my clothes have been a bit loose. Had the cab driver been looking as I got out later he would’ve got a big glimpse of my underwear as my shorts tried to stay in the cab without me. Between being sick this past week and being hesitant to eat much local food, I’ve been relying on the packaged snack-type food I brought. While I did bring high-calorie snack foods (trail mix, peanut butter, protein bars, etc) they are still just snacks and don’t really constitute a meal. Now that I know there aren’t many options in Kpong for non-sketchy food, I am planning on a trip to the grocery store in Accra to get meal options that I can prepare quickly and easily and that are relatively high-calorie.

Thank goodness I was meeting with Ivy before church because she had finished one of the dresses she is making me and I was planning on wearing it to church. It turned out so well (see picture)! After wearing the clothes I brought for fieldwork for the past week, it felt so good to be in something feminine. After church I met an American girl named Tiffany and we started chatting like old friends. Both of us have had some similar experiences with food, communication, and just generally being foreign, so it was fun to share those with each other. I was telling her my plans to try to make it to Cape Coast next weekend and she said that she was also going on Saturday with her host family and that I was welcome to join them. This is such a blessing! I really want to go and I know multiple people would readily volunteer to take me, but I really want to go with someone else who wants to go as a tourist. While I would definitely appreciate someone taking me, I want someone to be enjoying it along with me, not watching me to make sure I was having a good time.

After church I met back up with Robert for round 2 of shopping. Since we ended up leaving the Arts Center early yesterday, Robert said he would take me to a different and less well-known Arts Market today. This time I was determined to be a better bargainer. I was all set with my disinterested attitude and my lines: “I’m just looking today” “that really isn’t exactly what I’m looking for” and “I’m not really sure on this one, I should probably look at the next shop”. What fun it was to shop in a more leisurely manner in which I was bargaining and sticking to a good price! I realized it’s a game and everyone actually enjoys playing! It’s part of the shopping experience to spend 10 minutes talking back and forth, hemming and hawing over the price, starting to walk away and then taking a second look. I left getting exactly what I wanted at exactly the price it should be and I felt so accomplished! Robert even praised me saying that I totally learned from yesterday and did 100% better today!

Feeling Foolish

Saturday, August 21

(David teaching me to play the drums while shopping at the Arts Center)

Susana and I met up with Robert this morning to go to the Arts Center. Robert was a student at the University of Ghana while Lacey (my roommate) was here last summer. Lacey gave me Robert’s contact information so that I could meet up with him while I am here. He said he would come with us to the Arts Center since two foreign girls shouldn’t go wandering around the Accra alone.

When we arrived at the Arts Center we met up with David and he took us to a couple of booths. As I was looking around Robert and Susana said they were going to look in the stall next to the one I was in and I told them I would be right behind them. As soon as they left, the guy in the stall started offering me “a good price” and promising to “make me a good deal”. Before I knew it I had bought a couple of things and was surrounded by guys trying to sell me things. Since I had come the previous week I thought I had a good idea of what things should cost and thought I could haggle on my own. Plus, David was with me and he wouldn’t let me get cheated, right? Wrong! I can be so naive and trusting! I knew we only had about an hour before we had to leave and I had some specific things that I really wanted, so I was feeling pressure to make quick decisions. I was led into a few different stalls and bought a couple things at each stall. While David was with me the whole time and actually is a really decent guy, he sees these guys on a daily basis and couldn’t exactly hurt their sale by telling me to stick to a lower price. After few minutes I was thoroughly overwhelmed and just wanted everyone to leave me alone. Right about then Robert and Susana came back wondering why I hadn’t followed them into the next stall. Robert quickly calmed down the situation and took over the haggling for me. By then, I had already bought quite a few things at way inflated prices and we decided to move along. As I told Robert what I had paid for each of the various items I felt more and more foolish, naive and like I had been taken advantage of. We stopped at two more stalls farther away from the initial ones we went to and I was able to buy two things at better prices. Robert would whisper what it should cost and, for the most part, I was able to get pretty near to that price. I’m a horrible haggler though! At the end of the experience, I was able to let the bad feeling go and just decided that I made some nice donations to shops here in Ghana J and, honestly even the inflated prices are really good compared to American prices.

As a side note: Just in case any one is worried about the above description I do want to note that I did not once feel like my safety was threatened and no one even came close to my personal bubble. While the shop guys were very persistent and enthusiastic sales people, they did not give the slightest impression of any bad intentions. The Ghanaian people, as a whole, are very hospitable and kind. I have felt more safe in this country that in the majority of countries that I have traveled in (and I think I’ve been to about 18-20 countries).

After dropping off all of my purchases, Robert and I met up with Naadu for a “Variety night” production on campus. “El noche de varidades” was put on by the youth of a local church and was really entertaining and well done. There was singing, dancing, and a drama performance that was really funny!

But we both speak English!

Friday, August 20

(The photo is Susan and I in front of where we are staying out in Kpong)

Today I felt a nagging sense of frustration for a good part of the day. Every day has been filled with such interesting people and experiences that I was surprised to be feeling this way. It took me nearly all day to figure out what was bothering me.

In the morning I called David (the guy who helped show me around the Arts Center last weekend) to ask him if he still had something I wanted to buy. After trying to explain myself about 5 times and getting nowhere, he said I should call him back. Instead I handed the phone to Naadu and she called him back. After about 60 seconds, she was hanging up the phone, problem solved. While everyone here speaks English, they seem to have a very difficult time understanding me. The rest of the day was similarly filled with interactions where I just wasn’t being understood and no matter how many different ways I explained it, I just couldn’t get my point across. For the sake of the sanity of myself and the person I am trying to communicate with, I have tried to give up a few times and just let it go, but I always end up going back to what I was trying to explain and trying again. Even when I’m talking to someone at home, I get really frustrated when I am not able to properly communicate what I am thinking or feeling. In coming to Ghana, where nearly everyone speaks English, I wasn’t prepared for such a communication barrier. At the end of the day I talked to Susan about my frustration and she helped me see that most Ghanaian people speak quite a bit slower than Americans do. With my accent, she said that I was just talking way too fast for people to be able to understand what I was trying to say. I have since tried slowing down with much better success. It is still an effort to understand what other people are saying and to have them understand me, and the telephone is still wretched, but I feel better about being able to communicate effectively.

The highlight of my day was during the trial with an infant in the study. Since most of the study babies cry when I look at them, it was a surprise when this little girl looked at me, cocked her head inquisitively, and then giggled. I waved at her and she burst out laughing. Every minute or so she would settle down until she looked at me again, I would wave or smile and she would burst out laughing again. After awhile the mother laughed and explained that all of the girl’s baby dolls and toy dolls are white. She said that the baby thought I was a giant talking doll, and she thought it was hilarious!

Akwaaba; Akua

Thursday, August 19

Since I have been having some difficulty with infants crying at the sight of me, I have been asking around whenever I get a chance to hear different opinions of what I could do differently. One of the new revelations earlier in the week came from one of the field workers as well as a few of the study mothers. The field worker mentioned that it was likely that I am the first white person many of these infants have seen. This was confirmed by some of the study mother’s explanation for why their infant was crying. At first I was surprised. It hadn’t occurred to me that I hadn’t actually seen another white person since being in Kpong. I don’t feel like I am any different from anyone else here, so the fact that my color would cause difficulties during the saliva collection just seemed so ridiculous. But the infants can’t help it if I’m funny looking, so I was determined to find a way to make it better. After talking with my sister, who is a speech pathologist for children, and Naadu, who gave me some good pointers, I decided the best approach was to spend some time engaging with the mothers before they enter the clinic. This way, the infants could see that their mother was not scared or threatened by me and also to see me in a non-clinical setting (so they don’t immediately assume I am going to stick them with a needle).

Akwaaba means Welcome and is generally understood by people speaking many of the languages. There are so many languages in Ghana that everyone at least speaks two local languages in addition to English. Upon arriving at the clinic, the mothers sit in the shade under the trees while one of the field workers reads through a consent form and questionnaire. I used this as an opportunity to welcome the mothers in their own language and then get to know a little about the mother and say hi to the infant. After my first few attempts at speaking little bits of the local language (welcome and thank you) were met with encouraging smiles, I started getting a bit more confident with trying out a few phrases in trwee (one of the local languages). The infants are still shy, but seeing their mothers talk comfortably with me seems to have made them a bit more comfortable (some of them anyway).

After a busy day full of a steady stream of mothers (actually I think it was more of one big tidal wave), I stayed after to spend some time in the lab prepping the samples. At a separate lab, where we are storing the samples until I leave, I met Eugene and Abubu, two lab technicians that work at one of the hospitals that are used by the study. After asking my name, someone will occasionally follow up by asking what day of the week I was born. In Ghana, people are given one name on their birth certificate and another name according to the day of the week they were born (My favorite is the name for males born on Friday: Kofi (pronounced coffee). Upon hearing that I did not have a clue what day of the week I was born, Eugene and Abubu looked up what day of the week October 2, 1985 was. I was born on a Wednesday, so I finally learned my Ghanaian name: Akua (pronounced Aqueea).

Bon Appetit!

Wednesday, August 18

This morning I was able to eat again and felt ok. We decided to not run the trial again today since most of the mothers have been told to come on Thursday and Friday. We would have had to set up everything for just one or two mothers. Instead we sent one of the girls to the clinic to reschedule with any mothers who happened to arrive today.

I set off with one of the other field workers who was going on a home visit to meet with one of the pregnant mothers. As a part of the larger study mothers are visited in their homes every other week during their pregnancy to follow up with adherence to study and to ask about any illnesses they have experienced over the past week. We took the trotro from the study house out to near the home of the study mother. Most people seem to not really like the trotro as it seems to be the cheapest form of transportation, apart from walking of course. I’ve heard most people tell me I would much rather take some other form of transport since the trotro is cramped and can be smelly and hot, etc. But I LOVE the trotro! Because it is such an inexpensive form of transportation, there is such a wide array of people taking it. There is someone or something interesting to see every time I take it and I actually get excited at the opportunity to use that form of transportation. Heck with taxi’s, public transportation is a much more interesting experience!

Today is the big Market day in Kpong and people come from all around (even as far as Accra) to participate. It seemed as though everyone was either buying something or selling something, and the trotro was packed with people heading to the market. Shortly after we got on, two young kids (one was probably only 8 or 9 but had an infant sibling strapped to his back) carrying a dead, roasted, cat-sized animal got on the trotro heading to the market. I leaned over to the girl I was with and asked her what it was. She informed me that it was “bush meat”- basically it was a rat. I still can’t believe that a rat could be that big! She asked the children about the meat and they told her they were on their way to the market to sell it. She said that people will often travel to the rural villages outside Accra to buy their meat (including bush meat) because it is cheaper and fresher. Bon Appetit!

When we arrived near the women’s home, we had to walk a bit to get there. It was really interesting to see some of the daily lives of women doing laundry, cooking, and a man making beads similar to the ones we bought the other day. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the house it looked empty. We asked around and were informed by her neighbors that the study mother had some family business to attend to and had unexpectedly traveled to a nearby town. While a small fraction of the study participants do have cell phones, for most it is a matter of hoping they remember the meeting times and are still available during those times. I am so impressed with the organization of the study and the persistence and commitment to follow-up. Seeing some of the difficulties the field workers encounter and the cheerful persistence and positivity with which they meet it, is extremely impressive.

It was only 10am when we arrived back at the house, but it was perfect timing! Almost as soon as we returned I felt ill again and spent the rest of the afternoon in bed. By 4pm I was able to eat again and was feeling a bit better, although still pretty weak. We have a very full day planned tomorrow, so I’m going to try to get a really good nights rest tonight in hopes that I’m good as new tomorrow!

P.S. Tonight I just had a little baby lizard join me in my room for the night…oh how I love company.

Sicky (no I don’t have malaria)

Tuesday, August 17

I woke up to cloudy, rainy-looking skies. About a half an hour before we loaded up the van to head out to the clinic, it started drizzling. By the time we arrived and got all set up, it was pouring. As we waited for the mothers to arrive we all sat around chatting. The field workers who are working on this project along with me are all girls about the same age as me. It was such fun to sit around and chat and laugh with them. They are all very interesting, intelligent and funny young women. One of our funnier conversations was about baby carrying. I mentioned how comfortable the babies look sitting on their mother’s backs, it’s like they’re sitting in a chair. One of the girls said that it is because of how African women are shaped, and she made a sort of “S” shaped motion with her hand. I replied that with my lack of a backside, a baby would probably slide right off my back! The gals thought this was hilarious! You can tell that these girls have formed some great friendships while all living at the study house during the weekdays and it is so fun to be included in their banter.

Around 10:00am Anna got a call saying that the clinics where we recruit the women from are closed today and that we would not be able to get any study participants. We had to pack up everything and return back to the house. Because the other field workers had already gone out, I could not join them to observe some of the other aspects of the study. This left me with some time on my hands.

As I was thinking up another plan for the rest of the day, I started feeling a little queasy and just generally not well. I think I took on the Ghanaian food a little too quickly, because I ended up spending the rest of the evening in bed, feeling ill L Before I went to bed I took some over-the-counter medicine I had brought along with me, which seems to have worked wonders.

Kpong

Monday, August 16

Early this morning I met Susana (another girl from Davis who arrived last night) and the two of us met up with Anna, the project director, to head out to the field site. The site is about 2 hours outside of Accra in a town called Kpong (pronounced “pong”). During our drive out to Kpong Anna updated me on study, letting me know that the field workers had been trained the previous week and that we would actually be trying out the protocol today-great news! Since we are trying to get about 90 infants through the study in 3 short weeks, it is really beneficial to begin as soon as possible.

For those who are curious, here is a short description of what I am doing while here:

We are ultimately looking at the acute effect of consumption of a lipid-based micronutrient supplement on the cortisol response in infants. We are interested in the cortisol response of infants because the development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a key component of the system that controls stress response, seems particularly sensitive to maternal nutrition during pregnancy. This dysregulation of the HPA axis has in turn been linked to low birth weight, depression, diabetes, and possibly heart disease and stroke. However, given the lack of data on basal cortisol levels and stress responsivity among infants in the context of developing countries, there is a need to better understand the potential variability in the proposed outcome measures. So, we are examining cross-sectional predictors of stress response in a small sample of infants here in Ghana. The resulting data can then be used to plan for a future, larger study.

Upon arrival at the study house, we quickly dropped off our bags and met with the local field workers to head to the clinic. The space where we will be conducting the trial is at a Catholic-run hospital about 10 minutes from where we are staying. Almost immediately after we got set up, our first mother arrived and we were able to run her through the protocol with minimal difficulties. There were a few inevitable questions and kinks to be worked out, but the field workers were all very well trained and everything ran smoothly. As a side note: the infants did NOT like me collecting their saliva. In order to collect a small amount of saliva, I use a tiny sponge on the end of a stick that puffs up as it is saturated with saliva (called a sorbette). I have to place two of these under the infant’s tongue for about 60 seconds each. Meanwhile, the baby is crying and kicking (mostly accidently aimed at my stomach…good thing the little guys can’t kick hard!). Most of them figure out that it’s not too bad during the second sorbette, and stop fighting, but they still aren’t very happy about it! I follow the collection by giving the infants little toffee candies that seem to cheer them up a bit. (I’m still making babies cry, but they do seem to like me up until I get out the sorbettes, so maybe it’s not me…).

I was also able to see one of the places where we are recruiting the mothers. There is a women’s clinic at the hospital where new mothers come to get birth certificates (about 30% give birth at home), mothers come to bring infants for check ups, or if their baby is ill. Since we are looking for older infants (about 1 ½ yr olds), only a few of the babies from the large group of women are eligible for our study. The room was packed with women- all with little babies strapped to their backs with brightly colored cloths-very cool!

After we finished for the day, we packed up and Anna took us out to lunch-more authentic (spicy!) Ghanaian food! We also stopped by a bead shop. This area is known for their beads, which they make from collected glass bottles. Later we returned to the site where I will be staying for the next three weeks and I was able to get settled in and shower (I’m beginning to think the shower part of my day is truly the highlight, if not for me, then definitely for the people around me!)

Pounding FuFu

Sunday, August 15

I took the trotro all by myself this morning and met up with Ivy for church at the Lighthouse International Church. The service was really fun- during one of the worship songs a few of the men went up front and danced/marched while everyone else was clapping and semi-dancing in the rows. The entire service had such great energy and the sermon was well done and interesting. I could hardly believe that the service was 2 hours long!

One interesting thing about the service was that there seemed to be 4 tithes or offerings. I never did find out what all of them were for, but each had a different theme (so to speak). One was the normal pass around the bucket type, one required you go to the front and stand there while the pastor prayed, the third was called silver and gold offering- a coin offering- and the last was the 1 GHc (their one dollar bill) offering. My embarrassing moment of the day was during the second offering-yes the “go to the front” one. Right before this offering, Ivy leaned over and whispered that when the pastor asks if it is anyone’s first time attending this church, I should stand up. Right then, the pastor said something that I didn’t understand and Ivy stood up and nodded at me, motioning me to go into the isle. She followed me into the aisle and then walked up to the front, whereupon I followed her to the front of the entire congregation. It was only once we both got up there that Ivy realized I had followed her as she went up to give her tithes and whispered that I should go back and sit down. I then realized that she had been motioning me to stand up so that she could slide past me into the aisle, not that I should follow her! Shortly thereafter the pastor very clearly asked for new visitors to stand up…great. After the service I was able to meet the pastor and his wife-both very interesting people. The pastor works for an international nonprofit aid organization here in Ghana. His wife works for the U.S. Embassy in Ghana and lived in Washington, D.C. for a few years. After meeting practically the rest of the congregation, Ivy and I left to go buy fabric. There were so many pretty choices- it was hard to decide! I think I ended up a bit on the safe side, but it’s a really pretty African-looking print. I think Ivy might make me a second dress if we have time, so maybe I’ll try to go outside my comfort zone with the next pattern!

We went back to Ivy’s house so she could take my measurements and when we got there her sister was pounding dough-looking food with a large stick. She was preparing a dish called FuFu- it’s a mixture of plantains and Cassava. I, of course, wanted to try, so she showed me how. Let’s just say that Ghanaian women have my respect! It’s hard work! Oh, and the little boys kept laughing at me! I kept asking if I was doing it wrong, and then they all started laughing at me- even a couple of men who were passing by pointed and laughed! They finally told me they were all laughing because they had never seen a white lady (yes, I got called a “white lady”) pounding FuFu. Ivy said that since I had ridden the trotro alone and pounded FuFu, that I was an honorary Ghanaian for the day!

I hopped back on the trotro to head home and even changed vans at a junction, making it back to the guesthouse just as it was starting to get dark. What a great day filled with new experiences!

Naadu and the Mastercard dilemma

Saturday, August 14

I arrived back to the guesthouse at 9pm dirty, sweaty, and tired…but what a great day! My day started at 7am (my new self-imposed wakeup time) with breakfast at the restaurant. This time I brought reading material and I think I stayed at least 15 minutes. After a short trip to the internet café, I met up with Naadu, the daughter of the project director here in Ghana. Naadu and I planned to stop briefly at the bank on campus so I could withdraw money before heading to the Arts Center, a local market. Unfortunately, the bank only accepts Visa cards, and since I have a Mastercard, we were directed to the main branch of the bank in the city. After arriving at the branch only to find it closed, we checked out another bank near it, only to find that it too was closed. Given that tomorrow is Sunday (with all banks closed) and I have to pay the guesthouse fee before I leave very early Monday morning, I was starting to get a little worried. At this point, we decided to just go to the Art’s Center and browse since we were pretty close. We hopped on a trotro (a van packed full of sweaty people that acts like a mini bus) and were on our way!

The Art’s Center was such an interesting experience! It is a mix of outdoor and indoor stalls with the vendors beckoning to you to come in and look. Before I even made it near the entrance I had David and Coffee introducing themselves and leading Naadu and I to their stalls. David ended up being quite helpful and showing us to a few different stalls. It seems as though there are a few young men like him that get some sort of commission if they bring in a customer who buys something. Everything was beautifully made, from wooden sculptures of animals and masks to paintings and instruments. I was so glad to have Naadu with me to help bargain- apparently there is a Ghanaian price and a much higher American price! I quickly ran out of the few dollars I had with me and Naadu and I were off to try yet again to find an ATM that would accept my card.

Our next hope was the airport, but we were quickly disappointed as we saw the VISA signs on the airport ATMs, so back to the trotro we went. At this point I was really starting to worry that with nowhere accepting Mastercard and no way for me to get money, this trip could quickly turn sour! Our last hope was the mall (which, by the way, was where I found all the Americans hiding!). After wandering around a bit, we found an ATM with “Mastercard” as one of the tiny options next to the huge VISA sign- thank goodness! I took out more money than I actually need right now, but the relief at being able to access money was so huge!

After dropping a few things back off at the guesthouse, Naadu and I headed back to catch a trotro to the other side of town (by this time Naadu and I are chatting and laughing like old friends!). Naadu dropped me off at a gas station where I waited for a few minutes for Ivy to come and get me. Ivy took me to the house where she lives with her husband’s parents and made me an authentic Ghanaian dinner-yummy! I sat and chatted with Moses’ dad-the Major- and met one of Moses’ brothers, a few nephews and a shy little niece. After dinner we were off to meet Ivy’s family, who lives down the street. Here I learned that I make African babies cry, I thought the other baby earlier in the day was just a fluke, but apparently it’s becoming a theme. American babies love me! They laugh, giggle, and hold out their pudgy little hands. But here, they apparently cry and cling to their mothers…this doesn’t bode well for my research in African infant and maternal nutrition! Tomorrow I am going to buy a bag of toffee at the supermarket…I am so not above bribery!!

Blending in...or not

Friday, August 13

The hotel where I am staying has a restaurant, so I walked over this morning and had a yummy breakfast there. In typical York fashion, I was finished eating in about 7 minutes, then sat there sipping my coffee and hoping that someone else would finish before me so I could get an idea of the local protocol for leaving. Even though everyone else looked as though they had been there a significantly longer amount of time, none of them looked as if they would be leaving soon. When I could no longer pretend that I was still eating, I finally leaned over and asked a nice looking woman near me if I was supposed to pay at my table or at the front and if I should tip. I think I’ll bring something to read with me tomorrow morning and try to at least draw out eating to 15 minutes rather than 7!

After leaving breakfast I decided to take a look around campus. It was so nice to take a long walk after sitting on the plane for hours yesterday. There was plenty of activity around the campus as the incoming freshmen were having orientation this week. While I wandered around looking at the different buildings and stopping to take a few pictures here or there, I was acutely aware that I was sticking out like a sore thumb! Not only was I the only white person among hundreds of people on campus, but the clothes I was wearing (while acceptable for the rural field site where I will be spending most of my time here), are more suitable for going on a safari than walking around a college campus in the middle of a big city!

Later in the evening, Ivy (the wife of one of my classmates at UCDavis) came by and visited with me. We chatted for a couple of hours and she said she would plan to take me shopping for fabric soon to make me an African dress. She made a couple of beautiful dresses for my roommate Lacey when she was here last summer.

I arrived in Accra, Ghana!

Thursday, August 12

The plane ride was mostly uneventful since I slept the whole way. While waiting to board my flight to Ghana, there was a little girl (probably 2 years old) who came up to me, gave me a big smile and put her hand out. I thought she wanted to shake my hand, but she put her hand on mine and then switched so my hand was on top of hers. I don’t know if she was trying to get me to play a game, but she was super cute!

So far I have learned that Africans are friendly, but very straightforward! For instance, I put my seat back only to be banged hard several times and told (very politely) by the man behind me that it was too far! The girl next to me did the same thing to the man in front of her. I met two girls, Monica and Anna, on the plane and we became little buddies. We went through customs together, waited for our bags and Anna even gave a lady who pushed me “attitude” (think: Oh no you didn't!).

I’m staying at the guest house (hotel) at the University of Ghana. After checking into my room and trying unsuccessfully to use the internet, I slumped over in the chair in my room and tried to stay awake. I made it to about 8pm, at which point, I eyed my bed and considered whether it was worth it to try to put up the mosquito net. After a brief argument in my head about whether or not to put it up (my mom’s voice played the role of telling me "it’ll take two minutes, so get off your butt and do it!"), my mom won and I jerry rigged up the mosquito net. I’m hoping I can stay awake all the way until 9pm tomorrow night!