A week of activities

We are nearing the end of Ash’s first trip away since we have been here. He left on Tuesday to do a conference about five hours from our home in Kumasi. The kids and I stayed home, since the accommodations were not going to be conducive to housing two little kids for four days. To make the time move faster, I tried to plan an outing for each day. On Tuesday we ventured to the Kumasi Zoo. It was a slightly rainy day, which left the zoo feeling a little bit gloomy, but over all it was a good outing. Kaite was excited to see the crocodile, though a little concerned at just how close she was able to get to it. The Zoo is old: all the animals are in cages, but they appear to be well cared for. And the cages allow you to see the animals up close and personal. There were lots of different types of monkeys and apes, giant turtles, snakes, a camel and some ostriches. There were two Lions, a leopard and some hyenas as well. And of course the crocodile. There was a cage marked “ The Genet Cat,” but we couldn’t find the cat anywhere. Lucky for us we have one living in the spare room so we are already familiar with that particular species.

As we approached one small, circular area I wondered what we would see as we peered over the fence. There in a little pond was a goose. A plain old farm yard Mother Goose. I realized that the term “exotic” really dependent on ones geography!

On Wednesday we spent the afternoon at Sir Max Hotel. They have a very nice pool and restaurant. The pool even has a kiddy pool complete with cement dolphins spewing water. The kids loved it. And I enjoyed the hamburgers and fries that we had for lunch. Sir Max is a nice break. Katie would have us there everyday if she could. Unfortunately, Kumasi is a bit more expensive than we expected it to be, so excursions like those need to be limited!

Thursday we headed to the Cultural Center. There are lots of shops with colorful clothing, jewelry and crafts. We watched some men carving drums. The Cultural Center is also shading and very green. It has a park like feel to it. We enjoyed walking around and talking with people. It was enough to tire out the kids for a nice long afternoon nap when we got home.

Today we will be heading to the home of a Dutch woman I have been in contact with. She is part of a play group every Friday afternoon. There are several families all with kids between 1 and 8 or 9. Katie and I are both really looking forward to having a chance to visit with some of these families. Katie has been missing having friends to play with. And I look forward to getting to know some other mom’s and finding out what people do to keep their kids busy here in Kumasi.

John Mark seems rather content to wonder around the house discovering new things to climb on. I am beginning to wonder if he has a future in rock climbing. I find him on the table, the desk, the couch. Earlier this morning I found him hanging over the back of the leather arm chair. Paulina and Evelyn are amazed at how strong and active he is. I am trying to figure out what makes our kids so much busier than the Ghanaian children around them. I am wondering if carrying your children on your back helps to teach them a little bit about being still.

In some ways we are all learning about being still. I am still adjusting to life being slower. We aren’t rushing around from store to activity to deadline. We aren’t scheduling our days to make sure to fit it all in. I have been able to read four books in the last three weeks, something I haven’t had much time for since the last time I lived in West Africa. Katie is finding she enjoys coloring and drawing more, spending lots of time creating things. Her “staying in the lines” is really improving! She also enjoys sneaking into her room, or our room and cleaning up and making the bed for me. She does a nice job of that, too. John Mark is enjoying having lots of my attention. I had to teach Evelyn the phrase “Mama’s Boy” a few days ago.

There are still times when it feels a little lonely, especially with Ash gone. Finding a way to fit in and build relationships takes time. We have only been here for three weeks and I sometimes need to remind myself that it takes much longer than that to build friendships. When the coaches were in town it felt like we had instant connections, but now that they have returned to their homes and villages it has been a little too quiet for me at times. Which is sort of ironic, since one of my desires over the past four years of motherhood has been more down time, more time for quiet thoughts and prayers. It seems that this time is an answer to pray, if I am ready to accept it.

Update: It is Saturday Morning, I am posting this after Ash returned from a fun, successful conference. We had a great time at the play group and are all looking forward to next week!