John Mark and Scrapple

Katie Reading for Oma

Home Again.

We've been home for a week. Everyone is sleeping through the night again (more or less). The house, which was sparkling clean when we walked in the door last week is getting cluttered and needs to be cleaned already. We are enjoying having Mimi and Big Daddy right down the street, and plans for the weekend. Everything is basically back to normal. But some how it doesn't feel quite normal. It feels busy and a little hard to manage. If feels like playing the guitar for the first time in a long time. We know how to make all the chords, but our fingers are feeling a little sore and tired. We are adjusting back to life in the US.

The kids started back to preschool and mother's morning out this week. We are all having a little bit of separation anxiety. After four months of hanging out being homebodies, walking to the market and having friends come to us, it is a little hard to get out the door and to school at 9:00 everyday. I am remembering that being rushed has been a part of daily life for most of my life (I tend to be a bit of a procrastinator...) and I am now realizing that I don't much enjoy it.

So my question over the last week has been, How do we maintain the pace of life that I came to enjoy so much in Ghana? How do I maintain the pace of life that allowed lots of time to read books to Katie and lay on the bed and tickle John Mark, the pace of life that allowed Ash and me to walk into the market together every so often or sit over breakfast for an hour. How do we continue to enjoy spending evenings watching movies together and playing Sudoku while taking part in all the things we missed while we were away? How do we enjoy our friends and family, and take advantage of wonderful school opportunities for our kids or enjoy the good roads that make 20 miles not that far to travel for a visit with friends or to go to church AND still enjoy a simple life, that isn't rushed or busy. How do we do all the things we want to do with out adding in all the stress that seems to be a part of doing it?

Well, I obviously have not figured it out. This blog is a case in point. This entry which I started back in November has sat in my drafts for over two months. So I guess I need to keep working on it. I am tempted to say that it isn't possible to meld the two lifestyles. But I don't believe that is true. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet.

Its a Small World....la la la....

From October 3, 2008

I sometimes wonder if the composer of “It’s a Small World” had any idea what that would look like in the year 2008. The world really is getting smaller. Or at least distances don’t feel quite as far. I stopped at the internet café a few weeks ago and found an email from an old friend from Koro. Amagana was my first friend in my village during my Peace Corps days, and a huge help in the work that I did during those two years. It has been some time since he and I have corresponded. When I lived in Koro, it was a one-phone town (when that one phone was working.) Since I left Koro, Amagana has gotten an email address and a cell phone, which make communication a whole lot easier.

When I opened up Amagana’s email I found that he was in Ghana! Again, the world is getting smaller. I sent him my phone number, and with in a few hours we were catching up on families and children and old friends. It was wonderful. Amagana was a 150 miles away in Accra. It should have been fairly easy for us to find a way to meet, I mean the relative distance wasn’t very far considering I live in the USA and he lives near Timbuktu! But my “It’s a Small World” moment vanished when I started thinking about 5 hours in public transportation with two small children. No, the world is still a big place. Technology only fools us into thinking otherwise.

But you know what? I’ll play along with that trick! It feels awfully nice to pick up the phone and pretend for a little while that I am just down the street from the people I love.

Pancakes in Ghana

From September 28, 2008

We spent last week in Accra. We had only planned to spend three days there, but after Ash missed his flight home from Liberia on Monday, we found out that the next flight wasn’t until Wednesday Night. So we decided to stick around until Friday so we could visit with our friends, and 10 year veterans in Ghana Missions, the Mozley’s.

Accra is almost like a brief trip to the US. Katie even went through a little culture shock when we arrived at the Mozley’s house. She looked around at the Mozley family, and another missionary that was visiting and asked, “Mama, why are there so many Abrunis here?” After several months in Kumasi, the site of white people seems even a little odd to Katie!!

Accra has everything (for a price) that you could possibly want. They have shopping malls and Max Mart (think Walmart but smaller.) They have a bakery run by an American woman who makes real bagels! They have take out pizza and fast food fried chicken. I even saw a guy selling the current issue of “O” Magazine outside of the US Embassy (which by the way is an intimidating, sprawling campus that takes up several city blocks). For those long term expats there are even cottage style attached homes that would fit in nicely in Roswell, GA.

The one Abruni thing I really wanted while we were there was a big bottle of Aunt Jemima Pancake Syrup. We eat pancakes a lot here (which has been good for the kids, but not as good for the grown up Zooks J). When we moved into the Mozley’s house in Kumasi, they left us a bottle of Aunt Jemima Syrup in the frig. I have gotten sort of used to it. And we ran out just before our trip to Accra. So I stopped into the super market to get some. There it was, with all its American packaging: Aunt Jemima Pancake Syrup. As I reached for it I paused to check the price tag. $26 US dollars. Yep. $26 US Dollars. I calmly pulled my arm back down, leaving Aunt Jemima on the shelf for some other expat. Maybe one working in the Coco Industry. I found a recipe to make our own Pancake Syrup.

It was nice to return to Kumasi. It is nice to know that this little house we have been inhabiting for the last two months has begun to feel like a home.

Learning curves...

John Marl learned a new word this week which is causing quite a stir around here. He has been slowly adding words for the last few months. He started with Ball and Mama, then Dada and No. He says 'yes', 'thanks', 'hi' all with varying degrees of clarity. But this week's new word is especially exciting. He has learned to say E ye, which in this particular case is not the same are eye. John Mark has learned his first word in Twi! It is actually a sentence meaning, "It's good." As we walk through our neighborhood, we are greeted with the phrase "Enti Sen?" which roughly translates to "How's it going?" To which John Mark enjoys replying with "It's all good!" in Twi. Well, you can imagine the response this small, very white, very blond boy gets when he responds in Twi to our Ghanaian neighbors. Laughter and clapping follows, which serves as a pretty good reinforcer for John Mark! So it seems that over time John Mark may prove to be the best student of Twi among us.

I have been trying to pick up some basic phrases. I have learned to say basic greetings, and can ask for items I need at the local corner boutiques where I buy sugar and spaghetti. The problem is that the nice shop owners respond to me in Twi. And if they respond with anything other than "It costs..." or "Thank you," I am lost. After a recent trip to the market I came home and learned a few useful phrases. "Me nti Asea. Me Ka Twi kakra kakra." I don't understand. I speak Twi small small. I use that one alot.

The thing is, that even if I only know a few words of Twi, the people are so gracious and excited to teach me more. Making any small effort to learn about their language and culture is very much appreciated by the Ghanaians I have encountered. It makes me wonder if we would be as encouraging and appreciative of visitors in the states. Or have we become so spoiled by the prevalence of English around the world that we forget what a real effort and desire it takes to learn another person's language and culture.

The shortest distance between two points...

Rose has become a vital part of our daily life, helping with the cleaning and laundry, watching the children at times and teaching me to cook some wonderful Ghanaian dishes. Although her work day should end at 5:00, it is often 5:30 when she is finally ready to leave for the night. Worrying about her walking home in the evening, I asked if she lived very far from our home in Adiebeba. "Oh no," she said "I live very close." When asked how long the walk would be she told me 45 minutes to 1 hour! Well, in my world, that does not count as close! Now I am really worried about her, knowing she has her own family responsibilities when she arrives home.

I was speaking with Abraham, our "Watchy-man" (translate: day guard) about Rose's walk. I asked where she lived. "Behind the primary school." he said. 'But that can't be,' I thought. 'That is right around the corner.' The school is only about a five minute walk from our house! So I ask Abraham how long he thinks it would take Rose to get home in the evening. 35-40 minutes was his reply. "But I can do it in 10 minutes," he adds.

At this point I realize that there is obviously a communication issue. I ask Abraham to explain the discrepency in times. He tells me that Rose is a woman and she has many friends. She must stop and visit many ladies on the way home.

And it is now becoming clear. The travel time is not based on the number of kilometers one travels, but rather on the number of friends one has along the way. And so the time it takes Rose to get home in the evening is not a burden, but a blessing. The importance of community is so great in Ghanaian culture that it is factored into everything. As an American, I am always thinking in terms of how quickly I can get somewhere or do something. I map out the shortest, most efficient route to finish my errands. I don't have time for any distractions. Life is very different here. Here they feel fortunate if the shortest distance between two points is the longest because it is littered with many friends.

8/20/08
Breakfast conversation yesterday centered around witches. For our family that isn't all that unusual, with all the Disney movies we watch, conversations about Malificient and the Wicked Queen from Snow White are fairly common. But this conversation was a little different. It wasn't generated by Katie and had nothing to do with a world of fictional characters and talking animals. It stemmed from a visit the night before with a young man being discipled by Albert Churcher, one of our YLI Coaches.

Ash, Jatoe, Roland and Eric joined Churcher in a visit to Yaw. Yaw shared with Ash that during a period of extended illness, he was alone at the local hospital. Despite informing his local church pastors of his illness, it was only Churcher who came to visit him, offering companionship, comfort and a glimpse of God's love for this young man. Those visits had a huge impact on Yaw. Since that time Churcher has become a trusted friend and communicator of truth to Yaw. Having been so impacted by Churcher's friendship and discipleship, Yaw has begun to pour love onto others, sharing Christ's life with them.

During their visit, Yaw came to Churcher and the others for help and advice concerning a situation with a woman being discipled by someone Yaw is discipling ( You see how loving one person can quickly multiply into many?). Yaw shared the story of a young woman who has been tormented for many years by a most unconventional marriage. As a young girl, a relative who is a witch doctor arranged for her to be married to a spirit. Juju, or Voodoo, originated in Ghana and still has a very strong hold on many Ghanaians. This marriage has lead to her feeling bound and restrained physically, emotionally and socially. She has lost friendships, potential husbands and most recently her job do to this union. She has uncontrollable outburst, has been physically unable to move and prevented from saying or doing things that she longs to say and do. This girl came to Yaw and his friend for help, knowing that they have found something special in their relationship with Christ. Yaw approached a local Pastor who is known for his work with evil spirits and exorcisims, but found that the pastor was charging far more than they could afford for the 'service.' So Yaw has approached Ash and the other coaches for help and advice.
Jatoe explaine to Yaw that it is not a single man who will rescue this woman, but Christ. It is not necessary to pay large sums of money. Yaw and his friend will return to her, sharing the love of Jesus and His power over all dominions. It will be the power and presence of Christ that will banish this spirit and break its bond over her.

Returning home from this meeting with Yaw, Ash shared this amazing, hard to believe yet true story with me. He finished by saying, " Jatoe told them to call me if they run into any difficulties, but Carrie, I've never actually performed an exorcism before." We laughed, but the truth of the statement remained before us.

Which brings me back to our breakfast conversations about witches, something that is very much a reality that bears great power here in Ghana. I am struck by the casual way that Americans brush off the idea of witches and the spirit world. I can hear myself easing my children's natural fears of witches and evil with a simple, "Don't be scared, that is just pretend." I realized in that conversation that our children will need to have a different view of life, one that does not turn witch doctors into a fanciful Disney character of a harmless old baboon named Rafiki. One that says, witches do exist, but we know who has the power to overcome, and even redeem, them.

Some Observations after 1 Month

August 6, 2008

It is our 1 month Anniversary here in Kumasi. If I had thought of it earlier, I would have baked a cake. (Although, after baking two cakes for Katie’s Birthday last week, I think we have all had our fill of cake.)

On the one hand, I still feel like I am seeing Kumasi for the first time every time I leave the house. On the other hand, we have fallen into a rhythm that is quite comfortable for our family, which makes me feel settled and at home. It is an unusual experience to have such extreme feelings wrapped around a single place and a single experience. But such extremes seem to be common in Africa. Walking through our new neighborhood I was struck by the co-mingling of poverty and prosperity. I saw two flat screen TVs hanging in a large, lovely home a few blocks from us. Next door to them, a family lived with broken down mud brick walls and a scrap metal roof. Suffering and joy, also, seem to walk hand in hand.

As I hear pieces of peoples’ stories, I was struck by how many of our new friends lost one or both of their parents early in life, suffered through wars or draughts or flooding, people ostracized from their family because they left Islam for Christ. For all of them it could have left a mark of sadness or bitterness. And yet there is a joy about them. A happiness that is infectious at times. These extremes of life keep coming to me here in Kumasi. Even the dusty, dirty, messiness of the market is off set by the vibrant colors of the women’s clothing and the care with which the vendors arrange their wares. Kumasi is a city of extremes. It is a city that embraces life in its fullness, completely.