into the village *2*

Howdy peoples!

Ahhh, its nice to come into the city and read the e-mail you have sent me. Thank you. The electricity has failed a few times so far while i've been on the computer, so forgive me for not responding. It might take a while for that to happen, but do know I appreciate the updates from each of you.

I am living in a true village and i know this because my roommate wipes with bannana leaves. Actually all 5 of my roommates do.

I took a bus ride 4 hours north of Accra and was dropped at the side of the "highway" at a place called Duampopo. The driver said he had no idea where that was but he would keep his eye out for the sign. I unloaded my 2 heavy suitcases and just stood there in the dirt feeling really strange about life. Why did i come here again?

Supposedly a man named Agei was coming to pick me up, so I trusted he would be there. True to his word he walked up to me in less than 5 minutes with a big goofy grin on his face, introducing himself as Secetry. I had forgotten the many names people have here. Often people will introduce themselves as say, Kwame, and seconds later tell you they actually go by John. But also, they say, people sometimes refer to them as Little boy, or even, Henry. That is at least 4 names. I'm learning to just wait, and log the last name into my memory. That usually works best.

So Secetry and I took a cab from the main road down a little red dusty dirt road, past dense, low, tropical forest, and pulled up to what appeared to be a mansion.

"this is your place" he told me.

oh.

i had no idea i would be staying in the local mansion. i squinted my eyes to look further down the road and asked secetry what was in that direction.

"that is the village, where the health clinic is at. i stay there."

oh. okay.

so we unloaded my things, and i moved into my room.

the house is huge for african standards and big for western standards. i felt a little undeserving.
i had so many questions. whose house was this? who else was living here? why on earth was there a courtyard in front the size of a small soccer field?

the more i asked the more Secetry just laughed and nodded his head saying "its sweet, isn't it?"

i was told i had 2 roommates. one is half alter boy half village boy. he's crafty and kind, and also the appointed "Security". he sleeps with a slingshot by his mat. he killed a mouse that crept into my bathing bucket in the middle of the night. he did it by squeezing its neck and then throwing it on the ground with one hard SLAM!. he greets me when i come home and opens the door for me with a huge smile. and he doesn't speak english so we laugh a lot together. one of his names is Sakola.

my other roommate is unfriendly. i asked some people in the village why he won't talk to me even when i try to communicate with him in broken Twi, and they said he has a mental disease. Greeeeeaaat, i thought. They said it was depression and i felt better. not only will he not speak to me, but he won't look at me either. i rarely see him. hes kind of like a ghost in the house, he rotates rooms and has a talent of just "appearing".

so 2 roommates. or so i thought.

i've been there for almost 2 weeks now and every day i am meeting someone new. in my house that is. everyday i am meeting someone new, who has just woken up and stepped out of a room or is sitting on the porch or is eating at the dining room table (which happens to be the only piece of furniture in the house) its a little confusing, but i am "just going with it".

the house has no electricity and no running water. its a farce! i thought with such a huge place those things would be a given. not so. Sakola insists on fetching my water, even though i've pleaded for him to let me do it. i need to grow some muscles here, everyone is so fit from all the manual labor they do, i wouldn't mind doing some myself! everytime i try somebody takes over and does it for me- with almost everything i do. do they think i'm incompetent?

"you are our guest." they say.

i started having nightmares last week. i mentioned it to one person at the clinic and by the time i got home that night Sakola was waiting outside my bedroom door to pray for my well being. (gotta love the way news travels in a village) African prayers are loud and dramatic, a lot of hand gestures and movement, AND they work. I've only had sweet dreams since! Praise God for that.

the days in the clinic are slow, until a taxi pulls up and out comes a pregnant woman ready to deliver. i've been there twice for that. each time i was reminded why i was standing on the side of the road with suitcases full of medical supplies, just 2 short weeks ago. i feel good about what is going on thus far. and i have a lot to say about it.

I am going to start a blog so those of you who are interested can read the girth of my experience there. and those of you who aren't interested won't be bothered with my chapter sized emails!

my place is big and very welcoming to visitors :) as you well know. come visit!

Take care and sending you the joy of Christmas,
Kacie