Monday - Day 1 of the Bolga Adventure

Monday –
Anna and I have been in Accra for almost a week, and its time for our adventure to begin.  I fear if we stay any longer in Accra, we won’t be able to break orbit and escape to the north country.   At first I thought that we had reacclimated rather quickly, but now I realize it feels more like resuming our lives here, than adjusting to it.  As I have set about the process of making the apartment our home, fixing broken things, finding and then hanging a clothesline, locating food to eat, I have been warmly welcomed by all my old market sellers, and people on the street, who each made a special point of “dashing me some small thing” to say welcome back.  

The biggest surprise, and I should have remembered this, is how long it takes to get something done here.  If a person can get one or maybe two important things done a day, it is an accomplishment, especially when one is at the mercy of public transport.  Its hot, nothing is that convenient, and every adventure involves lots of walking, TroTros, or Taxi.

So Anna and I met Libby, The Mission Society Summer Intern who is serving with the Gongwer Family at the Reading Town Library in Ankaase, north of Kumasi.  Anna and I visited Cam, Anne and Caylor when we went on our Kumasi Adventure [click here] years ago, but last year the Gongwers moved to Accra, and their intern Libby was returning there today, via a new intercity bus service called VIP.  

For just a few bucks more we rode in style, and were treated to a four hour-three part Ghanaian Movie.  Like many of the public transports I’ve taken, this one started off with a hawker selling some type of medical treatment (this time its acne cream) for the first 15 minutes and then he thankfully sat down so we could enjoy the Ghanaian Movie, which played next.   I’ve not seen that many Ghanaian movies, but they do seem to contain common elements of marriage and witchcraft, and this one was no different.  

In Kumasi we were met by the Pastor and his wife Julie who gave us a ride back to Ankaase.  Libby had called ahead and a pot of wonderful Jollof Rice [click here] was waiting for us.  Before dinner though, we had to help the cat off the room, the tin roof, which we imagine she was grateful for because it rained for several hours that night.  After dinner we talked, played cards and then read.  I remember many nights like this in Ghana.  

Libby is from Minnesota and has served here for a month.  She will finish her last year of college at Cornerstone University, and is spending this summer exploring her call to ministry by serving as an intern with The Mission Society.  Here in Ankaase, she teaches roughly 100 kindergarteners the fundamentals of reading each afternoon at the Reading Town Library.  She has a beautiful smile and sweet, sweet spirit about her and has been a delightful host.   Like Accra, it would be easy to stay a few more days in these familiar surroundings, but more adventures are waiting for us down the road, so we head north. 

Tomorrow its Techiman