Feb 19-21 Hunger and Moree Beach

February 19-21, 2010

I think when I go home, I will miss eating their delicious homemade bread!!! I love just having to buy a whole loaf anywhere on the streets for one cedi!!! But that is just a random thought.
There were so many things that happened this weekend. Like last weekend being the most scarey, this weekend was the most frustrating yet most rewarding too. It is so strange. Being here, I am always thinking. And I think that the children, my host family, my friends, Ghana, is changing me and changing me for the better. It is so strange to be able to feel self-confidence grow inside your elf in such a short time. It is strange to start building love and concern and dedication to people you have barely known for long but know them so well already. I now feel a little bit more proud of myself. It is so strange. I am starting to see people in a different light as well as myself. I am starting to see people not just as a figure that has feelings and passions and dreams, but I am seeing them more in myself. Instead of trying to see differences in everyone, I see more similarities.
I have always wanted to be a more friendly person-- someone who you could walk up to and feel comfortable around. I don’t know all of the reasons why I feel that I am changing but I know a huge part of it is the people. The way people live here and are is so extraordinary. To me, they have so little; to them, they have just enough. To me, they used to be just too friendly and too exhausting by how much compassion they automatically have; to them it is a way of life to be a good neighbor and friend to everyone. While I have seen the poverty of a third world country and I appreciate more of what I have at home, I am more surprised now to see that maybe their daily compassion and love for each other and the Lord is something all together so different. At home, everyone I know is friendly and tried to do good. But here, you always ask how the other person is doing, you truly care. You see so many people giving all that they have to help others, when in the end, they will need help themselves again. It is this circle of compassion that has me bewildered. How can such a people be so happy by having so little and yet at home, we have so much and the communal friendship is so different? It is so hard to explain but maybe you can understand the base of what I am saying. I am particularly saying that I have fallen in love here. Everyone I pass becomes my friend. Everyone of the children in part of my family now. I now have this maternal instinct in me that needs to defend for them; take care of them. I am so thankful to be here. I feel that being in a third world country, I have never been more personally blessed in spiritual and mental growth until now. It almost seems that what we lack they have gained and what they lack we have gained.
Well, moving on from the confusing inner thoughts and back to this weekend. Friday was good. We woke up and went to the House at 6:30 as usual. Around 7 I started to look for where the food was cooking so I could help with that. I asked Ester where it was, and she started laughing. So I knew to not get angry but to also befriend her in the conversation. Anger doesn’t do much here. I asked her again, and she said that the kids were fasting. I asked why. She laughed and after asking and asking her and the kids, I found out the kids had no clue and that Ester didn’t have food to cook. I was confused because Elvis had just drive up two days before with sacks full of food. So I talked with the kids who had huddled in the back room and talking about what was happening. I then went to go talk with Ester. This is where part of my maternal instincts came in. I tried to keep calm and respectful, but I also knew that a young, white women talking to an Older local would be offensive in any way. So I asked her why. She said no food, and then she walked to the kitchen. She showed me that there was not enough ground nut powder for soup for everyone. But then I pointed to the three huge bags on the floor. She said, coffee, rice and corn. Now I realize, why would they have a body size bag of coffee? Hmm…. Anyways. Looking at that I said “You could have cooked rice. You could have cooked corn.” She looked at me like “OOookkkaaayyyy….” And then left. The kids left for school after getting their toffee that was infested by ants because it was left on the bottom of the fridge. Annika and I were SOOOO frustrated. I have never looked into so many children’s eyes that I called my own look so hungry. I knew they barely eat already and to have no food until dinner was a painful thought. So we let them go and Annika and I decided that if Ester does not want to cook, then we do not want to wash. So we said “goodbye, Ester” and in a rough voice from here after just giving her a short lecture/disappointment, she said bye. We then left her to wash all the clothes and ten beds sheets that were to be washed for the kids who were coming to Accra the next morning.
I then headed home to eat and dress to get ready to go to the beach. We wanted to go yesterday, but it didn’t work out. When I arrived at Elvis’s, Annika told me what happened when Elvis was told that the kids went hungry this morning. He went to this room, slammed the door, grabbed his phone and came back out. He called Ester, yelled at her in Fante, it must have been obvious why. He then explained to Annika that he had given her plenty of money to buy the kids food a few days ago and that she had some to cook even this morning. So it was true. She had food, but did not want to cook.
So Annika and I then left for the beach. We went to Moroee Beach. I borrowed Annika’s extra bikini bottoms and then wore a shirt on top. We bought a soda at the hotel so that we were customers and could sit on the chairs and keep our stuff there. We sunbathed for awhile and got some healthy sun. I then went to go swimming for my first time in Ghana, and second time ever in the ocean. It was so sad. It was the most trashy water I have ever seen. Plastic wrapped around my body. I would run my hands threw the water and come up with water bottles and plastic bags attached to me. But I wanted to play for a little bit longer. It tasted salty too and the water was warm. So Moree Beach is pretty nasty but I am excited for next weekend. When Annika is going to Accra to fly home and we will go to one of the nice beaches up there. I am going to try and find an appropriate swim suit here next time though.
After the beach, we called the taxi to come and pick us up. We then went back home and I washed and then headed up to the house. Elvis had said that we must choose ten kids to come to Accra to perform for a fundraiser for them. Before he said he would chose but now we do. We are the ones to look at their faces of the ones how could not come. So we decided the oldest. So it was Paul, Elvis Junior, Samuel, Joshua, Emmanuel, Joseph, Ruth, Grace, Margaret, and Angolina. We pulled them outside to tell them the plans for the weekend. Clement followed and then started crying realizing he was not going. I can understand how a child would be so upset. It would be an overnight party, and he was not chosen. It is worse than being chosen last of the recess football team. We told those going to pack their bed sheet (so kindly washed by ester ^_^), towel, sponge, toothbrush, comb, Sunday clothes (or their nicest cloths) and shoes. It was a little hassle to get them to finish. Then Clement continued to cry, and Christy was silent about it all. Pouting is one thing, but she wasn’t pouting really. She was just generally sad and that broke my heart. I didn’t want to pick and choose the kids but it had to be done. So we did not take Co-Joe, Priscilla, Christy, John, Clement or Charity. We then had the kids hurry and rush and wash their clothes and get ready so we could watch a movie.
Elvis Senior came by to talk with Ester again. I guess he is going to try and come up in the mornings to check to make sure she cooks every morning. I am nervous about Ester now. She is anger sticken that I hope she doesn’t take it out on the kids. So we brought to the kids to the Guesthouse (Elvis’ house), and they were so hungry. Junior didn’t want to come because he was to tired! Since when would these kids pass up watching a movie? NEVER!!! So I bought them bread because they hadn’t really eaten anything substantial. I hate the look in my children’s eyes when they are hungry. We then found out the Elvis had taken to key to Cape. We asked before he left, and he said it was with the girls that work there, but it wasn’t. So we called him and waited an hour. Annika and I were so frustrated. The kids had not eaten, they were promised a movie and now could not watch it. So Annika called it off, and we decided to send them home. It was getting late and they needed to bathe before eating plus they had an early morning to leave at 6:30. But they didn’t want to go. Their excitement for the day was promised and we could not deliver. I felt so bad and Annika was so frustrated so I decided to bring my laptop to the House, and we would watch Lion King there. I was so tired but it needed to be done. I then left Annika there about in tears from everything that had happened today. But I walked up with the kids.