March 4, 2010
Sleeping at the Orphanage was actually surprisingly really relaxing. I slept through the night pretty well. It was a cooler night as well. We watched Lion King II and then started Shrek in Chinese. I don’t know why it was in Chinese but the kids still wanted to watch it anyways. I thought “But you won’t understand it” but then I thought “I wonder how much they understand it in English anyways.” It is so crazy. Joseph and a few others in the same class, age 11, are learning Fante, English, French and some Tre. I don’t know any kid back at home that is being taught four languages. So it was a good reminder for me to watch Shrek in Chinese about how it is for them when I speak in too complicated of English. It was so much fun.
I help Charity and Cho-Joe. Joseph has such an attachment to me now. When the boys picked me up last, it was Sammy, Paul, Emanuel, Elvis, and Joseph. They were like body guards. When you walk the streets, you always have groups of men. And they always say something to me, day or night, in Fante. And I always ignore it even though they are hissing and kissing and “blahing” at me (all of those mean “come” in Ghana) and I just keep walking. But one guy was saying something with Obroni and his tone was all wrong. Paul, 14 and the ring leader for the kids, then started yelling and and talking back at him. I think maybe the man said something bad about me and Paul gave me back that respect. Joseph and I also hold hands all the time. They even make sure that I don’t fall walking up there. I have such bad vision that I use my phone and they hold it for me and point of rocks and walk by my side in case I fall. They are so amazing.
For the morning, we were able to sleep until 6 because there was no school. So I helped them get up and get started and then left around 6:30 because I needed to go to the clinic. I got home, ate and finished the rest of my rice porridge. I watched a little bit of a Jet Li movie and then headed to the Clinic. There, Aunti Marie was there and Reita and the other nurse. I did the usual vitals and gave one malaria test. I put in the extra effort to try and learn Fante again. Everyone around of course laughs at the Obroni but I know it is all in good jest. One of the men with his daughter made my day though. He said “You greeted us very well. You are doing a good job. Thank you.” That just lifted my spirits because all day people were snickering at the Obroni. I guess I have never been around people who speak another language and then having them laugh at me. Because I feel they are mocking me but I just have to remind myself that they don’t see white people much and they are a happy people who loves to laugh. It is just a different culture.
I got home around 11:30 after Elvis arrived at the Clinic. We are trying to get him to pay a year-old bill for the kids. He hasn’t paid for every time the kids have come. I then went to Cape Coast and used the internet and bought Christy some antibiotics. I also need to get her ear drops but I thought I forgot my wallet, which I didn’t.
I came back to home and sat down for 10 seconds and went to the House. There, I read two books with Joseph and Sammy. It was really fun seeing them read to me. It was like when Mom and Dad would read Laura Ingalls Wilder to me and then some nights I would read. It may have taken a half hour to through one page, but those were some of my fondest memories. I helped with homework and then we got out the bubbles again. It didn’t even seem like I had spent more than 3 and half hours there.
I then came home and cooked Jolof Rice. Bertha helped me. She again needed to vent and so we had a nice talk as she helped me cook the rice. I ate two bowls. I am definitely going to keep this recipe. It is very simple rice but I have always wanted to be able to cook different kinds of rice. I will now go wash because the kids made me dirtier than dirt today. And tomorrow I will sleep there again. I am actually starting to enjoy sleeping there. I use so much Deet though. I really don’t want Malaria.
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