Mid July 2010

“There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills.”

Each of us has a book, or perhaps several books, that we consider our favorite(s).  I first read Cry, the Beloved Country in college.  Although it was not written with a political purpose the book was required reading in many college contemporary issue classes because of its portrayal of 20^th century South Africa apartheid.   I don’t recall the book provoking profound emotions regarding racial inequality or providing any stimulus for social action.  I do recall being caught up with the poetic quality of the writing and the vivid descriptions of the landscapes.  In my mind I could visualize the beauty of the described African geography.  I knew when I finished it I would read it again.  And I have.  I’ve read it many times, most recently last month.   This is the opening line:  “There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills.”  The above photo captures perfectly the mental image I have carried for over forty years of a lovely road that runs into the hills of Africa. 

In case anyone is interested here are four good books about Africa:  Cry, the Beloved Country, West With the Night, Out of Africa (resist the temptation to watch the movie instead) and The Poisonwood Bible (the last 100 pages or so are a little weak.)

I forgot to mention in my last note that Marsha and I celebrated United States Independence Day at the US Ambassador’s home here in Ghana.   Well, it really wasn’t the 4^th of July.  It was the 30^th of June.   We were invited because I’ve come to know the medical staff at the US Embassy and had recently made a special trip to the embassy to see a senior Army officer assigned to the embassy who had an ENT complaint.

We didn’t have fireworks but we did have American hot dogs and potato salad which had been flown in, I’m sure, at great taxpayer expense.  Other food was available, but who would want roast beef, chicken kabobs, or fish when you could have a genuine American hotdog with Ghanaian mustard?  I had two hot dogs.  Marsha even had one.  There were long lines waiting for the gourmet food but no lines for the hot dogs. 

The US ambassador, Ambassador Teitelbaum, is a short man who looks a lot like Danny DeVito.  His wife, Ms. Julianna Lindsey, is equally short, very pregnant, and, thank goodness, doesn’t look like Danny DeVito.   The ambassador stood in the receiving line wearing a white panama hat with his chief of staff to his left and the senior military officer for the embassy next to the left.  A photographer took pictures of each invitee shaking the ambassador’s hand.  Ms. Lindsey did not stand in line.  We each had about 20 seconds with the ambassador and then were shuttled on down the line.  It’s difficult to say much of anything significant to a US ambassador when you have only twenty seconds and you know he is going to start with something like “I’m glad you could come.”   Beyond “thank you for the invitation, we are honored to be here” what do you say?  “Nice hat.”  “Great house you’ve got here.”  “The hot dogs smell great.” 

The invitations were numbered.  Ours was number 871.  I suspect there were at least that many people present.   Probably three fourths of those present were Ghanaians.  (None of them were in the hot dog line.)  There were many dignitaries.  Marsha and I stood next to Jerry Rawlings, a former president of Ghana, who took over the government two times by military coup.  He’s a bigger man than I had suspected.  After the food the Marine Corps presented the colors, Ambassador Teitelbaum gave a speech and the attorney general for Ghana, representing the president of Ghana, gave a response.  Both speeches outlined the details of the long and stable relationship between the United States and Ghana.  I learned a few things.  Here’s some trivia for next time your dinner conversation starts to drag.   The US is the number two investor in Ghana, second only to Great Britain.  This surprised me, because China is currently building, and has built, a lot of Ghana infrastructure.  There is a new government complex on Independence Avenue that was built by the Chinese.  The government of Ghana has not moved into it.  We call it the Empty Palace.  

There are over 20,000 students from Ghana studying in the US.  There are approximately 2000 students from the US studying in Ghana.  When the Peace Corps was organized in the 1960’s its first project was in Ghana.   The Peace Corps has been here on a continuous basis since then, almost fifty years. 

As Marsha and I were enjoying our food one of the ambassador’s two dogs (a large black dog similar in build to a German Shepherd but with floppy ears) made a break from his handlers and headed for the gourmet food.  He was able to successfully snatch some chicken before being caught and pulled back to his place of assignment.  For a few moments, while running free, he caused a lot of commotion.  All of the Ghanaians were shrieking, especially the women, fearful of this animal.  Marsha wanted to pet him. 

I would like to show some pictures of the ambassador’s party but here’s why I can’t. Note the red sign.

 Here’s an update on the Ghana Tomato Project.  Our two tomatoes Justice and Mercy have been growing for two months.  There must be some profound cosmic meaning to this but Mercy is starting to bloom this week and Justice is dying.   Something is chewing away at Justice’s main stem at the base.  About one half of the circumference is gone.  We can’t see any evidence of what is doing it.  I’m tempted to spray Mercy with permethrin (a real potent bug killer) but I’ve got a hunch that anything that can kill all insects on contact is probably not a good ingredient in tomatoes for human consumption.  

 Here’s a picture of our peas.  They seem to be doing well and are starting to blossom. 

 I am going  to start a List of Ghana Unexplainables.  Here’s the first subject.  This is a picture of the entrance to the pool a month ago. The bougainvillea covered the entrance.

The second picture was taken four days ago.

I know that some of the exterior surfaces around the complex are being painted but I cannot explain why the beautiful fuchsia bougainvillea had to be completely removed.  The grounds crew did not save any of it.  Just chopped it all down, cut it up and stacked it for disposal. 

Maybe it was national“Trim the Hedges Day” and I missed the memo.  On the same day that the bougainvillea was taken out we drove to the MTC in Tema and noted that the trees in the median were being “trimmed.”  This is too bad.  With the beginning of the rain everything has turned green.  The trees on the Tema highway median have all thickened and become very beautiful.  The first picture is what they looked like before their haircuts.

 The second picture has a lot of blur but you can see what they look like without any green.  No one can explain why they are being trimmed.  Therefore, the List of Ghana Unexplainables. 

This second item belongs on the List of Ghana Unexplainables as well.  It is a picture taken on the Achimoto highway just as you enter the Accra city limits.  I have asked several people what the “Accra Girls” means.  No one can explain it.  I am afraid to ask what the "Pig Farm” means.   I don’t think that this picture should be included in a Ghana travel guide. 

I don’t have anything to say this week about the World Cup.  I was impressed with how quickly the Ghanaians lost interest in the tournament once Ghana was eliminated.  It happened over night.  It was like a three ring travelling circus had been in town for several weeks and left.  Everyone had been to the circus so no one needed to talk about it any more.  I asked several people at work who they might be cheering for in the final match between the Netherlands and Spain.  The response was mixed between the two teams.  One employee asked who was in the match.  He didn’t know. 

Last item:  I’ve come to really love this commonly heard Ghanaian phrase.  “Yes, please.”  We hear it all the time.  It is a greeting.  One of the maids working here in the apartment complex when greeted with a “good morning”  always responds with “yes, please.”  It is used as a request.  At her fruit stand Ruth will watch us as we look over the fruit and, at the moment she knows we are ready to order, will prompt our order by saying “yes, please.”   I hear it most frequently in conversation when the person to whom I’m talking doesn’t understand my questions.  I occasionally go out to talk to the guards at the apartment complex gate.  Some of them understand me and we have meaningful talks.  But some just don’t understand me and are not about to interrupt our conversation by indicating they do not understand.    “Do you think it might rain?”  “Yes, please.”  It looks like its going to be a hot day, what do you think.?”  “Yes, please.”  “How is your family?”  “Yes, please.”  “Do you think the Dow Jones will break 12,000 today?”  “Yes, please.” 

Think how simple and easy human relationships would be if we were all quick to use “yes, please.”

We took this picture last week.  We asked this little girl’s mother if we could take the girl’s picture.  It took several tries before the little girl would look at us.  She reminded us of our granddaughter Ava. 

"Yes, please."