This, that and beyond…
So, this week is turning out well! I have money from the secret bank account, turns out even my school security card wasn’t needed- as long as I knew my own name and could identify it from a list I was good to go! Which was just as well as I needed 100GHC to be able to order some more furniture.
Which leads on to my second piece of good news- the furniture I had ordered has been completed. It took marginally less than the two weeks quoted, and they finished everything in 10 days. It may not look exactly like the Pottery Barn picture I provided but it a passable replica. They have constructed the same frame; they have managed to include the grooves on the drawers, and they have even painted it white as requested. It is possible that they used a high gloss, Dulex style that one might use to paint interior doors and window frames, but these are for bathrooms so gloss will repel water… maybe, possibly… anyway, it was a good enough job for me to order some more bedroom furniture. This should arrive in …. “maybe two weeks, maybe more…” I’ve heard this before!
Saturday has been a bit of a multi cultural day, and is one of the reasons I actually love it here. Breakfast was to be found in a great little French style café- “Choco Pain”, which sold fantastic food, the most amazing baguettes, with a great chicken and green pepper filling, this was finished with a chocolate milkshake made with Belgian ice-cream and a chocolate éclair complete with chocolate cream filling- very French patisserie.
This was followed by a very African/ Ghanaian experience, and in supporting the local economy. I have seen signs around town and heard about a shop called Trashy Bags- a trip here was inevitable. Water in Ghana is sold on pretty much every street corner, up and down the road and in any street side chop bar; it cost about 20 pesewas and comes in a plastic bag. These plastic bags seem to end up in the gutters, the sewers, all over the streets, etc etc. When people have finished with them they just get dropped where people stand. Trashy Bags is a company that collects these and then makes them into new items. I am now the owner of a new laptop case, a pencil case and I have ordered some home storage. They are amazing. They are waterproof, malleable and even woven into boxes and mats. Three guess what you are all getting for Christmas this year… you’ll be in good company, they provided gifts for the MTV Music awards in 2010, so lots of celebrities also own these products.
if you know what you want put your order in early!
A hunt or some cloth to make into a drape to cover a bookcase followed this; a quick trip to a local material outlet led to the purchase of some real Kente cloth. This is hand woven in different patterns to symbolize different ideas and comes in sections about 6-8” wide and sown together to create a longer wider length. It truly is gorgeous to look at, now if I were just rave enough to use it to make something more impressive than a flat drape on a bookshelf.
The afternoon was less about dust and bumpy roads and more about relaxation by the pool. It has finally been a sunny afternoon during the weekend, so I really wanted to make the most of it. It is currently the middle of the rainy season here- and boy when they say rainy season so they mean rainy season! So some sun and some pool time where very much needed and greatly appreciated, it turns out everyone had the same idea it became a social few hours with swimming, conversations and drinks before dinner. I really could have been anywhere in Europe or North America with a bit of sun and a pool and BBQ feel. The only clue it wasn’t was the music from the church over the road and the red headed lizards running around… then again I could easily have been in one of the Southern States.
The final trip of the day took me on a birthday party excursion and yet another continent to explore with food from the Dosa restaurant and a Southern Indian theme.
There really is so many food experiences to have here, if you don’t include the local fare I think next week I will be having Lebanese, Thai, Italian and good old American burger and fries- even if I do have to go to a South African restaurant to get it. This, I am sure will be offset by the fact I have to go to the shopping mall in order to pay my internet bill for next month, get a scratch card to top my phone up, collect some money from the still secret bank- haven’t worked out how that will go yet… and probably do some food shopping for the week.
Luckily I am looking forward to the tennis club in the afternoon, the power hasn’t gone out when I have needed it all week- apart from one time I was teaching, and the generator came on pretty quick (who needs lights anyway?) and the internet has been pretty good (not perfect) all week. All in all I am having a good time, especially now that I passed the furniture workshop today and I can see my new pieces being worked on- they looked really good, so I’m now getting excited about them.
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