Ghana be fun.

Back to Basics

So, I am back in Accra after Christmas, school is back for the second semester, and report cards have gone out!  That must mean that I am back to blogging, and I should probably start thinking about the third set of grade cards that will need writing soon.  I have also decided that writing a blog every week (except when I have been on vacation) for the last three years has left me with very few witty and entertaining comments left to make.  Some may successfully argue that there were very few witty and entertaining comments to start with; therefore I have decided to be a bit more selective in future.  Rather than every week I shall sift through and select the more interesting activities and adventures as they occur.

So, Accra is currently mid harmattan, I think I have mentioned this before- hot, dry and dusty winds that blow down from the Sahara and into the Gulf of Guinea between December and March.  The air is generally very dry, the sky is a complete haze, which even the sun, doesn’t also seem to penetrate, and everything is covered in a pinky/brown dust.  It does make for beautiful pink and vibrant colored sunsets, but also means everything is continually dusty.

So, last night saw the first rain and storm in a good few months, I had forgotten how loud the rain could be, and how heavy and how long it could continue for.  It has been nice to have more moisture in the air today. One of the problems of having open gutters and trash heaps is that as soon as it rains everything gets swept out of the gutters and ends up all over the roads and causes traffic mayhem.  It did mean too, that all the dust from the roads has been churned up, watered down and turned to mud.  

I always forget how much things change while you are away for a while… even a few weeks is enough.  Champs- one of my favorite places for Sunday lunch has closed down and is being refurbished.  I was a little surprised to discover it today without windows, a few walls missing and no kitchen.  I am however looking forward to visiting again when it has been completely overhauled.

Other than that, things seem pretty much the same, the same frustrations, the same time scales (which I will never understand), the same enjoyable lazy afternoons, some nice cafés in which to enjoy the sun and watch the world go by and more fun to come in Germany next week.