Day 3 - Accra I awoke this morning to the sounds of birds chirping outside of my windows. I could hardly wait to see my surroundings in the daylight. I peaked outside to see lush green grass, lemon trees and a few gentleman chatting in the carport. I believe one of them was Romell my driver from the night before. I dressed and navigated my way through the compound corridors to the kitchen. I was greeted by the Ambassadors sister, Grace and their new cook Esther. Grace works as a chef in London and is training Esther, today is only her second day. I was introduced to Etienne, one of the instructors at the community center. He teaches the computer classes. He would be my guide for today and possibly the rest of my stay. I enjoyed a traditional English breakfast, sardine omelet, beans, bread, watermelon and hot tea. The sardine omelet far exceeded my expectations as I have never been a big fan of the canned fish. I was joined by Graces son Joshua-22 who is in university in London. They have both been in Ghana 4 weeks and will be leaving on Sunday. After breakfast Etienne and I walked the short distance from the house to the community center. The first building is a gym, specializing in training boxers. There is a large ring in the center of the main room surrounded by punching bags. There is another room in the back with cardio and weight lifting equipment. We exited the gym into a courtyard with a large covered area in the center. Etienne advised this was where the dance classes and art activities were held. There were large mirrors along the walls and a section that had been painted by the children. The scenes depicted nature - trees, flowers, etc. At the other end of the courtyard was a building with a locked gate over the door. Etienne advised this was the computer lab. The computer lab was bright and airy. The walls were painted yellow and the entire back wall was covered with bookcases holding games, supplies and a few books. There were 3 long narrow tables, the first two held three Dell computers and the last held one. Etienne explained there are about 50 kids that participate at the community center, on average about 30 show on any given Saturday. The activities offered are dependent on the skills of the volunteers. Last session they had only 4 consistent volunteers who offered computer, boxing, dance and art classes. The sessions are held every other Saturday, but Etienne explained that the kids often come every Saturday just to see if anyone is there. We need help finding volunteers, Etienne advised. He said they would like to open the facility every Saturday and after school during the week but they do not have enough volunteers to run it. We talked for over two hours about his vision for the facility, the community and supplies they need. Ofcourse my wheels were turning with ideas of how I could help. As we prepared to leave the ambassador arrived and showed me the room on the compound where I would be staying. There are two dormitory style rooms with large bathrooms adjacent to the computer lab. There were men inside painting and cleaning the rooms. I was happy to see air conditioning and the large private bathroom. There was also a queen sized bed and closet, with windows in the bedroom and bath. The room was comfortable, but I was relieved to hear that I would still be joining the ambassador at the residence for my meals. There are two trainers that work in the gym who also live on the compound. I am looking forward to getting to know them and having them help me get in shape. Etienne and I left the compound and began walking up the road. He advised me that this area of Accra was called Dzorwlu and was where a lot of dignitaries lived and worked. He also pointed across the road to the railroad tracks on the other side where there were homes made of tin sheets that did not appear to have electricity or running water. I explained to Etienne that this was not much different than the USA. Often you can cross the railroad tracks and be in a completely different world. We continued to walk up the road. There were no formal sidewalks just a dirt area where the pavement ended. Along both sides of th streets there were shops and vendors. At first they were basic one room shacks but as we walked further the small restaurants and lounges became more elaborate. Etienne advised that a lot of the employees of the businesses and embassies come to the bars after work and that street becomes a hot spot in the evenings. He challenged me to walk to Accra mall which I thought looked closer than it was, he was right. About two miles later we arrived at the largest indoor mall in Ghana. It reminded me of an upscale PG Plaza or Military Circle, but much smaller. There was a large open air courtyard where live music could be heard in the evenings, surrounded by restaurants. We took a cab back to the residence, i was easily getting my bearings and happy that there was so much close by. We returned to the residence where I relaxed on the veranda reading Octavia Butlers new release. After another wonderful dinner by Grace, the ambassador invited me to join him at the German ambassadors residence to watch the match. The house was breathtaking. We sat in the backyard by the pool in front of a 150 screen and enjoyed the game. This was my first time watching an entire soccer match. I decided to root for Germany thinking they would be the under dog and to compliment my company. Brazil was disastrous, I must say the commentary was most entertaining. I felt like a queen being driven by the Ambassadors driver and escorted by his private security. It was a beautiful evening. Tomorrow we are off to the beach town of Kokrobite where the ambassador is building a school and has a lovely home on the beach. Grace has promised we will stop off to buy a cooking pot for my mother. I know she will be pleased. Feeling more and more at home, as one of the dignitaries at the party commented, you are far away but closer to home. #lovingGhana
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 23:07:56 +0000
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