Waiting Game

(hum the theme song to jeopardy here)

I am still in Accra with the Andohs, still furiously trying to figure out how I will get home. Shirley, Nana Yaw, Carmen, and Nina, Nana Yaw (Eugene or Gino), Evelyn and Stephen leave for NYC tomorrow. Hopefully we get my return figured out before they go. If not, I will stay here with Mummy and Daddy Andoh and apply for a work visa. (weak laughter) My experiences have all been learning experiences and this is a lesson in patience and faith.

The packing has begun. When the Andohs arrived they brought not only gifts but also special delivered packages from friends to give to their family members in Ghana. Shirley met with the mothers of Nana (who was my roommate back in Queens) and Nelly to give them things their daughters had sent and to collect things the daughters were requesting, fabrics or special black pepper paste that is better straight from the source. It is also cheaper to send money through family friends who are traveling than to submit to the highway robbery fee that Western Union calls a fee.

We've been eating a lot of fresh tomato, onions, and pepper paste diced together and added on top of dishes, sauce, fish, or spinach. It reminds me of the mixture my grandparents call cha cha, which consisted of tomatoes, onions, peppers and a little vinegar that we would eat over collard greens.

I slept for what felt like forever last night. This morning Carmen, Nana Yaw, and Nina came over from Regina's house as usual and Carmen did Nina's hair (I showed Carmen some simple tricks for doing black hair last week and she has since mastered them; Nina didn't cry at all today). After carmen left the room, Nina curled up on the couch and said she wanted to go home. I held her on my lap and said I knew how she felt and that she would be going home soon enough - what about me?!?