WEDNESDAY

Bright and early nick and I took a walk through town. Rebecca had told us a good place to get breakfast, bean balls and ginger stew. We got a few bean balls to go, I had a nibble of mine and it tasted like a cardboard box. We walked down the street for a little bit but the area didn’t have much to offer so after we found some Nescafe’s we headed back to the house. One good thing that their village had was an amazing view in the distance; the village is surrounded by rolling mountains.
Back at the volunteer house Katie and I made coffee and tried to jazz the bean balls up with a bit of mayo and powdered Parmesan cheese we snaked from their kitchen. It wasn’t that bad but I think it’s because the toppings masked the cardboard flavor just enough



At 9am we had all taken a quick shower and headed out the door to meet our friend who was giving us a glass bead workshop. The workshop was brilliant, he showed us each step then let us have a go. First we we’re shown how the glass is pounded and siffed into a powder. The next step was to prepare the molds for the beads.



We all were given two molds, cassava sticks and exacto knifes. The cassava sticks are held in the middle of each mold and then cut off so its level with the plate. Once the molding is filled the cassava sticks create a hole in the middle of the bead so they can be strung. Before filling the molds we paired into groups and picked a color to share; I chose red. You then mix the color with the glass fill the molds and place them carefully into the clay oven to cook for 5 minutes. After they have been fired they are taken out and have to cool for quite some time.



While we were waiting I checked out his workspace and took some pictures. I asked him what he does with the molds that have broken, he replied and said he usually throws them away so I asked if I could take some with me and he said of course. I tried to find a broken piece for each size of bead; I’m hoping that I might be able to give bead making a go and if that doesn’t work it’s a sweet keepsake.
Once the beads had cooled off we laid them out on the table, separated the colors and then fed them onto string to make bracelets. The extra beads we didn’t use we divided up and took with us. Finished with the workshop we hailed a tro tro, said our thank you’s and goodbyes and headed to the bead market where even more fun was awaiting us… shopping!!

To get to the bead market we had to first walk through the everyday market which is always hectic and overwhelming. Once we had made our way through we arrived at the beads. Everything there was a bit more laid out, open and organized. We went from stand to stand and admired all of the beads, all so pretty. The price range was anywhere from 20 pesewa to 200 cedi. The older a bead is the more expensive it will cost. Cost also depends on what type of material it is made from. My biggest purchase was a single bead made from coral. I also got two strands of bauxite which can be pricy but I worked a deal with the madam to get the price lowered small small.

I think we all could have spent all day at the market but at one point we all felt we had to leave or else we would find we wouldn’t have any money to return home with. So we headed back out the market and tried to find a tro tro that would take us all the way back to Accra. This took a little bit longer than usual but we found our tro and headed on our way. On this ride there was a baby sitting next to me which kept kicking my legs and at one point had kicked off its shoes and started pinching my legs with its big and second toe; surprisingly it hurt quite a lot. I don’t think she liked me all that much but as time carried on she warmed up and we became friends.

We took that tro tro as far as we could in Accra; we then (with some help of course) found our way to another tro that would take us to Cape Coast. Along our way Katie and I both had to use the wash room so we made friends with a vendor, bought some drinks and then asked her if she could take us to the toilets. She did willingly and for the toilets, there are no words. It’s nothing at all that bothers me but I laugh when I think about what other people would say or complain about. If markets weren’t so intense I would love to be able to take pictures for everyone.

We had to walk far to get to the Cape Coast tro tros but after going through several different markets and tro stations we finally found a ride. Unfortunately we had to wait quite a while for this one to fill up. When there were only two seats left the tro driver tricked us all and opened up the back row which meant we would have to wait for an even longer amount of time. This really upset some of the Ghanaians and there was a verbal fight that us ‘bruni were literally sat in the middle of. For lunch I found my new favorite vendor food which is a hardboiled egg sliced in half and filled with a spicy sauce and onions. It doesn’t give you the nicest smelling breath but the taste is well good. After three hours of watching vendors we were filled up and ready to get on our way.

This last tro tro was the worst. For some reason it lasted forever and every thirty seconds we hit speed bumps with never the right amount of speed. It was like that the whole journey which gave us all headaches. Fortunately though we found out that our tro was going to Tackradi which meant we didn’t have to get out in Cape Coast and hail a cab back to Elmina and that we would be able to get dropped right at the Elmina Beach Resort junction. This little surprise saved us both money and time, something at this point we could all appreciate.

Walking back to the house we noticed everyone was still sitting at Eli’s so we stopped to say hello and let them know we were back in town. Once we had settled in and had a few bites to eat, Nick Katie an I walked over to Sea Top to relax and have a drink. We met Tom there who invited us to come over and watch a movie and babysit Aubrey’s children tomorrow night. We agreed and thought it would be nice to bring Sarah along since Thursday is her birthday and she loves kids; also I think we’re going to do pizza and popcorn which everyone loves.

After all this traveling today it was so lovely to crawl onto my Fancy latex foam mattress and fall asleep, it didn’t even bother me tonight that I don’t have a top sheet.

TUESDAY

I had terrible sleep last night. Halfway through the night I rolled over in my bed to face nick’s bed; nick was sitting straight up in his bed and I’m not sure why but probably because I was half awake it scared the you know what out of me! After that I didn’t really fall back asleep and tossed and turned till the sun came out. I read for a little bit until I got restless, went downstairs and made a cup of coffee.

Since our workshop wasn’t until tomorrow morning in Krobo we decided last night that we wouldn’t have travel until later on in the afternoon. After talking it over this morning we thought it would be a better idea to leave earlier that way we could spend a bit of time in Accra and go shopping at the Global Mamas store. So after packing and making egg salad sandwiches we headed down to Cape Coast around 9am. Traveling in Ghana is quite difficult, the closest you get to lagitamate station is a name you can’t pronounce where a group of tro tro’s parked too close together in the middle of a market. Thankfully everyone is really helpful and willing to show you which tro you should get into.

Our first stop was in Cape Coast were we went to Bacano we walked to where we thought was the station to get a fast car. Apparently it was just a taxi station; some of the men laughed at us but one took us down the street in the same direction we had come from to the correct station. Here we found the fast cars which are the same size as a tro tro just a bit newer with air conditioning. They call them fast cars because they start at one station, wait to fill all the way up, then head to one final destination. Tro tro’s will make stops along the way and pick up and drop off people here and there. It doesn’t sound like it would but the constant pulling over almost doubles the traveling time.

We found our fast car and sat at the back waiting patiently to fill up. Some of us have waited hours on end waiting for one to fill but we thankfully didn’t have to wait too long. Before we left I had asked one of the women working in a shop where I could go use the wash room, her response in a louder than necessary voice was “ Are you going to shit or are you going to urinate”. It was really funny at the time, this tiny little lady just casually asking such a question.

We finally began our journey; the ride to Accra was pleasant good scenery, new book, the company and the air conditioning which at one point got too fierce and I had to put a sweater on. The time flew by and got off at our stop called Circle Station. We had only been given directions from Elmina to Krobo and at this point we had to figure out our own way to get to Osu which is the part of Accra where the Global Mama’s store is located. Thankfully most of everyone are really friendly and we were able to ask people on the street what the best way to get there was and how much we should pay. The Accra traffic is terrible but we finally found a taxi and managed to make it to Osu.

After doing a bit of shopping we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner and lunch tomorrow afternoon. From there we headed to Melting Moments, a restaurant one of the volunteers in the office had suggested. When we arrived I realized I had been there before and it was the first place I had gone to with Katie C and Carla when we arrived in Ghana. The three of us split a mozzarella avocado and mushroom pizza and cider. We had to wait extra long for them to make it but it was well worth the wait.



When we were finished we asked for the best way to get back on track with our travel plans and our waiter was happy to help us. After hailing a taxi to a nearby station we walked around till we found the tro tro we needed to be in. This market was exceptionally busy and we were bombarded by vendors more than usual. When we were standing outside the tro paying the driver I had my legs petted by some strange Ghanaian man. It was strange and I couldn’t figure out if it was the skin color he was fascinated by or how much hair was covering them (which I might add is quite allot since I haven’t shaved them since before I left… do the math!). Thankfully we were one of the last ones on the tro and it left almost immediately.

That tro ride went by fast also and in no time we were getting out in Pnug and trying to hail another tro to Odemase, our final destination. Once again everyone was very helpful and pointed in the right direction of where we needed to be. Once we arrived at our stop we got out and had no idea where to go, we asked around and no one seemed to have ever heard of Global Mama’s. After three tries one woman said oh yes and pointed behind herself. Sure enough it was right there in plain sight. Unfortunately we were at the Global Mama’s office which was closed and we needed to be at the volunteer house. With no idea where that was we turned on the phone and called Rebecca who was in charge of the Krobo volunteers. She told us where to go and said she would meet us when we got dropped off. So once again we found someone who was more than willing to show us where to get another tro and asked him how much we should pay. We finally found a ride, too bad we didn’t know earlier because we were traveling back down the road we had come from. At last our travels were over, we met Rebecca and three other volunteers and headed to their house.

After chit chatting with everyone, Nick Katie and I took a walk down the street to the local bar for some Stars before bed time. None of the volunteers joined us, which wasn’t too unfortunate since their sadder then our business lot back in Cape Coast; I didn’t think that could be possible.

MUD FIGHT

SUNDAY

In the morning I took a walk with Nick and Jessica to find bread and eggs for the day. We were heading to the beach today and I thought it would be a good idea to make egg salad sandwiches to bring along with me.
We were going to have to wait for Peter the taxi driver to make two trips to take us to the beach since we had such a large group today but we saw Tom next door and asked if he wanted to join us. He was done with work so he decided to join us and he offered to drive the rest of us in Land Rover. Maria brought Pepo and Eli and Nie came with us along with the business girls and Wizzy from the office.

The weather wasn’t that great for a day at the beach but it was nice just to lay out and watch the ocean. We got in just one time; the waves weren’t that high but very strong as usual. No matter what size the waves are their always fun to play in. Besides playing in the ocean I spent most of my day reading the new book.

Most of everyone left early but Nick, Katie, Tom, Wizzy and I stayed around a little longer and got lunch. I ordered French fries; I thought I could bring them home and have them with the Ranch I made. Back at the house some of the girls we’re back from their trip and we arranged to go to Shell and support Maria in the final match of the World Cup. It was a fun game and Maria was very very happy that her country won.

SATURDAY

In the morning we decided that we should use up the dyes from our go at batik to tie-dye our white clothes we have. I had two shirts, some linen pants, a tank top. Katie did some shirts and so did Maria. Steve from next door came over and did his bed sheet and secretly tie-died Tom’s Locatose white shirt. We’ll see how mad he gets! When we batik with these chemicals we usually use gloves which we didn’t have; I can understand now why we use those gloves, my hands have never burned that bad before. There is now dry blood underneath some of my nails from the reaction to the chemicals.
After cleaning up the weather wasn’t that great and Katie and I were feeling a bit lazy so instead of heading to the pool with the rest of the gang we stayed at the house and watched movies all day. Sex and the City and What Happens in Vegas. After movies I layed down in my bed with yet again another new book. The Middlesex was just too hard to get into. I grabbed some Steven King book to read off the shelf; I figured that I’ve never read his books before and why not give one a go. I read for a bit till I fell asleep.

When I woke up everyone was back at the house and getting ready to go out. Tonight was the last night for the Elmina Festival so we were planning to meet up with are local Ghanaian family’s and head to Shell for the party. Judy from next door with all of her family came along with Eli, Nie and Richard along with Eli’s brother inlaw. Wizzy and Amos from the Global Mama’s office also came along with us. The night was a lot of fun; I think the best part was watching Carla and Amos dance all night long.

Cravings today …. My bed back home, this latex foam mattress just is not comfortable.

FRIDAY

Strange beginnings this morning but it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be fixed with a VIA, powdered milk and Katie’s special breakfast rice. After breakfast I began finishing off the blouse and helped organized what we have made in the way of patterns thus far.

Organized, flats on the computer, write ups of how the pattern pieces should be sewn together.

Went into Elmina. When we arrived at the office we printed out everything that we had typed up and gave it to Dorkus. Dorkus is the woman in charge of the patterns within Quality Control. Waited for her to go over the patterns and make sure she understood what everything meant. While we were waiting I was able to get a hold of Mr. James Kessler which made my day. Unfortunately I had to cut our conversation short because everyone was waiting on me to leave and go shopping for our big family dinner. Jessica, Jorden, Katie, Nick and I had decided that we would give a go attempting to make a Mexican fiesta dinner. The plan was to buy corn flour to make tortillas, beans, plantain and avocado to make guacamole, tomatoes, onions, rice, corn and salad. Our grocery shopping around Elmina was a big success minus the avocado and corn flour. What we thought was corn flour turned out to be corn starch, too bad none of us can read Arabic writing. The avocados are now out of season so no one Cape Coast which I very sad about; in recent weeks they have been the largest and most flavorful avocados I’ve tasted.

Once we had bought all the supplies we headed back to the house for the day. The beans we supposed to take around four hours to soak so we had to get them in right when we got back. After getting the beans in soak we started to make homemade salsa with garlic, tomatoes and onions. We let that sit for a while as well to let the entire flavors soak in. Since we didn’t find any avocados we used the plantains we had bought and dipped then in the salsa.

Katie and I took a walk over to Sea Top to ask Kristina if she sells any flour for us to make the tortilla bread. When we asked she said she didn’t sell any but she did have some at the house and sent one of her workers to fetch it for her. When the girl came back Kristina bagged some up for us, bagged it up and told us that she was “dashing” it to us and that there was no charge. I was so excited, I had my first dash. I read so much about dashing things before I came and thought it would happen quite frequently. I think it only really happens when you are close friends so it’s nice to think that Kristina considers us as close friends.

Back at the house we finished up cooking our fiesta and sat up on the porch to demolish it. After dinner we cleaned up at bit and Katie, Nick, Jorden, Jessica and I headed over to Sea Top for drinks and to meet up with Steve and Tom. It was early when we left Sea Top and when we got back to the house someone thought up the brilliant idea of playing in the rain and mud outside the house. I haven’t had a mud fight in who knows how long, it was a ton of fun and the pictures are great. Small Boy got the worst of it for sure.

Once again we were back at the house cleaning off; this time took longer than most. When we were all clean everyone but Katie and I were too tired to go back out so we headed back over to Sea Top by ourselves. The place was packed now; I believe from the Elmina Festival. There wasn’t anywhere to sit so we were put at a table with a bunch of locals. It was a bit strange at first but we ended up having a bunch of fun. They Ghanaians had bought a bunch of sausages to share with us which made Katie feel a bit guilty so she ordered a bottle of Cardinal to share with them. I will be happy to never drink that crap again. Each time they took shots I just passed mine along to the next person so I didn’t have to drink any of it. I was able to dodge all but one.

Cravings: Movie Nights!

THURSDAY

For breakfast today I tried Katie’s latest concoction of rice laughing cow cheese onion and egg. It sounds like a funny combination but isn’t half bad. Before we started working on patterning we took a trip to the shell station since we were once again out of water; thanks a lot business. In addition to buying bottled water I also grabbed a bottle of mayonnaise to make ranch dip later on.

Patterning today had a rough start. I finished the tailored jacket and moved on into patterning a sleeveless blouse. I don’t have that much experience patterning shirts so it’s taking me much longer than expected. For lunch I decided to go over to the hotel to have a dip in the pool and get on the internet. The pool was really refreshing, its super hot today I think mostly from the humidity and lack of breeze. After swimming I got onto the internet and Skyped with Mum. It’s been since Fathers Day that we’ve spoken so it was lovely to catch up.

It took me all day to get that blouse finished but it’s done and ready to be sampled. Hopefully we’ll be able to take the patterns we have finished this week into the office to get sampled for next week.

For dinner we went out with Tanya for their last night in Elmina. It was Sarah, Nick, Katie, Tanya her husband and I. We headed down the same dirt road towards African Pot and Africana-Cuba is down towards Mable’s Table. We’ve heard mixed reviews about this place but we couldn’t really think of anywhere else to eat on short notice. On our walk to dinner we were joined by a group of young girls who bothered us the entire way there. One had asked me if I’m a funny girl and tell jokes; I replied with a yes but asked if she knew of any. Bad idea; it was like listening to a small boy tell a joke but it just keeps going and going and you wonder when its going to stop. Halfway through I joked with her saying that it was a terrible joke and asked when the funny bit was coming. She laughed and then kept telling the story. By the time we had reached Mable’s Table the story was still going and we stood in the road listening for a bit until one of the works greeted us and told them to bugger off.

Dinner was very good, I had vegetable curry which chips, but when the bill came around we were all a bit irritated. Each dish on the bill had been raised about two Cedi from the menu price; the beers were four Cedi when they are usually priced at two. So we paid the bill and asked for a take away box for my fries and Katie’s leftovers. He took our plates, boxed up our dinner and brought it back out to us with no problem. After the bill was all sorted we sat around and talked for a bit until the man came back one more time. This time he told us we had to pay him a Cedi for the to go boxes; really? I mean they clearly tried to get as much money as they could from us but that just pushing it too far. I argued with the guy for a bit but could see it wasn’t going anywhere so we just told him we would leave the boxes there because we would not pay to ridiculous fee. He finally left and I took my leftover out of their box and stuffed them into a plastic bag I had in my purse, that’ll show him. It’s sad to meet people like that but for everyone one person that is rude or tries to take advantage there’s a whole village of warm friendly Ghanaians that will take you in with open arms.

WEDNESDAY

So I woke up in the middle of night and just could not fall back asleep; apparently everyone else had a really bad sleep too so at least I wasn’t the only one. I told myself I would ration out the last of my VIA since I only have 7 left but I just couldn’t help myself. I paired my VIA with a handful of almonds and called it breakfast. I also made an effort to eat my malaria pill today, first time in three weeks I remembered on time.

With breakfast out of the way I headed into the drafting room where I spent the whole day slaving over this stupid jacket. I worked hard on this jacket all day but I still feel like I didn’t get far at all. The only break I took was at lunch time when Jessica, Nick and I went over to the pool for a quick swim. For lunch I had a bag of mixed nuts and fruit Mum had packed for me with Tanya and they were awesome. One more via and powdered milk for lunch; I’m really not good at rationing things out. By the end of the work day I was about to pull my hair out, patterning can be confusing and frustrating. I don’t think that the continuous blaring music from Silver Spoon and Sea Top has been helping either.

I won’t be frustrated for long though since Steve and Tom had promised that they would share their REAL English cheese with us as long as we bring the crackers and wine. Katie is buying the wine from Malcolm’s; I don’t think we can get away with Don Garcia tonight.

I don’t think I had anything more delicious then that crumbly cheddar cheese. We also had a smelly blue cheese which I most circumstances I wouldn’t even try but I gave it a go and even that was good. The wine that we got wasn’t anything I would buy or drink at home but it made do.

Cravings … comfortable couch and a movie

TUESDAY

Today is the beginning of the Elmina festival! It seems like there’s always a holiday or something to celebrate here in Ghana; not that I’m complaining. Collectively we decided to take half of the day off to watch the parade and other festivities. I stayed at the house today with Nick, Katie and Jessica. I began patterning a somewhat tailored jacket. I’ve been struggling a little bit with patterning because its been so long since I had a class but I still enjoy doing it
.
The parade was supposed to start at eleven am. The Silver Spoon and Sea Top had been blaring music since ten this morning. We were worried we were going to miss a lot so by noon we stopped working and got ready to leave. By the time we were ready the rest of the design team had returned from the office so we could all walk to downtown Elmina together. In true Ghanaian form when we arrived around 1 or 2pm the parade had still not started. We found a good location at a restaurant off the street and right on the beach. We grabbed some drinks and waited for the parade to start.

The parade was so colorful and exciting. There were 11 different chiefs from surrounding tribes that were being carried through the streets. There were other important looking people that were covered by massive umbrellas. They were all adorned with gold crowns and jewelry. The pictures can describe the action better than I can so stay tuned.

Once the parade was finished we headed down to where the fishing boats are for the boat race. Of course we ran into Steve and Tom; Bruni’s are easy to spot out in the crowd. We didn’t get to watch the race, who knows when it got on its way. We did however get to watch the entertainment; kids drumming, dancing and doing all sorts of things on the boats. We waited for so long for the race to start but it was getting late I think we all lost our patience. It was just small boy Katie and I that weren’t heading to Eli’s for dinner so we decided to try the African Pot; a restaurant just down the road that we’re been wanting to try for a while. When we got there they were only serving Bonku, Fufu or groundnut soup which all have meat in. I told the waiter I was a vegetarian and his response was well we could just scoop the meat out for you… no thanks! Across the street was an Africana-Cuban restaurant which we passed on our way and we figured we’d give that a go. I’m glad we did because the woman was so friendly and very accommodating I had rice with spicy veggie stew; emphasis on spicy! Katie and I both asked for a glass of wine with our dinner and they brought out a whole bottle for us three to share. Once we were finished eating and drinking our bottle of wine we walked back to the house. We noticed that people were still eating at Eli’s so we stopped for a chat before heading home. Early to bed tonight; we’ve been staying up later and later so I’m happy to have an early bedtime, now if only Sea Top and Silver Spoon would stop blaring music I’d be able to fall asleep.

Cravings today… Dairy Queen Blizzard; these Fan Ice just don’t cut it.

MONDAY

Woke up early today to have a walk with small boy. Haven’t done this in a while and I’ve forgotten how refreshing it is. Like usual we walked down the main street which follows the sea side till we get to the Methodist church. There’s a three way junction there which we then take a right up to the Dutch cemetery. From there we take the steep steep hill of stone stairs up to the Catholic Church. From there we take a steep hill back down to a side street which winds around vendor shops and takes you back to the main strip where we started.

Taxi into work and got to the office. There wasn’t much to do today at the office but we were there to show Tanya around. For breakfast I had some almonds and then a Mojo bar. Thanks Mum and Dad they’re very good. When we walked into our design office our table was covered with finished garments so we knew we had some folding to do. We haven’t had much folding to do lately which I was really happy about. I swear I’ll never be employed by a clothing retailer because I’m crap at folding. Tanya had a good idea to invest or design one of those folding boards that companies use so all the clothes are folded in the same manner and size.

After folding I sent a few emails then headed out into town to the money exchange, textiles shop and Barkley’s bank. It’s raining today; I don’t have an umbrella. The fabric stores were interesting. The fabrics here are so much more jazzy and colorful; the prints work well here in Ghana but I don’t think people in the states could get away with them; at least how the Ghanaians were them from head to toe.
Barkley’s bank today was probably the worst it’s been thus far. Make note never to go on a Friday or a Monday. The whole experience probably took closer to two hours after them made me wait in two different lines. I’m not sure what all the chaos was from today but at some point I finally got my money and headed back to the office.
Lunch was one of those fried egg and cheese sandwiches. Small boy picked me up one when I missed lunch because of the bank. Those sandwiches are massive and I didn’t think I was going to be able to finish it but somehow I did. Of course I was stuffed the rest of the day. We had about an hour before we were off to the castle so I made myself useful till then. I took photos of samples which have come in uploaded them and sent them to Sarah so she could then send them off to the US for the okay. After that I answered questions that Dorkus had about the children’s wrap around dress that Carla had patterned.

Once Sarah had sent the files to the US we took off to the Cape Coast castle. When we first arrived we walked through the court yard, took pictures and then walked through the museum until the tour was ready to get on its way. The tour took us through the men’s dungeon then back through the courtyard to the women’s dungeon. There was a tunnel that used to connect both cells but was closed off when the slave trade became illegal. The tunnel is still visible from the courtyard. From there we went through the door of no return which opens up to which is now the fishing beach. The tour then took us up through to the cell where they kept slaves that had tired one too many times to escape. There was no light and were never fed. We then took a tour through the living courters of the general. The feelings you get going through the castle cannot be put into words. It’s one thing to go to a museum about slavery but it’s a whole different experience to actually be at the spot where it happened and see the living conditions that the people actually had to endure. Throughout the whole tour I struggled back tears; it was an educational and interesting trip that I wish everyone could experience. When we left I couldn’t really shake away the knot I felt in my chest.

For dinner we went to the Oasis restaurant. It’s in a great location right on the beach; today there was a big group of kids that were drumming and dancing, it looked like they were practicing for a performance. For dinner I had Turkish bread with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes. It was like pita bread that was filled with cheese and tomato and then grilled; not too bad. We finished dinner around seven then walked back to Becano where we then hailed a cab back to Elmina. Back home we Katie, Sarah and I met up with Steve and Tom for one last drink before heading to bed.

Cravings: I would do anything for a pair of comfy pajamas, maybe some yoga pants and a oversized hoodie.

SATURDAY

When we woke up it was just Katie and I at the house and everyone else had left the house for the Elmina Castle. Instead of going Katie and I hitched a ride with Steve and Rose (our English neighbors) down to the Stumble Inn to have a day at the beach. I thought taxi’s were scary to drive in but they aren’t half as bad as an Obruni driving an old school Land Rover. So happy to be back at the beach once more. We laid by the beach with our new friends Charlie (a girl), Katie, Jenny and Ben. They are teaching English to young boys and girls; they were supposed to just be teaching PE but they got suckered into teaching children who barely speak English. Sounds like a common occurrence here in Ghana. We spent the whole morning playing in the sea and playing Spoons (minus the spoons and plus some bottle caps).

For lunch we were served Yams balls for lunch. I had tried them once before some one had them as leftovers. They were a lot better than I remember them tasting. They were like a big tater tot mashed with corn onion and chive. We dipped them in ketchup and mayo. Surprisingly they really filled me up. After lunch we spent the rest of the day on the beach until it was dinner time. We had Palava with mashed cassava and corn. The palava they made was so much different then Eli’s almost like a whole different dish; still really good though. The mashed cassava was just like mashed potatoes though with butter and garlic and chives mixed in. The corn looks like corn and tastes like corn but has a whole different texture. It’s a lot mushier and doesn’t pop when you eat it like the kind at home.

After dinner we stayed a bit long to play Gin and have some Stars before Tom took us back to our house. Once again a lot scarier than a taxi or tro tro ride. Back at the house Katie and I decided to try out one of the home made remedies for sand fly bites; baking soda and warm water. It wasn’t the most attractive thing but it helped a lot with the itching and I got good nights sleep.

FRIDAY

What a wonderful night sleep. Didn’t get up till 7am, I think that’s the most I’ve slept since I’ve been here. VIA for breakfast and then taxi to the office. We are still out of Stiff so we had to make a trip to Cape Coast in the morning to pick up some supplies.

When we arrived at the office the samples of the softies that we had sent out had arrived. One out of the three was sewn correctly. We chose a few more to send out and wrote down instructions for the others that were done incorrectly. Hopefully we won’t have to send them out again.

After taking care of a few things we had a little photo shoot. I modeled some of the sample scrap necklaces while Sarah took pictures. The samples look really cool and I hope that the US office approves them. When George came back to the office with the stiff I was able to get back to the house and work on some more patterning. I walked through Cape Coast with Katie, Heather and Angelina. They knew of a place which makes really good egg and cheese sandwiches. I followed along because in my head I was picturing egg salad sandwiches and I thought that sounded really good. Come to find out it was actually a grilled egg sandwich with cheese. I didn’t order one because I was too disappointed; after everyone had ordered and the food came out I wish I did order one. I tried a bit of Heathers and it was really good. They cooked the egg with tomato and green onion. Finished with lunch we headed off and I grabbed a taxi. Today was the first time I took a taxi all by myself; I’m so proud to have made it back in one piece.

Back at the house Carla was very happy to see me since she was just about running out of things to do. For the rest of the day I finished working on the scalloped skirt. It took me till around 4pm to finish; I had an hour left of work in which I busted out an apron pattern. Since I had sewn a handful of them before I came out to Ghana I remembered some of the pattern and based the one I patterned off that. It took me the rest of the work day to finish it but they are both now done and on Monday we can take them to be sampled.

Today is the “big big” game; If Ghana doesn’t win this match they are finished with the World Cup. And we’ve been noticing that no one says very small or very big its either small small or big big. Before the game we went over for a beer and sausage at the Sea Top. I’ve been calling it the C Spot but they recently painted their building and wrote their name up top. I guess now the name makes a bit more sense since its overlooking the ocean.

For the game we went over to the Shell Gas station since last time they had a really good set up. We saw Wizzy there from the office along with Maria and her French friends and Steve and Tom our English Friends.

Never in my life have I ever been so interested in a sports game. It was so intense all the way till the end. At the beginning of the game I really didn’t think that we were going since we had heard that Uruguay was “good good” team in both offense and defense. But we scored the first goal and after that all the Ghanaian had so much energy. Once the game was tied everyone was on their seat and very much intense. Unfortunately we lost because of the penalty shots.

We were thinking if we would have won we would have made a trip out to Cape Coast to celebrate but since the mood wasn’t very high we decided to just go back to the Sea Spot for a few more drinks.

THURSDAY

Happy Ghana Republican Day!

Today we have the day off work because of the holiday. Thank goodness since last night was a bit rough. Most of everyone went off to the beach but Katie and I stayed around town and went to the pool. I really wasn’t in the mood to get dirty and sandy. I’m glad we stayed at the pool because the weather was overcast and it wouldn’t have been worth the trip to the beach. I hear that the ocean was too cold to even go in, another reason I’m glad I stayed behind. At the pool we ordered French fries and they were so delicious; I’ll take them over McDonald's any day. I also was able to finish the book I was reading. Sarah is getting the two books that follow up to this last one and I’m already excited for her to finish them so I can have a read.

We stayed at the pool through the afternoon then went back to the house and relaxed the rest of the day. Katie and I made amazing pasta. We sauteed onions and garlic then added powdered milk and a bit of water to make an Alfredo type sauce. I’m surprised how well it came out. Finished with cooking we sat down in the living room and watched a copy of The Island. Ive seen the movie a few times before but it was Katie’s first time watching it. By the time it was finished it was around 7 pm. We both have been tired from a lack of sleep so we decided to take a Benadryl and go to bed and catch up on sleep. I also started a new book, its called Middlesex. I think I’ve tried reading it before but like usual get through a few chapters and then give up.

Cravings, A night out with James at Mr. B's, I would have a Gin and Tonic with half soda and double lime, James would probably order some sort of scotch that I cant stand the smell of; then we would have half off appetizers .. probably a mix of bloomin' onion, nachos and spinach-artichoke dip.

WEDNESDAY

So glad for no office today. I started patterning one of the skirts that was given the okay. Its has a scalloped hem and waist band which can be kind of annoying; mostly a lot of math. I worked on it all day until we ran out of “stiff”. Instead of using graphic paper to pattern on they use interfacing and have given it the name Stiff. We thought it was weird when we first found out they use interfacing to pattern with but after using it for awhile it really makes a lot of sense.

We made fresh coffee today; and when I say fresh I mean hot rather than cold instant coffee with some condensed milk rather than powdered milk. It makes all the difference though, I wonder if I will drink VIA when I get back to the states; and when I drink it again will it remind me of being in Ghana? I hope so. Carla got some rock cakes today; I haven’t been eating them because I think they’re a bit to dry but one of Eli’s workers brought her some fresh out of the oven. She shared them with Sarah and I; they are so much better fresh! During the day we rocked out to Celine and Michael; I guess we didn’t get enough last night.

We worked on patterning till we ran out of stiff. We were trying to get a hold of the people that had got to the office via BBM but unfortunately they were already on their way back so we couldn’t work on patterning for the rest of the day. Instead I started making a sample of one of the scrap necklaces to be made.

When the day was over I got in the shower and washed off since it had been a few days and we had planned to go out tonight. It was Aubry an Steve’s birthdays (our English friends). We had agreed to meet them at C Spot for some drinks and then maybe venture off to another restaurant. We ended up staying there the whole night which I was alright with. It was a lot of fun and they shared their birthday cake with us which was an upside down pineapple cake; amazing!!

Once again those English boys started ordering Cardinal by the bottle which was a bad idea. Its not that strong and tastes really good but I think because it’s so sugary it gives you a terrible headache the next morning.

TUESDAY

Hooray!! I have made it through the night without waking up. Such a good feeling. Just wait till you see the pictures; I look like I have some sort of disease now that they are a mix of bumps and scabs. Even though I had a great night sleep I think I rolled out of bed on the wrong side. I can’t seem to get out of my grumpy mood. I guess it’s a good thing I’m not going into the office till later on. VIA and powdered milk for breakfast again today, I think I’ll skip the noodles. I think the instant coffee is growing on me; the powdered milk isn’t that bad either. This morning I had to work on getting some more patterns done before heading into the office. I have to meet with my friend that is making the softie samples.

Today was the first time I have taken a taxi all by myself. A bit nerve racking but I made it in one piece. I now have to spend my time waiting for my Global Mama friend to come and meet me. Patience is something I am slowly learning here. While waiting I went across the street to get a water sachet from Chillin Chillin. I have been in a bad mood for most of the day but my mood changed dramatically worse after my outing. While paying there was a Ghanaian woman walking aimlessly around in the street. My heart sank when I saw her; she looked disoriented and her dress was falling off of her. I knew something didn’t seem right and when I got a closer look we noticed she was dripping blood from her head. It looked as though she had been beaten; she was talking to herself in Fante so I couldn’t understand what she was saying. I didn’t know what to do to help and Chillin tried to get her attention but she continued to stumble down the road. Seeing this just really unsettled me and didn’t feel right the rest of the day. I really hope that woman will be alright.

So I waited around in the office till 4 o’clock when my friend finally showed up. When she came into the design room she told me that she didn’t want to do the patterns today because she wanted to take her time and do it tomorrow. This was very frustrating because if I had known this from the beginning I would have been able to stay at the house and been productive instead of waiting around in the office all day. Bummer!! I must have patients.

At that point I packed up my things and headed home with Jorden and the new girl since we were the only ones left. When I got back to the house I had a little melt down from being so frustrated all day. I decided that I would spend the rest of the night just me and my book. I didn’t think anyone should be punished to have to be around me.

Reading my book was such a good idea. I sat in my bed for just long enough to be social. Small boy asked me if I wanted to go for walk, I agreed and I’m glad I did. We took a walk in the opposite direction then usual and came across some interesting things. We found an abandoned hotel called the Oyster Bay Hotel. It looked as though it had burned down but its foundations are still standing. The coolest part was the steps down to the beach. They are part of a stone wall; the waves were all the way up to the steps and the way they came splashing up the steps reminded me of something from a movie. I think this location would be totally perfect for a photo shoot.

Back at the house I was the only one that didn’t sign up for dinner at Eli’s. Im glad I didn’t because I wasn’t the slightest bit hungry and was excited to get back to my book. I gave the girls a while to eat and then walked over to meet them at C Spot for some beer. It’s still hard to understand the mix of music that the Ghanaians like; tonight we got Celine Deon MJ and backstreet boys. I don’t think everyone else enjoyed our sing along.

Cavings for today … my bear

MONDAY

What better way to start the morning then with a bowl of off brand ramen noodles. I had bought curry flavor last week and it tastes amazing with a slice of the laughing cow cheese mixed in. Not your typical breakfast but it was good enough for me; I paired my noodles with some VIA and dried milk … a fine breakfast if I may say so myself.

Today I spend some time in the office. I had to bring in the ornament patterns into the office so I could find one of the seamstresses to make up some samples for us. The internet was obviously not working so there wasn’t much for me to be doing in the office. I talked to Dorkus (she is in charge of all the patterns and is head of the Quality Control group. I asked her if she would think of a woman who would be best for the job and ask her to come in so I could show her what we want done.
Two loafs of bread later … The woman finally came to the office. I sat down with her and tried to explain what I wanted out of the pattern. Even though the women speak English there is still a large language barrier which makes hard for communication. The instructions for the softies/orniments were straight forward and I’m surprised I had as many problems as I did. It makes me nervous for the garment and how hard they will be to explain to the women. Since the meeting with my friend didn’t go that great I’m going to head over to her house on Tuesday and watch her while she makes the samples. This way we can fix the problems right away.

Once I had my meeting with my friend I spent the rest of the day at the house working on patterning more garments that we were given the okay on. I think I’m much more productive when I’m at the house. I finished off the garment that Katie and I had been working on last Friday.

We had another dinner date with the West Point crew tonight at Eli’s. Palava was being served which i’m always happy about. Palava is crazy delicious, might be my favorite meal in Ghana. Tonight I saved my hardboiled egg to make an egg salad sandwich out of tomorrow.
I forgot (I’m not sure how) to mention about my mosquito bite situation. When we were at the Stumble Inn on Friday night we all accumulated mass amounts of mosquito (at least I think they’re mosquito bites) all over my feet and legs. I couldn’t tell you how many because I loose count every time I try. Sarah counted one of her feet which I think she was at 140 bites. I have around the same amount if not more as she does and have been in agony ever since Saturday night when they started itching. Nothings has seemed to work but tonight Katie gave me a Benadryl to take so hopefully that will at least knocks me out and I won’t wake up in the middle of the night trying to rip my feet off.

SUNDAY

Sunday we spend the day at the pool. Hard life huh? I’ve started a new book, its call “Something Borrowed”. It’s really not my type of reading but the girls have been raving about it and so I figured I’d give it a go; plus its being turned into a movie.

The book is addicting, I’m almost finished with it. I had to put it down by five though because we had visitors. There is a group of kids that go to West Point, a military college that are working in Krobo. That is where the beading office is. We had them over for dinner at Eli’s which was a lot of fun. Dinner was egg stew and pasta. I was really nervous about this dish because everyone that has tried it said it reminded them of a meat pasta sauce. I made sure to ask Eli if there was any meat in it, she said no so I had to trust her. I think it’s probably the egg texture which makes it similar to a meat sauce; I enjoyed it since it was really spicy.

After dinner most of us stayed up at C Spot. Our English friends were there so we had a very big ‘Bruni crowd. I didn’t stay as long as everyone else since I wanted to get back to my book.

SATURDAY

Ouch! I think everyone feels the same crummyness but it was well worth the fun. We we’re served breakfast in the morning, I had eggs and toast which was forgotten about. It is somewhat of a rule that one persons meal is always forgotten about. I think I’ve been quite lucky till now with dodging that role. Once my breakfast did come out, to make up for the timing they had cooked a banana with brown sugar. I hate bananas but ate it anyways to be nice. The rest of the day we relaxed and waited for the sun to come out. We played BS and read mags and by lunchtime the sun was still hiding and we figured we weren’t going to beable to lay in the sun. We gave our friend Peter a call to come get us and he said he’d be able to come get us between two and three; which really meant closer to four.

While we waited we ordered lunch, egg salad sandwich for me and chicken salad sandwich for the rest. The rest of the time that we were there we played with children of the couple that run the NGO. Four little English children all under the age of four. They’re lovely! Sarah held the littlest one for a long while and she defiantly has a way with kids.

Peter finally arrived a little after three and we all enjoyed our stuffy taxi back home. Back at the house we go ready and went over to the Shell station to watch the match. I’m glad everyone I was with was rooting for Ghana. A few of the girls went to Cape Coast to watch the match; they were cheering for the US and got slapped by some women. All I can say about the match is that it was amazing to watch. Everyone has so much pride and love for their country. When Ghana won it was pure insanity; words can’t describe the chaos, you’ll have to wait for the pictures and video.

FRIDAY

Had to go into the office in the morning since I have run out of money and need to make a trip back to Barclay’s bank. It was probably not the best day to be walking around Cape Coast since has been down pouring since we got up. The wet doesn’t bother me that much though. If my hair gets wet it just gets curlier. When we walked past ‘chillin chillin’ she noticed that me and Katie didn’t have umbrellas and wouldn’t let us leave her stand till we excepted her umbrellas she had. She’s such a lovely lady. Barkleys wasn’t that busy so the line went fast. It would have been shorter but people were sitting down out of line so it got a bit confusing who was next and I got skipped a few times. After Barkley’s we went to the shopping market to get the essentials for the weekend and headed back to the office.

It was still raining when we got back and when we tried to give Chillin her umbrellas she wouldn’t take them from us and said to keep them till the rain stopped. Her stand is literally right across the street and we wouldn’t have really gotten that wet without them but she insisted. Love Chillin Chillin. Katie and I were ready to get back to the house so we left the office right away to get a taxi home. We gave back the umbrellas on our way out and headed back to the house.

The rest of the day I worked on getting the softies done. With them out of the way Katie and I started patterning one of the designs that the US had given the OK to sample. We worked on it till the rest of the gang got back which was the end of the work day.
I didn’t really want to go at this point since I was tired and kind of in a mood but we had told the English group that we would go to their Stumble Inn and have a beach party and dinner. The people that we have been hanging out with run the organization and constructed the building that we stayed in. It is a resort but it is also where their short term volunteers stay. So if you are staying less than six weeks they stay there otherwise they stay in one of the villages. Its located on the opposite side of Elmina so we had to give Peter (Marias taxi driver who will allow Pepo to join) to come and pick us up and drive us over. Somehow we managed to fit seven obrunis, Peter and Pepo into one taxi. Needless to say no one was comfy and the back roads we had to take to get to the Stumble Inn were not so forgiving.

They had a family style dinner with meat kabobs rice and salad. Fortunately they were able to make me a veggie kebob which was delicious. They served it with a spicy ground nut crunchy dip which is the same stuff that the sausages are served with at the C Spot. I’ve wanted to try it for a while no so I’m glad I did. I’m hoping to find some in bulk that I can take back home with me; I think a lot of you will enjoy it. After dinner we all stayed up till real late playing card/drinking games. Those kids really love their Cardinal and Star. The night ended with a bonfire and a dance party on the tables.

THURSDAY

No office today!! Thank God. Lately my mental annoyances are getting worse and worse. The gum chewing, bread eating, tapping and typing has been getting worse and is really hard to get away from. Today will good being able to stay home, doing patterning which I truly love doing. My task was to pattern as many softies as I could by the end of the day. I got so many finished and I can’t wait to see them sampled. They have tried them before but they just didn’t work. I decided it would be better to simplify the pattern so there’s less room for error. I’m doing sets of different animals; safari set with rhino, elephant, giraffe and lion; teddies with a bear, cat, dog and bunny; set of fish on a fishing line; farm animals with a piggy, sheep and chicken. They’re going to be so cute!

As for our lunch break we went across the street and had a swim. I would take laying out and a dip in the pool over any other break. It was really refreashing and helped us get through the rest of the day.

The evening was spent at Eli’s. We had invited our English friends over for black eyed pea burgers but we didn’t hear anything from them. Dinner was delicious, those burger are so good. The end of dinner was a bit annoying. Business got up before we were all finished eating, paid and left to use the internet at the hotel. They talk about how well off they are and how proper their school is; seems they weren’t taught manners growing up. Eli’s isn’t a fast food joint and if I was Eli I would have been even more offended.

WEDNESDAY

In the morning Nick and I took a stroll through Elmina. We came across the market which we have been looking for. Its more outdoors than the Cape Coast which is good, the smells aren’t as potent. On our way back we saw some fresh doughboys being made and couldn’t resist. We asked for one each and she gave us a bag of 5 each. Only 50 peswas and we couldn’t really say no so we had them all. I mean we really ate them all. Way to go Keane, I don’t even eat doughnuts in the states. The taxi’s are always an exciting part of the day. Its funny, I think I’ve only seen a handful of cars that actually have speedometers that work, not that it matters if they did since no one really follows the rules and if the rules of the road did matter there wouldn’t be anyone to enforce them. And if there was someone to enforce them you could just pay them off. Oh Ghana! Today the steering wheel was upside down, doesn’t seem that safe but we made it in the end.
Today we had two sight visits to go on. Both were for nick but since I didn’t have any to go on for my own stamps it went with Nick for his. The first is with Jennifer. We were both really excited to go; yesterday Katie and Sarah visited with her and she is a very good batiker, has a nice area to work and she fed them popcorn. Not just any old popcorn though, she popped it fresh and she made it like kettle corn.
She did have a really cool set up. Her father worked for the government, I think as a police officer. All government workers in the area have to live in this certain building. When her father passed away two years ago they had to move out of the building and into a house next door. Fortunately they still let her use the space to batik. I would describe it almost like a parking structure underneath an apartment building.
Nick’s pattern was a difficult one which is why it was given to Jennifer to sample. She doesn’t have any trouble stamping it and gets the rhythm of the pattern on the first go. When we were finished batiking we waited for Jennifer outside when she said she had a few things to take care of. We both wondered what she was doing in the house and when we saw her come back out we were happily surprised that she had popped us fresh kettle cooked popcorn. It was tastier then how Sarah and Katie had described. Crazy delicious!
Done with batiking we waited for the fabric to dry and for Jennifer to get ready. While we waited we talked with her mother which was really nice. She gave us the background of her life and how many kids she had, where they all are and what they do for a living.
Finished getting ready, Jennifer took us back to the office when she was finished getting ready. Once back to the office we didn’t have much else to do because we spent too much time at Jennifer’s and didn’t have enough time to do the other sight visit. I think that it was ok though because the other woman didn’t show up to come get us.
Back at the house we went across the street to one of our new spot (the C Spot) for beers, sausages (non for me of course) and an exciting Black Star match. Apparently we were supposed to win this game or else we wouldn’t be able to make it any further in the World Cup. So we didn’t win the game and everyone got really disappointed because that meant the end for Ghana. Then all of a sudden the Ghanaians went nuts!! None of us ‘bruni’s knew what the hell was going on. I’ve never seen such passionate fans as the Ghanaians. Anyways the stats of the game where added up and I guess we did well enough to make it through. This means that the next match will be this Saturday again none other than the United States. I know who I’m going to root for (Ghana of course) but I wonder what the other girls will do.

TUESDAY

Today we went into the office because we all had sight visits set up throughout the day. I was to meet with Patrisha and one of the other global mama’s. These two women had been assigned my stamps to make samples from. Nick came with me and Patrisha since he didn’t have any sight visits till Wednesday. She came and picked us up from the office and took us to her shop. Patrisha is one of the younger global mamas but she is one of global mamas best batikers. She worked under Emmi and Ella for 6 years as an apprentice and then opened her own shop a year ago. The point of the visit was to watch her batik with the stamp and explain how we want it. Full drop, half drop or sloppy. Explaining things here is hard so when it wasn’t quite how we had pictured the design was supposed to look like I started doing a little bit of it myself so she could understand. Once we were on the same page she said that she was going to start over because she didn’t want any inconsistencies in the sample. This meant that she would have to take the wax off the fabric and let it dry before she could start over again.

Patrisha said that she would finish off the sample and bring it to the office later on in the day. So she sent us on our way back to the office to wait for the next woman and the next stamp to sample. Walking back to the office was a new adventure because her shop is in part of Cape Coast we haven’t walked through. The area was a bit more residential; I think its where all the fishermen stay because there was a plethora of fishing next. I also think this is the area where a lot of the bread is made because we saw a lot of really interesting clay ovens. I also saw a woman selling egg salad sandwiches which I need to try before I leave. They looked really delicious.

Back at the office we waited on the other Global Mama to come get us. We waited around for a long while until we found out she was expecting us to come to her instead of the other way around. We had Amos (one of the quality control workers) take us to her house where her shop is. We had to hail a taxi because she lives too far from the office to walk.

When we arrived at her house she had already stamped the fabric. She was a bit irritated because she had been expecting us for a while but because communication can be hard we just didn’t know. It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to be there to show her what we were wanting because both the stamp samples she had done I could already tell were done wrong. Its not a big deal and we can redo them but I wish we could have done it right the first time.

We had Amos point us in the right direction to get a taxi back to Elmina. Since we didn’t have much else to work on in the office we could go back to the house and work on patterning. Our walk with Amos was a lot of fun. I was humming the contagious ‘Wave your flag’ song which Amos picked up on. He told me I have a really nice singing voice which obviously he was just trying to make me feel good about myself since we all know I do not have a good singing voice. Anyway we all three had a sing along to the song and it was really fun.

We had to wait a while for the taxi to fill up but it finally did and we made it back to the house. We got to work on measuring the patterns of garments we’re keeping from the previous line. We need to make sure that all the measurements are where they are supposed to be. This is an irritating task because everything is very much unorganized. We work until everyone gets back which is hard because it’s a task I really don’t want to be doing. I have to not complain about this though because I know if I was in another internship I might be doing this kind of job all day long.

Tonight we had a bit too much fun with our newly acquired English friends. The work at NGO close to Elmina, apparently they live right next door to us every once in a while. They’re a ton of fun and a bit too generous. By the end of the night we had finished off 3 bottles of Cardinal; it is a strawberry gin. Its not that strong but after three bottle we were all a bit tipsy. They also tried to by more but we had to say no because it was getting late and we still had a “family dinner” to make. Katie, Nick and I made pasta, eggplant, salad and guacamole. Very good!!

Monday

Yeay we have to office to ourselves again which means we can sit in the sweet air-conditioning. Loves it. It actually got a bit too cold today and I’m glad I wore my jeans, im now wishing I brought a sweater.

To begin with we worked on finishing the carving out of the sample batik stencils. This takes quite a while but is necessary if we want to have the women batik what we want. I’m proud of myself today because I drank 4 pure waters!! I’m really bad at drinking water and staying hydrated and these pure waters really help me do just that. They design makes it one, fun to drink from and two impossible to not finish the whole thing. Since you have to bite the top off to drink the water you can’t really put it down till you finish so you’re forced to drink the whole thing.

Halfway through the day I went with Nick and Hillary to get some groceries for dinner. Stopped at Malcolm’s which is what I consider the equivalent to our Meijer’s; they have a little of just about everything. It gets a bit confusing there. Someone stands at one end of each isle; they watch you and when you pick up an item the take it from you then find a code number for the item, write it down on a small piece of paper and then gives you the paper. This happens for each item in each row. You then have to take your items to check out and give the check out help your items and bits of paper and she rings everything in and you pay her. Next you take everything to another table, give them your receipt and items, she checks the list and then she bags your items. You then have to make one more stop at another person at the door that checks your receipt on more time before you leave. It’s a bit much if you ask me but oh well. I buy chips (someone’s version of Pringles) they are curry flavored and a bit too delicious!! A bit too much really since I finished the whole tin before lunch was over!! I tell everyone not to let this chip monster buy any more chips for the duration of our trip, I just can’t control myself!! On the way back to the office I stopped by a woman selling vegetable; I buy cucumber, onion and lettuce, I plan to make a salad with the vinegar I bought earlier. I think im going to need the nutrition since I’m sure I didn’t get much from my lunch.

Back at the office I spend the last part of the day on the internet looking for inspiration. We have another presentation due by the end of the day tomorrow and I need ideas for silhouettes. Using the internet here is rather irritating. It’s just so slow and most of the images don’t load so you have to constantly reload pages hoping the pictures will eventually show up. The last leg of the work day is chaotic. The global mama batikers com to the office to check out the templates that we have made. We explain to each what we are looking for, they use the stencil to stamp on the foam and we have them cut the stamp in the office to ensure that its what we had envisioned. The office is just so full. I’m excited I meet with one of the women that are working on one of my prints and I plan to go to her shop tomorrow at 9 to watch.

We leave the office but before we can take a taxi Katie wanted to go visit one of our friends that we met this weekend at the Oasis. His name is Kobe, he was really nice and works at an NGO Internet workshop. He is a Ghanaian. Him and Katie had talked for awhile about music once he found out that we were from Detroit and that they both shared a love for Mr. Eminem. I guess he put out a new album today; Katie had already been planning on downloading it from iTunes. She made a copy for him which was really nice and I think he really appreciated it!

Taxi ride: always a trip! Today we had Rasta Man. He always likes to see Katie (she was sick one day from local Red Red and threw up in his cab. He makes fun of her still. He’s the most talkative one of the bunch, always asks how we are, he sings quite loud with no music playing. One day he told me he finds my blonde hairs in his car after each time I get in and that if he had a wife or a girlfriend they would think he was running off with a ‘bruni.

Back in Elmina I had just a small dinner since I was still full from the chip binge earlier. I finished off the bit of pasta I had left from Sunday. Just Cowbell cheese, garlic and margarine. Sounds like a James favorite!! After eating I went to the Hotel to have a good swim and upload some photos.

Back at the house I went straight to bed so I could try finish off the book. I have two chapters left!!

Craving of the day? … bubble bath and any kind of pizza!!

FRIDAY

Damn you Wizzy!! He works in the office and I know I’m not alone when I think that he needs a good talking to. Though last night was well worth the fun me and a lot of us felt like garbage all day. All the business women including Jorden and Carla went to the Volta region today for the rest of the weekend. They leave right when we get to the office. I have to say I was glad they went before us because we can now find out how it went so when we plan our trip we know how to travel there and where we should or shouldn’t visit.

I snapped at Hilary for typing so much; “ you writing a novel over there or what?” I’m so out of line and embarrused I excuse myself to the hallway and work by myself for awhile. I defiantly needed a time out. I apologize to her when I return and she understands even though she should think that’s I’m crazy. I talked to jenny real quick in the morning which was short but sweet. It was so nice to see her face and we plan to skype this weekend when shes together with mum and dad. After skyping I sit with Katie and Sarah in the airconditioned office which was really nice.

Got bread to eat. Chocolate crackers and some veggie crackers. Later on I tried some sweet potatoes with a hot pepper sauce. They were ten pesewa each so we got a cedi worth to share between us. Later I got to skype with James. I think the internet is better from the cool air in the computer room. The picture was clear; we didn’t really chat that much since I had to work a lot but I left the skype up so it was like we were just hanging out. That made my day!!

The whole time at the office we worked on getting stamp stencils finished. All of our stamp ideas that were given the ok to sample from the US. First we had to correct all of them in illustrator; make them to size; change to pdf then transferred them to Wizzy’s computer which is hooked up to the printer. We then had to print them out and cover them front and back with tape. This makes the paper more durable; make shift laminate. The next step was to cut out with an exacto knife. When their all ready we can use them as stencils and draw onto the latex foam and cut them out to make the relief. Then we give them to the batikers with instructions on how to print them. Sloppy, half drop and full drop are the technical terms that we learn from Judy.

Today we left work later than usual. We had to help again with another order that was due this weekend. Mostly folding and placing in bags. Some Notre Dame students came in looking for Kelly so we stayed to chat with them for awhile. They said they were in town for the weekend and we gave them some names of places that would be cool to visit. We also told them we would meet them up or look for them at the Peace Rally that we were planning to go to on Saturday.

Back in Elmina finally. We head to Eli’s for dinner. It’s nice that we’re only a small group. I ordered a salad today and it defiantly hit the spot!!
I’m really craving a movie night; popcorn, diet fountain pop and chocolate covered cashews, I don’t care what the movie is… you pick!

THURSDAY

Super excited at the office today!! Turns out that we have feedback from the US about our presentation. They gave us the go ahead on which batik designs we should sample and which designs they thought wouldn’t work. We work as a team obviously but I am very happy to hear that all of my designs (besides one I wasn’t fond of anyways) we’re given the ok to sample!! Fire up!! They also didn’t like most of the silhouettes we picked out (there was some miscommunication since they were supposed to just be a bit of inspiration, not actual product ideas) For now we will be working on getting templates made and the go ahead made into samples. The new designers are given a chance to come up with some more batik stamps and the rest of us are asked to come up with more silhouette ideas. The softies idea cant work because there are so many regulations with children’s toys that we have to keep them small like ornaments but they love our ideas and we’re given the go ahead to come up with some patterns for new ornaments.

We leave early to go to Judy’s for the rest of the afternoon. What a great experience, she is such a lovely women!! It was nice to work with her because she just gave us a bit of direction and let us do our own work. The stamps I made I came up with quickly so I wasn’t that into the design but I just had such a good time. The chemicals we uses smell terrible and they sting my hand through the glove because I have a cut. Nick got burned because he added one of the chemicals to the dye too quickly and it bubbled up onto his hand. I don’t know much about chemistry but when they mix together it makes the temperature sky rocket; it’s over my head.


After batiking we stay and hang out with Judy for a while. Its nice for her to have visitors since she can leave her house. She gives us bananas (which are tiny here) and groundnuts (their just like peanuts). I hate bananas but I eat them anyways as not to be rude; surprisingly the bananas are not that bad and I might have to change my mind about them. As for groundnuts, for sure a favorite.

Back at the house I find another insanely large spider again (this time I got a picture so stay tuned). In Ghana I’m constantly the one getting poo’ed on, or tripping or the one who today broke their shoe walking home. The unfortunate is always knocking at my door so this time I’m not shocked I find him; at least he wasn’t in the shower with me like his buddy last time.






What time is it? HAPPY HOUR!




Kelly has been working with Eli to introduce new dishes and we get to be her test rats and try her new Guacamole and plantain chips. Global Mama’s cover our first round of drinks for the reason we’re at happy hour is to discuss some PR matters for when we return to the states. We have a choice between the Wizzy special and a smoothie type drink with strawberry gin. I choose the wizzy special. It has gin, strawberry gin and a mix of bitters. That’s all! And I find out … I don’t like bitters,I find I hate them and thin they taste like mold; what are bitters anyway? The guacamole on the other hand, way to go Eli, smash hit!!


We talk business till dinner is served. I cant remember the name but we have black eyed pea burgers and they are a definite hit. Talked about pr stuff for when we go back to the states. Had black eyed peas burger. There was lots of guacamole left and it went really well as a dressing on our burgers.




We stayed at Eli’s longer then usual and I think the Wizzy special when right to our heads, we all couldn’t stop laughing. Once back to the house we stayed up for awhile. I called James before I went to bed which was a perfect ending to a great day. I am full and feel satisfied; no cravings tonight.

06|16|10

How I can’t believe I am halfway through my fourth week of work here! Time is just flying past; I think I need to start taking more photos. I bring my camera everywhere with me but it’s hard to take it out of my bag. Not that I think anyone is going to snatch it from my hands, it’s hard to explain why it’s hard to take pictures here. A lot of the people don’t like it, the children love it but you get swarmed if they see it, most of the time it’s because you feel so much like a tourist. I think I need to force myself to take photos, I’ll be kicking myself when I get back and I know I’ve missed my opportunity.

The first part of the day did not go as planned. We thought we would finish planning our measuring workshop for the quality control and present it within the morning. After doing a bit more research we found this wouldn’t be happening. We decided to each take measurements of a garment ourselves just to see how off each of us are from the spec sheet. Turned out we all got quite different measurements. We decided to give the garment to one of the women in quality control and see what she came up with. We also didn’t let her look at the spec sheet (if she knew what the measurements we’re supposed to be she might fudge the measurement a bit to make it work). Turns out she got different measurements as well. The spec sheet is right but we find that the sample isn’t and that if it we’re to go into an order it would be rejected. We have a plan for our workshop but we won’t be giving it until we have the new garments in and we can show them the correct way to measure.

In the afternoon Katie and I left with one of the Global Mama’s and she took us around town to find some batiking supplies.

Our neighbor Judy was once a Global Mama; she has three shops that she runs which are doing really well so now she doesn’t need the business from us anymore. I have talked about her once before, we met her the first night that we were in Elmina, her husband just recently has died and since he was Muslim she has to spend the next three months without leaving the house. She always welcomes us with open arms and enjoys our company. She has a batik station and sewing machine at her house so when she heard we wanted to do a bit of our own batiking she was happy to let us come over and use her supplies(of course gave her money in return for her hospitality).

So we walked through Cape Coast (Katie and I and a Global Mamas apprentice to find dyes, calico and chemicals to do batiking at Judy’s house. We got calico from the market which was the first time I think I’ve been back since the original visit. We were stopped by some women at their stand. They were very curious (as everyone is) of our jewelry and face piercing. (bit of background: we’ve been given an assignment to think up of new ways to use scrap fabric which usually just gets burned. One night when brainstorming we made braided bracelets and anklets. Its always a topic of question “what is that? What does that represent/mean?”) To everyone here it looks tatty and they can’t rap their heads around us just doing it as decoration. Same with the piercings… I point to her earrings and ask why just like she’s doing to my nose and Katie’s lip. I think we have a bit of understanding. Once again nothing is done in an ill-mannered way, just curious, we all have a bit of a laugh and continue through market.

When we get back to the office we leave early to go and batik at Judy’s. It was Katie, Nick and I. Sarah wanted to join but had to meet with Maria. As we catch a cab and head back to Elmina the clouds are rolling in from no where and it starts to down pour. Back in Elmina the rain doesn’t give up and we have to cancel our batik session.Dissapointed we sit on the balcony and carve out stamps and do a bit of cad.

Had some cravings later on so I took a stroll and bought chips, gin with tonic. We make some Gin and Tonics, tastes alright but defiantly needs some limes. Continued to work on Cad until we decided we’d make a family dinner. I made more Thai rice for all of us, Katie mad cheese sandwiches, and Nick shared his veggie stew he had made the previous night. We also gave making plantain chips ago and might is say it was a success and shall be repeated quite soon. You know how much I love chips!

What am I craving now?? Probably a pedicure, not that I get them on the regular but my feet are so torn up, dirty and sore.

06|15|10

So I’m quite irritated because the CAD drawings that I work on all morning in Illustrator have vanished. I think it’s because I didn’t save it and someone had shut my computer to move it out of the way when I was at market. I wish my very old version of illustrator knew how to auto save! Anyways it’s obviously my fault but frustrating none the less.
Had to sit at the bank to get some money out. Always a highlight, this time it wasn’t that bad though, it took about 20 minutes which is much better than my past experiences. I walked around with Katie and Nick to look for Ghanaian jerseys. Katie got a really cool one and I plan to go back and buy one for myself. I need to get better at my bargaining skills before I do though. The tip is to half whatever amount they ask for then pay in-between the numbers somewhere.

At the end of the day Katie, Sarah, Nick and I collectively worked together to brainstorm ideas for the quality control workshop we need to plan. We’re having troubles with the measurements on some of the garments. A lot aren’t to scale so we have to figure out where the quality control workers are going wrong and come up with a way to fix it.

Taxi home, our new favorite song is playing as we’re driving along side the ocean and I have an “Oh Africa” moment. We say that when we stop and have to pinch ourselves and remember to soak in the moment. The song is one of the World Cup songs called “Wavin’ Flag” I suggest you download it (the K’naan Coca-Cola celebration remix) and its brilliant!

Back in Elmina we went to pool for a bit of relaxation and exercise. I haven’t been able to use the gym since I don’t have running shoes with me, treading water is my new workout plan; I never realized what a great workout you get. And I get somewhat of a shower in the meantime, killing two birds with one stone! Today there was a family with a Ghanaian/British baby, his name was James. We couldn’t keep our eyes of him, super cute.

What am I craving this time? A kiss and cuddle from James Kessler

06|14|10

I had planned to wake up early and take a walk through town but just could get out of bed early enough. Instead I made a cup of via and started ready by first book here. I’m really not a book reader but its something to keep me busy instead of Suduko. Its called Water for Elephants. So far in not sure about it but I’m going to keep reading it and see how it goes. I kept reading It through the whole taxi ride in which made it go by a bit quicker. I wore makeup (and by makeup I mean put on a bit of mascara) this makes me feel pretty. When at work I drew for most of the morning. Trying to come up with some silhouettes for the new line. I also tried to come up with some new fall ideas since there isn’t much in the way of warmer clothing for women’s. I think I have some cool ideas for a quilted women’s jackets.

I worked on my hand drawing for most of the morning until I figured out that the Illustrator I had loaded that I thought didn’t work on my started working again. I had Carla send me some files in a JPEG format and found that the originals opened immediately in Illustrator. I wish I would have know this early for I could have done a lot more as far as stamp designs go. At lunch time I got to chat with James via Skype which was great. Skyping is so bittersweet because its so nice talking and seeing faces but when the call is over it makes me miss home so much more than before. ried to leave early but couldn’t
When I got home I ate the rice I had made for the week. I made it Sunday night; it is somewhat like Thai rice. I mixed in some curry, tomato paste, cayenne pepper garlic and peanut butter. Its so delicious and it made so much for really cheap and I think I’ll do this more often to save money.

Went for a swim at the hotel for a workout for about a half-hour. It feels really nice; it was also my shower for the week. Once I got back and the new girl Brenda was here with one of the volunteers that lives in Accra. She traveled with her to come visit cape coast for a few days. Barbra is from Nicaragua. After bathing in what’s left of my dwindling supply of bug spray I sat on the porch with Nick and Katie to read my book. Nick broke out his carton-o-wine and I enjoyed a small glass with him and Katie. I really didn’t want to drink that much of it since I felt pretty crummy from it this weekend.

More book, I’m so proud of myself!!

What am I craving this time? Mum and Dad’s couches!!!

06|13|10

Killer headache!! I think the wine is what got me. Maria said that they used to drink the wine that we had in Spain when she was a kid. They said that it was so terrible, and it was. For breakfast I shared another pot of amazingly delicious coffee which really turned my morning around. It was a bit crappy in the morning so we relaxed under the tents till it cleared up. Spent some time playing with and feeding the monkeys which was fun. There were two little ones a mum and a dad. The big one was awful!! They were all on leashes but the big one would chase you as you walk by and he actually grabbed Katie by the leg gave her a bruise and also grabbed, bit, and drew blood on Sarah’s leg. Little shit!!! I’m glad I didn’t get bit (just a pathetic nibble from the baby monkey) for I chose not to get a rabies shot!!

Around 2 was when Ghana had its first match so we went a bit before to the surf shop and got lunch before they played. I had a vegetarian burrito which could have fed all the children in Ghana! It beats out any Qudoba or taco bell hands down! I’m not quite sure how but I managed to finish almost all of it!! We watched the match for a bit but Katie and I we too tempted by the boogie boards so we left halfway through to go back to playing in the ocean. By the time the game was done it was time to head back. Our tro tro drivers had came to pick us up before the game started so they could watch it first before leaving.

When we got home all the good food had given me some cravings for some good food so I gave in and bought a Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut chocolate bar. I only had one piece but it was amazing (minus the price). I think I’m going to try make it last as long as I can!!

What am I craving now?
I’d love to play some Frisbee golf with James and then.. Gelato!! 0oh YUM

SATURDAY

06|12|10
It wasn’t until the morning that we saw just how crazy this place and the people in it were. Pet monkeys on leashes, penis swings and structures coming up from the ground! The woman Trisha who ran the place reminded me of some sort of witch doctor (just like the one from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie). She was just a bit freaky, very much a Rastafarian and they were all so welcoming and accommodating. In the morning we ate again at the hotel and spent the entire day on the beach. The only thing I cared to have was fresh REAL coffee!!! It was the best thing I’ve had thus far. With sweetened condensed milk. I can’t wait till I can have real coffee every day again; I’m kicking myself for not packing my French press!!

Like I was saying they were very accommodating and offered us so much of their stuff to use. They had boogie boards that we played with the whole day! I think playing on the boogie boards was my favorite part of the weekend. I haven’t done that in so long, which is apparent by how many bruises I have acquired. Just a block down the beach was a surf shop/restaurant called Black Star. It’s owned by an American Guy and a Ghanaian. They taught surfing lessons which we would have done if it wasn’t as expensive. We went t here for dinner and to watch the USA verse UK match. For dinner I had spicy black beans, mango and avocado with coconut rice. I didn’t eat much of it because I had convinced myself they cooked it with meat flavoring and couldn’t enjoy it. I think I made a big mistake not finishing dinner because drinks went right to my head.

There was a group of English people we had met Friday night that came to watch the game there too which was cool. We stayed at the Surf shop all night; they had dancing and made a bonfire in the sand. It was so much fun. I think once again the kids made the evening. One in particular we all befriended, a little deaf and mute boy, the sweetest little thing. At one point (after some liquid courage) I got up and danced with him. Looking back on it I’m a bit embarrassed but it was a ton of fun. Plus it got everyone else dancing too.

FRIDAY

06|11|10

0o0oh what I would give for an iced quad grande sugar-free caramel American with a splash of soy milk!! That sounds like heaven right about now…

Slept alright last night. I think it’s the rain that cools off the night and wakes me up. I didn’t have to use my shirt again as a blanket so I think that was a bonus too. I got up early to take a morning walk before going into the office. We had started out walking every morning but it seems that we have slipped on that so I’m glad we got one in today. Taxi went really well today, finally!! I got to sit in the front seat and I had it all to myself!!

Today I worked on the stamp library. We have a much unorganized book filled with all batik stamps that are either just design ideas, ideas that have just been made into samples and stamps that have been designed, sampled and used in previous seasons. So today I went through the book and tried to put it in order and find out which ones have been used for what. Its hard to get projects like this finished here because they get picked up, started and never get completed. We’re really going to try this time around to finish it off. I organized the folder as much as I could and I think that it would be best to make it an electronic file so we save paper and space in the office.

Ate too much bread for lunch today and in result I now I have a dough baby! Perfect for bathing suit time! I also picked up a MJ biscuit (Michael Jackson). Stay tuned for the photos… their really funny!! I’ll have to bring some home with me.. along with the Obama Biscuits .. those are my favorite! Anyways, we’re leaving now for the beach weekend!! Whoo Hoo!!!! I hope I get a tan!!!

The tro tro ride obviously took a lot longer than what was expected. Its ok though, ,we had a lot of fun on the way there. We had all threw in a few peswas for a carton of wine the ride to the beach. Halfway through the drive we opened the carton and passed it round till finished. This made the trip a bit more fun. Somehow I managed not to spill any red wine over myself though I can’t say that much for everyone else. We arrived at Busau beach just when the sun was going down. We stayed at Alaska beach resort and I’m so glad we did, the place had so much character. Each room was its own little round hut with a thatched palm leaf roof. They were either two or four bedroom room, we had to share beds which wasn’t a big deal, beds here aren’t anything near to being comfortable so its just a given that you’re not going to get a good night’s sleep. It’s kind of known too that I could sleep anywhere and I think that when I get back to the states with all this training I’ll probably be able to sleep standing up!

It was really too late to go exploring Friday night so we had to the woman Trisha get us wood and we had a bonfire on the beach. It was amazing! It was made with huge sticks of bamboo. They stood them upright and lit the tops of them so it was this super tall structure. You’ll have to wait a little longer for photos since my camera died and I’m borrowing everyone elses. Also when we were waiting for the fire to start everyone ordered dinner. I didn’t get anything but everyone else was super excited for their menu. It was filled with American and British dishes. Lots of burgers and chips!