Our Neighbourhood

Last week was an interesting one. I waited for almost 2 hours for a tro-tro for a 10-minute ride. It would have been an enjoyable experience, road side socialising is very entertaining, except that I saw a young kid (goat) get hit by a car first, then a van. As I was stood right in front of where it happened, I was in shock and had my face in my hands. I must have screamed because when I looked up I met some curious expressions. Someone noticed that the goat was still on the road and pulled it to the side, where it laid until I got onto my tro-tro.

Over the weekend we explored Cape Coast, the regional capital, with markets filled with fresh fish, vegetables, pig meat, as well as household items. It is about 20 minutes drive from Ayensudo and is our source of finance, travel centre, and has some great places to eat. It also houses the largest old colonial trading castle in West Africa (although quite small in comparison to European castles). Cape Coast Castle changed hands many times, as the Portuguese, Dutch, and English fought for territory to trade goods (and later slaves). It has one of the better museums about local and colonial history which we wandered around for half an hour before the tour of the slave quarters. A Ghanaian half an hour can be longer, so we strolled around the castle walls, with the cannons on one side and the hundreds of original rusting cannon balls on the other. The tour itself took us through the appalling conditions slaves had to endure for months at a time, eating, sleeping, toileting, all standing in the same tiny space. It was difficult to comprehend the cruelty they were subjected to. The tour ended on a high at the Door of Return through which slave descendents are welcomed back to find their roots should they wish to.

On the left of the castle is the Cape Coast fishing community; a scenic and playful view from the castle with children splashing around the fishing boats in the water, careful not to go out too far as swimming is not a strength out here. We spent the rest of the day trying to find fresh vegetables but did not navigate the correct narrow market lanes so failed this time!

In the evening, we had a leaving dinner for our new friend Roos who was heading back to Holland after a year out here. We managed to find fresh mangoes for dessert and limes for the gin. We indulged in a luxurious feast with real Dutch and French cheeses, and chocolate! These things are only on the menu if someone comes out from Europe/America with generous gifts! Very good evening indeed.

We also discovered a secret side to Lawrence (our housemate and trainee engineer). He has connections! We were attempting to buy a bagload of purified water at a cheaper rate directly from the water truck. Usually they won't sell it directly to you as you have to go to the individual shops and pay more. However, Lawrence stepped in, had a couple of words, and was not only given a bag, but they would not even take any money for it! Turns out his aunt runs a water truck business in Takoradi.... it's all about who you know!

The neighbours tend to drop in quite a lot these days. With a school right next to the house and a small community living at the bottom of the driveway (Mustafa runs his scrap metal business there), we have a constant stream of visitors whether we like it or not. In the mornings, the roosters like to stand proudly on our porch to announce the day whilst the goats scuffle and bleat in the bushes nearby. Then comes the dustcloud as the school children sweep up before their lessons. The infectious drumming follows with singing, signalling the start of lessons and cue for us to get to work too. The back garden is rearranged for the temporary outdoor nursury. In the evenings and weekends, bright, glassy-eyed children peer into the house and sing a chorus of 'obruni'. The chief and headmaster (Abdullai) like to drop by in the evenings to talk outside for a while. For the next 3 months the older children will be sleeping at the school with a couple of teachers for group study. As the night draws in, the insects pipe up all around, and the bats in the roof make their noisy moves.