Blessed Mary

So here I am, typing away at the keyboard. Another week has passed (well, actually it's more), and I have another week of memories and, of course, pictures and videos.

I left off with the Friday of last week being a day full of activities. I think it would be fair to say that it was quite full. It would also be fair to say that I lost a big chunk of my voice. Yes, you read correctly... I lost a big chunk of my voice. I know you're probably wishing that it happened a bit more often, or that you were at least present, but hey, if it's a consolation, you might like to know that it didn't really keep me quiet!!!

One of the great things about that Friday was that instead of teaching in the morning, I spent most of the time filling balloons with water (and shall we say, getting wet in the process). The great piece was not actually filling the balloons, but seeing the children burst them using toothpicks stuck to their heads on a cone. It was like seeing a number of unicorns run up to the suspended balloons, and then burst them and get very wet! I know you haven't yourselves seen it, but you can rest assured that the memory will remain with me for a long time. It is really a pity that this year I did not think of getting more balloons with me to Ghana, as they are a massive hit with the children.

Children running up to the balloons!

I want to talk a little bit about the daily journey to and from Tema New Town. The first thing to know is that you can either pass from the main roads (and get stuck in endless traffic chaos) or alternatively you could take the short cut. You may be wondering why not everyone takes the short cut. Well, the simple answer is that the roads are not of the same standard. First of all, they are dirt roads, not asphalt, and I think it would be fair to say that it makes for a bumpy ride. Even where there is asphalt, there are so many potholes, that in many places the soil path on the side of the road is better than the asphalted road. I guess this is why it is called 'offroad', because you spend quite some time off the road. Anyway, back to the dirt roads... driving through them sounds something like, "boom, boom, Boom, Boom, BOOM, vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv, boom, boom, Boom, Boom, BOOM"! However, believe it or not, it is all part of the experience and I always look forward to it!

The weekend came, and it was a fairly relaxing one. The highlights were probably the artisan market and the bargaining that comes with it, and then on Sunday, the Salesian sisters were welcomed to Ghana for the first time. Oh, and then to keep up with the inevitable, I had an upset stomach on Sunday evening. I'm not however complaining as this time round I didn't end up in hospital.

The second week at Tema New Town was more of the same... classes, then games or crafts. A big difference however was that on a couple of days we got rain, which ruined the plans for outdoor activities. Now when I say rain, I mean rain. And you know it's rained quite a bit when your playing field is drenched and partly flooded, and what's more, a frog comes out of hiding and into the field! But anyway, all's well that ends well.

Class time!

Our friend the frog!

There is however one other effect of the rain. I did say before that the roads are dirt roads, which are not exactly smooth when dry. I guess you can imagine what they become like after heavy rain. In places the roads just plain hold all the water, and it is like driving through a pond. There is no need to say what the vehicles end up looking like, but I will say that the tyres and wheels end up looking 'a bit' brown. You would be forgiven for thinking that brown is the new black.

You may recall that last year I mentioned what a breath of fresh air it is for some of the children to have different names to the ones we have at home. Well, this time I want to focus on shop names. There is an incredibly high number of shops that have a name related to a religious belief. For example, you can get, "God the Saviour Ent.", "By His Grace barber," or, "Divine Mercy chop shop." All that sounds fine. It however gets a bit messy when you have, "Trust in God auto electrician," or, "Jesus saves electric cables." This is not to say that there is a problem with them, but to be honest, if I'm getting the car electrics sorted out, I guess I would feel that much better if I wouldn't only have to rely on trust in God, but could rely on trust in the electrician as well. You get the point!

So anyway, back to the activities. This Friday we organised a day of only games and painting. As things go, this was overall a great day, but it was ruined (only partly) by the rain. Nevertheless, we painted the children to their hearts' content, and at the end of the day they each got a goodie bag, with sweets, pens, soft toys, etc. To all those who gave me any of these items to bring to Ghana with me, I once again say thank you! Your gesture may have been small, but the happiness it brought to the kids is certainly no small thing.

Some of the children after getting their face painted

Happy to have a soft toy

Need I say that she was happy?

You may be wondering why I've called this post, "Blessed Mary". The answer is a very simple one... they are the names of the two little angels that you see in the picture below. Just like the other children, these children are as adorable as they can possibly be, and it is immediately obvious that they crave love and attention. "Sir, me, lift me, lift me." Those are some famous words I'm going to miss a real lot when I'm back at home. You can lift these children a hundred times, or you can carry them around for hours, and they simply don't get tired of it (but my arms do). One? Two? Three? How many children do you want hanging onto you? Well often I had one on either side, as well as another clinging onto my back! It is of course tiring, especially when they jump onto your back and you're taken by surprise, but it is definitely all worth it, and I wouldn't ever swap it for a relaxed role!

Mary and Blessed!

Mary and Blessed again, but this time with someone on my back as well...

Well anyway, this time round I really don't have much of an intention of writing in too much depth, especially as it looks like it's going to rain again, and my clothes are out supposedly trying to get dry. So this, my dear friends, is where it will end for today.

David

When I 'lost' my sunglasses...

... and when I felt like I was a tree