Kumasi
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
Today, I am on a bus ride to the Central Region of Ghana where I, along with 9 other westerners, will be staying to explore the large city of Kumasi. Zigzagging down the highway to avoid losing a tire to a pot hole, and making frequent stops to steer clear of a collision, make this ride very bouncy. We are currently following a truck that is swollen with potatoes, naked babies run along the side paths, as the sun shimmers the palm leaves glisten in the heat, laundry lines create a maze for young boys to sport through, brightly painted homes of bricks and sticks speckle the scene and my breath is taken by the loveliness of the sites. The landscape is layered with kapok trees, palms, schools, churches, and markets. I don’t know if I told you yet, but the people here are beautiful. In my mind, the women are the ladies of the strong neck. Each woman stands triumphant in her perfect posture. Their daily tasks include balancing heavy and/or awkward objects on their heads supported by their very strong necks. It’s impressive. Plus, their backs are often adorned with a bobbing child. I think that when I have children, I might like to try this sort of baby carrier. It sure beats lugging around those 15 lb. plastic transporters. This way, the women can still use their hands, the babies have a natural rocking, breastfeeding is convenient, and the babies are comforted by the closeness of their mothers. When I stopped by the pharmacy to switch malaria meds, I saw a mother flawlessly whip out her yam shaped breast and spin her child around to nurse. I was awed by her precision. The women are very hard workers. I can’t help but be amazed at the beauty of the people and the rainforest that they call home. The kapok trees stand towering over the people by up to a couple hundred feet. These trees are found in the emergent layer of the rainforest. They house various kinds of monkeys and birds. I saw many beautifully colored birds, but only one wild monkey.
This afternoon, I had some plantain chips, and a bag with frozen strawberry yogurt. The yogurt is called Fan-yogo. It’s actually not too bad. I’m listening to Cindy Lauper’s song, “Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun.” Thanks for the music Tiffany! I’ve been blessed to be able to be a part of this university excursion. Finally, I feel like I can breathe again. Ahhhh! Today was a colorful day! I thoroughly enjoyed the sites. Love, Abigail
Today, I am on a bus ride to the Central Region of Ghana where I, along with 9 other westerners, will be staying to explore the large city of Kumasi. Zigzagging down the highway to avoid losing a tire to a pot hole, and making frequent stops to steer clear of a collision, make this ride very bouncy. We are currently following a truck that is swollen with potatoes, naked babies run along the side paths, as the sun shimmers the palm leaves glisten in the heat, laundry lines create a maze for young boys to sport through, brightly painted homes of bricks and sticks speckle the scene and my breath is taken by the loveliness of the sites. The landscape is layered with kapok trees, palms, schools, churches, and markets. I don’t know if I told you yet, but the people here are beautiful. In my mind, the women are the ladies of the strong neck. Each woman stands triumphant in her perfect posture. Their daily tasks include balancing heavy and/or awkward objects on their heads supported by their very strong necks. It’s impressive. Plus, their backs are often adorned with a bobbing child. I think that when I have children, I might like to try this sort of baby carrier. It sure beats lugging around those 15 lb. plastic transporters. This way, the women can still use their hands, the babies have a natural rocking, breastfeeding is convenient, and the babies are comforted by the closeness of their mothers. When I stopped by the pharmacy to switch malaria meds, I saw a mother flawlessly whip out her yam shaped breast and spin her child around to nurse. I was awed by her precision. The women are very hard workers. I can’t help but be amazed at the beauty of the people and the rainforest that they call home. The kapok trees stand towering over the people by up to a couple hundred feet. These trees are found in the emergent layer of the rainforest. They house various kinds of monkeys and birds. I saw many beautifully colored birds, but only one wild monkey.
This afternoon, I had some plantain chips, and a bag with frozen strawberry yogurt. The yogurt is called Fan-yogo. It’s actually not too bad. I’m listening to Cindy Lauper’s song, “Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun.” Thanks for the music Tiffany! I’ve been blessed to be able to be a part of this university excursion. Finally, I feel like I can breathe again. Ahhhh! Today was a colorful day! I thoroughly enjoyed the sites. Love, Abigail
posted by Augustinephoto at
1:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment