Concerning Sirigu and spiders

I told you I'd try writing again Monday or Tuesday, and I did, but the internet was too slow yesterday. It's still slow today, but not as slow, but too slow for putting up some pictures, I'm afraid. So I'll just talk.

Saturday I went to Sirigu, to 3 other volunteers, who volunteer at the Young Virgins Club. It sounds a little fishy, in my opinion, but the cause is very good. See, if you get pregnant as a teenager, you do not really have a future anymore, as far as it goes for school, and university, and having success in life. So they urge young boys and girls to stay virgins until they are really ready, until they've gone to school. Which I think is good, for Ghana, and for those children. The YVC had their inauguration this weekend, and we went to celebrate it with them. I had expected it to be a lot more like a party, but it ended up with there being a lot of speeches, half of them in Frafra. The children had a march, which I personally found a little scary - with their uniforms on, and them marching to someone's command, it felt like I was watching child soldiers or something. They also had a play, which I missed for the first half, since I went with Gerda to pick up our dinner. First time in my life I had goat! It was very tasty, kind of like lamb, but then spicier or something.

Walking back to the house I was staying at was the best part of the day. It was "dark", with a full moon and stars shining on us, and the Virgins were walking with us. At a certain point, two of them grabbed my hand, and we walked like that for a long time, them asking questions, telling me I was one of their best friends, rehearsing the volunteers' names and ages... It made my heart swell. They were so happy with us, and that made me happy with them and happy with Ghana and happy with life. So special.

On Sunday we went to the market in Bolga, where I bought more fabric, for another dress I'm having made here. I also went to the grinding mill with Patience, my host-cousin, to grind groundnuts, for soup. The nuts go in, and groundnut paste, kind of like peanut butter comes out. We ate the soup with rice balls yesterday, and let me tell you, it's delicious.

Then, the spiders. Every morning and evening, when I take a shower, the first thing I do when I walk in is check where all the spiders are. There's a big one in the corner, another big one on one of the beams, and several smaller ones. I know where they are, and I stay away from them. The problem with the rainy season, though, is that everytime when it rains, more spiders enter the shower, and my bedroom. So there are more spiders to watch everytime I shower. It's the same in my bedroom, and I'm terrified I'll one day put on a shirt and a big spider comes crawling out. It's quite a source of stress for my otherwise pretty stressless life here.

Because even at work the stress is minimal. I really do not know what to do most of the time, because the other nurses and medical students aren't doing anything either. They now let me administer some medications, which is fun to do, but other than that there's nothing much to do around here. Only one or two patients speak English, and they find it pretty weird if I start talking to them all of a sudden. So I entertain myself with talking to my collegues, but most of those conversations end with them asking me for help - they want to come to the Netherlands to study, maybe I can do something for them? There's really no way for me to tell which people genuinely want to be friends with me, and which people talk to me because I might be able to do something for them. Oh well, the conversations are still fun, so I shouldn't complain, should I?

Right now I'm in Bolga, because I had to extent my visa for 2 days (I stay in Ghana for 62 days, and my visa is for 60 days...). Gerda and I will go to the market after this - more fabrics to buy, but this time not for me.

As for the telephone question: I get off work at 2, after that you're free to call me, most of the time I lunch alone, anyway. Ghana time is 2 hours earlier than Holland time, that's also nice to know, I think.

I really want to tell you more about the people here, about my host family, and everyday things, but that'll have to wait 'til next time! Know that I miss all of you, but I do not yet want to leave. Elsje, I miss you too, and at the moment it doesn't make me feel bad that you miss me, so mom has no reason to be mad at you - if she is. I also bought part of your birthday present today!

Greetings from Ghana, this time with a lovely temperature, Jonneke