Travel Journal: Tuesday 3-20-07

Today was a pretty laid back day. Of course, this week is going to be a laid back week with nothing to do for Bright's adoption. Paul and I have had more good conversations...Bright and I ate more good food...and Bright continued to take steps toward attachment.

More of the same games and tricks from previous days except for today Bright took his first unassisted step!!!! I'm so glad I got to be here to see it. I think he'll be walking within a month or so. The strides he has taken in such a short time are amazing

Post trip note: Bright started walking in multiple steps the week after I left and now walks all the way across rooms!

Oh! Something else. Bright now trusts me to play falling-back and falling forward (facing away) and throw up in the air games! When I tried these things a week ago it terrified him. =-)

Since all elder males are daddy and all elder females are mommy here--I've decided that Eric and I will be mama and dada for now--just so maybe he can differentiate us a bit from the other significant adults in his life. Today Bright was so cute with the kissing. He kissed dad's pictures but has also decided he loves himself. He kisses himself in the mirror and when he sees himself in the digital camera he kisses that too! LOL!

Our only order of business today was to scout out the DutcHotel for my agency friend that is coming. I really liked it! Of course, after a week without typical American luxuries I might think anything with Air Conditioning and a swimming pool is great! LOL! No really--it was good. $70 posted rates (we got a rate of $60 because a travel agent booked it), it is literally just off the ocean (as in you look out your window at the waves!), and there are lots of Obrunis there. Paul made the commend that we were in America inside of the hotel and Ghana when we left. ;-) I bought us 2 glasses of Pineapple juice (with ice! First I've seen here!) for 36,000 cedies (around $4). I didn't think anything of the price but Paul thought it was outrageous! LOL!

To get to the hotel we had to take a shared taxi from here ("Police Post") to Fair Junction for 2500 cedis each (.25). Then we hoped on a TroTro for another mile or so (1000 cedis, or .10 each). Then on to another taxi to the hotel (2500 cedis or .25 each). I will never take my minivan for granted again! This is the typical way Paul gets from one place to another. It's more expensive to hire a taxi to take us from Fair Junction to the DutcHotel (a whopping $4 vs. less than $2 the other way). We are so fortunate that most of us in the US enjoy running cars and less expensive gasoline (it's almost $4 a gallon there!). In Ghana getting somewhere, and then waiting for someone to be ready to see you (for a meeting of any kind) can take 1/2 the day!

I went to the washroom while at the hotel and was shocked when I saw myself in the full length mirror! The only mirror I have at Hands of Mercy is a 6" round mirror I brought. I look HORRIBLE! My hair is tired back with barrettes and rubber bands just to keep it out of my face and off of my neck...I have bites everywhere that look like chicken pox on my super white skin...and on my hands, arms, and now my neck and chest I have this horrible looking raise heat rash! Add that to my shiny oily sweaty broken out face with no make-up and you've got one scary-looking Obruni!! Come and get me boys! LOL! I am going to be so embarrassed for my agency friend to meet me in my "African style." Oh well!

In other news...Eric sent me money visa wire that seems to have disappeared. We're not sure what has happened to it at this point. He's working on it. Hope it's here soon because I am down to my last $100 (except for the visa money, which I will leave with Paul if I can't pay for the visa before I leave.)

Tomorrow my entire day's plans consist of going to the internet cafe and meeting with Darren's friend Christian. The rest of the time I will sit and play and talk and drink and eat and sweat. =-)

I think my "one pepto a day" rule only has so much power to keep a sick stomach away. I feel a sick at my tummy day coming on. Not because of a parasite or anything, but rather because I am eating so differently. At home I drink water and no caffeine D. Coke. Here I drink water, and whatever fruit drink I'm given (usually a Sunny D type drink called Tampico, or something that tastes like grapefruit juice, or the occasional coke). Citrus drinks tear up my tummy (even though I like them a lot!) and are served with every meal. It seems that most everything here is cooked with or in either vegetable oil or red palm oil. I think all of the oil is doing...interesting things to my system. Yuck. Come on Pepto! Just keep me well until I get home!!!

Speaking of home...I'm going to delay my flight fro a few days so that in the off chance they issue Bright's visa next Friday I will be here (rather than leaving the night before). Right now it looks like the nearest flight out with a seat is the following Monday. I was/am hoping for Saturday instead. I guess that's about it for today. It's 8:30pm, which somehow seems late here (things get going around 5am each day). I think I will join my sleeping son.

P.S. I've got some pics to add to this entry but Blogger is being weird and giving me red Xs right now. Will try again tomorrow. =-)