The rain falls gentle and soothing throughout the night but
I am wide-awake at 2 am with a stuffed nose, burning throat and throbbing
headache. I dread to think I’m coming down with a bug to spoil my trip. I
remember I threw a trusty Vicks inhaler in my first aid kit when packing. So I
use the feeble torch light to find it and instantly my nose is cleared and I’m
pleased with my forward planning!
I pop two paracetamol and dab lavender oil on my temples and
I’m feeling better and drifting off to sleep, lulled by a tuneful choir of
frogs and cicadas.
Doris has made a massive bowl of porridge for us three for
breakfast and we only manage to eat a fraction and Anna is concerned about
wasting food so asks Justus to request that Doris reduces the quantity without
causing offence. Her traditional food is delicious, although very high in carbs
and a recipe for rapid weight gain!
Childminding is universal. It is impossible to concentrate
on my work while watching Emmanuela for Doris who has gone to a Parent-Teacher
meeting. The pretty toddler is parading in her best dress for a photo session.
I take some snaps and resume typing on my laptop but she is bored and restless
and wants my attention.
We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a storybook I packed to
read to children in the orphanage. I realise that these children don’t have all
the foods the caterpillar devours. No apples, pears, plums, strawberries,
oranges, chocolate cake, ice-cream, pickles, Swiss cheese, salami, lollipops,
cherry pie, sausages or cupcakes…but yes! They do have watermelon! I’m
wondering if this book was a dumb choice for Ghanaian children used to simple
foods.
Anna and Gabi are back from visiting the neighbouring
schools to organise the Frisbee Championships and she recounts a hair-raising
journey with the two of them on the back of a motor bike driven by a local guy
along bumpy back tracks, strewn with rocks and water-filled pot holes and
flooded bogs. At one terrifying point they were going down a steep cliff when
the brakes failed but somehow they averted a crash and returned unscathed to
tell the tale!
I must admit I’m glad I missed that little adventure! I
prefer my vehicles to have four wheels, sides and a roof! (Throw in air conditioning
and my favourite CDs, now that’s the way to travel!)
I am feeling a little lost this afternoon, taken to my room
to read the guide book about the final leg of my stay on the coast at Elima and
I try to phone to book a hotel but can’t get through so resign myself to just
showing up knowing there is sure to be a room in this off-peak season!
I sit outside to catch a breath of cool air and Justus joins
me to discuss the finer points of investment in the cocoa project and suddenly
I am embarrassingly pouring sweat until I look like I’ve just emerged from a
swimming pool, literally dripping wet! I excuse myself to have a shower (bucket
wash!)
Ironically the hardest challenge for me is not the basic
living conditions but the sweltering humidity and at this stage of life I
appreciate the brisk chill of London! Sun-lovers say I’m nuts to prefer a cold
climate but that’s what menopause does to us former beach bunnies in middle
age!
Doris introduces her mother, Olivia and beautiful slender
sister Rose and her younger blossoming sister Fosti. I offer to take some
family photos of them with the children and get prints and post to Doris when I
get home. I don’t like the hassle of getting prints these days now we’re all
digital but I figure it’s a small gesture.
After another filling meal of spicy rice and corn on the cob
we sit outside and Doris compliments my dress, a strapless tropical print I
bought for a few pounds from Primark. She says: “You give it to me.” It sounds
rude but the guide book points out this is a common direct way Ghanaians ask
for what they want of white visitors! I like her assertiveness!
I ponder for a second and say ‘Sure’. It is the least I can
give as a thank you for her cooking. The sad irony is we can buy cheap clothes
in rich countries because they are made in poor countries by exploited labour.
So I give back to a woman living in poor conditions a cheap dress she can’t
afford. I am not a do-gooder. It is just a very unfair world.
I hope one day we can eliminate poverty and inequality.
Meantime we can make a small difference whenever we can.
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