seven

my lucky number is seven, and like this the past days have been a good time! it was not only the 7th of july, but also in the past week the 7777th person was clicking on the blog! you are most welcome, hope you enjoyed it!!
und ihr siebener...hoffe es geht euch allen gut!!

it has been long since the last post, many things happened, but everything is fine! curently there are 2 volunteers here, and for about 10 days i was the only white person around...it was fine, people are welcoming here, i had a good time!

i just wan to tell you some (funny) things that happened in the past weeks:

i wanted to buy some small covers for the health insurance cards for the kids. one card  was sold at the cost of 1 GHC (ghana cedi). i bought fourty pieces, and asked the seller again about the price - i asked what discount he could give me. so he took his calcutarot, typed in something and then told me the price for 40 pieces costing 1 cedi each is fourty cedi!!

children greet us with "how are you suliminga?"...some of them know more and they greet you like this: "How are you suliminga? i am fine thank you!" without waiting for your reply!

the english used is again different - it seems in every country people speak a different type of english:

tomorrow next = day after tomorrow
small time = soon
...you can see the legs of the tractor = you can see where the tractor was driving
yesterday i was sitting with a volunteer girl somewhere, and we were greeted like this: "you are welcome brother and sister from a different father and mother"

the husband of you cook died last weekend. so we also went there to give our condolences. the woman has to sit inside the house now for 3 weeks, she is just allowed to go outside for toilet. the funeral itself was rather like a party, loud music, dancing, drinking... quite different, but really interesting!
last week we went to a nameing ceremony, and tomorrow we go to a wedding (somebody is marrying his 3rd wife).

these days serious farming takes place, EVERY piece of land is used. i will show you some pictures when the maize is higher - it must look great between all the houses.

now see some pictures from the past weeks:

its a place where people accrifice animals

a house in a village where all houses are round

graves in the same village

the chief lives here with his 18!! wifes and his family - 342 people

its close to a shrine - here they sacrifice donkeys

view down the valley

farming season started - the maize grows

this used to be the first "school" in that village, its where teaching started

collecting firewoo is a daily task

me, just 2 min. from my house

these women were collecting shea nuts - the oil they extract is the basis for many cosmetic products

 maybe you can buy some products soon who have exactly these nuts as the basis...the products will be expensive, but these women definately do not get the big share of the profit!! this is the "global village " we are living in... with the small disadvantage that the poor just dont profit from it...

malam, our gardener, harvesting plantane (cooking banana)

somebodys farm

this is how my village looks now...in a few weeks it will be full of maize

some insects are huge

in the night the electrical light attracts many animals, some are quite unbelivible!

huge spider

her sister got the name at the ceremony we went

in the babies bed, in a private room, were the drinks for the special guests...whiskey

since we had a problem with mice we got a cat. here with teh first lizzard she caught at our house

at the funeral, in the compound of the dead man. women preparing food

women wear the most colourful dresses here - really nice!

me with some of my employees after the funeral

shea nuts again

eating after funeral with volunteers and employees...all with the hand and from the same bowl! invited!!!

a caterpillar...

...and a butterfly

riding home in the evening with firewood

i am doing well. during the time when i was uploading these picture i had my first malaria test in my life - it was negative!

have a good weekend, take care sevi