Happy New Year!

Happy new year! Hope you all had a great xmas and new years celebration. Ours was cool but a little surreal.

We have had a nice long 3 week break from the building site so just been working on stuff behind the scenes - e.g. trying to get more funding for the project, making applications, chasing money etc. Also - I have to admit we have had some relaxing time too having spent just under a week in the South of Ghana at an eco-lodge called Green Turtle Lodge. Compost toilets, designer mud huts and the beach was our christmas. A nice English couple owns the lodge so we even got xmas crackers and a roast dinner of sorts on Christmas day. We were witness to a new method of bbq chicken with beer stuck up it's rear. Sounds strange but they were cooking for 50 people so practical and it tasted great. Funny experience trying to explain crackers and the crappy jokes to a Swedish couple who hadn't seen them before but sure it was a good education.

So - as alluded to, we spent much of our time sunbathing and chilling out. Dave was the energetic one opting for volleyball, football and a small scale body-boarding experience. I on the other hand joined our Danish friend Amalie in trying to obtain the maximum amount of tan in 5 days. This coupled with a rare find of white wine and pringles meant our xmas was complete.

We headed back to our village for new year. The traditional new year is to eat and go to church a lot. We tried our best at both by eating lots of pig which is a new year privilege. The other tradition is for families to slaughter one of their goats which can be hit and miss depending on which part of the animal you eat. We also drank palm wine and beer in a chief party meeting until we felt a little queezy. Levels of alcohol were not to the heights of the good old days thankfully but not sure our kidneys were overjoyed with the hit.

New Years Eve started well as we went to a local drinking spot for a beer with a couple of the elders – Tobacco ad Tsyiame (ala Chief Warrier and Linguist in the chief’s party). At 10pm we headed to church for a couple of hours which included watching a play about a young girl dealing with her family and friends after getting pregnant before finishing school, watching dares which people from the audience had to do. This entailed me doing a local game called Ampe (jumping clapping game) and all whites (Dave, me and Amalie) dancing in front of the congregation. Self-expression here we go! The last 30 minutes were a little hard for us as was preying for the end of 2006 and for a good 2007. Finished after a happy cheer at 12 then in bed asleep by half past. We weren’t too upset with the early night though as was still approx 3 hours after our usual bedtime. We tend to be awake with the light here so early mornings and early to bed.

We are now back to work and really seeing the project develop now. Work this week has consisted of mixing sand, cement and cracked stones, carrying this in pans/bowls on our head to people who throw them down the pillars which are currently bent steel poles with wooden boxes around. Maybe not doing a great job at explaining so will attach pictures on a future blog. We are also learning how to bend steel, carry huge stones or water to assist masons build the walls. We need more funding to be able to reach our target of the shell of the building and roof to be done by the middle of March but are on track chasing old funds raised to get it here from the UK. Following this we will need to raise a lot of money to get the building decked out and completed which we continue to work on which keeps us pretty busy.

Thank you to those who have been able to contribute to the school roof. Dave and I have now reached our personal targets and the group as a whole is doing amazingly well. We plan to start buying the materials in the next couple of weeks for the school and will keep you posted on how it goes. We plan to have all funds needed by the end of Feb to be able to re-roof, plaster and paint the school so will make a large impact in the village. Our aim again is to get this done by mid march again is at all possible but uses the same people who build the IT center who are also full-time farmers and mothers/fathers so pretty busy people.

A potential next project whilst in the village is to see if we can help with their water problem. Of the 6 hand pumps only 1 is working meaning people drink, wash, cook etc with water from a local stream – not the most hygienic. It is still better than next month when we are in the middle of the dry season when villagers will walk 2.5 miles to the next village for water. We just need to fix a large pump which has broken for this not to happen. We are supporting the village on their local efforts. Anyone with any contacts with water companies and think they may be able to help please get in touch!

I best close for now so we can head to the market before we go back in the tro tro (knackered minibus style vehicle seating appox 16 people) to our village. We have the weekend off so plan to collect water and chill in the sun with the 10 or so kids that come and play with us every day. Can’t be bad hey.

Still loving it here but missing you all.

Take care, keep in touch. All our love
Maria (and Dave)
xxx