NAWA, Golfing and Life in Ghana

After Dave and I had been in Ghana for a couple of weeks, I attended a meeting of the North American Women’s Association (NAWA). While you would think NAWA would be comprised of women from….well, North America….I was pleasantly surprised to meet women from all over the world. They just want to be involved in something, anything, and NAWA accepts anyone who is willing to pay dues into their organization. While I would have to say that NAWA is primarily a social group of expat women, the group also develops and implements projects that help the less fortunate in the country.

Last year NAWA partnered with another organization to improve the maternity theatre at a local hospital. Ghanaians (and likely most non-Americans) use the term “theatre” in the same way we use “operating” room. The previous theatre was basically ineffective as it was really being used as a storage facility. There were boxes stacked upon each other, filling the area up and leaving very little room for a woman in labor, much less doctors and nurses! NAWA was instrumental in raising funds and providing volunteer labor to remodel the room, and now there is a hygienic and fairly comfortable location in which mothers-to-be can be attended.

Through membership in NAWA I was able to meet the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Donald Teitelbaum, his wife, and their daughter. Ambassador Teitelbaum was kind enough host an end-of-the-year NAWA event at his home here in Accra last May. They are very nice people, and are committed to representing the U.S. with dignity and common sense!

While the summer months were quiet in terms of NAWA events, things picked up in September when families returned to the country after their holidays and vacations. I was able to attend a meeting in October, which begins as a social event and always ends with a program. This particular presentation was made by a woman who spoke about maternal and child health in Ghana. She was a former banker in Switzerland who one day felt the need to give back. She went on a 9 month sabbatical from her job to promote a new pre-natal program using cell phones in Ghana.

NAWA members receive weekly emails/newsletters announcing events occurring primarily in the Accra region. Through these communications I have found a group of women who enjoy golfing! We are semi-organized and have been meeting on Wednesdays and Fridays at alternate golf courses.

About six weeks ago I discovered a golf course virtually five minutes from our doorstep. It’s located within Burma Camp, a military base here in Accra. It is just a short nine hole golf course, but it is challenging as the fairways are very narrow. Short and straight is much preferred to hooking and slicing on this course. I have yet to take my own advice! I have golfed the Burma Camp Golf Course three times now, and I’ve yet to come close to my average. All but one of the greens is sand. Expansion for a back nine course is currently in progress, but if it’s like other construction projects in this country, I won’t expect it to be completed before Dave’s assignment is over!! Our golf group meets up at Burma Camp every Wednesday morning.

For those of you reading this from Wyoming, you know that there are times you have to hit around an antelope or two. At Burma Camp you have to watch out for chickens. Yep…chickens. They are usually over in the rough, pecking at the hard ground searching for I don’t know what. Maybe big red ants, as the ant hills are enormous here. Seriously, some of them are probably 20 feet in height and 10 feet around. While I haven’t personally experienced the wrath of the ant bite, I have heard they are extremely painful. I think I’ll continue to golf in my tennis shoes instead of my golf sandals!

Supposedly the Achimota (Ah-chee-moe-tuh) Golf Course is Ghana’s finest, and is where most of the NAWA women meet each Friday for a full round of golf. The downside to Achimota is that it takes me about an hour to get to the course. Michael and I have to drop Dave off at work first, and then fight traffic to get to the other side of town. I wish I could get on the course a bit earlier because by the time we start the back nine it is smoking hot outside! The Achimota course is most definitely nicer than Burma Camp or even the one we played in Takoradi. All of the greens are actually made of grass, which is good!

The women I have been golfing with are, again, from all over the world. Only two of us are from the states. Other ladies I’ve been paired up with are from Sweden, Canada, and Scotland. The only golf carts I’ve seen at any of the courses are those that are being used by the maintenance men. So, walking 18 holes allows for much conversation. I find it so interesting to learn about the way others live, their experiences, their families, and quite often….new places to eat/shop in Accra!!

Kathy is from the U.S. (east coast) and has been married to a man from Denmark for 25 years. They have lived their entire married life overseas, their first assignment having been in Beijing, China when the country was still under communist rule. Her husband worked for a Dutch company that sounds much like Xerox. In Denmark, the first job men receive after their formal education is one whereby they are assigned to a project within their interest (i.e., business, engineering, marketing, health, etc.). Her husband was assigned to some sort of agricultural project initially. After the two year commitment, he was then able to branch out into other areas, which is what took him to New York City and where he and Kathy met.

Lena hails from Sweden and is one of the nicest ladies I’ve met in Accra. She is 56 years old, is your typical blonde Nordic gal, and is very athletic.

She has a beautiful swing, and while she says she can’t hit the golf ball as far as she could when she was younger, she hits it straight and has a great short game. I really enjoy golfing with her as she is so diverse. Today she wanted to discuss the “Occupy New York” happenings that have recently been in the news. She also loved talking about Michael Jackson’s trial as she used to be a nurse and was appalled that Conrad Murray failed to provide Jackson with the most basic emergency care. I discovered that Lena also has a competitive side, which came out today when I beat her for the first time in five outings! She was gracious, but I’m sure she’s planning her revenge on the course next Wednesday!

Jovanna is also from Sweden although she and Lena had never met prior to golfing together. Jovanna (Jo-hah-nuh) is young – I’d guess late 20s – and is just a beginning golfer. With that being said, she is a natural athlete and has taken to the sport quickly. It won’t be long before she is blowing the rest of us out of the water. She was a soccer play in her native Sweden, and up until a couple of years ago played 4-5 times per week. She has two young children so it’s difficult for her to get to the course every week, but she is determined to improve her game. She told me that her husband loves to golf and she wants to get better so they can golf together. I think Dave would agree that golf is an activity that we can enjoy as husband and wife. Also, it’s nice to have some young blood out on the course!

So, as I was golfing today I was thinking about what I would put in my blog today and sort of “soaked up” the sights and sounds around me. Here is what the course looks like through the lens of a Blackberry camera.

One thing I’ve learned through my travels is that things are not always as they seem, so even though this picture might tell you one story, the truth is a bit different. The grass in the fairway is well….just not like grass on courses in the U.S. I guess I would equate it a bit more to crab grass. The dirt is red, much like the dirt in the Moab area in Utah. The sand bunkers are often hard as a rock. There is no rake around, and there is no need for one, as you can’t even see a footprint.

One day while golfing I noticed several men at work. In Ghana they don’t seem to have a use for large equipment. These men were physically digging out a bunker. It had to have been close to 90 degrees on this particular day, and the humidity was somewhere around 90%.

I was just walking and occasionally swinging a club and sweat was pouring down my back. It’s amazing how acclimated locals are to the heat and humidity. While golfing last Sunday, I noticed that the two bunkers had been completed.

As I golfed down the long par 5 on hole #4, I couldn’t help but notice the poverty just on the other side of the fence. Shack upon shack line the barrier between the “haves” and “have nots.” I can hear babies crying, children playing, mothers disciplining, music playing, and people singing. I don’t know exactly where the music is coming from, but I suspect there is a church or two in this area.

In the background I can catch the clucks of the chickens and the cock-a-doodle-doo of the many roosters. (It’s not just for breakfast anymore!) From time to time I’ll hear the bark of a dog. Airplanes fly low overhead and the honking of the traffic on the road is ever present. Men seem to mostly be lying around while the women are working. Sometimes I spy a child taking a “bath” in a bowl full of water. Laundry is strewn from one end of the hole to the other on clotheslines.

As we made our way up hole #5, I turned around and soaked up the view, which is actually quite pretty. These pictures, again, don’t tell the whole story.

Ghana is colorful and the buildings in the background provide a lovely scene of Accra. Some days the smell of burning garbage (or whatever they are burning) is unpleasant, but unless it’s extremely overpowering, my sense of smell appears to have become accustomed to the odors of the country.

The first time I golfed at Achimota, Michael was in a training and so a different Newmont driver drove me to the course. Yao (yow) considers himself a “professional” golfer. He is 30 years old and works fulltime for Newmont. He’s basically given up his dream of moving on professionally; primarily because he can barely afford to golf, much less travel out of the country for tournaments. Anyway, he told me that he would get me a good caddie, and his word was as good as gold.

Gabriel is Yao’s cousin and although he rarely golfs (one time per year) due to the expense, he is so knowledgeable about the game. He provides excellent instruction, and everyone I golf with is jealous! Having a good caddie makes the game so much better, especially if you are having an off day. Gabriel has now caddied for me four times and already knows my habits and abilities. He pushes me to be better. He calls me every Thursday to make sure I’m going to be at the course the following day. And his smile….oh, my gosh, his smile….is to die for! Very nice young man!

And finally, coming up on the 18th hole can be a rather daunting experience as there are vultures everywhere.

Gabriel teases me, saying they are “going to get me” if I don’t hit a good shot. I don’t know why they hang out on the 18th hole, but there must be 50-60 of them scattered about. They are truly the ugliest bird I’ve ever seen.

There are times when I’m out on the golf course in 90℉ sweating like a pig and wonder what I was thinking. But, as the day goes on, the balls drop in the holes, and conversations flow, I realize that this is what I came here for….something different. Golfing in Ghana on challenging courses, soaking up unique sensory experiences, having caddies tend to my every need, and meeting women I would have never otherwise crossed paths with in my lifetime, is most definitely different!

WAWA

It wasn’t long after Dave and I moved to Ghana that we were introduced to a new word…WAWA. No, it’s not a tribal Twi word, nor is it common slang used by Ghanaians. In fact, I don’t think locals have ever heard of this word, but we expatriates refer to it often.

WAWA is simple – West Africa Wins Again.

Patience is most certainly a virtue in this country. Without it, a person will quickly go nuts. Here are just some examples.

When we arrived at our townhouse, we were told we had two Internet providers – Vodaphone and MTN. First, MTN. We have an MTN wireless router that intermittently turns off. Sometimes it will stay connected for four hours; sometimes four minutes. It’s unreliable, unpredictable, and downright annoying. Worse yet, the router is upstairs (where we live primarily), but you can't get service downstairs, undoubtedly because the walls are made of concrete! Dave relayed the problem to the Newmont IT Department multiple times, but until Monday, October 3rd, nothing had ever been done! We now have a new router, and voila, the damn thing turns off intermittently! WAWA

Vodaphone is probably one of the country’s largest companies for cell phones and Internet. We have two land line telephones in our house, and were even given a home phone number. Neither has ever worked. Over the past several months, I have opened the door to a multitude of Vodaphone employees. They come in pairs, at minimum. One day there were FOUR of them in my living room, along with two Newmont IT guys! The Vodaphone guys (dressed in white shirts and bright red overalls – picture that) walk upstairs, stare at the modem, look at the line coming in from the wall, have a discussion with each other in the local language, and then inform me that they have to come back. Why, I ask? Either they don’t have the right tools, they aren’t authorized to make a decision, or most likely….they have no idea.

While we were in the states in September, we received a wonderful email from our friend who just moved in two doors down from us. Bruce heads up Newmont Ghana’s IT Department and assured everyone living in Cantonment Gardens that Internet speed with Vodaphone had increased and we should see a huge difference in our service – 8 mgs, as opposed to our lowly <1 mg we have been experiencing. We were SO excited.

As soon as we returned to Ghana, Dave tested the speed of our service, and it was still below 1 mg. He contacted Bruce and told him of the issue. Last week we received another visit from Vodaphone. Again, two brightly red clothed workers, Kingsley of Newmont IT, and me….all staring at the same router…again. This time the Vodaphone guys tell Kingsley that we are the only town house in the entire complex that was having a problem with their service. They left and did some work on the lines outside of the house and discovered they needed to do some line work into our garage. But….it wouldn’t happen on this particular day because they needed to contact the owners of the property (Taysec), who would have to give them permission and be on site when the work was performed. After everyone left, I just closed the door and shook my head, took a deep breath, and walked back upstairs to reset the MTN router. WAWA

Finally, on Tuesday, October 4th, I received a call from the guards letting me know Kingsley and Vodaphone were on their way to my house. They were outside in their vehicles (one being a bright red truck with the word “VODAPHONE” displayed across the side of it), waiting for the Taysec representative to show up. In the meantime, the guy from Taysec drives up, walks right by the people parked in front of my place, and rings my doorbell. He comes in and says he’s just waiting for the Vodaphone folks. I point to the big red truck and say, “You mean those guys?” DUH!!! The Taysec person never stuck around…he just simply was there to let the Vodaphone guys know they could do the work. WAWA

After all is said and done, and after a couple of hours of people traipsing through the house, the line has been fixed. After Vodaphoe left, Kingsley and I conducted a speed test….3 mgs. Could be worse….WAWA!
Ghana’s television service is, I think, 100% satellite. When we arrived in Accra, there was a TV downstairs hooked up to the Satellite. However, when we received our shipment from the US, we set up our 50” LCD TV, which we located upstairs. Getting the satellite hooked up to our TV UPSTAIRS ended up being quite the fiasco. The problem was fairly simple….one would think. We have a U.S. television, and we are living in Africa. As with everything else that uses electrical power, converters are a must. After the Satellite folks came to my house 4-5 times, they FINALLY brought the converter. Much like Vodaphone, they would come upstairs, stare at the TV, tell me “that’s an American TV. It’s going to need a converter.” Mind you, this is AFTER I have contacted the company telling them that I needed someone to come to my house with a converter for a U.S. television. After about 6 weeks of this, we now have satellite TV upstairs. In addition, we have an actual DVR so we have been able to record some programs. Mostly, we love the fact that we can watch Sunday and Monday Night Football games, albeit on Monday and Tuesday nights!

Traffic is probably one of the biggest frustrations for me. Dave doesn’t have to experience it much, as his ride to and from work is always against the traffic, fortunately! I ride to work with him and then head off to the gym for an hour or two. The returning traffic continues to get worse, seemingly by the day. Some days I can get back to the house from the gym in 25 minutes. Other days it’s more than an hour. I have learned to take my iPad everytime I leave the house, but I can see how the long delays can really wear on a person.

This week our vehicle was hit by a careless motorcyclist as he attempted to maneuver through the stopped traffic. He scraped his handlebar alongside our brand new Prada, leaving a nice gash on the driver’s side. Michael (my driver) was furious. He put the car in park, jumped out, yelled at the offending party who continued on his way, likely banging up a few more vehicles. Cars around us were honking, in support of Michael. Once the light turned red, Michael took off at a high rate of speed, hoping to catch the motorcyclist. That was NOT going to happen, as the traffic was horrendous. I just took a deep breath and told Michael, “What are you going to do?” when in reality I was thinking - WAWA!

A couple of weeks ago Dave took a Citylink (local airline company) flight to Sunyani as he had some business at the mine site in Ahafo, which is a 45 minute bus trip from Sunyani. He left on a Tuesday afternoon, attended to his meetings in Ahafo on Wednesday, and then drove to Kumasi, about a 2 ½ hour drive to catch another Citylink flight back to Accra, as he couldn’t complete his business prior to the last Wednesday flight from Sunyani. Catch all that?

After making his way through security, he was sitting in the waiting area, anxiously awaiting to board the plane and make it home to me! I was expecting him at about 6 p.m. I received a text from him telling me he was going to be late as the Accra airport was closed due to a dignitary being in town. In the meantime, they brought in another group of passengers heading towards Accra (on a different airline). Now the waiting area was completely crammed with people, many of whom were annoyed at a 90 minute delay. Evidently the President of the Ivory Coast was on her way out of the country. This is a typical Ghanaian response. Instead of planning for incoming and outgoing dignitaries, everything is coordinated at the last minute. It’s as if they have no clue. Can you imagine President Obama just showing up at an airport and expecting all flights to be delayed until he got off of the ground in Air Force One? WAWA

Nothing is done quickly in Ghana. It is simply the culture and the way of the people. If you ask a local what time they will be at our house, they will say “morning” or “afternoon.” And even those loose terms won’t guarantee that they will even show up on the day they say. Fortunately, Dave and I have been able to maintain our sense of humor, and WAWA has helped. When we expats get together we exchange our WAWA stories and helps keep us sane knowing we are not in this adventure alone!

Dinner with the Kerns and One Suyematsu

On our last night in Ireland, we walked a few blocks to grab some dinner. As usual, we ended in a pub…a recurring theme. As we sat back with our pints awaiting our food, I asked everyone what their favorite thing about our trip to Ireland had been. Melissa really enjoyed learning more about the history of the country. Daniel and Benjamin both felt that our visit to the Cliffs of Moher was definitely a highlight, and I concurred. Benjamin and I also really enjoyed the sheep dog demonstration.

And then there’s my husband, Dave. His favorite thing was dinner.

Let me be more precise. His favorite part of the entire trip was the time we spent together as a family at our meals. He has missed his family tremendously while we’ve been on this overseas assignment. We all wished Christine and her family could have been with us. But, he SO loved spending time with the rest of his family.

Even though I joke that we spent a lot of time in pubs, it wasn’t like we were getting falling down drunk nightly. Going to the pub for a pint and dinner is really the norm, and besides…there’s no other place to eat! After a day of touring famous sites, buildings, and seeing some incredible landscape in Ireland, we regrouped at dinner. We talked about our day, what we had seen, what we had learned….but then strangely our conversations would take some strange twists and turns. This is not unusual to our dinnertime conversations, as our kids’ friends can probably attest. Dinner conversations in Elko could sometimes be heated, other times funny, and many times even educational. If nothing, they were animated!

Below are a few of the highlights of our topics:

Why do we have ears instead of just holes in the side of our heads? Really….why? Is it so that we look better? What does the structure of the outside of our ears have to do with hearing? Maybe there is a scientific explanation, or maybe they are just there to have a place to put our hair.

What does the umbilical cord actually transfer? One of the kids implied that whatever the mother eats is essentially transferred to the baby. The boys went with that one, and we had a fairly technical discussion about anatomy on this particular evening.

What possession does each of our kids want should we die? Dave and I are still slightly unnerved that we even discussed this! Ha ha! However, we really discovered that we either don’t own anything of value, or that the material things we do have just aren’t that important to our kids.

On the overseas flight from the U.S. to London, Melissa had a bad case of the flu. I can’t remember the exact number of times she puked, but it was in the 30-40 range. Melissa knows the exact number. I know, I know. Why on earth would anyone count their number of vomits? But, maybe it gave her the focus necessary to get through the flight! As a result, Melissa was the target of many, many barfing jokes and zingers. She was essentially named the Queen of Vomit, and labeled a professional barfer.

For those of you who are fans of the Fox show, “That 70s Show,” this reference will have some meaning. Last year Benjamin decided that Daniel reminds him of Eric Foreman, the main character of that show. There have been many times since that after Daniel has said or done something (usually at dinner), Benjamin just looks at me and says, “Foreman.” It’s gotten to the point where he and I will look at each other and say it at the same time! What makes it even funnier, is when Daniel starts protesting…because then he REALLY reminds us of Foreman!

When the kids arrived in London, they took the Tube from the airport to the Gloucester exit. Keep in mind that Melissa is as white as a ghost, probably a bit weak from no food or sleep, and they all have their luggage. They were trying to figure out how to get from the train to the exit, and boys being boys, didn’t ask. Melissa being Melissa…she asked….the BLIND guy! That provided much fodder for dinner time talks.

When we were on the London Millennium Bridge (the one that is blown up in the Harry Potter movie), we had a great photo opportunity but wanted all of us in the picture, so again….Melissa asked a young man to take our picture. As he raised the camera up to his eye, we all noticed (uncomfortably, I might add) that his right hand was deformed and he was having a difficult time clicking the button. But, he did….and we have a great picture. He was very nice to do it for us, but don’t think for a minute that we didn’t have a laugh over that one after she chose the blind man to lead them out of the subway! Benjamin and Daniel are convinced that at some point she’s going to need help, and she’ll head to the deaf guy, yelling at him…wondering why he’s not listening to her!

Being in two foreign countries, we tried to soak in as much of the local flavor as possible; at least in terms of pints of lagers and ales. From time to time we would find an American brand, but that was rare. I did have a couple of Budweisers and Coors Lites…as I can’t get those in Ghana. By the way, the drinking age in both England and Ireland is 18, so our “kids” were all perfectly legal, and quite responsible.

Magners Irish Cider
Peroni
Becks
Star Bock
Estrella
Guiness (of course)
Murphys
Heinekin
Budweiser
Coors Lite
Sagres (my personal favorite)
The Kernel
Honker’s Ale
Little Creatures
Sherlock Holmes Ale
Old Speckled Hen
Rolhaus
Vedetti

We discovered that there is a whole big world out there in terms of beer, and we greatly enjoyed exploring it!

At the end of the day, I think all five of us would have to agree that dinner time was one of the highlights of our trip, because no matter where you are in this big huge world…laughing is universal.

Intercultural Training

A couple of weeks ago Dave and I attended an Intercultural Training put on by Newmont’s Learning and Development Department (one of Dave’s areas). Although he’s extremely busy with his new job, he felt it was important that he take part in the training. It’s a good thing, because we were the only expats in attendance! In addition to us, there were six other Ghanaians and the instructor.

Newmont’s African Region brings together a variety of people from multiple cultures and countries. Even within Ghana there are many differences between regions and tribal customs. One of the goals of the training was to better understand differences in the workplace resulting from the various cultural values. The idea translates to living in Ghana, which is why I was invited.

Our pre-reading included a quiz, just to see how much everyone knew about Africa, in general. It’s an easy one…so, here goes.
1. The non-insect creature of Africa that takes the most lives per year is:
a. Lion
b. Snake
c. Elephant
d. Hippo
e. Baboon

2.Which part of Africa is geologically drifting away from the rest of the continent?
a. East
b. South
c. West
d. North

3. The largest religious group in Africa is:
a. Hindu
b. Zionist
c. Muslim
d. Zoroastrian
e. Christian

4. Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, is in
a. Tansania
b. Kenya
c. Rwanda
d. Ethiopia
e. Chad

5. Africa is approximately what percentage of the world’s landmass?
a. 10%
b. 20%
c. 30%
d. 40%
e. 50%

6. The most common cause of human death in Africa today is:
a. HIV/AIDS
b. Malaria
c. Smallpox
d. Yellow Fever
e. Cholera

I’ll include the answers at the end of the blog…so don’t cheat!

We had a pretty lengthy conversation about the various differences between cultures, and that’s when Dave and I were both surprised to hear the many differences between Ghanaian tribes. In fact, I think even the Ghanaians were surprised!

Ghana men, in particular, have a unique handshake that entails a finger snap. Dave is quite good at it, and in fact, had to prove that he knew how to do it in the class. I think the men were quite impressed! I have seen some women do it with men, but more often it’s a “man” handshake. Ghanaians really like when expats try and learn their culture. Even learning the most simplest of words in the most common local tribal language (Twi) can take a person a long way!

Public displays of affection are not socially accepted in Ghana, although we were told that it’s not unusual to see two men holding hands…and they are not gay. Neither Dave nor I had seen this until right after the training, when we saw two men holding hands right outside of the Newmont office!

The use on one’s left hand in the Ghanaian culture is generally unacceptable as it is considered dirty. Due to lack of sanitation in older times, people “wiped” themselves with their left hand. Children who are naturally left handed basically have it beaten out of them. Guess you just don’t see lefties in Ghana. The people use their left hand to do dirtier work – pick up trash, clean a toilet, etc.

It was rather entertaining to watch the Ghanaians from different tribes discuss their varied traditions. Many of their traditions, from funerals to weddings, differed quite a bit.

The Ghanaians in the room also seemed confused about what many expats (or probably Americans, in particular) say. An example that I can remember is “swearing” vs “cussing.” Swearing, by Ghanaians standards, is completely different from cussing. “I swear on my mother’s grave.” They simply don’t understand why Americans consider profane words as swearing.

There is a fairly large group of Muslims in Accra, one of whom was in our training. She also happens to be Dave’s assistant, Ramatu. The Muslims have a cemetery right next to the Newmont office, and it’s a little creepy because the graves appear to be above ground (you know, humps of dirt like in the old westerns). They appear to be a peaceful society in our city, and are accepted for who they are. I have seen no instances of bad blood between the Muslims and Christians. In fact, the Muslim population complained recently that if the government acknowledges Christmas and Easter, Christians most important celebrations, then the country ought to also celebrate and recognize the Muslims most important period of Ramadan. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex with their partners during daylight hours. It is intended to teach Muslims patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God. Ghana now officially celebrates the last day of Ramadan, and I think even Newmont is giving all workers the day off.

OK….now for the answers to the quiz.
1. The Hippo takes the most lives in Ghana. While there are many more snake bites, doctors are adequately prepared to treat such bites. Even the villages have adequate supplies necessary to treat the bites. By the way, Americans and Ghanaians pronounce the word Hippopotamus differently. Ghanaians say “hippo-puh-tay-mus.”

2. The East African Rift is an active continental rift zone in eastern Africa. The rift is a narrow zone in which the African Plate is in the process of splitting in two new tectonic plates. There was only one person in our training that got this right. He was a geologist – not fair!

3. Although there are many Muslims in Ghana, particularly in the Northern Region, there are slightly more Christians in the country.

4. This was a trick question for the locals; some said Tanzania while others said Kenya. In fact, the mountain straddles the border of the two countries. Tanzania actually gets to claim the mountain as most of it is located within her borders.

5. Africa is approximately 20% of the world’s landmass. It’s a very large continent!

6. Malaria is the most common cause of human death in Africa. It was a little disturbing to hear the facilitator talk about HIV/AIDS. It wasn’t too long ago that the diagnosis was a death sentence. From what she said, it seems like now it’s just another disease for which you can take drugs to control.

Just a sidebar about malaria. Every Ghanaian is likely to contract malaria, most multiple times. The malaria disease is a mosquito-borne infections disease that weakens ones immune system. Over one million people die each from malaria and as many as half a billion people are effected to some degree by the disease. Don’t worry about us, though. Dave and I are both on Malarone, a medication that is used to treat and prevent malaria. Also, anytime we travel we take a Malaria Travel Pack with us. It includes malaria advice for expatriates & travel, a letter for doctors (since U.S. docs don’t normally see malaria), and emergency standby treatment medication in case we can’t get a diagnosis confirmed and treated within 8 hours of the onset of symptoms. Ah…the joys of living in Africa!

A Bit of Irish History

Ireland has always been a place I’ve wanted to visit, but I have no real basis for that wish, other than I’d heard it’s a beautiful place; and that it is! The countryside is green and lush. The towns are small and quaint. The lifestyle appears to be serene and tranquil. But, during our visit I also learned so much about the history of Ireland.

The official language of Ireland is Irish, although English is the primary language spoken. Only a very small percentage of the population is actually fluent in Irish, and there is cause for concern about its future. In the Irish Republic, most students are taught to speak, read, and write in Irish and English, but English is the language with which all lessons are taught. Politically, all road signs are required to be displayed in both Irish and English. It’s actually a very beautiful language when spoken.

In our travels, we passed through the town of Killorglin, home of Ireland’s oldest fair – The Puck Fair.

Wait….say the name out loud…Killorglin. Yep… beautiful sounding, don’t you think? I’ll bet you even feel like you have mastered the Irish accent!

OK, on with the story. The Puck Fair has been and continues to be the main social, economic, and cultural event of the community. As we drove by a bronzed statue of a goat with a crown on his head, our tour guide explained. Each year during the Puck Fair, a group of people go into the mountains to catch a wild goat. The goat is brought back to Killorglin, put into a small cage on a high stand in the middle of town. The Puck Fair is basically a big party. Pubs stay open until 3 a.m. (no, Virginia…Killorglin is not Nevada).

The goat is treated like the king he was meant to be. He is well fed, watered, and loved during the fair. After the celebration is over, he is returned to from whence he came….and left to live out his days as peacefully as a goat can or does. I was just sure the story was going to end with the goat on a rotisserie, didn’t you?

In the mid 1800s, Ireland experienced its most devastating emigration; a direct result of the Great Famine. Between 1845 and 1852, four million people either died or left the country because of mass starvation and disease. The Great Famine occurred because of the potato….or more appropriately, the lack thereof. The Irish, particularly the very poor, were dependent upon the potato (approximately 1/3 of the population), as it was their main source of food. Disease ravaged the potatoes, leaving millions with no food. How the blight (as it was commonly called) arrived in Ireland is still unknown, but once it was introduced it spread rapidly. At the time the whole of Ireland was governed by the British Government. At the beginning of the crisis, those working in Dublin sent word to the Queen for assistance – not in the way of money for individuals, but in the way of employment. The Irish were asking the Queen and Parliament to provide the country with money to implement public work projects, which would then employ the population. The British did not immediately help, as they felt the Irish were reacting prematurely.

Until the early 1800s Irish Catholics had little to no rights. They couldn’t own or lease land, vote, hold political office, live in an incorporated town or even live within five kilometers of the town. They couldn’t attend school or enter a profession. In fact, they couldn’t even openly practice their faith. 80% of the population was and probably still is today, Catholic. By the time of the Great Famine, reform had come to the country and most people had regained more freedom and liberties. However, many remained quite poor, and lingering laws prevented the vast majority from seeking alternate food services. The primary example is that of fishing. Because the poor did not have the right to the seas, they did not have the right to fish. While many of the starving families lived on the Atlantic Ocean or the Irish Sea, they could not even cast a rod.

Between the years 800 and 1014, the Vikings, most notably of Danish or Nordic descent, attacked many European countries, including Ireland. They raided many of the Irish castles and villages. In 1014, the High King of Ireland decided to fight back. There was a ferocious battle, won by the Irish. Ireland will be commemorating the 1000 year of that battle in just a few years.

Ireland is famously known for their fairies, leprechauns and mystic creatures. I didn’t see any of them, but I did see the Fairy Tree. We weren’t really sure how much of the story told to us by the tour guide was true, so I went out onto the Internet and googled the Fairy Tree. Here's a picture of the actual tree.

According to the web, in 1999 the upgrading of the National route from Limerick to Galway was delayed, rerouted and eventually opened nearly 10 years after it was supposed to have started. The Clare County Council as part of their contract had protected the fairy tree: “access is not permitted within a minimum 5m radius and a protective fence has been erected around it.”

OK, enough with the Internet. Let me tell you the story I heard! Yes, the Fairy Tree did hold up the building of the Ennis Bypass Road, which was being built to improve the traffic through Ennis. This particular tree, which was frankly a pretty scraggly, overgrown looking bush to me, was sitting right in the pathway of the project. So, the contractor sent a worker out in a bulldozer to mow it down. The bulldozer broke down before the tree could be removed. The contractor then sent out a worker in a tractor. Yep, it broke down too. Enough with machinery, he thought. The employer gave his worker a saw and an axe. This will do it, he thought. Nope! The guy fell over and had an accident (not sure what kind). At this point the workers balked at even going near the tree. They were convinced that the problems were a sign and that it was meant to stay.

The contractor calls the Clare County Council and explains that his employees refuse to remove the tree. Councilmembers, themselves Irish and presumably somewhat superstitious themselves, agreed to move the road 30’ away from the tree. If you’ve ever been involved in a building project, you know changes are NEVER easy. The Council was required to get permission from the National Roads Authority, and the architect had to revise his plans. This all took several months to get the approvals necessary. By the time the Council went back to the contractor, voila! The costs of the project had increased. He claimed that materials, labors, and all other associated costs had increased in the many months it had taken to gain approval. The builder presented a new price of 3 million euro more! The Council could not accept the change as it would have put them in an overbudget situation. So, they had to wait until the new fiscal year, with a new Council. It took 13 additional months to complete the project and an extra 3 million euro. Now, that’s superstition for you!

Ireland is rich with history, and there is so much more to it. These are just a few of the many stories I heard that I chose to share.

Four Months Away

Dave and I have been living in Ghana for more than four months and are set to return to the U.S. again in September, which is good as I am in need of more meat!

We have each settled into somewhat of a routine; Dave working, and me discovering how to manage my day. In speaking for Dave (since I don’t think he reads this blog, much less contributes to it), his primary concern at work these days are the upcoming negotiations. There are two unions with which his team must negotiate and talks were originally scheduled to begin in April of 2011. Well, here it is August and the two sides have yet to meet. There seems to be no sense of urgency (except by Dave), which has him a bit worried. His lead negotiator is Ghanaian, and although Dave is a little frustrated, in listening to him at dinner, he is providing significant mentoring to the individual. This will ultimately lead to capacity building and further strengthen his department. Fortunately, Dave is patient and a natural teacher, which are two critical components of success in Ghana.

Me? After a too quiet July in terms of workload, I am again busy with my grant writing business. Part of me wants to go after more work, while the other half tells me to enjoy the freedom I have. I have worked full time virtually my entire adult life, and it has been an adjustment to have so much free time on my hands. I spend way too much time of Facebook, but it does make me feel connected. I am at the gym almost every single day, which is definitely good for the mental state! Every afternoon while I’m working I listen to Dave Pratt’s radio show (www.daveprattlive.com). For those of you outside of Elko, Dave Pratt graduated from Elko High School and is now a well-known and very popular radio personality in Arizona. After two years of being off the air (long CBS feud story), he reappeared on the Internet. His show has since been picked up by an FM station, but he can still be heard via the Internet. I love listening to him and his crew. I get to hear some good old American music, funny stories, and catch up on some of the happenings in the U.S.

So, what is going on in Ghana these days?

First, little did we know, but homosexuality is ILLEGAL in Ghana. And let me tell you, these people feel strongly about it! It is currently a hot topic in the region and, in fact, if an individual is aware of anyone who is a homosexual, he/she is obligated to report the person to the authorities. Admittedly, this is also a volatile topic in the U.S., but for different reasons. In America the argument is whether or not gays can marry. In Ghana….it’s whether or not they can be free! Ghana is an extremely religious country, and sometimes it feels like we live in colonial times over here.

Speaking of hot topics…we are inundated with world news in Accra. The recent London riots were, of course, widely covered and since we had just visited the city, we were much more aware and interested in what was happening.

The pursuit of freedom and democracy is evident in many of the most recent conflicts. The Sudan region (northeast of Ghana) has been big news what with southern Sudan seceding from the north and establishing Africa’s 54th country. Southern Sudan is different culturally and religiously (Christians) than those in the north (Arabs and Muslims). Had I not been living in Ghana, I wouldn’t have given this topic a second thought.

The Ivory Coast (or Cote d’Ivoire) is just to the west of Ghana and has seen its fair share of political unrest. In November of last year, an election was held and the then President lost but refused to give up his position. In April he was captured and taken into custody by the man who actually won the democratic election. There were demonstrations throughout the country, and many people left the country as they were scared. But, it all seems to have died down now.

The drought in Somalia is probably one of the most heart-wrenching problems in the news. Many Somalians are leaving their homes for refugee camps in Kenya, only to find the conditions just as bad. The U.N. estimates that 10 million people are in need of aid; 2 million children are malnourished. Can you imagine? Millions of people! One woman lost three of her children during a 35-day walk to reach the camp.

On a lighter note, I took a day trip with Michael, my driver, to the Eastern Region to visit the acclaimed “Bead Market.” Once we finally got out of the city, we drove into the most beautiful area I have yet to see in Ghana.

The Eastern Region is hilly (mountainous to the Ghanaians) with lush forests and pollution-free skies! The Bead Market is held in the city of Kofodirua every Thursday. Buyers and sellers come from all over the country. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but there were tables and tables of jewelry and loose beads.

The beads come from all over (Ghana, Mali, Kenya, and Benin). They are made from a variety of sources like camel bones, terracotta, agate, and recycled glass. I found the men to be very knowledgeable, helpful, and anxious to sell their wares, while most of the women didn’t even speak to me, much less look at me.

As I was leaving the market, a group of children gathered around me as they saw my camera. They are so funny....they just LOVE having their picture taken!

We have a new restaurant in town called the Villa Monticello. I have been there twice now; once for a massage (lovely) and once for lunch with a friend. It has only been open for about four months. It is very modern, wonderfully decorated, clean, and fresh smelling. It might be my new favorite place to go!

Shortly before our trip to London we started hearing noises on our roof. Well, Dave tried to convince me the noise was ON the roof; I thought it was in the attic. I would only hear it in the afternoon/early evening as the sun was going down. When we returned from London, the sound became more frequent. Basically, it sounded like a four legged animal sprinting from one side of the house to another. One night – well it was actually about 3 or 4 a.m. – we both woke up to a scraping noise right above our heads. Dave actually gets very animated when telling the story - explaining how it sounded as if the animal put on his safety goggles, powered up the chain saw, and went to work. It was SO loud! Anyway, the next day I emailed the Newmont contact for home repairs and told her I thought there was a rat in my attic.

The next day the Pest Management guy shows up – his name is Opare (oh-par-ay). He’s the nicest guy and loves to talk. I explained my problem to him and he told me it was most likely a rodent and that this wasn’t the first time he’s been at my house. He told me that the rodents climb the trees in the afternoon to get to the attic and that they can get in the smallest little holes. After finding a maintenance guy to help open the attic (you would think that would be really easy, but it wasn’t), he basically stood on a ladder and hucked bait into the attic. He never actually went INTO the attic. He threw about 10 things of bait, closed the attic door, and told me that it should be dead within a week. I asked him if they wouldn’t start to stink as they were rotting in my attic and he advised me to just put around some “smelly things” to cover up the odor. I informed him that if I started to smell them, I would be calling him back to have them removed! We continued to hear Randy the Rat (that was Dave’s name for our little friend; my name for him was not near as nice) for the next two or three nights, but each night we could tell he was getting weaker. For the last several days, we have heard nothing. Either he’s dead in our attic, or (hopefully) climbed out to find water and is dead in the neighbor’s yard.

Last week we went to a bbq and I was telling one of the guys the story about Randy and he told me that it was likely not a rat, but rather a grasscutter. OK, this freaked me out a little bit more, because grasscutters are much larger than rats.

I took this picture on my way to the Bead Market. The young boy was selling it outside of the toll booth on the border of Greater Accra and the Eastern Region. Notice the guy in the background laughing at me! He must have been able to see the look of horror on my face!

Ghanaians actually EAT grasscutters. Charity (my housekeeper) said her family eats grasscutters, but they are hard to catch because they are very fast. She has never seen one around my house, but has seen a rat in one of the drainage areas. So, now I'm thinking it really WAS Randy the RAT!

With that being said, I heard that we are getting an actual, honest to goodness Kentucky Fried Chicken here! Hopefully, it’s really chicken…or maybe it’s just that grasscutters TASTE like chicken!!

A Ghanaian Tribal View of Justice

One of the more disturbing things about Ghana is the lack of respect for and standing of women in their society. That’s not to say it’s completely oppressive as the country is progressing, but it is most definitely decades behind that of the U.S. When I first came to Ghana, my friend and I attended a North America Women’s Association (NAWA) function one evening, where we listened to a female attorney speak about some of the atrocities that occur to women and young girls. She threw out several statistics that floored both of us, most of which resulted in high incidences of sexual abuse and assault; particularly for young girls.

Additionally, we have heard stories about witchcraft, voodoo, and fetish priests. Although the Ghanaians are a very religious society, they believe strongly in the spirits. There are formal law enforcement agencies – police and the military – but the local chiefs are highly revered. Evidently, so are fetish priests. Most villages have just one chief, but several fetish priests. According to one website I found, “a chief operates in the public, political sphere of life while a fetish priest operates in a more private, religious sphere.” Fetish priests are thought to be possessed by a god or spirit.

With all that being said, last night Dave brought home “The Daily Graphic,” the local newspaper. On the front page, in big bold letters I read, “Pastor Rapes 5 Sisters.” Below is that article. You have to read it to believe it…

“The Head Pastor of the African Faith Tabernacle Church, Rev. Paul Nkansah, has been arrested for allegedly raping five sisters at Akyem Achiase in the Eastern Region. Rev. Nkansah, who was alleged to have confessed to having affairs with the five sisters, said he committed the crime on the orders of some celestial powers.

The sexual escapade of the pastor came to light when a sister of the victims, Afia Baby, fell ill and was sent to the pastor for spiritual healing but died in the process. Not satisfied with circumstances leading to the death of Baby, her relatives consulted an oracle (a fetish priest), which revealed that Pastor Nkansah could not cure the girl because he had committed an abomination by allegedly raping five sisters and involving curses on a sixth person, who is a relative of the deceased.

On the basis of the revelation by the oracle, the mother of the victims confronted her daughters, who confessed that the pastor had raped them. The mother reported the case to the tribal authorites, who convened a meeting of chiefs to listen to the complaint.

At that meeting, which was attended by the Pastor and some of his church members, one of the victims narrated the circumstances under which Pastor Nkansah raped her. According to her, she visited her sister who was receiving treatment at his prayer camp. She said during the visit, the Pastor claimed that the spirit had revealed to him and that she was being tormented by evil spirits and therefore, needed deliverance.

Pastor Nkansah was said to have told the woman to bring a piece of cloth and also demanded GH¢ 1,200 (approximately $800) and advised her to add the cloth to the money, put them under her pillow and sleep on them for one week before submitting them to him.

The woman alleged that when she sent the items to the pastor, he told her to wait until midnight when the ritual could be performed to neutralize the evil forces tormenting her.

She said at midnight, the pastor poured water and oil into a bucket and sent her to a bush on a hill and instructed her to strip naked and bathe. She said on their return to the prayer camp, the Pastor invited her to his bedroom where he smeared her body with anointing oil before telling her that he had been instructed by the ‘Holy Spirit’ to have sex with her, which was necessary for her deliverance, a request which she resisted.

The victim said the Pastor dipped his hands into a glass and took some powder and sprinkled it on her face and body. She said she became unconscious and when she regained consciousness, she realized that she had been raped by Pastor Nkansah, who warned her not to reveal her ordeal to anyone, otherwise she would die prematurely.

The other four victims, including a 15-year-old junior high school student, also revealed how they were allegedly raped by the pastor using the same tricks.

After admitting his guilt of committing incent and casting a spell on the family of the victims, Pastor Nkansah was fined a ram and two bottles of schnapps.

The tribe then handed the pastor over to plain-clothes policemen who whisked him away to the Oda District Police Headquarters, where he was placed in custody to assist in investigations.”

Really? The chiefs fined him meat and alcohol? Thank God he was then taken to real law enforcement authorities. That’s not to say anything further is going to happen to him, but one can only hope that justice will prevail.

The Cliffs of Moher

One of last stop in Ireland took us to the magnificent Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs are one of the most visited places in Ireland, and our group would agree that you just can’t go to Ireland and not see this most amazing and natural landscape. They are located in County Clare just outside of the small town, Burren (where we had lunch).

They soar as high as 700 feet into the air out of the Atlantic Ocean and are on the western side of the country. The cliffs cover almost five miles of coastline.

The Cliffs of Moher provided the most beautiful natural geography I’ve ever seen. There are steps that will take you to the northern edge of the cliffs, and steeper ones that will take you to the southern edge. We did exactly the opposite of what our tour guide told us to do: “take the easier route and do not go beyond the signs.” We chose to take the more difficult climb (which was not hard at all), and I’m so glad. We also went beyond the “Do not trespass” sign,

where the views were even more majestic. Believe me when I say, we weren’t the only ones. People were taking pictures of the sign, and then crawling past it to see the most amazing scenery. We were very close to the edge of the cliffs, with just a walking path.

The natural beauty of the cliffs will take your breath away. Ireland, in general, was pretty cold and windy, but we all noticed that on top of the cliffs the winds were calm and it was warmer.

Not sure if that was some sort of anomaly or just a natural occurrence. As you turn away from the ocean and cliffs, cattle and sheep are grazing in the beautiful, green valley leading up to the cliffs.

As we looked over the side down into the ocean, we saw many birds flying. I googled them when I got home, and discovered that the cliffs are home to one of the major colonies of cliff nesting seabirds in Ireland and are a protected species.

Our stay at the cliffs was brief – only an hour visit, and we all agreed we could have spent more time there not only just marveling at the magnificence of the cliffs, but to visit the interpretive/visitor center. There just simply wasn’t enough time. I would have liked to make our way further down the southern edge and then over to the northern coastline, as the views are plentiful. Also, there are boat tours where you can view the cliffs from the ocean. That must be fabulous as well.

The visit to the Cliffs of Moher was a highlight of our trip to Ireland, and I strongly recommend everyone see them!

A Day in the Life of a Sheep Dog

While on our Ireland travels and around Dingle Bay, our tour guide informed us we would be making a ½ hour stop, but that participation was optional and would cost five euros each. We would be watching a demonstration of dogs herding a flock of sheep. I really wondered if something like watching dogs could possibly be worth money….but hey, it’s a vacation….and Bob highly recommended we attend. So, off we went to watch the shepherd, sheep dogs, and sheep.

The shepherd was an older gentleman who owns the land and runs approximately 250 head of sheep.

He told us that in order for a person to make a comfortable living off of sheep, he must own at minimum 600 head. In fact, he said that the wool he sells old barely covers his costs of shearing and shipping. Rather, the meat is where he receives his income, and even then, he only receives 1/3 of the price the consumer pays. I assume he provides this particular demonstration as a means to ensure he lives that comfortable lifestyle.

The shepherd has two dogs – Bess and Max. While they will respond to his voice commands, he primarily uses a whistle.

Each dog has a unique whistle that he/she has been trained to respond to: forward, back, side, and off. The dogs lie down (off), waiting for his command to move. In his first demonstration, he whistled for Bess to run up the hill (forward) and round up the 6-7 sheep. Subsequent whistles instructed her to move the sheep down the hill. Max, all the while, never moved from his spot and the bottom of the hill…although he was alert and ready.

The next demonstration allowed us to see the dogs working in tandem in order to cull one sheep out of the herd. It was fascinating to hear the shepherd talk to and whistle at the dogs, and how quickly they responded to his commands. They were obviously well trained animals.

Next, the shepherd had one of the dogs move the sheep from side to side, seemingly making them dizzy! The dogs then worked together again to move the sheep back up the mountain.

The speed of the dogs, particularly when they are running up a mountain, was extraordinary to watch. I wish I would have taken my video camera.

It was truly intriguing to watch the discipline of the animals and the rather gentleness of the shepherd. When the dogs would approach the sheep, they appeared to be stalking the animals. We were told that since dogs are descendants of the wolf, the sheep view them as predators, although they would never intentionally hurt the sheep.

The shepherd took many questions from the crowd and was eager to share his knowledge. He explained that when he intends to buy a pup, he goes to the seller’s place and asks to see his trained dogs in action. If the seller is unable or unwilling, he moves on to another seller. He firmly believes it is important to see the seller’s other dogs in action, to really get a good feeling for the quality of the animals being sold. On average, a dog is trained for 7 ½ months over a course of a year and a half. They usually work up to the age of about eight, when they tend to slow down. He has 5-7 dogs at any one time, and two who are in training. He told the crowd gathered that a dog’s hearing is seven times that of a human. He demonstrated this when both of the dogs were a good 500 feet up the mountain and he quietly gave them a voice command; one to which they quickly responded.

Next to the demonstration pasture was a smaller pasture with a variety of different sheep. I’ve included a picture of them, but frankly….I don’t remember what they were called. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of sheep.

We all greatly enjoyed this stop….who would have thunk??

R&R #1 - London and Ireland, Part II

An unusually early start awaited us on Monday, as we had to be to London’s Euston Station by 8:40 a.m. We boarded the train for a 3 ½ train ride across England to Holyhead, where we boarded a ferry for Dublin, Ireland.

The trek across the Irish Sea was quite bumpy, initially, making Daniel and Melissa a little sick to their stomachs. However, we made it to Ireland safe and pukeless, and were picked up by a unique and kind Irishman who taxied us to the Ashling Hotel in the capital city of Dublin.

After freshening up, we went in search of some dinner. I got a tip from a facebook friend about a place called “Temple Bar,” so we took off in that direction. Temple Bar is really a huge block full of restaurants, pubs, shops, and people all along cobbled streets. We stopped at Fitzsimmons Restaurant, where there was traditional Irish music and menu. I would have loved to do some more exploring in the area, but it was late and we had to rise the next morning. We did have one of many lively dinner conversations.

I booked us on Railtours Ireland for a three-day trip through the southern and western part of Ireland (Cork, Blarney Castle, the Ring of Kerry, and the Cliffs of Moher). We boarded the train to Cork, which is in southern Ireland, debarked and transferred to a bus, which first took us to Blarney. The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the walls of the Blarney Castle. Here's me kissing the famous stone.

According to legend, those who kiss the stone receive the gift of eloquence or skill at flattery. Visitors must climb the 100 steps to the top of the castle, lean over backwards on the parapet’s edge, and kiss the stone. There was a guy there helping us, and you hang onto rails. Evidently, people use to kiss the stone while someone hung onto their ankles. This would have been a little more authentic to me!! It was pretty anti-climatic, but now all five of us can say we did it.

The Cobh (cove) Heritage Center was next on our list to visit. From 1848-1850, more than 6 million people immigrated out of Ireland because of the famine – over 2.5 million from Cobh alone, as it was a major port. The heritage center provided a history of the immigration, which was pretty fascinating. Additionally, Cobh was the last place the Titanic and her passengers visited before they met their fateful demise in the icy seas.

We were taken to our Bed & Breakfast in Killarney, which was actually a hotel. It was a nice, quaint town, and we had a good dinner at Failte Restaurant. Failte is the Irish word for “Welcome.” Benjamin chose his own live lobster, and ate every bite, except for what he identified as the lobster’s brains! Killarney is also the location of the 2011 Irish Open to be held at the Killeen Course at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club from July 28-31, 2011. Rory McElroy and Graeme McDowell are both scheduled to play in the tournament.

While the song, “The Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash played through my head time after time, we did, in fact, visit the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry (or Iveragh Peninsula, which is its real name), has some stunning scenery. Kerry, in fact, is the name of the county, and the tour basically took us around the most beautiful county I've ever seen. During this tour, we stopped at Dingle Bay where we watched a demonstration of a shepherd and his sheep dogs – but I’ll go into more detail in a separate blog. After stopping at several places for beautiful views and pictures, we returned to our hotel in Killarney and went exploring. We were told there are only four roads in the whole town, but we are sure we found a few more….or got lost on the same roads more than once!

The next day we travelled to Limerick, which is the 3rd largest city in Ireland. We connected with our big tour bus which would take us around the area. I found Limerick to be one of the prettiest cities/towns in Ireland. Limerick is where the author Frank McCourt was born. He wrote, “Angela’s Ashes,” which was also turned into a feature film. My mom gave me that book as well as another, “Tis,” a story about his time in New York City as a high school teacher last fall….and I read both of them. Benjamin is sure that he and I watched the movie together. The bus driver took us by the pub where most of Frank’s father spent most of his money, sadly.

Bunratty Castle was the first stop of our day. It’s another castle, and was built in the 900s by Vikings. The castle was in disrepair until Viscount and Viscountess Gort purchased it in 1954 and restored it to what it is today. Unlike the Blarney Castle, the Bunratty Castle has old and unique furnishings included, which gives you a better idea of what it must have been like to live there in that time.

Our third day took us to The Cliffs of Moher, which I will write about in more detail in a separate blog. Suffice it to say…they are magnificent!

We stopped for a photo shop at the Burren. The Burren is a region in County Clare, and is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe (karst is a geologic formation often shaped by carbonate rock, such as limestone). I've included one of my favorite pictures with the kids on the Burren rocks.

Seven years ago a mass grave was found in which there were 35 bodies – men, women, and children. They apparently died of natural causes, and none were over the age of 30. Scientists believe they lived more than 580 years ago, I think. I say, “I think” because the notes I wrote indicated they lived more than 5,800 years ago. Not sure which is correct! There were supposedly a lot of flowers that were supposed to be growing between the rocks, but I only saw a few; one of which look like an American dandelion – damn…those things can really spread!

I suspect most everyone knows Ireland is famous for their green and lush countryside, but I don’t think one can truly appreciate it until they personally experience it with their own eyes. We were fortunate in that it did not rain while we were in the country, although temperatures were fairly cool (55-60 degrees). I have never seen more beautiful landscape in my life.

Ireland’s economy is in the toilet, with a 14+% national unemployment rate. Agriculture and tourism appear to be their primary industries, and their housing market did pretty much exactly what it did in the U.S. In other words, people applied for and were granted housing loans that far exceeded their financial capability. In the last year alone, more than 50,000 people immigrated out of Ireland; primarily younger people with an education; the largest mass exodus of people since the great famine.

At the end of our three-day tour, we had dinner in a true Irish pub and discussed our trip. I asked everyone what their favorite part of Ireland was and the answers weren’t too surprising:

Benjamin – either the sheep dog or the Cliffs of Mohrer
Daniel – Cliffs of Moher
Melissa – the history of Ireland
Beth – Cliffs of Moher
Dave – dinner every night with his family

Because most are unique in and of themselves, I will write a separate blog for each, as I think they deserve more attention than what I would include in this blog. I think we would all agree that we learned a lot about the country, we laughed a ton, we definitely tested a great variety of ales and lagers, and ate a variety of local fare. Our first R&R trip ended with family movie night in our hotel room in London Friday night. While it was hard to say goodbye to our kids on Saturday morning, Dave and I did it knowing we would see each of them very soon, and that we have many more adventures ahead of us.

R&R #1 - London and Ireland, Part I

Dave’s boss scheduled a teaming session to be held in London, and we chose to add one of our three annual R&Rs (rest and relaxations) at the tail end of his business trip. Fortunately, we were able to include Benjamin, Melissa and Daniel on our first adventure.

Our trip began late one Saturday evening as we flew from Accra to London, landing bright and early Sunday morning. Fortunately, we were traveling with a couple of other Newmont folks, one of whom (Dale) has visited London often and knew his way around. We boarded the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station where we then took a taxi to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Since we couldn’t yet get into our rooms, we ate breakfast at the hotel, and then ventured out to begin a quick tour of the area with Dale as our guide. We arrived at Buckingham Palace

where there were loads of people standing around and in which the roads were blocked. I asked several people why the roads were closed, but no one seemed to know. A tour-guide “wannabe” was spouting off, so I went and asked him. He claimed that the roads were blocked off because it was Sunday…and Sunday is the day for the Queen’s subjects. I still don’t know what that meant….but….ok. He also claimed that when the Queen is away, there are only two guards stationed outside of the Palace (which there were on this particular day). He informed the listeners that she was probably in Windsor, as that is where she spends most of her weekends. When she is in the Palace, there are four guards stationed on the grounds. Well, not long after a REAL tour guide came by and told the crowd that there was going to be a changing of the guard, and sure enough, we heard the music begin and a band of the “Queen’s Guards” moved towards us, and the reason for the blockage was evident. According to the official British Army website, “The Queen’s Guards in London changes in the Forecourt of Buckingham Palace at 11:30 a.m. every day in the summer and every other day in the winter.” We were fortunate to be there at the right time!

In addition, there was a big 10K London Race that was in progress which went right through the heart of London; another reason for the diversion of traffic. It was great, as there were no cars or busses on the roads, making the walking tour much more peaceful. We were able to cheer on many of the runners/walkers, and even watched an 82 year old gentleman cross the finish line in under 2 hours and 10 minutes.

After walking around downtown London, we headed back to our hotel for a short rest and a shower. Dave and I then wandered over to Hyde Park, which is one of the largest parks in Central London and right behind our hotel. We had some yummy ice cream and sat in the grass to people watch. There are tons of people of all ages in the park; lots of families, soccer games, volleyball games, paddle boats, and just generally people hanging around. For dinner, we took in some American food by going to the Chicago BBQ Grill and visited a pub. Pretty quiet Sunday evening in London, but a good way to begin our trip.

As Dave had meetings/teaming on Monday, I ventured out on my own. I took a walk down the street, headed towards the famous Harrods Department Store. There are 5-6 floors, but frankly, not as cool as Macy’s in downtown NYC…in my opinion. The clothes were gorgeous, but the stores are a lot different than those in the US, which seem to fill their racks with clothes. These racks are spread out, and there are only 8-10 pieces of clothing on each rack. The shoe section was fantastic…and I drooled over a pair of 710£ Jimmy Choo sandals (that’s about $1,200 US dollars!!). I even tried them on….just so I could say I did. I wandered around the store wondering what it must be like to have the kind of money where buying a 710£ pair of shoes is just a fact of life.

After Harrods, I decided it was time for lunch. I went from one of the world’s most expensive department store to McDonald’s! It was a nice treat, and gave me some energy to continue my exploration day. As I was walking through central London, I came across a salon, where I booked a manicure for later in the afternoon. Shortly after, I found another department store that had a hair salon…and treated myself to a London-style appointment. My hairdresser, Marcus, is from Brazil and studied in NYC before coming to London. Before he cut my hair, he took me to the back where a woman shampooed my hair and gave me a scalp massage. Loved it!! It looks nice, but pretty sure it wasn’t worth the money I spent. But hey…I figure I had one of many London experiences.

One of the only things any of our kids said they wanted to do while they were in London, was go to the opening night of “Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows, Part 2.” I ordered tickets online and had to pick up the tickets at the cinema.

I decided to try my hand at the Tube, which is the underground transportation system in London. I found it to be quite simple, inexpensive, and fairly quick. I made my way to the Chelsea area, found the cinema, and did a bit of wandering and shopping.

On Tuesday I hooked up with Michele, her kids, and her mom, Claire, for some sightseeing. We left the hotel on a cool, early morning and headed towards Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Not really knowing anything about London, I always thought Big Ben was a clock. Not So! Big Ben is actually the nickname for the bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster. So, when the tour guide asks how many hands are on Big Ben…the answer is “none,” because it’s the name of the bell, not the clock. Trivia, trivia! The Palace of Westminster is also known as the Houses of Parliament, and is where England’s two houses: House of Lords and House of Commons (like our Senate and Congress) meet.

It’s a beautiful, old building, with unbelievable detail and architecture. We were unable to go inside, as arrangements had to be made in advance, due to Parliament being in session.

Next, we visited Westminster Abbey, which is right across the street from Parliament. It is also provides a view into old England with its intricate, old, and fascinating architecture. There are thousands of years of history in this building, which was originally occupied by Benedictine monks in the 10th century. They established a tradition of worshiping daily, which continues today, and in which we briefly participated while inside the church. There are statues, paintings, stained glass, and other artifacts, but none so disturbing or interesting (depending on your point of view) than the tombs and memorials of some of the country’s most significant people. Taken as a whole, Westminster Abbey is home to the most significant single collection of monumental sculptures than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. It is most famously known for the site of the royal weddings of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and of course most recently, Prince William and Kate Middleton – now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We were able to stand at the front of the church and look down the long aisle through each of the brides walked.

Our next stop took us a little more north to one of Gordon Ramsey’s restaurants for lunch. For those of you who have never heard of him, Gordon Ramsey is the star of Hell’s Kitchen USA. He is a famous chef, who opened up his first restaurant in the chic Chelsea area of London in 1998. He has since expanded his many restaurants to include the Maze and Maze Grill, as well as establishments in the NYC, LA, Tokyo, Dublin, Paris, Tuscany, Sardinia, and Melbourne. Michele, Claire, the kids, and I ate at the Maze Grill. According to our waiter, Ramsey does make an occasional appearance in the restaurant, but primarily with the intention of eating with his children. The Maze Grill has a little more “kid friendly” menu as one can order hamburgers, spaghetti, and ribs. Otherwise, the menu is fairly unusual, in American terms, with roasted bream (fish), pork belly, sardines, squid, and pigs on toast (??). However, there are some yummy looking steaks on the menu, and the dessert was to die for!! Not sure the price was worth the food served, but hey….I can always say I’ve been to one of his restaurants, and isn’t that what adventure is all about? Trying the unusual? On a side note…I ordered the penne pasta with Bolognese sauce (spaghetti) and it was delicious! Not too adventurous on my part!

As coincidence will have it, when I returned to my room that evening, I turned on the TV and came upon one of Ramsey’s other shows, Restaurant Nightmares, USA. So, I sort of came full circle!

Benjamin, Melissa, and Daniel were scheduled to fly into Heathrow at noon on Wednesday, and I had to get Dave and I moved from the Mandarin Oriental to our next hotel – Gloucester Millennium, while he finished up his day of teaming. After misspelling the name of the hotel several times over when trying to get a cab, I learned that the “u-c-e” are silent – Glah-ster. After I was settled, I stepped across the street to the conveniently located tube station to await their arrival. Melissa, unfortunately, puked virtually the entire way across the Atlantic Ocean as she contracted the stomach flu somewhere between Elko and Minneapolis. As they came through the station, I could see she was quite pale. I got her settled into her room with pepto and a suggested nap. The boys and I went exploring the Gloucester neighborhood, but didn’t get far (across the street), where we had some lunch, and sampled a few of the local brews.

Later that afternoon Dave met us at the hotel and we took off for the play, Wicked. The kids had a hard time staying awake, mostly because they were exhausted after a very long trip. I, on the other hand, LOVED the play and have rated it my favorite to date. The singing and acting were both absolutely phenomenal. I highly recommend to anyone who loves musicals.

After a much needed rest for the kids, we purchased tickets on the Big Bus Tour, which could take us all over the city. We stopped at Hyde Park, had a bite to eat, and then took off for Buckingham Palace and my 3rd visit to the Big Ben/Parliament/Westminster Abbey area. We decided to take in Ripley’s Believe it Or Not, so off we went for the closest tube station.
Later in the day, we chose to go on the “Ghosts by Gaslamp” walking tour. Sounds pretty interesting, doesn’t it? Just as we were heading out on the walk, Daniel noticed he had forgot his camera at the last pub/restaurant we had been at, so Benjamin and I waited for him while Dave and Melissa started the ghostly tour. Dave sent us text messages with directions on how to catch up to them.

• Go past super tall statue and across 2 street down north umberland ave.
• Left at Sherlock holmes restaurant, down craven passage alley.
• Thru arches shopping building.
• Right in front of Pret a manger then left thru gate by Treats and Gordon. Watergate walk.
• Walk a little way past tables then up stairs on left.

Maybe you had to be there, but the text tour was way more fun than the actual ghost tour. When we finally caught up with Dave and Melissa, they were at a wine bar, but alas…no wine was to be had as the tour continued. After another 10 minutes or so, we all agreed we were bored to death (no pun intended), and left the tour and went back to the Sherlock Holmes pub for a pint or two. After calling Dave’s mom to wish her happy birthday, we went back to the hotel for the evening.

Friday was the big premiere of the Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie, which we watched at the Curzon Theatre in Chelsea. The door to the theatre left a lot to be desired in terms of size, but once we got into the actual theatre, we found it to be quite large. The movie was a success, and we all enjoyed it. Afterwards, we went down the street to a pub (recurring theme, don’t you think?) and stood outside watching some pretty amazing cars pass by us –Lamborghini, Porsche, Jaguar, BMW, Lexus, Mercedes. Chelsea obviously is an area where there is lots of money!

Because the Gloucester Hotel did not have rooms available Saturday night, we had to move to another new hotel. The concierge arranged for a “people mover” to transport us to the Park Plaza Embankment Hotel, which sits right on the Thames River. A people mover is just a better way to describe a minivan! This hotel was the least expensive of all three places we had stayed, and in my opinion, was the nicest and most definitely the most modern. The play, “The Lion King,” was on the agenda for Saturday, and we watched it at the Lyecum Theatre. The costumes were amazing, but we all agreed that the singing/acting were not as good as we expected. Both Benjamin and Melissa have seen the play in NYC, and both felt it was better there. With that being said, we still all very much enjoyed the experience.

The skies were threatening after the play, and we chose to go back to the hotel to get settled, as we couldn’t access our rooms before we left. As we exited the tube, the rain started to come down in buckets. We were getting soaked, even with the borrowed umbrellas we had gotten from the hotel concierge. So…yep…you got it…we stopped at a pub to get in out of the rain. The one drink extended into several drinks, and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. We stopped at an Italian Restaurant (Picos) and had a bite to eat before heading back to the hotel.

What happens in Picos….stays in Picos….right kiddies?

Now that we were down by the Thames River, we actually got to see a whole different view of the city of London.

We were on the opposite side of Big Ben and Parliament, which sits right on the river. I had no idea when I was on the other side! Also, on our side of the river were the famous London Eye and the London Aquarium. Michele and her family had ridden the London Eye and she didn’t recommend it, which was good, because none of us were really that interested in going up. Instead, we visited the aquarium. As were stood in line outside, the skies opened up again and the rain came down…hard! Thank God we had our umbrellas, and even then our shoes and pants were soaked.

The aquarium had an extensive collection of marine life, but my favorite was definitely the penguins. After all, who can’t love penguins!! There were tons of kids, and lots and lots of people, in general. I suspect the weather had something to do with it.

Ice cream was next on the agenda, as we sat along the Thames River, just taking in the view of the London skyline. While the Thames River is supposedly one of the cleanest rivers in the world, you could have fooled us. It was full of litter and quite brown. I guess it’s all relative….
We took off on a walk down the river, and ended up at the London Millennium Bridge, which Benjamin and Melissa pointed out was the same bridge that was blown up in the Harry Potter movies by the deatheaters. It provided another great view of the city.

We stopped at a bar (not a pub….but a bar – Oh? There’s not a difference?). Then, we stopped at a place to have some dinner, and was the first and only place Benjamin or Melissa were carded – and that was just to get in the establishment.

One thing about food in London. It’s not that good. We ate at a variety of restaurants during our week, and I can only think of two good meals I had, excluding McDonalds! I think there is actually better dining options in Accra. The variety of ales and lagers, however, is quite extensive!

Our next stop….Ireland.