While I was in Colorado in October, I told my mom and dad about a funny text message I had received from Dave while I was in the U.S. in August and he was the lone ranger in Accra. The message went as follows:
"Whipped up some Aunt Jemima waffle batter. Noticed black specks. Dead bugs. Tried the second box - more black specks. Opted for Bisquik. Bugs happily crawling and breeding inside the box. No longer hungry, but now on a waffle quest. Found recipe online. Used frozen flour. Waffles yummy, bugs defeated, quest fulfilled."
More than once I have found bugs in something I was preparing to cook or eat; an occurrence that had absolutely never happened to me prior to moving to Ghana.
This afternoon I made a pot spaghetti and a loaf of bread. As I was pulling out the ingredients for the bread, I got to thinking about the conversation my mom and I had had about flour after I relayed the story of the bugs to her. She told me that it reminded her of when she was a child and her mother would place a small spoonful of flour in the sink and dab it with water to see if anything would move. Keep in mind that this was in the '30s and '40s! I did the exact same thing this afternoon, and fortunately, there were no crawling creatures of which to speak.
However, it made me really stop and think about why things are not like they are in the U.S., and why changes occur so slowly in Ghana. Above all, it made me ask myself why I have to do something my grandmother had to do 80 years ago.
I am a member of an "Accra Expat" facebook page, and unless you were a veteran expat here in Ghana, you would likely find the entries or questions from years gone by, as they seem so basic. Here are just a few:
"Does anyone know where to buy nice lamps in Accra (looking for more simple designs ie: NOT modern cheap Chinese style u find at orca)?" Can you imagine not being able to go to a Home Depot, Walmart, Lowes, or a specialty store to find a decent lamp. As an aside, when is the last time you changed a light bulb in your house? In my house in Ghana, I need at LEAST one bulb changed on a weekly basis. Seriously.
"Good morning! We've just installed a bore hole and initially intended on using the water for the garden. We are now considering linking it to our main house water supply, but we will need a water filtering / purification system. Does anyone have experience with this? And did you buy the parts locally or import them (due to the high cost of these systems in Ghana)?" I guess in a way you could compare this to a well, but still....most American dwellings have running water inside and out.
"Please where can I buy vegetable glycerine?" Vegetable glycerine is used in Ghana to clean fruit and vegetables. I know that in more recent years, American companies have begun to market fruit and vegetable cleaners, but again, I think most people simply wash their produce under the clean tap water.
"Hi all, how is garden refuse meant to be dealt with?" I have always dealt with garden refuse (or ANY kind of refuse) by simply throwing it into the garbage can or the back of the truck and hauling it to the city dump.
These are just a few examples of the unique challenges of living in Ghana, and trust me, most expats have it SO much easier than the locals; especially those who live in poverty.
The question remains....why does this country continue to lag behind first-world countries, and what, in particular, must change in order for them to move forward in a real and meaningful way? On the other hand, maybe they aren't really interested in becoming a true first-world country. God knows the USA has its fair share of problems, many of which come hand in hand with money and wealth.
Since the day Dave and I arrived in Ghana - more than 2 1/2 years ago - a four lane road linking two busy roads has been under construction. Michael and I drive by it 3-4 times a week as there is a dirt road that runs parallel to the majority of the project. As a result, we have been witnesses to the progress (or lack thereof) of the construction. Last year at this time, Michael heard the road was to be completed by December, and we were definitely seeing movement. The year 2013 also happened to be a presidential election year, and Michael informed me that right before these types of elections, construction projects move into high gear as the incumbent wants to demonstrate that improvements are being made throughout the country.
Just as Michael predicted, immediately following the election, construction grinded to a halt. More than once we have laughed and questioned what YEAR the project would be completed. Now, here it is November of 2014 and the road remains unfinished. However, during the month of October, most of which I was gone from Ghana, several large concrete fences have been constructed just off of the construction site. I laughed and told Michael, "If only they would put that much effort into completing the construction of the road."
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