Death to the Sinus: A poem in four parts

Forgive me friends, for I bloggeth inconsistently. It’s certainly not from lack of interest or things to say. Quite the contrary, I’ve been itching to get back to ghanagogo for a few days now (and I mean itching quite literally seeing that my body has been and continues to wage an ongoing war with an invasive heat/eczema rash…but on that charming note I digress). It's not that motivation has been absent, but rather that various obstacles have come to stand in the way of my blogging escapades...and so dear readers, please allow me the honor of listing them off to you, in no particular order:

-I’ve been busy: Quite suddenly and somewhat out of the blue, I’ve been hit by a major tidal wave of activity and stress. I’ve had many meetings and interviews for my research, projects to accomplish for SWAA, not to mention all that domestic stuff that also contributes to keeping a young lady’s calendar full. I’m certainly not complaining because this indicates that my work is progressing and that I might indeed be able to write a dissertation somewhere down the line. But it also means that hours devoted to more leisurely pursuits have been radically reduced (and as my fellow grad students will attest to, any other scenario would be quite worrisome indeed. What? Free time? Is that Latin or something?)

-I’ve been sick: In addition to my full upper body rash (which I’ve affectionately and perhaps not so politically correctly come to refer to as “my leprosy”), my poor organism has been assailed by yet another unidentified bug. It might have been a throat infection, which turned into a cold, which turned into a sinus infection, but it’s hard to keep up with the body’s many states in a context where at least a third of my time is spent feeling a tad bit off. I guess this mild respiratory infection should come as no surprise though, seeing that I inhale massive quantities of sand, dust, exhaust fumes, burning plastic fumes (plastic recycling…who needs it?), pollution and other foes of the sinus on a daily basis. Nevertheless, I must admit that I’m starting to get a bit sick of these constant infections. Quite literally. And to wonder whether there is such a thing as a sinusectomy…

-I’ve been celebrating Ghana’s 50th birthday (which may also have contributed to my body’s demise, though well worth it ultimately). Last Tuesday and Wednesday were national holidays, and so we had plenty of time to take advantage of the many festivities happening throughout Accra. Melinda and I went to Independence Square on Tuesday morning, for a parade and a presidential address. We didn’t see any of it though, cause with 10,000 bodies present… well, need I say more? But it was absolutely amazing, because our morning was spent in an incredibly festive atmosphere, with thousands of shiny happy people proudly displaying their Ghanaian reds, yellows and greens to mark this symbolic event. I felt like I was part of history. And best of all, Melinda and I were fortunate enough to spend our morning with Tim and 25 kids from the primary school where he teaches, making the whole thing only that much more exciting and magical. They were so happy to be there and to have us with them, lavishing their obruni guests with endless hugs and songs and smile after smile. Absolutely precious.
Amazing atmosphere and company aside, after a few hours in the heat, in the sun and in a massive crowd, Melinda and I had shrivelled up into cranky old raisins, ready to hold up the nearest supermarket to steal their stash of ice cream. It was time to go. Not particularly interested in experiencing incarceration in Ghana (Midnight Express anyone?) we opted for a more legal approach to thirst and hunger quenching, grabbing a bite to eat at a local fast food joint. After a well deserved --if not necessary-- shower, we met up with Tim and Mercy to head over to an afternoon BBQ at Laurence and Florent’s house (some CUSO friends). We relaxed in their lovely garden, drank a few beers, ate a bit of goat, and did a bit of salsa (Mercy kindly taking it upon herself to teach us the basics). And to finish off our lovely (but tiring) golden jubilee day, we headed over to Country Kitchen for some yummy Ghanaian grub, which in all its fried and oily goodness was exactly what our bodies needed before crashing and sleeping for a good ten hours.

-And finally, I’ve been traveling (okay, not really, but I’m traveling later on today, so I’m using this as an excuse to segue into my conclusion). Yes, the time has come again to escape Accra for a couple of days and so it is that Melinda, Elizabeth, Tracy and I are venturing off to the Volta region for a bit of down time with the lady-friends. E and T are in charge of itineraries and plans so I can’t really divulge much information as to the what and where of the weekend. But I do know that Saturday we’re hiking on a mountain (okay maybe more like a really tall hill by Rockie standards) and Sunday, we’re visiting a waterfall. Aaaahhhh….nature, fresh air and no burning plastic…my sinuses are quivering with excitement!

So my darlings, on that note, I bid you adieu until next week, when I look forward to filling you in on the details of our merry adventures in the Volta region and of what promises to be another hectic and productive week.

I miss you all and send you lots and lots of love. (No hugs and no kisses though, as I may very well be contagious).
Sophie