I think the above picture serves as a pretty telling topic sentence for this entry. The kids have been enrolled in private school at Tall Oaks International School (
Cuyler and
Materia are in the primary, called Little Acorns) for a few weeks now and things are going pretty well. One of the other parents called Tall Oaks "Accra's best-kept secret" and based on the relatively low price, the attention to caring, and the extent to which the kids are thriving under the imperial weight of the British curriculum, German classes,
Tae Kwon Do and piano, I'd be inclined to agree. Below, is a picture of
Brontë getting measured by the uniform seamstress, Paula, in her shop. Cohen's uniforms were sewn by
Abu, who also works magic with fabric.
It is a little bit odd that while Ghana was one of the first in Africa to distance itself from British rule, they have wholeheartedly embraced the British curriculum. Like I'm one to talk, here peddling the oh-so-un-colonial Canadian curriculum (Like, okay Mr. Land, tell us again--do you have a queen or don't you?!). But seriously, aside from the culture, religion, government, education, and language, it has pretty much been a clean break and Ghana has never looked back. We try to explain to our children why pounds and pence are the most important currency in the world, and why a student in year two is memorizing dictation passages from the Diary of Samuel Pepys, but I think we are neither compelling, nor convinced ourselves.
Our days begin remarkably early here in Ghana, because (quite logically) days are measured by the sun, which, at this point in relation to the equator, makes for roughly a twelve hour day that begins at 6:00 a.m. and ends at 6:00 p.m. As we leave by 6:30 a.m.--to fight through traffic and get me to work for 7:30 and the kids to school for 7:55--and return before 5:00 p.m., we hardly see night. Perhaps the title for this blog should be "365 Days of Day." Feels taken.
Cuyler cries every day when he is dropped off and this is felt to be a backhanded compliment as well as an excruciating moment of parental heartbreak. Today he didn't break down because it was puzzle day--we have mixed emotions, and are still licking our wounds as I type this. He is always happy (though tired) when we pick him up and the nursery school teachers are two of the friendliest women in the world, so it is hard to be worried.
Cohen wants me to say that despite the fact that his class is very small (12 students), it is very loud. Contrary to popular belief, this recommends a school to me, rather than opening a classroom door to utter peace and quiet. A number of things appealed to us (and the kids!) about this school because they teach French, German, World Issues, World Religions (but are not a faith-based school), African Drumming and Dancing, and Music. Extra-curricular clubs include Tae Kwon Do (free!), piano (less than 5 dollars for each half-hour private lesson!), and tie-dye club. Then, on "free love" days we all bring our Volkswagen vans, paint flowers on them, make peace placards for our rallies, and listen to Grateful Dead records (okay, this last bit doesn't happen but it seemed my description was moving in a certain direction). Did I mention the "Fun with Hemp" club?
School supplies are pretty poor and relatively expensive in Ghana, but I think the government has tried to make decent, affordable supplies available as part of its fee-free schools campaign. We brought a few things from home, but would have brought a lot more (to share with some of the rural areas!), had we known. Tall Oaks hosted a Family Fun Day that was a fundraiser for AfriKids and Schools for Life, two non-denominational NGOs dedicated to helping kids in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa. We have not yet seen it first hand, but things are very different in the rural (especially northern) regions of Ghana. Even though school is fee-free for children, many cannot be spared by their families who need them to work, do life-sustaining chores, or look after their siblings. These organizations help these families to become more sustainable so that their children are free to go to school. Important work and we are planning to get more involved as a family and as a school in Ghana. Don't be surprised if this is a theme for our summer of 2009 across-Western-Canada tour.
The highlight of day for Cuyler was the football training clinic (where he stole the ball from), while Brontë and Materia were thrilled to lay their mitts on real Play Doh! The highlight for mom and dad was buying this meticulously handwoven basket that is currently serving quite nicely as the kids' library.
Large streams from little fountains flow
Greater heights from humble beginnings
Tall oaks from little acorns grow
Akwaaba!
Ryan
Yes, it's true, Cohen has officially blown the candles out on his tenth birthday! This is the part where those closest to Cohen begin to wonder if they actually are getting older and if it is really possible that Cohen is ten, or if this is just a cruel hoax or careless typing error (alas, it is neither of the latter two!). It has, I can assure you, been a time for family reflection as our oldest hits double digits. In many ways, the story of his life is the story of our travels and the story of my career, as I'm in my tenth year of teaching: Winnipeg to Europe to Winnipeg to the Canadian North to rural Saskatchewan to rural Manitoba and finally to Africa. It provides for a nice piece of symmetry that Cohen was one in England and now Cuyler is one in Africa. Cohen liked the symmetry of "Cohen 10" and "Ben 10," a program he rather enjoys.
And how does one celebrate one's birthday in Ghana? Well, for starters, you get cinnamon toast in bed as it's something of a family tradition. (The above picture captures both the moment as well as the dividends of the prison-ration diet of bread, bananas, rice and carrots that Cohen strictly adheres to.) Then, you invite your new buddy Kofi over for a day of video games, movies, swimming, and a sleepover. The day included the last golden box of KD, French toast, pizza, chicken nuggets, gummy candy, ice cream and fries, in the desperate hope that the lad may retain a few calories! Of course splashing around in a tropical pool for a couple of hours makes this a rather hopeless proposition.
Oh, and of course, there were presents to be opened and cake to be eaten. Carmilla was wise in that she brought some basic party favours--balloons, plates, candles, etc.--but we have already added cake mixes and creamy deluxe icing to our pack list for next year (if there is a next year). For now, we had to buy them from the Max Mart, where your ex-pat shopping dreams can come true...for a hefty price! We managed to track down a few gifts locally and he had previously suggested that we give him our other digital camera (gently used!) as a gift, so we took him up on it. He has been talking quite seriously about becoming a wildlife photographer for National Geographic and we believe him. Given his life experiences so far and his abiding passion for animals and their protection, it makes perfect sense. Like many young boys, he has taken to looking at National Geographic strictly for the pictures, though in this instance, his motives are entirely pure! Happy birthday son!
This picture, snapped just outside the park, captures some of the struggles that any such wildlife reserve will tend to face. Fortunately, due in part to the species present, poaching is not a serious concern in the park. However, once the animals are outside of the protection of the park, they are vulnerable to traffic and other human activity. As you can imagine, the park also has some of the nicest savannah grassland habitat around, which is a temptation for local farmers and their grazing cattle. The problem with this is that these herds take command of an area in a hurry, and leave little for the species who need graze within the park. Apparently it is not uncommon for the park wardens to have to shoot one of the herd as they try to encourage them out of the park and they charge.
There are other species of monkey, reptiles, kob antelope and bushbuck in the park but I think because of the time of day, the huge tour bus groups that tramped through just before us, and our small-legged limitations, we didn’t see them. There were—to Carmilla’s chagrin and Cuyler’s delight—a number of rather large insects such as giant snails and millipedes, along with dozens of (more pleasing) butterflies.
Mafu was our guide and he has been at this park for about thirteen years. I suspect that most of his pay comes in the form of room and board for him and his family. One of these energetic children is his and this is the employee housing within the park. He said that not too long ago a huge python came and hung around the gate for a day before moving a little further into the bush to die. It is rare that people would get to catch a glimpse of the python (no small mercy, I’d say!), so it was cause for excitement and concern. 
We were a bit surprised to be run off the path by what appeared to be logging trucks. When I asked, Mafu explained that they were removing the Neem trees that were encroaching on the grassland. He explained that these trees had medicinal significance for the Shai people. He said that they boiled them and then draped a blanket over top of the mixture with their head underneath. It was supposed to help with malaria and fever--sort of a vapo-rub Ghanaian-style!
We also got to hike up into some bat caves that are still used for the traditional ceremonies of the Shai people every year. (And yes, there were hundreds of bats!!) There are a number of shrines spotted throughout the park as well. In the cave there is a gathering place that is centered around the light provided by the natural opening at the top. Cohen is pictured—with our guide’s permission—in the seat of the chief. (King Cohen of the “shy” people? It works!) The Shai people used to hide in the hills in times of conflict and to escape the slave trade but they were eventually chased out by the British. The area became protected in the sixties, but the Shai people are permitted to return to their traditional lands throughout the year.
Our guide, admission fees and vehicle charge for the day amounted to a surprisingly reasonable 12 Ghana cedis (about the same in Canadian dollars)! After spending most of the morning in the reserve, we went to the Shai Hills Resort, the only choice for some miles and reloaded our food and water humps, as we had not brought anything into the park with us. While they could probably charge more and be less palatable, they were actually fairly priced and the food was very good. A lucky break because we had little choice in the matter! All in all, our first (mini) African safari was a worthwhile excursion and there were many reflective moments and long sighs as we gazed across the long savannah landscape and reminded ourselves (yet again) that we are in Africa!
This region seems to be known for traditional bead-making and had we taken a different route, we would have taken in Cedi's Bead Factory. The unit of currency used to be the small cowry shell, called a cedi, hence the origin of the name today. We stopped at a spot where there were a couple of market stalls run by the women who made most of the jewelry they were selling. We can quickly get overwhelmed by sellers who pick up the kids, place clothing on them or give them toys or souvenirs, depending on the market, but this one was unique in that we were allowed to browse. For about ten Ghana cedis, we bought two bracelets, two necklaces, and two key chains. To be honest, I think we overpaid, but that is a relative matter of perspective. Cuyler even selected a bracelet and then proceeded to change his mind roughly 70 times in the span of a minute and a half. Below are brass pieces that would be more in keeping with that which was worn by the Ashanti people, though they used gold, not brass.
The turnaround point for our journey was the Akosombo Dam in the tourist village of Akosombo. The village itself was a pristine, gated community that is thought by many in Accra to be a jewel in Ghana's great crown. The village was originally built as a home for the hundreds of workers who constructed the dam. One is left with the impression, rather ironically, that for many in the surrounding villages and rural areas the dam is a rather cruel and constant reminder of the power shortages they face in the long shadow cast by hydro towers that don't seem to be there for their benefit. With an election on the horizon (more about this in a later entry), this is a significant issue. We saw more than a few makeshift, roadside signs that declared: No lights, no vote! This might explain why those in rural areas are a little less quick to boast of the splendour of the dam.
The dam is an impressive monument to industrialization and development in much the same way that the Hoover Dam is. We spent the same duration admiring it as we did at the U.S.'s version--roughly the amount of time it took to snap the above picture. The region is (admittedly) a finer, greener tribute to what is one of Kwame Nkrumah's greater contributions to Ghana. One cannot deny the impressive, sustainable impact that the massive Volta Lake has had on agriculture and development in much of Ghana. Below is an example of the Volta's ecoregion and a section of the largest manmade lake in the world. 
By the time we had arrived and looked around a little, the day's heat (and the earlier explorations in Shai Hills Reserve) had taken their toll. As has become our custom, it was time to seek a poolside refuge to quell or spirits and our imaginations. Worthy to the task today was the Afrikiko Resort, a little south of Akosombo. It cost a mere 12 Ghana cedis for all of us and we had, as the picture foretells, the entire pool to ourselves for the afternoon. The pools in Ghana almost always have a kiddie pool and I must say that each time we dip our toes into a tropical oasis such as this one, our family's sanity--always in jeopardy on a heat-infused roadtrip--is immediately restored. All of the children are becoming pretty darn comfortable paddling around in the water. Of course Cuyler and Materia have water wings or a life jacket, and at least one parent within arm's reach. 
The hotel was reminiscent of something one might find in the Lake District (without the dreary rain, damp cold and whopping prices!) and one could once again imagine spending entirely too much time here. On the way home, we enjoyed a round of Fan ice cream which comes in a little pouch that you bite the corner off of and then squeeze out the creamy deliciousness. The sellers ride bikes that cannot resemble Dickie Dee sellers so closely by coincidence alone. They don't have bells but they do have a little clown car horn that sets us to Pavlovian drool in a highly vulnerable hurry! As we had a late lunch and no supper, we also gobbled up a couple of bags of plantain chips, another family road trip favourite that has become the African version of Twizzlers or Old Dutch Popcorn Twists. Hmmm...if only I were paid for such blatant product placements. Who among us doesn't have a craving at this very moment?
Our latest discovery happened (you may be delighted to hear at this point) after being shunned at a rather posh resort called White Sands. We drove for about an hour and a half (approx. 89 minutes of which was spent getting out of Accra) to be told in an almost-sympathetic tone that the resort was for members only. Their version of pity amounted to a consolation offer of 25 Ghana Cedis a head (yes, that's a whopping $150.00 Canadian!), so we almost-gracefully declined and zipped around the corner, quite literally, to Till's. We were not to be disappointed on this day as our plans broke in the most extraordinary way.
They did not charge us for entry, but that may be because we ate at the restaurant, which was pretty darn good and had children's meals. The service was excellent all round and the view from the restaurant (pictured above) was stunning. There is mini-golf, life size chess (Clear Lake style!) and outdoor ping pong and checkers. They were generally kid-friendly and we'll likely return soon as the ocean was manageable, even with the kids. The picture of Cohen and Bronte does capture some of the force of the ocean in these parts and the older two are pretty aware of the danger. This may have something to do with our hyperbolic attempts to instill terror into their swimmer's hearts. Materia generally plays it safe, but the following picture will offer a glimpse at the growing concern that is Cuyler "Superpower" Land as he breaks for the wake. As soon as each wave knocked him squarely on his "little swimmer" diaper, he bounced back up, giggling like a drunken sailor with a crush, ready for the next hit. Carmilla and I took turns grabbing him by the pants and hoisting him to his feet, at once faithful pub bouncers for our little saltwater swilling ruffian. 
I said to Carmilla that it was the first place I could imagine us (affording to) spend a week at. We halfway considered a spontaneous overnight but that is a bit tricky with the clan in tow and while the rooms were both reasonably priced and stylishly appointed (each with a private balcony opening to a view of the ocean), we headed back to Accra to "enjoy" the traffic. While you may resent us for gloating, please at least give us credit for sharing this location--the temptation to keep it all to ourselves was difficult to resist. Now you know!
Needless to say, things are pretty bleak here on the (un)dark(roast) continent, and our mugs have runneth relatively empty. "The horror! The horror!" (digs here to Joseph Conrad). This is at the very least tremendously ironic as many of our favourite coffees originate from the very soil we inhabit. A certain corporation-in-sheep's-clothing (read as "Starbucks") boasts Sumatran, Kenyan and Gold Coast (Ghana's former name!) brews but we are left without. Don't get me wrong, I'm not wishing the big market bliss, er...I mean "nightmare" that is Starbucks on Accra, but can't a guy get a little Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Seattle, Paris, Turkey or Italy here?!
I must also give a shout out to the British, for their legacy in Ghana will be lasting...in tea. We have re-instituted our prior evening ritual (from Leicester) of a stiff cuppa after suppa, and this has made for a sensible replacement for our evening coffee. There are some of our favourite brands in the Max Mart (alas, no Marks and Sparks Earl Grey) and the other part of the title for this entry ("Make Tea Not War") is actually a quote from Monty Python's Flying Circus that I lifted off of our cello-bag wrapper of Ty-Phoo tea. While a nice spot of tea is lovely in its on right, it will always live--in our lives and on our palates--in the long shadow cast by a bold cup of joe. Now that I think on it, complaining about the lack of good coffee in Africa feels rather at least as British and colonial as it is trivial and superficial. Well, bully for me!
When I think of coffee, I often think of television's Friends. Chandler was a closet-smoker and he once had a cigarette in the Central Perk, uttering the line: "Hello dark mother--I am once again suckling at your teat." When I find a purveyor of black beans, I will be sure to utter the same line. As an almost unrelated aside, Carmilla and I dreamed briefly of opening a coffee house in Winnipeg (roughly a hundred years ago and before our dozen-or-so children) in what is now the new Klinic building on Broadway. We planned to have a TV upstairs that constantly ran episodes of Friends and Seinfeld. On the middle floor, of course, there would have been an ongoing used book swap. I mention this just in case you doubted how seriously dependent we are on our morning caffeine injections. It was almost what we did for a living. Now we just do it in order to live. We are once again entertaining becoming the solution to our own problem as there is certainly an ex-pat market for it!
Part of the problem is that while we have found a decent producer of java--South Africa's House of Coffees--we have been unable to find a decent substitute for coffee cream. The claim of Everfresh is almost as scary as it true but these UHT processed milks tend to suck the joy (literally and figuratively) out of dairy product. We have even tried an assortment of evaporated milks, but they too have fallen short. The other thing about finding a coffee we like is that by the time we try it and decide we are ready for more, there is none of it to be found. This has been the case for many things and we are beginning to buy all of what we find, when we find it. We figured this out too late for our latest batch of coffee so we have resorted to this, which I shall call "Italian Surprise," for the next couple of weeks. Wish us luck.
The main, rather hair-raising, attraction of the park, is the rope bridge walk, suspended above the rainforest canopy. It consists of seven rope walks that are as high as forty metres above the forest floor. In the above picture, you can just make out a person with a white t-shirt on the bridge perched high above the rainforest. It was equal parts harrowing, breathtaking, and exhilarating and unless you have a pretty intense fear of heights (speaking here as someone who has a fair bit o' fear himself), you too could conquer it! It was cause for a great moment of national pride when we learned that two Canadians were a part of the small team that constructed the bridges. There were moments where I could forget the map and the truth of our present geography and be transported to the rainforests of BC, namely Carmannah. I do feel as though I am treading heavily through sacred ecological ground in such places, but I'm also aware of the ironic truth that eco-tourism has, to a large extent, saved such places. Even Kakum N.P. has been affected by extensive logging in its recent past, though we saw no evidence of it. 
Some of you are probably wondering about the kids, particularly our one-year-old Cuyler (a.k.a. Finn). Children can only go on the walkway if they can walk by themselves, and as Cuyler is very much an active 21 month old, we decided to give it a go. Carmilla and I took turns walking behind him, as he wobbled along and fell against the side mesh a couple of times. At one point his shoe fell off and Carmilla had a tiny heart attack! Thankfully, the bridges were closed in and we were able to recover both the shoe and a degree of our emotional stability.
We were on the bridges with a group of about thirty people, and we went last as we expected to be well behind the pace. Douglas, who has quietly become so much more than our driver, also came along for the walk. He pitches in with the kids like an adopted uncle and has made a number of excursions that much more enjoyable. He joined the group of people, who were waiting on the final platform, in a thunderous round of applause as Cuyler stepped off the last walkway. People were taking pictures of him as he approached the end, and he was--to be perfectly honest--pretty oblivious to any and all danger or accomplishment. I think I remember learning in psychology that fear of heights is learned, and this is a feather in the cap of him never learning such fear!
I am sorry to say that wildlife once again eluded us while on the walk. This is, in all likelihood, due to the fact that we sound similar to a cape buffalo-like herd of elephant-sized monkeys when we travel anywhere. The only thing noisier in the wilderness is progress. We did not have a chance to linger in the park and we were all feeling pretty satisfied with our having survived the walk. Cohen's shirt declares "Cool as Ice" (below) and despite the humidity of the rainforest (who turned that damned greenhouse mister on again?!) we were all feeling the statement to be true, that is after we had returned to terra firma.
In Accra, there are dozens and dozens of resorts and hotels, some of which are on the ocean, and some of which are not. Most of these have outdoor pools, poolside restaurants and/or bars, and are surrounded by palm trees along with a lush variety of other tropical plants. For a fee, anyone can use these facilities, much like a public pool. We had read about a number of good places and so we have started to try these out. Eventually, we may even buy a yearly membership, if we find one we want to use often enough. The first three pictures were taken at the Royal Granada Hotel, which is not on the ocean, but is very close to where we live. It also cost us a mere 14 Ghana Cedis for all of us to spend the day poolside. We were able to order a moderately priced meal, served poolside, and we pretty much had it to ourselves for the day. 
The other resort that we checked out is soon to be a Ramada Hotel and is located right on the ocean. It is still called the New Coco Beach Resort for now, and its pool area (above) is at least as impressive as its location (below). Again, we don't really get to enjoy more than a stroll along the beach as the water is always pretty rough in these parts and our kids have not yet internalized the difference between success in swimming lessons in a highly regulated, supervised pool, and the terrifying tide and current of the Atlantic Ocean (which, incidentally, does not care if you have your "little shark" badge). 
New Coco had two separate "kiddie" pools and should soon have its playground open again (currently part of the renovations). The pool was pretty busy compared with the Royal Granada, but it is massive, so we never felt we were in anyone's space. With six of us, that in itself is saying something. For all six of us for the day, it was a whopping 20 Ghana Cedis. The most we have heard of would be for La Palm or the Labadi Beach Resort, and these would run around 40 Ghana Cedis. One of the best parts was surely the fact that one of the resort restaurants is called the "Pizza Hut" and they served fresh, authentic pizza that we were able to gobble up seaside. 
In essence, we can have all the safety, relaxation, service, beauty and convenience of an oceanside, urban resort, without the bother of a rather steep overnight charge. Imagine Jamaica within a short drive of Winnipeg--you get to enjoy the balmy tropics poolside, and then sleep in your bed. We will try others for sure, but the two we have checked out thus far both offer their own advantages. 
