Ghana Time

It is Monday morning and I have just waited 17 minutes for the computer at the internet cafe to load this page.  No surprise, because in every aspect of daily life, we exist on Ghana Time GT.  The entire country operates on a casual to excruciatingly slow pace.  Here is a great example.  Yesterday Julie and I wanted to attend church with the children from the orphanage.  We hustled across the dirt path to get to the orphanage at 830 so as not to miss the bus.  Hah!  ONE HOUR LATER and thirty minutes after we had squished 28 girls in their Sunday dresses on the beat up van, we left.  It was worth it, as church, all 5 hours, was very inspiring.  We were amazed with the children's ability to listen for the almost 2 hour sermon.  Of course it helped that there was food after!

After we returned some of teenagers from the orphanage came over and we went to a beautiful waterfall to go swimming.  It was so much fun to be with the older kids. They are so polite and kind, always concerned about the obrunis falling on the path.  I am so impressed with the way these older children conduct themselves.  They have so much responsibility at the orphanage and handle it with such grace.  Some of it is sad...the other day we saw George, the oldest male 18yo. get canned because two of the younger boys had dirty uniforms.  George is responsible for the younger children.  That was what made the waterfall trip so great.  Once we got there they were just teenagers like Julie or Spencer and they had so much fun. 

Today we are painting a room at the orphanage.  To be clear, the room (there are no quotation marks on this keyboard, and other keys missing(  is a cinderblock building the equivalent of a pavillion, which we hope to put some touch lights in so the kids can do homework at night.  We are waiting for an escort to the market to buy paint trays.  Our helper was due at 9am.  Its almost noon.  Ghana Time.  I expect the painting to take several days since every aspect that involves other Ghanaians will progress ....as it progresses.  This is a huge lesson for us, particularly Denise.

Julie and I are already feeling the shortness of our time at the orphanage.  Its difficult to get to know these kids and their needs, allow yourself to feel their circumstances, then pick up and leave.  But not to worry, we have plans for when we return. We are a little nervous about our travels on our own, despite several successful rides on the tro tros, which shuttle you around at horrifying speeds.  It really is like one of those Bond movies where they are racing through the markets.  They don't hit, but you feel they will! 

More later, thanks for reading our post.  Think about these kids every time you take a drink of clean water, flush your toilet, or eat.  Denise and Julie