Photo Album

As you all know, I haven't been able to post any photos yet of my trip here. There's been some internet access trouble, and even now I don't often come online (which is why you guys get like 3 or 4 posts all at once- I type them on my laptop and bring them on the pen drive and post them all at once).

But, today I'm visiting a friend with high-speed internet, so I'm going post you all a few photos. Please remember that they are just a little appetizer- my favorites that kind of speak for themselves. I'll probably repeat them later in my more in-depth website. (I'm actually building the pages now on the laptop, and I'll bring them all back to the U.S. to post.)

First off, Puppies!

This is Poos-Poos with her daughter, and they are definitely Mother and Daughter! Ellie, the puppy, looks just like her mom, and has the same personality. She loves food and when she approaches humans, she lays her ears back, her tongue is a-going, and she does this little shoulder shimmy dance- all exact replicas of her mom's behavior. They both even sleep with all four paws sticking in the air, as if they were dead! It's hilarious to watch the little puppy impersonate her mom...

This is Cal (forefront) and Tusca. Tusca is Mus's favorite. Cal stands for Tres Calcetines (Three socks). Cal loves having his photos taken, and he runs at me whenever the camera comes out. He jumps in front of whatever I'm taking a photo of... I don't know if he thinks it's food or what...

This is Simon. For those of you who knew my brother's roommate Doug, this is his canine twin.

Puppies being puppies and chewing on anything in their immediate vicinity...

Cal running at me and getting in the way yet again...

Tusca, with Kara in the background. I swear, if she was a kid and not a dog, I could use this photo to advertise for the Christian Childrens' Fund. It just breaks your heart...

This is Satch, The English Governess.

This is Scooby-Doo looking all pathetic. She wants to be petted and she gives me those pleading eyes daily.

This is Ellie again. I know it's grainy- it's blown up from the background of another photo- but I think she's so cute here...

Elephants! Yay!

This is Poos-Poos, the flower child, emerging from her puppies' den.

This is baby Tusca.

Mus is standing in an elephant's footprint.

This is Mus and Sweet Mother. She lives with us in the house- she's some distant relative of the landlady. She has severe epilepsy and mental disabilities so she can't live on her own.

Mus and I blew bubbles on Christmas Day.

That's right, ladies and gentleman... At Mole, they let the elephants get so close to you they climb right in your ear!

Boy, did I have an earache the next day...

This is one of the landlady's grandkids, Papa.

Another grandkid named Junior (As graciously displayed by Mus's mom...)

And finally, Mus's sister, Hamida (who's plotting to secretly kill me and take all my clothes...)

Puppy Update

By the way, the puppies have escaped from prison and no one’s willing to go through the time and effort to figure out how to keep them from escaping. We’ve filled in the cracks in the porch railing with cement blocks, keeping them from entering the porch, and puppies and humans alike seem happy with the compromise.

Besides, compared to the Christians last night, the puppies are silent little angels. All we needed was a little perspective.

Religion Gone Bad...

Imagine a balmy tropical night. It’s dark and humid at 11pm with temps in the mid 80’s. And it’s your turn to spend the night without power- no fans, no AC, no relief. So you climb into bed dripping wet and open the windows as wide as you can, hoping to attract any passing scrap of breeze. You’re hot, cranky, and having difficulty sleeping.

Now imagine that 50 charismatic Christians assemble in your next-door neighbor’s yard. They begin to sing, drum, clap, and speak in tongues. They even throw in a few group screams just to keep things exciting. All this they do at a decibel level that rivals my dad’s average TV volume. And they continue doing this until dawn.

Now, I’ve come to terms with the fact that Ghanaians are a different breed of Christians than what I’m accustomed to. Ghana is home to the 8 hour weekly service, and most Ghanaian mothers seem to spend more hours weekly in church than in bed. Still, this baffled me. What could these people be thinking? I mean, if they believe that they are acting in a Christ-like manner, then they must think that Jesus was a loud, inconsiderate ass.

Or maybe their pastor snuck into their houses late at night, opened their Bibles to the passage that says “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” and wrote in its place “Torture thy neighbor with sleep deprivation.”

Personally, I think last night Jesus mentally flipped them the bird, then took a pair of sound-muffling headphones and his trusty ol’ Sony Discman to ride out the night with his favorite tunes.

Okay, maybe not. Maybe that was just me. I mean, He is the All-Powerful Lord of the Universe, the Alpha and the Omega…

Obviously, Jesus would have an iPod.

Jailhouse Pups

Well, I’m sorry to report that the puppies have landed themselves in prison. I can’t say I’m surprised, really. They’re at that age where curiosity and new-found mobility are their primary attributes, and that fact, along with their massive numbers, have turned them into a frenzied mob of little hell rats.

Their most recent kinetic conquest landed them in trouble. They’ve discovered how to climb through the cracks in the railing to get onto the porch. However, the porch’s slippery tiles prevent them from standing on their hind legs and getting back out. So they climb into the porch and whine until someone removes them. All night long. Last night, my solution was to leave the door to the porch open so they can walk out. This morning the porch was covered in puppy poop.

So Mus’s family decided to make use of the uncompleted building in the compound to make a pen for the little rascals. They were set-up in a nice little two bedroom-one bath apartment, complete with shade shelter, burlap beds, and a dirt floor full of digging possibilities… At first Mus and his mom tried to board up the entrances to lock the puppies in, but it took the puppies about 5 min. to figure a way out. Now Mus’s dad has used cement blocks to close it up. It’s been about 5 hours and still no escapees- but I have a feeling though that they will soon find a way.

And if they don’t manage to find their own escape route, they’re already working on another plan. They’ve been crying and wailing for 5 hours straight… Mus’s parents have been gone most of this time, but now that they’re home, it’s a battle of stamina. Who can hold out longest, the family’s nerves or the puppies vocal chords? Only time will tell…