Friday, March 27, 2009

Dancing in the Rain

From your album:
"Dancing in the Rain"
This bowl was sitting out to collect rainwater, and little Yusif crawled right in.



From your album:
"Dancing in the Rain"
Once Mus jumped outside to play, Wasila couldn't resist.



From your album:
"Dancing in the Rain"
Yusif loves to play kung fu.












From your album:
"Dancing in the Rain"
The rain subsides.










Monday, March 23, 2009

The Harmattan left quickly this year, before I really had a chance to enjoy it. But I will forgive Mother Earth, I suppose, since the weather that followed has been really pretty great. Right now we are in a cycle where it rains every other day; in the mid to late afternoon, a thunderstorm with weak winds passes through and gives us a good 30 minute soaking. The forest is green and lush, and, as you might expect, the mushrooms love this weather.

We've been eating wild mushrooms every day this week. The girls we live with kept coming home with bowlfuls of them, plenty for the 10 people who live in the house.

After the thunderstorm today Wasila, a twelve-year-old girl in the house, invited Mus and I to go mushroom hunting with her. Little five-year-old Yusif tagged along, as well as the neighbor's dog. Little did I know that the hunt would start in our very own yard.

In all the hunting, I only ever saw two kinds of fungi- these edible mushrooms and a type of shelf fungi. Apparently, these edible fungi are everywhere- all over the lawns and in the forest.

After we'd covered the lawn and the gardens down the street, we had a respectable bowlful. But we were really into it and wanted to continue. So I changed into jeans and sneakers and we climbed over the wall to head to the forest.

Climbing over the wall was fun in and of itself. Yusif and I both had trouble getting over, so Mus had to lift us both over. My cut-up hands made it so I couldn't put any weight on them, which was a special liability. Wasila lifted the neighbor's dog over the wall so he could join us.

We spent the rest of the afternoon running up and sliding down the muddy hill behind the house. We were like a boisterous pack of wolves on an Easter Egg Hunt. One of us would spot a clump of mushrooms and start running, and all the others would run to try to get their first. We were competing for the title of “Best Fungus Hunter.” The dog had no idea what we were hunting, of course, but he's never had so much fun. Like any dog, the social excitement and flurry of activity thrilled him. And even the rest of the family, seated in the backyard, had a great time watching our antics and mishaps in the mud.




The Mighty Hunter Return!



Mama managed to find all these mushrooms in our wake- in our frantic rush, we missed A LOT! (And yes, this little girl's actual name is Mama- that's actually quite common here.)

Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

I would like to begin by admitting that all I can offer are very superficial observations of Hamida's Wedding. It was chaotic and a bit mind-boggling to me, and of course everyone was much too busy feeding everyone and getting things ready to be my on-site interpreter. So please excuse me if this post is pretty vapid; I must say, with a degree in anthropology it's pretty embarassing.

That said, here are a few fun observations:

  • The entire wedding, including ceremony and reception, took place in the compound or yard of Mus's parents house. Guests began arriving around 9 am and the place was cleared out by about 5:30pm.

  • Many of Mus's cousins came on Friday and left on Sunday so they could help the family clean and prepare. These same cousins acted as waitresses during the reception.

  • The ceremony had no officiate. One of the groom's relatives acted as a master of ceremonies, and different family members on both sides gave speeches; I didn't understand most of what was said, honestly. The ceremony seemed more for the family than for guests. There were a few guests gathered around the porch to watch, but most of the guests hung out at the tables, where they went about their business, unable to see the ceremony. The first half of the ceremony was just the two families. The groom was brought out about three quarters of the way through the ceremony. The bride came out a little while later.

  • At the end of the ceremony Hamida and Baba exchanged rings and kissed.

  • Hamida didn't hire a professional photographer, so she asked me to take lots of pictures. I was happy to oblige, but I don't think I did a very good job because I didn't undersatnd what was going on, what was important, and what I should take pictures of.

  • Hamida had two outfits made for the wedding. One was made of blue kente cloth, a beautiful and highly prized woven fabric that Ghana is well-known for. The other outfit consisted of lime green and gold pants and with a long lace dress covering them. Both outfits were strikingly colorful.

  • Hamida's boss and friend, Dorothy, had her outfits made by the same tailor as Hamida's, and they were very similar dresses. This surprised me a bit since in America, that would bring out the Bridezilla in most girls, but Hamida didn't mind at all. In fact, they planned their outfits together that way.

  • Most of the family, myself included, had two outfits and changed after the ceremony. I don't have any pictures of myself in my first outfit, however. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that various guests came up to me and asked if they could have their picture taken with me. As a condition, I made them then take a picture of me with whomever I wanted (Mus and his family) so I could have some pictures of myself at the wedding. By the time I came up with this brilliant plan, I was already in my second outfit, an African bubu Mus gave me for Christmas.

  • Hamida decided not to have any bridesmaids or anything.


All right, so enjoy the pictures!

We bought this little lady in the village- she was the sacrificial lamb for the wedding feast.

Mus's dad invited an imam and some friends over the day before the wedding for some prayers for the couple.

This drunk guy started getting his groove on before the guests even arrived.

The decorations- all this stuff was rented and set up in the front yard where Mus's parents live.

Decorations from the outside.

This balloon idea was Ama's. I thought it was really cool- unfortunately, not windproof. The neighborhood kids loved it though- It rained balloons all day!

Interestingly, the red carpet was for guests to walk down, not necessarily the bride.

Aw... He wanted to come in so badly!

This little girl had some major fun with AWOL balloons.



This is a typical moment between Mus and his mom. Here's how the game works: Mus teases his mom by acting silly, and she pretends to get mad. Then they both laugh hysterically.


The wrapped boxes are presents that Baba's family brought to give to Hamida, as is tradition. The packages contain fabrics, clothes, toiletries, soda, and other things...


Hamida makes her entrance and greets Baba's family.

From your album:
"Hamida and Baba- Married Feb.
Hamida and Baba exchange rings.



You may now kiss the bride.






Hamida looked so incredibly beautiful.


Don't they look so happy?

Hamida's relatives are blessing the family.


The lady with the red scarf was the MC.

The dogs did not like all these people in their house and they took cover.



Mus's cousin Asentewa. She worked so hard serving people food and drinks.

Mus's cousin and their neighbor helped the family cater the reception.


They also brought in a khebab man. He roasted some of the afore-mentioned goat and some chicken specially for me!


Some guests enjoyed the food more than others. This little guy had a serious date with some ice cream.

I loved these kids in the corner. They were trying to look so tough, sharing their plate of food.



Still, the dogs forgave the intrusion when they got to partake in the leftovers for the next week.



Mus's dad and their neighbor, Sister Felicia.



Mus's aunt and her daughter, Awo. In the middle is Mus's cousin, Fifi. I think the aunt looks just like Mus's mom (they're sisters) and I think Fifi looks just like Mus.


See? Mus and Fifi could be twins!





This is Auntie Naana and her sister sitting with Mus's dad.



This is Ama, Mus's cousin and balloon-crafter extraordinaire. She sings in the Ghanaian Army Band and is one of the most vivacious people I've ever met.



This is Awo, Mus's cousin.


Dorothy, Hamida's boss and friend, starts the dancing.


Mus's cousins join in.


These were the wedding favors. They included plastic wash tubs, plastic fans, and dish towels. Some seriously big favors!


Family Picture Time


The bride with some girlfriends.



Richard,another cousin, starts the clean-up process.


I love these girls! Me, Ama, Hamida, and Effia. Effia and Ama are sisters.


Mus with his cousins, Ama and Effia



Me and Mus's Mom. She always makes me laugh.


Me and Ama. This is my only picture of me in my first dress. Then my shoes broke and all i had to wear were plastic flip-flops, so I changed into a dress that would cover my feet.


Me and the happy couple.


Mus was so busy that day I had to track him down to get this photo with him.


How cute are these sisters?



Mus and his mom.


Mus and Hamida



This little cousin was practicing to be a purse snatcher. Every time I turned around, he had a different purse in his hand.


In the end, some of the neighborhood kids snuck in to watch the festivities. I thought they were adorable.