August 2004

Asana Mohamad • June entry

Well, we arrived safely home in Ghana—after an epic 30-hour journey via Rome and Nigeria.

We found two new people—cousin Zinnau and nephew Luqman—in our house in the town of Nalerigu. We’re staying here—with the luxuries of electricity and toilets—because our home in the village of Tambokurugu isn’t finished yet.

When we went to Tambokurugu for a week, we stayed in our uncle Sulemana's house with his two grandchildren, one nephew, three sons, one daughter, and two wives. There is no electricity or running water, and the nearby cornfields are the toilets. We washed our clothes in the river and bathed in a bathroom with a very short wall, which is right next to one of the boys' rooms. Let's just say that I am glad I don't have brothers. We also visited the village school and gave out hundreds of pencils and erasers we purchased from Walmart.

As yet, no one has gotten malaria. Maybe that weekly tablet is actually working this year.

We also learnt a lot about the proper protocol for behaving in front of a Chief. For example, everyone must sit on the floor, boys cross-legged and girls with their legs under them. Boys clap when greeting the Chief, while girls make a loud snapping noise with their fingers. These rules only apply in public, though. In private, they all go out the window and Daddy is simply Daddy again.