Today is my second day in Ghana, and I spent it volunteering with a Habitat for Humanity project with a small community near the town of Kibi (chee-bay) in the Easter Region. Despite the 4 hour bus ride there and back (yes, you read that correctly) it was a day of purpose, and I was greatly blessed by it. I was able to see the industrial port city of Tema give way to the large capital city of Accra, and then that city gave way to roads through red dust and humid forest. Finally we were there. I must admit that despite my fascination with the flora and the roadside sights, I slept for the majority of the ride there and back -- sleep has been hard to come by lately, for various reasons.
I was excited to learn that I was to be part of a team laying brick for a home that already had an owner waiting to move in. The structure was built of red clay brick (cast from river sand, red clay, and cement) and mortared with a mixture of cement and sand. I was obliged to mix great batches of mortar and fetch and carry both mortar and bricks. Far from the modern building sites in America, that meant walking for 5 minutes each way and carrying the bricks back on your head, one at a time! Each one weighed between 35 and 50 lbs depending on the size of the block. Scaffolding was built out a few boards and nails. The real driving force of the project was the skills of the artisans and builders who worked there. They did so much with so little, really. Home Depot would not make it here. The average total cost of home construction is 2500 cedis, or $3600 USD.
Other adventures including making use of the bathroom facilities (you don't want to know) and eating a wonderful lunch of chicken, jollof rice, cabbage, and a tomato paste sauce. It smelled so good when they uncovered the pot -- I caught a whiff of that cabbage smell and missed home really badly. A full belly cured my homesickness real quick!
On the way back to the ship we made an unscheduled stop along the road to a local cocoa farm. Cocoa is the official cash crop of the Ghanaian economy and they are the #1 exporter of cocoa beans in the world. I was surprised to learn that the cocoa bean comes from a large greenish-yellow pod, the inside of which is slimy and white. Each of the pods contain white skinned seed pods, and inside are the mauve colored beans which must be dried to take away their bitter flavor and make them into the chocolate we all know and love. According to the guide, the Ghanaian cocoa drying process is far superior to other exporters because they sun dry their beans and do not use artificial means. The guide showed us that fresh cocoa is safe to eat, and that sucking the slimy white coating off is a tasty snack for many. I tried it and it tasted like banana pancake batter with a twist of lemon. Yum!
I was excited to learn that I was to be part of a team laying brick for a home that already had an owner waiting to move in. The structure was built of red clay brick (cast from river sand, red clay, and cement) and mortared with a mixture of cement and sand. I was obliged to mix great batches of mortar and fetch and carry both mortar and bricks. Far from the modern building sites in America, that meant walking for 5 minutes each way and carrying the bricks back on your head, one at a time! Each one weighed between 35 and 50 lbs depending on the size of the block. Scaffolding was built out a few boards and nails. The real driving force of the project was the skills of the artisans and builders who worked there. They did so much with so little, really. Home Depot would not make it here. The average total cost of home construction is 2500 cedis, or $3600 USD.
Other adventures including making use of the bathroom facilities (you don't want to know) and eating a wonderful lunch of chicken, jollof rice, cabbage, and a tomato paste sauce. It smelled so good when they uncovered the pot -- I caught a whiff of that cabbage smell and missed home really badly. A full belly cured my homesickness real quick!
On the way back to the ship we made an unscheduled stop along the road to a local cocoa farm. Cocoa is the official cash crop of the Ghanaian economy and they are the #1 exporter of cocoa beans in the world. I was surprised to learn that the cocoa bean comes from a large greenish-yellow pod, the inside of which is slimy and white. Each of the pods contain white skinned seed pods, and inside are the mauve colored beans which must be dried to take away their bitter flavor and make them into the chocolate we all know and love. According to the guide, the Ghanaian cocoa drying process is far superior to other exporters because they sun dry their beans and do not use artificial means. The guide showed us that fresh cocoa is safe to eat, and that sucking the slimy white coating off is a tasty snack for many. I tried it and it tasted like banana pancake batter with a twist of lemon. Yum!
Sis this is great! I am so proud of you for builiding a house! Ghanaian cocoa sounds yummmy!
ReplyDeleteOf all that you have done on your voyage, this is one that I wish I could have shared with you. Bless all who gave of themselves.
ReplyDelete