Bountiful Baskets

I recently discovered something wonderful...  Bountiful Baskets!  Bountiful Baskets is a non-profit food co-op.  Each week I can make a $15 contribution and then can pick up an entire box of fresh fruits and veggies at a location less than 2 miles from my house.  The selection of produce varies each week, and the produce is as local as possible.  The baskets have much more produce than I think I could eat in a week, so I split a basket with Kris.  This was our second week of participating in the co-op, and I couldn't be happier.  This week we received:

• corn on the cob
• sweet potatoes
• apples
• grapefruit
• broccoli
• cucumber
• cauliflower
• strawberries
• cabbage
• pineapple
• seedless watermelon

And I still have quite a bit of produce from last week I haven't finished - broccoli, asparagus, grapefruit, apples, diakon radishes (I hadn't heard of these before we got our basket!), sweet potatoes, honeydew melon, cucumber... I think I need to learn to incorporate more vegetables in my diet or my refrigerator will get taken over by produce!

11 Miles

I ran 11 miles this evening, without walking.  And I did it on a treadmill at the gym.  It took me 1 hour and 55 minutes, but I did it... thank you HGTV for giving me something to distract myself from the running!  I truly, honestly didn't think this was possible.  I am dang proud of myself :-)

Ghana, Africa

I just spent the most wonderful week visiting the Maughans in Ghana, Africa!  The Maughans are in Ghana serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and they were so gracious to let me stay with them and show me what has been their home for the last year and a half.  I don't think I'll adequately be able to capture my experiences, feelings, and thoughts in this blog, but I will give it a shot.  Just a heads up that I will probably go into a lot more detail than anyone else may be interested in, but I want to capture this as a journal of my week.

Arriving in Ghana

I began my adventures on Friday, April 15th around noon Boise time and arrived in Accra, Ghana (after about 20 hours of travel!) on Saturday, April 16th around 1:00 pm Ghana time.  Everything had gone fairly smoothly up to that point, for which I was grateful... all on-time departures with early arrivals, smooth flying and landing, really good food on my DC to Accra leg, and I didn't even have to use a plane bathroom once!  I kept our flight map up on my individual tv screen for quite a bit of the last leg of my flight... most of the time we were over the ocean, so I was really excited when I saw that we were over land.  It isn't the best picture, but here's my first glimpse of Africa:

On my last leg of the flight I was handed an immigration form to complete.  I filled everything out except for the address where I would be staying in Ghana - it hadn't even crossed my mind that I would need to bring the Maughan's address with me!  Uh oh.  They wouldn't let me through immigration without it.  Thankfully I had Dr. Maughan's cell phone number and the immigration officer was able to call and get their address for me.  I got my bags, breezed through customs, and easily spotted the Maughans in the waiting area... the only two white faces amongst a sea of black.  I guess a famous athlete was on my flight because there was a big crowd in the waiting area, complete with television cameras!

The first day there we drove around so I could get a sense of where I would be staying for the week.  Wow - I couldn't have even imagined what I saw and the way I felt that first afternoon.  It was kind of like sensory overload.  The streets were packed with people - some were catching the "trotro" (van used as public transportation), many were selling anything from fresh fruit to clothing to luggage from roadside stands, etc.  We drove by the beautiful Accra temple, by Jamestown (an extremely poor part of Accra, lined with shacks), past several dirt lots where children played soccer, and by a newer "development" of shacks - built right on top of what was a garbage dump just a few months ago.

The poverty and garbage would blow your mind.  But was even more amazing were the smiling faces behind all that.  Especially the children.  They really are beautiful - gorgeous dark skin, big round eyes, and pretty white smiles.  One thing that struck me was how clean everyone was - with the garbage everywhere on the streets and the extreme poverty where many don't even have running water and have to "bathe" with a bucket of water once a week, and wash all their clothes by hand.

We went swimming in the apartment complex pool that afternoon, followed by dinner and an early bedtime because I was a bit tired from the journey to Ghana!

Church in Ghana

We went to church Sunday morning in the La Ward.  The drive to church was great - there were throngs of Ghanaians walking to church (many don't have cars), with all the women dressed in beautiful, brightly colored dresses.

The church building we went to was a little different than the church buildings we have here!  The building wasn't air conditioned - we were so hot during church, but sat up front so at least we were by the fans!  There were rows of folding chairs in the chapel, and it was packed with faithful members of the church.  One of the men played a keyboard for prelude and for the hymns throughout sacrament meeting.  At the beginning of sacrament, they even welcomed me by name from the pulpit!  The Maughans introduced me to many members of the ward whom they have come to love.

Sunday afternoon we took a walk around the Maughan's apartment complex.  Each house or apartment complex has a staffed security gate - the workers know who lives there and will open the gate for you as you need to pass through.

The vegetation in Ghana is absolutely beautiful.  There are palm trees everywhere, as well as incredible flowering tropical plants and trees.  On our walk we passed a gorgeous flame tree - with bright reddish-orange blossoms... breathtaking!

Batik and Family Home Evening

Monday morning I was able to attend "Sister Scripture Study" with Marsha and about 12 other women.  I really enjoyed some of the insights that were brought out in the passages we studied during the hour we had together.

That afternoon I exchanged some money over and did my first bit of shopping.  I have been reading the Maughan's blog over the last 16 months or so and was excited to meet their friend Esther.  Esther makes beautiful batik fabric (more on batik later!)  I bought three different batik patterns from Esther... Marsha made a skirt for me out of one of them, and I hope to make a bag and a dress out of the other two.

We also visited Rose's bead shop and then went to Bernice's where I purchased the most beautiful apron that she made.

Monday evening was really special to me.  Once a month, the Maughans join with others from the area for a group Family Home Evening.  I was lucky enough to have been able to join them as we met at the Cardon's home (Elder Cardon is a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy) for a potluck dinner and a spiritual message.  Also at the dinner were Elder Sitati (First Quorum of the Seventy) and his wife, Elder Dickson (First Quorum of the Seventy) and his wife, as well as other missionaries serving in the temple, serving a family history mission, the public affairs officers in Ghana, etc.  Dinner was delicious, and I really felt the spirit as we each shared something that we enjoyed from the most recent General Conference.

Aburi Gardens & TK Beads

Tuesday morning I was able to go with the Maughans to the Missionary Training Center in Ghana.  Each week the Maughans visit the missionaries there, administer vaccinations, and Dr. Maughan gives a health lecture.  The missionaries we saw were just getting ready to leave the MTC and go out to serve in their missions.  It was neat to listen to the missionaries sing - half of them sang in English, the other half in French (depending on which language they would be speaking in their missions).  I was excited to help Marsha as she gave the vaccinations to the missionaries until I got a little light headed and had to sit down :-)


After the MTC, we drove to Aburi Gardens.  The Aburi Gardens, originally built by the English, are now kept up by the Ghanaians.   In the gardens are numerous species of plants and trees.

The Maughans called this one the Lazy Palm

Ghana has the best cocoa in the world (although the Ivory Coast is the #1 cocoa exporter)

Here I am standing by the roots of a Kapok Tree - a majestic, beautiful, gigantic tree that is found in Ghana.  Kapok trees can grow up to 150 or higher, and the branches and leaves are only near the top of the tree.

Here's a view from inside the tree above - it has completely hollowed out.

The ant hills were gigantic - I would say about as tall as I am (although I didn't get close enough to compare heights)!

We ate lunch in the Aburi Gardens - I got chicken, grilled plantain, and red red (a traditional bean dish made with chickpeas, palm oil, and delicious seasonings).

On our way home from Aburi Gardens, we stopped at TK Beads.  Marsha had been really excited about visiting the bead shop - she really enjoys stringing beads into jewelry.  I didn't really think beads were my thing, but after I bought some, I actually really enjoyed making bracelets!  Now I wish I had bought more beads while I was there!  I made a bunch of different bracelets for myself, as well as some for friends.  Anyway, it was really cool watching them make the beads... there was one person crushing the glass by hand, another who would put the crushed glass into stone molds and put them in the ovens, another who would hand paint the beads, and the women who would string the beads.

 

We ended the afternoon at Wild Gheko - a shop where I purchased a couple of really beautiful hand-carved wooden salad bowls that had giraffe bone inlay along the edge.

Cape Coast

Wednesday was a really long day of driving, but I think it was my favorite day in Ghana.  We got up early and drove to the Cape Coast Castle - a castle built in the early 17th century that was later used for trans-Atlantic slave trade.

I learned that many of the slaves were actually captured by other Africans and sold or traded to the Europeans for guns, alcohol, or other goods.  It was incredibly sad to walk into the dark, dank rooms where the men, women, and children were kept after they were captured and before they were transported on the slave ships.  The men were kept separately from the women and children.  The conditions must have been horrible, with so many people crammed into one room that there was only room to stand - they couldn't sit or lay down (not that they would necessarily want to since there were no bathroom facilities).  Once captured, their families were essentially broken - they would not have been kept together.  The slaves were kept at the castle until the slave ships arrived to take them to Europe, North America, South America, etc.  They would then walk through a tunnel, through an archway or doorway, and out to the ships.  A sign above the doorway now says The Door of No Return.  I can't even imagine what that must have felt like.  The conditions on the slave ships weren't any better.

Outside this door now, where there used to be tenders that would take the slaves to a slave ship, there is a fishing village.  The sights were incredible!  The colors, the sounds, everything was mesmerizing.  I think I could have watched them all day!

After leaving the castle, we went up to Kakum National Park in hopes to do the canopy walk, but there were about five bajillion buses of people there and we would have had to wait several hours for our turn.  Instead of waiting in the heat (I think this was the hottest day that I was there), we decided to go to the beach, where we had a delightful lunch of calamari, grouper, and lobster, and then I walked along the beach to collect sea shells.  The breeze along the ocean felt so nice in the beating sun.  The beach was so beautiful - it was definitely a juxtaposition to the poverty just on the other side of the road.  It definitely seemed like we were in a tropical paradise.

The restaurant where we ate lunch

 

Collecting shells

 

On our way home from Cape Coast, I took this quick video to give you an idea of the kind of activity that we see along the streets.

Batik and Art

Thursday morning Dr. Maughan had to get some work done, so Marsha made me a skirt out of some of the fabric that I had bought on Monday from Esther.  I was so excited to have a beautiful batik skirt!  After lunch, we visited a batik factory so I could see the process for making batik.

First, designs are cut into foam blocks.  These blocks are then dipped in wax and stamped onto the fabric.

Once the pattern is made on the fabric, it is soaked in dye and then set out to dry.  The dye will not color anywhere that there is wax.  This process can be repeated for multiple colors.  The wax is then boiled off the fabric.

It was neat to see the process in action - so interesting!

After we left the batik factory, we headed to an art gallery.  There was some beautiful artwork and antique Ghanaian wood carvings and furniture.  There are a couple pieces I would love to have in my home if only I had a way to transport them back home (as well as the extra cash - some of them were spendy)!

That evening we had pizza dinner at Mamma Mias.  I loved the thin crust of the pizza and the very cool outdoor atmosphere of the restaurant.  I can see why the Maughans love that restaurant!  I really enjoyed my Alvaro pineapple soft drink... I would love for this brand to come to the states (I had tried the passion fruit flavor at lunch in Aburi and it was equally delicious)!  We ended the evening with my very first Italian gelato (YUMMY!) and a game of nerts.

Ghana Temple

Friday was a beautiful day, and what better way to start the day than to go to the Ghana Temple.  The temple was so pretty both inside and out, with pretty dark wood, stained glass windows, and manicured landscaping.  It was so nice to be able to attend a session and feel the peace inside the temple.

Me with the Maughans - notice the batik skirt Marsha made me!

After attending the temple, we went to the church building right next door where a little 8-year-old Ghanaian girl was getting baptized.  The room was packed, so we sat in the hallway.  It was so fun to see all the primary children there to support her.

On our way home, we stopped at a roadside stand to get some coconuts.  I had seen these stands all over the place for the entire week and was intrigued with how the "coconut boys" manning the stands would cut the shells off of the coconuts with machetes.  Not sure how they avoid cutting their fingers off!

One of the coconut boys thought I needed to be his wife :-)  I had actually gotten another proposal earlier in the week (sight unseen!) from another Ghanaian who wanted to marry me and come to the United States.  I was given his name and phone number on a piece of paper!

We took our coconuts home to enjoy with our dinner.  We all tried the coconut milk, but I don't think any of us really liked it.  We decided the coconut milk might be better mixed in with a smoothie.  But it sure was fun to drink it straight from the coconut!