Jessica’s Blog

Thursday, April 29, 2010

The start of our journey home.

The alarm went off at 3:40am and we quickly got ready for the day. Greg and Essa, our driver, arrived with a truck and we loaded the suitcases, trunks, and cooler. Greg prayed for a safe trip and that Essa may avoid hitting goats and donkeys on the way. It was still dark when we pulled out of the BMC gates and into the streets of Nalerigu. Sleeping goats were scattered over the red dirt road, and some awoke to move out of our way. We zigzagged around the ones that did not get up. Two other passengers rode with us to Tamale. We dozed on and off while Essa drove. As the sun came up, we could see that the fields that had been nothing but dry, red dirt dotted with black plastic bags when we arrive a month ago had now turned moist and green with the rains.

Essa dropped us off at the airport and we got assistance lugging our baggage to the line. No one checked IDs, asked names, or questioned the PB&J sandwiches Wendy sent with us or the multi-drug resistant TB sputum sample we were carrying. The flight was very smooth and a driver was waiting to take us to the guest house. On the way, he took us to the University of Ghana to drop off the sputum sample. He drove through the university grounds, pointed out the dorms, and let us follow him into the laboratory. It was quiet due to the break.

We stopped at an ATM on the way back and asked where we could find chocolate for Anna. We stopped at a grocery store, but they did not carry Ghanaian chocolate. He said he would go to market for us and arrange for a box.  Later on, he found us and said that he was unsuccessful at locating the chocolate, but not for lack of trying.  During the day, we napped, blogged, and took a walk to the Global Momma’s shop in the Osu district.  It was a cute store with lots of clothes, placemats, and scarfs made by women in villages all over Ghana.  Most things were made from botique fabric and items were sold for fair trade.  We ate supper at the guest house and met a number of Americans spending time in Arfica for various reasons: such as peace corp, fish and snail farming, and medical work.

I miss Nalerigu, but now that we have made the first leg of the trip, I am even more eager to get home and see my Curt.