hello I am obruni.

Well folks, I’m in Africa. And sadly, I cannot find my camera cord. I could have sworn I brought it, but alas, it is not to be found among my belongings. So my blog plans are somewhat shattered. I guess I will just have to be descriptive.

I have been here for almost 5 days. I arrived on Sunday night and met my host family. Lizzy is the mom, the dad is out of town on business, and she has four children living here. Eunice (I don’t see much of her, she works all day), Emanuel (they pronounce it “e-mahn-o”, but I could have sworn the first day he told me it was Emanuel…) is 15, Calvin is 8, and Princess is 6. They’re all way cute. Then there is also Cobbie, who is 10. He is Lizzy’s nephew, his parents could not take care of him and so he is living with Lizzy. Lizzy agreed to take care of him, but school costs here in Ghana and she could not afford to send him to school. Another volunteer a few years back (Lizzy hosts many) decided to pay for Cobbie to go to school, and so she has been doing so ever since.

Lizzy owns a little tiny shop/restaurant thing which I usually hang out at after school and read and eat and watch the world cup. Its very close to the house.

Everything here is so different than America. Want to run to the grocery store to get something? Or the convenience store? No can do; they do not exist. You have to know exactly what you want and exactly where to go to get it. It was quite a hassle just to buy me a towel! We started out for it one day, and Lizzy had to go back the next to find me one. Good thing I planned well and brought everything else I need…expect a stinkin camera cord…

There is no a/c anywhere that I have been yet here, except at a really nice hotel that we stopped at on the way from the airport (yes Mom and Todd, that is the one we’ll be staying at when you come).  Its not too bad though, I am used to the heat. My room had a fan and that keeps me cool.

The school I work at, Uniqueen Kindergarten, also does not have a/c. Heck, it hardly has doors and windows. It is very very small, just two open rooms. They make do with what they have, though. I am very impressed. And the children are so adorable. They call teachers “Auntie” instead of Miss, and so I am “Auntie Katie.”

Children also call all white people “obruni” (pronounced o-brune-ee). So multiple times a day as I am walking down the street children shout “obruni! obruni!” at me. Then they get really happy if I say hi and ask then how they are (to which everyone here replies, “fine thank you, and you?)

I suppose this is a long enough post. More on the school and my life later! I love you and miss you all!!!